On Critics and Horror
The degree of its vulgarity is ever wavering, but to the critical establishment, “horror” is still a dirty word. Skim through even most positive reviews of recent horror films published … Continue Reading On Critics and Horror
The Invisible Man on the Internet
“…the whole world’s my hiding place. I can stand there amongst them in the day or night and laugh at them.” -Jack Griffin, The Invisible Man (1933) The Invisible Man … Continue Reading The Invisible Man on the Internet
8 ’80s Horror Movies That Should Have Inspired Saturday Morning Cartoons
Troma’s 1984 cult classic The Toxic Avenger is notorious for its cartoonishly extreme violence (including a little boy’s head being crushed by a car), abundance of sex and nudity, onslaught … Continue Reading 8 ’80s Horror Movies That Should Have Inspired Saturday Morning Cartoons
My Halloween History
Despite the fact that I’d never seen any of the Universal Monster movies as a kid, I devoted four consecutive Halloweens to them. I was obsessed with monsters, and obviously … Continue Reading My Halloween History
13 Horror Movies Every Goth Should See
Horror fans are a more diverse bunch than people give us credit for. Listing off the different subgenres of horror would not be unlike Bubba talking about shrimp in Forrest … Continue Reading 13 Horror Movies Every Goth Should See
Why Horror Will Never Be as Popular as Sci-Fi or Fantasy — and Why That’s Okay
If there’s a common element to the stories that have captured the imaginations of entire cultures over time, it’s rather obviously mythology. People innately respond to myths. This goes back … Continue Reading Why Horror Will Never Be as Popular as Sci-Fi or Fantasy — and Why That’s Okay
The Walter Paisley Universe: Tracking the History of Cult Cinema’s Favorite Recurring Character
Roger Corman’s 1959 horror-tinged beatnik satire A Bucket of Blood may have been the start of one of the least likely shared universes in movie history. Well, okay. Not officially. … Continue Reading The Walter Paisley Universe: Tracking the History of Cult Cinema’s Favorite Recurring Character
New York as Hellscape in Horror Cinema of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s
“I think someone should just take this city and just…just flush it down the fuckin’ toilet.” -Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver (1976) As soon as you emerge from the stairway of … Continue Reading New York as Hellscape in Horror Cinema of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s
Cinematic Brain Freeze: ‘Ice Cream Man’ and the Phenomenon of Offbeat Tone
I remember while watching the quite good 2006 documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated, about the hypocrisies of the thinly veiled censorship committee known as the MPAA, I was … Continue Reading Cinematic Brain Freeze: ‘Ice Cream Man’ and the Phenomenon of Offbeat Tone
The Glory of ‘Neon Maniacs’
Neon Maniacs sounds like it could have been one of those toy lines or trading card series from the late ’80s or early ’90s. You know the ones. Garbage Pail … Continue Reading The Glory of ‘Neon Maniacs’
USA Up All Night and the Virtue of Late-Night Trash Flicks
As much as I’m glad to have pretty much full control over what movies I watch and when I can watch them now that I have a plethora of streaming … Continue Reading USA Up All Night and the Virtue of Late-Night Trash Flicks
Putting the ‘Goth’ in Gotham: Remembering ‘Batman Returns’ 26 Years Later
It’s hard to imagine in today’s movie market, but there was a time when superhero movies didn’t dominate the box office. At the time I’m writing this, the three highest … Continue Reading Putting the ‘Goth’ in Gotham: Remembering ‘Batman Returns’ 26 Years Later
Cardboard Kids with Glowing Eyes: An Ode to the Age of Video Stores
I suppose the advantages of streaming movies greatly outweigh the disadvantages; in fact, it’s quite possible that there aren’t any disadvantages of which to speak. Conclusively, the quality of … Continue Reading Cardboard Kids with Glowing Eyes: An Ode to the Age of Video Stores
Why All This Junk?, or: An Introduction
About a third of the way through The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Kirk enters a decrepit house and haphazardly enters (rookie mistake in a horror movie, of course), hoping the … Continue Reading Why All This Junk?, or: An Introduction
