Europe vs USA - The Conclusion

Over my previous two posts I have compared the horror outputs of Europe and the USA with a view to finding which has been better for the years 2008/09. In this post I will attempt to reach the conclusion.

America made some excellent films in this time, though they are often clouded by shoddy remakes and sloppy sequels.

However, when the films were good they were very good. Some of the films stateside really were a breath of fresh air in what sometimes felt like a smothering smog of mediocrity. New writers, producers and directors proved that if they are given a chance they can create something good fun and entertaining, something you want to watch. The problem at the moment across the Atlantic is that these opportunities are often reserved for the privileged whose name will pull in the crowds, if the film itself doesn’t.

There is no question that Europe released some excellent horror films in that period and if I had looked at 2007 too then, I believe, they would have been run away winners.

Film makers have be given a little more freedom, a little more trust and my goodness the results show. Sequels and remakes are present in European cinema but they are in the minority with new, original ideas given preference.

There is no doubt, for me, that Europe is the winner of the contest. Not just because I believe their output to be better but, also because of a growing trend in American horror to remake European films.

Two of the best received films in the US were ‘Quarantine’ and ‘The Strangers’, remakes of Spanish chiller ‘Rec’ and French home invasion film ‘Them’ respectively. Although ‘The Strangers’ is very liberal in the telling of the story and moved away from the original, the premise and plot is essentially the same.

The worrying thing for Hollywood is that this trending looks set to continue with ‘Let Me In’ virtually lurking on our doorstep, it appears that Euro remakes may be the next big thing in American horror similar to the Asian influence we saw not too long ago.

America needs something new and different to get itself back on its perch in horror terms and remakes are not the way forward. They need action quickly, before the gap between themselves and Europe widens further.

Europe vs USA - Part One

Last week one of the world's most prestigious sporting events took place less than one hours drive from my front door. Every two years the finest golfers in Europe take on those from the US. This year Europe edged the USA in a nail biting finish but, what if it wasn't golf? What if it was a Euro-US horror challenge? I will, over the next three posts compare and contrast the horror output for both America and Europe and decide which are better at the craft.

I will take a look at a two year period and compare the output of the regions. I won't take into account 2010 because it can take some time for non-English language films to filter through, instead let's look at 2008/2009 and, in this post we will look at the output of the US in this period.

Lots of people aren't happy with Hollywood's output in the horror genre at the moment. It's not without good reason either. It's far too easier to argue the point against American horror. In recent years the US market has been over run by unoriginal ideas, overtired franchises and unwanted remakes almost to the point of saturation. ‘Halloween 2’ seemed to prove the point as a remake of an overtired franchise filled with unoriginal ideas.

However, to think this all American horror is about would be dismissive and disrespectful to those who toil for their craft to make decent original films. In fact, the US has put out some great horror in the past few years, even if most have not been promoted as much as some of the more well known bloated turkeys that the major studios have churned out.

Take, for example, ‘The Ruins’. For anybody who hasn't seen it I recommend that you do. It's smart, well paced and original, I was surprised at how few people had seen it and it is a bit of a diamond in the rough.

However, America's good horror films don't end with carnivorous, Mexican topiary. Nor is it exclusive to little known smaller productions. ‘Zombieland’ was a big budget film, backed by a major studio, starring famous actors and featuring a celebrated cameo.
Or, what about ‘Drag Me To Hell’? Sam Raimi’s tale of gypsy curses and retribution was an excellent film by a legend of the genre. It garnered some bad reviews but I have no idea why, the film was as fun and enjoyable as some of the best in recent memory.
Also add ‘Paranormal Activity’ to the pile. A film that was genuinely frightening, ‘Paranormal Activity’ will make you afraid to go to sleep and ensure you don’t enter a room with the light off. It’s truly chilling and, in my opinion, more terrifying than the father of handheld horror The Blair Witch Project.

So, although there are A LOT of bad quality rip offs coming out of the United States at the moment, there are some real gems amongst them that don’t deserve to be lumped together with hackneyed horror put out to make a quick buck or million and to live off existing names or gimmicks that an audience already feels attached to. But, are these titles too few and far between to compete with Europe?

In my next post we will look at Europe’s output.