Hatchet? Golden Age of Horror? Are you serious?

There was this enormous resurgence in the popularity of horror films in the past few years, but it has since quelled. Credit SAW and the TCM remake for stimulating this spike in horror interest. It seems to happen every few years as horror sort of redefines/resurrects itself in a once popular form. Remember the self-reflexive teeny-bopper flicks of the late nineties, of which only Scream and Scream 2 seem to have aged well? I, personally, consider SCREAM to be a fantastic film - probably the best, most intelligent wink-wink, nod-nod horror film that I can remember. Also, I LOVE the opening sequence and still find it scary to this day. Had the film been able to maintain that sense of dread throughout, it might have really made history, instead of just mocking it. I also think that the flick has one of most well-maintained whodunits in a long time. It gives you so many possible suspects and presents a decent case for all of them. I thought that throughout the series, it did a nice job of suggesting that any of the series mainstays (David Arquette, Courtney Cox) could have been a killer throughout.

As always, I digress. Sorry if you've stopped reading already. I'm getting to it all.

I've heard a lot of talk about HATCHET. I've heard that its the hotness, plain and simple. Harry Knowles wrote a really cool review from the theatre, as he observed the audience, which I think is the best gauge of a film's success. Apparently, the audience absolutely ATE this film up. Then, in the hype, everyone started calling it a "throwback" and a "return to old-school horror." I can appreciate that. I also appreciate the eye-popping gore that everyone is talking about, and the flick's sense of humor, and its knowledge of the genre. I really haven't heard a bad thing yet.

Here's my dilemma, though:

I haven't seen the movie, but I intend to this weekend in NYC. I HATE that everyone is calling this old-school horror. HATE IT. It makes me resent the movie. Golden Age? Fuck that! There was a time in the early eighties when slasher films were churned out like nobody's business. FRIDAY THE 13TH sort of cornered the market. It sucked. Sorry, lovers of Jason and Mrs. Voorhees, but the movies sucked. They were not scary, just over-the-top bloody. Now, I can be a gorehound, though I think Saw III took it to new heights, but those movies in the early eighties generally sucked. THE BURNING? That sucked. THE PROWLER? Sucked. FRIDAY sequels - sucked too. Besides, HALLOWEEN started all of this in '78, and it wasn't gory, just fucking scary as hell. If you really want to get literal, BLACK CHRISTMAS came years before Halloween and was a pretty decent example of the genre it basically created. I also liked TERROR TRAIN and found it to be pretty creepy too. There's A Nightmare on Elm Street, but that's not really the same thing, is it? Although, it regressed to become it.

That's old-school horror. Taking nothing but atmoshpere and film technique and churning out a really visceral experience. SAW? That flick had the worst acting since TROLL 2. It piled on twists and turns in an effort to appear witty, but it was just stupid. Danny Glover did not come out well at all. I swear that people must realize how bad that movie really was. TCM remake? That was a bad movie that had nothing but a gonzo R. Lee Earney playing himself...again. It was brutal and that's about all I can say, aside from jessica Biel's jeans and tanktop.

I just don't see how 80's slasher flicks are the "Old-School" horror? I really don't. If those are the standard that every horror film released is judged by, then every new horror flick will be considered amazing. Seriously. I hear this "golden age" shit all of the time.

So, I will try to go to Hatchet with an open mind, though it does resemble Venom by trailer. And I will update on my reaction.