Horror Films: Love them or hate them, they are one of the biggest success stories of the film industry. Overall, it’s a seriously popular genre and in the modern day, writers and producers have to increase their creativity to devise plots that are more fiendish and grisly than ever before.
But have you ever stopped to think about the component parts that go towards making a successful horror flick? Of course we need a monster whether it’s a classic Dracula or a modern day serial killer but there’s more. Location is pivotal to the plot and here are some classic venues for hosting a great horror movie.
Out in the Wilds
Isolated locations are simply perfect for a horror movie. Anyone who is out in the wilderness and doesn’t admit to a sense of trepidation is either lying or, perhaps, they are the perpetrators of the evil that will undoubtedly follow.
Film makers play on that sense of fear and have, over the years, produced a host of horror films set out in the wilds. Whether it’s a tent or a log cabin, a stalking killer is never likely to be far away in a roll call that includes titles such as the 1950s epic, Creature from the Black Lagoon through to the classics Night of the Living Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Next time you’re out in the wilds. Remember you’re at the head of a list of perfect horror movie locations.
Room Service?
The odds really stack up when you think about it: If you’re a regular visitor to hotels then eventually one of the other guests will be an axe wielding maniac. It’s a percentage rule that the film makers adapted early on with the classic Bates Motel in the epic Psycho.
The original version of this Alfred Hitchcock thriller first came out in 1960 and essentially laid a template for many modern horror movies. It includes suspense, the glamorous victim and the creepy motel owner. Psycho exploits the isolated motel / hotel setting perfectly but there have been many others in this type of location.
Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is probably the best example, but filmgoers can also add Motel Hell, Crawlspace and Vacancy to a long and growing list.
At the Tables
Horror is a popular genre as far as casinos are concerned. In the world of gambling, some of our favourite characters from yesteryear appear frequently in slot games produced by a host of developers. The themes tend to pick up on the classic Hammer Horror characters such as Dracula and Doctor Jekyll but some stray into more modern territory.
The trend dovetails perfectly with the film industry and what better setting than a tense poker table? This is exactly what happens in Poker Night, where rookie cop Beau Mirchoff settles down to a game of Texas Hold’Em with several veteran police officers and detectives. Following some grisly tales, Beau must escape using the stories he’s heard to help him on his way. Horror films can pick up on a theme of fun and entertainment going terribly wrong and, in that sense, a poker table is just perfect.
Open Wide
Turning fun into frenzy is one area of the horror film maker’s art but for others, the reverse approach is taken. Many writers will take a situation where we’re already feeling uncomfortable and turn it into full blown terror.
Step forward the dentist’s chair: We’ve seen it in Saw and there is another title that is even more specific. Called simply The Dentist, our anti-hero Dr Feinstone is betrayed by his wife so naturally decides to take it out on his patients with some brutal work. It’s a spine-chiller but if you’re already afraid of a trip to the dentist, we suggest steering clear.
No Escaping the Classics
All of the above settings, with the possible exception of the great outdoors, might give you cause to feel safe. That isn’t the case however with some of the classic locations for horror movies and let’s face it, if you spend any length of time in graveyards and spooky mansions then you really are looking for trouble.
Even the Scooby Doo crew knew that ghosts and ghouls could be guaranteed to appear in both locations and horror writers and film producers are also in on the plot. In fact, we can trace the trend right back to one of the oldest horror movies of the genre. The aptly named The Old Dark House first hit the silver screen in 1932, having been based on the 1927 novel, The Benighted, by JB Priestley.
Starring the legend that was Boris Karloff, The Old Dark House is fairly tame by modern standards but it spawned a number of remakes and other films that followed a similar pattern – stay in a haunted house, expect to be massacred.
A whole host of weird and wonderful locations have been used for horror flicks but at times, you just can’t beat the classics so expect the haunted mansion and misty graveyard to provide spooky backdrops for decades to come.
