Sequel-itis (or..none of this is new)

Ookay, so that's alla da mooveez....

Phew...

You probably noticed from all those, how Hollyood definitely seems to love the sequel.

Well, yes, they do, despite Conservative rhetoric, your typical businessman is a chickenshit, and they love to bet on the sure thing.

Oh, they'll take a crazy risk every now and then, and surprise the hell out of you, but, whenever they can grunt out 7 Saws into the litterbox, and have a 6 ton cube of Benjamins drop on their heads, they're happy to do that too.

But is this really a NEW phenomenon?

Not really.

Let's just gaze backward a bit...

From 1958 to 1973, Hammer studios produced 7, count 'em 7 Christopher Lee Dracula films!

From 1957 to 1974, again by Hammer, there were 6 Frankenstein films.

Further back, from 1931 to 1948 (counting Abbot and Costello) there are 8 Frankenstein's Monster films under the Universal banner.

Even further back, you had the Alan Quartermain novel series, those ran from the 1880's to the 1920's, it has 16 entries, and they were all over the fucking place.
Sequels, prequels, in-between-quels...
Check out this timeline.

So, prequels, and jumpy timelines aren't even new...

You want long ass series, and tangled timelines?
Get a load of Frank Baum's Oz universe.
Go ahead, read all of that, I dare you.

And reboots?
Not new.
Any recasting, or new production of  a play is essentially a "remake", and a remake that throws away enough of the old, is what is considered nowadays as a "reboot".
And plays go all the way back to fuckin' Rome.

And horror, even of the gory variety, isn't new.
People have been killing each other a looooong fucking time.
And people have been writing some of it down.
Enough to fill...well, libraries.

It's ancient stuff, kids, don't let the salesmen act like it's all invented since you were born.

Cuz, that's how they get ya.
They make you think all this sex and violence they want to "protect", you from is this latest disease to come along like bird flu, or monkey pox, and you need to be cured.
And the cure is to take your fucking movies and music away.
And substitute some state approved zombie noise.
Always.

And these people aren't new either.
There were "concerned parents", trying to snip Hercules's balls off in the day.

We've been over this ground before.

We'll probably do it again.

I draw both horror, and comfort from this.

Me, I'm just in it for the fuckin' movies.
I'm haplessly dragged into the free speech warrior stuff whenever the assholes get in my way.

To quote Dr. Frankenfooter " It's not easy having a good time! Even smiling makes my face ache!".

Up next, HALLOWEEN!! (the day, not the film)