HORROR is a grossly misunderstood genre, people blow it off as B level entertainment but some of the most influential filmmakers of all time are JOHN CARPENTER and ALFRED HITCHCOCK who have been emulated obsessively by countless filmmakers working today. WHY? Because they harnessed GENRE filmmaking, got people to buy a ticket - scared the pants off of them and also created meaningful and entertaining storytelling.
Quentin Tarantino finding another mega success in his latest film ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD which is really a WESTERN genre film (Tarantino’s last film was inspired by John Carpenter’s THE THING) and his obsession with using Kurt Russel is also a product of his love for John Carpenter's work. John Carpenter himself taking and making elements of THE WESTERN to create his films - no doubt using Kurt Russel as his JOHN WAYNE. Tarantino is constantly referencing horror filmmaker John Carpenter just as ONE major example of the horror genre’s enduring impact - it is too large to fathom. The HORROR film is vital.
We need great characters for the HORROR FILM to work. We must LOVE them and want them to win and sometimes they do...other times they ultimately fail - that is the TERROR. We can fail too if we don't communicate, if we don't try our best, if we take life for granted, if we underestimate evil, if we tamper with forces beyond us, if we are greedy, if we fail to work together...and so many more lessons.
Steven Spielberg put it best when he said...
"After a scary movie about the world almost ending, we can walk into the sunlight and say, "Wow, everything's still here. I'm OK!" We like to tease ourselves. Human beings have a need to get close to the edge and, when filmmakers or writers can take them to the edge, it feels like a dream where you're falling, but you wake up just before you hit the ground."