The Present Horror Film Market
Current cinema listings (Enfield Cineworld - starting Friday 24th October):
- Burn After Reading (comedy)
- City of Ember (family/history)
- Eagle Eye (action)
- Fly me to the Moon (family/animated/history)
- Ghost Town (comedy)
- Gomorrah (action/drama)
- High School Musical 3 (teen/musical)
- How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (comedy)
- Igor (animated/family/fantasy)
- Incendiary (drama/thriller)
- Journey to the Centre of the Earth (action/adventure)
- Kung Fu Panda (animated/family/adventure/comedy)
- Mamma Mia (family/musical)
- Mirrors (horror)
- Saw V (horror/thriller)
- Taken (action/trhiller)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (family/fantasy/adventure)
- The House Bunny (comedy)
- Tropic Thunder (comedy)
2 out of 19 of the films shown are of the horror genre. One is a film deemed as weak and a farce by critics with the 'Mirrors' plot involving mirrors possessing humans to carry out evil deeds. The other is the heavily successful successor in the 'Saw' series - 'Saw V' - already an established cult blockbuster hit. There is an obvious gap for a new unique horror film with no sequel or predeccessor.
List of horror films released (or yet to be) in 2008:
100 Feet, the Alphabet Killer, Amusement, Anaconda 3, April Fools Day, Asylum, Cloverfield, The Cottage, Dark Floors, Day of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, The Eye, Feast 2, Grizzly Park, Gutterballs, The Happening, Insanitarium, Killer Pad, Let the Night One in, Lost Boys 2, No Mans Land, One Missed Call, Prom Night, Quarantine, Rovdyr, The Ruins, Saw V, The Strangers, Shutter, Zombie Strippers.
The small total of 30 in a year is low for the horror genre (with over 50 being released in 2007). Most of these were unsuccessful, generally low key films. They show signs of directors experimenting with new alternative ideas and some have not worked such as 'The Happening' - a mixed horror/science/nature - which has been heavily criticised. Some are typical but weak zombie flicks such as 'Zombie Strippers' and 'Day of the Dead', with people running out of ideas in the genre.
The successful horror films of 2008:
- The Eye (a remake of the Hong-Kong based film - a supernatural thriller focused on psycological "creep-out" horror).
- The Strangers (a psycological supernatural killer thriller showing a combination of popular horror subgenres today).
- The Cottage (a tongue-in-cheek alternative comedy slasher with slapstick gore and witty irony).
- Saw V (part of the cult franchise series of torture films - significant in the rejuvination of modern alternative horror/thrillers).
- One Missed Call (a remake of the Japanese film - a psycological killer thriller focused on unique ways of being killed by the killer).
The common themes of Far-Eastern remakes, sequels, classic remakes, torture films, supernatural horrors, psycological thrillers, slapstick comedy slashers and alternative modern horror can be seen in the list of films ready to be released in 2009:
- Final Destination 4
- The Descent 2
- Friday the 13th
- The Grudge 3
Conclusion:
- There is a gap in the market for new unique ideas that are original narratives not based on true events or previous films.
- There are plenty of zombie flicks, dry humoured slashers and torture films - these are not new and original.
- There are not many real classic killers such as in the 70's, with obvious horror conventions.
I can either target niche markets with alternative horror ideas similar to those shown today, or target the gap of classic obvious horror which does not feature so much anymore. I feel this is missing from cinemas today, but could be risky. I will consider the advantages and disadvantages of both markets when planning my ideas.
Current cinema listings (Enfield Cineworld - starting Friday 24th October):
- Burn After Reading (comedy)
- City of Ember (family/history)
- Eagle Eye (action)
- Fly me to the Moon (family/animated/history)
- Ghost Town (comedy)
- Gomorrah (action/drama)
- High School Musical 3 (teen/musical)
- How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (comedy)
- Igor (animated/family/fantasy)
- Incendiary (drama/thriller)
- Journey to the Centre of the Earth (action/adventure)
- Kung Fu Panda (animated/family/adventure/comedy)
- Mamma Mia (family/musical)
- Mirrors (horror)
- Saw V (horror/thriller)
- Taken (action/trhiller)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (family/fantasy/adventure)
- The House Bunny (comedy)
- Tropic Thunder (comedy)
2 out of 19 of the films shown are of the horror genre. One is a film deemed as weak and a farce by critics with the 'Mirrors' plot involving mirrors possessing humans to carry out evil deeds. The other is the heavily successful successor in the 'Saw' series - 'Saw V' - already an established cult blockbuster hit. There is an obvious gap for a new unique horror film with no sequel or predeccessor.
List of horror films released (or yet to be) in 2008:
100 Feet, the Alphabet Killer, Amusement, Anaconda 3, April Fools Day, Asylum, Cloverfield, The Cottage, Dark Floors, Day of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, The Eye, Feast 2, Grizzly Park, Gutterballs, The Happening, Insanitarium, Killer Pad, Let the Night One in, Lost Boys 2, No Mans Land, One Missed Call, Prom Night, Quarantine, Rovdyr, The Ruins, Saw V, The Strangers, Shutter, Zombie Strippers.
The small total of 30 in a year is low for the horror genre (with over 50 being released in 2007). Most of these were unsuccessful, generally low key films. They show signs of directors experimenting with new alternative ideas and some have not worked such as 'The Happening' - a mixed horror/science/nature - which has been heavily criticised. Some are typical but weak zombie flicks such as 'Zombie Strippers' and 'Day of the Dead', with people running out of ideas in the genre.
The successful horror films of 2008:
- The Eye (a remake of the Hong-Kong based film - a supernatural thriller focused on psycological "creep-out" horror).
- The Strangers (a psycological supernatural killer thriller showing a combination of popular horror subgenres today).
- The Cottage (a tongue-in-cheek alternative comedy slasher with slapstick gore and witty irony).
- Saw V (part of the cult franchise series of torture films - significant in the rejuvination of modern alternative horror/thrillers).
- One Missed Call (a remake of the Japanese film - a psycological killer thriller focused on unique ways of being killed by the killer).
The common themes of Far-Eastern remakes, sequels, classic remakes, torture films, supernatural horrors, psycological thrillers, slapstick comedy slashers and alternative modern horror can be seen in the list of films ready to be released in 2009:
- Final Destination 4
- The Descent 2
- Friday the 13th
- The Grudge 3
Conclusion:
- There is a gap in the market for new unique ideas that are original narratives not based on true events or previous films.
- There are plenty of zombie flicks, dry humoured slashers and torture films - these are not new and original.
- There are not many real classic killers such as in the 70's, with obvious horror conventions.
I can either target niche markets with alternative horror ideas similar to those shown today, or target the gap of classic obvious horror which does not feature so much anymore. I feel this is missing from cinemas today, but could be risky. I will consider the advantages and disadvantages of both markets when planning my ideas.
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