Guillermo Del Toro On Why Classic Horror Movie Monsters Aren’t Working

Things aren’t going too well with the Dark Universe. Earlier this year saw the release of The Mummy, and while the film should have kicked off a big shared universe, instead, it seemed to have nailed the proverbial coffin shut.

Now, the big follow-up, Bride of Frankenstein, has been delayed indefinitely, the franchise runners have vacated their roles, and the decorated offices over at Universal are all but empty.

RELATED – Dark Universe Producers Exit, Is Universal’s Shared Universe In Trouble?

Clearly things aren’t going too well for the classic monsters. Speaking with Screen Rant, horror master Guillermo del Toro discussed why he believed they weren’t clicking with audiences.

“I think that there is a postmodern attitude towards the genre that tries to disarm or disassemble the genre in a postmodern way and I think that when you approach characters with earnest love, it’s a lot less safe because you’re not above the material. You are high on your own supply and it’s easier to be ironic, so I think that’s part of it. But then you have ambivalent things like Jordan Peele nailing it and making it not ironic, but reflexive. And he’s a fusion of reverence and intelligence. It’s a good year for the genre for sure.”

That’s a real intellectual way of saying it, but in short, del Toro is saying that studios are trying to hard to skew from the style and tone of the classics. As a result, they’re picking apart the tropes in ineffective ways, and ultimately alienating the viewers who love it.

It’s a problem that’s been going on for a while, and Dracula Untold is another film that shows they really don’t appreciate how to utilize their characters.

Instead, what they need to be doing is capitalizing on the genuine horror of the characters and their history. As del Toro stated, a genuine approach like Peele’s in Get Out tends to reap more benefits when done properly.

Do you agree with del Toro? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Screen Rant

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