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Book Review: ‘The 1990s Teen Horror Cycle’ by Alexandra West

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1990s Teen Horror Cycle

We tend to think on the 90s with a nostalgic fondness – everything seemed just a little bit simpler back then. It was a period of economic growth, technological developments came fast but still had that reliable analog flair, and pop culture was finding its footing with a dependable younger market.

Looking back, some of the 1990s film offerings have become a bit of a sore spot among horror fans when stacked against heavy-hitters like The Silence of the Lambs and Seven. But author Alexandra West has come out with a reminder of all the ways that the 1990s teen horror cycle was a strong and important development for the genre.

As a co-host on the brilliant The Faculty of Horror podcast, writer for several publications (including her first book, Films of the New French Extremity: Visceral Horror and National Identity), and lecturer on film and theatre in schools across Ontario, Quebec, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, Alexandra West knows her shit.

Her newest book, The 1990s Teen Horror Cycle: Final Girls and a New Hollywood Formula, delves into a dissection of the height of 1990s horror genre offerings – including Scream, The Craft, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Fear, The Faculty, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Idle Hands, Final Destination, and many more.

With an academic’s eye and a horror lover’s heart, West discusses how the 1990s teen horror cycle was both a product of and a reaction to its time.

The Faculty

In a post-Regan era, youth in America were stomping down the conservative-driven push towards an “American Dream” that no longer applied or appealed to them. The Cold War had come to a close and kids across the country “Smelled Like Teen Spirit” while the Riot Grrrl movement spread as quickly as the LA Riots. As West says, “America no longer had a looming destructive force, but only Americans themselves”.

The formulaic slashers of the 70s and 80s were petering out – gold standards like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees just didn’t carry the same weight. Studios realized that female moviegoers were accountable for half – if not more – of their audience. If horror was going to continue to be a marketable genre, it had to adapt to articulate the anxieties, fears, and values of its audience through the new Final Girl.

West explains, “These female characters were no longer just smart, kind, levelheaded or lucky, as they had been in previous horror film incarnations of Final Girls; they were navigating their own complex moralities in a society that no longer knew what to value itself”.

Scream

Wes Craven’s Scream, for example, found a perfect New Final Girl in Sidney Prescott. While the “rules” of Scream (and, then, the horror genre as a whole) state that premarital sex is basically a death sentence, Sidney’s journey is one of female empowerment – it’s far more progressive and sex positive. As West says, “In the 1990s a Final Girl could have consensual sex but also destroy those who do her wrong”.

The teens of 90s horror were held accountable for the sins of their parents and communities – they were facing villains with a deeply personal vendetta. Gone were the days of a hulking stranger; the real danger was the anonymous bona fide murderer in their own neighborhood.

Scream

West outlines how intertextuality shaped the new rules of horror and how a rising audience base with a disposable income redirected the way that films were marketed.

A movie was more than entertainment – it was a consumable product that could sell its music, fashion, and lifestyle along with its home video release.

These hot new trends in terror were made accessible to those outside the genre by prominently featuring popular, familiar faces as seen on TV (I mean, just look at the poster designs).

I Know What You Did Last Summer

But beneath the mainstream, shiny surface of the 1990s teen horror cycle, the films themselves were tackling attitudes towards sexuality, popularity, social acceptance, and the often ignored weight of survival. Franchises explored the consequences of violence and the lasting impact of those traumatic events.

West lovingly works through thematically linked films to fairly present their lasting values and honest shortcomings (for example, racial tokenism and how Scary Movie fought against those tropes by framing intertextuality as comedic parody).

She taps in to the studio’s involvement in each film in a way that helps to explain how these films came to be while offering some insight on the state of the industry today.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The 1990s Teen Horror Cycle: Final Girls and a New Hollywood Formula shakes out the puzzle pieces of 1990s teen-focused horror and artfully arranges them to form a cohesive picture – one that looks dramatically different from what’s just shown on the box.

If you’ve ever celebrated films like Scream while lamenting relentless horror franchises, if you have any opinions about Final Girls, or if you simply find yourself wanting something more out of those 90s nostalgic movie nights, you need to read this book.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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