I’m a guy who likes a good horror film. Call it weird, but I enjoy a good scaring that will keep me up at night for a little bit. However, one thing I don’t enjoy is the uniformity of so many horror films in today’s society.

For example, take a look at some of the more hyped horror films coming up. A new “Evil Dead” is about to be released with new characters and a new plotline. After watching the trailer and reading a bit about it, I’ve discovered that it’s essentially about some people in a cabin in the woods somewhere being killed by a demon-zombie girl. Within 15 seconds of starting the trailer I had decided that the movie was a more serious version of “Cabin in the Woods” without the weird side plot. Essentially, we’ve reached a point where writers find it hard to make horror movies that don’t involve little demon-zombie girls killing people. It’s a cheap and easy plot fix that lacks creativity, yet somehow it still sells.

Another common plot line is the whole “something, most likely a demon, is living inside of me and making me be creepy.” I think the best example of this right now is probably “The Last Exorcism II,” which essentially looks like a remake of roughly fifty movies over the last five years. Haven’t we kind of “been there, done that” with movies like “The Last Exorcism of Emily Rose,” “The Last Exorcism” and all four of the exactly-the-same “Paranormal Activity” films? The success of one movie drives other writers to copy an idea and run it into the ground.

Obviously there will always be room for improving an old idea. Movies like “The Thing” and its remake proved this was true. The show “The Walking Dead” proves that you can continue to draw massive viewers every week using the same horrific zombie makeup. However, these films simply use repeated themes (in this case aliens and zombies) to supplement the true appeal of the pictures, not replace it. “The Thing” simply uses aliens to achieve the psychological thrill of not knowing who you trust in an inescapable environment. “The Walking Dead” explores who we really are as individuals when social barriers and restrictions break down. These have defined plots where the horror device is simply a means of achieving a higher goal. They aren’t one of the “Saw” movies where the appeal was as basic and thoughtless as people getting cut up.

When I get scared, I want to think about why I’m scared. I want to think about what primal, carnal instinct is being pulled out of me. I want my characters to make reasonable decisions so that I can put myself in the situation and know I would be equally helpless. Unfortunately, so many movies lack that today. The result is zombie girls murdering stupid college students and demons making people crawl up walls and jump out at the camera. It will scare me, yes, but you won’t build a lasting movie off of it.

— Hunter Tipton is a senior in microbiology. He can be reached at [email protected].