The Experience of Death in the ‘Phantasm’ Series
“The ‘Phantasm’ films may be the best and most consistent source for on-screen existential terror, and their dream logic that allows for numerous interpretations keeps them endlessly watchable.”
We Belong Dead: Immortality and Mourning in Boris Karloff’s Monster Movies
“Imhotep, like the Monster, has come from the dead, and this informs the ways in which he relates to the living. More importantly, it impacts the ways in which he relates to death and mortality.”
Ari Aster’s ‘Hereditary’: Hollow Horror
“What’s truly terrifying about ‘Hereditary’ is how empty it really is.”
Bela and Boris as Bela and Boris: Postmodern Icons in Early Horror
“By playing characters that feel like versions of themselves, both Bela and Boris try to manipulate the iconography that surrounds them, in a postmodern exploration of what it means to be a star, and wonder if it’s possible to escape from their own shadows.”
The Boundary-Pushing Comedy in Frank Henenlotter’s Films
“Frank Henenlotter and his films have the demeanor of a naughty uncle making wild, dirty jokes while telling a campfire ghost story. He wants you to take the material seriously, but he’s mostly concerned with you having a great time.”
The Inside Is Now the Outside: Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s ‘Cure’
“Memory and identity are inextricably linked.”
Review: Coralie Fargeat’s ‘Revenge’
“‘Revenge’ is not quietly revolutionary. It makes its message quite clear. Loud, brash, neon-colored and shot like a music video, the flick is unabashedly cool.”
Inherited Trauma and Jewish Themes in ‘Ghost Stories’
“Finally facing the ghost actually releases the tension. And so, it is only by facing a trauma like the Holocaust that future generations can begin to relieve its effects.”
Review: Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson’s ‘Ghost Stories’
“Nyman and Dyson’s film is so full-bloodedly cinematic that it leaves one wondering how on earth they captured this on the stage.”
Review: John Krasinski’s ‘A Quiet Place’
“‘A Quiet Place’ masterfully builds tension, pays it off in unexpectedly satisfying ways and provokes genuine emotional investment in its characters with precious few traditional tools at its disposal.”
Review: Paco Plaza’s ‘Verónica’
“The shrieking masses are right on the money for once. Plaza’s tale of teen possession is powerfully scary.”
Killing the Samurai: ‘Kuroneko’ and the Myths of Imperialism
“Kuroneko’s otherworldly visuals evoke a reality shaped by great and sinister powers, and a world where fate will always scupper the impudent plans of hubristic men.”
The Digital Perverse: Dario Argento’s ‘Dracula 3D’
“This filmmaker’s oeuvre has never been a showcase of ‘good taste’ or conventional demonstrations in character/story development, so why should we expect him to play by the rules now?”
Could Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ Break Horror’s Dry Spell at the Oscars?
“Art is a product of its time; is it Get Out’s fault that the time mostly resembles a horror production?”
Devious Dialogues: Mike Thorn and Anya Stanley on the ‘Insidious’ Franchise
“Well, we’re definitely in agreement that ‘Chapter 2’ is the best of the series!”
The Various Representations of Dogs in the Horror Genre
“Dogs are a huge asset to the horror genre, as menaces and as loyal comrades.”
Review: Joachim Trier’s ‘Thelma’
“It’s an odd little film, more melancholy and plaintive than outright scary or troubling, that slowly crawls under your skin.”
Long Live the New Flesh: Bodies, Horrors and Desires in David Cronenberg’s ‘Crash’ and ‘Videodrome’
“In ‘Crash,’ sex feels like a traffic accident. In ‘Videodrome,’ it becomes the subject of a warped, projected fantasy.”
Devious Dialogues: An Interview with ‘Darkest Hours’ Author Mike Thorn
‘Darkest Hours,’ Genre and Writing: A.M. Stanley Interviews Mike Thorn
Conduits of Fear: The Vital Role of The Youth in Horror
“Horror is a genre that believes, rightly, that young people are the future.”