What the hell has happened to the modern monster movie? From the king of cult shock films Takashi Miike to the box-office success of the Hostel series to somehow legitimizing a 5 sequel SAW franchise, it's clear that the monster movie of yore has given way to a new era of "shock horror." Raised on a steady diet of Guantanamo Bay and Grand Theft Auto IV, the youth of today seem more interested in watching the meticulous re-creation of real life violence (occurring in some kind of moral vacuum) than they are in seeing the romantically bloody playout of Good versus Evil, which is what scary movies used to be about...

While 'shock horror' has existed for a long time (did someone say 'Texas Chainsaw?'), it's never been near as popular as it is today. I'm not here to perform a deep social analysis, but I can tell you about one new Canadian made film that works against the grain, hearkening back to the days when horror was about cool monsters, buckets of blood, and weekend escapism (i.e, the 80s?). Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer is the work of a trio of Ottawa based independent filmmakers (and VFS alum) who grew up on a steady diet of 'Nightmare on Elm Street' and were put off by the "recent trend towards R-rated torture porn." After five short films, Monster Slayer may still be a decidedly R-rated debut feature, but this tale of a reluctant young antihero battling the mythical (and bloodpack-loaded) forces of latex evil in the halls of his own night school is ultimately more gut-busting than it is gut-wrenching, and will appeal to anyone sick of pseudo-snuff and still crossing their fingers for an 'Evil Dead 4'.

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