Oklahoma Horror Film Fest

Horror movies emerged at the birth of film, with classics like 1922's 'Nosferatu'. With advancements in technology and major appeal for horror films starting in the 1970's, the genre has evolved with every decade. Here a few of the best and most popular horror film series that you can see on www.satellitetv.net.

There are many different types of horror films, all designed to frighten and thrill viewers. Slasher films feature a believable villain, while the paranormal sub-genre introduces viewers to the fear of the unknown. Horror fans can choose from a variety of frights, and horror film series allow viewers to continue their fear year after year.

An early example of a slasher film series is the 'Friday the 13th' franchise. Hockey masked killer Jason seeks revenge on teenagers at Camp Crystal Lake for twelve films, spanning from 1980 to 2009.

The 'Scream' series helped revive the slasher genre in 1996. Following the revenge trend of 'Friday the 13th,' 'Scream' features 'Ghostface,' a masked stalker determined to leave a body count on the unsuspecting town of Woodsboro and resident Sidney. Both filled with gore and nudity, these series thrilled viewers with revolving characters and an evolving backstory.

Paranormal horror series leads viewers on a supernatural thrill ride, starting with 1973's 'The Exorcist.' A young girl is plagued with a demonic entity and the journey spans six films with prequels in the 2000's. Critics have dubbed the original 'Exorcist' "the scariest film ever made," and the classic has inspired numerous spoofs and parodies.

The 'Paranormal Activity' series continued the demonic possession trend with the fictitious video camera footage of a family and their new home suffering at the hands of an unknown demonic force. With four popular films starting in 2007, 'Paranormal Activity' helped keep the supernatural genre of horror film series alive.

Horror movie series have mass appeal for their continuous stories and recognizable characters. With the success of these series, new franchises are emerging every year. Remakes of popular series have popped up with franchises like Rob Zombie's 2007 'Halloween' to gain appeal for young viewers and new fans. Horror fans can continue their love for the scare with film series for years to come.

Vampires, blood and women. Both Fright Night movie versions have all three but sharply contrast each other once the story begins to unfold.

The original 1985 version of the movie focuses on the main character, Charley, trying to get his girlfriend to take their relationship to the next level. Jerry, Charley's vampire neighbor, is constantly getting in the way of Charley's ultimate relationship goals. Charley's girlfriend eventually falls for the vampire, and turns into one herself

The 2011 version is vastly different because the movie focuses more on Charley trying to save his mom, girlfriend and life long friend from Jerry's lethal fangs. Charley consults a vampire enthusiast's help in Las Vegas, and together they venture out to kill Jerry.

The story of the 2011 Fright Night is a vast improvement over the 1985 version. Times have changed since the original Fright Night premiered, and so has the movie-going population. Those who want to watch a romantic story about young women falling in love with vampires should stick to the Twilight series; Fright Night 2011 is for real vampire enthusiasts.

So we’re only two years in. There’s still something to talk about. Here are a few of the best chillers to hit since 2010. Look forward to more.

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010): Filled with genuinely chilling moments captured on video by a family that doesn’t realize it’s in danger until, yup, it’s too late. It ups the ante by putting a baby in the path.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012): This one’s great because it knows it’s a horror film. The kids want to get wild in the woods (what else?) when the festivities are brought to a gory halt.The whole story can be found at http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4411189/Schoolkids-12-left-terrified-after-horror-flick-The-Human-Centipede-is-screened-in-class.html

Splice (2010): A classic sci-fi/horror film with modern themes. Two scientists secretly create a new life form and live to regret it.

The Woman (2011): Girl power’s taken to horrific levels as a pair of oppressed ladies decides they’ve had enough. It’s the rare horror film that’s complex and approaches its subject with intelligence before splashing the gore.

Devil (2010): The premise is ridiculous. Trapped in an elevator with a crazed killer? They manage to make it work.

Human Centipede (2010): Anyone who says this film didn’t haunt them lies. The mad scientist angle is played out nicely, but that scene… You know the one. You’re squirming now.

The horror genre can be timeless and there are a few classic horror films that would make perfect remakes. London After Midnight remains a lost Lon Chaney Sr. silent film. A remake is nearly 100 years overdue. The same can be said of Bela Lugosi's Return of the Vampire which was a quasi-sequel to Universal's Dracula. There has been take of a Creature from the Black Lagoon for over 30 years but no remake has been completed. The original was a classic 3-D hit and with the return of the 3-D craze, you would think that a new film with the Gil Man would appear. Tod Browning's Freaks is considered a classic horror film that still strikes a nerve when viewed today. Why has no one thought of remaking it? The creepy Beast with Five Fingers showed even a minimalist monster such as a disembodied hand can strike fear in an audience. Maybe this film would prove to be a great 3-D remake vehicle. Nosferatu was a sincerely frightening vampire film of the silent era and it presented the original look for Dracula which is not as popular as the Lugosi one. it is more frightening and could be well received by modern audiences.

Remakes already have an uphill battle of expectations from built-in fans and freaks. “Nightmare on Elm Street” is a legend in horror films that stand with other 80s greats. So, how does the revamped series fair in 2010?

No matter how great a revamp will, be it will always lose what made the orignial well loved. Who can forget a baby face Johnny Depp, horny teenagers or foggy dream sequences? Depp miraculously has maintained his baby face into adulthood, but besides recasting him to reprise his role, it is hard to recapture Elm Street's sassy tone.

As the Joker asked, "Why so serious"? As all remakes make the mistake in missing tone, the remake or revamp of 2010 makes the same mistake. The original was fun more than cheap scares with Freddy telling jokes left and right and still made fans heart’s race while anticipating every kill.

Also, there is no way for any revamp to capture the 80s campy-ness of blood-curling screams, stupid scares and crazy jokes. In a political correct world and more movie-serious audience, what was deemed fun in the 80s may seem cruel to a current audience.

Gone are the simple jumps and buckets of blood to get an audience frightened. Now audiences want their scares to be more smart and their villains to be - actually scary.

How does one excite a new audience and keep with the tradition of Elm Street and please both? It’s impossible. Someone is going to come out of the theater disappointed. Remakes should be made exclusively for fans of the series and stick to its traditional tones and take advantage of updated technology.

If you are a fan of scary movies then you are sure to have an opinion on what movie you found to made you jump. Did that movie contain a psychotic killer or, perhaps, a monster? Before reading this article, consider what the scariest movie monster was to you and see if you agree.

Personally I have a few on my list so it is hard to narrow it down to just one. You could never go wrong by choosing the classics like Dracula, Frankenstein or even the Mummy. They were scary in their time but with modern effects and more freedom with the script writing, today's monsters just put them to shame.

If I had to pick one right now it would be the Alien from the Alien movie franchise. The scenes were set up perfectly. Both the director and the actors gave such a portrayal of suspense that you could not help but feel the fear they had. The surprising sneak attacks by the Alien left audiences wondering where and when the next one would take place. Who would not find it scary to possibly be impregnated by an Alien and have it burst out of your chest?

Movie studios are always on the lookout for new trends on which they can capitalize. Recently, these studios have released a group of horror movies that were much different from classics such as "Friday the 13th." The "found footage" trend has taken Hollywood by storm, as more than a dozen major films in this genre have been released in the past few years, including "The Devil Inside," "Cloverfield," the "[REC]" series and, most successfully, the "Paranormal Activity" series.

These films can be identified by their use of unknown actors and documentary-style filming techniques to create a story with a realistic feel, adding an element of tension and drama. Though these films do use special effects, they are relatively inexpensive, because they do not require major stars or sophisticated camera tricks to wow audiences.

One of the earliest entries is this genre is "The Blair Witch Project," released in 1999. The movie, made for less than $1 million, went on to become a massive hit, grossing more than 200 times its budget. Though these numbers were impressive, it took a few more years before studios decided to jump back into this style, with the hit films "Cloverfield" and "Paranormal Activity" spurring the way.