The Future of Horror Is Bright

A classic scene from The Exorcist. Courtesy Warner Brothers Pictures.

By Jonas Barnes

When I first laid eyes on “The Exorcist“, I shit my pants. Was it fear or was it the fact that I was a 6 year old? I guess we’ll never know the answer to that question.

It did, however, set off a chain of events that have made me blossom into the horror fan that I am today. The horror genre is my absolute favorite when it comes to film. I’ve been a fan since I was very young and I watch horror films, good and bad, whenever I get the chance. I’ve studied them, read screenplays and been the asshole that waxes poetic about the benefits of practical effects over CGI. I’m just that guy, and you have to deal with it if I’m a part of your life.

Right now, in the year 2017, we’re experiencing what I can only describe as a resurrection of a dying genre.

Horror is a genre that spreads far & wide across multimedia. And up until the last year & a half or so, the genre was on life support. Almost all the horror films that were being released were hot shit, the ticket sales were garbage and every promising script was festering in development hell with almost no chance of seeing the light of day. And then…something happened. I’m not sure what it was that caused it, but the genre has started to make a very solid comeback.

Courtesy Warner Brothers Pictures.

“The Conjuring” was one of the most refreshing new horror films to come out in recent years but it was merely a speck of hope in a dying world of darkness. Then the sequel came out and it was really good. Then the spin off, “Annabelle“, was released and it was, dare I say, good. The newest in the series, “Annabelle: Creation“, is coming out soon and it looks very good. But on top of that, a handful of other films came out, one after another, that were all good horror films in their own right.

Then the indie and international scenes started showing signs of life with gems like “RAW” and “Train To Busan“. The genre has come back from certain death and is doing some great things right now. I don’t what the hell happened but, as a fan, I’m ecstatic for this comeback.

If you look on into the horizon, it’s not showing any signs of dying off, either. We have remakes of “IT” from Stephen King coming, new installments of classics like “Halloween” and a genre melting pot that I can’t wait for called “Death House“. If you veer off the film path, you’ll see horror becoming more popular in other media like music.

Synthwave experienced a boom with “Stranger Things” and what branched off of that is a darker synthwave that is very inspired by horror and the occult. Take for instance groups like “VHS Glitch” and “Confrontational“. If you like retro, electronic music with some darkness, do yourself a favor and check out “Carpenter Brut“, “Occams Laser” and “Dance With The Dead“.

Dance With the Dead’s album “Near Dark“

I’m a fucking horror nerd so I’m all over the message boards looking at scripts and upcoming projects so, if you’re a fan, I’d like to tell you that the horror future is bright.

There is so much good shit coming down the pipeline. Add television series’ on top of all that and all your splatter fantasies are coming true. I couldn’t be happier.

Brooklyn’s very own Catland Books. Picture courtesy Brooklyn Paper

The last thing I’ll mention is, if you live in NYC and enjoy your entertainment on the darker side, I recommend you look into the occult & horror scene here. There is a lot of fun to be had in the darkness of this city. From Occult bookstores like Catland Books to bar & music venues like  St. Vitus to historical societies like Atlas Obscura. There’s a lot of indulgences here. You just gotta look for it. Enjoy the blood & guts, horror fans! I’ll see you at the movies.