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It’s hard to believe yet another year has come and gone, but the eve of 2006 is upon us and I think it’s time to take a look back at the year in horror. This will only be a quick touch on the past year, however, as on New Year’s Eve I’ll be posting my Top (and Bottom) horror flicks of 2005, so hang tight!
I actually had high hopes for the year 2005, and generally speaking I was not too disappointed. In fact, this year may have had the highest number of above average horror flicks for the first time in many moons. And, like most years, it also had its share of sheer garbage.
2005 started off with the return of Michael Keaton in White Noise. While expectations for the flick were high for me, and it was nice to see Keaton on the big screen again, the film turned out to be just slightly above average.
Unfortunately, the box office soon reeked of terrible trying-way-too-hard horror flicks. Boogeyman and Hide and Seek debuted around the same time in late January, and it was hard to tell which was worse. They were equally terrible, but Hide and Seek boasted the talents of Dakota Fanning and Robert De Niro… as opposed to the money-making Barry Watson (of 7th Heaven “fame”).
That couldn’t possibly be sarcastic, could it? Nah, not me.
Bad things usually come in threes, and they certainly did this time. The long-awaited, much anticipated Wes Craven flick, Cursed hit theaters in February. Man, was this one garbage. Even the unrated version which was released on DVD couldn’t save this stinker of a film. The film’s title was more of a description of the acts of moviegoers after seeing the flick and realizing they paid nearly 10 bucks to see it! Wes Craven did redeem himself slightly later in the summer with his mildly successful, but fairly clever Red Eye.
March and April brought two box-office successes with a sequel and, film type du jour, remake. The Ring Two opened to a big opening weekend take but, unlike The Ring, poor reviews drowned some of its mid-run success (pardon the pun). I found the film to be just fine, but I was definitely in the minority… as evidenced by the chorus of “that f***ing sucked” in the theater at the closing credits. The Amityville Horror, however, scored big time with critics and viewers alike. Whether it was the massive marketing campaign, or the fact that it was remaking a film that actually should have been remade doesn’t really matter all that much I suppose. But this is an example of a remake that worked, and worked well.
Sandwiched between these two releases was the little talked about Adrien Brody/Keira Knightley flick The Jacket. Opening around the same time as The Ring Two probably didn’t help this one out too much, but this was probably one of the two best psychological horrors of the year. I highly recommend checking this bad boy out.
The six weeks following Amityville’s release were relatively quiet… well, except for that poor excuse for a film entitled House of Wax. This remake, which was completely different than the perfectly fine film it was remaking, starred the virginal Paris Hilton.
*Shudder*
I refused to pay the price of admission to see this obvious piece of trash, but (un)lucky enough to see the film recently on DVD, and wow… I’m not sure what to say. On the bright side, seeing that Hilton heiress get offed the way she did was a treat to the eyes. But that was the only highlight of the film for me… and really, the only memorable thing about it.
Moving on, the “J” months brought a trio of big-time winners. The American release of the French psychological slasher High (Haute) Tension (Review #2, Review #3) came first. Quite honestly, this one floundered at the box office, but is right at the top of my list for best horror film in a long time. I think the whole “America hates France” mentality may have had some effect here… damn Fox News! If you do have the opportunity, please see this one. It’s well worth your time.
The crown jewel of horror in the summer was definitely the return of George Romero to the subgenre he helped create. George Romero’s Land of the Dead(Review #2, Review #3) had been long-awaited by fans of the genre for years now. And, while we stand as a jaded movie audience nowadays, Land managed to cement Romero’s standing in the horror community as King of the Zombies.
The following month, Rob Zombie’s follow-up to his 2003 flick House of 1000 Corpses made its way into theaters. The Devil’s Rejects followed the continuing adventures of a group of likeable murderers on the lam. Zombie truly came into his own as a serious player in the horror world and one can only hope he helms some more films in the future.
The Skeleton Key (Review #2) and The Exorcism of Emily Rose covered territory seen before, but helped to whet the appetite of what was to come in October –- usually the biggest month for horror releases.
Unfortunately, October proved to be quite disappointing with a poorly-thought out remake (The Fog), and an over budget movie based on a video game (Doom) starring a former WWE wrestler-turned-mediocre actor (The Rock).
No need to despair, as perhaps the most-anticipated film of the year hit the big screen on Friday, October 28th. Halloween of 2004 brought a surprisingly great psychological horror with Saw. Surpassing all box office expectations, a sequel for Saw was in the works almost immediately. Upon receiving the green light from Twisted Pictures, Saw II turbo-charged its way to theaters this Halloween, and blew away the original. I’m not going to say this was the best horror of 2005… I’ll save that for my countdown. But suffice it to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this monster of a flick.
I can’t say the same for my wallet, however.
Technically, the 2005 Horror Season is not quite over yet, with one more wide-release to go in the genre -– Wolf Creek opens on Christmas Day. By all accounts, this one looks to be quite enjoyable as well. But will it be good enough to make it’s way onto The Horror Guru’s Top 5 of ’05? Or maybe bad enough to slink into the Bottom 5 of ’05. There’s some tough company in either category, so be sure to catch my picks later this month!
At first glance, 2006 looks to be more of the same: generally sequels and remakes with the odd original horror flick thrown in now and again. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. I seem to do an awful lot of complaining about the seeming lack of originality in today’s Hollywood, but to be fair, you can’t argue with revenue. It’s a fact of life, and I expect more of these remakes to overtake the genre. Pretty soon there will be remakes of remakes of remakes. A scary thought.
2006 looks to have four “big deal” releases on tap… so far. In the first quarter of the year, look for Eli Roth’s Hostel to garner at least as much success as his previous film Cabin Fever. Hopefully, it will be a better film. Also keep an eye out for a remake of The Hills Have Eyes. Wes Craven was the man behind the original 1978 film, and while it was quite entertaining and original it did have some flaws. Alex Aja (or High Tension fame) is manning this project and has the go-ahead from Craven himself. This could be your darkhorse candidate for horror film of the year.
Then, in October horror fans can look forward to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Origin. In this prequel to the remake of the original (get all that?) we learn the origins behind Leatherface and his messed up family. That should be a fun ride, what with R. Lee Ermey on board to reprise his role from the first film!
The other major October release is actually only tentative right now. Saw III is inevitable. Don’t believe me, go and look up the box office numbers for Saw II and you’ll understand. However, Saw III was originally planning for an October 2007 release date. Upon the massive success of the second film, there’s already been talk of releasing the third installment in the series next Halloween. That is, of course, providing a great screenplay and filming are finished on time.
My money is Saw III opening on October 27th, 2006. You can take that one to the bank.
Other less-notable 2006 releases include An American Haunting, Pulse, Slither, Silent Hill (a potential Doom clone), Snakes on a Plane (well, what the heck is Slither then?), When a Stranger Calls (remake), as well as See No Evil -– starring WWE wrestler Kane.
It should be another year full of surprises, disappointments, and successes. One thing is for sure: I’ll be here to whine, complain, moan and groan just as I always do. You should be excited.
Next Week: Take a look back at this year’s Cry_Wolf, which hits store shelves December 20th... and The Horror Guru reveals his Christmas pick of 2005.
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