Latest among the packaged movie trends is the Japanese horror film. Every month more samples appear, all of them scrutinized for possible Hollywood remake, all of them examples of the continued importance of genre.
As Martin Scorsese has observed: "For better or worse, story as entertainment is saddled with conventions and stereotypes, formulas and cliches. All of these limitations are codified into specific genres." Whether it be the Western, the film noir or the Japanese horror flick, genre is, whatever else, a market ploy.
In addition to that brand-name attractiveness, genre reassures with more of the same, a steady market profile and a relatively long shelf-life. At the same time, however, genre -- like everything else -- is subject to market fluctuations.