It’s the Booze Talkin’: Hollywood Should Take Lessons From Indie Horror!

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

There is nothing like spending an evening with a group of like-minded horror fans in a darkened theatre. The problem is all too often, the main feature is loaded with generic leads, bogus jump scares and empty headed frights. This was very apparent this past Thanksgiving holiday when I finally got around to watching ANNABELLE. It was a local discount theatre, but the screen isn’t bad and the food is surprisingly good. Unfortunately the movie was not. In fact, it was such a disappointment that I felt ripped off that I paid a whole dollar fifty for the ticket. Sure I knew it would be a cash grab but I had no idea that it would be as dreadfully dull as it was.

Cut to a few days later, there is another flick that I had heard about yet hadn’t been able to take in. While the buzz on THE CONJURING lazy prequel (or whatever) wasn’t good, the hype behind the other feature was near too good to be true. But it wasn’t. In fact, THE BABADOOK was completely worthy of all the praise it has been receiving. This is the type of movie that would have been a pleasure to sit through, and cover your eyes at, and disappear into with an audience. While I didn’t – I caught it on VOD – at least I have the option being that it is playing in a single theatre in Los Angeles. Yet after all these weeks, I could still find the cold and lifeless ANNABELLE lying around at a theatre near you.

A couple of weeks before that experience, I found myself in the same situation with another studio flick and yet another VOD surprise. Now between STARRY EYES and OUIJA, which do you think had something interesting and unique to say? And more importantly, which one actually managed to conjure up serious dread and fear? The based on a Hasbro board game craptasticness of OUIJA was made worse by all the young teens in the audience kicking chairs and talking about how they totally thought it was dumb. And you know what? It was. It was a dumb movie with dumb characters doing dumb things. STARRY EYES on the other hand was a strange and provocatively creepy flick that actually gave me something to ponder well after it was over. It also featured a fantastic leading lady with Alex Essie.

Once upon a time, direct to video meant cheap and disposable – and yes there is tons of that as well. However, as of late some of the best horror films have seen a very limited release and could mostly be viewed on a television, computer or iPhone screen. And while there were tons of bad movies that went straight to VOD, there was scarcely a single major studio wide release that was even tolerable. Most had a ton of advertising featuring either a spooky image of Ouija boards, or the creepy catacombs of Paris, or even superhero versions of Frankenstein and Dracula. And let us not forget that creepy doll who loves red crayons. Hell, many of these flicks even made a nice chunk of change.

What really makes a film the THE BABADOOK or STARRY EYES work is the focus on character and creating a truly unsettling story. Both films also happen to feature lead performances that are especially impressive. Essie Davis is so wonderfully brilliant in BABADOOK that I firmly believe she should be considered a contender come award season. There is genuine emotion that is especially apparent in the story of a mother and son fighting off some frightening monster from a children’s book. Even the young actor playing her son (Noah Wiseman) is so utterly convincing that it is impossible to not fall deeply into their story. There is an audience for this with the right marketing and someone willing to present an original voice from such directors as Jennifer Kent (THE BABADOOK) as well as Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer (STARRY EYES) on a larger than VOD level.

Maybe it’s the booze talkin’, but Hollywood should take a lesson from independent horror. With a great story, a strong script and amazing on (and off) screen talent there is certainly a market for inspired genre films. We all know there are exciting voices out there ready to scare audiences in a satisfying way. This may be why it is all the more disheartening we can’t see a wider release for genre that respects its audience. For now, the job is ours as fans, to seek out horror that is worthy of our hard earned dollars. Let’s face it… the best of the genre is playing nowhere near your local multiplex.