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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Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker: Little Seen 80s Oedipal Exploitation Thriller

As 1970s’ exploitation and splatter horror gave way to the slasher era of the 1980s, horror movies occasionally straddled styles. The result was some tonally oddball movie like Nightmare Beach, Pieces, Humanoids from the Deep, Sleepaway Camp, and Madman. While these movies had recognizable slasher DNA, their atmosphere and aesthetics felt like spiritual descendants of […]

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The Devil’s Rejects: Even Hell Wouldn’t Have Them

Metal maestro Rob Zombie has a somewhat checkered history as a horror filmmaker. Critics complained that House of 1000 Corpses was too derivative. Fast forward several years and Zombie turned in a half a good movie with his Halloween remake. Though Zombie flashed some cool ideas with the sequel, his tendency towards ugliness overpowered the […]

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I Spit On Your Grave 2: An Unnecessary Sequel to An Unwanted Remake

Netflix didn’t much effort into its Netflix and Chills this year. Among the small handful of new horror releases added in October, Netflix didn’t just include the I Spit On Your Grave remake – they also added its 2013 sequel. Yes, a sequel to a remake that no one wanted to a movie from a […]

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The New Kids: Not the Toughest Revenge Thriller on the Block

In the 1980’s, horror movies were defined by the slasher sub-genre. Similarly, the action-thriller genre was all about vengeance. Revenge thrillers were all the rage in the decade of excess and neon. Death Wish sequels, Ms 45, Savage Streets, The Exterminator, Vigilante, Fighting Back. Most of these movies were grimy, violent, low-budget affairs. And then […]

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I Spit On Your Grave: A Remake No One Wanted

If there was a movie begging for a remake … I Spit On Your Grave was not that movie. Most film pundits consider director Meir Zarchi’s 1978 ‘rape-revenge’ film to be among the most controversial movies made. Following its release, critics trashed it while some countries outright banned it. In the 1980’s, for instance, England […]

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Eli Roth: Ranking the Grindhouse Master’s Movies

Eli Roth is one of the more divisive filmmakers in the horror genre today. Though his filmography is relatively small, Roth has had his hand in numerous projects, including AMC’s recent Eli Roth’s History of Horror. In the early 2000’s, Roth emerged alongside filmmakers noted for pushing the envelope of onscreen violence including Rob Zombie […]

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