It seems like every year, after a few consecutive horror flops in theaters, someone declares the horror genre dead. Last year it was the N.Y. Times. I hate to be the one to do it this year, but with Lloyd Kaufman claiming his company Troma is struggling, and the news of New Line and Tartan Films going broke, it does make one wonder if the small horror world is in trouble. Meanwhile, the Hollywood remake machine is still raking in the dollars and with franchises like Saw still pulling their weight, we know that the horror genre itself as a whole is not struggling. So this is not Horror Yearbook declaring the genre dead, but we are simply wondering if the independent market has been suffering from too many distribution companies flooding us with garbage.

The popular belief is that the horror movie is a sure moneymaker. Films can be produced for cheap, it has a built in fan base waiting to spend money, and with online companies like Amazon and Netflix it is easier than ever to get the product out there, however they still need to take it easy on the fan. While a lot of horror fans will give most things a try, they are not ATM machines or mindless masses that will watch anything. Too much of a bad thing will turn off even the most diehard enthusiasts and make them search other genres for their entertainment. Although most fans will not stay away for long, scare up enough at the same time and the genre itself will suffer.

The independent market does seem to be going down that dangerous road of “too much of a bad thing.” Marvel Comics learned the hard way that trading in great writing and art for too many “special editions” and cheap gimmicks turned fans off. This caused them to go bankrupt in 1996 and forced them to start turning out more quality comics to gain fan’s trust back. Nevertheless, they were one company that learned a lesson and were able to bounce back. The problem with the horror world is we have too many distribution companies, directors and producers turning out shit without any worries about the final product. It is a recipe for disaster; just ask After Dark Films, a company that has put more effort into their marketing than their movies and are starting to feel the backlash of scorned horror fans.

Hollywood genre films are fueled by good marketing, star power, and the general public following the horror fan’s lead into theaters. This lets them get away with continuing to make piss poor snooze fests over and over. The direct to video market is fueled by the horror fans alone and they are much less forgiving, so quality over quantity is a must these days. Years ago when there was less entertainment adding to our distraction, low-budget movie makers may have been able to get away with a little less effort because the horror fan was willing to do a little more hunting to find the diamonds in the rough. But these days with so much amusement at our disposal, the distractions have gotten greater and competition for our dollar and attention much harder. The Internet and blogging also made it easier for people to let one another know what not to waste their time on. So why does it seem there are more horror movies on the shelves than ever, but less and less great ones?

One of the reasons is that the people running the show have no clue what is good or not. For every Bill Lustig and Blue Underground company, there are 5 more clowns armed with marketing degrees and no knowledge of the genre calling the shots. This is where independent films share a common problem with studio-made films. The suits are deciding what gets produced and released in a creative world instead of the creative people themselves. Of course making your own “art” means you can distribute it on your own, but this is also another reason why the market may be being flooded. It seems to be too easy and cheap enough for anybody to make a horror film these days, so we are stuck with even more self-distributed, cheap garbage on top of everything else.

I once interviewed author Greg Solis (Rise and Walk) on why self-published authors are so looked down upon and he told me:

“As more self published authors work hard and produce quality work, the POD stigma may diminish. I say MAY because it will depend on those authors realizing the responsibility that is involved in self-publishing. We all have to raise the bar.”

So I ask why aren’t the “independent filmmakers” held to the same standards? Having more than one idiot torture us with their movie seems like a far worse crime than one person writing a bad book. Instead filmmakers get patted on the back while hiding behind the “making a film is hard work” excuse.

Do me a favor- save yourself the hard work and me the time by not making shitty movies at all. The fans and the horror genre will be better off because of it.

So “Is the independent horror market in trouble?” I doubt it. Longtime companies like Full Moon and POP Cinema are still around. And while the lesser sloppy labels will crash and burn, better companies like Dimension Extreme, who are actually taking the time to release decent flicks, are rising out of their ashes. Although it may be sad to see The House Freddy Built and companies like Tartan die, the big-budget, low-budget and micro-budget horror film is here to stay. Unfortunately the burden is on the horror fans shoulders to be a little more forgiving, less whiny and do a little more hunting to help it stay stronger then ever.