My Thoughts on 2000’s Horror
The “Under the Mask” Blog is an online outlet for the “Dont Go Out There” podcast hosts to further add creative content into the horror community.
by: Nicoh Chen
My Thoughts on 2000’s Horror
Back in October 2020 we tried out our very first themed month of movie review picks. It was a blast and it was something we still do now in the present and plan to do in the future. Fast forward to May of 2022 our next theme is brother Mikes theme, 2000s Horror. This is a controversial decade for a lot of horror fans. For myself personally I’m a big fan of this decade. We’ve touched on toxic horror fandom in the past and honestly, it annoys the hell out of me seeing fans just rip this decade apart. If you’re just not a fan of the decade but can be respectful about it I’m fine with it. Let’s jump into why I’m a fan of this decade.
Reason #1 I’m a huge fan of this decade is the nostalgia. I was in middle and high school when these movies came out and if you’re a listener of the show you’ve heard my stories on how big a play nostalgia is for me. Movies like Jeepers Creepers, Saw, the TCM reboot timeline, and of course Freddy Vs Jason (and many more) are a big part of the foundation of what makes me a horror fan, even all the way in 2022. Is nostalgia a good reason to justify liking a decade or horror? Maybe not for all but it is to me! It was the end of the era of going to the blockbusters, movie gallery’s, or your local video store and renting a movie and getting snacks and enjoying a movie the proper way.
Reason #2 is the Saw franchise. To this day, nothing has come close to the level of shock and mind blown-ness (if that’s a word) to the feeling I felt when I first watched the ending of the first Saw. I remember everything about that release. Seeing the trailer on tv and Cary Elwes saying “he doesn’t want us to cut through our chains, he wasn’t us to cut through our feet”. I remember my jaw dropping when Tobin Bell stands up at the end and slams that door saying GAME OVER. That movie changed me as a horror fan. Going to see the Saw films I’m theater became a yearly tradition starting with Saw 4 I believe. I loved the twist endings, the life or death games, trying to figure out what was coming next.
Reason #3 is the reboot/remake aspect. I know for a lot of horror fans the originals can’t be touched. Not in my case! I like the original Texas Chainsaw but I think the reboot is much better and I love its 06 prequel. I’m a big fan of House Of Wax, Friday the 13th, The Hitcher, The Stepfather, The Hills Have Eyes, Dawn Of The Dead. Self admitted I haven’t seen all of the originals but these are all good to great remakes in my opinion. TCM and Friday, honestly at that point, needed a fresh start and I think they got great reboots. Another example would be Mikes pick, The Ring, a movie I wasn’t a huge fan of UNTIL a fresh rewatch. Phenomenal movie.
Reason #4 the great 1 off horror movies and jumpstarts to new franchises. If you look through a lot of our episodes there’s been quite a few great 1 offs in the 2000s. For example, Bryan’s picks of The Descent and Jennifer’s Body, The Orphan, The Strangers (my favorite home invasion flick, Joy Ride, Vacancy, Dead Silence, Dustin’s picks of Sweeney Todd and American Psycho, Exorcism Of Emily Rose, with so many more to name. New franchises we got were Final Destination and Paranormal Activity. After the slasher franchises began to die off and become more reboot/remake centered we had two new franchises (a lot of) people are all big fans of now.
Reason #5 Freddy Vs Jason. If you ask most viewers if this movie and look at the IMDbs and Rotten Tomato’s of the world most would say this is average at best. However, to me it holds a big place in my heart. I grew up a HUGE Jason Voorhees fan. I’ve said it many times Jason Lives was the first ever horror movie I ever watched as a kid. It stuck with me forever. Freddy Vs Jason was the first horror movie I watched in the theaters. It’s stuck with me all this time. Seeing the trailer on tv, reading about it in magazines at Walmart. Self admitted not a perfect movie but very fun and special to me. Also interviewing the two stars of the film, Robert Englund and Ken Kirzinger, both interviews are available at dontgooutthere.com (Bryan Voice) makes it just that much more special.
Anywho I’m gonna conclude this blog here. I’m a big fan of this decade of horror and I’m so happy Mike picked this as a theme. It takes me back to a special time in my life that I’ll cherish forever. If it wasn’t for this decade of horror I might not be on this show. Hell there may not be a Don’t Go Out There. Thank you for reading if you made it all the way to the end and I hope you tune in to our 2000s themed picks!