Horror has always made a good home for monsters. All kinds of them. You have creepy crawlies or slithery beasts that came from space. There are insects as large as trucks. Technically, you could even add zombies and a few other modern horror nightmares. We have faced our share of creatures in horror, and frankly, we may be seeing more of them on the big screen. This year brings audiences the return of a couple of familiar legends that perhaps will push this once popular sub-genre back into the mainstream. It’s time for the gigantic creatures to come back and create havoc on unsuspecting victims.
One of the biggest surprises this year is KONG: SKULL ISLAND. And yes, there are a ton of monsters in it, not just a giant ape. In many ways, this return to Kong feels a bit like an old fashioned blockbuster. There is a nice opening sequence – featuring King Kong – and then we meet a bunch of characters who have to face off against the legendary gorilla. Thankfully, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts reached back into his own history of watching films by giving the new Kong some familiar elements. Every single movie fan should be able to recognize the obvious homages to APOCALYPSE NOW – among others. Yet, one thing Jordan really knows how to do is make the monsters scary and fun. This is good stuff, folks!
KING KONG isn’t the only one getting a little nostalgia love this year. We also have Alex Kurtzman offering up what is officially the first in a Monster Universe franchise at Universal Studios. Some may not have been blown away by the trailer for THE MUMMY, however, I’m actually looking forward to it. You have Tom Cruise getting into the action, and you have what will hopefully be a really intense villain ready to raise some hell. To be fair, both KONG and THE MUMMY look to be more family friendly as opposed to scary and violent, but that’s not necessarily a terrible thing. After all, KONG has one of the coolest kills you are likely to see this entire year, PG-13 or no, it was freaking intense. And don't forget, we also have the return of Ridley Scott to a familiar world with ALIEN: COVENANT. I personally cannot wait… plus this one is R-rated.
I’ll tell you this right now, I want more monsters in the multiplex. When I was a kid some of my favorite movies were creature features. There are the obvious blockbusters like JAWS and ALIEN, but let us not forget some of the others. Hollywood loves success, so it’s not surprising when something makes a ton of bucks that another filmmaker will try to recreate that success. Anybody that knows me is fully aware that I adore movies like PIRANHA, KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS, THE BOOGENS and, of course, TENTACLES. After JAWS came out, ever single studio wanted a piece of that. Same thing with giant insects. And yes, let’s not forget about all of the alien invasion flicks from the 50s.
SO here’s the thing, if KONG: SKULL ISLAND does well – and I hope it does – that brings us closer to a GODZILLA vs. KONG, or something like that. And if THE MUMMY comes out and does well enough, we suddenly have a studio once again happily investing in the creepy things that lurk in the dark. Sure, the Monster Universe will probably focus on the action as opposed to the horror, but it’s a good start. And frankly, as excited as I am to see this type of flick hit big, I’d love to see more straight up horror movies with monsters like THE MIST. Yeah man, I’m talking a nice R-rated scary story that has us wondering what kind of creature is hiding underneath your bed or in your closet. I want more of that.
Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but come on Hollywood, bring back big budget monster movies! When I was a kid it was huge spiders and killer sea monsters, but I loved all the creature features. Hell, I even have serious love for a silly little movie called BLOOD BEACH. And maybe it’s just me, but while Asylum is making a crapload of these types of flicks, I want something more. I want better effects. I want better stories. And yes, I want an awesome cast. And speaking of great casts, I love the fact that KONG star John Goodman was in 10 CLOVERFIELD LAND, ARACHNOPHOBIA and KONG and he was awesome in all three. So yeah, I hope KONG and THE MUMMY bring in the box office dollars because I’d like to see better beasts on a massive screen ready to tear shite up.