I will admit, I don't do a good job of supporting horror in the theaters. Not that I don't want to. Every time I see a good horror film come out I wish to see it on the big screen. With my popcorn and my Cherry Coke. Maybe I am a victim of the laundry list of things that keep me out of the theatre: the fact they are now over ten bucks to go during the day...even more at night when horror is meant to be scene, the fact I have a blue ray player, the fact that a blue ray or DVD costs about the same as a theatre visit, the fact that my kids are five and still a few years away from joining me in wanting to see Freddy slice and dice. All of these reasons seem valid. I still feel like I do a good job supporting horror with the amount of money I spend buying films on DVD and blue ray. That is how I watched Breck Eisner's (2010) remake The Crazies. In glorious blue ray. With my 59 cent fountain pop from Circle K and my bag of Orvil Redenbocker all to myself.
This is not so much a review of the Crazies- as much as it is a questioning of horror marketing. The Crazies was a great film. One I will probably purchase to add to my collection. A film worthy of multiple viewings and one in which I feel will stand the test of time. In the remake category, I would rank it right up the with the Aja's Hills Have Eyes remake. It's that good.
But, like I said, this is not so much of a review. How this movie was marketed confuses me a bit. My wife, mind you, is admittedly not a huge horror fan, when she likes a horror film I see her as more of the conscious of America. How the typical moviegoer might view a film. I might be a little biased and find even a Saturday afternoon syfy channel movie good. But if the wife likes it...
She pointed out how awful the movie was marketed as it was in theaters. The Crazies did not fare that well in theaters. I realize many movies have a great life on DVD and blue ray and can be good without doing well at the box office. But, the Crazies is an example of poor marketing. if you saw previews for the films...it comes across as being yet another zombie flick. Not a whole lot of brains to it besides the ones the ghouls are feasting on. But, there is much more to the Crazies. It is a well rounded, spooky, well made, well acted film. The marketing for some horror films, especially horror films in the Winter/ Spring is terrible. Saw 7 will be marketed out the wazoo this October and more teenie-boppers will see that then probably saw the Crazies. And, most horror hounds will agree, we would rather the teens give there parents money to a film like the Crazies then to Saw 7. If not, we will just get Saw 8, 9 and 10. If we go with the notion that better horror films should do better in the box office, then they needs to be marketed better. And hypocriteslike me need to actually go to the theater to see them.
1 comment:
I hate when marketing does this to movies. I mean Final Destination 3D gets more hype and marketing then most good movies out there. Most people like yourself or even Terry who KNOW good horror movies will take a chance on something like the Crazies out of interest and the history of the movie since it is a remake. Terry loved it also. He will not be fooled by marketing and go see Saw 13 instead because he is smarter than that.
But I wish this would be marketed better to people like me who don't mind GOOD scary movies....just not slasher/over the top/stupid horror movies. I watched the Crazies and it was the perfect amount of scary for me without being over the top. Horror movie or not, it was just a really good movie and I appreciate that. That sucks that it got bad marketing in the theaters, hopefully more people will like it when it comes out on DVD.
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