Quote:
|
Straker's Query - "Does the resounding success of the Twilight series at the Box Office mean that today's horror has to aim at teenagers and romance to ensure success commercially, rather than be out-and-out horrific and scary, as has been the trend for most of the mainstream releases in horror history?"
|
First off, it’s important to point out that no matter how commercially successful the Twilight Saga is, it is not horror. It is simply a teen romance that happens to borrow from the vampire mythos. It fails to deliver what would typically be expected of any film associated with the genre and sits much more comfortably placed within romance. The movies fail to offer more than teenage angst and romance. You will find more bite in an episode of Count Duckula than any one of the twilight movies….
That said, there can be no doubt that movie makers will always look for safe investments and given the commercially success of the franchise, it is almost certain to spawn copies and dictate a certain desire to tap into the same market. I’m not convinced this will lead to a move away from what could be termed ‘traditional’ horror since the target audience is simply not the same.
A good movie is a good movie and if you have a good movie it would not be necessary to throw a teen romance story in there to ‘ensure’ commercial success. That route, while it may be applied by some movie makers, demonstrates a lack of creativity and quality and serves only to highlight a complacent market. Commercial success should always be ensured through quality rather than following predetermined formulas of success.
While there is a market for traditional horror or pure blood and gore movies they will continue to find their audience. The target audience of traditional horror would not be comparable to that of the Twilight Saga and as such is unlikely to directly affect the production of traditional horror. I think it’s fair to assume horror is here to stay, with or without the Twilight Saga.