Horror and comedy are inherently symbiotic. They’re balancing forces to one another, helping to lower and raise tension and mood so that scares hit harder, and laughs come easier. Jokes calm the nerves, making a jump scare all the more unexpected and effective, while a good fright makes a comedy bit land way better as a palate cleanser than it ever would as a standalone. … Continue reading Frights and Funnies: The Best of Horror/Comedies
Today, we’re going to take a slight detour from our regularly scheduled programming, and step away from the in-universe appeal of horror films. Instead, we’re taking a step back behind the curtain, behind the scenes, and dedicating a bit of time to the cogs and pieces that make these films work so well, even after all this time. Today’s topic: Horror documentaries. The general rule … Continue reading Behind the Masks: Horror Documentaries
It’s nearly impossible to talk about horror as an all-encompassing genre without at least briefly touching on Friday the 13th. Starting in 1980 and spawning 12 films over nearly four decades, the series is one of the longest running and most iconic of all time. Even if you’ve never seen any of the films within the franchise, you almost certainly know of its star killer … Continue reading Legends of Horror, Ranked: Friday the 13th
Last Week, I gave some suggestions for horror movies that are a little lighter on the violence and brutality than is normally part-and-parcel with the genre. These are movies that still deliver on the scares, but don’t necessarily make you want to avert your eyes in disgust. But some of you sickos don’t need the soft stuff. You guys are the veterans, the iron stomachs. … Continue reading Not for the Faint of Heart: Hard-to-Watch Horror
Sometimes, a movie is just too much of a commitment. You’re tired, you’re distracted, you’re unfocused. You want to watch something, but you also don’t want to have to devote your attention to a full-length, two-hour story. You want something snappy, something quick and punchy, something that can keep your interests in short, controlled bursts. I understand this feeling all too well. I love movies, … Continue reading Spooky Segments: The Best of Horror Anthologies
Got a bit of a silly one for you guys today. Cabin in the Woods is, I think, one of the most rewatchable horror movies ever made. Part of that is due to its fun, snappy, Joss Whedon sensibilities. The dialogue is clever and catchy, without being overly obnoxious or twee, and the plot is just complex enough to be intriguing without bogging the film … Continue reading How Many References are in this One Frame of ‘Cabin in the Woods?’
Horror movies can be… intense. I’ve been watching them for as long as I’ve been watching, well, anything, and even I can get a little overwhelmed at times. Especially now, in the wake of the “torture porn” wave of the early-to-mid 2000s which saw the rise of franchises like Saw and Hostel, violence and gore in horror movies can make some films downright inaccessible to … Continue reading Bloodless Terror: Horror for the Squeamish
It’s Star Wars week this week (which is basically my Hanukkah) and to celebrate, I decided to do something that I’ve honestly been avoiding for several years now: Ranking the Star Wars films. It’s like trying to pick your favorite child, only harder, because some kids are just genuinely awful, and Star Wars is pretty fantastic on the whole. After spending about a week ruminating … Continue reading The Completely, Objectively Correct Star Wars Ranking
I’ll be honest: I kind of hate Christmas movies. Granted, I’m not exactly their target audience, but still. While there are some that I do have a bit of a soft spot for (Christmas Vacation and Jingle All the Way being particular favorites in my household growing up), I find that most of the Christmas films I do like tend to be out of nostalgia more than … Continue reading Holly-Jolly Horror
Well, folks, it’s nearly here: The culmination of an astonishing 11 years of build-up in the Marvel Cinematic. With the arrival of Avengers: Endgame edging itself closer and closer on the horizon, we are soon nearing the end of what is arguably the most massively ambitious cinematic storytelling endeavor of all time. Multiple franchises, dozens of character arcs, and a whopping 21 films have all been leading … Continue reading An Extremely Subjective Ranking of the Entire MCU
The Blogger Under the Stairs 