The Creature Columns: "The Head Hunter: Fantasy Horror at its Finest" by Tom Jeffers
The fantasy genre is often overlooked in cinema. Of course, we have huge stories like The Lord of the Rings. However, for the most part, fantasy remains the least used genre. In recent years, Game of Thrones broke down the doors to many possibilities, yet fantasy still remains firmly on the fringe. One must certainly consider that many movies have fantasy elements, but in general, those elements are rarely acknowledged. After all, what are Freddy Kruger and Jason? They are horror icons to be sure, but they could not gain this status without the use of fantasy. When thinking about this genre, I generally find myself nostalgic for films like Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja, Dragonslayer, Willow, or even something like Ralph Bakshi’s Fire and Ice. Most of these film types hail solidly from the ’80s and have a tremendous following. I am one of those devotees, and I often think modern fantasy is deficient in fundamental ways. The films of yesteryear did lack big budgets, and the