I bookmarked this ages ago.
I still read it from time to time.
It's pretty hilarious.
I already addressed humor and horror with Clive Barker's "The Yattering and Jack."
But I didn't address over-the-top horror.
"Yattering" attempts to suspend your disbelief even though you're in on the joke.
This New Yorker offering, however, simply takes every horror trope and cliche and throws it on the heap atop the next one and the next.
And yet ... and yet there seems to be a certain respect for the genre here despite the pointing out of all its weaknesses.
What pleases me so much is that I kind of see this piece as a metaphor for all the safe remakes and reboots and reee-reee-reee Psycho soundtrack imitations out there..
If we get too safe and comfortable and familiar with our ghosties and ghoulies we'll be as disaffected as the once mysterious and dangerous drifter at the end of this story.
We'll drop our machete and stalk off, saying, "I hate this place so much."
Please, horror.
We need you.
Don't you dare abandon us.
We're hanging on by a thread of maybe two, three good movies per year.
But there's a wealth of great novels and tales that would be cinematic gold if only they were given the chance.
Come on, Hollywood Horror, show us some respect. Man up and give us more monsters worth cringing and cowering in front of!
I still read it from time to time.
It's pretty hilarious.
I already addressed humor and horror with Clive Barker's "The Yattering and Jack."
But I didn't address over-the-top horror.
"Yattering" attempts to suspend your disbelief even though you're in on the joke.
This New Yorker offering, however, simply takes every horror trope and cliche and throws it on the heap atop the next one and the next.
And yet ... and yet there seems to be a certain respect for the genre here despite the pointing out of all its weaknesses.
What pleases me so much is that I kind of see this piece as a metaphor for all the safe remakes and reboots and reee-reee-reee Psycho soundtrack imitations out there..
If we get too safe and comfortable and familiar with our ghosties and ghoulies we'll be as disaffected as the once mysterious and dangerous drifter at the end of this story.
We'll drop our machete and stalk off, saying, "I hate this place so much."
Please, horror.
We need you.
Don't you dare abandon us.
We're hanging on by a thread of maybe two, three good movies per year.
But there's a wealth of great novels and tales that would be cinematic gold if only they were given the chance.
Come on, Hollywood Horror, show us some respect. Man up and give us more monsters worth cringing and cowering in front of!