Are Horror movies losing their touch?

Does anyone else feel as if they are being desensitised too much today to the point where Horror movies are no longer as scary or graphic as they used to be?

Im gonna use the example from Saw 3 (the only 'horror' movie I've seen in a while) of Jigsaw's operation, now 5 years ago that probably would have shocked me, but after watching it I felt like 'Ha thats cool, but nothing I havent seen on a medical show before' (besides the obvious use of crude tools). And a few other horror movies have been laughable, rather than scary....Freddy vs Jason, the newer Child's Play movies, Jeeper's Creepers, The Grudge etc..besides the movies being total crap, theres no real shock value of what they are doing anymore. Even some of the better ones out havent been that scary. I mean, what the hell? Horror movies are supposed to be scary and intense, not 'lets chuck red paint everywhere to make it look cool'.

I don't really know the answer Mist, I think horror movie makers are still trying to give out scares but I've seen a ton of horror movies so honestly I don't get scared easily.

But also I think the audiences have been subjected to enough gruesome, shocking moments that we have gotten used to it. Maybe the shock moments have to be turned up a bit, maybe we as an audience are used to seeing graphic and shocking images that we don't get that creepy feeling when we see it now.

A lot of it is just jump scares brought on by a buildup of music and someone or something popping up around a corner.

i think growing up has a lot to do with horror movies having a lesser impact...rather than the films themselves being less powerful

not to mention the fact that a horror movie isn't anywhere near as shocking as seeing someone getting their head cut off for real on the internet...thus other media type can deliver a far more shocking experience than films do

I don't think it's the horror movies losing their touch, rather it's the viewing public who have been so desensitized that modern horror has little to no impact anymore. In the 70's, when Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Exorcist were released, people were throwing up in the aisles, fainting, running out screaming, and even holding prayer circles outside of the theaters. Now, in the 21st Century, America, and the world over, have pretty much seen as much violence by the age of 12 as the last generation had seen their whole lives. Horror movies today, or at least the vast majority of them, rely on cheap "jump scares", the same tired cliches, and the inevitable sequel/remake. I think, and I don't think I'm the only one who would agree, that horror movies are going to have to take that next step and go to the next level of shock and horrify. I thought that The Hills have Eyes remake did a very good job as far as going to a new style of keeping the audience on the edge of their seats, wondering in fear if the baby was going to be eaten, and the explicit levels and displays of violence. Horror films are going to have to start targeting more delicate subject matter, like rapes, harming/killing children/babies, focusing on personal agony, and more explicit deaths like the man in the outhouse in THHE when he eats a shotgun shell. We, as humans, have seen too much real life horror to be scared anymore by onscreen horror movies. Am I wrong?

the population has become desensitized. torturing someone to death isnt considered shocking anymore.

As long as we've still got movies like The Descent and Slither coming out, things shall be fine.

Horror just is not the same these days.Not many films have the atmophere needed to make them scary.

Originally posted by Solo
As long as we've still got movies like The Descent and Slither coming out, things shall be fine.

Slither was more of a campy horror, really.

To be truly scared by a horror movie, there has to be a sense of realism to it, like this could actually happen. A guy could actually drug people and lock them up in a bathroom and play sick twisted game with them and their family. A person could literally do that if they wanted to. To me personally none of the old horror movies are scary... One that scared me was the first Nightmare, but the effects were not enough to keep it believable long enough. Also the cliched things aren't scary anymore, the Jason killer isn't scary anymore, Michael Myers isn't scary to anyone over the age of 12. They need to make some more IT movies where there's this killer clown, people are already afraid of clowns so go ahead and make him a killer ... I haven't seen a horror movie since I was like 13 that really scared me and I think that is what horror movies should do. Now it just seems to be well let's make it more gory or more blood or more ghosts (The Grugde, The Ring)... America cannot remake Japanese horror movies. Japanese original uncut horror films will scare the sh*t out of you if you're not ready. But yeah I admit I'm very desensitized to any violence on a movie or TV unless it is done very, very well and looks real. The next step of horror movies will really have to get in your head and screw around with your mind, like thrillers or conspiracy type movies, but take to a new level... Horror movies aren't "horrid" or "scary" anymore, which I think they should be.

most of the horror movies now adays are based on asian horror films... but still the touch of the horror films are still the same...

Originally posted by fionalin7
most of the horror movies now adays are based on asian horror films... but still the touch of the horror films are still the same...

There are only a minimal amount of J-Horror remakes in America, the two most prominient being The Ring and The Grudge.

Horror movies aren't "horrid" or "scary" anymore, which I think they should be.

Originally posted by Deano
the population has become desensitized. torturing someone to death isnt considered shocking anymore.

I blame the 24 hour news networks

Originally posted by deathbycorn
Watch a movie called Murder Set Peices then...

Where can I get it? Got a brief summary of it?

Horror films suck these days. Its all remakes that suck or its sequel after sequel. It's hard to come up with a totally new idea though.

Horror movies now adays are just remakes but there pretty good there just not like the ones made in the 80s and stuff.

like most of them are torture and pain and mind games, not like a killer with weapon killing people, although i love thows ones lol

you cant expect consistently good horror movies to come out. its never gonna happen, and we shoudnt expect it too.

I think even though the 80's and late 70's were the peak of horror, we still have gotten alot of gems and potential classics hit our screens in the 90's and 2000's.....with people like Rob Zombie and Alexendre Aja (genius!!!) around, it's looking good for the future too

rob zombie and aja are good directors who hopefully will bring us more good horror flicks. Aja's haute tensions was great imo.