The horrors associated with nuclear fallout and radiation poisoning gave Night of the Living Dead (1968) an excuse to explain the zombie outbreak. This Cold War anxiety has been seen in all kinds… Continue reading
When I watched this movie for the very first time, I thought The Ring (2002) was really scary. I still think the same thing, but with the added complement that it has atmosphere.… Continue reading
There has been no other horror film that has received as much attention as The Exorcist (1973). It riled up almost everyone upon release, including the Church, the media, and movie goers, of… Continue reading
Dracula has been featured in over 200 films, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) is one of the best. Just based on the visual nature of the film, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is unique. I… Continue reading
The difference between this and The Howling (1981) is that the comedy actually works a whole lot better. The funny thing about the comedy (pun), is that it feels weirdly uncomfortable, like a… Continue reading
At the end of the day, most audiences liked the ending to Silence of the Lambs (1991), where Hannibal Lecter plots revenge against his jailer. Why is this? Are our empathic buttons pressed… Continue reading
If you’ve never heard of this movie, shame on you, because it is a classic zombie horror comedy. Mixing horror and comedy is not easy to do. The Raven (1963) did it and… Continue reading
Did you know Michael Myers only killed five people and two dogs in 1978’s Halloween? It is never explained why he does what he does. The series later tried to explain that the… Continue reading
Ironically, I got the years all mixed up for The Vanishing (1988), a film about knowledge. This thriller was originally a novel by Tim Krabbe, then was broadcast on BBC radio in the… Continue reading
Roman Polanski’s Repulsion (1965) is unpleasant on purpose. The main character is Carole, a shy and quiet woman, who goes from being detached to clinically schizophrenic. After her sister leaves town, she slowly… Continue reading
Blue Velvet (1986) was made by David Lynch, so it makes no sense. It is film noir, has lots of alcohol and violence, as well as crime and sex. It plays with perspective and… Continue reading
The Raven (1963) could be the best of the eight Edgar Allan Poe movies Roger Corman made. This movie is the fifth one in Roger Corman’s Poe cycle and stars Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Jack… Continue reading
The Amityville Horror (1979) could be the one film where success comes in spite of everything else working against it. The film resulted in several lawsuits, the original screenwriter was fired and replaced,… Continue reading
Guillermo Del Toro is currently in production of a remake of The Orphanage (2007), a horror film written by his pal Sergio Sanchez and directed by his buddy, J.A. Bayona. The original is a… Continue reading
Psycho (1960) is one of the best thrillers ever made and has probably generated more discussion than any other film I’ve ever seen. Hitchcock could have made this movie in color, and I… Continue reading
