Modern cinema is ruled by executives that prioritize profit over making worthwhile horror films, further implementing their focus on constructing cash-grab projects that are all hype with zero substance. Film studios must realize that the horror genre is not about senseless violence, but is an art form that exposes the conflict and hypocrisies that we face as a society.
We have seen films like the rebooted “A Nightmare on Elm Street” from 2010, a highly criticized film as it was a shot by shot copy, which culminated in a stale, uninventive, soulless viewing experience in comparison to Wes Craven’s original 1984’s “A Nightmare on Elm Street”
“The entertainment industry’s campaign to create remakes and sequels is what is causing the lack of faith in quality content many of us audience members have. Releasing and creating content only for capitalizing on more views just adds to the agenda of corporate greed,” stated Anika Yoder from The Reflector. It has become clear Hollywood is stuck on repeat by trying to stretch these iconic horror franchises paper thin.
This sequel epidemic is seen in films like the recent “Scream 7”, which uses nostalgia-bait as Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Scott Foley, Matthew Lillard, and Laurie Metcalf all reprised their roles in hopes to bring a spark back to the franchise. The film is forgettable, reiterating the same repetitive formula with zero invention, and adding no depth to the original movie.
“If they make the films right, then it’s gonna be entertaining, but if they do too much or not enough, the movies are going to be watered down and brought with no plot,” stated QUEST freshman, Ty Bradley.
Reboots and sequels all symbolize the true heartlessness of executives who have lost sight of originality and creativity in movies, their evident laziness only proves the prioritization of earnings over innovation. Simply hiding behind uninspired, viscous gore to over compensate for the lack of substance and plot.
Johan Monsivaiz • Mar 31, 2026 at 1:40 pm
This article is really good at showing the comparisons between original films and their remakes. Terrazas describes how the Scream franchise is putting out sequels and how the last one was relying heavily on bringing back old fan favorite characters. This example demonstrates how Hollywood is becoming more and more uncreative.
One thing this article could have benefited from is giving an example of a horror movie reboot or sequel that actually brought something new to the table. As someone who doesn’t usually watch many horror movies, I still like knowing whether or not recent movies are good. However, showing the movie posters side by side of recent films with their originals was a good move
All in All, this article was very interesting and informative regarding the state Hollywood right now
Sincerely,
Johan Monsivaiz
Chloe Garica • Mar 31, 2026 at 10:55 am
On March 26, 2026, Alyssa Terrazas Wrote an article entitled “Horror Movie Reboots and Sequels are terrifying uncreative”. This article initially caught my attention as someone who enjoys watching horror movies. Terrazas elaborates on the common belief in the horror community that sequels tend to be uncreative. I enjoyed this article and I have to agree with Terraza’s claim about horror movie reboots and sequels. Throughout the article she expresses the idea that reboots and sequels lose the originality and creativity from the first movie because of corporate greed. Companies now tend to prioritize earnings over innovation because they know the original films have a loyal fanbase that will follow. She elaborates on how the new “Scream 7” film follows this epidemic by using members from the original cast with a large loyal fan base. However, she shares how the film follows a repetitive format with no invention and adds no depth to the storyline. I enjoyed this article and how it has expanded my knowledge on horror reboots and sequels.
Parker Mills • Mar 31, 2026 at 9:29 am
Being someone who loves film, I found this article immediately intriguing. I love how this article takes head on the issue of movie remakes (or reboots) in recent years and agree fully with the stance taken. I feel that the point made about these movie remakes being made for profit is a really strong point and helps to highlight the reason for the release of these dull movies. I think that a point could also be made for people in the film industry failing to put time into coming up with new ideas for movies. I like how you pointed out the fact that Hollywood is able to get people hooked on these films with the nostalgia that they offer. In fact, you can see this in more areas than just the horror industry, such as the new Harry Potter series that is coming out soon which is the same exact story as the movie but in series form. All in all, I feel that this article made truly important points regarding the Horror industry and its reboots and feel that more effort should be put into the making of original films.
Carlee Zabel • Mar 30, 2026 at 12:57 pm
This article was a very interesting read for me, and I really enjoyed it. The title was what initially drew me to this article, as someone who is interested in film, and also enjoys watching horror movies. It is evident that Terrazas has done her research, and feels passionately about this topic. Throughout the article, there is ample evidence and examples that prove the point that most modern horror movies and reboots lack plot, and instead focus on unoriginal clickbait to simply get more money. Her conclusions also back up the fact that Hollywood is a dying industry that lacks the creative geniuses that used to make movies, replacing them with money hungry corporations. I especially liked the personal quotes she added throughout the piece, which brings a sense of familiarity and confidence in Terrazas’ claims. Overall, this was a very insightful read and I enjoyed reading something that fits my personal interests.
Olivia Vits • Mar 30, 2026 at 11:33 am
Personally, I do not usually watch horror movies but this article truly changed my perspective on the genre and the industry behind it. I believe the writer does an excellent job exposing how modern studios prioritize profit over originality. Furthermore, she provides many great examples of movies, like the 2010 reboot of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and the recent “Scream 7”. These clearly show how repetition and nostalgia are being used instead of creativity and meaningful storytelling. I especially appreciated how the article emphasized that horror is more than just violence and that it really reflects society’s fears and conflicts. That idea made me realize how much potential is wasted when studios rely on cash-grabbing projects instead of coming up with new ideas. Overall, this piece is thoughtful and well-supported. It encourages readers’ to expect more from filmmakers and reminds us why originality and creativity in horror movies matter.
Ella Nguyen • Mar 30, 2026 at 11:08 am
Alyssa Terrazas formulated a well-written article that revealed the true nature of the current horror movie film industry. She opened with a concrete claim, introducing that the movie industry is lacking innovation and focuses too much on profit. This was enhanced when Terrazas mentioned “Scream 7”, a sequel to a well-known horror movie franchise, and her insight of repetition and the movie’s strategies that attempt to hook the audience.
As a suggestion, I would recommend an addition of an opinion from an adult or a teacher, who is part of the American public, on the development of horror movies because it can highlight a new perspective from someone older who could have seen the original horror movies from when they first came out. Nonetheless, I commend Terrazas for including a quote from another media outlet, The Reflector, who may have more credibility as an information source. Furthermore, the incorporation of a student opinion was well-done because it considered the main audience of fellow students, creating a connection between the article’s evidence and beliefs and the readers. Therefore, Terrazas overall created a wonderful article that provided proof and confirmation for what the horror film industry needs at the moment, which is creativity and change.
Lindsey Sylva • Mar 30, 2026 at 10:41 am
I found the article to be deeply enlightening about the current film industry’s priorities, with profit trumping quality. The article allowed me to make connections between not only what is happening with the horror film industry, but with the majority of filmography today. Many people are continuing to lose faith in cinematography, leading to a decline in theater, movie and other correlated industries’ profits, affecting a large portion of US’ art economic production.
I also greatly appreciate Terrazas’ ability to synthesize perspectives from different sources. She included not only local perspectives, from one such Quest freshman, but also included a professional viewpoint, adding to her credibility and amplifying the credibility of her article as a whole.
One thing I will add however, is that, maybe Terrazas could include more statistical facts contributing to the decline in status of the horror film industry. By including percentage drops in theater visits or profits, or even just a simple poll on who watches current horror movies, Terrazas could bring her expertise in the article to another level.
Nonetheless, the article was excellent and truly illuminated the recent decline of US cinematography today.