Category: You Should Watch This

You Should Watch This

Leslie Vernon: The King of the Meta-Slasher

In our previous discussion of the 1983 cult-classic Sleepaway Camp, we talked about how slasher films can fall into a trap of being overly self-important and stagnantly serious. Slashers are inherently goofy, even when played straight, and to pretend otherwise often leads to disaster. Of course, you can have serious slasher flicks, but even the most noteworthy among them like Halloween and Black Christmas still … Continue reading Leslie Vernon: The King of the Meta-Slasher

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Two-Tone Terror: Horror in Black-and-White

There’s a certain tendency with younger audiences, one which I myself can be guilty of as well from time to time, to naturally skew towards newer films rather than those that came out before they were born. If you give them a choice between a modern release and something from decades ago, especially if it’s in black-and-white, they will almost certainly choose the contemporary option. … Continue reading Two-Tone Terror: Horror in Black-and-White

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Lists, You Should Watch This

Scares from Space: The Best of Extraterrestrial Horror

Most horror is Earthbound. The terror on our screens is based on monsters from our own world, or at the very least, worlds that are connected to ours. Creatures emerge from the woods or the sea to hunt us for dinner. Murderers and psychopaths escape from asylums or wander out of abandoned campgrounds to stalk us from the shadows. Vengeful spirits and malevolent demons arise … Continue reading Scares from Space: The Best of Extraterrestrial Horror

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‘Re-Animator:’ Lovecraftian Horror in it’s Most Delicious, Digestible Form

I hate H.P. Lovecraft. Sure, I love the meme-ry of his work in pop culture, all the references to Cthulu, Elder Gods, and Old Ones, all that fun stuff. I know the Shoggoths and the city of R’lyeh, and I’m pretty well-versed in all the horrors of Dunwich and the madness in the mountains. But man, his writing is just… no fun. At all. Lovecraft … Continue reading ‘Re-Animator:’ Lovecraftian Horror in it’s Most Delicious, Digestible Form

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Back From the Dead: The Best Horror Remakes

I’ve made this argument before here on this hellish collection of rambling, incoherent thoughts I call a blog, but I’ll say it again: As a general rule, I hate remakes. It’s the absolute bottom of the barrel in terms of sheer creative bankruptcy. It’s a studio and a collection of writers, producers, directors, and actors all getting together and saying “Hey, we don’t have a … Continue reading Back From the Dead: The Best Horror Remakes

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Willow Creek, and the Dangers of Finding Bigfoot

Try to think of a goofier monster than Bigfoot. I dare you. Despite being a mysterious, enigmatic cryptid, a creature that could possibly really exist somewhere out there in the forests of the American Pacific northwest, it’s been pretty much rendered a hokey joke by pop culture. The name Sasquatch doesn’t so much conjure the image of an elusive, majestic mythological beast so much as … Continue reading Willow Creek, and the Dangers of Finding Bigfoot

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Keep Filming: The Best of Found Footage Horror

A lot of horror cinema is very gimmick-centric. While the goal of every film is ultimately to get enough butts in enough seats to turn a profit on the production, it seems that horror in particular has taken that goal as a challenge. Going back to the 1950s and 60s with the films of William Castle, who was the king of the theater gimmick, horror … Continue reading Keep Filming: The Best of Found Footage Horror

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It’s Cowboys vs Cannibals in ‘Bone Tomahawk’

I used to hate westerns. My great-grandfather was obsessed with them, and as I kid I never understood why. They bored me to tears. It seemed like every single film in the genre had the exact same plot, the exact same characters, and the exact same showdown at the climax. To younger me, if it didn’t have lasers, aliens, or explosions, then it wasn’t worth … Continue reading It’s Cowboys vs Cannibals in ‘Bone Tomahawk’

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Distressing Damsels: The Ass-Kicking Leading Ladies of Subversive Horror

I love horror. It’s a fantastic genre, full of a wide-ranging plethora of different flavors and styles of filmmaking. There’s so many unique and fascinating subgenres and breeds of horror films that odds are, even the staunchest critic of the genre can find something that suits their interests. But that isn’t to say that it isn’t without its flaws. Chief among these is the way … Continue reading Distressing Damsels: The Ass-Kicking Leading Ladies of Subversive Horror

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Frights and Funnies: The Best of Horror/Comedies

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

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