Different horror films and why they have been so successful

FEAR BE MY FRIEND (An article)

There are several reason why horror films have become so successful. Blair Witch Project is a perfect example of a horror film which has become successful. I have picked out different sections of the article, which explains why these horror films are so triumphant.

This is an article taken from the Guardian weekend on October 23 1999. The article is about the directors of the successful Blair Witch Project released in 1999 and how the film became such a success. Also the article includes different types of horror film and their success. The budget of the film was only a mere $30,000 and took $140 million in the states and Canada. Nobody saw this coming especially the directors Dan Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. They laughed saying ‘the only thing scary about Blair Witch is that anyone would be prepared to pay $1 million for it’, obviously in shock in the amount of money their film generated. They stated that ‘it’s a great story -an old Hollywood favourite- the little man who takes on the big boys and wins’. Their success may make young film-makers being taken more seriously . They argue ‘It might inspire young kids to make films’. Wes craven (producer of the scream trilogy) whose story is similar to the black witch directors stated that ‘everything you do in horror film has to relate to a audience with a average age of 15-25. This particular age group is identical to my film where the established target audience are adolescent. Myrick and Sanchez argue ‘if we could scare adults, really scare them then that might work. This particular quote was helpful when I made my teaser trailer, as it told me that most importantly the timing of the ‘scary’ shots must be on par to get the audiences out of their seats. It’s no good trying to make all your shots scary as it will become repetitive and dull. A quote in this article said that the beauty of horror was the fear of being invaded. I believe this is true because if I villain enters your home, the place you feel the most safe and private place, then this would tell viewers that not matter where you are, you are NEVER safe. This I feel creates the terror amongst audiences to watch horror films, the fear and vulnerability that all victims in horror films possess.