Having conquered the world of superhero movies with the Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, James Gunn should return to his roots and make a horror movie with the same eccentric style he has been known for since his days at Troma Entertainment. Gunn's success with DC and Marvel can be easily attributed to his signature style, which blends relentless action with over-the-top comedy and hints of gross body horror to give otherwise reprehensible characters an unexpected dose of charisma. The writer and director's latest movies prove he has a natural talent for comedy and action, but he has also demonstrated his love for horror throughout the years — a passion he should pursue in a future project after he's done with the MCU Phase 4 installment, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
James Gunn entered the Hollywood industry with his screenplays for the 2002 live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo and its 2004 sequel Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed, as well as Zack Snyder's 2004 Dawn of the Dead reboot. These three projects established his skills for comedy and horror, which led him to write, direct, and produce his own movies in those genres before getting attached to Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy and eventually Warner Bros.' The Suicide Squad.
Although he's now known for turning obscure teams of ragtag comic book characters into blockbuster A-listers, James Gunn's filmmaking journey started due to his love for horror films. Here's why James Gunn's should reconnect with his horror roots and make his next project a flick that harkens back to them.
James Gunn's Horror Roots
Early in his career, James Gunn joined Lloyd Kaufman — who helmed the Toxic Avenger franchise — at Troma Entertainment, an independent production company known for campy and gory low-budget horror movies such as the 1980 slasher film Mother's Day and the meta-comedy horror Terror Firmer. Gunn earned Troma a unanimous success with his screenplay for Tromeo and Juliet — an explicit take on Shakespeare's famous play that took dark comedy to its limits. Gunn's style worked well alongside Kaufman, who shared his love for bizarre, gory, and darkly comedic concepts.
Gunn most notably demonstrated his talent for horror in his screenplay for Zack Snyder's 2004 Dawn of the Dead reboot and in Gunn's own directorial debut, the 2006 body horror Slither. Dawn of the Dead served as a launchpad for Gunn and Snyder's successful Hollywood careers, but it's in Slither where Gunn's knack for horror is most patent. Slither pays tribute to several horror movies that have influenced James Gunn's artistry, such as John Carpenter's The Thing, Rosemary's Baby, and David Cronenberg's Shivers and The Brood. The body horror film features an alien parasite that turns an entire town into violent, slimy, bloated zombies whose only goal is to reproduce, and as is usual with Gunn's filmography, the movie balances goofy comedy with deeply unsettling imagery that leaves viewers wondering whether to laugh or recoil in fear and disgust.
Slither's brand of gross horror isn't completely based on shock value, however, as it is a genuine attempt at horror-comedy. Whereas a myriad of horror spoofs only focus on parodying popular films, Slither makes a serious attempt at being terrifying and poking fun at the absurdity of it all. Although the movie didn't receive the expected box office results, it pulled off the unapologetically absurd elements that have earned the horror-comedy, giallo, and B-movie horror subgenres their vast legions of loyal supporters, while also remaining more self-aware than most similar films. James Gunn hasn't directed a full-fledged horror film since Slither, but some of his horror muses have popped up in more recent projects such as his dark comedy Super, where Rainn Wilson's lead superhero has his head cut open by monstrous tentacles before God touches his exposed brain; The Belko Experiment, a violent satire where eighty people are locked inside a building and forced to kill each other; and Brightburn, a superhero movie starring a violent kid with Superman-like abilities.
Why James Gunn Should Return To Horror After Guardians 3
James Gunn needs to try his hand at horror once again not only because it's been a long time since Slither, but also because his recent success with positively-reviewed The Suicide Squad and the Guardians of the Galaxy movies have proved that he can juggle a wide variety of characters, tones, and stories with ease. Gunn's work in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy helped the Marvel Cinematic Universe turn its most ambitious concepts into valuable assets, with Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Mantis, and Drax as some of the most charismatic players in the MCU, the Guardians soundtrack as one of the most popular, and moments like Yondu's death and Peter Quill's fight against Ego as some of the most emotional.
Similarly, James Gunn gathered wacky characters such as Polka Dot Man, King Shark, and the fan-favorite Harley Quinn in a fight against the giant alien starfish Starro to make The Suicide Squad one of the best-received DCEU movies to date. Ridiculous elements of The Suicide Squad, such as Nathan Fillion's TDK, whose only superpower is to detach his limbs, didn't stop Gunn from making a widely praised live-action comic book adaptation; on the contrary, they elevated the movie into a more cohesive blockbuster than Justice League and Wonder Woman 1984 — all during the golden age of superhero movies, no less. By this point, James Gunn possesses enough experience to return to smaller projects and turn them into gold.
Gunn's unique style might be precisely what the horror genre currently needs. With franchises like the high-grossing universe of The Conjuring, as well as Insidious, and The Purge having perfected their respective formula, a darkly comedic body horror would likely shake things up and inject new blood into the genre. James Gunn could find more innovative ways to make horror other than the tried-and-true succession of jump scares and overloaded suspense that still riddle many recent films. Add a generous budget and Gunn's prestige in the industry, and a brand-new multi-million dollar horror franchise could soon see the light of day.
Horror Projects James Gunn Could Take On After Guardians
There are several projects James Gunn almost wrote and/or directed in the past, some of which could come back as horror movies. For instance, Gunn's rejected pitch for a remake of iconic sci-fi director Jack Arnold's Creature of the Black Lagoon could finally materialize with more creative control granted to the director after Universal's failed attempt at a shared universe of classic monsters. 2020's Invisible Man confirmed that there's an interest in reimagined adaptations of classic horror stories, and Chloe Zhao's upcoming Dracula suggests Universal's Classic monsters can return sooner than expected. James Gunn once expressed his desire to remake the 1974 horror It's Alive, which followed a mutant baby who goes on a gory rampage. This idea could also return along with Pets, a bizarre movie that would follow a group of aliens that turn a man into their pet.
Any of these projects would be ideal for James Gunn to tackle after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which features a tease-ridden logo, but Gunn could also dive into remakes of classics like Scanners, They Live, Cube, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which all fall perfectly in line with Gunn's style. There's also the possibility that James Gunn will expand the shared cinematic universe of Brightburn and Super, perhaps with a new installment that merges comedy and horror. Finally, it's quite likely that James Gunn will surprise audiences with a brand new title that will please fans of his recent superhero work as well as the followers of his horror roots.