By the end of the 1980s, the best days of the slasher movie were in the rearview mirror. The Friday the 13th series was long in the tooth, and A Nightmare on Elm Street wasn’t far behind. In general, horror was hitting a lull by the end of the decade. But the straight-to-video market allowed […]
Read More
At this point, horror fans have plenty of big screen adaptations of Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Dracula. Both Universal Studios and Hammer Films gave us beloved versions of the character. Filmmakers from Andy Warhol to Francis Ford Coppola to Werner Herzog have put their own twist on the iconic character. Prequels, sequels, comedies, animated versions […]
Read More
Early in his career, Brad Anderson directed two cult classic thrillers, The Machinist and Session 9. Though The Machinist may be best known for actor Christian Bale’s startling physical transformation, many horror fans consider Session 9 to be an underrated gem. Several years later, Anderson directed Halle Berry in the surprise box office hit, The […]
Read More
You’d be forgiven if you thought The Invitation was another quiet attempt at re-booting a ‘Dark Universe’ of classic monsters. The premise sounds like a contemporary spin on a ‘Brides of Dracula’ concept complete with its Gothic British manor setting. But this is a Sony Pictures release, not Universal Pictures, so if there’s vampires no […]
Read More
Over 10 years later, Neil LaBute is still probably apologizing for his remake of The Wicker Man. Now he’s back in the horror genre – including some intentional dark comedy – with the ‘date gone wrong’ House of Darkness. Before The Wicker Man, LaBute has explored themes of misogyny, which looks pretty central to House […]
Read More
After Netflix released Texas Chainsaw Massacre in February, the streaming platform has largely ignored horror in 2022. But as summer winds down, Netflix decides to go big or go home with its vampire action-comedy-horror hybrid, Day Shift. On paper, a cool vampire movie starring Jamie Foxx and Snoop Dogg should be gold. And based on […]
Read More
Few better ‘gateway’ horror movies exist than The Lost Boys. By ‘gateway horror’, of course, The Lost Boys was the perfect introduction to horror for early teens. It’s also a nearly perfect time capsule, warts and all, for the decade in which it was released. From its ‘Brat Pack’ casting to its MTV rock-infused soundtrack, […]
Read More
Nearly a decade has passed since horror anthology V/H/S saw a limited theatrical release. Both its unique wraparound story and roster of up-and-coming directors set the anthology movie apart. In spite of tepid reviews, V/H/S generated enough box office receipts and audience buzz to warrant two sequels and a spin-off. That first sequel, V/H/S 2, […]
Read More