It’s hard to top the atmosphere of a spooky old house in the countryside, complete with creaky floors, creepy antiques, and a touch of gloom, as a backdrop for a horror film. Is there a way to give the idea of a scary house in a horror movie a fresh spin?
Emma Roberts plays Sara Davis, a lady who, along with her husband Alex (John Gallagher Jr.), and their infant son, moves into a new house in the June 2022 film abandoned. A ghost haunts the house, some spooky noises, and a neighbour named Chris Renner (Michael Shannon) knows the truth about what happened. With so many tired haunted home horror movies out there, is it even feasible to create a genuinely fresh one?
Starring Emma Roberts and John Gallagher Jr., “Abandoned” is set to hit theatres in 2022.
Haunt (2019), which takes place in a real haunted house on Halloween and is open to the public, is one of few horror films that receive little attention despite its unique setting. However, it is challenging to locate a truly original gem among haunted house films because many of them recycle the same plot ideas and tropes.
Horror/thriller conventions, such as a protagonist who appears unstable and mentally sick, are parodied in The Woman In The House… Sara, played by Emma Roberts, has postpartum depression and finds this incredibly offensive and problematic. They need to discuss how she’s having problems bonding with her baby. But while this is an important topic that needs to be handled delicately, it doesn’t belong in a scary movie about a haunted house. This supports the stereotype that women are inherently unstable because of this.
There’s a lot of overlap between the various horror films set in isolated mansions. In the same vein as abandoned, these stories feature stock people and families looking for a clean slate in the country. In this one, there are echoes of The Messengers, one of the worst haunted house movies; the plot concerns a peculiar neighbour who knows more than he lets on and a couple who may not discover the property’s sinister history in time to survive.
Poltergeist-movie
When thinking about classic horror films, few can compare to Poltergeist, a pioneer of the haunted home film genre from the 1980s. Ghosts start talking to the family’s little girl after she moves into their home, which they do not know is built on top of an ancient burial cemetery. It’s nice to see that despite being filmed decades ago, the film still feels new and original. Remaking Poltergeist in 2015, however, left a lot to be desired and didn’t contribute anything new to the tale. The unique selling point of this film is its depiction of a child’s immersion in supernaturalism.
It is feasible to create a terrifying horror film in the style of a haunted house that stands out from the pack. The most successful films in this genre contain memorable protagonists, authentically fascinating settings, and stylish, original dwellings. There needs to be more going on here than just a married couple having trouble. To add insult to injury, a ghost that seeks vengeance or who will forever haunt the current residents is tedious. The ghosts must appear convincingly eerie and have a compelling, emotionally resonant history.
In Sinister, one of the best-loved Blumhouse horror films, a family moves into a new house full of optimism and dreams, only to be horrified by the terrifying secrets hidden within. Fans know that Ellison Oswalt’s (Ethan Hawke) initial optimism about the house’s potential for his actual crime book gradually dissipates when he learns more about its bloody past. The film’s success can be attributed to its use of a memorable and terrifying background for a house.
The next time this setting is used in a film, maybe the main characters will make a good impression, and the viewers will come to know them, and the home will look more intriguing than the typical old, dilapidated mansion everyone knows is haunted.
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