Halloween is almost here, and unlike years past, I have yet to give it the proper build up it deserves. In the past, I have tried devoting the weeks leading up to Halloween to short videos or movie recommendations with hopes to get people in the holiday spirit (pun intended.) and for one reason or another I haven't done this. Maybe I'll make some time to do this before tomorrow.
In the meantime, I'll torture you with this bit of tripe.
I just read online that Hollywood is trying to make a PG-13 version of Hellraiser to appeal to teens. WHY?! Of all the horror movies in the world, why would anyone want to make a PG-13 version of Hellraiser? That is like trying to make a PG-13 version of Saw. These are movies based on the sado-masochistic punishments of Hell being dished out to sinners on earth. I remember very well the first time I saw a Hellraiser movie, the mental image of a body with all the skin stripped of the flesh like a Bodies Exhibit still sends a chill down my spine, not to mention the incredible appearance of Pinhead or any of the other Cenobites. It's visuals like these are the cornerstone of this style of horror... which is why those movies are popular, the things that make you squirm on the inside and your skin crawl on the outside. These are things you certainly don't get in a PG-13 movie.
Horror movies are one of the milestones of life (First kiss, first time to drive, get to see first Horror movie...). It usually happens at a friends house, the one with more liberal parents than your own. It may be a birthday party, sleepover or slumber party when it happens. The night winds down and everyone gathers around the TV to watch a scary movie and it's always, always, a rated R movie .The slumber party environment makes the perfect place to watch horror movies, it provides a certain feeling of protection from the group and yet also providing a certain level of group hysteria.
Lowering the movies rating, in a way, changes mood. It takes away the feeling of doing something clandestine, which sets the mood perfectly for watching a scary movie. The emotional response to "Mom and Dad don't want me to do this" mixed with scary and violent elements of the movie make for an excellent horror movie experience.
Of course there is the argument that these movies are something that children should not be exposed to, that it really is something that they should see when they are more mature. I can only disagree. There is nothing harmful from watching an occasional horror flick. No child has ever had bruises after watching a horror movie just as no child has ever had a stroke caused by too much adrenaline. It is merely a step out of the protective shelter that parents insist on keeping their children wrapped in.
Hollywood please (not that you'll ever read this) DON'T! Don't release another crappy horror movie like so many before. Stop making sequels to movies just for the sake of making a dime because you still retain the license (Universal Studios I'm looking at you) while disregarding any and all previous characters and canon. If you must tell the story, go ahead, just make new characters and give it an entirely new name. And don't release a PG-13 sequel to a 30 year old license because you think it will have more commercial appeal that releasing a R rated flick.... phew!
Alright folks, I'm going to hop off my soapbox. Have a happy,safe and scary Halloween...
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