Which One’s Better: Ghosthouse or After Dark
When it comes to independent horror films, it’s hard to find a film or films that stick out; films that make you sit back a minute because you were utterly scared. Of course the budgets are small and many of the writers and directors are fairly new in the craft. Every year, Ghosthouse pictures and After Dark release movies that are are marketed as either “too scary to show in theaters” or something along those lines. Scary marketing and scary movies, too…not in the I-scared-myself-silly kind of way. Scary as in the movies, cinematically, are pretty bad. However, there are a fair share of good ones, which leads to the debate: who has the better movies, Ghosthouse or After Dark. Read more
Does Anybody Know About FearNet?
FearNet, a free on-demand service provided by some cable companies offers a collection of Science Fiction, Horror or Fantasy movies for free. They range from old classics such as Night of the Living Dead and Evil Dead to current horror like Saw III or a collection of all the movies in the After Dark Horrorfest. Whatever suits your fancy, they offer at least 15 movies to choose from. They do filter in movies often so because a movie is in the queue does not mean that the movie will be there for long. For more information on FearNet, check out fearnet.com. Most likely, if your cable offers the option of on-demand, FearNet is included with that, however, because some cable companies have barriers on FearNet, it is best to check with the cable provider first to see if it is included. If it is not, you can add that to your cable package. Movies in the past have been Night of the Creeps, Nightwing, Prince of Darkness, Warlock, Resident Evil and Leprechaun.
Horror movies take new direction
The 2008 After Dark 8 Movies to Die For series is slated for a January release in select theaters. The Horrorfest series, since its inception in 2006 has had mixed reviews due the content and nature of the films presented. In 2006, over $15 million was invested to promote and show the movies. The investment proved a worthy investment as the ‘fest of 2006 netted over $50 million in ticket and DVD sales. Those numbers have risen in it’s sophomore venue and it expects to grow for its third. So, why are the Horrorfest movies so popular anyway?
Many of the movies in the horrorfest are either too graphic for theater release or the budgetary limits of the movies don’t make it a necessarily pleasing movie to watch, aesthetically speaking. Over half of the movies in the fest are independently made movies that have no major producers have taken, but has made waves with After Dark Productions founded by Courtney Solomon, who produced, wrote, and directed the 2000 film Dungeons & Dragons. Its popularity extends beyond the budgetary production limitations that are presented. In a society where big budget horror movies with “A” list actors and directors overwhelm the big screen independent movies are given the same recognition.
Its popularity has developed amongst younger viewers, allowing them a chance to see horror and science fiction from another perspective. The predominant age range of watchers of the After Dark Horrorfest is between the ages of 18-32. How influential is it?
Ghost House Pictures, a new movie label created by director Sam Raimi was created this year with eight movies on slate that are in the same vein as the After Dark movies. In 2009 Raimi will attempt to bring out eight more movies to compete with the success of the After Dark Films.
While independent horror films are far and few between, the inception of these movies are growing at an alarming rate. Soon, very soon, you will be able to see a wide range of horror movies that will test the proverbial MSRP ratings. While I do not condone or favor all the movies that are released through the After Dark or Ghost House series, I will, however, give them kudos for at least attempting to bring n a different, albeit sometimes strange twist to the genre. All movies can be purchased as a box set at your local video store.