The B-Movie Bust

by Patrick Appel

Josh Green profiles a friend in the zombie business:

Like journalism and domestic auto manufacturing, low-budget horror is being buffeted by forces beyond the current recession. After thriving in the 1970s and ’80s, the B-movie industry went into decline in the ’90s, when Hollywood studios began stealing its audience by emphasizing fantasy, sci-fi, and especially horror. Movies like Saw and Hostel have become major-studio franchises. Whether this is good or bad was a running debate. “The benefit is that established actors are not afraid to go into the genre,” said Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed Paris Hilton (that pillar of establishment Hollywood) in the teen slasher flick House of Wax. On the other hand, a sheer love of craftan allegiance to authentic B moviesleads many aficionados to reject Hollywood fare for the likes of Zombie Farm. To these fans, Jed is not simply an inbred cannibalistic hick but the noble practitioner of a dying art form.