A flyer circulated among the participants set the scene:
"We, the horror writers of the WGA, don't necessarily believe that the AMPTP is evil. Rather, we believe it has been invaded by evil spirits whose devilish agenda is the destruction of our Guild. For this reason, we have decided to conduct this exorcism for the mutual benefit of this industry. We may be dark souls, but we do believe that good eventually triumphs over evil."
And just in case the power of Christ isn't compelling enough, the back of the flyer provided some compelling facts and figures on the box office power of the horror genre:
"Since 2000, 124 horror titles have grossed 2.99 billion dollars in box office revenue and 2.89 billion in home video rentals. In the same time period, 181 suspense titles have grossed 1.33 billion dollars at the box office and 5.96 billion in home video rentals. (Source: Nielson Databank)
In just the first ten months of 2007, horror genre DVD sales (exclusive of rentals) have grossed 450.2 million dollars. This is an increase from 2006, when the horror genre grossed 249.8 million. (Source: Rentrak Data Service)"
After the exorcism, I heard rumors of an upcoming fan-based zombie march... to which I say: Count me in. If horror fans aren't going to get any new movies anytime soon, we'll have to make our own fun.
Clear and depressing summary of the film writers' predicament.
ReplyDeleteThis description reminds me of how Walt Disney enslaved his cartoonists, claiming he owned any drawing or painting they did even at home. He was aggressive and persistent in his attempts to limit the rights of the Screen Writers' Guild. Every time I see a photo of Walt's smiling face I just want to puke.
And so it goes.
Chris