Horror Movie Originality - Where Has All the Talent Gone?

Here in the world of horror movies where the latest releases have about a 50/50 shot of being a remake of a horror movie from decades ago, originality has become a bit of a rare occurrence. While certainly there is the occasional horror movie gem that seems to be completely unique in scope and plot, it is not something that we have come to expect. It seems that the focus instead has fallen back into the throwback remake.

Think about the latest horror movies that have actually gotten any print in mainstream entertainment circles. Rob Zombie and his Halloween remakes, the Texas Chainsaw Remakes and the Friday the 13th remake are just some examples of movies that certainly were slick and pretty, but brought nothing unique to the table. Is this sudden shift in horror movie originality something that is happening for a reason, or is it simply about the quick and easy dollar?

At first glance, the best bet is it is simply dollars and cents. By default, horror movie fans are going to go see Jason, Freddie, Leatherface and Michael Myers as a whole. Horror movie makers know this and so they see no reason to get outside the horror cliché box. This leads to a stale market within the horror industry, and a severe lack of originality. We have seen some original work over the last several years, but it often seems to come from Japan and other outlets. Are their going to be any horror movies on the horizon that might be worth watching - something that might at least feel as though they are not remakes of something we saw in our past?

Looking at the upcoming slate of horror movies, it does not appear that much is changing anytime soon. Here are some upcoming releases along with what is expected:

Predators - Again, this is a remake of sorts. Granted they toyed with the storyline but so did Rob Zombie on the Halloween flicks...we saw how that turned out. This one could be entertaining, but I have zero hope for an original horror movie here.

Release Date Is Jul 10

Piranha 3-D (2009) - While this movie does have some promising actors and actresses, including the incredible Elisabeth Shue, I still think that it will be incredibly pitiful. Just looking over the limited amount of promo that is out there, it is anything but original.

Release Date Is Aug 27

Priest - Of all the coming horror movies, this one has the most promise. The storyline is fairly unique and any movie that has a western theme with Vampires involved has got to be somewhat original. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this October horror movie release will be worth it's weight in originality.

Let us also remember that Friday the 13th Part II is due out in August, but I am not even going to mention the possibility of originality with this movie. You know exactly what you will get with this. It has its value in the world of horror movies, but not in the originality arena.

While the horror genre is certainly hurting in originality, it will come back around. It seems these little lulls in unique ideas happens every ten years or so, and then some great original surprise pops up out of nowhere to spur creativity in the horror genre. Let's hope that the next surprise comes sooner rather than later. I am tired of watching repeats of the same old movies over and over again, no matter how slicked up they might be.

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Upcoming Horror Movies