If you're thinking of watching The Cabin in the Woods once it is released in the UAE (a date for which remains to be seen, as the movie's release has been postponed for two weeks now) – and you should – it's important that you know as little about the film as possible when you buy a ticket. But understand this: the genre-bending movie from the mind of the cult icon Joss Whedon is being called the latest in a long line of horror game-changers.
The macabre has been a feature of cinema since its earliest days, but a tendency towards repetition has meant that horror can often lose its power, or worse, become ridiculous. For this reason, the genre often makes giant leaps forward when a new movie finds novel ways to scare. This doesn't mean that every great horror renders whatever came before it mere child's play, however, or that movements cannot overlap. This is a guide to some of the genre's greatest game-changers and the films that followed them.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
Legacy: Dracula; Frankenstein; The Mummy
In the late silent era, Hollywood's Universal Studios proved more adept than any other at frightening audiences, with a string of hugely successful monster movies. Adapted from the Victor Hugo novel and starring Lon Cheney Sr as the tortured bell-ringer, Hunchback was the first of what became a classic slate of gothic literary adaptations. It succeeded by moving its terrifying monster out of the shadows and allowing audiences to feel both protective and repulsed at the same time.
Psycho (1960)
Legacy: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; Halloween; Friday the 13th
Forty years into a glittering career that had already included Vertigo and Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock surprised the world with a simple black-and-white picture that would go on to invent the slasher genre. The story of a woman on the run, preyed upon by a creepy hotelier with a macabre secret, the film was so shocking at the time of release, it caused one film critic, CA Lejeun, to immediately resign from her job at The Observer newspaper.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Legacy: The Last House on the Left; Dawn of the Dead; The Blair Witch Project
As well as inventing what we now know as the zombie genre, George A Romero's brilliantly satirical portrait of societal breakdown is most remarkable for the game-changing business model it introduced. Made for little more than US$100,000 (Dh370,000) but reaping more than 100 times that at the box office, it proved that a great idea is all that's needed for a horror film to work. Also; a little bit of gore can go a long way.
Scream (1996)
Legacy: I Know What You Did Last Summer; Urban Legend ... countless awful remakes of classic slashers
Horror had been clinging on for dear life for more than a decade when Wes Craven had a simple idea that would, briefly, revitalise it. What if the preyed-upon characters were just as aware of slasher movie conventions as the audience? The movie succeeded by both embracing and subverting the genre, but the self-aware Scream had the unfortunate long-term legacy of opening the door to dozens of poorly updated slasher remakes, from Halloween to A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Ring (1998)
Legacy: Pulse; Haute Tension; [Rec]
Hollywood never had a monopoly on terror, but the late 1990s saw a greater coming together of international horror audiences, thanks to Hideo Nakata's brilliantly dark technological frightener. The past decade has seen an explosion of inventive, intelligent and unrelenting horrors from around the world, with Japan, France, Spain and Scandinavia leading the charge. Ring's twisted fairy tale-like story and terrifying imagery were enough to captivate any horror fan, no matter what language they spoke.
artslife@thenational.ae
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Getting%20there%20
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
