I mean.. I care! It is exciting, albeit totally possibly likely not true. Don’t pout… I will tell you why…..
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Well what might we have here? A new rumour? A new chance for horror to break back through to legitimate, serious artform? Should we remain calm and thoughtful, sitting on the fence, waiting for studio confirmation? Should we be dignified, refraining from allowing the gossip mill to poison us with fabrications and lies? Yes. And…. No.. not in this case. Whether this rumour is true or not, it deserves just as much discussion either way. It is indicative of where horror is, and just what sort of rumours will get tossed around in regards to horror. Think of something like this existing 10 years ago. When there are big rumours for big directors, it is about being attached to a hugely secret project, or a very important remake. There are many places for rumours, but non horror talent being rumoured to direct horror is surely something to hubbubb about. So.. what’s the hubbubb?
It is rumoured, through “Bloody Disgusting” (http://www.bloody-disgusting
True or not…. and we will have to wait to see… HELL YES.
This isn’t even a rumour that would have existed 5 years ago. Horror is having a rennaissance, and without critically expelling all our recent remakes into the gallows of flash in the pan, forgettable horror…. we need to realize that the green light is on, and all films are a go. It hasn’t been since the late 60’s and early 70’s that horror has enjoyed a meaningful presence in the “art” of cinema, and it is now at a period where horror can represent the ultimate extremes of cinema… artistic profundity in the form of social and political commentary, to low budget schlock representing young, broke director’s dreams.
The idea of a genius making a horror film is always palatable. The depth of cinema as a tool of art has been best conceived through horror by some of our greatest directors… Murnau’s Nosferatu, Hitchcock with Psycho or the Birds, Kubrick with The Shining or even the most dire moments of 2001, even Cronenberg with Shivers or the stylized fear in Dead Ringers. All these director’s aside, there are even more that have advanced horror as a genre more than anyone; Peter Jackson comes to mind.
It is unknown if someone like Paul Thomas Anderson could be on this train. It would be surprising, as he hasn’t shown a proclivity for horror or the psychology behind the motivation in horror. But if the right project bites him, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him find horror a real infection artistically.
It is exciting to see horror go from silent art, a b-movie joke, to cult, to mainstream, to geekboy remake and exploitation heaven… possibly back to modern art, commenting on everything from social fears to political oppression, and more. Horror is always rife with meaty depth, and it would be an honour for a talent like PTA to explore that.
Horror is without a doubt the finest medium for social commentary in film. It is neat that the industry and the artists are starting, finally, to get it.