Where have all the monsters gone?
Lately I have been thinking that the horror genre has been lacking in great monsters. This is not to say that there have not been some great movies, American Mary by the Soska Sisters is one of the best films (not just horror) I have seen in a long time. What I'm talking about is the villain of the piece, whether that be a supernatural entity or a human evil. Certain films have tried, Insidious for example created a potentially iconic monster in the form of the lipstick faced demon, who's first appearance in the film is one of the few times I have actually yelled out in a cinema. Unfortunately though he fails to become a 'great monster' due to over use visually, and under use plot wise. We see to much of him, but don't learn enough about him.
The fad of remakes that has been going on over the last ten years or so has given the old monsters an airing, to greater or lesser success. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre gave us a visually striking, and intimidating Leatherface, but in my opinion he wasn't as truly terrifying as the original version. This new Leatherface seems a little too in control, he stalks his victims with determination and skill. The original Leatherface was far more wild and unruly, Like a giant, grotesque toddler with a chainsaw. It was like he had no sense of right or wrong.
Freddy Kruger (my favourite movie monster, so much so I named my son after him) also got an outing again in the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and despite a fine performance by , he is let down by a plot that leaves him less frightening than original portrayal. This version of Freddy seems a little more petty than the original.
With the remake of Hellraiser due to be made soon, I fear we will see a new incarnation of Pinhead who will not live up to the original. At a guess, he will either be played by an actor without the air of dignity and poetics that the character needs, He has always been the most articulate of movie monsters. Or he will be over used, as he is the Iconic character of the series they may feel the need to put him in the film too much, after all in the original movie he only has about 3 minutes of screen time, but what an impact he makes in that time.
So how can we rectify this situation? How can we bring back the iconic monster in a way they truly deserve? Perhaps we shouldn't, perhaps they should be left where they are, in classic movies that defined the genre, and not paler rehashes. What the genre needs is new Icons, monsters who will haunt our collective consciousness the way the likes of Leatherface, Freddy and pinhead have for so long. How is this to be achieved, well firstly the film industry has to stop relying on remakes and allow writers and filmmakers to create new stories with new monsters. Perhaps Insidious 2 will reveal more about the lipstick faced demon and elevate him from a 'good' monster to a 'great' one.
