Editorials
We Need More Killer Shark Movies
If you’ve been paying attention to horror news this week, you may know that Universal announce the Blu-Ray releases of all three Jaws sequels (Jaws 2 fans unite!). Columbia Pictures also released a terrifying new still from the new Blake Lively thriller The Shallows. If you’re a regular reader of my posts, you may know that I’m a huge fan of aquatic horror (it’s my favorite sub-genre after slashers), so I’m particularly excited about all of this news. It may be is too early to declare this a renaissance for the killer shark film, but it does make me hopeful that if the Jaws sequels sell well and The Shallows can turn into the sleeper hit of the summer (it won’t be a blockbuster, but Columbia must have a lot of confidence in it to be giving it a theatrical release it in the heart of summer), then we may see more killer shark movies getting released in the future.
Once in a while, a really good killer shark movie will come along. After Jaws was released in 1975, it was followed by a slew of copycats with films like Piranha and Orca. The 80s saw a lack of shark films after Jaws fatigue set in with Jaws 3-D and Jaws: The Revenge (slashers became the name of the game with mainstream horror releases at that time). Sharks made a return in the 90s with films like Deep Blue Sea and (sort of) the Shark Attack films. In the 2000s we saw Open Water make sharks terrifying again before SyFy came around in the 2010s with films like Sharknado, Sharktopus and Jersey Shore Shark Attack, making jokes of the animals.
With a serious shark film getting released in the summer and Universal finally (finally) releasing the Jaws sequels on Blu-Ray (Jaws 2 is amazing. I don’t care what anyone says), it seems like the perfect time for the ocean’s deadliest predator to make a return to mainstream horror and be scary again. Let’s face it, sharks are terrifying, and the fact that they’ve become a joke in Hollywood is fairly depressing. We must now rely on Jaume Collet-Serra to revive the sub-genre and make it relevant in the eyes of the audience. No pressure though, Mr. Collet-Serra.
The issue with many killer shark films is that it becomes difficult to keep coming up with reasons for the characters to go back in the water. The most recent well-reviewed killer shark films Open Water and The Reef fixed this problem by having their characters stranded in the middle of the ocean, and the Australian film Bait 3D trapped its characters in a flooded grocery store after a tsunami. The Shallows will follow this trend by having Blake Lively stranded on a rock 200 yards from shore.
It’s understandable that major studios are afraid to dip back into killer shark territory. The aforementioned SyFy films have most likely scared them into thinking they won’t make any money (thanks, Syfy). If they would just give a script a chance, then a talented director could really make a fantastic killer shark movie. There really isn’t much more that needs to be said on the subject. Basically, I’m just tired of sharks being the butt of whatever joke Hollywood is making. Maybe some big wig will read this and thing “Hey, maybe that guy is right. Let’s finance a killer shark movie!” This is highly unlikely, but a man can dream, can’t he?
What are your thoughts on killer shark movies? Do you feel that it will be impossible to make them scary again? Or does the right movie need to be made? Will moviegoers flock to the theater to see a horror movie about a shark even in a post-Sharknado world? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or shoot me a Tweet!
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
You must be logged in to post a comment.