Around the metaphorical water-cooler, some co-workers and I recently discussed the surge of 3D movies that have been made over the past few years. We were talking about all of our previous theater trips and how a good majority of the films we saw were in the third dimension. And, it got me thinking: Is Hollywood just recycling a short-lived fad from the 70s and 80s or is the new technology making this the future of movies?
During the 1970s and 80s, there was no such thing as digital or 1080p. High Definition was not even a thought. When people wanted to go see a movie at the theater, they went and they saw a movie the old fashioned way: film stock with standard definition. The only variety movie-goers saw in that time period was when the 3D technology made its first appearance into the mainstream.
While the technology had a place in cinema since the 1950s with films like the original House of Wax (The film that gave Vincent Price the name “King of 3D”) and It Came From Outer Space, it was not used a lot until the 80s. Movies like Friday the 13th: Part 3, Amityville 3D and Jaws 3D were just a few of the horror films that were well-received among movie-goers. In this era, people had to put on the cardboard glasses with the red and blue tinted lenses.
But when it proved to be a costly and unnecessary novelty, it stopped being used. And those ridiculous glasses faded away.
But that was then.
Now, actual film has been replaced to make distribution cheaper. This, in turn, makes it cheaper to capitalize on the more advanced 3D technology.
This has made the movie viewing experience so much more different. Because a lot of theater companies have completely gotten rid of film as a whole and have converted all of the screens to being HD ready, the return of a now updated, reinvigorated 3D experience was almost inevitable.
So, what does this mean for modern horror?
It means that soon, very soon, we will all be “treated” to a heavy dose of scary stuff in the third dimension. It means that movie studios are attempting to take horror back to the campy, novelty style of the 80s. Most of the films slated to make the jump to 3D are either remakes or sequels that include:
-Silent Hill: Revelations 3D
-Piranhas 3DD (hehehe)
-Halloween 3D
-Dracula 3D
-Underworld: New Dawn 3D
-Re-Animator 3D
…Just to name a few.
So with the list of upcoming 3D horror flicks continuing to grow, the question still looms: Is this just an updated version of an old fad, or is the new technology paving the way for 3D to take over screening rooms forever?
Sound off!
Let me know what you think.
This is unrelated to horror, but I went with my sister and my 5-year-old niece to see the Yogi Bear movie in 3D. On my own, I’m not sure I would get too excited (and pay extra bucks) to see a 3D movie unless it is appropriate for 3D. Yogi Bear pandered to the genre with deliberate uses of 3D. Sometimes it seemed like it didn’t fit the film, but the film was fit around it. Although I didn’t see it, the recent James Cameron film seemed to fit the mold of a film that was a natural for 3D. I think it is just going to take time for people to get used to making movies that fit instead of making movies for 3D.
Exactly! Perhaps my biggest problem with 3D of any genre is when I see a film that was made specifically to show off the technology. James Cameron did something good with Avatar because he created that film to fit the 3D market. It looked natural and therefore didn’t run the risk of throwing the audience off and confusing them. I haven’t seen Yogi Bear, but I have gone to the theater to see 3D films that have been made to fit around the 3D. It doesn’t work that way and it shouldn’t work that way. That is a sign that filmmakers are trying to hard to cash in on what I think is just a redone version of an old fad.