Editorials
5 Overrated Horror Movies!!!
A few weeks back I shared a list I took a lot of joy in, 5 Underrated Horror Movies. Some of you may doubt this, but I always take more pleasure in saying positive things than I do in trashing films. I often don’t like the energy associated with the occasional vitriolic outburst I have against whatever film I feel has wasted my time that day. As much as I unleashed on something like Wrong Turn 5, I often feel bad about it afterward. That doesn’t mean I don’t stand by that review – I do. I stand by every word, but hating something is always a bummer. I think there’s a wider perception that critics enjoy writing bad reviews, when in my experience we would all much rather just see good movies every day of the week.
This is all a long way of saying that, while I do find the films in this list to be “overrated,” I don’t necessarily think all of them are “bad.” I’m not here to kick sand in their eye. It’s just interesting to look back on movies whose legacies have weathered the years and re-evaluate them with the perspective that only the passage of time can offer.
Head below for my list of 5 Overrated Horror Movies!!!
THE CROW
The Crow isn’t necessarily a bad film but considering the rabidness of its fan base almost 20 years later you’d think it would be some kind of masterpiece. It isn’t. It’s elevated by a good performance from Brandon Lee, but narratively speaking it’s a disjointed mess. I feel like the perception of the film benefitted from the legend of Lee’s tragic demise and its release during the height of goth’s popularity in 1994. Both of those factors and the nostalgia that surround them obscure the film’s weaknesses.
WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE
I know a lot of people prefer New Nightmare over Scream, which is insane to me. The film has a bunch of interesting post-modern concepts, stuff that Scream would later improve upon (and make entertaining to boot), but the execution here is haphazard. The design of the “new” Freddy isn’t remotely frightening or aesthetically pleasing and the film is too in love with its ideas to let them play out organically. Almost 20 years later, this film feels forced – a interesting demo of something Craven would polish to a high sheen just two years later.
THE OMEN
The Omen is a good film, but it’s not really the classic many suggest it is. I’ve seen some people place it in a similar league as The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby, which feels off base to me. It has some great moments, a great cast and a good premise, but the tone of the piece too often veers towards camp. Now, normally I’m good with camp, but I feel like The Omen takes itself too seriously to go all the way with it. As a result, the film is stuck somewhere between “good” and “great.” Director Richard Donner quickly moved on to superior material.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
This is sort of the opposite problem. I know not many people think of I Know What You Did Last Summer as a classic, but the fact that it gets any consideration at all is beyond me. Step away from the 1997 moment you may be re-living whenever you watch this film and marvel at how it ever became a thing to begin with. It’s pretty laughable stuff. So in terms of being overrated – some people actually think this film is decent. Decent would be rating it too high.
THE HOWLING
I LOVE Joe Dante. Love him. Gremlins and Gremlins 2 are two of my favorite movies ever, so whenever I write about this film it pains me. I know I pile on The Howling every now and then but it’s just because I’m sort of mystified that it has the status it does. It’s a decent film, of course. I just think that Dante’s name, some really good effects work and perhaps one of the greatest posters of all time have somehow convinced people that this is one for the ages. It’s not. The pacing is off and the setting – which should be ripe for a pulpy lark – is never fully utilized.
It’s not even in the Top 5 Joe Dante films for me. I place The Burbs, Explorers and the aforementioned Gremlins films way above it. Truth be told? I even prefer his underrated recent effort The Hole.
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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