Covid-19 Can Be a New Inspiration for Horror Film Genre

Kapanlagi.com - The horror genre film can be said to have a quite long history in Hollywood cinema. Horror films have indeed undergone many phases of change, starting from silent short films from France, films about zombies, to modern horror films like GET OUT that incorporate racial elements into it.

Indeed, the horror film culture often exploits classic fears of its audience. Filmmakers usually take advantage of current events. Especially since the pandemic event that occurred in almost all countries, it can be used as a new inspiration.

As reported by Time.com, the horror of the pandemic that occurred in 2020, from isolation to widespread transmission, can become a new source of inspiration for filmmakers in the coming years. We just have to wait and see how filmmakers will use Covid-19 as an idea to scare horror film enthusiasts, whether it can be as terrifying as previous genres or not.

It can be known that so far horror films have always associated events in the past or things related to history, so they have deeper meanings and seem reasonable. For example, the film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD by director George A. Romero in 1968, which is a zombie film. In the film, it shows a broad view of the United States' racial relations during the political and social turmoil of that year. However, Romero did not explicitly convey the racial theme. 'Our point is more about the divided society, the inability to communicate, and the division within families,' he said at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Romero claimed that the film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was not expected to have an impact on the audience, which led other filmmakers to do similar things.

Kinitra Brooks, a literature studies professor at the University of Michigan specializing in horror, concluded that filmmakers have no control over the interpretations and criticisms of the audience. 'People will have many interpretations for each work,' she said. We can also take an example from the film GET OUT, which addresses the current racial issues. The film tackles racism with a strong narrative. Although it lacks jump scares, the audience will be drawn in to follow the presented mysteries. Indeed, no one can predict how the world of film will change over time, regardless of genre or theme.

Well, let's just wait and see what ideas the horror films of the future will bring.

Author: Felecia Krismianto

(kpl/mag)