‘Anaconda’ and the Return of the B-Movie – Hollywood Reporter

While Crawl is the best of the recent animal-centric horror films over the past few years, its also following the success of The Shallows (2016), 47 Meters Down (2017), The Meg (2018), and Rampage(2018). All of these films, though some more than others, took concepts that only a few years ago would have been relegated to TV movies on SyFy and bargain bin DVDs in Wal-Mart, and elevated them to the arena of theatrical experiences. While none of these movies are particularly deep or complex, they do have something on their mind other than body counts and teeth tearing away at flesh. Whether were talking about human survival in the enormity of nature, or how attempts to play god break the natural order of the world, this current subgenre of films harken to a long history of nature-based horror from Them! (1954) to Piranha (1978). It was only when we thought we had nature under our control that these kinds of films fell to the wayside, becoming comedic excursions of excess in the era of Sharknado (2013).

But we dont have nature under control. Horror films have always been our lens through which to view contemporary concerns. Theyve always been politically and socially charged. So while the idea of a giant snake movie carrying socio-political overtones is silly, it doesnt make it any less true or necessary. Its clear that climate control and animal preservation are two of the worlds biggest issues right now. From Greta Thunberg to the Trump administrations rollbacks on waterway-protections and the Endangered Species Act, our environment is a major concern. It shouldnt come as a surprise then should nature-based and animal horror become the next big horror trend, not only because of the cyclical element of the genre but because whether were talking weather, animals, or disease, nature is the thing that could end us all.

So much about our world has changed since the first movie. Not only in terms of the eco-system, but our relationship to indigenous cultures. While the exposure of the tribe in the 1997 film was the final reward for its central characters, today it feels morally bankrupt and potentially insensitive. The secret indigenous tribe is a trope of pulp stories, but perhaps theres a way in which our rediscovery of this form of storytelling and our newfound love affair with it can also elevate these tropes in a way that has greater impact. Yes, Anaconda is a silly snake movie, but a reboot provides the opportunity for it to be more than that. Now feels like the perfect time for Anaconda to rear its head again, not only because of the B-movie joy it provides us followers of the modern cult canon, but because theres an opportunity to make a film that wraps us up in our anxieties and hugs us tight, leaving survival up to us.

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'Anaconda' and the Return of the B-Movie - Hollywood Reporter