Should Hollywood Rely on the Power of the Reboot?

GWDT Reboot

3 Reasons Why Studios Should Reconsider Pressing the Reset Button for Waning Franchises.

On the surface, the recent success of Halloween(2018) appears to be another instance of Hollywood salvaging a once captivating franchise by rebooting and erasing everything save for the beloved premiere entry. The film’s resonance with audiences in the form of earning more revenue at the box office than any other sequel to the 1978 original (and at a cost-effective budget to boot) serves as evidence that rebooting past properties is one of the most potent storytelling tools in a movie studio’s arsenal. More and more film franchises are becoming reliant on this technique. Just this week we will see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series receive a “soft” reboot of sorts, as despite featuring the same characters from the American 2011 Fincher film, The Girl in the Spider’s Web will have all new actors and will skip the two sequels of the original story.

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Halloween (2018) Review

Halloween 2018 Review 4

3 out of 4 stars (3 / 4)

After a string of misguided sequels, Halloween’s refocus on Laurie Strode combined with nostalgia fueled moments proves that the boogeyman is still very much alive.

After more than a decade’s worth of sequels, reboots, and retcons, the Halloween series has been left with the unenviable task of figuring out where to go next with the iconic masked serial killer. Rather than completely reboot the series yet again, writer and director David Gordon Green has concocted the simple solution of merely continuing from where the beloved 1978 classic left off and ignoring every entry that has followed. Despite being a drastic maneuver, the film wisely focuses on original material and avoids throwing out the baby with the bathwater, as this is arguably the first sequel that feels remotely up to par with original.

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Can Horror Movies Cure Anxiety?

Are Horror Movies the Cure for Anxiety

Studies indicate that despite seeming counterintuitive, the act of being frightened from horror stories can lead to a decrease in feelings of stress.

With horror tales Hereditary and The Nun recently soaring at the box office, it’s clear that moviegoers continue to be drawn to the depraved. The question continually arises, why are we curious about witnessing horrific events befalling typically innocent and likeable individuals? Horror expert Stephen King suggests that we as a society use horror movies as a way of satisfying our unconsciously insane fantasies to balance us and maintain our mental health overall. While that is a provocative claim, in my experience there is more to the answer.

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