DC Studios needs to embrace horror

[TheScarecrow]

If I am to criticise Gunn and Safran's plan for the DCU, it would be that aside from Swamp Thing it leans too heavily into traditional superhero storytelling.

We know that superhero fatigue, even if not fatal to the genre, is very real.

One of the genre's that is currently (well, always) ascendent is horror. Horror movies are cheap, they have a built-in audience and the ability to really blow up. DC in general has always had a good run with former horror directors. The two just go together.

I am surprised and disappointed that the DCU doesn't seem to be embracing the more genre-bending aspects of DC, particularly its horror-centric characters. While I don't think it's all that DC should be making, I think one or two horror-genre DC films a year would be (a) a really good way to spin profitable films and (b) a really good way to distinguish DC from Marvel.

Constantine, Etrigan, Zatanna, Deadman, etc. are all there.

Give some of the characters in Creature Commandos (Frankenstein, the Bride, Dr Phosphorus) their own projects too...

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Sound suggestion. Should bring in GAs, DC fans, and horror fans.

 

[Babillygunn]

In theory, I love the idea. But historically such movies have not been well-received. Whether it is the Constantine movie, New Mutants, or even Dr Strange: MoM, superhero horror hasn’t set the world on fire. Even though quality of those projects obviously play a huge role, there is still the fact that garbage like Titans got 4 or 5 seasons whereas the amazingly great Swamp Thing show was cancelled after a single season.

The audience should be there, but I don’t know if it is.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

I still feel in my bones that if someone had the guts to adapt Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth into a live action movie, it could work. It would be the Batman psychological horror movie people didn’t know they wanted.

Then you got that chilling subplot with Amadeus Arkham.

 

[Breogan]

loosely inspired by ^
Wasn't there a Guillermo del Toro JLDark; Heaven Sent aka Dark Universe.
Not sure how DC/WB didn't move heaven and earth to make it happen.

DC walked away from (or let slip away) an enthusiastic, scripted and helmed; del Toro -Dark Universe.
So yeah...WTF DC/WB?

Warners liked the script, they were very enthusiastic and wanted to greenlight it but they wanted it to coincide with Pacific Rim 2. I was put in a very difficult place facing a difficult choice, ....

I mean I think he chose poorly, but they should have moved heaven and earth to accommodate him.

 

[Bayne]

In theory, I love the idea. But historically such movies have not been well-received. Whether it is the Constantine movie, New Mutants, or even Dr Strange: MoM, superhero horror hasn’t set the world on fire. Even though quality of those projects obviously play a huge role, there is still the fact that garbage like Titans got 4 or 5 seasons whereas the amazingly great Swamp Thing show was cancelled after a single season.

The audience should be there, but I don’t know if it is.

Eh, MoM made 950m without China. There was definitely an audience there, no matter how much some of the people outside that audience whined about it.

And MoM was by far the best of the projects you list there (Swamp Thing was aggressively mid and kind of boring), so the fact that the rest didn't do a lot means very little.

Also, there is no way to prove it with hard numbers due to the realities of streaming, but the critical and audience reception of Werewolf by Night was pretty damn enthusiastic and glowing.

ETA: Doom Patrol, now that I think about it, also easily qualifies as a sort of superhero horror. And with good reviews (because it was a fantastic show) that went 4 seasons. And quite possibly might've gone longer if not for the big DC reboot.

 

[Peyton Westlake]

I wouldn't say there is no audience for that.
According to quick research, this was just shy of 1 billion , not many of Marvel's movies have reached that lately, including Guardians 3 & Blank Panther 2.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Domestic Box Office $411,331,607
International Box Office $540,893,379
Worldwide Box Office $952,224,986

 

[Babillygunn]

I wouldn't say there is no audience for that.
According to quick research, this was just shy of 1 billion , not many of Marvel's movies have reached that lately, including Guardians 3 & Blank Panther 2.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Domestic Box Office $411,331,607
International Box Office $540,893,379
Worldwide Box Office $952,224,986

Wow. I didn’t realize MoM made that much.

in my own egocentric world, I hated the film (I’m happy for those of you who liked it. But I really didn’t, personally) so I wrongfully assumed that it performed poorly.

 

[Iceman]

I would have liked to see this. If they wanted to go this route they really should have kept hold of James Wan.

 

[Iceman]

DC walked away from (or let slip away) an enthusiastic, scripted and helmed; del Toro -Dark Universe.
So yeah...WTF DC/WB?


I mean I think he chose poorly, but they should have moved heaven and earth to accommodate him.

Ah such a shame. I would have been all over that. Maybe if the DCU is very successful it can be revisited in future.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

I would have liked to see this. If they wanted to go this route they really should have kept hold of James Wan.

A golden opportunity, right there in their lap.

 

[Evil Twin]

Constantine's $230 million worldwide in 2005 is also nothing to sneeze at. On par with The Conjuring series.

 

[Iceman]

If I am to criticise Gunn and Safran's plan for the DCU, it would be that aside from Swamp Thing it leans too heavily into traditional superhero storytelling.

We know that superhero fatigue, even if not fatal to the genre, is very real.

One of the genre's that is currently (well, always) ascendent is horror. Horror movies are cheap, they have a built-in audience and the ability to really blow up. DC in general has always had a good run with former horror directors. The two just go together.

I am surprised and disappointed that the DCU doesn't seem to be embracing the more genre-bending aspects of DC, particularly its horror-centric characters. While I don't think it's all that DC should be making, I think one or two horror-genre DC films a year would be (a) a really good way to spin profitable films and (b) a really good way to distinguish DC from Marvel.

Constantine, Etrigan, Zatanna, Deadman, etc. are all there.

Give some of the characters in Creature Commandos (Frankenstein, the Bride, Dr Phosphorus) their own projects too...

I’d particularly like to see Zatanna and Etrigan from that list.

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

Swamp Thing will open up that world.

I wouldn't lump it all into the horror genre though. Most of the ones you mentioned are just dark fantasy.

 

[TMP98]

I mean, the subtitle of the first chapter “Gods & Monsters” derives from Bride of Frankenstein, and both Frankenstein’s monster and the Bride will be prominent characters in the Creature Commandos, so you have that to add on top of Swamp Thing (which is also said to be inspired by frankenstein lol)

 

[Wildcard]

I agree completely in regards to DC & horror. They have so many amazing characters that darker stories could be told around. I'd much rather they embrace the horror elements many characters have than to go for the Marvel approach of cramming in as many unfunny jokes and one-liners as possible.

Seeing characters like Etrigan, Zatanna, etc. in full glory would be utterly incredible. And another plus is it would provide audiences with new characters to familiarize themselves with & potentially want to learn more about.

 

[TheScarecrow]

The thing about embracing horror though is also embracing horror budgets.

These things should cost $30-$50m, no more. You can put out more of them, and make a decent profit off of them. Sustainable business. Constant $200-$250m blockbusters is not sustainable.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

The thing about embracing horror though is also embracing horror budgets.

These things should cost $30-$50m, no more. You can put out more of them, and make a decent profit off of them. Sustainable business. Constant $200-$250m blockbusters is not sustainable.

This, absolutely.

 

[Captain Tired]

A body horror origin movie for Plastic Man would be a dream.

 

[TheScarecrow]

A body horror origin movie for Plastic Man would be a dream.

I think Gunn would be too tempted by the comedy potential of Plastic Man to do that.

 

[Captain Tired]

True that. As I said, a dream lol. It's something that's always made me slightly dubious of Gunn stewarding an entire cinematic slate, i.e., his tendency to play virtually everything for laughs and irreverence and rarely leaning into the verisimilitude of any of these characters, even if it does make more sense to play Plastic Man for laughs as is usually the case in the comics.

 

[emielaen]

A movie can have horror and humor. Plastic Man has a comedic edge to him after all.

 

[HydraSith12]

The DCU should have different genres seriousness comedy and fantasy one of the main problem of the MCU is that most movies and shows have the same tone

 

[Peyton Westlake]

I firmly believe that Swamp Thing, a character deeply entrenched in horror yet unfamiliar to the general public, presents DC with an opportunity to create something unique. Embracing the horror elements in superhero movies offers a fresh take and addresses the genre's need for originality. Historically, superhero films have clung to their established characters and teams, often reluctant to venture beyond the conventional boundaries.