The disappointing state of modern horror movies: Why they’re just not scary anymore

Horror movies have been around for, like, forever, and they used to scare the pants off of people. But lately, it seems like they just don’t have the same oomph, you know? So in this blog post, we’re gonna dig into why old-school horror flicks still give us the heebie-jeebies more than modern ones.

Why the horror genre is just not scary anymore

• Many of today’s horror movies fall into the categories of slashers and teen screams. However, I believe that these genres should not be included in the horror genre due to their reliance on predictable tropes such as masked villains stabbing innocent characters. Films like Scream, Fear Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Saw, The Babysitter, Us, etc. focus on psychopathic characters committing acts of violence rather than instilling genuine fear in audiences. Therefore, I do not consider them to be true horror films.
• Most contemporary horror movies no longer focus on the terrifying presence of evil spirits or possessions. What I find most captivating in horror films are the eerie and malevolent entities, demons, and possessions; that is what truly defines horror for me because it is genuinely terrifying to witness. Some witchcraft-themed films also evoke a sense of dread, particularly those with intricate backstories like Evil Dead, Evil Eye, Deliver us from Evil, etc. The incredibly chilling horror movies that resonate with me include Insidious, The Conjuring, The Pope’s Exorcist, Sister Death, The Nun, Grace: The Possession, etc. These films feature intense jump scares that can leave you frightened to sleep at night – this is precisely how horror movies should impact people.
• Movies such as Carrie, Veronica, Ouija, Taorout, Choose or Die, Truth or Dare, etc. can be categorized within the teen scream + the horror genre.
• Movies featuring sharks, alligators, or bizarre aliens preying on humans should not be classified as horror. I fail to understand the rationale behind labeling them as such. Examples include Crawl, Jaw, Under Paris, Uncaged, 47 Meters Down, No Way Up, Life, etc.
• Movies such as A Quiet Place, Bird Box, The Silence, etc. should not necessarily be categorized as horror; they could belong to a different genre.

Modern horror movies are scary, but not as terrifying as they used to be. Also, some movies that shouldn’t be classified as horror are being labeled as such.