Would you like to play a game? One of the most popular subgenres of horror in recent years, if it can really be called one, is the game movie. Popularized mostly by films like Saw, these are films in which our unlucky heroes and victims find themselves trapped in the midst of some clever psychopath’s demented puzzle room or game parlor, having to solve some … Continue reading High-Stakes Horror: The Genre’s Best Game Movies
At the turn of the millennium, Robert Zemeckis (along with producers Joel Silver and Gilbert Adler) formed a new production label called Dark Castle entertainment. This new enterprise, a division of Warner Bros’ Silver Pictures, was created with one singular goal: To remake the classic horror films of legendary filmmaker William Castle. The results were… well, let’s say ‘mixed.’ For those of you who don’t … Continue reading ‘House of Wax’ and the Wonderful Mediocrity of Dark Castle Entertainment
…why are bees in so many horror movies? No, seriously: Why? There are certain animals I understand as a source of fear that would naturally lend themselves to being the basis of a horror film. Sharks? Totally get it. They can literally eat you. Granted, there’s only ever really been one good shark movie, but, you know, I can see why people would still try. … Continue reading Bees?
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
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
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
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is… not in a great place right now. Despite the original film, released in 1974, being one of the most influential and revered slashers of all time, not a single installment out of the eight films that followed it would even remotely live up to its legendary reputation. From bizarre, self-parody sequels to bloody, over-the-top remakes, filmmaker after filmmaker has … Continue reading Horror Life Support: How to Revive ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’
Aliens, werewolves, ghosts, and demons. All of these monstrous staples of the horror genre have been endless sources of terror onscreen for generations of movie-goers. Everyone has their weaknesses, that one thing that scares them more than anything else. Maybe it’s bugs, with movies like The Fly and Arachnophobia making you positively squirm in your seat. Maybe you’re deeply Catholic, and anything involving a possession … Continue reading ‘Wolf Creek:’ Sadism in the Outback
Hello, dear readers. Last year, in a moment of misplaced clarity about what this site had become, I made a personal vow to dedicate the entire month of October to non-stop horror content. Every single day, 31 days in a row, new, fresh material for you to consume, perfect for the Halloween season. Rankings, new reviews, and recommendation lists, day after day, all month long. … Continue reading An October Mission Statement, Part II: Electric Boogaloo
When I was a teenager, I did a three-year program called the Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School. Part of a larger initiative all throughout the state of Virginia, the program was, essentially, a way for select students to take college courses and pursue some higher education while still in high school. It was an amazing experience, one that prepared me for my actual college years better … Continue reading An Environmentally-Unfriendly Visit to ‘The Bay’
The Blogger Under the Stairs 