Self-Referential Horror Films: Love Letters to the Genre

Horror films have become something of a joke over the last decade or so. Many American horror films in recent years have been either remakes of either classic horror films(Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Nightmare on Elm Street) or Americanized versions of popular Asian titles (Pulse, The Ring, The Grudge).

Despite some foreign gems like “The Descent” and “High Tension”, the horror genre has unfortunately hit a lull in creativity. Even though horror films have become mostly stagnant, directors have been able to take advantage of the genre’s obvious conventions and craft original works that are both self-referential and capable of becoming classic in their own right.

Though meta horror films have existed for years, their recent resurgence has brought us some of the best examples of the genre in the last decade. This is a look at some these love letters to the horror genre throughout the years.

Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Directed by: Dan O’ Bannon

Starring: Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Matthews, Miguel Nunez and Linnea Quigley

Plot: Return of the Living Dead deals with the exposure of two dimwit warehouse employees to airborne military toxin that re-animates the dead. When the chemical escapes into a nearby cemetery, partying teens have to survive a night filled with sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. And pesky corpses with a craving for brains.

Best reference: Loosely tying the film into George Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead through some clever dialogue.

Night of the Creeps (1986)

Directed by: Fred Dekker

Starring: Tom Atkins, Jason Lively, Jill Whitlow and Steve Marshall

Plot: Night of the Creeps follows two young college nerds dealing with the release of a deadly alien leech that turns it’s hosts into mindless zombies. With the help of a worn down old cop (played by genre veteran Tom Atkins), the geeks have to save the day and possibly get the girl.

Best reference: The use of famous horror filmmakers’ names (Romero, Carpenter, Raimi, etc.) for the central characters.

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

Michael Dougherty’s “Trick ‘r Treat” provides a great example of self-referential horror.

Directed by: Wes Craven

Starring: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Miko Hughes and John Saxon

Plot: Wes Craven returns to Elm Street in this meta horror film. Heather Langenkamp, star of the original Nighmare on Elm Street plays herself as she prepares to film a new installment in the series. When she discovers the truth behind the Freddy Krueger legend, she fights the killer to save the life of her young son.

Best reference: Wes Craven telling Langenkamp (and the audience) a dramatized version of the story that inspired him to create the Nightmare on Elm Street series.

Scream (1996)

Directed by: Wes Craven

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan and Jamie Kennedy

Plot: A group of teenagers are stalked by an enigmatic killer with a love of horror films. Using a cell phone and a really big knife, the killer slaughters the teens one by one as Sydney Prescott (Campbell) tries to uncover the truth and survive the chaos.

Best reference: Randy’s (Kennedy) speech describing the rules of the horror genre to partying teens as they break those very rules.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Directed by: Edgar Wright

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis and Bill Nighy

Plot: Shaun(Pegg) is a down-on-his-luck salesman who finds his boring life turned upside down when a zombie epidemic sweeps across England. As he tries to rescue his estranged girlfriend and his beloved “mum”, Shaun must overcome the odds in this hilarious and gory film.

Best reference: A musical cue taken directly from George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Directed by: Michael Dougherty

Starring: Dylan Baker, Rochelle Aytes, Anna Paquin and Brian Cox

Plot: An anthology of Halloween-themed tales, the film follows various characters through intertwining stories. These stories include serial killers, werewolves and a childlike creature named Sam, who punishes anyone that breaks the sacred rules of Halloween.

Best reference: Brian Cox’s character being modeled after legendary horror guru John Carpenter.

Zombieland (2009)

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin

Plot: The story follows “Columbus” (Eisenberg), a young man journeying across the ruined landscape of America in the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse. After meeting a hilarious and destructive redneck named “Tallahassee (Harrelson)”, the two travel and meet others along the way; searching for love, sanctuary and Twinkies.

Best reference: Colombus’ rules to surviving the zombie apocalypse reference many zombie films.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Directed: Drew Goddard

Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford

Plot: Five college kids take a trip to a, you guessed it, cabin in the woods. When they discover an old diary they re-awaken an ancient family of pain-worshipping zombies out for blood. Nothing is as it seems however, and they soon discover the true secrets behind the horrific events surrounding them.

Best reference: The mention of a certain fan-favorite creature from the Evil Dead series.