Nightmares in Red White and Blue

[Spookyfinder]

Over the Weekend I saw a Horror Doc. with the same Title and it got me wondering...

Though the fact that Horror Films themselves tell a type of story about the climate they were written in is not a foreign one to me. I've written several thesis papers on the very subject (The Cold War and Horror, and 1970s Horror/exploitation The dissection of Normal Rockwell's "American Dream") But neither of these would interest many...

I believe, we show alot about what we are going through as a nation, and a civilization through art, and film.

I know a good amount of Haunters are avid Horror fans, and their inspirations show in their work.

Stripped down, without calling all these similarities between Haunt and Film complete Mimicry, do you think we would shift our fears to play off the fears of the masses.

Though I haven't been able to track much, it just makes me wonder thanks to travel channel, and others who have come to documenting all of America's top haunts. In 10 years we will have much to go back and observe, will it tell us about the times we are in now?

Isn't a Haunted Attraction just a collective horror movie?, acted out live everynight, as a living breathing film?

The only current example that may come to mind is House of Torment. Who have had a high amount of military type monsters, and advertising. Could this be later described as answering to modern Americans and the war in Iraq?

These are just random thoughts, I may look into writing but about this in the future...

[Global Fear Enterprises]

Great topic. I believe true horror is best when its a reflection of a society and the times we are living in. Just as Romero visualized his dead movies as a correlation of the civil rights movement, every great artist is inspired and moved to create art by being acclimated by his surroundings. I believe this a refreshing view on horror and the haunt industry because it forces haunters to press the envelope and not acquiesce to boo scares and predisposed contrived themes. Its easy to lease an empty strip mall building, allocate huge funds your build and have it look just like the industry standards and wrap your coca cola logo around it calling it original. This is a problem i see in the horror and haunted industry today. Huge sets and animatronics replacing true organic fear. Our haunts have become pretty amusement parks absent of the basic ingredient of fear.

For the past 3 years i designed the House of Torment from the decline of our society and standing as a nation viewed by the rest of the world. Channeling my views of our endless war on terror into art and creating the apocalyptic themed attraction seemed fitting for the time. Its wasn't Dracula in a cape or Freddy with claws in a dungeon. Its a suit case nuke going off in your suburb and having Fema round you and your neighbors up into reeducation camps. Horrors fun and gimmicky dressed in a black cape with fangs but its no laughing matter when the real thing comes to roost in your backyard and thats what I strive to do with my art. Disturb, assault, offend and most important, make you think. Its time to man up and let your fear mature and quit playing it safe. We need a renaissance and an awakening in the industry, otherwise were all just wearing really expensive bed sheets and yelling boo from the shadows.