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Old 05-21-2019, 12:55 PM
Abishai100 Abishai100 is offline
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Lightbulb The Bad Seed/The Good Son (Horror Evolution?)

Mervyn LeRoy's vintage horror film "The Bad Seed" [1956] and Joseph Ruben's modern psychological horror film "The Good Son" [1993] are great 'signposts' in the progression/evolution of horror-cinema as an emergent art form that expanded greatly since the days of Dracula/Frankenstein arguably thanks to the cinematic contributions of psychological/suspense filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock(!).

LeRoy's 1956 film tells the story of a somewhat strange young American girl who is oddly suspected of being a heartless killer. Ruben's 1993 film tells the story of an eccentric young American boy who is suspected by another boy to be some kind of cold and eerie sociopath(!).

The difference in the two films --- namely that the 1956 film is about a strange girl, while the 1993 film is about a strange boy --- is simply a nominal difference. The key comparison here in the two similar storylines is that the 'suspected evildoer' may oddly be a suspected child(!).

We see from the vintage 1956 film a certain focus on atmospherics and dialogue, while the modern 1993 film is a focus on pure psyche and thrills with a more secondary focus on tone/script.

Sure, we all know that horror-cinema has predictably become more and more graphic, but noting the contours between LeRoy's 1956 film about a potentially evil girl and Ruben's 1993 film about a potentially evil boy(!) might help us analyze/appreciate how horror films have become more...mob psychology oriented.

Some might say this is a degradation in quality storytelling, but a handful of modern horror films such as John Carpenter's "Halloween" [1978] and Jamie Blanks' "Urban Legend" [1998] reveal a modern folkloric focus on the 'pure surreality' of fear itself.

So, should we regard the modern era of horror-cinema as an exposition...in fear IQ?

Do you feel more 'in-touch' with horror-cinema as an art form in the modern era compared to the fans of Dracula and Hitchcock?

Perhaps Hitchcock would comment(!), "All fear-cinema fans appreciate...a good disaster!" One thing is beyond doubt to all fans of horror-cinema, scary stories are always creative(!).

What do you think?
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Last edited by Abishai100; 05-21-2019 at 01:01 PM.
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Old 05-21-2019, 01:03 PM
Abishai100 Abishai100 is offline
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Poster pizza

Sorry the film poster is upside-down, I uploaded it from my primitive iPad while riding on a bus(!).
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Old 05-21-2019, 04:08 PM
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Sculpt Sculpt is offline
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I appreciate the more realistic approach of some modern films. A little closer, psychological, interpersonal and more sophisticated.
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