Horror schmorror

The style of the horror movie has lost its original flair, leaving audiences laughing instead of petrified on their walk back to their cars.
Its downfall can be attributed to a few different things, chief among them being the gore factor. Whether Jason Voorhees is freezing people’s heads with liquid nitrogen and smashing them against a table, or the seemingly nonstop “Saw” movies (reaching VI this year) simply trying to out-gruesome themselves year after year, the concept of terror has been replaced by how many gallons of blood can be splattered across the big screen.
Another tally mark against them is the Hollywood concept of the remake. While an original movie may — pardon the pun — carve out a niche for itself in classic horror history, movie production companies feel the need to — again, I apologize — revamp it into something with big names and bigger special effects. Prime examples include the Halloween franchise being remade by rock star director Rob Zombie, or the newest rumors and rumblings of a new Friday the 13th headed to theaters next April.
Some production companies have taken the collapse of the horror film to the bank, making it funny on purpose. 2004’s Shaun of the Dead and this year’s Zombieland have made the brain-craving undead more humorous than horrifying. The concept has been a cinematic cash cow, with Shaun of the Dead grossing over 13 million and Zombieland sitting at over four times that already.
Unfortunately, not all horror movies are intended to be funny, yet come across that way. It may be due to the desensitization of our generation, or the lack of new ideas, but personally, I think if you’re going to laugh, you might as well see a film that’s aiming for that reaction.