Several years ago, writer and director Anthony DiBlasi had a minor horror hit on his hands with Last Shift. As its title implied, Last Shift focused on a rookie cop working alone in an abandoned police station on its ‘last shift’ before closing. It’s story of murderous cult members who committed suicide in the station […]
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While big-title horror releases continue to succeed at the box office in 2023, more experimental genre efforts are quietly finding a niche for themselves. Ari Aster’s (Hereditary, Midsommar) latest Beau Is Afraid challenges the traditional boundaries of what constitutes horror. Earlier this year, Skinamarink and The Outwaters challenged the notions of storytelling and narrative. Now […]
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Over the last several years, critics have listed Ben Wheatley’s name among several other prominent ‘elevated horror‘ directors. To date, Wheatley’s eclectic work includes the classic Kill List, the trippy A Field in England, and the criminally underseen High-Rise. When he’s in his comfort zone, Wheatley’s movies work best on an aesthetic level more than […]
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Jordan Graham’s supernatural thriller Sator defines a ‘labor of love’. Apparently, Graham – who pretty much did everything – worked on the movie for several years. This is the kind of DIY filmmaking that made The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and The Blair Witch Project genre favorites. Based on the available promotional material, Sator promises […]
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Netflix has a poor track record with its horror movie selection. Despite its continued investment in original content, the streaming giant seems disinterested in producing new horror titles. And the slate of available titles rarely updates from month to month. Instead, Netflix seems content go grind out insipid psychological thrillers like its recent dud, Deadly […]
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Just over 20 years ago, The Blair Witch Project mixed ‘faux documentary’ movie-making with more traditional horror story-telling. Following its success, found-footage horror took over in the 2000’s. Indie horror offering, Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made, isn’t likely to have the same impact on the genre. After all, its gimmick – a cursed movie […]
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Is the horror anthology making a comeback? British studio Amicus Productions rivalled Hammer Films in the 60’s and 70’s with their anthology movies. Creepshow was an 80’s classic. Over the last several years, The ABCs of Death, the V/H/S series, and Holidays have been fun additions to the genre. And just last year, Ghost Stories […]
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A ‘phantasm’ refers to something illusory, an apparition, or a figment of the imagination. What’s not illusory is the surprising legacy of Don Coscarelli’s low-budget masterpiece, Phantasm. Earlier this week, the incomparable surreal horror celebrated its 40th anniversary. In the years since its release, Phantasm has spawned four sequels across four decades. Angus Scrimm’s ‘The […]
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