Halloween: slashers lose out and Bergman wins the argument
No Friday the 13th or the 13 Halloween films: the plan drifts toward Ben-Hur, 1970s Spanish horror and classics that have aged badly.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Halloween without slashers: the movie marathon nobody can sit through
The question seemed simple enough: any slasher or pavor film for Halloween? The answer that wins the conversation is a resounding no, with plenty of caveats. Neither Friday the 13th nor The Texas Chain Saw Massacre nor all thirteen Halloween films in chronological order —the rumor of a full marathon is going around, but nobody confirms they'd actually finish it—. The plan that gains ground is a different one: Ben-Hur and three Hail Marys. Everyone prays as best they can.
Why do people give up on slasher franchises at Halloween?
Genre fatigue is the argument most often repeated. Of the Michael Myers saga, only the first and second installments survive; the third is dismissed as a failed product that bombed at the box office back in the day, and there's a warning against the trend of championing it just to look alternative. That's a harsh verdict coming from someone who says that for an eighties movie to be called trash, it has to be genuinely trashy.
Pretentious psychological pavor doesn't get off easy either. Bergman comes up as the example of unbearable cinema: of Wild Strawberries, it's remembered that there were neither strawberries nor anything wild about them, and of Hour of the Wolf that the only way to get through it was by fast-forwarding. The only one spared is Persona. The underlying diagnosis is that auteur cinema has aged worse than the slasher, and that Fellini is always cited for Amarcord[/B] because nobody has seen the rest.
Spanish pavor: the alternative that actually gets recommended
There's a middle path that draws more agreement: the genre as made in Spain. Who Can Kill a Child? (Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, 1976) is praised for its creepiness in broad daylight; Tesis (Amenábar, 1996) hooks you more as a thriller than as a slasher; [REC] (Balagueró and Plaza, 2007) is described as short and intense, perfect for the night; and the list adds The Orphanage (Bayona, 2007), The Others (Amenábar, 2001) and The Day of the Beast (Álex de la Iglesia, 1995), pavor with dark comedy set in Madrid on Christmas Eve.
The list has a fundamental problem for the night's purpose: it's almost all atmosphere and restrained scares, no gore. Anyone looking for a pure slasher is left wanting.
From the Halloween ritual to the weekend marathon
The street ritual is also ruled out. Trick-or-treating is considered a thing of another age, with a comment about the gray hairs already piling up. The party moves to the living room: some people celebrate Halloween every weekend and still have the three H40 films on their to-rewatch list.
The practical problem is the work schedule. A night shift from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sundays included, leaves no room for marathons. And that's where the conversation stalls: between the early riser, the night owl, and the one who'd rather stare at the ceiling and overthink, no movie list can settle the matter.
There's always the option of watching nothing and contemplating death anyway. It's free and requires no subscription.
The question seemed simple enough: any slasher or pavor film for Halloween? The answer that wins the conversation is a resounding no, with plenty of caveats. Neither Friday the 13th nor The Texas Chain Saw Massacre nor all thirteen Halloween films in chronological order —the rumor of a full marathon is going around, but nobody confirms they'd actually finish it—. The plan that gains ground is a different one: Ben-Hur and three Hail Marys. Everyone prays as best they can.
Why do people give up on slasher franchises at Halloween?
Genre fatigue is the argument most often repeated. Of the Michael Myers saga, only the first and second installments survive; the third is dismissed as a failed product that bombed at the box office back in the day, and there's a warning against the trend of championing it just to look alternative. That's a harsh verdict coming from someone who says that for an eighties movie to be called trash, it has to be genuinely trashy.
Pretentious psychological pavor doesn't get off easy either. Bergman comes up as the example of unbearable cinema: of Wild Strawberries, it's remembered that there were neither strawberries nor anything wild about them, and of Hour of the Wolf that the only way to get through it was by fast-forwarding. The only one spared is Persona. The underlying diagnosis is that auteur cinema has aged worse than the slasher, and that Fellini is always cited for Amarcord[/B] because nobody has seen the rest.
Spanish pavor: the alternative that actually gets recommended
There's a middle path that draws more agreement: the genre as made in Spain. Who Can Kill a Child? (Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, 1976) is praised for its creepiness in broad daylight; Tesis (Amenábar, 1996) hooks you more as a thriller than as a slasher; [REC] (Balagueró and Plaza, 2007) is described as short and intense, perfect for the night; and the list adds The Orphanage (Bayona, 2007), The Others (Amenábar, 2001) and The Day of the Beast (Álex de la Iglesia, 1995), pavor with dark comedy set in Madrid on Christmas Eve.
The list has a fundamental problem for the night's purpose: it's almost all atmosphere and restrained scares, no gore. Anyone looking for a pure slasher is left wanting.
From the Halloween ritual to the weekend marathon
The street ritual is also ruled out. Trick-or-treating is considered a thing of another age, with a comment about the gray hairs already piling up. The party moves to the living room: some people celebrate Halloween every weekend and still have the three H40 films on their to-rewatch list.
The practical problem is the work schedule. A night shift from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sundays included, leaves no room for marathons. And that's where the conversation stalls: between the early riser, the night owl, and the one who'd rather stare at the ceiling and overthink, no movie list can settle the matter.
There's always the option of watching nothing and contemplating death anyway. It's free and requires no subscription.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (27 replies).
More summaries
-
From horror cinema to the human body: an off-topic with no brakes
A forum thread goes from Almodóvar to the shower scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street, with stops at Dragon Ball, Avatar and 1970s horror cinema.
-
Russell Crowe was 36 in Gladiator: Hollywood's age debate
Russell Crowe was 36 during Gladiator. We analyze if this fit Maximus and Hollywood's trend of casting older actors.
-
Atlético: 25 points from 10 games and the Julián Álvarez shadow
Atlético de Madrid have 25 points from 10 games, their third-best start in history, while the Julián Álvarez case and the January transfer market shape the season.
-
Goya painted phishing in 1798: a billy goat holding the lamp
In 1798 Goya portrayed Don Claudio pouring oil to keep alight the lamp held by a billy goat. The witchcraft series painted for the Dukes of Osuna…
-
Renting and balloon payments: the trick behind luxury cars
Renting, balloon financing and a 50,000-euro final payment: that's how you drive a high-end car without buying it. Luxury as a monthly subscription.
-
Alizée and the wall: when looks are the only asset
Alizée, launched at 16 in sexy outfits, illustrates what happens when looks are the only asset in a career, according to a debate.