Christopher Nolan has revealed the one thing holding him back from fully diving into the idea of making his own horror film.
When one thinks of an action-packed, immersive blockbuster, it’s not uncommon for the name Christopher Nolan to be brought up.
From his genre defining Dark Knight trilogy to his recent biopic Oppenheimer, Nolan has created a reputation of putting his all into uniquely bombastic films that resonates with millions.
And now it seems like he wants to make a pivot from action/psychological movies to horror, but there’s one specific thing holding him back from fully going ahead with the shift.
Nolan is waiting for the perfect story for his horror debut
During an in depth conversation with the British Film Institute, Nolan broke down his reason why he’s been hesitant to tackle a horror project despite being incredibly eager to put his stamp on the genre.
“I think horror films are very interesting because they depend on very cinematic devices. It’s really about [provoking] a visceral response to things,” Nolan explained, “So at some point, I’d love to make a horror film. But I think a really good horror film requires a really exceptional idea and those are few and far between. So I haven’t found the story that lends itself to that.”
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“But I think it’s a very interesting genre from a cinematic point of view. It’s also one of the few genres where — the studios make a lot of these films — and they’re films that have a lot of bleakness, a lot of abstraction. They have a lot qualities that Hollywood is generally very resistant to putting into films, but that’s a genre where it’s allowable.”
Christopher Nolan bfi in conversation talk event possible horror film Oppenheimer video clip director pic.twitter.com/W2phQQSTuw
— @inceptstellar (@hardyfilm) February 16, 2024
Nolan then pointed out that his latest film Oppenheimer did have some horror elements within it, specifically the first bomb testing scene, and he decided to add that into the film because it was “appropriate for the subject matter.”
There’s also an incredibly haunting scene where J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) is making a speech after his bombs where used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and suddenly the audience of cheering, adoring fans turn into melting nightmares that resemble those who were affected by the blasts.
The horror in Oppenheimer alone is enough proof that Nolan has what it takes to create one of the most unforgettable horror films of all time, if only he ever finds the right story for it.
