If it comes in miniature and could conceivably be evil in nature, chances are Charles Band has probably used it as the basis for a schlock horror film (even ‘worry dolls’ have gone very, very wrong in his hands). And, in terms of success stories, the Puppet Master franchise has probably been one of his […]
The notion of folk horror – of isolated communities, barbaric practices and something distinctly sinister about the land itself – has received an awful lot of critical attention in the past few years, not least of which from this very site, so it’s unsurprising to see new films are now appearing, borne out of that […]
By Matt Harries Nowadays there is a kind of movement or at least prevailing school of thought that seems to be infusing through certain echelons of horror filmmaking. A school of thought that would prefer to see the genre transcend its lowly place as a parade of predictable distractions, to instead be regarded as the […]
Hill House and Beyond By Guest Contributor Matt Harries For the first part of Matt’s special feature on Mike Flanagan, click here. For Keri’s feature on The Haunting of Hill House, click here. ‘What struck me the most is that I think grief is such a universal experience that when we were in the writers’ […]
When I saw that Pet Sematary was being remade, I had a strange sense of deja-vu. Just like IT, another late-80s/early 90s Stephen King adaptation which has recently received an overhaul, the original version of Pet Sematary is bound up with late childhood memories for me, with scenes which have stuck in my head long […]
Mads Mikkelsen has turned his hand to all manner of different films during his career, from priests to cannibals, and he has certainly shown that he can handle, shall we say, the more challenging roles – and physically-demanding roles too. It seems that he went through more than a few hard knocks during the making […]
By Matt Harries Roky Erickson’s passing on May 31st rightly saw a wave of recognition from those touched by his life and works. Musicians especially have been quick to acknowledge the influence of his band, The 13th Floor Elevators, as progenitors of psychedelic and garage rock, as well as Erickson himself as a shining example […]
By Guest Contributor Matt Harries ‘The stories aren’t about horror, they’re about challenging ideas, confronting our darkest natures, and facing universal fears.’ Part 1: Absentia to Gerald’s Game Mike Flanagan is a name you could reasonably describe as ‘hot’ among fans of screen horror. The self-confessed Stephen King nut recently declared a wrap on shooting […]
By Guest Contributor Helen Creighton Game of Thrones has finally ended, and not in a way everyone found entirely satisfactory. This is nothing new in television; there’s a history of beloved, long-running shows dropping final seasons or finales that leave their audiences feeling cheated. Take the long-running 80s hospital drama St. Elsewhere, concluded with the […]
They’ve been regularly made since the very first film of the kind in the 1920s, but perhaps the 1970s were particularly unusual for the sheer volume of vampire horror films which emerged. Many different varieties of vampire horror appeared, too: Hammer Studios toyed with classic stories and folklore to create their own lurid, luxuriant spin, […]
By Guest Contributor Marc Lissenburg The biggest accolade I can give the Dead By Dawn International Film Festival is the fact my continued attendance ensures I devour every delectable morsel projected onto the silver screen. Annually, without fail, darkly feverish cinematic delicacies are chosen with unbridled passion and scheduled with logical precision. If you can […]