mhg83

With the October Horror movie challenge this month has given me the chance to catch up on some classic horror films. The Halloween, Nightmare On Elm Street, and Friday The 13th movie series still hold up many years later. Mainly the original and early sequels are still fun to watch.

The current crop of Horror series don't seem like they'll age that well. Saw, Final Destination, and Paranormal Activity don't even come close to matching the likes of Freddy, Michael, Jason and even Chucky. I can't even think of an actual current slasher series (Hatchet maybe?)

What do you guys think?

Solid Snake

If you want to be serious about it...most of those old franchise films suck. Don't blind yourself by how much you enjoy them. They're mostly crap (as is the new franchises as well). Your level of entertainment doesn't always equal to quality. These new film franchises will probably not have a very memorable quality compared to the other guys cuz they for the most part lack a figure. Saw has Jigsaw but he still doesn't have the presence of Jason, Michael, or Freddy. Those films created a character image that had presence and hit pop culture strongly. The others don't have that in the massive force the older ones did. Sure Jigsaw is referenced here and there but it's not as big as say...Freddy. They'll live in popularity like any popular film will but they won't be as memorable I think.

Jonno2006

Yeah i agree with Snake. Nostalgia colored glasses make everything look really good for a really long time!

PhantomStranger

But the general level of writing and creativity has gone down the drain in modern Hollywood. Saw might be the exception, as it is a very consistent franchise with an original premise. You might even say it is the most consistent horror series of all time, given the number of duds in franchises like F13 and Nightmare On Elm Street.

But something like Final Destination should never have been made past the first one.

DeanoBKN

The movies are all mostly bad. The only thing the 80s had is characters who became icons.

dhmac

Aren't most (all?) horror franchises just one good horror movie and a bunch of lousy sequels?

Pizza

I don't think it matters whether you consider these films bad or not. Iif they still entertain then they still hold up in some fashion. I'm not the biggest fan of the Friday the 13th film series (I've always thought it sucked actually) but going by the threads I read around here, it still has a strong following.
Now, will the current crop have the same legs? I doubt it. Paranormal Activity is still going strong but I have a feeling it's hit it's peak with the latest installment. Saw is distinctive enough that it may still have fans down the road and Final Destination is already fizzling away and will be forgotten. I agree that the current horror crowd is not character based but rather gimmick based,which plays well for the short term rather than long term.

Hokeyboy

I recently rewatched the original Nightmare on Elm Street. I loved it when I saw it in theaters. I had to be around 13 or 14. Scared the piss out of me. Holy carp!

Saw it again about 2 months ago. Imaginative, but what a pile of shit. Same with the original Friday the 13th. Chucky was always garbage. The original Halloween is still reasonably compelling but the sequels all stink, with the exception of 3 because it dared do something entirely different and creepy.

It's bullshit nostalgia, anyhow. Saw, Hostel, Final Destination, Paranormal Activity... they're all just as reasonable as the Friday the 13ths, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Steets, etc.

RichC2

I actually think the newer horror movies are better than some of the 80s ones in terms of actual movie quality (Saw I and II, Final Destination, The Ring, Insidious, Drag Me To Hell, Paranormal Activity), but the 80s ones all have more iconic bad guys.

The Bus

Don't kid yourself. Those old horror movies are not that good. They're not better or worse than the current crop.

This weekend my younger sibling was talking with a group of friends (all in high school) about the Saw movies and how they are the best of the modern horror films. They'll hold up.

Mabuse

Excuse me while I "kid myself". Nightmare on Elm Street and Haloween are excellent films. The sequels are a different story, but let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. Just because something spawned a half-dozen sequels doesn't mean the original is a turd. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is another example. These are great films by any measure.

The Bus

However, the OP was talking about a "series" not individual films.

Groucho

I think Saw will hold up. We're already at the seven year mark with that one. The sequels will be remembered as a footnote, if only for their slavish dedication to continuity (unusual in any genre, but especially horror).

stingermck

Agree that Saw will hold, at least for the story. I see PA becoming like the Blair Witch, a foot note, but forgotten

clappj

Scream 4 says "no."

Solid Snake

out of hte 80s ones mentioned...pretty much yes. Except for Chucky. That was a piece of crap not matter what...but it still heavily entertained those it needed to entertain.

I WILL admit though...that the current crop of horror films are much better made from a tech standpoint. And though I've no strong attraction to Saw...they're better than most of the 80s horror sequels. PA was actually pretty good imo. I like Hostel. LOVED DMTH. As much as I am not a fan of MOST modern horror films...they are better than most of the 80s horror in the overrall.

Michael Corvin

Yeah, the thread title poses a decent question but the first post negates it by declaring 80's cheese as "good" by comparison.

How so? It's a solid premise, and infinitely more intriguing than serial killer x stalking teens.

wm lopez

Has there ever been one to hit at least 3 good movies?
They peak at 2.

eXcentris

I agree with Snake as well. When I re-watch all those old franchise films, I find them terribly silly. They just weren't very good films. Heck, I mostly prefer the remakes (yeah, I know, shoot me. ).

Dr Mabuse

The original 'Return of the Living Dead' still kicks ass. I've always liked that first one, that's a lot of fun to watch and it's well made. As usual the follow ups were not up to snuff.

I just watched the 'More Brains!' documentary, so it's fresh in my mind. That's a great doc BTW if you like the film.

I agree about 'Friday the 13th' and 'Nightmare on Elm Street' and all. Except the first 'Halloween', I still like that.

inri222

Don't really consider it a franchise, but :

Solid Snake

..but..it is a franchise of sorts. More cultish than anything but...let's just call it a series.

inri222

Yes it is a kind of franchise. But when I consider a franchise, I think of money over substance. Romero did these films on the cheap and refused to let big bucks get in the way because he did not want to compromise his vision.

Yeti4623

Friday the 13th may be the only franchise, where every sequel is better than the original.

Hokeyboy

^If you honestly think Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood is better than the original, step AWAY from my Ovaltine you fuck!!