Until recent years, the horror genre has been facing a decline. After the initial boom of influential horror films such as Halloween (1978) and The Exorcist (1973), the genre has suffered oversaturation of repeated formulas that have burned out audiences. While there have been breakout releases that have been wildly successful since the boom, studios realized how easy it was to churn out low-budget horror productions that still turn a profit reliably. Reliance of overused tropes, including flat characters, predictable plotlines, and cheap jump scares followed by a loud noise became tiring for horror fans. And since these low effort films still grossed well, there was no need to push creative boundaries from studios. However, seemingly by chance, in recent years directors have started to take initiative, pushing past tired conventions and taking creatives risks that breathe new life into the genre. For example, works by Jordan Peele have demonstrated how effective genre blending and trope subversion can create a sense of unease in audiences without using a jump scare. The shift to more narrative-based horror has shown the creative potential the genre has, while showcasing that you don’t need generic jump scares to evoke fear within audiences. Two notable modern horror films that represent this come to form for the genre are the theme-driven Sinners (2025), and the shock-focused Terrifier 2 (2022). While both films highlight the evolution of the genre, they exist as polar extremes, emphasizing the spectrum of possibilities within horror today.
Sinners (2025), directed by Ryan Coogler, is extremely theme heavy. Racial assimilation, religion, community, and exploitation are explored while using the importance of music as an interweaving thread that connects the themes within the narrative. Coogler effectively creates a commentary on the origins of Black culture and the historic attempts to appropriate it, but as seen in the movie’s epilogue, that culture endured. Remmick, the main antagonist, is a vampire who wants to create a new family after the destruction of his Celtic culture by British invaders that forced their values upon his community. Ironically, Remmick is replicating that very oppression by forcibly turning people into vampires and making them embrace his values. The portrayal of music as the connector to one’s cultural roots is also why Remmick is drawn to the juke joint, wanting to reconnect with those that he lost. The symbolism of music becomes front and center during Sammies performance; as he plays, the scenes change to represent different musical eras, showing how music bridges generations. Interestingly, the movie lacks jump scares altogether, relying on the weight of the situation to generate fear completely. The narrative is what builds the tension; the film does not need to jump scares because the violent attempts by Remmick to oppress the culture of the Black community are the horror. Through letting the themes shape the narrative, the horror organically emerges from the darker subject matter the film explores. This subversion from typical horror expectations exemplifies the emerging new wave of horror being produced today, where the horror exists within the narrative itself, and additional scare tactics are only used when they serve the story.
Unlike Sinners, Terrifier 2 (2022) has a relatively surface level plot and very little exploration on deeper themes. In fact, the film is very reminiscent of old school slasher flicks that used to rule the genre, with director Damien Leone creating the franchise as a homage to these types of films. Including tropes such as gore filled-kills, final girls, and a silent slasher antagonist, it raises the question: why, in an era where audiences crave more out of horror, has this franchise become so popular? Well, the answer lies not in the depth of the narratives themselves, but in the purpose they serve. As mentioned above, the films were created as an homage to the slasher films that initially defined the genre, having an audience that is naturally built in. And while on the surface they may not seem particularly creative when trying to reinvent the genre, however, the way these tropes are played are very over the top to the point of parody. The Terrifier franchise exists as not only a homage but a satire of the slasher genre; the kills are excessively brutal, the slasher is incredibly humorous despite being silent, and the final girl also has the chosen one trope plastered all over her. These are deliberate choices made that highlight the absurdity of the overuse of the tropes that horror fans have grown tired of, and when combined screen, create a very unique experience that only this franchise can deliver. Art the Clown, the antagonist, has a very on the nose name which fits right in with the satirical nature of these films. A clown named Art that sees his killings as, well, art. Just as music serves as the core of Sinners, an art form that transcends generations, Leone applies a similar concept in his creation of Terrifier films. The point of these movies is to push boundaries as far as possible within the horror genre, and how far can he push until these films are no longer considered “art”? While due to the nature of which these films are created it’s hard to pinpoint one pivotal point where this message is evident, as the meaning is more conceptual than thematic, Art’s exaggerated, grotesque and drawn-out kills being the defining features of these films highlight how the director is challenging the limits of the genre while commenting on its conventions. Interestingly, like Sinners, the films do not rely on jump scares; instead, the horror comes from how long the viewer can endure the relentless gore on the screen. While Sinners demonstrates the potential thematic depth of horror as a medium, Terrifier explores the extremes of conventional horror, with a heavy focus on shock and spectacle.
Together, these films showcase the wide spectrum of ways horror has begun to evolve. Despite differing drastically, through lines such as genre-blending and unique ways to evoke fear suggest that modern filmgoers are drawn to horror that challenges the status quo previously established by the genre. Given how diverse the approaches can be, it’s clear that innovation within horror still has plenty of room to grow. This doesn’t mean that fans do not want classic horror flicks but rather want at least some subversion on simple formulas that have run the genre for decades. The answer to the future longevity of the genre is not about creating deep thematic pieces or over-the-top gore fests but simply delivering an experience new to audiences. Like the use of music in Sinners, or how Damien Leone pushes boundaries, fans want to appreciate what horror has to offer as an art.
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