If you were a kid in the 1980s you probably remember the massive television event that was V. Originally, NBC aired the sci-fi story of seemingly benevolent aliens, or ‘Visitors’, taking over Earth on May 1 and 2 1983. When V lit up the ratings, NBC quickly commissioned a sequel, V: The Final Battle, which […]
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Happy National Puppy Day! Since 2006 we’ve set aside March 23 to celebrate our furry friends, big and small. After all, dog is man’s best friend. That is, unless you fancy yourself to be a cat person. While ‘killer dogs’ fall under the larger ‘killer animal‘ movie umbrella, there’s certainly a handful of movies where […]
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In addition to awful Christmas movies, Netflix specializes in cheap, knockoff psychological thrillers. Once upon a time, sexualized psychological thrillers – Basic Instinct, Sliver, Fatal Attraction – were hallmarks of the late 80s and early 90s. Too bad Netflix isn’t making those movies. Instead, Netflix thrillers have strayed towards bland and formulaic. Like their Christmas […]
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By the mid-1980’s, the slasher film craze was running out of steam. Though some series – A Nightmare on Elm Street and Child’s Play – were just beginning, the subgenre suffered from an excess of indistinguishable releases. Take a stroll through later ‘80’s releases and what you’ll find are more self-aware horror movies. Perhaps sensing […]
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Today marks the official first day of spring. As the temperatures rise – even if just a little bit – and the snow recedes, people will be outside washing their cars, waling their dogs, and barbequing. Just don’t start raking your lawns or tending gardens yet. Experts warn that it could have a disastrously effect […]
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Aside from a handful of exceptions, the period between the slasher’s ‘Golden Era’ and Wes Craven’s Scream was a downturn for horror. For every Jacob’s Ladder there was a Brainscan or Man’s Best Friend. And it was in this horror ‘dead zone’ that Universal Pictures released horror-comedy, Dr Giggles. Nearly thirty years later it’s hard […]
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In the 1990s, Kevin Smith was among several directors responsible for the resurgence of indie filmmaking. Most film buffs know the story of how Smith maxed out credit cards to finance his feature debut, Clerks. Between 1995 and 1999, Smith wrote and directed Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma – all of which achieved some level […]
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When Wes Craven made Scream he kickstarted a more self-aware approach to horror. It was a self-reflective work Craven had tried previously with New Nightmare. Initially, Scream begot a wave of slasher-lite knockoffs that kind of missed Craven’s point. But the meta-slasher would eventually gain traction. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Tucker […]
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