If anyone actually pays attention to the author names on these posts, you might recall a piece I wrote last month on why technology is ruining horror stories. If I were to sum up that post in one sentence, it would probably be, "go read the post." However, there was something I said in that post that I didn't think much of at the time, but another something recently reminded me of it, and I realized I had more to say about it.
The first 'something' was how sentient AIs are seemingly the next big horror monster. At the time, I dismissed the notion as already conquered by the likes of Skynet and HAL, but there was one famous fictional AI I neglected to mention, and though you may not know him now, I guarantee you will come next year.
The reason for that is the aforementioned second 'something,' and oh, what a beautiful something it is. I'm talking of course about the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer that everyone needs to go and watch right now. The trailer doesn't reveal much about the story, but it speaks volumes about the tone of the movie - namely, that it doesn't look like a kids' movie. As much as I love the first Avengers film, I won't deny that aspects of it are obviously meant more for children and families. The sequel, however, looks to be taking on a much deeper, more serious tone. Set to a morbid and creepifying distortion of Pinocchio's "I've Got No Strings," the shots of a mangled, puppet-like Ultron shuffling across the floor, or of Captain America's broken shield seem to imply that this movie will be above all else, scary.
"But Dan, why does this seem scary? I thought Terminators and HAL had cornered the market on sentient AI horror?"
You see, the catch is something I never would have thought of had it not been for this trailer - taking characters that audiences know and love, and throwing them into horror stories. Many horror stories today have the disadvantage of needing to convince people why they should care about these characters, even when the audience already knows that they're in a horror story. How did Marvel and Joss Whedon get around this? They made all of their other Iron Man and Captain America films so far seem joyous and carefree, so that the audience was lulled into a sense of security about these characters. "Nothing bad could possibly happen, right?"
Wrong. The Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer is exactly the remedy the horror genre needed - taking beloved characters, and pitting them against horrific creatures, rather than making characters tailored for the story they're in. Imagine putting Frodo and Sam into Insidious, or Shrek and Donkey into The Conjuring. It might confuse audiences at first, but you can bet they'll be worried for the characters' lives.
Did I expect something like a trailer for a superhero movie to inspire me to revisit an old idea on this blog? Of course not. Am I going to be seeing Avengers: Age of Ultron opening night? Absolutely, and not just because I'm a fan of superhero movies, or a fan of horror movies, but because I'm a fan of both, and I have a good feeling that it might just be one of my favorite horror stories of the postmodern age.
No comments:
Post a Comment