This direct-to-DVD film took a moment to find its audience, but has since become a bona fide modern cult classic. What Trick r Treat did so remarkably well was remind both horror fans and filmmakers that the anthology method of story telling was still relevant and that if done correctly could be highly effective. Trick r Treat differentiated itself from a lot of other anthology films by having the vignettes flow together and intertwine, rather than constraining them to 30 consecutive minutes as had typically been done in the past. The stories were raw and unexpected. Seeing Anna Paquin as a teenage werewolf and Dylan Baker as a homicidal school principal made the point that predators come in unexpected packages. Trick r Treat breathed new life in to the anthology filmmaking. Though it didnt necessarily directly influence the creation of anthology films to come after, Trick r Treat most certainly opened the door for films like The ABCs of Death and V/H/S to be made.
High Tension starts out so peacefully, in a dreamlike state, with two girls driving through the French countryside, and before the viewer knows what hit them, turns in to a nightmare. In addition to being a highly unique film, High Tension was one of the first pictures from the new French extremity movement to make a major impact. Though the plotlines are not necessarily derivative of High Tension, films like Martyrs and Inside may not have had the opportunity to reach the audience they did if it werent for Alexandre Aja making a significant impression on moviegoers with his 2003 splatter-fest. Beyond furthering the viability of the French extremity movement, the film also had a somewhat clever twist ending that viewers either loved or hated. The films home invasion plotline also seemed to ignite new interest in the home invasion sub-genre in the years beyond High Tensions release.
This tale of retail clerk turned zombie hunter has been imitated so many times that its difficult to keep track of all the films Shaun of the Dead has influenced. Shaun of the Dead may have taken some minor cues from films like Return of the Living Dead, but as a whole, the film was a breath of fresh air. It poked fun at itself and at zombie films, in general. It made the zombie comedy a relevant sub-genre and set a benchmark that every zombie comedy since has been compared to. You can see the films inspiration in pictures like A Little Bit Zombie, Tucker and Dale Versus Evil, Lesbian Vampire Killers, Gangsters, Guns, & Zombies, and plenty of others. But, we have yet to see any zombie comedy since do it better.
