Anatomy of a Serial Horror: Part VI
When it comes to most movies, camp is a four letter word. Think Batman & Robin or Showgirls. With the serial horror, camp can be a good thing. To be honest, the fan of a serial horror is not looking for a summer blockbuster nor an Oscar winning drama. They are looking for a fun movie where they can root for the bad guy as he hacks and slashes his way through a bunch of (typically) stupid kids.
One deviant down, three hundred to go.
In many ways, The Comedy is the second metamorphosis, and ultimate culmination of a serial horror franchise. The first phase being a great movie such as Friday the 13th or Child's Play. The second phase is your run-of-the-mill continuation of the story, such as A Nightmare on Elm Street Part IV: The Dream Warrior or Phantasm II. The third and final phase is when the producers know what they have, and cater to their audience.
Yeah, alright you primitive screwheads, listen up. See this? This.. is my BOOMstick! It's a twelve gauge, double barreled Remington, S-Mart's top-of-the-line. You can find this in the sporting goods department. That's right, this sweet baby was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Retails for about $109.95. It's got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel and hair trigger. That's right. Shop smart. Shop... S-Mart. Ya got that?! Now I swear, the next one of you primitives even touches me...
In the third phase, the movie truly begins to focus on the villain, and lets them loose. Freddy Krueger, who until the recent remake was always played by Robert Englund, who gave the character a bit more of a sense of humor then the typical villain, but he really broke free of his shell by A Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors.
Welcome to prime time, bitch!
Chucky started as simply a murderous doll, but when he began to date again in Bride of Chucky, or worse yet father a child in Seed of Chucky, he achieved new heights, developing a following that could never have been envisioned by the end of Child's Play Part III.
A family that kills together...
Of course, one can not talk about the fun of camp in a serial horror with out a nod to one of my all time favorites Freddy vs Jason, the ultimate in catering to the audience. The internet is filled with ultimate fights. Who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman? Kirk vs Picard? Darth Vader vs Q? Newline Cinema actually answered the question of who would win in a fight, Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees (mostly) by pitting these two epic villains against each other.