An Autopsy of Horror Films
CELLULOID BLOODBATH, a compilation of horror film trailers, was released today.
Horror is one of the largest, fastest-growing genres in the film industry, both the big budget horror films and the micro budget varieties. Today's release of BEDEVILLED from South Korea also underscores the worldwide growth of films that terrorize -- and it highlights the popularity of horror films from the far reaches of the globe, which are often more gruesome and frightening than American films in this genre.
BEDEVILLED is so violent, degrading, and misogynistic that even die-hard horror critics claim it was almost too much for them. DREAD CENTRAL's reviewer, for instance, warns viewers: "This movie will make you angry. Period. But it also pays off cinematic gold. While I can say I will probably never watch BEDEVILLED again, I can, in all honesty, admit that I was glad to have seen it once and that I will never forget it." Similarly, CULT REVIEWS cautions that "the extended finale features a large number of grim and shocking images." The scary thing is that reviews like these only heat up rentals by thrill-seeking viewers.
If you're curious about what drives people to watch this stuff, S&Man (above) is a documentary that dives right into an investigation of voyeurism and fetish films, which the director links to more mainstream horror films.
Sure, maybe it's sexual pathology that makes people like horror films, but maybe it's also because the genre is so easy to deconstruct, which is why there are so many horror/comedy films like Wes Craven's SCREAM series or the SCARY MOVIE franchise. If you put yourself in that camp, then you will enjoy the vintage, grindhouse kitsch of compiled horror movie trailers, CELLULOID BLOODBATH, out today from Virgil Films, a sequel to their popular MAD RON'S PREVUES FROM HELL, the 1987 "party" compilation.
We need some help with this autopsy! email me and let me know why you like horror films and give me a list of your top three horror films on our site, and you'll be entered in a contest to win a coupon worth five rentals of any films on our site.
