Why is it that, as an audience, we (without fail) shell out our money for cheap scary films even when we are disappointed by every cliche pop-up scene or the most complacent story lines? Horror movies have the insatiable ability to attract audiences with their low quality productions.
Screenwriter John Sullivan ( who specializes in small scale horror) states how moviegoers are increasingly aware of the fact that these films are cheesy and receive sub-par ratings from critics, but what draws them is the adrenaline rush one experiences when vicariously living through the plot lines: viewers can imagine themselves investigating creaking stairs or over-analyzing the one time they could have sworn the kitchen drawer was just closed. Many low-budget films such as the Paranormal Activity Series utilize obscure actors, simple, realistic set design, and "hand-held camera" type shots that reflect the premise of individual character recollection. The emergence of Netflix and YouTube being major distributors of these low budget horror films have contributed to the creation of two sets of audiences: 1) characterized by older generations who do recognize infamous stars and do not recognize the movie's inadequacies and 2) horror fans who will pay money to see anything related to the genre.
Many low-budget horror films use locations that limit screenwriters. John Sullivan states that "It does limit me a bit. I have to pull my punches on action sequences. I have to be frugal..." (time to shoot must be taken into account), and considers that production companies often take advantage of settings such as Canada, Romania, and Michigan that provide tax breaks. He argues that horror films shouldn't be costly in nature because fear is born from what
cannot be seen.
An important feature to consider with horror films is that many viewers go simply to laugh at cheesy dialogue, overused character archetypes, and atrocious acting. The scripts are often written quite expediently and producers do not rely on development (adaptations or direct-to-DVD) or revision to finish the story. Sullivan explains: "There's not a lot for rewriting or finessing. It's very run n' gun. At the end of the day, the production company wants a rad title and a cool poster."
Horror films tend to allow new screenwriters opportunities to break into the industry and experiment on how audiences will react to formalist or realist story lines. Low-budget horror films have been dominating the box-office in recent years and although consumers are aware of these cheesy movies that usually follow the same format (time and time again), moviegoers will continue to want to either scare or laugh themselves to death.
What seems to be an important (and apparent) appeal of horror films is that there seems to be a lack of disappointment accompanied with them. Audiences expect these productions to be either actually frightening or a comedic night out, and regardless: it's pure entertainment. Horror movies, such as Insidious and the Paranormal Series (one of the highest grossing films of 2009) rely on continuations of plot lines into sequels that continue to attract the same young-adult and older-aged audiences whom enjoy the scare simply because it's something different to watch. I also believe that it is a genius tactic that many of these low budget films are released simultaneously as other poorly-grossing movies come out; nevertheless, moviegoers have a choice of choosing a little thrill (as cheesy as it can potentially get) rather than sleeping through another drama or romance movie. In conclusion, low budget horror films aren't just stupid for the fun of it; they're stupid with a purpose.
Frappier, R. (2011). Confessions of a Low-Budget Horror Writer: Why We Love Campy Horror Movies.
Retrieved November 27, 2014, from http://screenrant.com/
horror-movies-johnny-sullivan-interview-robf-137176/
"Screenrant" is an independent film and tv news website that interviews screenwriters, actors, producers, etc. They go behind the scenes on distribution, production, and marketing mechanisms.
