Where Horror Lives
Franchises are a staple of the horror genre. From the beginnings of horror cinema, Universal had their ‘Monsters’ and Hammer Films’ pumped out their Frankenstein and Dracula sequels for over a decade. During the ‘Golden Era’ of slashers in the 1980’s, Friday the 13th, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street sequels ruled. But by […]
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In addition to ‘Torture Porn‘ and remakes, the early 2000’s was defined by a brief fascination with J-horror. As compared to Saw and the movies it inspired, Japanese horror, or J-horror, dismissed gore in favour of atmosphere. With its stories of ghosts, or Yurei, and haunted technology, J-horror was stylistically unique. Everything from use of […]
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Today, we have certain expectations of superhero movies. In the era of shared cinematic universes, we want mid- and post-credit scenes, connections to existing movies, and set-ups for future intellectual properties. But in 2005, Sam Raimi was one year removed from Spider-Man 2, Batman Begins was just hitting theaters, and we were a year away […]
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Trends come and go in horror, as with other film genres. Slashers dominated the 1980’s, while ‘Torture Porn’ and found-footage took turns in the 2000’s. Over the last few years, critics have coined the term ‘elevated horror’ for movies like Midsommar and The Witch. And since the early 2000’s, genre enthusiasts have found their ’horror-fied’ […]
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To date, Misery remains one of Stephen King’s best works. Undoubtedly, the book’s success owes in part to its memorable villain, Annie Wilkes. But Misery’s status also stems from its relevancy. Like the best fictional works, King’s story of an obsessed fan eerily forecasted the current state of toxic fan culture. Similarly, Rob Reiner’s 1990 […]
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Several horror movies are generally regarded as kickstarting the 1980’s slasher movie boom. Critics and fans alike hail John Carpenter’s Halloween as the subgenre’s official starting point. But it was Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho that shifted horror’s focus from aliens, Gothic monsters, and atomic beasts to the psycho-sexual killer. Somewhere in between these movies, The Texas […]
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Silent Night, Deadly Night boasts a history shared by few ’80’s horror films. Arguably its infamy far outreaches its quality. At its best, Silent Night, Deadly Night is a sleazy B-movie that hits the ‘so bad, it’s good’ switch. Many horror fans may just consider it plain bad. But when this Christmas chiller was released […]
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Horror anthology movie, Trick r’ Treat has an interesting history. Today, horror fans regard it as a ‘must-see’ classic. In line with this view, Shout! Factory put out a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray last year. And the movie’s writer and director, Michael Dougherty impressed enough to land Godzilla King of the Monsters earlier this year. But […]
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Fresh off the notoriously frustrating Hollywood movie-making experience that was Alien 3, David Fincher bounced back with one the best thrillers of the 1990’s. New Line Cinema released Fincher’s Se7en in the fall of 2005, giving the acclaimed director his first major theatrical success. In spite of its grim subject matter, Se7en scored big at […]
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In 1998, horror was back in a big way. Wes Craven’s Scream kicked off a slasher-lite revival. I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know, Disturbing Behavior, and Urban Legend followed quickly, targeting teen audiences. Screenwriter Kevin Williamson also played a significant role in the 90’s horror revival. The Dawson’s Creek creator penned […]
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