The decade gone by has been a most memorable one, be it due to the smashing hit of the Avengers Franchise that had fans ‘marvel’ at the cinematic experience, or the infamously unsuccessful Area 51 Raid that took the world (and I’m guessing the ‘aliens’ too) by storm. The 2010s was a time that was meme-ridden and life changing. In the film industry, the genre of horror has been on an intense rollercoaster ride and produced few of the best and few of the worst productions.
The most noteworthy horror film was one of the first ones to grace the silver screen this epoch. I’m talking about none other than ‘The Conjuring’. A brilliant masterpiece of what 21st Century horror movies should be like; this motion picture definitely gives you the chills you paid for at the cinema in 2013. Even the toughest viewers found safety behind their popcorn buckets to shield them from the slow-rising creepiness that ‘Conjuring’ relied on rather than the lackluster of jump-scares. Rottentomatoes, the popular critic website, lauded the movie with a high, and well-deserved, score off 7.5/10. The movie definitely conjured up some terror-laced sleepless nights!
We got the best and now to the worst. ‘Cabin Fever (2016)’ was, according to Rottentomatoes Editorial, an ‘inert remake’. An utterly disappointing attempt was made to scare the viewers but the plot had close to no grip and was tediously repetitive. Who doesn’t know that teenagers in horror movies who are stuck in a shady and eerie place without an escape do? Yes, teenagers definitely go looking for the very thing that chills your spine. Not only was it impossible for the teenagers to stay put, but their unconvincing acting made it just as hard for the audience to not face palm. The movie completely relies on unsettling goriness and jump-scares, things the audience needs a break from. With harsh criticisms, this failed flick was rated a below-average 2/10. A few tweaks in the weak plot can fix this bad boy right up.
Some notable films include The Witch (2015), The Babadook (2014) and Get Out (2018) in which, just like ‘Conjuring’, the makers trusted fully in the power of sheer spookiness and trepidation. Each scene had the viewers’ hair rising and created an iconic and long-lasting model to the horror movies yet to come. However, movies like Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Slender Man (2018), and Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010), flopped out massively on the big screen, leaving the audience unsatisfied that their money was well-spent and thinking they would have been better reading a book instead.
All in all, there’s no way but forward. So, here’s to hoping that the coming decade rewards us with chefs-d’oeuvre horrors. Happy Spook!