@2WHERE HAS ALL THE HORROR GONE?

                                by Papa Legba@1

As an ardent horror film fan, I am disappointing over the lack of decent 
horror films available over the past few years.  Also, recently, rather than 
the situation improving, it has gotten worse.

Take a look at your local cinema listings any week of the year, and you 
cannot fail to notice the distinct lack of horror movies.  Indeed, the only 
recent films from the horror genre that come to my mind are Candyman, The 
Dark Half, Needful Things and Beyond Bedlam.  All other types of films are 
well catered for, though.  Multiplexes are tripping over themselves with 
big-budget action star vehicles and banal so-called "comedies".

Video is another example.  A few years ago the video stores were full of 
horror movies.  Some of them were good films, classics of their genre, 
landmarks that helped redefine the meaning of horror.  Most of them were crap
"slasher" movies.  Today, as censorship in Britain becomes even stricter, we 
are seeing less and less videos of this type.  Just recently Beyond Bedlam 
had its video release withdrawn by the BBFC in an amazing U-turn.
@7
[Editor's note: It has just been announced that Beyond Bedlam WILL get a
video release in December, albeit with a few cuts.]
@1

But the main problem area is terrestrial television.  Trying to find a decent
horror flick on one of the four main channels is like trying to endure 
watching GMTV's Mr Motivator for more than 30 seconds: almost impossible.  
All we get are useless American 'made-for-TV' movies that are banal, free 
from blood and gore and about as frightening as The Sooty Show.

To be fair, though, the odd classic does emerge from time to time.  Just 
recently, BBC2's Moviedrome season screened John Carpenter's Halloween, uncut
and in its original Cinemascope format.  We've also had (severely censored) 
screenings of The Terminator and Robocop, which you may argue as being 
Science Fiction, but which still contain horrific images and ideas.

@3
Disappointingly, the future looks bleak for horror.  The only real treat in 
store is Kenneth Branagh's version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, though 
this is being touted more as a love story than true horror.  Also due out 
soon is the latest (and eagerly awaited) film from John Carpenter, titled In 
The Mouth Of Madness.  One can only hope that this will be a professional, 
expertly crafted and genuinely frightening (rare these days) horror film, and
not just another piece of unoriginal pap that has given the horror market a 
bad name.@1

@7
[Since this article was written, horror on TV has improved recently.  BBC1
have just started a new season of Dr Terror`s Vault of Horror, showing
such goodies as John Carpenter`s "The Fog".  ITV also have just launched a
horror season, including films such as "The Omen" & "Amityville - The Evil
Escapes".  Channel Four are also showing several horror films, including
Tony Scott's beautiful but pretentious vampire flick "The Hunger". 
Curiously, all these films go out on a Friday night, so a little creative
scheduling and videotaping is required! - Ed]
@1

                                                                        End.