10) Hollywood Horror Show
Hollywood has not birthed a genuinely scary (let alone good) horror movie in 25 years, maybe even longer. Not only does this oft overlooked genre get viciously savaged by awards panels and critics alike, but Hollywood seemed to stop trying after the 80’s as far as I can tell. In contrast, there are some genuinely brilliant and terrifying TV shows hitting us in the fear glands. From The Walking Dead, to The Haunting of Hill House and even more obscure titles like Inside Number Nine or Room 104 (I implore you to check this one out) TV is becoming the ultimate format for fright. Maybe that’s just it – spreading fear out over 10 or so episodes can surely offer a more impending sense of dread than knowing in 88 minutes time you’ll be safe at home under your duvet.
11) Look Who’s Watching Now!
Hollywood has historically and consistently pulled in the punters since before the word punters existed. Although upon researching for this article I came across a study on statista.com. This poll outlines TV and Cinema viewership across the U.S.A. and on average, 70% of Americans watch TV on a weekly basis, in contrast, fewer than 4% visit the cinema with this regularity. Now there are several things to consider when using this as an argument for TV. It costs more money to go to the cinema these days than to pay for three streaming subscriptions and satellite TV, but maybe that’s part of the problem, not an excuse. In these financially vexing times, it stands to reason that if cinemas keep hiking their prices, viewership will fall…into the longing arms of TV.
12) Binge Watching
Who wants to pay a small fortune to go and watch a 90-minute presentation of what some studio thinks you want and then cough up an arm and a leg for substandard popcorn? When for a few quid a month you can enjoy 10 hours of something you actually DO want to watch, at your own leisure. You can watch Peaky Blinders in its entirety if your little heart desires (I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s certainly one way to live). Conversely you have the option to spread that bad boy out over several months. What else? I hear you ask, well you also don’t have to wait a year for the continuation of a story you’re invested in, and 10 years in some cases (Damn Cameron). In general, you tend to be given an extra slice every week until the conclusion of the season. Even more increasingly, shows are being beamed straight to us in their entirety with no need to wait around at all. What a time to be alive.
13) What’s Next?
Is TV really the new Hollywood? Will we ever see another Kubrick? Who framed Roger Rabbit? Who knows really (except the last one)? All I know is that TV has picked up where Hollywood dropped off. It’s taking strides Hollywood has never considered and is becoming more and more viewer-centric with every tantalising episode. Meanwhile, Hollywood appears to be shrugging its shoulders listlessly and trying to stop sexually harassing everyone. Netflix is soaring ahead in this field with its feature length episode of hit show Black Mirror: Bandersnatch being a choose your own adventure episode. This is a truly immersive experience putting the audience in charge of the protagonist’s decisions. While this is somewhat limited in its execution and storyline, it’s new, it’s exciting, and it’s something that the powers that be in Hollywood’s elite haven’t dreamt up. This affords us a sense of where the future is headed, TV seems to be the front runner in shaping what’s to come and if it can corner the more indie and arthouse markets, the future could be very exciting indeed.
Olly Krizan
