On horror and happy endings
WARNING: This post contains spoilers about the endings of several horror movies/graphic novels/books.
A review at the Book Smugglers reminded me that I had this post in my drafts. I’ve been thinking about horror and happy endings since I read the two widely different reviews of the movie THE STRANGERS at Pajiba and Roger Ebert. Now, I’d been dying to see this movie — it looks like the type of horror movie that I love, the kind that relies upon suspense to scare you rather than gore. Well, check out the trailer (which all by itself kind of freaked me out):
Pajiba’s reviewer loved it; Ebert called it nihilistic and gave it one and a half stars.
And ‘nihilistic’ killed all of my anticipation. Maybe I’m wrong (and if I am, please feel free to spoil me because I’d have loved to see this movie) but I’m guessing that means that the couple is dead at the end.
I talked about this before when I watched the remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD. There has to be a payoff of some sort in these movies/books*, and I have a feeling that my idea of payoff differs widely from the apparent popular/artistic** idea of a payoff. For me, the payoff is that someone gets out alive (and if no one does, then there has to be a point to their having lived). There doesn’t have to be a romantic HEA. In 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, for example, Eben gets ashed by the sun, and Stella is left alone. It’s a bittersweet ending, but it works for me because Eben’s sacrifice meant something. If, in 28 DAYS LATER, they’d gone for the Cillian Murphy-is-dead alternate ending, I’d have been fine with it … because someone got out alive, and there was a payoff to my sitting through the movie.
It’s not enough to be scared; it’s not enough to jump in my seat. If I’m invested in the suspense, it’s because I’m interested in the characters, and I’ve become invested in the outcome of the movie. (I don’t necessarily have to like them, but I do have to be interested in them.)
The last thing I want to do is to turn off a movie and say, “What was the point of that?” (The final death in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD had a point IMO, so that movie is one of the few exceptions to that; so is the end of I AM LEGEND (the book)). If a couple is going to die at the end, and there is nothing gained when they die (either in the world they live in, or in me through their journey, where I come away with more than just a heightened heart-rate (see again: I AM LEGEND (the book)) it actually makes me wish they’d died at the beginning. I mean, seriously — how much does it suck to be tortured and/or terrorized for two hours and then die? What’s the point of that? Doesn’t it pretty much say, “There’s no point in fighting, so to save yourself some pain, you should probably just give up?”
So, anyway. I tell myself sometimes that I put too much emphasis on the ending, and should just be pleased with the journey … but more and more, I just can’t. I don’t need everything to be wrapped up tidy and happy, but I find that I have no interest in a nihilistic message.
*But not necessarily in short stories. (For example, I really like that short story by Stephen King where the guy is a drug-addicted surgeon stranded on an island, and slowly self-cannabilizing. Or the one on the raft, where the oily thing in the water eats all of them.) The investment of my time and/or money is in direct proportion, I think, to my need for a payoff — but this is across the board. A romantic/erotic novella, I don’t need a huge, sweeping love story. A single-title paperback, I’m wanting more out of it. And if I pay hardcover price, hot damn that story had better be good, because the page length isn’t going to justify the difference in price.
**I’m not sure what, exactly, is driving the current trend of torture-porn horror (which THE STRANGERS isn’t) and nihilism — a sense that it will be make money or that it is “truer” and more hard-core realistic. For example, the ending to the movie THE MIST — I loved the ambiguous ending of the short story, and would have much, MUCH preferred that to the movie ending. Stephen King, though, disagrees with me; I read somewhere that he wished he’d written the novella with that end. So *shrug*.
As a final note, my little sister is in labor. And, thanks to the poll at your left, he’ll be named Fox.
As a final, final note: If the X-Files and/or Batman movie has a nihilistic message, you can expect me to be absolutely nutzoid at RWA the next weekend.
Re-reading this, I’ve decided that I’d be a lot happier with these movies if I had more postmodern sensibilities. But I think I read texts in a rather old-fashioned way — and so the importance I give the endings.
What a fantastic and interesting post, Meljean. I have to agree with you, the endings must at least MEAN something.
Good luck to your sister and to Fox (awww) .
And you can be certain that if the X-files or Batman have anihilistic message, I too will go ballistic. Possibly even require therapy.
Horror’s not really my thing. But I love babies!!!
So best wishes to your sister for a speedy and healthy delivery!
Ok Meljean, WOW, interesting post :bmww:
For the most part, I have to completely agree with you (and on that note, I agree with most of your examples, NoTLD, DotD, I am Legend–the BOOK not the terrible ending to the movie although the movie on the whole was pretty good, 30 Days of Night)–these all had significance to their endings and to the ‘deaths’ that happened. Although… I am of the camp that loved the ending to The Mist :ninja: Not because of a nihilistic sentiment, but because I love the disilusionment with the “hero” good guy Drayton–he was wrong all along, just like every other fanatic in that supermarket (only his falling was pride, not puritanical religious notions or over-rationalization)…but I think this is something specific to The Mist, and something I take on a case by case basis (for example, I HATED-want to gouge my eyes out hated-the recent No Country for Old Men *gags*)…
And on The Strangers–I am planning on seeing this one soon, but have you watched “Ils” (French movie, US title “Them”)? I enjoyed it…until the end, which was kind of whack, for the reasons you mention. I think The Strangers is an unofficial remake of Ils…anyways!
And while I’m rambling on about horror movies and endings–I recently watched The Orpahnage, which I think was a beautiful movie. It had an ending that you don’t see coming, but still a worthwhile one besides being not a HEA…
Anyhoo, hooray for your sister, and for Fox
“Not because of a nihilistic sentiment, but because I love the disilusionment with the “hero” good guy Drayton–he was wrong all along, just like every other fanatic in that supermarket (only his falling was pride, not puritanical religious notions or over-rationalization)”
Oh, I like this. I hadn’t thought of it this way. It wouldn’t change my gut reaction, but I like turning it around and looking at it in this manner — because I do have it in my head that he’s the good guy, and not looking at it in terms of his pride (a view which likely stems from the novella, and that I wasn’t able to shake.) In that sense, it feels more like a tragedy, except that instead of the hero dying, he … yeah, does what he does at the end. I don’t mind tragedies (sigh, and, again, I obviously stick very tightly to classical structures when I look at texts).
I’ve heard about the Orphanage in a few places (did I read a review at your site?) but haven’t gotten it yet. I will check it out.
There is one movie I want to see called The Happening M. Night Shamalyn that sends chills down my spine. I hope the pay off is work the admission to go see it.
As for I Am Legend, they are thinking about a sequel! WTF? Oh no!
The Orphanage is such a send your chills down your spine movie, but also very beautiful in its message. If you saw Pan’s Labyrinth, and enjoyed that movie, you will also enjoy The Orphanage.
I finally watched The Orphanage this past weekend. It was a good film– the ending was the best part of the movie. It was realistic and ethereally poignant at at the same time. Does that make sense? Hmm… I think that’s kind of Guillermo del Toro’s style.
Kate, while I did enjoy The Orphanage, I enjoyed Pan’s Labyrinth so much more.
Wait! Didn’t I say horror’s not my thing?
*sending positive thoughts to your sister*
I totally agree with you about the need for some sort of decent ending/closure. Like the other gal mentioned, the ending of The Mist is utter shite. I went from “Wow that was a great movie” to “OMGWTFBBQ” within a matter of moments, and when it was done, I turned to my husband and told him that I’d just wasted two hours.
Sadly, I think this trend is becoming more prevalent in horror – there’s a lot of films now, so the onus is on to make the ‘edgy’ ending. Did you ever see The Descent? Same pattern – great movie up until the last few minutes, and they leave you with the WTF ending.
I’m very unhappy with this trend.
In fact, I’m still scarred by the Disney Pocahontas (“what do you MEAN they don’t get together at the end?”)
(obviously I am affected, I had to post 2x)
Hi Meljean~
I agree the ending needs to have some meaning to it and the ending definitely plays a part in what I take a way from the movie.
I am not a big horror fan, but there was something about The Strangers that just pulled me to it when it first came out…it may be that I really like Liv Tyler. So, I reluctantly dragged my hubby…very reluctantly…to it. Don’t let my opinion influence you, but I really did not like it. I thought the ending was horrible and the best part of the whole movie happened in the first twenty minutes when they are trying to give you some background on the characters and trying to get you invested in their stories. I left very disappointed.
Jill, exactly! They are indoctrinating the innocent children with this crap!
*ahem*
I’m not crazy, really.
Well, not too crazy.
:innocent face here:
I watched 30 Days of Night recently and was bothered by so many things, I didn’t care by the time I got to the ending. Foremost, those were some wasteful frickin’ vampires. Puddles of blood on the ground everywhere. (I still believe they were really zombies, chewing their way to the brains via the neck—that also explains their inexcusable inelegance.) I also thought 30 days was way too long. By the time “Day 7″ flashed on the screen, I thought all those people should have been long dead. Zombies’ inability to coordinate a systematic house-by-house search was all that saved them…
We’re slowly working our way through the Horror section of Netflix, but it’s really hard to find anything halfway intelligent. We’re not exactly highbrow here, but gratuitous blood splatter is no substitute for real suspense. It becomes macabre comedy after about 20 minutes.
Dude.
I just went to TheMovieSpoiler.com and read the spoiler for The Mist. WTF? I woulda been one pissed off cussin’ girl walking out of that theater. Totally with you on needing a payoff.
That being said, I also checked TheMovieSpoiler.com for The Strangers. It kinda means what you think. Not totally.
I’m not into horror but I do like thrillers. I watched The Mist and almost laughed at the guy for the ending. I mean, how stupid can people be? You save the bullets for when they are absolutely needed! I thought the guy deserved the ending he got – I kept thinking a mother wouldn’t have done something so cavalier.
Then again, I don’t read Stephen King (and after the comment about the guy on the island I continue to believe it’s a good decision for my peace of mind!) so I don’t have the real ending to compare it too.
On that note, I haven’t read the book I Am Legend so I killer loved the movie. Completely and utterly loved the movie. (Could have been the dog Sam and the fact that I have a dog that’s old). What I thought was so sad was that the doctor couldn’t see that the ‘zombies’ for lack of a better word, were more human than he realized.
And maybe it’s just a rumor but I thought The Strangers was based on a real life story.
Aside: I grew up with a father that watched movies where everyone died at the end. I used to get furious when he’d ask me to sit and watch this ‘great’ movie with him and then at the end everyone was dead. Now in his movies the deaths were heroic (except for one where a plane crashed in a desert and everyone was killed by apes – yeah, wasn’t thrilled with that one) so I could see the point but yeah, mad.
Good Luck to your sister and soon to be nephew!!
Cindys
The ending sort of determines the whole experience, what it means, so I’m with you. The ending is critical. (I have been known to ask how a movie ended or read the end of a book before watching/reading the whole thing if I think it’s going to be a “I wasted two hours of my life on this?!” experience.)
I’ll be happy in San Fransisco no matter what, though. See you there!
And oh, don’t even say the ending to X-Files might be a disappointment!
July 18th is the one day I have been waiting for since the summer movie season has begun! It is all about The Dark Knight! :joker:
I went through a horror phase in my teens and what eventually kicked me out of it was a book which had cannabilism as it’s main thing.
Now to say those bits were yuck would be an understatement – but I was into horror, it was meant to yuck.
What put me off and I think it’s the only time I’ve literally thrown a book at the wall – was the ending. I do like to have a ‘proper’ ending. Instead of which I got the hero and heroine who had somehow managed to survive walking off. The last words were something like – And the mad axeman (paraphrasing here remember) who had been stalking them for months crept out of the shadows and followed.
I just remember my teenage self – after suffering through pages and pages of cannabilistic torture – was not impressed with that.
Bye bye horror. Hello historical romance. LOL:lol:
I’m tempted to throw a tantrum and say, that’s it. i’m done with horror movies. Watched Stephen King’s THE MIST last night and man….. I was so pissed off at the end! :brickwall: Sick and TIRED of scary flicks that end so depressingly dismal.