In my previous review of the 2015 neo-giallo Francesca, I emphasized that although the film did have a fairly standard murder-mystery plot common to films of the genre, its main attractions were the visuals, the sound design, and the painstaking care that had been taken to recreate the exact look and feel of an Italian … More Movies: The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears (2013)
Grady Hendrix is an author who gets recommended a lot by reviewers on YouTube, and it’s really easy to see why: his books are not only immensely winning and heartfelt horror stories laced heavily with comedy, but he also usually has the books designed in such a way that there’s a whole gestalt going on … More Books: Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
Welcome back for another random spin of the horror wheel…round and round she goes, coughing up two spooky flicks for my viewing pleasure. Well, I don’t know if pleasure is exactly the right word in this particular situation. Viewing adequacy? Something like that. First up is the ghost story/psychological thriller The Disappointments Room. Directed by D.J. … More Double Feature: The Disappointments Room (2016) and Haunter (2013)
I came across the 2017 novel The House on Rectory Lane by British author Stuart James randomly, while browsing through my suggestions on Kindle Unlimited. Since it had an intriguing title, numerous four- and five-star reviews, and was free to read, I decided to give it a shot. I thought I had never read anything … More Books: The House on Rectory Lane by Stuart James
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a massive fan of giallo movies; the whole look and vibe of them transports me to a happy place. So it always makes me squeal with excitement when a modern filmmaker shares my obsession with them enough to make a giallo-tinged film in the present day. Some “neo-giallo” movies … More Movies: Francesca (2015)
First up on this particular double bill is House of Last Things from 2013, which was written and directed by Michael Bartlett. I can see this movie being the kind of thing that inspires either adoration or contemptuous eye-rolling in the horror community, with fans of more traditional horror maybe thinking it’s too pretentious for its own good, or … More Double Feature: House of Last Things (2013) and Reverb (2008)
I had been hearing a lot of buzz about the Taiwanese film The Sadness since its international premiere back in autumn of 2021, and most of said buzz revolved around noting what an absolutely brutal bloodbath the film is. Well, now I’ve seen it, courtesy of Shudder, and I can confirm that The Sadness is … More Movies: The Sadness (2021)
French director and screenwriter Julia Ducournau burst upon the horror landscape back in 2016 with her excellent, cannibalistic coming of age film Raw, and it’s safe to say that fans of that movie (like me) were eagerly waiting to see what her next project would be. And I’m happy to report that Ducournau really outdid … More Movies: Titane (2021)
After seeing the 2022 reboot of Firestarter not too long ago, I remembered that it was only the second feature film from director Keith Thomas, and I also remembered that Thomas’s feature film debut, The Vigil, caused a slight buzz when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival back in 2019. I was curious to … More Movies: The Vigil (2019)
I came across Patrick Reuman’s 2022 novel The Adirondack Witch during a random scroll through my Kindle Unlimited recommendations, and because I love stories about witches, I checked it out and jumped right in. While I enjoyed it overall, and it was fairly well-written with some creepy, lost-in-the-woods vibes, I had a couple issues with … More Books: The Adirondack Witch by Patrick Reuman
The Scare Salon 