I actually read this article in Entertainment Weekly in the July 11, 2008 edition and I could not agree with Stephen King. He basically explains why ‘small is scary,’ and looking back on things… The smallest things, with the exception of The Blob or The Thing, usually scared me. I understand that Blair Witch is a little dated and not as big as it was but back then, it was terrifying even though you don’t see anything. I don’t think you need big budget effects to make a good horror movie bur rather an understanding of the genre and small fears of people. I guess that’s why I loved Paranormal Activity so much. Although here is the Stephen King quote."One thing that seems clear to me, looking back at the 10 or a dozen films that truly scared me, is that most really good horror films are low-budget affairs with special effects cooked up in someone’s basement or garage. Among those that truly work are Carnival of Souls, Halloween, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Night of the Living Dead, and The Blair Witch Project. All cost almost nothing to make and earned millions, while their sequels and remakes were crap (Dawn of the Dead in both its incarnations being the exception that proves the rule). Horror is an intimate experience, something that occurs mostly with oneself, and when it works, the screams of a sold-out house are almost intrusive. Studio execs, who not only live behind the curve but seem to have built mansions there, don’t seem to understand that most moviegoers recognize all the bluescreens and computer graphics of big-budget films and flick them aside. Those movies blast our emotions and imaginations, instead of caressing them with a knife edge."
- Stephen King
I think it's a good point. When everything is too slick and high budget, it's hard to get into it.
ReplyDeleteI hate to think of how The Exorcist would look now. It felt so real with all the actual effects and makeup. If they did it now it would be all CGI and it wouldn't feel as...well, demonic, as the original.
Great quote.