It's been two days since the big night, and what better way for me to kick-start my blog then with a rant concerning the Oscar's EXTREMELY humble (for lack of better words) tribute to the horror genre.
First off, let me say how awesome it was to finally see the Academy give credit where it is due. While Paranormal Activity may have stunk something awful, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin's spoof alone was well worth my 86 minutes and $12.50. Sadly, this is where entertainment ends, and the real horror begins.
Although I'm glad the Academy took the time to acknowledge the genre, it comes to fans as a slap in the face. If the genre is really that important to the industry, and really has produced some of the most critically acclaimed movies in the history of film, then why not properly acknowledge the genre with the awards and nominations it deserves? Rationality doesn't seem to be one of the Academy's stronger traits, I guess. But it has gotten to the point where something's gotta give.
Looking back on the last 50 years of the Academy, only four horrors have been nominated for the coveted "Best Picture Award" - those being The Sixth Sense (1999), Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Exorcist (1973), and Rosemary's Baby (1968). Even then, both The Sixth Sense and Silence of the Lambs arguably fall into the wider genres of crime/thriller. The point being, numerous horror films in the past have been walked over and ignored, simply because the genre does not garner any respect.
This comes to most as a no-brainer. I mean, movies like Prom Night (both 1980 and 2008) and the Sleepaway Camp series aren't exactly made to give Citizen Kane a run for its money, but that doesn't mean the whole genre is dead and gone. Tons of amazing horrors have been made throughout the years. The problem is the Academy, along with a large proportion of the population, couldn't bother to sift through the trash to find a diamond in the rough.
And that is exactly the problem I had with this half-hearted tribute. While it was great to see classic figures like Freddy, Michael Myers, Pinhead, and Jason all on the same screen without it being a horribly produced crossover movie (a la Freddy Vs. Jason), the inclusion of sub-par horror movies far overshadowed that of certified classics. Leprechaun...really? The only reason that excuse of a series was included was to remind the audience what Jennifer Aniston looked like in her baby-fat days. While abominations such as Leprechaun, Dark Water and (excuse me while I puke) Twilight passed the test to make an appearance in the montage, it failed to acknowledge genius works of the past, as well as the genre's best recent offerings.
But if you haven't already seen it, take the time and giver' a stab. It is roughly five minutes (well wasted), and probably one of the only times you will get to see Neve Campbell and the Oscars up on the same screen.
