21st Century Terrors, Part 5: 2004

By the middle of the first decade of the century, the horror genre renaissance was in full effect. And perhaps no other single year was more indicative of this than 2004. A few specific movies were at the heart of it, and for various different reasons they all made a major impact on fans and critics alike. To a certain extent, we're still talking about them today as if they just came out, which is more indicative of their influence than anything.

Perhaps most ironically of all, the most beloved of these--and perhaps the most beloved horror film of the entire decade--was actually a horror comedy. Birthed from the minds of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg via their obsessive love of all things Romero, Shaun of the Dead was more than a movie--it was a movement. The zombie fad had been cooking for a couple of years already, but SOTD distilled it into a single, transcendent experience--a film that celebrated not only the zombie genre, but zombie fandom as well.

The misadventures of Shaun and Ed have since become iconic in a relatively short period of time. They were perhaps horror's finest comedy duo since Abbott & Costello tangled with the Frankenstein Monster. And the brilliance of the film was that it managed to be so genuinely funny while still being true to the genre it so blatantly worshiped. The movie works equally well as a zombie picture and as a romantic comedy, hence the now famous subgenre title, "rom-zom-com".

Shaun of the Dead was the kind of film that defines a generation of fandom, and without question represents horror in the 2000s for many people. Yet there is also another film which does that for others, and that's James Wan's Saw, the film that, for all intents and purposes, thrust the "torture porn" subgenre into the limelight (along with Hostel a bit later).

Yet ironically, the film itself doesn't quite conform to the stereotype of that subgenre, not having the trademark explicit depictions of graphic violence and sadism for the ostensible purpose of audience titillation. The original Saw, taken apart from its never-ending stream of sequels, is actually an imaginative, psychologically based thriller, which manages to put a unique spin on the slasher motif and packs one hell of a punch with its rollercoaster of a storyline.

Jigsaw is a character very much of his time, just as Dracula, Norman Bates and Freddy Krueger were of theirs. And his sinister m.o. of byzantine traps and warped morality--inspired strongly by the previous decade's Seven--definitely touched a nerve with audiences. Saw would go on to become one of the most successful franchises of the decade, becoming almost what Friday the 13th was for the 1980s--for better or worse.

The two giants of Shaun of the Dead and Saw gave horror a relatively high profile in 2004, but there was even more going on. For one thing, in addition to the Romero zombie parody, there was also a Romero zombie remake, in Zak Snyder's Dawn of the Dead. For a film that had a lot of ill will pointed toward it, Snyder's film made the most of it, and shut a lot of people's mouths in the process.

James Gunn's script upset many purists with its fast-moving zombies and the ejecting of most of Romero's social commentary, but the finished product can nevertheless stand on its own merits. It's an effective, energetic horror film with characters we can get behind, and quite possibly one of the most impressive opening sequences of all time. For a movie that seemed doomed to fail, Dawn of the Dead stands as one of the decade's triumphs.

Beyond the big triumphs, zombie cinema continued full speed ahead with no end in sight. We got the first sequel to the movie that arguably kicked off the whole craze, with Resident Evil: Apocalypse. And in addition to SOTD, there was another foreign zombie comedy, Night of the Living Dorks, which although far less inspired and extremely overrated, was another testament to the subgenre's worldwide staying power.

Sequels were also in full effect, as they always seem to be in our beloved genre. Yet just as with everything else in 2004, even the sequels seemed to stand out--although not always for the best reasons. Case in point: Aliens vs. Predator, a clunker of a film that managed to murder two adored franchises in one fell swoop. Although long followed enthusiastically by comic book fans, the battle of everyone's two favorite space monsters just didn't add up to cinematic magic.

It seemed like studios were anxious to bring back successful series and characters amidst the burgeoning interest in horror that was going on at the box office. The Child's Play franchise puttered on with Seed of Chucky, a subversive little flick that admittedly went in a completely bizarre and unique direction, delivering laughs as well as scares. Blade hit the wall with Blade: Trinity, a movie that proved that even horror comics aren't immune to the "third movie curse" of comic book franchises. Even the classic Universal monsters got back into the mix with Van Helsing, a poorly received action vehicle from Stephen Sommers, the same guy who resurrected the Mummy in similar fashion the 1990s.

And then there was the infamous Exorcist: The Beginning, the granddaddy of all troubled horror sequel/prequels. Looking to reap more financial rewards from the most successful horror film of all time, Warner Bros. commissioned a new film that would explore the origins of Father Merrin's relationship with the demon. Unfortunately, when Paul Schrader's version was a little too artsy for them, they brought in Hollywood mercenary Renny Harlin and created a whole different picture, which was a notorious disaster. In an unprecedented maneuver, Schrader's version would see the light of day the following year.

Leading the pack of foreign remakes was The Grudge, an American version of the acclaimed J-horror thriller of two years earlier. It seemed like a logical follow-up to the highly successful The Ring, yet failed to similarly capture the power of the original.

Yet don't let that mediocre final note fool you. The year 2004 was a banner one for horror films, and in some ways, it can be argued that it was highpoint of the decade.

Also from 2004:

• Dead and Breakfast
• Ginger Snaps Back
• Ginger Snaps Unleashed
• Satan's Little Helper
• The Village

Part 1: 2000
Part 2: 2001
Part 3: 2002
Part 4: 2003

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One of Jigsaw's Lesser Known Traps...

This hilarious Saw spoof was brought to my attention by Katiebabs of Babbling About Books. I hope it made you literally LOL, as it did me.

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The First TV Spot for SAW VI Hits...

Amazing. After dying at the end of the third damn movie, that pesky Jigsaw is still at it. Saw VI is inevitably plodding our way this Halloween, and now, the very first TV commercial for the film has hit the web. I don't know. I really loved the first one. Then it immediately lost me with the very first sequel. Now it's just ridiculous--can anyone tell the difference between the last two movies? They're all starting to blend together for me. I always make a point to see them in the movies out of sheer habit, but I think I'll finally be waiting for DVD on this one.

Anyway, check out the spot below, courtesy of Bloody-Disgusting:

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Two More Reasons to Feel Like a Loser for Not Being at Comic Con...

When it comes to the Saw franchise, it's been a love/hate relationship with me for some time now. Loved the first one to death, but each sequel has been a disappointment to me, with varying degrees of suckitude. However, that said, none of them have been so bad as to completely put me off the series, and so I keep coming back, plunking down my hard-earned cash, like a sad, middle-aged bachelor at a strip club, who knows he's never going to get his money's worth, but keeps finding himself drawn back for more...

And so, today's news that the San Diego Comic Con will be chock-full of Saw-ness has given me just a couple more reasons to be depressed for not being there. Here it is, the center of the geek universe, the nerd equivalent of that Central Park street gang confab at the beginning of The Warriors, and I'm stuck on the other side of the country yet again. Oh well, there's always the New York Comic Con, which I have on good authority is poised to become a bigger deal than the SD one in the next couple years...

Anyway, the news I have to bring to you today is two-fold. Firstly, Horror-Movies.ca is reporting that the much-anticipated Saw video game, which seems to have been in development since forever, will finally be unveiled by Lionsgate this week at Comic Con. You can check it out at the Lionsgate booth (#3729). The game gets its official release on October 6 from Lionsgate and Konami. X Box and PlayStation 3 versions will be available (how did I guess that there's be no Wii version??).

Also, and even more importantly, the very first teaser trailer for Saw 857, er, I mean, Saw VI, will be introduced by none other than Jigsaw himself, Mr. Tobin Bell. Shock Till You Drop reported yesterday that the world's creepiest actor will be premiering the trailer to fans on Thursday as part of an autograph signing. Talk about sweet deals--that guy somehow continues to be involved in this franchise, despite the fact that his character has been dead for, what, the last two installments in the series??

The Saw series may not be my favorite, but it always manages to somehow keep me mildly interested. I don't know, maybe it's Mrs. B-Sol's continued, inexplicable enthusiasm for it. Anyway, I hope all you lucky bastids enjoy your Comic Con weekend! Anyone itching to do an official Vault of Horror Comic Con report, feel free to hit me up!

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For those of you wondering what's been going on over at Day of the Woman, rest assured that BJ-C is alive and well. The online Mistress of the Macabre, as most of you know, is a champion baton twirler, and it just so happens that at the moment, her team is competing at Notre Dame University for the National Championship once again. It's a week-long event, hence the relative quiet on the DotW front. But rest assured, BJ has some cool things in store once she returns in triumph. In the meantime, the Vault's best wishes go out to Zion, Illinois' Razzle Dazzles, who have even cooked up a suitably horror-themed twirling routine. Good luck, ladies--show those prehistoric bitches how they do things downtown...

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VAULT VLOG: A Plea to the Makers of Saw

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Prepare Yourself for Saw: The Ride

Hold on to your hats kids, because the country that gave us Doctor Who, Monty Python and the Boston Massacre is now home to a rollercoaster based on the most successful horror franchise of the 21st century.

That's ride, it's Saw: The Ride. Located in the UK's famous Thorpe Park, the torture-porn-themed coaster is set to open to the public on Saturday. But if you head on over to Stuff.tv, you can read an exclusive review from a lucky Brit who had the opportunity to ride the thing.

**FRIDAY UPDATE** According to a Press Association report, the ride had to be temporarily shut down during another sneak preview trail yesterday due to some "minor" technical difficulties. No word on whether it will open tomorrow as planned. Also, one patron had to be removed after suffering a panic attack on the ride. If that's not an endorsement for the world's first horror movie-inspired theme ride, I don't know what is!

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Gore Goes Mainstream: A History of Horror Movies, Part 7

It's ironic that the horror genre would be so quiet at the turn of the 21st century. Ironic, because in the years that followed--the final years of this seven-part history of horror--we have seen scary movies hold mainstream America fascinated to a degree greater than anything witnessed before, or at the very least since the heyday of Universal 75 years ago.

Whereas in the past, horror was treated as the forgotten stepchild of the movie biz, the sordid secret kept hidden away and relegated to midnight showings and niche subcultures, these days it's all around us, accepted like never before by a culture which has perhaps become too cynical and overexposed to real-life horrors to truly be shocked any longer. More on that later.

In recent years, the last true example of cinematic dread we've seen has been the surge of unnerving films that have come out of the Far East. In the Western world, the trend became to remake these films for American audiences, starting with The Ring in 2002. By far the most effective of the bunch, it was followed by the likes of The Grudge (2004), and more recently Shutter and The Eye.

Much of what became hip for the genre this decade has had to with a nostalgia for the films of a generation past. In part, this can be pointed to for the dramatic resurgence of the zombie subgenre--it can also be attributed to the success of videogames like Resident Evil. It was that game that kicked off the undead renaissance with a film adaptation in 2002. That same year saw the release of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, which introduced us to the concept of "fast-moving zombies."

It might not be an exaggeration to say that the past half-decade has seen more flesh-eater flicks than at any point previous. George Romero's Dawn of the Dead got a surprisingly high quality 2004 remake; Romero himself finally got to continue his saga with 2005's Land of the Dead; and Edgar Wright brought us the ingenious Shaun of the Dead (2004), the finest horror comedy this side of Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.

The other face of this nostalgia was a throwback to the gritty, over-the-top exploitation horror of the 1970s. After more than a decade of restraining itself, Hollywood was starting to let its hair down again. The result is epitomized by the work of rocker-turned-director Rob Zombie, whose House of 1,000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005) exemplify a return to the early work of Tobe Hooper and Wes Craven.

But the logical extension of this would turn out to be a development that has been troubling to some old-school fans, yet exhilirating to a whole new generation just now embracing the genre. It should be said that the major difference between the exploitation flicks of then and now is that now they enjoy the mainstream spotlight. Filmmakers who grew up on this form of entertainment have helped bring it to the fore like never before. And as a result, a natural evolutionary step has occurred.

In direct contrast to the previous decade, in which some of the most bloodless horror films of the modern era were released, the past few years have born witness to an almost unprecedented amount of gore. And this time, it's not hidden away in a rundown grindhouse theater, playing to an isolated subculture of aficionados, or relegated to a few racks in the back of your local video store. This time it's front and center, and right in everybody's face.

Although the first Saw film, released in 2004, was actually quite psychological and contained little graphic violence, it has become the most recognizable touchstone of what is now usually referred to as torture porn, a subgenre of horror that focuses on depicting bodily trauma in unflinching detail. In the later Saw pictures, and even moreso in a movie much more typical of the category, Eli Roth's Hostel (2005), some might even argue that the depiction of torture takes precedence over character and plot.

Never before have movies containing such images played to such a wide audience. They are a part of our pop culture in a way that their predecessors were not, at least in their own time. The reasons for this have been debated endlessly by social commentators both professional and amateur. Are we desensitized as a society? Or worse, have we grown to enjoy such macabre displays, like Romans at a gladiatorial event? Some have argued these points, while others simply say that horror filmmakers are only looking for new ways to disturb us, for new ground to cover.

If it is just all about exploring new territory, that's at least more admirable than the latest trend that has all but taken over the production of horror movies as we approach the end of the first decade of the 21st century: remakes.

Too timid to try anything original, the majority of those willing to back horror flicks these days are looking to cash in on bankable properties; proven titles that are almost guaranteed to bring in a buck, if only on name recognition alone. The 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre kicked it off for all intents and purposes, and it has only grown more commonplace in the past five years. We've seen Zombie redo Halloween (2007), plus slavish rehashes of classics like House of Wax (2005), The Amityville Horror (2005), The Omen (2006), The Wicker Man (2006), The Hills Have Eyes (2006), When a Stranger Calls (2006), The Hitcher (2007) and many others, with decidedly mixed results.

In the year 2008, horror fans have a veritable legion of upcoming horror redo's to look forward to: Prom Night, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Rosemary's Baby, Hellraiser, Sleepaway Camp, etc., etc. Perhaps it's a commentary on the state of the genre that it seems to be torn between groping to depict more and more horrifying images, and endlessly trying to recreate that which worked in the past.

So where do we go from here? Maybe overseas, where films like the excellent [REC] threaten to steal away America's dominance of the genre. Or maybe the upcoming Wolf Man and the rebirth of Hammer Films signify a return of the classic monsters. Then again, it's most likely a heretofore unseen new development as unimaginable as the likes of Psycho or Night of the Living Dead would've been to pre-1960s audiences.

If it survives this latest cannibalistic phase, the horror film genre can survive anything, and it will almost certainly continue to thrive. From Count Orlock and Erik the Phantom, to Dracula and Frankenstein, to the Gill-Man and Norman Bates, to Leatherface and Jason, to Jigsaw and Captain Spaulding, the cinema of fear has firmly held our imagination in its icy clutches for a hundred years. Ironically, for as long as there exists real horror in this world, we'll always seek the escape of its morbid, yet safely unreal on-screen counterpart.

Other major releases:

• The Others (2000)
• Final Destination (2000)
• Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
• Wrong Turn (2003)
• The Descent (2005)
• Silent Hill (2006)
• Fido (2007)
• Hatchet (2007)
• 28 Weeks Later (2007)
• Diary of the Dead (2008)

Part 1: The Silent Dead

Part 2: Gods & Monsters

Part 3: It Came from Hollywood

Part 4: The Times, They Are a-Changin'

Part 5: Blood and Guts

Part 6: From Post-Mortem to Postmodern

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Saw V Actor to Face Real-Life Death

Thespians have been known to go to great lengths and suffer serious trials for their art, but how many would be willing to make the supreme sacrifice? Apparently, a member of the cast of the new Saw sequel will be facing just such a challenge next month, when director David Hackl begins filming for Lions Gate.

In an interview yesterday with Bloody-Disgusting, the auteur indicated that Jason Ehl, Jigsaw trap-builder extraordinaire, had crafted a trap prop for the movie that was less than entirely safe:

"Today I am looking forward to making a phone call to one of our cast to ask him how he feels about getting into a trap that could potentially kill him. For real. Of course we will make it as safe as we can and have paramedics standing by while we shoot. Its not like he really has an option and maybe it will make him appreciate his life. Ha!!"

Hmmm. I wonder how gung-ho Hackl would be if he were the one stepping into the device? It wouldn't be the first time someone died making a movie (Vic Morrow in Twilight Zone: The Movie, Brandon Lee in The Crow), but it would be the first time they were intentionally put in harm's way. Lawyer up, Lions Gate!

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In more Saw-related shenanigans, The Guardian reports today that the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has dismissed claims that the official poster for Saw IV (pictured here) was inappropriate. The ad for the movie--featured in British newspapers, magazines and the sides of public buses--was the target of 57 complaints from those who felt it was disturbing to children. Six of the complainants claimed that the ad had actually upset their own children. The ASA stated that while it was understandable the ad was distasteful to some, it was unlikely to cause widespread offense.

I normally don't sympathize with so called "media watchdogs", and even less so with perpetually outraged parents, but I'm going to play devil's advocate here. Magazine and newspaper ads seem perfectly acceptable to me, but public buses? That may be taking it a bit too far. It is a severed head we're talking about here, lest we become too callous to such imagery. I don't remember the ad running in such a public fashion here in America. I can sort of understand how that would bother some parents, and potentially disturb little kids. Not my kids, mind you, but normal kids.

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Saw Video Game Will Tie Into Next Sequel

Every now and then I've got to throw one to the gamers. The new and improved Bloody-Disgusting broke the news yesterday that Brash Entertainment's Saw video game will somehow be tied directly into Saw V, which is set to hit theaters on October 24.
It sounds like this decision was made while the game was being produced, since apparently the makers--who specialize in film-based releases--attempted to get it ready in time for the new sequel's release, but were unsuccessful. The game will instead come out sometime in 2009. It's not clear how it will be tied in, but one thing that is known is that Saw V's screenwriters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton are not involved in the project.

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Saw to Drag on for Yet Another Halloween...

Pardon me for being less than enthused at the recent announcement that Saw V will indeed be coming out next Halloween. Rumors had abounded that Lionsgate might be taking a year off to let the franchise rest, but alas, that is not the case.
Bloody-Disgusting got this exclusive comment from new director David Hackl:

"You have to realize that I am probably one of the biggest Saw fans out there. My team and I are the ones who have had the awesome task of designing and building the Saw traps since Saw II. So now I'm about to helm Saw V. I'm as psyched as anyone could be. You can let the fans know that they won't be let down or I will have let myself down. Jigsaw might be dead but that would never stop him and it certainly won't stop me...My work has just begun."

I suppose this series has its fans, and judging by the performance of Saw IV, it does have legs in the box office department. As far as quality? My take: The first one was brilliant. The second, a derivative slasher copycat. The third, a repulsive torture porn knock-off. The fourth, somewhat of a return to form, but too confusing to be truly satisfying. Oh well, I'll still go and see it, I suppose.

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The Gears for Saw V Already in Motion

With Saw IV less than two weeks away, rumors are already underway regarding the next installment in the decade's hottest horror franchise. Understandable, since fans have come to expect a new one every Halloween since 2004. Horror-Movies.ca is reporting that both Saw V and the recently announced Saw VI will both be directed by David Hackl, who served as production designer on the previous three films and was 2nd unit director for III and IV.
According to producer Mark Berg on SAW the Blog, the team has been hashing out script ideas for next year's chapter while simultaneously prepping Saw IV for release later this month. Saw V goes before the cameras in January, and you can expect an October 2008 release--no shock there. How will the series continue with the villain already killed off? Since when has that ever stopped a successful horror franchise??

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