WiHM, Box Office Retrospective: 2006
Feb. 8th, 2015 12:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitter_n_goreWhen I started tallying up numbers, one of the first things I noticed is that horror cinema with female protagonists from the past ten years has been completely dominated by four franchises: Resident Evil, Underworld, Twilight*, and Paranormal Activity. They all started at slightly different times, and they're all catering to a slightly different audience demographic, so I find it interesting that they've all been as wildly successful as they have for as long as they have. And they're all still going. That's a substantial amount of sustained marketability, all starring women.
*I know, save your garment rending. I have a reason for including it on this list, and I'll get to it later. First, the top money-makers with female protagonists for 2006:
Underworld: Evolution - $62.3 million
The Omen - $54.6 million
(Final Destination 3 - $54.1 million)
When a Stranger Calls - $47.9 million
Silent Hill - $47 million
(The Hills Have Eyes - $41.8 million)
(The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning - $39.5 million)
The Grudge 2 - $39 million
Pan's Labyrinth - $37.6 million
Again, lots of remakes and sequels, and a fair few I haven't seen. In fact, there are only two original stories in this year's lineup, and I'm almost not sure they qualify--Silent Hill because it's technically an adaptation, and Pan's Labyrinth because I'm not sure it counts as "horror." But we're going to talk about them anyway, because it's my retrospective and I Do What I Want.
Underworld: Evolution: I had forgotten this until I started researching, but the first Underworld movie predates Stephenie Meyer's first novel by two years. A lot of the marketing when it first came out pitched it as "Romeo and Juliet with Vampires and Werewolves." It was big for vampire fans, but we're a niche audience--if you didn't want to watch or hear about Underworld, you didn't have to. As of this writing, there are four movies in the Underworld franchise, with a fifth projected for release later this year. I've seen the first three. (Well, sort of. I almost don't want to count Rise of the Lycans because it put me to sleep. But I tried.) The least successful film still managed $45 million at the box office. Not too shabby for a vampire franchise, but it is not my favorite entry in the pantheon. (And trust me, I have seen a *lot* of vampire movies.) I like the urban gothic aesthetic, costumes, and mythology of Underworld, but the actual storylines and characters never seem to live up to my expectations. Vampire movies can stick in the collective craw of horror fans in general, and vampire fans in particular, because you never know just how a new addition to the family is going to affect the culture at large. (Again, I'll come back to this later.)
Final Destination 3: No, I haven't seen it yet, but the first Final Destination is the first horror movie I saw in theaters so it holds a special (if slightly scarred) place in my heart. I say "scarred" because that was before I got into horror and was dragged to the multiplex against my will. The only reason we went in the first place is one of my high school girlfriends was in looooooove with Devon Sawa at the time. I spent most of the movie hiding behind my fingers and I still haven't forgiven her. Having said that, this movie made me realize that horror isn't just dark, or gruesome, or hyper-violent--it can also be funny. Sawa and his cohort, Ali Larter, have this dry, self-aware approach to the genre that makes them 1000% more likeable and fun to watch, even while the whole world and everything in it is trying to kill them. Also, the music that signals death is coming? John Denver. Every time. Genius. I've gotten the impression the more recent films aren't that great, but I might have to revisit this franchise at least to this point. I'll let you know if it was worth the trouble later.
Silent Hill: So, have I mentioned how much I love this movie? Because I LOVE this movie. A lot. Not quite as much as I love the games that inspired it, and the sequel is a HUGE step backward (we'll get to that one don't worry, hoo, boy), but the sheer detail and atmosphere are beautiful. Some scenes were rebuilt four times to get the right look--one for flashbacks, one for the fog world, one for the real world, and one for the dark world. That's some serious give-a-damn for a videogame movie. Not to mention it's one of those rare adaptations, along with The Ring, in which the source material had a male protagonist and was gender-flipped when it came time to do the movie. It's also the only horror franchise in which Sean Bean does not die--twice! A couple years ago, I argued that there's too much emphasis on motherhood, and they added a rape backstory that I could happily do without, plus they stole my favorite line from The Crow, but really I can't fault it but so much. It's a successful horror movie with an almost exclusively female cast and a wide variety of different characters who are all strong in their own individual ways. What can I even say that I haven't already? It's not perfect, but it's damn close, and one of my favorite stories, in any medium, of all time.
Pan's Labyrinth (aka "El Laberinto del Fauno"): I hesitated to put this on the list because, while it's definitely dark and creepy, I don't know that I'd call it "horror." Your mileage may vary, but the overwhelmingly positive response to this movie speaks for itself. Not only a dark fairy tale for grown-ups, but one starring a little girl, and with subtitles--how often does a movie like that make bank in the US? I saw it in theaters twice, and it made me cry. Of course, the fairy tale "quest" part of the story is only part of it--the real world is smack in the middle of a nasty war, so it's possible the "labyrinth" isn't real at all, but an imaginary construct that Ofelia has invented as an escape/defense mechanism against the very real horror surrounding her. My favorite character is the maid, Mercedes, who is "fierce" in the best possible sense of the word. This movie is subversive and impossible to forget, both from the stark, heavy themes and the wildly imaginative designs of the fantastic creatures that inhabit it. In short, everything I've come to expect from Guillermo Del Toro.
Honorable Mention: Stay Alive ($23.1 million)
I never saw this, but I was *stunned* to find out it ranked this high. Goddamn. Why? Didn't everyone hate this movie? I seem to remember everyone hating this movie. That said, I suppose there was a trend of "Computers and videogames are trying to kill you!" going around at the time. This was also the year Wes Craven decided to remake Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Pulse (aka "Kairo"); and the year of Silent Hill, as previously mentioned. Not to make assumptions about a movie I haven't seen, but my guess is you're better off with the original version of Pulse.
The reason I decided to include Pan's Labyrinth in the end (apart from the fact that I asked Twitter for input), is because I tend to be a bit more generous than some when drawing the line between "horror" and "fantasy" and "sci-fi." For me, it doesn't matter that much because I watch all three genres for the same reasons: I want to be taken out of my comfort zone. I want to question my perception of reality. I want to see ordinary people transform into heroes when faced with impossible circumstances. I want to see worlds and creatures I've never seen or imagined before. Mostly, I want to be entertained. If I happen to get scared out of my wits in the process, as long as those other criteria are met, I'm okay with that. But I'm also okay if a movie calling itself "horror" doesn't actually manage to scare me.
So here's my question for this post: Where do you draw the line between "horror" and other genres? Do you come away disappointed if a horror movie doesn't scare you, or do you watch it for other reasons--and if so, what are those reasons?
Tell me your thoughts in the comments, and I'll be back next time with 2007!
*I know, save your garment rending. I have a reason for including it on this list, and I'll get to it later. First, the top money-makers with female protagonists for 2006:
Underworld: Evolution - $62.3 million
The Omen - $54.6 million
(Final Destination 3 - $54.1 million)
When a Stranger Calls - $47.9 million
Silent Hill - $47 million
(The Hills Have Eyes - $41.8 million)
(The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning - $39.5 million)
The Grudge 2 - $39 million
Pan's Labyrinth - $37.6 million
Again, lots of remakes and sequels, and a fair few I haven't seen. In fact, there are only two original stories in this year's lineup, and I'm almost not sure they qualify--Silent Hill because it's technically an adaptation, and Pan's Labyrinth because I'm not sure it counts as "horror." But we're going to talk about them anyway, because it's my retrospective and I Do What I Want.
Underworld: Evolution: I had forgotten this until I started researching, but the first Underworld movie predates Stephenie Meyer's first novel by two years. A lot of the marketing when it first came out pitched it as "Romeo and Juliet with Vampires and Werewolves." It was big for vampire fans, but we're a niche audience--if you didn't want to watch or hear about Underworld, you didn't have to. As of this writing, there are four movies in the Underworld franchise, with a fifth projected for release later this year. I've seen the first three. (Well, sort of. I almost don't want to count Rise of the Lycans because it put me to sleep. But I tried.) The least successful film still managed $45 million at the box office. Not too shabby for a vampire franchise, but it is not my favorite entry in the pantheon. (And trust me, I have seen a *lot* of vampire movies.) I like the urban gothic aesthetic, costumes, and mythology of Underworld, but the actual storylines and characters never seem to live up to my expectations. Vampire movies can stick in the collective craw of horror fans in general, and vampire fans in particular, because you never know just how a new addition to the family is going to affect the culture at large. (Again, I'll come back to this later.)
Final Destination 3: No, I haven't seen it yet, but the first Final Destination is the first horror movie I saw in theaters so it holds a special (if slightly scarred) place in my heart. I say "scarred" because that was before I got into horror and was dragged to the multiplex against my will. The only reason we went in the first place is one of my high school girlfriends was in looooooove with Devon Sawa at the time. I spent most of the movie hiding behind my fingers and I still haven't forgiven her. Having said that, this movie made me realize that horror isn't just dark, or gruesome, or hyper-violent--it can also be funny. Sawa and his cohort, Ali Larter, have this dry, self-aware approach to the genre that makes them 1000% more likeable and fun to watch, even while the whole world and everything in it is trying to kill them. Also, the music that signals death is coming? John Denver. Every time. Genius. I've gotten the impression the more recent films aren't that great, but I might have to revisit this franchise at least to this point. I'll let you know if it was worth the trouble later.
Silent Hill: So, have I mentioned how much I love this movie? Because I LOVE this movie. A lot. Not quite as much as I love the games that inspired it, and the sequel is a HUGE step backward (we'll get to that one don't worry, hoo, boy), but the sheer detail and atmosphere are beautiful. Some scenes were rebuilt four times to get the right look--one for flashbacks, one for the fog world, one for the real world, and one for the dark world. That's some serious give-a-damn for a videogame movie. Not to mention it's one of those rare adaptations, along with The Ring, in which the source material had a male protagonist and was gender-flipped when it came time to do the movie. It's also the only horror franchise in which Sean Bean does not die--twice! A couple years ago, I argued that there's too much emphasis on motherhood, and they added a rape backstory that I could happily do without, plus they stole my favorite line from The Crow, but really I can't fault it but so much. It's a successful horror movie with an almost exclusively female cast and a wide variety of different characters who are all strong in their own individual ways. What can I even say that I haven't already? It's not perfect, but it's damn close, and one of my favorite stories, in any medium, of all time.
Pan's Labyrinth (aka "El Laberinto del Fauno"): I hesitated to put this on the list because, while it's definitely dark and creepy, I don't know that I'd call it "horror." Your mileage may vary, but the overwhelmingly positive response to this movie speaks for itself. Not only a dark fairy tale for grown-ups, but one starring a little girl, and with subtitles--how often does a movie like that make bank in the US? I saw it in theaters twice, and it made me cry. Of course, the fairy tale "quest" part of the story is only part of it--the real world is smack in the middle of a nasty war, so it's possible the "labyrinth" isn't real at all, but an imaginary construct that Ofelia has invented as an escape/defense mechanism against the very real horror surrounding her. My favorite character is the maid, Mercedes, who is "fierce" in the best possible sense of the word. This movie is subversive and impossible to forget, both from the stark, heavy themes and the wildly imaginative designs of the fantastic creatures that inhabit it. In short, everything I've come to expect from Guillermo Del Toro.
Honorable Mention: Stay Alive ($23.1 million)
I never saw this, but I was *stunned* to find out it ranked this high. Goddamn. Why? Didn't everyone hate this movie? I seem to remember everyone hating this movie. That said, I suppose there was a trend of "Computers and videogames are trying to kill you!" going around at the time. This was also the year Wes Craven decided to remake Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Pulse (aka "Kairo"); and the year of Silent Hill, as previously mentioned. Not to make assumptions about a movie I haven't seen, but my guess is you're better off with the original version of Pulse.
The reason I decided to include Pan's Labyrinth in the end (apart from the fact that I asked Twitter for input), is because I tend to be a bit more generous than some when drawing the line between "horror" and "fantasy" and "sci-fi." For me, it doesn't matter that much because I watch all three genres for the same reasons: I want to be taken out of my comfort zone. I want to question my perception of reality. I want to see ordinary people transform into heroes when faced with impossible circumstances. I want to see worlds and creatures I've never seen or imagined before. Mostly, I want to be entertained. If I happen to get scared out of my wits in the process, as long as those other criteria are met, I'm okay with that. But I'm also okay if a movie calling itself "horror" doesn't actually manage to scare me.
So here's my question for this post: Where do you draw the line between "horror" and other genres? Do you come away disappointed if a horror movie doesn't scare you, or do you watch it for other reasons--and if so, what are those reasons?
Tell me your thoughts in the comments, and I'll be back next time with 2007!
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no subject
Date: 2015-02-08 06:33 pm (UTC)I don't always expect horror movies to scare me because I've seen enough to know that very few achieve that goal. I get more terrified by real-life documentaries on serial killers than I do fictional films. (I couldn't sleep the night I watched something on the BTK killer, and they had already caught the guy. Ditto when I discovered the ID channel on TV.) I don't appreciate horror movies that use gore for shock value, and consider it the cheapest way to try and scare/shock an audience.
For those reasons, that's probably why I enjoy psychological thrillers the best out of the horror umbrella. There's something more terrifying of not knowing what it is that's chasing you or haunting you, than seeing a guy wearing a mask and coming at you with a chainsaw. I also lean towards wanting to understand people motives, which you get more in thrillers than in slashers. Slashers it usually "this guy is psychotic" and thrillers the villain typically has another motive other than "because he has the crazies."
FYI: Final Destination 3 has a female lead and, IMO, it is the best of the FD movies. The actress is a better actress than their other leads and it has more pathos than the other films.
I saw When A Stranger Calls in theaters, and believe me it was the only time I enjoyed a terrible movie in the theaters solely because the audience mocked it the entire time. And The Omen was utter shit; I'm surprised it made that much.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-09 03:56 pm (UTC)I get more terrified by real-life documentaries on serial killers than I do fictional films.
Agreed--ick! I don't even like slashers with serial killers in movies, because it's too close to something that could happen in real life. I'm not against slashers on the whole, but I need some element of the supernatural or outlandishly unrealistic to get on-board.
Slashers it usually "this guy is psychotic" and thrillers the villain typically has another motive other than "because he has the crazies."
And that too, heh. Usually, the "s/he has the crazies" explanation works better if you're inside the killer's POV, at least for me, because then it's interesting and unsettling for different reasons.
I figured FD3 had a female lead when I saw Mary Elizabeth Winstead, so yeah, I definitely need to check that out. Plus, it's in an amusement park! I have a thing about creepy amusement parks.
I saw When A Stranger Calls in theaters, and believe me it was the only time I enjoyed a terrible movie in the theaters solely because the audience mocked it the entire time.
LOL--see? This is why I like seeing horror movies in theaters. The audience is always awesome. Nobody texting or talking through it, unless it's to say stuff like, "Dude, don't go in there!" or "Aw, shit, here it goes!" It's *fun.* We are an entire community of lolfans. I think that's what people who don't watch a lot of this stuff don't get--we know when it's bad. We just don't care, and gleefully watch it anyway. Well, sometimes.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-09 05:30 pm (UTC)I forgot to mention that when I saw Red Eye both times, the moment Rachel McAdams is going through her dad's house looking for Cillian's character, BOTH TIMES the audience started shouting that he was behind the shower curtain and RUUUNNNNN, GIRL.
(Meanwhile, both times I was like, NOOOOOOO, he's behind the door. . . .)
no subject
Date: 2015-02-11 03:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-02-10 04:30 am (UTC)I haven't seen the second Silent Hill movie, sounds like I should pass. I remember seeing Silent Hill in the theater back in the day. Damn freaky nurses!!!
I remember renting The Orphanage and Teeth with my friend for Halloween viewing. We knew that the latter wasn't going to be too serious, given the premise (though I still submit that they should make all boys watch it during sex ed...might as well put the fear of "what if" in them...) but I really wanted to be SCARED by The Orphanage since it was the same writer/director as Pan's Labyrinth and Devil's Backbone. But the ending of Orphanage was not what I expected and it totally made me want to recategorize the film. It didn't hurt my enjoyment but the last few moments of the movie changed everything.
I don't believe that horror can't have a happy ending. I love Poltergeist (ugh do not talk about the remake) and The Conjuring and both of those have somewhat "happy" endings. Heck, even the last two seasons of American Horror Story had somewhat "happy" endings. I know for some aficionados that is a dealbreaker (I remember people complaining that the ending to 8 Days Later was too happy...) so that wouldn't make me change the genre.
I do feel like horror sets out to scare you, but I prefer my horror like I prefer my sci-fi. I like my horror stories to provide a window into our world, to twist a "what if" as far as it can until it becomes horrific but also makes you think about the world around you. I guess I'm less picky about horror mixing with other genres and more of the kind of genres within horror?
no subject
Date: 2015-02-11 03:54 pm (UTC)The nurses were PERFECT! They're such an iconic monster from the games. As for the second movie, dude. I have. SO MUCH. To say. Not until we get to 2012, but I think the drinking game potential alone might make it worthwhile IF you're not a hardcore superfan like me.
The Orphanage is amazing, but quite different from what I'd expected. I feel I should point out, however, that it wasn't actually directed by Guillermo del Toro, but by a protege of his named Juan Antonio Bayona. It's confusing, I know, because it says "Guillermo del Toro Presents" on all the posters, and he was an executive producer (which basically means he helped fund it), but yeah, the script and direction were somebody else.
I like "happy" endings too, most of the time. As long as it doesn't feel cheap, which let's be honest, can happen with "bad" endings too. I chose not to watch the alternate ending to 28 Days Later because the theatrical ending is pretty much perfect. I could've used another scene explaining how they got from Point A to Point B, but having them end up where they did seemed perfectly satisfactory to me.