Ever since bursting onto the world stage with his surrealistic debut feature Pi in 1997, director Darren Aronofsky has been seen as a somewhat provocative filmmaker, but I don’t remember any of his movies drawing the controversy, and in some cases even passionate hatred, as his 2017 film mother! did. I had been hearing wildly … More Movies: mother! (2017)
On the second installment of this potentially very long-running series (the first installment is here), I’m discussing 1973, which was an absolutely cracking year for iconic horror movies. There was a treasure trove of amazing stuff to choose from, but honestly, my five favorite ones were a no-brainer, and took me literally less than two … More My Favorite Horror Movies from Every Year Since I Was Born: 1973
Directed by Peter Newbrook and released in 1972, The Asphyx was also known under the titles Spirit of the Dead and The Horror of Death. Set in 1875, it explores many of the same themes as Frankenstein, what with all the hubris about scientists tampering in God’s romaine and suchlike. Sir Hugo Cunningham (Robert Stephens) is a widower, a gentleman scientist, and a … More Movies: The Asphyx (1972)
Horror comedies are a genre I have something of an uneasy relationship with. On the one hand, when done well, the humor of the film in question can enhance the fright factor immensely, making the movie greater than the sum of its parts. I’m talking here about fun, smart, and over-the-top grisly films like Shaun of … More Horror Comedy Double Feature: Welcome to Willits (2017) and Ava’s Possessions (2015)
I’m ashamed to say that I had never heard of this movie until fairly recently, when it was recommended to me by a friend on Facebook. The phenomenal British film Séance on a Wet Afternoon is an absolute marvel of atmospheric mood and incredible psychological depth. It’s not a horror movie per se, but it is … More Movies: Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)
Bob Clark was in interesting filmmaker; though he was born in the United States, he did most of his iconic work in Canada, and his directorial resume is all over the map, comprising horror cult classics like Black Christmas and Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, beloved 1980s comedies like Porky’s and A Christmas Story, … More Movies: Deathdream (1974)
So how’s this for a bizarre coincidence? I had been perusing the films that Shudder had been adding all throughout the past couple of months that I hadn’t got around to watching yet, with a view to putting them on the docket for my August series of reviews, when I happened upon a 2010 film … More Movies: All About Evil (2010)
This particular double feature consists of two mind-benders that utilize aspects of time displacement and multiverses to fashion some unsettling narratives that effectively creep the viewer out while also exercising the parts of our brains that like to pretend we sort of understand quantum mechanics. The first movie I want to discuss is the 2009 … More Mindf*ck Double Feature Review: Triangle (2009) and Coherence (2013)
An American writer is walking the streets of Rome one night when he passes an art gallery with enormous glass doors. Peering inside, he is shocked to see a woman struggling with a black-clad figure holding a knife. The writer rushes to help, but when he passes through the first door of the gallery, it … More A Brief History of the Giallo Movie
I decided to return today not only to my favorite decade for horror movies, but also to my favorite horror subgenre for this post. In short, I’m reviewing two haunted house films from the 1970s, both of which have made numerous appearances on various “underrated” lists around the internet, and both of which happen to … More Double Feature: Something Evil (1972) and The Stone Tape (1973)
The Scare Salon 