Retrospectives
How The Bird With the Crystal Plumage Established Argento’s Signature Style
The Bird With the Crystal Plumage was the 1970 debut of Italian director Dario Argento, and that’s pretty amazing considering just how great of a debut feature it is. In some ways, it’s ...
’90s Horror Movies That Defined the Decade
The ’90s was an interesting decade for horror. It stumbled a bit in the first half and became insanely commercial in the second half. Each end of the spectrum was covered with very little i...
How Bride of Frankenstein Set the Template for Every Horror Sequel
Everyone has their favorite horror sequel. And, of course, everyone has their least favorite as well. Following up a classic can be incredibly difficult to pull off. The first problem is jus...
Gremlins 2 Nailed the Art of Self-Satire (Here’s How)
I’ll get this out of the way right up front: Gremlins 2 is one of the most underrated sequels of all time. It might not be as a good as the first film. While it’s bigger and funnier, it&...
Why Stir of Echoes is Still in the Shadow of The Sixth Sense (And Why it Shouldn’t Be)
The Sixth Sense is one of the biggest, most critically acclaimed horror movies of all time. Sure, people may now insist that they saw the twist coming from the very first scene, but you didn’t ...
How Cronenberg’s The Fly Made Body Horror Mainstream
David Cronenberg, especially in his early days, was never a mainstream director. His films weren’t meant to be accessible to the widest possible audience. He was at the forefront of body horror...
Horror of Dracula: How it Cemented the Hammer Legacy
Hammer Films burst onto the scene in 1957 with The Curse of Frankenstein. And just like the early days of Universal, one followed the other and a Dracula movie was put into production right away. Curs...
Why The Rage: Carrie 2 is Worth a Second Look
I rented The Rage: Carrie 2 when it came out in 1999 and as soon as it was over I vowed never to watch it again. I was ten. I loved Stephen King, I’d seen Carrie and I loved that too. I don...
Sleepaway Camp II: Why Now is the Time to Make it a Cult Classic
When I saw the first Sleepaway Camp, which was a blind buy in college after hearing its reputation, I didn’t really have the option of seeing the sequels. They were out of print, but I did...