October is the ideal month for horror movies thanks to Halloween, but there are a lot of people who don’t care to see the gore and scares of these genre films. Many people just don’t like horror flicks and studios understand this.
Counterprogramming is the practice of offering a different style of product to attract people not interested in the major events. An example is offering an action movie during Valentine’s Day to attract single men who normally wouldn’t want to see the romantic offerings. Another example is offering movies as far from horror as you can get for those not in the mood for zombies or ghouls at Halloween.
Here are the movies counterprogrammed against the horror efforts in October 2011.
“The Ides of March”
“The Ides of March” was the first counterprogramming movie to hit in October, a political thriller matching up against the robot boxing movie “Real Steel” in the first week of the month. While “Real Steel,” with its robot warriors, was a very kid-centric picture, “The Ides of March” was a more award-friendly adult movie and presents October with possibly the most adult-oriented movie of the entire month.
“Footloose”
In the second week of October, a remake of an ’80s classic hit theaters for people wanting to start their horror thrills of October. That movie was “The Thing,” but another ’80s remake hit the same weekend that was the antithesis of that horror movie. “Footloose” remakes the classic feel-good high school dance movie about kids rebelling against the religious laws banning dancing within city limits. You can’t get much further from horror than this fun, exuberant movie.
“The Three Musketeers”
The week “Paranormal Activity 3″ slithers its way into theaters, a fun-filled action movie joins the fray. “The Three Musketeers” shares some similarities with Halloween, including people dressing up in costumes and the horrors of Paul W.S. Anderson directing a film. However, there is little to fear from this movie, which is pretty much all bubble gum action for those not interested in the creepy scares of the latest in the “Paranormal Activity” franchise.
“The Rum Diary”
Not many horror films want to match up with “Paranormal Activity,” and the “Saw” franchise skipped out on releasing a new installment this Halloween. While the new Justin Timberlake movie “In Time” looks to knock off the horror movie, the real counterprogramming here is the latest Johnny Depp film, where he reprises the role of Hunter Thompson (as the fictional Kemp) in the adaptation of “The Rum Diary.”
“Puss in Boots”
While Justin Timberlake and Johnny Depp will fight with “Paranormal Activity 3″ for the No. 1 spot at the box office, the real counterprogramming effort gives little kids something to watch, since they should avoid the horror movie at all costs. The animated release for the kids in October 2011 is the latest in the “Shrek” franchise, as “Puss in Boots” showcases Antonio Banderas’ Lothario cat. There is counterprogramming for horror movies, but this is the perfect definition of the technique.
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