Scared By Universal’s ‘Corpses’ Decision

Regarding Patrick Goldstein’s “Horror Flick Scares Off Universal” (March 6):

In her desire to explain why her decision not to release the horror film “House of 1000 Corpses” was not politically motivated, Universal Pictures Chairman Stacey Snider goes to great lengths to explain that she decided to drop the film because of her own personal disdain for horror movies that are too “real” (she has no problem with Universal’s “Hannibal” because the presence of familiar faces like Anthony Hopkins reassures her that the movie is “fantasy”).

Snider, intentionally or not, has reinforced the stereotype that women, even major corporate executives like her, get all squeamish and weak-kneed at the very thought of horror films, and in doing so she has dealt a severe blow to women filmmakers, who are often relegated by the industry to doing “chick flicks” because it’s felt we don’t have the stomach for anything more intense.

There are millions of women out there who did love “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and no doubt there will be millions of women who’ll go to see “House of 1000 Corpses.” Let us not forget that it was a woman who wrote “Frankenstein,” which was considered very extreme in its day.

JESSICA ALGOSA

Los Angeles

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Stacey Snider is the epitome of hypocrisy as demonstrated in her statement defending her decision to drop Rob Zombie’s upcoming film. While Universal continues to make graphically violent R-rated movies, like “Bride of Chucky,” “End of Days” and “Hannibal” for profit, its dumping “House of 1000 Corpses” is nothing more than knee-jerk moralizing. It’s a double-standard ideology that excessively gory movies shouldn’t be marketed while films with major stars receive preferred treatment.

No doubt horror film aficionados are still upset over the lack of quality horror films in the genre while the young-adult moviegoing demographic is fed with inferior and common-denominator movies.

AARON M. HEINEMAN

Provo, Utah

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“House of 1000 Corpses” was not the first horror film that Universal declined to release because of graphic content. In the ‘40s, Universal crassly cast an actor named Rondo Hatton, who suffered from a disease called acromegaly, which causes enlargement of facial features, as a real-life murdering monster known as “The Creeper” in a series of low-budget B-pictures.

The last of these films was 1946’s “The Brute Man,” a film that was deemed so tasteless by Universal executives that they sold it to Poverty Row studio Producers Releasing Corp., which released it instead.

History seems to be repeating itself at Universal.

STEVE FINKELSTEIN

Los Angeles