2019, and much of the 2010s for that matter, was a prime year for Indie greatness and comebacks of our favorite characters and stories. Filmmakers brought back series via remakes/re-imaginings or sequels/prequels, and film goers-turned movie makers refreshed the market with tantalizing ideas that opened our minds to concepts we didn’t know could be scary. It was a year that solidified horror as a genre worth watching and worth paying attention to. As we leave the teens and enter a new decade, will we see a continuation of the old, or a continuation of the new? Here are my thoughts on possible trends of 2020.
Indie takeover, or Indie fizzle?
The teens brought us greats like It Follows, VHS, Creep, and The Eyes of My Mother — all films that I would classify as Indie for their low budgets, unknown talent, and small company recognition. In the past decade we saw numerous films rise through the ranks of the festival scene to battle with blockbusters, consistently coming out on top (both in sales and audience/critical reception). For example, Haunt (2019) premiered at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival with a limited wide release afterwards; compared to wide-release The Curse of La Llorona that same year, Haunt’s Rotten Tomatoes score dwarfed La Llorona by almost 50%. This trend, I think, will continue probably for another year or two before fizzling out. Horror upcomers like Jordan Peele and Ari Aster have already experienced this; their first major pictures, Get Out and Hereditary (respectively) received raving reviews, while follow-up films Us and Midsommar, though still positively received, didn’t exactly live up to the hype.
The End of 80s Nostalgia?
We love the 80s, even those who weren’t born in that decade. But as time passes, our nostalgia switches to other moments in our lives. As I explained in This is Your Brain on Nostalgia: How Age Defines the Genre, decade-focused trends tend to be in 30-year periods; that said, the 90s are next. I think it also has to do with over-saturation at this point. We have so many movies and TV shows set in that decade that they all start to blend together. We just get bored too easily. Now that we’re in a new year and a new decade, move over leg warmers and sleazy Slashers, because we’re bringing in platform shoes and a grungier outlook on horror!
The Fans Become a Helping Hand
We all love movies, and I’m sure it’s a lot of our dreams to be part of one. Now, we’re in the early stages of “fan-made” films — not ones you’d find on YouTube as a type of fan fiction, but ones where fans are able to contribute to the professional film. Fans can accomplish incredible things when they come together for a cause, whether that’s getting a movie made or supporting the horror community at large. Because of fans, we’re getting a second Terrifier film (even including fans) as well as a second Scares That Care Charity Weekend. And with more news getting out about these types of opportunities on crowd-funding sites, it’s easier for people to contribute to the movies they want to see being made.
There are two sides to this though. We’re in a time of crowdfunding and listening to our audience, but sometimes we listen a little too well. When fans feel they’re not being heard, they retaliate, feeling some sense of ownership over a movie they have no actual connection too. This has happened in the past few months, namely with the new Sonic the Hedgehog movie (with better results), and just googling “twitter movie angry” brings up tons of results about the community lashing out against the industry.
It’s a new decade, so it’s hard to predict what exactly will happen as a new year starts. But I do hope that the trends we’ve been seeing lately continue on with more smash hits from newcomers and revivals of our favorites.
What are your predictions for 2020 and the new decade? Leave a comment and let us know!
