Editorials
Which Horror Movies Used To Scare You But No Longer Do?
There’s this thing that we do during life that’s called “growing up”. How we define that is entirely up to us but it’s a rather unavoidable consequence of living. Each day we improve upon ourselves from the last, learning new skills, upping our quality of life in some way, or simply just ceasing to do bullshit that we know we need to cut out.
Another consequence is that things that used to scare us no longer do. It’s not the fault of the medium that used to give us such terrors, it’s simply that it doesn’t speak to us on the same level. It doesn’t hit that same primal spot that fills us with fear.
There have been several horror movies that I’ve watched over the years that used to scare me tremendously but no longer do, no matter how I watch them. That doesn’t mean I don’t get a lot of enjoyment out of them but it means that I enjoy them in different ways. I figured I’d share a few of mine with you and then see if you’d share some of yours.
Event Horizon
I remember when this movie used to terrify me. Something about the story really resonated with me and I was ever full of fear when watching it. I rewatched it a few years back and found that I didn’t once, at any point, feel that fear. It’s a visually cool movie that has a few nice jump scares but the dread was gone.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Oh man, the scene where Tina is in the bodybag in the school? Holy shit, that absolutely terrified me. The rest of the film had its own fair share of really scary moments when I was younger but that scene left a lingering stamp of fear on my psyche. Then, years later, I watched it again and it just looked cool. I was more focused on the practical applications and how they crafted the shot. I still love the movie and think it’s a classic, but it doesn’t scare me anymore. I wonder if that’s because of how the character of “Freddy” turned out.
Evil Dead
I remember buying this movie on VHS from my downtown Borders (which, as a side note, was the very first Borders ever built). It came in a clamshell case and I felt like I was the coolest teenager ever. I went home, popped it in, and proceeded to figuratively shit my pants in terror. Yeah, there are some amusing moments but I never felt like they were intentional. I always thought that Sam Raimi was setting out to make something truly scary and that the laughs that came with the movie were coincidental.
When I finished that movie, it took me a few weeks before I was able to conceive of watching it again. But I did and it still scared me silly.
Now, I’m fine when I watch it. I will feel tinglings of suspense but that’s really about it. I enjoy it and love everything that’s come from it (well, maybe not the games) but it just doesn’t create the nightmares that it used to.
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!
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