The variety of films contained in the dislike lists in this thread is
one of the reasons I find the horror genre so endlessly endearing, unusual
and so particular. There's no other film genre like it where such a divide of opinion exists for films such as "Blair Witch" "The Shining" "Phenomena" and "Dawn of the Dead" for instance. It's rare these days to find a viewer of such films above to say "yeah it was alright" or "Perhaps I should re-evaluate it later with a friend". These films are Bovril and peanut butter. The fans are dedicated or utterly hate them to the point where they get actually get angry about how much they despise the films. I find it fascinating. : )
But to the list. Horror films I don't like. I've got a pretty good tolerance for trash built in but most of the recent remakes I can't abide, not because they aren't well made but mostly because of the pointlessness of their existence, the infuriating stance of Hollywood to embrace new idea's and scripts.
It constantly confounds me that keen young directors will take on these remake projects simply to get a foot in the door, rather than fight to the death and use their savvy to fit into the modern strict commercial regime to get their fresh vision seen. Remakes IMO are only acceptable to me when they exist strictly in the fan realm or when the original is so utterly atrocious, it's loved by no one and the fact it's a remake would actually go unnoticed.
So with my list, I won't list any remakes because I think I've made my feelings clear.
The Toetagpictures. I actually always feel sad in saying it because it should be the exact opposite. I totally respect the DIY aesthetic, the confrontational attitude and the dedication to the FX but to be honest, any potential talents here are being thrown in the bin. These films simply try TOO hard, they aren't as clever as they think they are and they don't grasp the simple basics of knowing how to properly draw an apple before you can say your art is abstract.
Murder Set Pieces. Absolutely arrogant and silly, boring trash. I found it impossible to enjoy, not because I was scared to watch, not because I found the gore scenes repugnant but basically because again, it's a film that thinks it's cleverer than it is and that simply being as offensive and gory as possible is good enough to cement its reputation. I am always eager to embrace over the top offensive gory films but as a viewer who's been spoiled by 101 film basics like an engaging plot, a character to root for and a unique look to the photography (I shouldn't have to mention once again, Evil Dead, T.C.M, both 16mm classics that most young film makers still look up to in 2011), expecting at least a couple of instances where some flair for the genre would show itself perhaps was too much to ask for here.
The Saw Franchise. This series drives me nuts. I hated the first film, simply because it was so daft, so many obvious mistakes that at times were so infuriating that it was like the filmmakers were taunting me. When it actually became a popular series I just shook my head in dismay.
If a franchise based on the premise of an intelligent influential person using other people to do his dirty work whilst hiding behind a crappy puppet because he's so insecure about just topping them off himself is a new or good idea, then I'm a race driver. Not a single Saw movie has produced a character I cared about for a second, the victims plights are hard to be sympathetic about because the scripts are so eager to justify the fact they deserve to die because they didn't share the maltesers or something with their family. It's embarrassing. End the series now, PLEASE...
 |