Retrospectives
Back to the ’80s: The Stepfather
Welcome to Back to the ’80s. This recurring feature aims to take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from horror’s most beloved decade. Regardless of which category a particular fi...
Why Day of the Dead Might Be the Best of Romero’s Dead Trilogy
George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead is the concluding chapter of his original trilogy. He would go on to make three more zombie films in later years that would not find as much critical success,...
Why Hammer’s Dracula Franchise Eclipsed Universal’s
Universal’s Dracula was an enormous hit and has become one of the most iconic horror films of all time. It accomplished so much with so little, hinging entirely on the performances its actors a...
Why Critters is an Unexpected but Highly Effective Home Invasion Movie
Critters came around at an interesting time. It’s often cited as being a total rip-off of Gremlins—and you can kind of get that from the title. But other than a montage of the little mon...
How Maniac Explores Murder from a Killer’s Perspective
William Lustig’s Maniac is a disturbing movie. There are gorier films out there, to be sure, and there are films that went further in terms of violent extremes. But Maniac still feel...
Why Casper is the Most Unsung Kids’ Halloween Movie
We all know the danger that comes with revisiting the movies that we loved as kids. It’s a fun exercise in nostalgia to go back and watch them—but the sad truth is that most of them don&...
Why Deader is the Diamond in the Rough of the Latter Hellraiser Sequels
There was a time when Hellraiser was on the fast track to be the biggest, most imaginative, most sophisticated franchise of all time. The first two films are a one-two punch of not only great storytel...
Paranormal Activity: Does it Hold Up?
When Paranormal Activity burst onto the scene, it felt as big as The Blair Witch Project. In fact, it was the same movie of that type that I’d seen since Blair Witch, except for a few straight-...
Why the Wolf Man is Such an Enduring Movie Monster
There’s no better time than the Halloween season to go back and watch through the classic catalogue of Universal monsters. For many fans, this will always be the classic era. This was the time ...