Many horror lovers will be familiar with the work of English screenwriter and director Ben Wheatley; I’m personally a big fan of his previous films Kill List from 2011, and A Field in England from 2013. He’s gone on to do more bigger-budget action and comedy films in the years since, and his upcoming project … More Movies: In The Earth (2021)
Although I can think of several horror films that are set in Wales, helmed by Welsh directors, or were filmed there (such as A Dark Song, Saint Maud, and Censor, all of which I’ve reviewed at one point or another), I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen a horror movie that was filmed entirely in … More Movies: The Feast (aka Gwledd) (2021)
I can’t remember exactly how I first heard about the 2021 film Broadcast Signal Intrusion, but the title must have stuck in my mind, because as soon as I saw it pop up in the “Free To Me” section of Amazon Prime, I felt compelled to watch it. At first, I thought maybe I’d run … More Movies: Broadcast Signal Intrusion (2021)
Ti West began his directorial career in 2005 with the killer-bat film The Roost, but it wasn’t until his 2009 Satanic Panic throwback House of the Devil that the horror community really sat up and took notice. He followed up with the excellent paranormal horror The Innkeepers in 2011, and then in 2013 released his … More Movies: X (2022)
Although I had encountered and enjoyed the work of director David Bruckner several times before—he directed segments in the great horror anthology films The Signal, V/H/S, and Southbound, and helmed the excellent 2017 film The Ritual, which was based on the novel by Adam Nevill—I hadn’t actually heard about his movie The Night House until … More Movies: The Night House (2020)
Roman Polanski, despite his rather grave personal failings, has made some absolutely champion horror films, his particular genius lying in his portrayal of claustrophobic paranoia and spiraling descents into madness. The Tenant (1976) was the third film in Polanski’s so-called ‘apartment trilogy,’ which also included Repulsion (1965) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968). The reader can check Wikipedia for a complete plot … More Movies: The Tenant (1976)
The Haunting of Julia was released in 1981 in the US, but came out in the UK in 1977 under the confusingly generic title Full Circle. It was based on the novel Julia by the phenomenal Peter Straub, who needs more film adaptations of his work, goddammit. It’s a low-key, atmospheric ghost story of the … More Movies: The Haunting of Julia (aka Full Circle) (1977)
While author Dean Koontz sells nearly as many books as Stephen King, and has actually been writing for longer than King has, there have been significantly fewer film adaptations of Koontz’s works, and none that have garnered all that much recognition or critical praise. 1977’s Demon Seed is pretty fantastic, and Watchers from 1988 is … More Movies: Odd Thomas (2011)
Today I wanted to tackle one of the weirder American horror flicks from the 1970s, one that I’d seen pop up on a lot of people’s “best underrated 70s horror” lists but had only recently got around to seeing. Larry Cohen is probably best known to horrorphiles as the director of the It’s Alive killer baby series, … More Movies: God Told Me To (1976)
Most people, especially those into horror, are aware of the concept known as the “uncanny valley,” how things that look almost like humans—but not quite—are intensely disturbing to most of us. I think this aspect of human psychology is one reason why horror films featuring dolls, dummies, realistic robots and the like are so common, … More Movies: Tourist Trap (1979)
The Scare Salon 