Horror Show

"Horror Show"

With economic problems and the fall of the jazz era, many Americans needed a scapegoat for their anger. The gangster film was created to alleviate that need. While it did, there was another genre that proved to give the public what they wanted and stand the test of time to produce the most lasting and influential movies of the 1930's; it was the horror genre.

Today, with the release of the "Saw" franchise, the horror genre has once again come alive to reign in the theatres and the box offices. The going and coming of this genre is not a new phenomenon to Hollywood, for, "every decade or so, horror gets hot." This time around, however, the horror movies have an added touch that is emphasized more now than ever - torture. Learning about their audience and what people wanted to see, Hollywood film producers discovered that gore and torture is what now sets apart the various scary movies.

As with the 1930's, there had to be reasons for the recent desire to see such movies. With a look at recent events in history, the reason becomes apparent. Today, when all that is broadcast to the public are scenes of war and carnage, people want a chance to see what it is like around the world. Wes Craven says it best in that people want to see these movies because, "we're living in a horror show. The post-9/11 world has been extremely difficult for the average American...we all know what's floating around out there." Another reason for the horror boom in cinemas deals with the audience most watching such films - teens and young adults. Craven says, "They're wondering 'Just how violent is the adult world?'" It is the curiosity of the unknown that is drawing many viewers to these movies.

"Give the people what they want," is the common clichй that is the reason for Hollywood's recent obsession with