I always start watching a film with the most optimistic of intentions. Delving into a film I know nothing about is exciting and trying to judge a film by it's title alone is usually a futile task (although some may be fairly self-explanatory; Slaughtered Vomit Dolls for example). Free from any hype or expectation is a great way to start to watch a film, it's even how I discovered my personal favorite - Antichrist.
I always remember being very underwhelmed by Halloween as a child. Trick or treating felt a bit awkward, I was never rebellious enough for chucking eggs and I was always disappointed by the lack of horror on late night TV. Maybe it’s the English approach to Halloween coupled with the influence of American culture or maybe I was just a more macabre child than I realised, but I found all the childish ghost stories a bit dull. There was always an anticipation which was never lived up to.
There is apparently an important difference between visiting fancy cocktails bars during happy hour and putting a green Fruit Pastille and an old piece of chewing gum in to a can of special brew and calling it a Hobo's Mojito... a Hobojito? The point is that there is a distinction between 'low budget' and 'cheap'. This is no less true with film. Many of the greatest horror films ever made have been incredibly low budget because working within the restrictions of what is affordable can force film makers to create new and innovative shock tactics. When coupled with the resulting rough aesthetic, low budget indie horror can create more atmosphere and tension than any blockbuster ever could. It takes a lot of skill and ingenuity to make this work and the ratio of failures to successes is extremely heavily swayed towards failure.
