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THIS HALLOWEEN BRINGS all manner of scary treats for viewers looking for something to provide the occasional nightmare. Paranormal Activity 4, the latest of the Paranormal Activity films franchise was released on October 17 . But after looking at the ad for the film – which features cinemagoers petrified, screaming in their seats – the question has to be asked: Why do audiences flock to horror movies in droves and what do they say about us?
In Stephen King’s fascinating study of the genre, Danse Macabre, he suggests that there’s something therapeutic about these big-screen terrors. They hit on “pressure points… terminals of fear… so deeply buried and yet so vital that we may tap them like artesian wells — saying one thing out loud while we express something else in a whisper”.
Historically, the evidence supports his observation. Horror movies tend to perform better in a recession. Often movie-makers who have made productions on a budget have had the most success. Studios like these films because they can be produced on relatively tiny budgets when compared to other movie franchises. The budget for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D is estimated at $8 million. Saw 3D cost $17million. That’s pocket change when compared to the cost of Skyfall or The Dark Knight Rises, so the studios can afford to take a gamble on these films that can still turn a profit, even if they don’t perform spectacularly.
However, many of these films do, raking in massive amounts of money – often in the face of the harshest possible critical reviews. The Exorcist is a high-profile example. A film now widely regarded as a modern classic, The Exorcist was once attacked by the New York Times as setting “a new low for grotesque special effects”, calling to mind many of the criticisms leveled at modern “shock and gore” horror films. Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead was infamously banned in Ireland, one of the so-called “video nasties.” Perhaps there is a reluctance to acknowledge the craft of making a horror movie, and perhaps the Saw, Paranormal Activity and Human Centipede films are the horror classics of tomorrow.
Economic horror or horror that reflects the mood of a nation is indeed a factor also. Indeed, the most iconic of the Universal monster movies were all produced during the Great Depression, with films including Dracula, Frankenstein and King Kong emerging as things were getting bad. The next generation of horror came about during the 1970s, with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre arriving in 1974 – smack bang in the middle of the 1973-75 recession.
Authors like King and John Kenneth Muir point to 1970s films like The Amityville Horror as being anchored in a sense of economic horror, reflecting the concern and fear felt by many families at the time. “In terms of the times – 18 percent inflation, mortgage rates out of sight, gasoline selling at a cool dollar forty a gallon – The Amityville Horror, like The Exorcist, could not have come at a more opportune moment,” King argues.
While most families worried about paying the mortgage, haunted houses make that fear more literal, more visceral. That massive investment might (literally) be the death of you. It isn’t too surprising then, in this type of horror has seen its stock rise in this era of mortgage crisis and bank debt.
This year saw the release of House at the End of the Street and Silent House. As the titles imply, both films centre on horror within a family home, and are firmly anchored on the property. Indeed, both were filmed in 2010, but only released this year; perhaps suggesting the public at large was “ready” for that type of horror. Indeed, audiences can look forward to two separate Amityville reboots in the hazily-defined future, with Amityville: The Legacy 3D and Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes originally scheduled for 2012 releases, but currently without a defined release date.
In his fascinating essay, Popular Culture and the Stock Market, Bob Prechter suggested that the horrors of the day were reflected on the big screen. He said:
In the 1930s, Dracula was a fitting allegory for the perceived fear of the day, that the aristocrat was sucking the blood of the common people. In the 1970s, horror was perpetrated by a group eating people alive, not an individual monster. An army of dead-but-moving flesh-eating zombies devouring every living person in sight was a fitting allegory for the new horror of the day – voracious government and the welfare state – and the pressures that most people felt as a result. The nature of late 1970s warfare ultimately reflected the mass-devouring visions, with the destruction of internal populations in Cambodia and China.
You could argue that the rise of the “slasher” film reflected fear of anonymous urban violence. If this is the case, what does our recent spate of horror films say about our culture? Does the surge in “found footage” horror (Paranormal Activity, Quarantine, Grave Encounters) suggest a fear of a surveillance culture, the notion that we are constantly being documented, observed, recorded? Does the increase in religious-themed horror (The Devil Inside, The Last Exorcism) suggest a modern insecurity about faith in an increasingly secularised culture?
We may protest a culture of remakes and sequels in horror cinema, but this has always been the case. Universal drove their horror brands into the ground by teaming them up with Abbot and Costello. Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween both ran through enough sequels to make Paranormal Activity 4 seem a modest accomplishment.
Occasionally, the results somewhat justified it, with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare serving as an underrated forerunner to his celebrated Scream. Most of the time, these sequels wind up in bargain-basement DVD baskets – if they don’t start there. One thing is for sure though. Given the economic forecast, these films are unlikely to be going anywhere.
Darren Mooney has a movie blog, them0vieblog.com . You can get in touch with Darren here.
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I hope who ever leaked her details is found and prosecuted/ sacked for gross misconduct
@Louise Tracey: Completely agree. Total breach of patient confidentiality
@Louise Tracey: not a chance !! ireland doesn’t do disciplinary action -especially if its against someone in the public service and at management level !!.
@Louise Tracey: The far right anti choice seek to leak and intimidate people from seeking abortion.
If you dont want more of this dont vote Renua, The National Party, Irexit or Indentity Ireland.
@Louise Tracey: Absolutely, IF its true…not convinced this isnt some attention seeking spin. I await traceability outcomes…
@Louise Tracey: we don’t even know if this actually even happened yet. Society is turning into a baying mob just waiting for something they can pounce on without any evidence and facts.
If the report is true its absolutely disgusting and should be dealt with by the appropriate authorities but the instantaneous mob getting their ‘evidence’ from an anonymous post on a fb group and an anonymous tweet is bloody ridiculous.
@Margate: wtf are traceability outcomes? If you were a fair minded person you wouldn’t be casting aspersions on one stranger against another.
@Louise Tracey: There is a civil case to be had there, hope she goes all out on them when found…
@Margate: And what attention would this lady be seeking exactly?
@Mark Malone: could count their combined votes on my left hand and have at least one digit free to pass on my opinion of all 4
@Louise Tracey: no public servents ever gets sacked
That’s a SERIOUS data breach. That girl should take the HSE to the cleaners, that might clean up their act.
The number in question also links to the fake pregnancy advice service that in a previous incarnation was telling women in crisis pregnancies that abortions cause breast cancer.
I won’t name the induvidual responsible on here, but sure enough he campaigned for election previously with a picture of the Virgin Mary on his pamphlets.
Also masquerades as the ‘British Pregnancy Services’, despite being based in Phibsborough. One reviewer on google states ‘Please don’t go here, it’s not trying to help you, only lies, shame and deceit. Anti-choice.’
@The Risen: sue the state good lad.
@The Risen: I would have no problem naming Eamonn Murphy. He was quite happy to tell the New York Times what he was up to. No need for secrecy here. We’ve had enough of that.
@The Risen: you are making the assumption that it was a data breach. The person calling may have been given the details by someone known to the woman.
@Darren Byrne: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor
Find and prosecute to the full extent of the law
this wasn’t leaked it was deliberately given to sick people who will not and cannot accept the democratic will of the people.
the HSE is well past its sell by date..
Whether you’re pro-choice or pro-life there is no reason but to be outraged by this. There is no excuse for leaking patient details, it’s absolutely disgusting and highly illegal. What the journal failed to include was the text/the address she was told to go to. 9 Berkley Street, Dublin 1. Right beside a legitimate pro-choice pregnancy support service.
PEEJ: They should have requested a statement from the organisation.
@LYNDALAND: the legitimate one that had nothing to do with this story?
@Dave O’Keeffe: so the legitimate one is called reproductive choices, they have a green frontage and they assist pregnant people with accessing services either here in Ireland or prior to the law being changed they offered information about seeking services abroad. The organisation next door with blue frontage are the bogus myoptions people, there are videos on YouTube showing this. Also the directions in the text message gave directions to the bogus organisation.
@LYNDALAND: highly doubt they would have responded seeing as how one of their representatives talked in a really aggressive way to the post-op woman when she called them back and challenged their legitimacy.
@Dave O’Keeffe: no the fake counselling service at 9 Berkley Street masquerading as the HSE my options helpline.
@LYNDALAND: I just assumed the organisation that refused to comment was the one at 9 Berkley St
Anonymous messages lifted off Facebook are being raised on the floor of our national parliament? If what’s in the message is true then surely gardai should be informed and an investigation conducted. Info from that investigation could very well be appropriate to be raised on our parliament floor, but this approach seems bizarre. I’m a little tempted to set up a few Facebook accounts and see how much trouble I can cause based on this.
@Winston Smith: apparently Gardai were informed before the lady sent the message in anonymously and they said there was nothing they could do. With how these people react, I wouldn’t be attaching my name to this either. Fairplay to the girl for bringing peoples attention to this and hope whoever leaked her information is found and held accountable, terrible!
@Winston Smith: making a fake account on Facebook? Na I don’t think it’ll catch on…
@Winston Smith: if it was not shared on social media nobody would know about it and this criminal act of data breach, stalking, harassment and verbal abuse ( which could have led to more serious physical endangerment as they were trying to get her to attend a fake clinic ) , could continue unfettered… until and IF the gardai and courts managed to put all those involved in prison.
@Winston Smith:
What in God’s name would ‘tempt [you] to set up a few [fake] facebook accounts to see how much trouble I can cause based on this ‘?
…Based on a vulnerable woman posting a warning to others, after being told by our police force that reporting the crime was not going to stop them from continuing?
Get a grip, man.
I’m in that group and seen that message last night. It was posted anon as she didn’t want to post her warning as herself which is her decision. The guy in question was live multiple times last night on facebook spouting rubbish. I have screenshots of this guy. Absolutely disgusting
Anti choice p®!©k$
Scaring women into not having a legal safe abortion at home. Good job lads.
How is this even possible?
And I thought the pro life campaign were out of line with there conduct during the referendum, good lord
@Awkward Jake: They definitely showed themselves up to be the parasites I thought they were.. but they are sinking to new lows by the day.
@Awkward Jake: in fairness this particular piece of work is not connected to the PLC. He’s linked to Gianna Care who are linked to Youth Defence. Not taking away from the complete lies the PLC told during the referendum of course.
One hopes they also take a closer look into the myoptions group as well.
This is unforgivable. Criminal.
This undermines the entire health system in ireland.
Whatever about Facebook etc this is x10000 as regards beach of privacy
There’s only one way to describe this man. Sick, twisted, evil and clearly needs some sort of help if he thinks it’s ok to mis-lead people and abuse them for their choice. Surely that’s not the way of the Lord he clearly bows down to.
@Tres Bien: reminds me of a line from True Detective: ‘If the only thing keeping a person decent is the expectation of divine reward then, brother, that person is a piece of sh!t.’
Why was he ringing her after she had the termination? This doesn’t make much sense.
@Jane: To abuse her. Pure and simple. These kind of pro-lifers are vile and intelligence usually isn’t their strongest suit.
@Jane: it does not make much sense to normal people. Many not all in pro life are more interested in passing judgement than offering practical support which could reduce abortions.
@Joseph Murphy: he didn’t abuse her on the first call, he set up an appointment for her. Considering she was after having the termination, and he must have known that from the leaked info he got, it’s a little sinister that he was trying to get her to a particular place at a particular time.
What were they going to do to her if she had of went to that address for the “scan”? Unbelievably scary to think her details were leaked!
Distraction distraction distraction
@William Bryan: from what exactly ?
@Colin Ahern: Something something babies something something murder mumble grumble
@Colin Ahern: I think shouting distraction is the distraction? *Shrug*
Incredibly strange , I find it hard to believe HSE staff leaked sensitive information, They deal with everything from People with AIDS to alls kinds of personal tragedy. could it not be the person’s own internet searches?
@Picture This: I doubt that girl posted her name, phone number and that she was having an abortion online somehow or another. It had to have come from the inside.
@Picture This: Do you really? It was religious staff who leaked info in Drogheda to the local PP. There are religious zealots everywhere – even in hospitals.
Standard HSE practice, they’re also fond of just “losing” or “misplacing” data.
Nepotism has the HSE in the mess it finds itself in, especially at senior management level, money going to the wrong sources within the sector. (The real workers in the place are on strike)
I’ve heard countless stories of woefully under qualified management running wards, depts etc. look up the report for the Beaumont Hospital Carpark Project as a prime example of people out of their depth running the show, millions lost. Accountability is a non practice until the shît doesn’t just hit the fan but destroys the thing.
@David Linehan: and remember that procurement officer in Vincents charging for oncology medicines that had been donated by the pharma companies?
Prof. Crowne was effectively blacklisted when he blew the whistle on that.
The person involved should contact the Gardai and the Data Protection Commissioner. This is criminal conduct and should not be left to the amateurs at the HSE no matter how well intentioned.
So Data Protection couldn’t get through to him? Hilarious. I was only talking to the POS last night. Its Éamonn Murphy. Of Divine Will and sundry other twisted anti-choice, anti woman endeavours. Slimy piece of work, trying to lure a vulnerable young woman, post-op, into a dodgy ‘clinic’. She had the smarts to know he was up to no good, though.
Not surprised the anti choicers are resorting to evil tactics like this :/
Absolutely disgusting carry on!
What a F****** rotten human being. Abortions are extremely hard to mentally and emotionally comprehend, why would you go and instigate more mental torture making the girl feel even worse ?
I understand why people didn’t want to repeal, I get it. You don’t have to agree with the new legislation but how dare you go and abuse somebody in an extremely volatile situation. The person who called her is a pig of the highest order.
Disgraceful behaviour..
It’s not just the leaking of data although that is a sackable offense. Under GDPR someone who uses personal data for a different purpose than it was collected for can also be in deep trouble. Patrick Jameson/Eamonn Murphy – whatever name he’s using today is a nasty piece of work. Have a listen to Joe Duffy eat him alive on Liveline last year.
Youth Defence & it’s front group “Family & Life “, are behind some of this groups which spread lies like women get cancer from abortion. These people who set up fake collusening agencies, have been fully exposed in by journalists The Times Ireland edition
Fake news coming from a fake government looking to kill babies from fake mothers.
@Éamonn ÓGallchobhair: Cop on FFS
@Éamonn ÓGallchobhair: moron
@Rob Cahill: Show some evidence or grow up.
@Éamonn ÓGallchobhair: a POS like you looking for evidence, after the unmitigated excrement of your other posts. Gas, altogether.
@Martin Meyler: put up or shut up
@Éamonn ÓGallchobhair: are you just randomly pushing buttons on your V-TECH, there, Éamonn?
@Éamonn ÓGallchobhair: and braindead immature comment of the day goes to…
If this was my daughter I wouldn’t hesitate to find out who did this. Find them and outsource some justice. Its not something I would ever do but its the only language people like this understand.
This is more dirty work by Ireland’s Taliban
fundamentalists at work
I suggest that they stick to prayers and sermonizing
instead of demonizing a women in a fragile distressed state
Does this quote from the Bible,ring a bell
“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
yeah…. just stick to your prayers
@Johnny Merren: Preach!
Could also be someone she knows personally???
@Simon Carroll: the phone number is linked to the organisation.
In all fairness, that kind of immature carry on needs to be dealt with, regardless of your view on abortion that is disgraceful and should not be tolerated , act your f@#$%ng age you muppets.
Hello! This is your conscience calling…..
Hashtag things that never happened
A data breach in the HSE happens as easily as a bag of confidential patient files dumped on the side of the road (take your pick from the many recent examples). This type of data breach often results in no reported disciplinary action and it might not even be possible to track the person responsible depending on how organised / disorganised the hospital/HSE is. The rogue group could simply have picked their way through the discarded files.
@Peter Heylin: they don’t dump files that quickly and the procedure only happened recently. More likely another pro life porter masquerading as a theatre surgeon again.
This is an absolute and utter disgrace. Whatever your thoughts on the morality of abortion it is now a legal right as voted by the majority of Irish people and is protected by law. This is an inexcusable breach of data protection and needs to be treated as such. Forget for a moment that it is the hot topic of abortion and that it is, instead, a leak of confidential medical information. Whoever is responsible should be subject to the same repercussions as are meant to be exacted. But this is Ireland, what are the chances of that happening.
How do we know this is not fake news, there is a vagueness about it.
These babies will be getting potassium chloride injections, like in death row and by Hitler. You wouldnt do it to an animal but to a baby, with a beating heart, sucking it’s thumb, would you inject this fatal poison, would you???
@Amoris Veri ‘: actually that’s how they put animals to sleep!
Absolutely disgraceful!!!!
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