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While the genre's entries of the '90s flaunted the "rules" of horror onscreen, they ultimately failed to adhere to its chief offscreen rule: Know when to say when. Much like the slashers that came before, the know-it-all pin-ups of '90s horror wore out their welcome.
And, as always, a little mass paranoia has helped to grease the wheels. An economic tailspin, previously unthinkable attacks on U.S. soil and truly horrific images from the frontlines of America's war on terror have put audiences in the mood for new scares.
"'Dawn of the Dead' looks like 'Finding Nemo' compared to some of the stuff that's been coming out of Iraq," Zombie said.
"Even though we may not contract SARS on a trip to Toronto, we can see it played out in a film like '28 Days Later,' " Timpone added.
Indeed, there seems to be no shortage of daily horrors and terrors to inspire audiences and filmmakers alike.
"People always say, 'Where do you get these horrible ideas?' as if I have a horrible imagination and must live in a cave," Craven said. "Now, I can just say, 'Front page, New York Times, every day.' "
Unemployment, mutant viruses and pains at the gas pump haunt moviegoers, but like Vietnam three decades ago, the war on terror seems to be the beast that both filmmakers and film fans are trying to tame.
"We are literally in the middle of a world-arena struggle between two religious ways of looking at reality, and two ways of living life," Craven stated. "There's an extremely dedicated and clever, resourceful enemy that's ready to kill himself or herself in order to kill you in great numbers, and I think that's unprecedented. They're invisible in the sense that they're embedded in the culture that you're going into. They're not wearing uniforms, you have no way of finding them and if you do try to find them, you have to kill innocent people right and left because they hide. That is kind of the sea they swim in."
And so it is under this constant, invisible yet very real threat — and the immediacy of the media's coverage of every aspect of it in our digital age — that true horror returns in all of its familiar forms: marketable slasher flicks, socially relevant zombie tales, edgy imports, daring indies and even family-friendly fare.
"It's a wide variety of horror films," Zombie said of the current surge. "It's everything from 'Freddy Vs. Jason,' which felt like an '80s throwback, to '28 Days Later,' which was more serious and had a cool vibe. It's all over the place, including stuff like 'Van Helsing' that seems like it's for little kids."
But how long can it last? Horror will always have its fans, but how long will mainstream audiences continue to line up for a decent scare? Hollywood plans to prey on your fears for at least a little while longer, with Craven's werewolf flick "Cursed," a remake of "House of Wax," a sequel to "The Ring," a prequel to "The Exorcist," and a gaggle of American takes on successful Asian horror films, including "Dark Water," "The Grudge" and "The Eye" all on the way. But will you still be in the mood for them by the time they hit your local theater?
"I'd like to hope that maybe the genre has learned its position and maybe it'll always go on," said Romero, who has several projects of his own in the works, including a long-awaited fourth installment in his "Dead" series. "I'd love to see it sort of even out, and not just disappear for three years and then just come back in a glut. Unfortunately, that seems to have been the pattern."
"There will be people that are making really cutting-edge films that they really feel are very close to their own inner truth," Craven said. "And then there are those — and there are 10 times more of these — that are just cashing in on the phenomenon. Those are usually the films that eventually make the critics feel like, 'Yeah, those have run its course. Horror is dead.' "
"At the rate they're cranking out sequels and remakes, I'm sure that they'll kill it pretty quick," Zombie quipped.
In that case, let's hope that Leatherface is investing wisely.
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Photo: New Line
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