It’s the dead of summer, and Halloween is right around the corner. That means one thing in the entertainment world: horror is back in style. Horror, in both literature and film has always been the guilty pleasure, the distasteful but somehow enthralling older brother to the more “high brow” psychological thriller genre. Particularly in the post 9/11 world, the way horror works has changed. People are no longer afraid of demons waiting in the dark to possess them, they’re afraid of the monster lurking down the street. Which makes it hard for more “traditional” horror to be successful to a mainstream audience, rather than the niche market of horror fans. We all know that horror’s golden age was back in the 70s and 80s, with movies such as “The Exorcist” and “Halloween” setting genre standards that would become nearly set in stone. So what do horror writers do when everything horror seems to have become cliché? Use those old, dried out tropes and make them work. In doing so, they’ve created something refreshing: modern throwback horror. And here are some of the best examples.
TV:
“Stranger Things”—Probably the most recent example, this Netflix breakout, aside from the special effects, could have been filmed back in the 80s and no one would know. It could have been written by Stephen King at his best, with a tight-knit group of young boys and one girl banding together to save their friend, who has disappeared. At the same time, a strange government agency is in town, and the young girl escaped from them with some bizarre side effects. The music, clothing, and set are all on point, and the lead actress is even the star of several cult horror films, Winona Ryder. If you like vintage Stephen King—think “The Body” aka the film “Stand by Me,”, “Firestarter,” “The Mist,” and “It” —and classic 80s sci-fi and horror—think “E.T” and “Alien” among many others—then I can’t recommend this series enough.
“American Horror Story: Hotel”—All seasons of AHS reference certain tropes of horror and the films and literature that use them, but “Hotel” is probably the most obvious. For one thing, the hotel itself is very clearly a reference to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” particularly the nearly identical carpeting. The Vampire children evoke both the eerie twins in the Overlook Hotel, but also the children of “Village of the Damned.” A more recent film referenced would be “Se7en,” with the Commandments Killer having a similar moral streak to the film’s serial killer who focuses on the seven deadly sins. Other seasons of the acclaimed anthology series include nods to Kubrick’s “The Clockwork Orange” in season 2 and “Rosemary’s Baby” in season 1.
Movies:
“It Follows”—This was one of 2015’s best indie horror films, and while aspects of it are problematic—the sexual message is fairly puritanical—it stuns with fantastic aesthetics and a unique plot. It follows (no pun intended) a young woman who was given a supernatural STD by a boyfriend—one that takes the form of any person and walks towards the victim of the moment at a steady gait. Only the victim can see it, and if it catches the victim…well, let’s just say that the prologue ends with a girl dead with her leg literally broken at 90°pointing the wrong way. The film utilizes an 80s aesthetic and retro synth music to give the story a retro vibe, along with its lack of special effects. It is completely unnerving because any person walking towards the camera in the distance could be the monster. It’s dreamlike and strange—a nightmare with no way out.
“Insidious”—Only the first film in the series really qualifies as a throwback, as the others don’t contain the same clever references. The story follows a young boy who falls into a strange sleep and wakes up…not himself. His parents find that he is possessed, that his soul wandered from his body when he dreamed, and a demon took over, holding the boy’s spirit captive. His father must venture into the spirit world to save him, where he encounters some disturbing spirits. The music and black-and-white scenes all give a vintage horror feel to the movie. Throwbacks include a scene straight out of “The Changeling,” and the concept is similar to “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
“The House of the Devil”—Like “Stranger Things,” this entry could actually be mistaken for an 80s film. It takes place in the 80s and is filmed to look authentic to the era. The plot follows a desperate college student who takes a babysitting gig for cash. It’s the night of a lunar eclipse, and she isn’t watching a child, but an old woman. The house is creepy from the start, and as the main character explores, she realizes that her employers aren’t who they claim to be, and that they intend to use her for their own horrific ends. This movie is a throwback not so much because of the references it makes, but because it tries and succeeds in making the audience believe it’s actually a vintage film. It capitalizes on the drama of the Satanic Panic to create its clever plot, and leaves the viewer with a classic, but modern horror film.
