Has Hollywood Horror Gone Too Far?

It seems like every horror film to get a wide release in the US nowadays is simply a gorefest. Gratuitous violence is the catch of the day and Hollywood isn't afraid to deliver it. Upon closer examination, it is quite simple to see this is not the case.

The vast majority of horror films actually developed by Hollywood film studios wind up with a PG-13 rating. They become watered down versions of a solid scary concept to sneak in under the MPAA's wandering eyes so they can be seen by as many people as possible. Hollywood horror films are more likely to be PG-13 fair like Suburbia and remakes of horror films that needed no remakes than anything that could be considered going too far.

These hard R horror films, like Hostel, Captivity, and I Know Who Killed Me, are actually the film's being developed by Hollywood mavericks. These filmmakers work outside of the standard rules and practices of Hollywood studios and intentionally push the envelope as far as they can. Captivitywas released entirely by Courtney Solomon's After Dark production label. This company has no direct ties to Hollywood. Solomon founded it after his film An American Haunting didn't meet the standards of Hollywood. Courtney had to negotiate distribution deals with every major theater chain to have both films released at all.

Filmmakers like Eli Roth and Rob Zombie make movies for themselves. They know there is a strong, long standing audience of horror fans who want their horror covered served with a healthy does of T&G: tits and gore. But these two filmmakers are the exception rather than the rule.

Instead of just doing what everyone else has done already countless times, Hollywood needs to consider new approaches to horror. Do we really need to remake every horror film Japan releases because The Ring did well in America? No. Why not release the original version, subtitled, to an American audience. Pan's Labyrinth saw quite a bit of success with it's wide release in 2006, and there is nothing to indicate other non-English horror properties couldn't do the same.

Why not try to push the envelope with content? Why not discuss taboo topics in a forum that seems safer? Have we become so afraid of challenging ideas that we are satisfied by the same thing thrown at us over and over again?

Hollywood horror films have not gone to far with their content. In fact, a more fair statement would be Hollywood Horror films have gone too far into a shell of regurgitated, homogenized PG-13 borefests that can barely get a thrill out of an eager seven year old. If anything, Hollywood horror films need to take more risks with their own production companies, rather than relying on the purchase of independent cinema to help absolve any claims of wrongdoing if the film turns out to be controversial.