Author: dinosaurinafez

Editorials, Reviews

‘Cannibal Holocaust’: A Legacy of Depravity

Some films have reputations built on infamy. These notorious pieces of forbidden art, which may be banned in certain countries and shunned by polite society, are spoken of in hushed whispers, and subject to endless debate. They’re often urban legends, full of rumors and hearsay, their legends bolstered by decades of myth-making by third-person accounts shared by those too scared to see it for themselves. … Continue reading ‘Cannibal Holocaust’: A Legacy of Depravity

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Short Film Showcase Sunday: On the Longer Side of Short

Sometimes, less is more. …but sometimes, you want a little extra. I think things like YouTube and Tiktok have warped what the ‘short’ in ‘short film’ means to a lot of people. In our first showcase of the month, we looked at shorts that were under three minutes. That’s usually the lower end of what people generally attribute to being ‘short,’ with the upper end … Continue reading Short Film Showcase Sunday: On the Longer Side of Short

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Reviews

‘Halloween Ends’ Is A Mercy Killing

The Halloween franchise has certainly had its share of highs and lows over the years, but it’s recently been on a relative upswing. Director David Gordan Green and writer Danny McBride (yes, that Danny McBride) successfully revived the floundering series in 2018 with their reboot/sequel/rebootquel of the original John Carpenter classic in 2018 with the confusingly-titled Halloween. This installment, which was met with both critical … Continue reading ‘Halloween Ends’ Is A Mercy Killing

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Rankings and Lists

Small-Screen Spin-Offs: Major Horror Franchises on TV

Right now, thanks to Disney properties like Marvel and Star Wars, shared universes are all the rage. An IP can’t just exist as a single film, or even a series. No, everything has to have movies, a long-form television show, an animated spin-off on a streaming service, and two or three YouTube channels that post random clips from all three. Movies are about as commodified … Continue reading Small-Screen Spin-Offs: Major Horror Franchises on TV

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Editorials

Trapped in the Algorithm: How Streaming Killed the Chance Encounter

For the most part, I love the streaming age. Sure, the business mechanics involved are sometimes frustrating (seriously Netflix, stop raising your prices), but as of right now, the pros still outweigh the cons in my eyes. Between Netflix, Prime, Hulu, and HBO Max, as well as newer services like Paramount+, there’s a massive library of content out there to peruse through, more than any … Continue reading Trapped in the Algorithm: How Streaming Killed the Chance Encounter

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Rankings and Lists, You Should Watch This

Frights and Funnies, Part II: Five More Great Horror/Comedies

Last year, we talked about how horror and comedy inherently work in tandem better than almost any other genre combination. They’re like cinematic chocolate and peanut butter. Or peanut butter and jelly. Or peanut butter and… well, anything. The point is, horror and comedy just inherently mesh together, for a number of reasons. I’ll spare you a repeat of that particular rant, which you can … Continue reading Frights and Funnies, Part II: Five More Great Horror/Comedies

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Reviews

‘Hellraiser’ Has Some Sights to Show You, and Not Much Else

I don’t think there’s a horror franchise out there with a bigger disparity between quality and quantity than Hellraiser. Ten films, over three decades, from a whole host of different writers, directors, and creative teams, and yet not single installment, save the original, comes anywhere close to being what a sane individual would consider ‘good.’ Which is a damn shame, really, because the first film, … Continue reading ‘Hellraiser’ Has Some Sights to Show You, and Not Much Else

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Reviews, You Should Watch This

Marvel Revives the Universal Monster Movie With ‘Werewolf By Night’

There is a staggering amount of overlap between horror films and superhero movies. James Wan (Aquaman), Sam Raimi (Spider-Man/Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness), Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange), Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming), David F. Sandberg (Shazam!), and James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), among others, all got their starts directing major horror movies. There’s something about the genre that the studios behind these big-budget … Continue reading Marvel Revives the Universal Monster Movie With ‘Werewolf By Night’

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Rankings and Lists, You Should Watch This

Short Film Showcase Sunday: Local 58

In this week’s Short Film Showcase, instead of another wide-ranging selection from multiple filmmakers, we’re going to be taking a look at one content creator in particular. Kris Straub is a writer, a producer, and a podcaster. He also, incidentally, is a master at making bizarre, short-form horror videos designed to give you a severe case of the heebie-jeebies. His YouTube channel, LOCAL58TV, is styled … Continue reading Short Film Showcase Sunday: Local 58

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Reviews, You Should Watch This

‘Smile:’ A Heart Attack With a Friendly Face

So, in full transparency, today’s post was supposed to be about Deadstream, a new found footage horror-comedy that premiered this on Shudder this week. It’s a fun, if somewhat cliché takedown of Youtuber/Twitch-streamer culture, filtered through the lends of a first-person Evil Dead film, featuring some fantastic practical effects and some clever uses of streaming technology like chat feeds and facecams. But coincidentally, on a … Continue reading ‘Smile:’ A Heart Attack With a Friendly Face

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