Horror movie endings (minor 1408 spoiler)

[gschneider]

Okay, after completing a watching of the relatively fantastic 1408 last night, a friend mentioned that they didn't think it could qualify as a Horror movie because - it ended "good" with the hero overcoming the evil, etc.

Anyone who has watched a bunch of horror lately knows of this trend - that either things end badly form teh beginning or there is a scene where the herror escapes/conquerors/defeats evil and then the movie ends with a sudden reappareance of the evil and then credits. This was even spoofed at the end of the animated "Monster House" to great effect.

Anyway, the argument goes that a true horror movie has to continue on past the end, so as to give an open and continuous feel to the horror to the viewers. The sense that the evil isn't over will add to the horrorific-ness of the movie as our imaginations continue to play out what happens next. But if you end it without those hints, then the movie has less effect.

I was curious other peoples thoughts about whether evil or good winning making a better horror film?

Greg

[ShannonA]

That's a good question that I've had trouble picking sides on. Certainly The Blair Witch Project stands out in my head more than any other horror movie, and we know how that ends.

I still have a shiver go up my spine when I see one of my cats sitting, starting into a corner.

[Something Else]

I don't think that's true. I think that's just a dramatic convention that we've become used to lately - and which 1408 played off of for dramatic effect by faking us out (twice, actually.) A lot of classic horror - Dracula, Frankenstein, and indeed most monster movies - ends with a victory for good, even if it comes at a cost. The "psychological horror" genre to which 1408 belongs is less likely to end well... but there's nothing saying it can't happen.