My one little irritation about science fiction...

[jon_chaisson]

...is that Hollywood thinks that science fiction equals horror, which it's not. I find it really irritating when they make a movie (like Event Horizon) or a show (like Threshold, which debuts tonight on NBC), sell it to us as science fiction, and it ends up being more of a horror flick than anything else. I don't know why it irritates me so much, but it does. I will concede that an SF/horror movie like Alien works, but that's because we know it's a horror movie based in an SF world. The X-Files worked as a tv show because it was a mystery show based in an SF world. But I am always let down when I see something SF that piques my interest only to be disgusted by the horror plotline.

Why am I annoyed by this? Well, partly because there are so few SF movies and shows out there, compared to insane number of sitcoms and dramedies and reality shows and biopics and mystery movies out there. Not that I don't like those genres, but when I see the trailer for an SF movie or tv show, I'm excited. Finally, something I'd be interested in watching! Not that I don't like the horror genre, but it just burns me when they call it SF. Let's say it all together now: SCIENCE FICTION IS NOT HORROR! HORROR IS NOT SCIENCE FICTION! THEY'RE TWO SEPARATE GENRES!

(I know some of you will contest this, maybe call horror a subgenre of SF, and perhaps it is, but please--they're most decidedly NOT the same thing. Asimov is not horror, and King, though some of his stuff may be fantasy like the Dark Tower series, is not science fiction!!)

Maybe I'm jumping the gun and not giving Threshold a chance (a review of it was what made me post this). It does sound interesting, to say the least. If I remember to watch it tonight, I will. But I'm just hoping that I'm not let down. I'm expecting a good SF thriller, not an X-Files-meets-horror thing.

But please, for the love of Pete, I beg of you, Hollywood--stop shilling us horror movies and shows masked as SF!!!

[/end rant]

Comments

[emmalyon.livejournal.com]

I think you need to fill the Sci Fi Channel in o this, they show a LOT of horror films.....

[empress-schwa.livejournal.com]

I'm not so sure about that.

Does Mansquito really qualify as horror?

[joncwriter.livejournal.com]

I think the question is, does Mansquito really qualify as anything? ;)

[empress-schwa.livejournal.com]

I didn't see it, but I'm sure it could qualify as comedy!

The shark movies they show certainly do!

[emmalyon.livejournal.com]

In the past they have shown the "Halloween" series, the "Friday the 13th", and things of that nature.

[head58.livejournal.com]

Serenity is not horror. I mean, it's scary in parts, but not horror.

[joncwriter.livejournal.com]

See, with a show like that, it makes sense. It is SF because it was written to be SF. :)

[empress-schwa.livejournal.com]

You said "Event Horizon."

Now all I can think of is the line that mekkasimian and I use to mock that movie.

"Pure... chaos. Pure... evil."

I'm so glad we saw it at a free screening.

We missed the 2 hour pilot of Threshold. It conflicted with Stargate and Battlestar Galactica and I'd rather see those sooner rather than later. Besides, it didn't look very promising at all.

[joncwriter.livejournal.com]

See, this the thing about "Event Horizon"...it was so obviously a take-off of Stanislaw Lem's "Polaris", only the hallucinations of Polaris were exchanged for the schlock horror of EH. That's why I hated that one...it had promise, but they dumbed it down so much it was horrible.

On the other hand, I haven't seen Polaris (the original or the George Clooney one that came out a few years back) so I'm not sure how that one played out...but still, Polaris as a book worked because it was so obviously SF.

[emmalyon.livejournal.com]

You mean Solaris, sweetie.

[joncwriter.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I meant. :p

[animated-max.livejournal.com]

Solaris wasn't SF. SF is never that boring.

[emmalyon.livejournal.com]

Solaris was "let me stare at my navel for a looooong time and see if anything happens!".

[chaoticmoth.livejournal.com]

It's called marketing to the masses.

I think the vast majority of people view pure sci-fi as something they are not interested in, but if it has a mystery/action/horror theme they are more willing.

[empress-schwa.livejournal.com]

Good point!

Sci fi can make you think! That's bad. Who wants to think? Thinking bad. Drooling in front of flickering box good!

Think bad.
Drool good.

[chaoticmoth.livejournal.com]

Apparently my 6-month old daughter has your philosophy down pat. She is the queen of drool right now, and goes practically comatose when the tv is on if she can see it. :)