I Think Up Demons

I haven't seen the movie Splice yet, and still not sure if I ever will. And though I was careful not to really read any reviews I have stumbled upon various critiques from friends who have seen it, as well as their links to others who agree with them, and... well, I guess there is somewhat of a shocking third act that has thrown a few people for a loop and distressed them to some degree. That a science fiction film would stoop to something so exploitational. Yet what they describe is a common trope of the horror genre, and it got me thinking: One, is Splice a sci-fi or horror film? And two, do we hold science fiction to different guidelines and expectations than we do horror?

When I first saw the trailers for Splice I envisioned it as a horror film, of the Frankenstein-type story trajectory. Then I thought about that even more and remembered that Frankenstein is part of that sci-fi/horror crossover genre to begin with, or in other words, cerebral horror, spooks with smarts. The way that Invasion Of The Body Snatchers was a Cold War allegory for Communist infiltration, or that Alien actually had a strong, smart, beautiful woman that actually outlives every other character on the ship -- the type that would normally go first (after the cartoonishly weak-kneed, terrified African-American, of course) in most horror films of times gone by. Because horror has had a long tradition of people going in expecting chills and thrills, but under certain guidelines. The same said for sci-fi, being more of a thinking man's genre, and getting nitpicked to death if any kind of plot hole or leaps in scientific credibility are being foisted upon the fans.

So do we expect more out of sci-fi than we do with horror? Are we more disappointed in the failure of a sci-fi film not living up to its potential then we would be if a horror movie didn't scare us enough? Because if Splice is a horror movie, then it seems to have done its job to disturb, even if it resorted to the same tired tropes of the horror genre. But if it's a sci-fi horror film, I suppose we expect more out of it, and maybe we should. And again, I am saying that as somebody who still hasn't seen the film.

So does that mean we should also expect the same lofty aspirations in the horror genre as well? When The Blair Witch Project came out, a new take on the old prototype, there were a lot of people who felt ripped off by not seeing any real violence, or blood, or torture, or even a witch for that matter. Of course folks went in buying into the internet hype of something truly different and terrifying, but what they were expecting I'm not quite sure. Maybe they weren't sure either. But for me it begs the question that if sci-fi fans go into the theater expecting something expansive and new, do horror fans go to the movies expecting to see... exactly what they are expecting? Of course not all of them must feel this way. But it's been my experience that many horror fans that I talk to every day at work like a new twist on the same set-up, though usually it's provided that they are still getting their money shot. Horror is, in many ways, like porn, where we love seeing new naked girls in new sexual scenarios. But ultimately, we still wanna see them get screwed, and if we don't then we're the ones getting screwed.

Anyway, I'm thinking a lot about this today. I may stop by my store and talk to a few of the folks there and get their opinions. If you are reading this, I would like yours as well.