A History of Horror

Chapter 5: The Future

172 Chapter 5 The Future 1990–Present While the franchises of the 1970s through the turn of the twenty-first century continued unabated, a number of factors combined to make horror films in the new millennium more imaginative , more original, and more accessible to a wide range of audiences. First, the rise of the DVD market made theatrical distribution merely the first step in a long chain of ancillary “play-off” possibilities, opening up other markets to distribution, as well as pay-per-view, cable, satellite, and computer downloads of both contemporary and classic titles. Second, digital production techniques placed the tools of creating a horror film within the range of practically anyone who could afford to rent a minimal crew for a week’s shoot, much as in the days of the French New Wave in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A good camera operator using a digital high-definition video camera, a sound person, and a lighting supervisor were all that a would-be director needed; and with non-linear editing equipment, assembling the finished film was a snap. Many newer films, such as John Erick Dowdle’s Quarantine (2008) and Matt Reeves’s Cloverfield (2008), incorporated this rough, handheld, homemade look into the thematic structures of their narratives, making faux documentaries of violent, compelling power. Additionally, international boundaries began to crumble as European and Asian horror films flooded the market, bringing with them a new wave of auteurs enthusiastically dedicated to the genre. Japanese horror films (“J-Horror” for short) and Korean horror films (“K-Horror”) became prolific subgenres as well as fertile ground for American remakes. And although many of the horror films in the first decade of the century dealt with violent and brutal imagery, a sharply rising number of features were more subdued in their approach, offering thoughtful, psychological horror stories. Indeed, the explosion of horror in the new century—partially linked, I would argue, to the international spiritual angst brought about by the worldwide threat of nuclear terrorism, the tragic events of 9/11, and increasing political tensions among nations—mirrored the general sense of insecurity felt by much of the world’s populace, feelings that were only exacerbated by the economic crash of 2008. Thus, we have a wide range of films to consider here, reflecting differing approaches, thematic concerns, and social values. In France, François Ozon began a career of unsettling narratives with his hourlong See the Sea (1997), in which a young mother, Sasha (Sasha Hails), left alone by her husband, takes in a malevolent vagabond, Tatiana (Marina de Van), who soon takes control of Sasha’s household. In the film’s terrifying dénouement, she kills Sasha, leaves her trussed up like a Christmas goose, and abducts her infant child for herself. When Sasha’s husband returns from his business trip, all he finds is Sasha’s corpse and a series of questions that, for him, will never be answered. Ozon specializes in this sort of domestic menace; everything seems calm on the surface, but killing tensions lurk just underneath. Ozon, who is openly gay, often features gay, lesbian, bisexual, and/or transgendered characters, as in his film Les amants criminels (Criminal Lovers, 1999), in which the gay male protagonist, unwilling to declare his sexual orientation publicly, finally snaps and kills the man who is the object of his obsession. In Swimming Pool (2003), Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier engage in a contest of wills with more than an overtone of sexual desire between them. Rampling portrays Sarah Morton, a mystery author with a string of bestsellers to her credit; now, however, she is having trouble getting started on the latest installment. Her publisher , John Bosload (Charles Dance), offers Sarah the use of his home in the French countryside to get her creative juices flowing, but soon her idyll is interrupted by the appearance of Julie (Sagnier), who claims to be Bosload’s daughter. Julie sleeps with anyone who strikes her fancy, engaging in a series of one-night stands that at first annoy, but ultimately intrigue Sarah. As with all of Ozon’s films, matters take a dark turn when a local lothario, Franck (Jean-Marie Lamour), shows up and seems to be more The Future 173 interested in Sarah than Julie. As the sexual tensions between the two women increase, Franck disappears. At length, Julie admits that she has...