HORROR TEN SPOT: Top 10 Reasons Foreign Horror Kicks U.S Ass

January 15th 2010, 10:49pm

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

AITH reader Adam Koetters saved me the trouble of coming up with a topic this time around. He shot an email recommending that we take a look at why foreign horror so often owns while U.S. stuff manages to be largely shite these days.

A great idea IMO, and The Arrow concurred so it’s a go. After all, there is a ton of great genre stuff getting produced to check out year after year, but it seems like much of it now is that flick somebody saw at a festival that came out of Sri Lanka, or some other surprising place.

Since there are so many elements at play in an issue like this, I’m expecting ya’ll to step up and spit bullets on what you think about all this – and of course, a big thanks to Adam for the list idea.

1. GENRE RESPECT

A lot of the weight behind this list comes down to the simple concept of respect, or lack thereof. People in the U.S. don’t really consider genre work as legitimate as other categories. Foreign cinema doesn’t seem to suffer from this delusion, and so a horror pic gets everyone’s best effort and legitimate appraisal, just like a non-genre offering. End result = horror is global, but the U.S. is losing steam.

2. ORIGINAL CONTENT

As touched on earlier in the list, remakes, reimaginings, reboots and such have taken over. There are so damn many that inevitably some will seem interesting, some will even be good. But all it does is fill the void that would be filled by new ideas. Fortunately foreign flicks so far have stayed true to making original content for the most part. God love ’em.

3. THE DIRECTORS

I’m not sure why genre work is looked down upon in the U.S., but any director who gets their start in horror is not only pigeonholed, but also falls victim to the “it’s just horror” attitude. Foreign directors either through better opportunities, or maybe just better current talent, bring all the techniques of classic filmmaking to bear and make movies, instead of “horror movies”.

4. THE ACTORS

Known thespians and horror are a tough mix. When an actor brings baggage to a role, it’s hard to get lost in the world of the film in the way you need to in order to really get pulled into the terror being built. Who saw MIRRORS and didn’t have Kiefer as Jack Bauer in mind the whole time? Foreign actors are less well known relative to U.S. stars, so you can get equal or better quality without so many preconceived notions.

5. STUDIO INTERFERENCE

There is enormous pressure on studios and their producers to make movies that make money. That’s the bottom line. When they bring in a hot new director, or buy up a script that’s got tongues wagging, it’s because that hype will help sell their movie. Cast a big name? Same damn thing. Quality is an ever-diminishing by product of a corporate system that’s become as bloated and tenuous as U.S. banks.

6. RATINGS

There’s not another market in the world that is so driven to turn out product that skirts an edge specifically so that teens and pre-teens are allowed in by the letter of the law. It weakens the whole process in the U.S., and the level of excellence we see in a lot of import horror is the best argument for why PG-13 is bad.

7. ELEMENT OF SURPRISE

Most U.S. horror for the last decade has followed a fairly predictable formula. Plenty of remakes, and then basic plot and scare points for the “new” ideas. It basically feels like there’s nothing new under the sun. Then some twisted piece like OLD BOY or GINGER SNAPS makes itself known to us, and we’re reminded that expectations can be checked when a good horror flick gets sent our way.

8. INTENSITY

Building tension is all well and good, but once things go down it’s gotta be worth it. And man, oh man does the rest of the world drop it like a bomb. I can’t tell you how many films coming out of Hollywood have left me underwhelmed, while flicks like AUDITION, MAY and INSIDE have me squirming in my f*cking seat.

9. BETTER TENSION

In the U.S. we like fast food, fast cars and fast women. Get it to us and get it to us now. Which is great if you’re looking for a burger, but not so good for building legitimate scares. Those come from a well established tension, something that foreign films usually excel at. Quick cuts and jump scares may make a trailer good enough to pull people into the theaters, but that’s about it.

10. THE MPAA

It’s been well established that the MPAA is a pain in the ass, but worse than that is how they treat different filmmakers. Those working within the studio system get detailed notes of what exactly resulted in the rating they received. Those outside that system just get general statements. The result is that some indie horror that could easily reach a wider audience through a PG-13 rating with some moderate guidance never get the chance, while the counter is that studios will spend enormous effort making sure they skate that same line instead of putting that energy into the quality of the film. And that’s without even getting into the box office killing NC-17 which many of the more intense horror efforts end up threatened by.