IT and the Horror Genre in 2017

Fans and critics alike are raving over the most recent adaptation of the classic Stephen King horror thriller, IT. Offering more than just a glimpse at a terrifying threat that personifies the very essence of evil, Andy Muschietti’s reimagining of the 1990 TV miniseries focuses on the bond and growth of the members of the “Loser’s Club”, a group of children in Derry, Maine who are each terrorized by the antagonizing Pennywise in different ways. By focusing on the children’s tenacity to overcome their individual fears rather than focusing on the spine-chilling fear itself, as many films in the genre do, IT becomes more than just a horror film. And to filmgoers’ great benefit, that is a trend that has been going upwards in recent years.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, IT drew in a scary good $51 million on it’s opening day alone. That means that in a single day, it broke records for the biggest opening in the month September (beating Hotel Transylvania 2), biggest Friday ever for an R-rated film (beating Deadpool), and biggest opening ever for a horror film (beating Paranormal Activity 3, if you include the box office numbers from Thursday early releases). These numbers are huge for box offices as theater attendances had fallen to a 25-year low with seven consecutive below-average weekends.

IT’s box office draw is also significant because it is already the third film in the horror genre to hit the $50 million domestic mark in 2017, matching Annabelle: Creation ($93.5 million so far) and Get Out ($175.5 million), although there are five movies depending on your definition of the genre, as sci-fi horrors Alien: Covenant ($74.3 million) and Life ($100.5 million) also passed the mark. How rare is this? Well, in the previous four years combined, there were only six total films to gross at least $50 million: two in 2016 (Don’t Breathe and The Conjuring 2), zero in 2015, two in 2014 (Saw 10^th Anniversary–so one if we’re only counting new films– and Annabelle), and two in 2013 (The Conjuring and Evil Dead [2013]). But despite five box office successes for the genre already in 2017, there may be more still yet to come. Darren Aronofsky’s highly anticipated psychological horror mother! hits theaters this month along with Jeepers Creepers 3, and in October horror fans will be treated to Cult of Chucky, Leather Face, Snowman, and Jigsaw. The latter four may have difficulties competing with each other at the box office but nevertheless, it is likely that we have not seen the final box office horror hit this year, making 2017 one of the best years in history for the genre.

Of course, money doesn’t determine whether or not a film is actually good– a variety of factors go into that. What makes 2017 even more unique is that the top box office drawers in horror have also gotten favorable ratings as well, something not all too common in the history of the genre. IT currently stands at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes (71 on Metacritic), making it “certified fresh”. Annabelle: Creation has mixed but generally favorable reviews at 68% (62 on Metacritic) and Get Out impressively remains the most highly rated theatrical wide-release of the year at 99% (84 on Metacritic). So what can we take away from all this? Horror fans can rest at ease– or maybe, not rest at all– because horror films are getting better, seeing more success, and perhaps, inducing just a bit more fear into the world.

Wind River

Head over to your favorite theater because moviegoers have been given the perfect film to transition into the next phase of the year. “While missing person statistics are compiled for every other demographic, none exist for Native American women.” Those are the words that fill the screen in the final moments of Taylor Sheridan’s directorial debut of Wind River. The film follows the murder case of a young Native American woman on one of the largest — and certainly one of the most desolate — reservations in the country. Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen present brilliant, career-defining performances, making it easy to forget that they both played Avengers together less than a year ago.

Sheridan, screenwriter of Oscar-nominated films Sicario and Hell or High Water, is the real star of the film. His ability to take a highly sensitive issue and adapt it into an emotional journey about recovering from loss while also putting audiences on a thrill ride that keeps them on the edge of their seats, waiting for a bomb to drop at any moment, is worthy of praise. Already a budding master of building and releasing tension, Sheridan manipulates the audiences’ emotional responses in Wind River. Unlike many thrillers that keep the tension high for much of the film, there is enough time to relax between moments of anxiety to build the tension back up. Like a good roller coaster, this movie shows that the real fear comes while waiting, increasing as the drop gets closer.  

The film might fall somewhat short on action but each sequence in Wind River is purposeful– not a moment is wasted– making it one of the best paced and well written movies in 2017 . Renner (Lambert) and Gil Birmingham’s characters (Martin) share a very touching moment together after Martin learns of the death of his daughter. Since Martin only has a couple of scenes in the film, this could have easily been a throwaway scene. Instead, it is an extremely important scene in the movie that is used to show the strength of Lambert’s character as he uses his own loss to help Martin find solace. It highlights the wilderness theme; you either “survive or you surrender”.

Sheridan’s young résumé is already quite impressive now with three modern American-Western films under his belt. After a summer movie season full of high action, car cashes, explosions and The Emoji Movie, Wind River provides just the right amount of gripping catharsis filmgoers need to refresh and understand the strength that comes from dealing with loss. Plus, the awards season is just around the corner, so you might as well whet your palette with something fresh, thoughtful, Oscar-worthy and truly stimulating before nominations are handed out.