Film

A collection of 523 posts

Film

Phantasm II Review (Film, 1988) #31DaysofHorror

Mike, newly released from a psychiatric hospital, is doing everything he can to prove that what he saw nine years ago when The Tall Man started attacking is true. His only way to stay outside the hospital is to become the person they want him to be, a rational member of society who knows that metal

Film

Two Evil Eyes Review (Film, 1991) The Archives #31DaysofHorror

Horror giants George Romero and Dario Argento collaborated on a modern day adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories. Romero totally reset his take on “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” in the present, while Argento’s “The Black Cat” uses a little dream logic and unusual settings to aim for someth

Film

Prevenge Review (Film, 2017) #31DaysofHorror

A pregnant woman goes on a killing spree. She believes her unborn child is controlling her, telling her exactly what to do in her day to day life. Even her doctor tells her that her baby has ways of telling her what to do.

Film

Masters of Horror: S2E11 "The Black Cat"

This week, we take a look at Stuart Gordon’s second episode of Masters of Horror. The Black Cat is an adaptation of Edgar Alan Poe’s story “The Black Cat” mashed up with his own life as told by his worst critics. You can read the full review at The Avocado [https://the-avocado.org/2020/10/07/masters

Film

The Lords of Salem Review (Film, 2013) #31DaysofHorror

The Lords of Salem follows heavy metal radio DJ Heidi as she comes face to face with the history of witchcraft in Salem. That’s it. That’s the plot. There’s more nuance to it, but that’s the point. Rob Zombie wanted to make a film about witches, so he made one.

Film

Color Out of Space Review (Film, 2020) #31DaysofHorror

Inspired by the H.P. Lovecraft story “The Colour Out of Space,” Color Out of Space tells the story of the Gardner Family. They live in a remote house in the middle of the woods. Mother Theresa has cancer and everyone is struggling to cope. Then, a mysterious object falls from the sky, changing their

Film

The Love Witch Review (Film, 2016) #31DaysofHorror

The Love Witch is one of the most beautiful horror films ever made. Writer/director/producer/editor/composer/costume designer/set designer/art director Anna Biller crafts one of the most stylized horror films of all time. No detail is too small to be just good enough and nothing that appears onscree

Film

Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror Review (Film, 2019) #31DaysofHorror

Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror is a documentary about the role of black creators, artists, and audiences in the development of American horror cinema. It is adapted from the incredible book of the same name by Robin R. Means Coleman by director Xavier Burgen and screenwriters Ashlee Blackwe

Film

Phantasm Review (Film, 1979) #31DaysofHorror

Something strange is happening at the Morningside Cemetery. We witness a ritual sacrifice right by the chapel, though the death is reported as a death by suicide. Now a strange cloaked figure is sneaking around in the corner of everyone’s eyes and whispers fill the halls of the funeral home, church,

Film

Donkey Punch Review (Film, 2009) The Archives #31DaysofHorror

Donkey Punch is like a grotesque Agatha Christie mystery. You don’t know who will get popped off next, and you don’t know how it will go down. Donkey Punch even features one disturbing and unbelievable kill I’ve never seen in decades of consuming slashers like air. It’s And Then There Were None on s

Film

Nightmare Cinema Review (Film, 2019) #31DaysofHorror

Nightmare Cinema is a horror anthology film about an abandoned movie theatre. People are lured in by their own name appearing on the marquee and given a ticket. They walk inside and watch their worst nightmare play out in front of them, starring them. It’s a great concept for a horror anthology and

Film

Two Sentence Horror Stories Season 2 Review (TV, 2019) #31DaysofHorror

Two Sentence Horror Stories is an anthology horror series inspired by the subreddit of the same name. The series was created by Vera Maio for the CW Seed, the CW’s original free streaming platform, and currently has two seasons. Season 2 is available to stream on Netflix, and that’s the focus of thi

Film

Masters of Horror: S2E10 "We All Scream for Ice Cream"

This week, we take a look at the Masters of Horror episode We All Scream for Ice Cream. This is one of the few (arguably two) slasher episodes of the series directed by a master of paranormal horror. Tom Holland is the creator of Child’s Play and Fright Night. He’s also responsible for two of the be

Announcements

Announcing: Spookier Times

Introducing Spookier Times. This is a new biweekly podcast about everything horror, Gothic, and weird fiction across media. I’m incredibly proud of the project and the opportunities it affords in media criticism.

Film

The Hills Have Eyes Review (Film, 1977) The Archives

The Hills Have Eyes is writer/director Wes Craven’s second horror film, preceded by The Last House on the Left. Again, he establishes an outsider versus insider mentality, expanding his focus from two young women going to a rock concert to an entire extended family traveling cross country to Califor

Film

The "Authorship" of Poltergeist

The big question that always surrounds Poltergeist is essentially an authorship debate. Tobe Hooper, a horror director best known at that point for incredibly violent B-movies like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Eaten Alive, was chosen to direct Poltergeist by producer/screenwriter Steven Spielber

Film

Masters of Horror: S2E09 "Right to Die"

Season 2 of Masters of Horror was all about going there. Blame the censorship at the end of season 1 with the refusal to air Imprint. Or it could be that directors realized how much they could actually get away with and just ran with it. Right to Die is a horror film inspired by the debate over righ

Film

5 Family Friendly Horror Films

For younger horror fans, the choices are few and far between. Halloween specials are abundant, but actual stories about learning to confront and overcome fear are still not the most common. By all means, share the joy of some truly wonderful animated films like The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Ad

Film

Body at Brighton Rock Review (Film, 2019)

Wendy is a new park ranger. She doesn’t have all the training and clearances yet, but she wants to prove her worth. After arriving late to her shift, she agrees to trade jobs with her friend Maya. It doesn’t take Wendy long to get off path, lose her map, lose her way, and stumble across a dead body.

Film

Sisters Review (Film, 1972) The Archives

Writer Grace Collier witnesses a murder in the apartment across the courtyard. Unfortunately for her, the very police force she accused of racism and corruption in her editorials refuses to conduct an actual investigation because she is the key witness. They’d rather bash her credibility and watch a

Film

We Summon the Darkness Review (Film, 2020)

We Summon the Darkness is a throwback slasher film set in the world of heavy metal. Alan Trezza’s screenplay is well researched. The language, references, and religious-fueled panic are all accurate to the late 80s. The dialogue has a great rhythm to it and a sense of believability.

Film

Masters of Horror: S2E08 "Valerie on the Stairs"

The newest edition of my recap series over at The Avocado is up. This week, we’re looking at the Mick Garris/Clive Barker collaboration Valerie on the Stairs, aka one of the scariest films ever made about writers. Check it out [https://the-avocado.org/?p=194885].

Film

Office Killer Review (Film, 1997) The Archives

Office Killer is one weird horror film. The individual elements aren’t so strange. It’s an office horror where a neglected member of the staff begins killing her enemies and covering for their absence with impeccable detail. The whole thing is just really off-kilter.

Film

Circle Review (Film, 2015) The Archives

In Circle, a random selection of 50 strangers are forced to compete in a deadly game. They wake up, standing, on a game board filled with circles and arrows. If they step off their circle, they’re killed by the glowing black ooze in the center of the room. Every two minutes, a drumbeat picks up and

Film

Elizabeth Harvest Review (Film, 2018)

Elizabeth Harvest is an ultra-modern sci-fi/horror about what’s hidden in a state of the art house. Elizabeth marries Harry, an incredibly intelligent and successful man. She moves into his beautiful, state of the art mansion with everything she could ever want. There is only one rule: Elizabeth can