In general, subtlety is increasingly becoming a lost art. People don't have the time/energy to think about reading between the lines or they just don't care to. As we continue to move towards instant gratification and availability of info, there is a loss of appreciation in nuance and the beauty of ideas. People's attention spans are decreasing and we no longer wish to spend time watching something that goes in depth. We would rather have the gist without caring for the deeper connections. We might think "Oh, I'll look that up later. I'll read about it in depth when I have more time." But we typically don't because some other thing has already grabbed our attention.
This bleeds into what we consume for our entertainment. Action packed movies sell really well because a person can just zone out and be constantly stimulated without requiring any energy/thought on their part. A good slow burn movie/show combined with interesting ideas is so risky to make because there's less of a market for it. It will likely lose money because it will be competing with something that doesn't require thought. Imagine if Hitchcock, Lynch, or Kubrick movies were made today. Do you think their movies would be successful in today's market?
Within the horror genre, instant gratification takes the form of jump scares or gore. You don't have to envision yourself in the situation. You don't have to wonder what the monster looks like or what it's capable of. You're given a story with full exposition and you don't have to waste resources on using your imagination. People pay to be scared and they are.
It is a luxury to be able to have the time/energy required to indulge in more cerebral media. There are so many other things that are constantly vying for our attention and we feel as though we must do it all in order to keep up with our peers. To an extent, this is true. If you don't keep up, you'll be left behind. If you're exhausted by life pressures, engaging your mind in something that requires mental energy isn't exactly appealing. Sidenote: The amount of cartoons and Disney movies I've rewatched this year as a grown woman without children is a bit embarrassing. Those who have the resources (money, time, energy, community, etc) to not worry about how they're going to be able to simply just live their life tend to be better able to engage in media that's more intellectually demanding. Fewer and fewer people are able to comfortably live their lives; thus, there are fewer people who have the privilege to enjoy "higher" forms of entertainment. I don't know why, I just felt it was important to point out this privilege. I guess because it's not something that I see discussed much anywhere and I have a tendency to ramble.
I wish Dark Horse Comics' Harrow County was made into a TV show instead.
Are you typically into graphic novels? If so, I highly recommend
Fatale. It's a favorite of mine and I feel you would enjoy it based upon your posts here.
