Tentacles Can’t Quite Get Its Arms Wrapped Around Its Jaws-Inspired Scares

Even before Jaws changes the box office rules forever, eco-horror was a somewhat popular horror subgenre in the 1970s. Frogs, Phase IV, and Night of the Lepus found nature in a foul mood with humanity. And technically, Jaws isn’t really an eco-horror in its narrative design. But Spielberg’s classic killer shark movie inspired a host […]

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Jason Goes To Hell Makes a Strong Case for Being the Franchise’s Low Point

Once Paramount Pictures resurrected Jason Voorhees with lightning in Jason Lives, the franchise was running out of options for subsequent sequels. But increasingly ridiculous sequel setups weren’t the biggest problem for Friday the 13th. Audiences were losing interest and, as a result, Jason Takes Manhattan saw declining box office receipts. By 1993, New Line Cinema […]

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On the Sixth Day – Santa’s Slay Stuffs Its Stocking With Goofy Humor

Professional wrestlers transitioning to movies has a mixed track record. While The Rock has made the leap to mega-star and John Cena’s Peacemaker is a hit, no one’s asking Hulk Hogan to make No Holds Barred II. In what’s perhaps a wise move, Bill Goldberg has limited his acting career to supporting roles in movies. […]

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Godzilla 1998 Trades Allegorical Storytelling for Loud, Heartless Spectacle

Alongside King Kong, Godzilla is one of film’s most iconic ‘big monsters or kaiju. Since Toho Studios debuted the atomic monster in 1954, Godzilla (or Gojira) has appeared in 37 movies. Most of those movies have come courtesy of Toho. Not surprisingly, however, Hollywood has tried to cash in with an American-ized version for Western […]

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Darkness Falls Less Scary Than a Trip to the Dentist

Amidst a current ‘Golden Era’ of horror, it’s hard to remember that the genre experienced lean times in the 90s and early aughts. Yes, Wes Craven’s Scream sparked a brief neo-slasher trend. And several years later, Saw kicked off the ‘Torture Porn‘ craze while Hollywood raided VHS shelves for remakes. In between these trends, studios […]

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Class of Nuke ‘Em High Revels in the Crude Schlock That Defined Troma

If you’re a horror fan or B-movie lover and came of age in the 80s, you’re likely at least familiar with Troma Entertainment. The brainchild of Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, Troma movies mix ‘shock’ and ‘schlock’ on paper thin budgets. This is the studio that gave us The Toxic Avenger and Surf Nazis Must […]

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