Just in time for Father's Day, the Horror Dads - myself, Dennis Cozzalio, Paul Gaita, Greg Ferrara, Nicholas McCarthy, and head HoDad Richard Harland Smith - have reconvened to take on all manner of puerile patriarch as we discuss the many Bad Dads of horror cinema.
So here we are, about halfway through June and while the official start of summer on the calendar isn't until the 20th, for movie fans summer began as soon as The Avengers hit theaters back in May. For me, that could've been the whole summer slate right there and I would've been perfectly satisfied. Everything else afterwards is just gravy.
That said, for a summer that - like most summers - didn't seem up front to be too heavy on horror, there's been a fair amount of fear flicks to sample. I just haven't bothered to review any of them as I find myself pretty disenchanted with reviewing new films these days.
There are just so many voices out there giving their opinions - from paid critics to bloggers to talkbackers - and while there's still fine writing to be found here and there, I find myself wondering "what's the point?"
You know, what can I possibly say about Prometheus that hasn't already been said (and been said perfectly well) a hundred times over? It looks beautiful, has some jaw-dropping moments but the script could've been better. If I revisit it down the line I might see it in a new light and have something to say that might be a little more interesting but for now...no.
The same with Dark Shadows, a movie that was better than I'd expected but yet still was kind of a wash-out in the end. But yet, I have a hunch that movie will have a longevity to it. Most genre movies do, regardless of whatever initial reception they recieved. In his introduction to his book Cult Movies, author Danny Peary noted that "almost every science fiction and horror film has at least a minor cult" and while that might be slightly less true now that there's such a flood of product (thanks to the the technology needed to make movies becoming more affordable and accessible), much of it risible, it's still mostly true.
And that, maybe more than anything, is what makes me reluctant to keep up with reviewing the latest releases. Films aren't judged in the moment but over time. Sometimes it takes years for a film to reveal its true worth.
Even the bad ones tend to be rediscovered and embraced by a few devoted fans. So basically I'm just not so interested in judging films in the moment anymore. I'm happier shining a light on forgotten or little-known older films in my Retro Shock Theater column over at Shock Till You Drop (click here for my thoughts on Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor). As for the new stuff, I'm keeping up with all of it like I normally would but just keeping my opinions (mostly) to myself.
For the record, though, I'd like to say that Chernobyl Diaries wasn't so bad. Even though they did miss a golden opportunity to put this song on the soundtrack:
