This latest boom is coming from the low-budget horror/independent scene which is getting a tremendous boost from VOD outlets. As I said, it may not be as in-your-face as the wide release/Hollywood-fueled horror booms are – which garner attention from the mass media with headlines like “Is Horror Hot Again?” – but we’re definitely seeing a movement on the micro-budget/independent level that is presenting some promising, awesome new talent that will likely be rewarded with bigger projects (hopefully within horror). I thought about this a lot when I was down at SXSW and experienced, for the first time, a programming line-up that had more good to great horror films (like Starry Eyes and Housebound, for instance) than bad ones.
Distributors like Magnet, IFC and Drafthouse Films are nurturing this boom, for sure. The quality is varied, but that’s to be expected. The bottom line is…I think this is a really good time for horror – there are a lot of voices looking to be heard and should be heard. I don’t think you can point to a sub-genre and say this is “the supernatural boom” or “the slasher boom.” This one is a bit different. It’s giving us found footage, supernatural, home invasion, slasher and occult films. It’s an “indie horror boom” that I don’t think should go unrecognized.
What do you think? Is it business as usual in horror or do you feel we’re seeing an actual movement occurring?
