It’s the Booze Talkin, Will Twin Peaks, Ash & X-Files Nostalgia Hurt Us?

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Everything old is new again in Hollywood. Dinosaurs are back in a big way in JURASSIC WORLD. MAD MAX kicked ass on FURY ROAD. And this weekend we are seeing a return of Arnold with TERMINATOR: GENISYS and MAGIC MIKE XXL will have ladies salivating once again. Plus there is that little movie called THE FORCE AWAKENS heading to theatres the end of the year. So many sequels, reboots and re-imaginings that it is easy to get a sense of deja vu. Even television seems to have a strong case of familiarity. Some of the most anticipated new shows are either classic series’ coming back, or a certain fellow with a chainsaw for an arm battling demons. In fact, my excitement for the return of Mulder, Scully, Ash and Special Agent Dale Cooper have me in a binge frenzy. So the question is, will nostalgia pay off?

Let’s start with a couple of great shows that had a major cult following and set a new standard for television drama. While David Lynch and Mark Frost’s mysterious and bizarre Twin Peaks had a short run, it also created a massive frenzy of fan worship. Everybody wanted to know who killed Laura Palmer. And while the mystery was solved far too early for Lynch and even fans, it left a legacy behind. So much so that the series return has many – including myself – frothing at the mouth to see what new oddness it will have in store. The fact that many of the original cast members are returning only adds to the thrilling prospect of returning to that haunting and quirky little town.

As successful as Twin Peaks was, it didn’t have the same longevity as the extremely popular The X-Files. Chris Carter’s science fiction/horror/adventure series is a landmark in television history. The chemistry between Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny is unmatched. Add to that some of the creepiest, kookiest monsters ever put to the small screen, and you have yourself a miraculously amazing series. While both Scully and Mulder are older and wiser, many are ecstatic to see what the skeptic and believer are up to these days. And when the possibility of sequelizing “Home" spread across the internet, my excitement level went through the roof. That particular episode is literally one of my favorite hours of television ever, and that is not simply hyperbole. Unfortunately however, word is that we won't be going "Home" again… Ugh, disappointment is beginning to seep in.

Of course there is more nostalgia coming our way. For all you EVIL DEAD fans, Ash vs Evil Dead looks shockingly promising. The teaser is awesome and the cast is top-notch. Is it just me or does seeing Lucy Lawless in Evil Dead land kind of give you all sorts of cool feelies? And while the Ryan Murphy and Brad Fulchuk series Scream Queens may be an original series, it does feature a return to horror for Jamie Lee Curtis. That in itself is one hundred percent worth watching. Hopefully the actress will have a little more fun than she did as Laurie Strode in her  final farewell to the HALLOWEEN franchise – I still have nightmares at the atrocity that was HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION.

As I’ve mentioned in a past Booze Talkin’, we also have the upcoming MTV series Scream based on the successful horror franchise. At least for me, this is the one genre outing that I am the least looking forward to – like not at all. As much as I really dug the first two SCREAM flicks – part three and four weren’t all that satisfying – it seems that this series may be missing the mark. Instead of the coolness that Sidney Prescott and pals brought to the franchise, I’m afraid it will be more like that awful horror themed episode of Dawson’s Creek that I caught on late night cable. Now maybe through some miracle, out of all these entires, Scream will end up being the big surprise, but I wouldn’t count on that.

All of these things hold a special place in my heart. So much so that it may be very difficult to live up to. Will nostalgia pay off for these genre entries? Will the love of the original works be so huge that their return will fail to live up to the greatness of the original? We’ve been very lucky over the past few years to see horror become a staple on the small screen, but is this trend of returning to once successful ideas going to miss the mark? Now if Ash vs. Evil Dead fails to live up to its promise, we will always have the amazing movies, but will new seasons of Twin Peaks and The X-Files cut too close leaving a bloodless corpse of something that once stood the test of time? Somehow it seems easier to separate a television series based on a movie than another season of a series.

Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but will nostalgia let us down with TV horror? If you had told me that both The X-Files and Twin Peaks would return to the small screen years ago I would have probably wondered what kind of drugs you were taking. Yet now, both are returning as well as Ash, Deadites, Scream, and Jamie Lee Curtis. My horror loving self is absolutely flabbergasted by the prospect of it all. Perhaps my expectations are too high and raising them is my own damn fault. Yet I can’t help but think back to watching the originals for the first time and the giddiness it brought for an hour a week. Let’s face it, television is pretty damn terrific these days and back then we didn’t have as many options as we have now. For now, I will hope nostalgia doesn’t fail me. And if it does, we can at least be thankful that we have the originals. Yet, I’m hopeful to find horror, humor and weirdness with the return of some old friends.