Summer is here, the sun is out, and the weather is warming up. Time to pack your cooler, grab a blanket and floatie, and make sure there’s a sun umbrella in the trunk. There’s no better way to spend a hot summer Saturday then on the beach. If you’re old enough you might remember watching […]
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Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is an unparalleled masterpiece. As a franchise, however, Jaws may offer the best illustration of diminishing returns. Three years after Jaws scared people away from the beach, Jaws 2 reminded it us it still wasn’t safe to go back in the water. Though it never came close to approaching the original’s quality, […]
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Steven Spielberg’s Jaws was more than a box office sensation – it was a cultural phenomenon. Along with Star Wars, Jaws changed how movies were made, released, and watched. And just like Psycho turned people off of their showers, Jaws scared a generation away from the ocean. Still there was no reason to make a […]
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In the ground-breaking Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film, Carol J Clover identified several slasher movie tropes. Today, horror fans are well-acquainted with her concept of The Final Girl. But another hallmark of horror, according to Clover, is the Terrible Place. Classic Gothic horror had its castles with winding staircases and […]
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Sorry Shark Week, but sharks are scary. Maybe it’s the fear of what’s beneath you in the ocean. Or perhaps it’s the row of very sharp teeth. But sharks have been popular horror movie villains since Jaws swam into theaters in 1975. Over the years, we’ve seen our share of good killer shark movies (Deep […]
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Jaws is a horror masterpiece. Steven Spielberg put himself on the map with his killer shark spin on a previous movie, Duel. Cinephiles know that Jaws: The Revenge is an awful movie. In fact, it’s not just awful, it’s all-time awful. Let’s not forget Jaws 2, a perfectly serviceable if not better than expected, sequel. […]
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Happy Shark Week 2018! If you’re like me, you’re probably looking for a good shark thriller to celebrate the Shark Week festivities. Sadly, we’re still a few weeks away from the release of The Meg. It would be a no-brainer to recommend Jaws, a film I re-visit at the start of every summer. Instead I’m […]
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Summer is finally here! Classes are coming to an end. The days are longer. Somewhere a sandy beach is calling your name. Maybe you can already smell that burning campfire. To celebrate the first day of summer, in this edition of The Chopping Block, I take a look at some of the better summer-themed horror […]
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