Where Horror Lives
On International Women’s Day, it’s a good time to remind ourselves of the contributions made by women to the horror genre. Like other movie genres, women have had far fewer opportunities to bring their visions to the screen. Yet some of the more creative and risky horror entries in recent years have come from very […]
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Universal Studios and the Universal monsters of the 1930’s and 1940’s are the template for our Halloween. Mad scientists and hunchback assistants. Angry villagers with pitchforks and torches. Shuffling monsters with electrodes their neck. Full moons and werewolves. Aristocratic vampire in capes. During their nearly two decade reign over horror, Universal created much of the […]
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Today, in Canada, it’s Pink Shirt Day. For those unfamiliar with the concept, it’s an event designed to promote anti-bullying in our schools. At some point in most of our lives, we’ve probably all had run-in’s with the schoolyard bully. Not surprisingly then, a sizeable number of horror movies have revolved around a picked-upon loner […]
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Ah, the 1980’s was a simpler time. You could watch episodes of your favourite television show in any order. Continuity wasn’t an issue. And our action heroes weren’t bogged down with angst And introspection. Less cerebral, more brawn, it was shoot first, then shoot again. It was the era of the Arnold Schwarzenegger’s and Sylvester […]
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What scares you? The best horror movies exploit our most basic fears. Home invasion movies, for example, undermine our sense of security in the place we should feel the safest. Killer bug movies understand that most people hate ‘creepy crawlies’. And sharks – they’re basically freight trains with teeth. But some people have strange fears. […]
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It’s that time of year. Stuck in the desolation that falls between Christmas and Easter, Valentine’s Day is back. But fear not. Love isn’t just for Hallmark Channel subscribers. Yes, people find love even in horror movies. Of course, it’s usually tragic, cursed, or undead. Nevertheless, horror fans have plenty of options for curling up […]
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Somewhere in between ‘masked slashers’ and ‘insidious conjurings’, torture porn briefly reigned in horror. From Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects to Eli Roth’s Hostel and the ‘New French Extremity‘ movement, horror fans flocked to movies characterized by extreme graphic violence. However, it all started with James Wan’s Saw in 2004. The low-budget movie kickstarted a […]
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Last week, Orion Pictures released their adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale, Hansel and Gretel – Gretel & Hansel. The latest directorial feature from Oz Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter) re-visits a classic horror narrative – the evil witch in the woods. Though vampires, werewolves, and zombie have all enjoyed cycles of mainstream popularity, witches […]
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This past week, Netflix released its latest binge-worthy docu-series, Cheer. A reality show following a college cheerleading program, Cheer has already amassed a pretty big following. So in the spirit of Netflix’s latest addiction, let’s take a look at some of horror’s most inspired cheerleader horror movies. Though horror movies typically love killing teens and […]
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Space and the deep sea make for great horror settings. This is probably in large part due to the fact that they’re both unexplored. At some points, the ocean is thousands of feet deep …. who know what lurks at the bottom. And it’s this ambiguity – or lack of knowledge and experience – that […]
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