I think horror for horror sake is degrading to the Genre.  What I mean by that is, having violence for the sake of violence, or gore for the sake of gore is pointless in the bigger picture, but gives short term satisfaction to those who enjoy it.

Rather, I think the horror genre should aim to make people reflect on certain aspects of human nature.  Films such as SAW accomplishes this by raising the question of "How far are we willing to go to preserve out lives?", "Will the process of preserving our lives destroy the very thing that makes us human?"

That's what makes a successful horror film I believe.

Totally agree with you.

Rather, I think the horror genre should aim to make people reflect on certain aspects of human nature.  Films such as SAW accomplishes this by raising the question of "How far are we willing to go to preserve out lives?", "Will the process of preserving our lives destroy the very thing that makes us human?"

That's what makes a successful horror film I believe.

I don't want the mainstream to accept horror, all I want it to do is to respect the genre and recognise its social and intellectual aspects you find in beautiful but scary films like The Devils Backbone or The Orphanage - to name but 2.

well mainstream culture might not recognise those aspects.. but who cares? Academia does.. and that's all that really matters....

I think you guys think that if it's not accepted by the mainstream, then it's not perceived as legitimate? The mainstream is really just a value system...

Like others have said the only way to bring respect back to the genre is to make films that are intelligently made, with relatable characters (a key element to The Walking Dead, and also the reason I think the first Saw was so successful). Or at the least make them more mainstream accessible and not just pander to the blood and tits crowd. Cabin in the Woods is a good example. It was successful because it had a good blend of comedy and horror, but also had interesting characters and an original plot.

I do believe that the mainstream culture does in fact respect the horror genre to some degree. Movies such as Psycho, The Birds, The Shining, and Silence of the Lambs, are great examples of horror films that are well respected by the mainstream culture, now and forever. The thing about the horror genre is that it's not as popular as the other genres. Why? Don't ask me...  That doesn't mean though that it's not respected.

To answer the question posed? One thing I think would help the genre become more accepted and respected by the mainstream culture would be to have more "A" list actors/actresses cast in horror films.

That's not to say that there aren't filmmakers who handle sex and death very well and draw interesting philosophical comparisons between the two.  For instance, David Cronenberg has built himself quite an impressive list of films which incorporate both to fascinating degrees.  But again, while I believe the threat of unnatural death is a necessity in a horror film, I don't feel the same about nudity.

About what Lon and Az were talking about, if a horror film is popular it gets thrown into another genre and not isn't claimed as a horror film. Lets take your examples for a second, Scream said to be a comedy. One of the reasons it is popular is, because the movie doesn't solely rely on horror to entertain it's audience, it has more moments of comedy in the film to satisfy a bigger group of people while still at it's roots being a horror movie. Of course it's a horror movie, but it uses other elements and can make a bigger audience like it (take what you want from that). As for Silence of the Lambs, I always thought of it as a thriller for some reason.

But as for the horror genre to get more respected in general, I don't think it can. I think it's trampled down upon this road of nudity, horrible deaths (in the films), etc. But that is what horror is all about and certain people will always have a problem with how that is portrayed in movies. And with the amount of these 'torture porn' films being made now, that's certainly not going to help it among the public. The horror genre was most popular in the 70s/80s (in my opinion) and I think it was the general public's mindset at that point of time and what their interests were. Now, it has changed and horror is still the same as it ever was.

You have fans like us on the forums, who love horror out and out but the majority of the public? They have a view on horror which is most likely negative and that won't change cause they won't watch horror movies unless they have some other aspect to the movie than just 'killing' and so on. Go look at Cabin in the Woods and popular that was, was it because it was a true horror movie? No, because it had parts of comedy to it and horror wasn't the main front but had elements.

People will probably disagree with me, but that's my two cents on the subject.

Conversely, I point folks to American Horror Story as the kind of approach which has all but left the genre a laughing stock.  Horror for the attention-span deprived.  Vapid and gratuitous in every sense, with cardboard characters (Jessica Lange brings a touch of class, but the result is nevertheless the equivalent of spit-shining a turd).  All sizzle, no steak, with all the crass and base emotional impact of a child frying ants with a magnifying glass.

If the genre is ever going to get back the respect it had before the 80s, it's going to need a whole lot more of the former and a shit-ton less of the latter.  I'm sure others will disagree, but that's my take.