For years many horror fans have been calling out the end of horror citing numerous examples and signs that Hollywood had just about squeezed the life out of the genre in the search for the almighty dollar. 

This dollar has been squeezed out of two of the biggest cash cows in the horror world: sequels and remakes. And in this decade of horror we saw nothing but remakes and sequels litter the big screen as we braced ourselves for disappointment after disappointment. We've finally reached the end of the first decade of the new millennium and this has prompted many horror buffs and online journalists to break down the horror craze and decide once and for all what we gained. 

And the basically unanimous response has been: nothing. Dario Argento is famous for declaring horror's ever changing form and its ability to adapt to any time period and horror has basically adjusted to our needs and desires. And whether we know it or not we've gotten exactly what we expected. 

The last decade has raked in millions revolving around remakes and sequels that proved to be very popular with movie goers. Whether it was watching Brittany Snow snore through a horrible remake of a horrible slasher in "Prom Night" or watching monster hunter Jared Padelecki basically stumble through an attempted reboot of the "Friday the 13th" franchise, audiences have flocked to theaters and have added to the success of a trend that promises to never end. This is the Michael Bay generation after all; the fast food crowd who wants their thrills now and as cheap as they can get it. 

When you take a step back what has been achieved in the last decade of horror has been minimal. Sure, there have been success stories. We saw the rise of Adam Green whose debut slasher "Hatchet" scored big with critics and fans alike in spite of not changing the face of the sub-genre as many predicted, newcomer Eli Roth garnered a humongous fan base and controversy with his "Hostel" series, rocker Rob Zombie made his debut with "House of a 1000 Corpses" garnering mixed reactions, and there was Oren Peli whose micro budget ghost flick "Paranormal Activity" managed to rake in millions in the face of bigger budget films and even managed to beat out the enduring "Saw" series. In spite of not revolutionizing our view of the horror flick, these men did manage to make their mark. 

Of course there were also some theatrics that managed to flood websites across the web including the continued difficulties of George Romero and his zombie films. As well as the remake of "Dawn of the Dead", which continues to garner a fan base in spite of its flaws. As well we saw the vampire reach new heights as a romantic sub-genre with "Twilight" grabbing the attention of middle aged and young girls around the nation. But as stated the bigger news was with remakes and how they changed the way the game was played. Seasoned veterans were pushed aside for younger directors with minimal experience in the medium, and just about every cult title was opted for the remake treatment proving that no movie big or small was taboo. 

In the first ten years of the new millennium we saw Dawn of the Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, Last House on the Left, My Bloody Valentine, and The Omen, all of which garnered varying levels of success both financially and critically. There was great uproar from horror fanatics but they all proved a point. Whether or not Hollywood has become a creative wasteland is irrelevant because people still went to see them and fueled the remake machine. 

And this trend doesn't seem to be losing any steam any time soon. Most popular though were the imports that had a noticeable effect and influence on the way horror was made. We all felt the wave of Asian ghost flicks that were remade and copied by numerous studios while horror fans suffering from the lack of originality found sanctuary in the foreign wave that gave us something new to chomp on. There was definite variety that allowed for fans to decide whether they wanted it intelligent or gory. Something Hollywood never allows. 

Whether it was the horror comedy "Shaun of the Dead", the haunting dark fantasy "Pan's Labyrinth," the anarchic splatterfest "Haute Tension," or the complex and truly brilliant "Let the Right One In," if you looked hard enough you could assuredly find something never before seen, and most of the time fans appetites were satisfied. 

With the new decade we're being promised amazing advances in technology as we saw in the fantasy "Avatar" and in the upcoming "Wolfman" (also a much anticipated remake) that promises to change the way we look at horror. We also have 3D to look forward to; another admitted gimmick that has been plopping butts in to movie theaters for nearly three years. While the true variety of horror outputs looks less than promising, one thing is for sure: horror has become a commodity that continues to be looked to as a source of instant cash and quick thrills and there's something there for everyone if you're willing to slush through the endlessly awful titles. 

Anyone claiming horror is dead is a pure fool. It's simply changed and morphed in to a storytelling medium that has something for everyone and unfortunately continues to be exploited by studios that still see it as cinematic junk food. Whether it's a remake, another sequel, or an under-appreciated indie gem, horror is still as popular as ever and the new decade promises big surprises and new visions that will change the way we look at cinema forever.