Nightmare on Elm Street

Nightmare on Elm Street is an extremely popular slasher film. This is a film that needs no description. Rather you like horror movies or not, there is a very high chance that you have heard of it.

It mixes a common fear, dark horror and a unique character, to produce a memorable movie.

This franchise is not one of my favorites, but it has its good qualities. There is of course the unique main character, but also, great environments, story lines, and plot twists.

My most credible form of evidence in support of this film, is that it was transformed into a full size detailed, maze. This shows just how great the environments are.

There are boiler rooms:

Schools: 

and of course...

bedrooms:

Throughout the entire franchise, there are many great scenes. 

In another post, I talked about the film series Halloween, and how it is so popular that you can't walk into a Halloween store, or haunted house, without seeing the main character. When movies become so liked, they become forever engraved in the horror community. This franchise did just that. 

We all have nightmares every so often. And this is what this movie takes advantage of. We've all woke up, sweaty from our restless sleep, terrified of what your mind has just conjured up, terrified to go back to sleep. This film captures this essence, and adds an extra dose of fear. 

Nightmare on Elm Street is a film franchise that will forever live in infamy. 

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Stereotypical Horror

We've all had a time when we went to the theater, excited to see a new horror movie, and it is a complete disappointment. Not necessarily a bad film, but maybe you expected it to be a little more original. You feel like you've been shown the same old stuff.

We all know how these films go, a girl is alone in her home, she hears a noise, and for some profound reason, she decides to go towards it. The crowd sighs, and the villain appears. In her shock, the girl screams, and runs right past the front door, and instead, goes sprinting up the stairs, to a place where we know she'll never escape.

Now, while this often happens in horror films, it doesn't mean that it is always a bad thing. If pulled off correctly, or even by adding a small about of original content, this can be a great scene. 

There are many examples of scenarios like this. Say a girl is running through the woods, we all know whats going to happen, she'll trip and fall, somehow giving the walking villain time to catch up. It happens so often in fact, that I personally sometimes feel shocked if it doesn't occur. 

While this can sometimes be an issue for some people, it has becomes a notable signature of horror, for things like this to happen. In my opinion, it adds a bit of reality  to the movie. If you're being chased, you're going to make some dumb decisions. If you're running through the tree covered forest, you're going to trip.

Like every single genre of film, horror has its defining characteristics. Stereotypes are put into place for a reason.

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Remakes vs. Original Films

Recently there has been discussion that all horror movies are remakes, or rehashes of the same thing. This does happen a lot, but there are also plenty of new unique films released every year.

Every few years, a remake is created. Rather it be Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, or any other classic or well known film. On the other hand, every other month there is a completely new and
unique movie released! The two sides outweigh each other.

Here are the remakes that are expected to be released in the next two years.

• Poltergeist
• The Mummy
• Ghostbusters (If you count this as horror)
• Cabin Fever
• Friday The 13th

Now these are the only notable classic or well known properties that I could come up with. Now I may be missing a few so just to make it fair, i'll also include some sequels.

• Insidious Chapter 3
• Sinister 2
• Prometheus 2
• The Purge 3
• Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension
• The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist
• Amityville: The Awakening

Now I'll a brief and extremely incomplete list of NEW and UNIQUE movies will be released in the new 2 years.

• The Pyramid
• Extraterrestrials
• Let Us Prey
• Seventh Son
• The Lazarus Effect
• Crimson Peak
• Spectacle
• Rings
• The Last Witch Hunter
• Before I wake
• The Visit
• Regression
• Dark Was The Night
• Silent Retreat
• Asmodexia
• Unfriended
• The Gallows
• Krampus
• Maggi
• It Follows
• Dead Rising
• 31
• Abattoir
• Clown

As you can see, this list could continue for a while. By no means are either lists fully complete. However, you could even look for yourself, and see that there is a vast amount of new conceptual films coming out. While just a few remakes are being produced.

Now this begs a new question, while also addressing the other side of this discussion. Why are remakes perceived as a bad thing? I see absolutely no issue with them in the first place. If a movie is so popular, famous, unique, and solid that it can be made again, with fresh ideas, and new individuals, then more power to them.

When it comes to this battle, I think that both sides have equal footing and reason for their opinion. No matter the case, enjoy movies, no matter if they're brand new, or remade. Because in the end, it IS a brand new production, with new efforts and passions put into it.

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Texas Chainsaw Masacre

Texas Chainsaw Masacre is right up there with the top few classic slasher movies. It's also known as one of the most gory and "messed up" films. This movies is one of the few who really started this "new" style of horror. Apart from the classic movie monsters, slashers are what really pushed horror forward. This franchise deserves credit, in my opinion.

Starting with the original version, this movie terrified its viewers. Leatherface, the chainsaw wielding main character struck fear into everyone. As the franchise evolved into what it is today, so did the genre.

This has always been one of my favorites. And it is actually one of the few cases, where I like the new remake more than the original. To see how far the franchise has grown is astounding.  To the left is the original movie poster, and to the right is the brand new version made in 2013.










 This has started off as a small time, lower budget film, and turned into a headlining star of the horror genre. It has been featured at major horror attractions (HHN), and Leatherface costumes can be found at any costume store. It has by far exceeded expectations. And an amazing legacy has been created. There are few that have not seen the films, and even fewer who have never heard of the franchise.

Every installment of Texas Chainsaw brings a new element, and will always be my favorite of all horror. I'm not easy to startle, but Leatherface manages to encompass every aspect that is perfect for terrifying viewers.

There are of course specific aspects of the film, besides the main character that have always stuck with me, and one, is the sounds. The soundtrack to this film is eerie from start to finish. And even more specifically, there is shutter effect in the film that has always caused a chill to run down my spin ever since I was little. You can hear what I'm talking about here.

Texas Chainsaw is a must see for any horror enthusiast, simply because it is a classic.

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The Devil's Rejects

In a previous post, I hit on the topic of Rob Zombie. Now I would like to take the time to specifically talk about one of his most popular films, The Devil's Rejects. 

First, let's discuss the characters. The films revolves around the Firefly family. They are a group of seriously demented individuals who bond over killing. You can also follow their story in a film titles The House of 1000 Corpses. 

I am a huge Rob Zombie fan, and was actually introduce to this movie before any other piece of his. This is not a movie to watch if you scare easily, or if harsh things bother you easily. This film oversteps all boundaries. In my opinion, this is a good thing.

It creates an entirely unique horror film, which I am always a fan of. There are also a variety of different characters, which are personally my favorite aspect. They all have amazing character development throughout the two movies, and each have their own distinct sick traits. While they all have the same common goal, they all have their own way of doing it. Here they are...
Mother Firefly

Captain Spaulding

Tiny

 Otis B. Driftwood

Baby

These are just some of the main characters in this film. Some issues in movies are that you can tell that the actors do not connect in the way that they should. This movie does not have this characteristic. Since they have worked together for many years while producing both this film and House of  1000 Corpses. 

As I said before, don't watch this film if you are easily shocked, or offended. This movie will for sure cause that, as well as most of Rob Zombies work. 

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Real Life Horror? Hate and Discrimination

Now normally I post things such as horror reviews, my favorite Halloween events, etc. I'd like to take the time and space on my blog to speak about a truly terrifying thing. The effects of discrimination that this country holds.

Many times a year, we hear about deaths. Deaths of young black men, LGBT individuals who fall from murder or suicide, people all over the world being killed for who they are, or their beliefs. Does this not make anyone else sick?

Just by simply taking a look at the news, we see these horrible tragedies every single day. With an even closer look, you can see just the magnitude in which these incidents occur. Many people close themselves off, and ignore the fact that we live in a society structured around tearing one another down.  It can be so filled with hate. And this is the issue, instead of recognizing the issue, we ignore it. Instead of taking a stand and preventing deaths, we continue to spread hate.

We all hear about Michael Brown and Leelah Alcorn, yet the "n-word" and "faggot" are still echoed through the schools.

Take a stand.

A law in Indiana was just overruled. This law allowed companies to deny service to anyone of the LGBT community. Just like in the time of the Jim Crown laws. We honestly came that close to taking a step back to the 60's.  Yeah it was overruled, but the fact that it was even proposed in the first place is astounding.

This is a major flaw in our world. Where people are killed, bullied, assaulted, and pushed to suicide. Where the hate is so strongly engrained in peoples mentalities, that they see no issue with their actions. We're all humans, and I'm tired of people being treated any other way.

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Insidious

Insidious is a well know horror movie produced by BlumeHouse. As soon as it was released, it instantly became popular. Now a days, the majority of the movies released into theaters are remakes, or the typical cliche films. The first thing that I liked about Insidious was that this was neither of the two.

To many, this could however, be seen as a typical paranormal film. This is untrue. Most people would describe a typical paranormal film as a family who movies into a house, or buys an object, and events slowly unfold to reveal that there is a haunting. The father doesn't believe, until the very worst events happen, and by then it is too late. I bet you've seen dozens of movies like this right? Here is where the Insidious differs.

Yes, when the film, begins it is perceived that it is as a generic movie. But then we realize that it isn't a normal haunting, it is in fact a lot deeper. The movie transforms into an entirely new world or dimension (the further.) A world filled with brilliant characters and environments. This was my favorite part of the whole movie. The scene when the further is first revealed.
Here are some examples.


My next personal favorite element is all of the different characters. Besides the main human characters, there is a wide variety of different villains who really capture the essence of what the movie is all about. In many paranormal films, the "spirit" is not even displayed. This to me is a flaw, because what really signifies a series is a unique and remember-able character. For example, would you remember Halloween, Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street without the iconic Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, or Freddy Krueger?  Most likely not. So following that, here are many characters that set Insidious apart.

Long Haired Fiend

Lip Stick Demon

Bride In Black

My next favorite aspect of the film is the depth. The first movie alone, does well of this. However, there is a second installment. The second movie, weaves itself into the first film, and answers questions that you didn't even know that you had! On June 5th of this year, a 3rd Insidious will be released. Check out the first two and wait for the third, you won't regret it.

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