The phrase “they don’t make films like they used to anymore” is a hackneyed concept usually brought out to disparage contemporary works, which are often unfairly compared to those of yesteryear, particularly by people who tend to look at previous decades through rose-tinted glasses. Yet, there are some genres where this phrase is not only…
Category: Horror
They Live (1988)
The general principle behind satire is that it needs to occupy one of two extremes – either, it needs to be subtle enough that we don’t realize what is being conveyed until a crucial moment in which we encounter some major revelation, or it needs to be so glaringly obvious that there is never any…
Weapons (2025)
We’re living in an era where horror has finally become one of the most esteemed, respected genres – the days where it was viewed as merely a secondary genre to the melodrama and western are thankfully far behind us, even if we do find some of the passion directed to the dreadfully trite concept of…
Bad Taste (1987)
Years before he came to be seen as the very definition of tenacity in the form of his endeavour to adapt the titanic novel The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson was a lesser-known New Zealand filmmaker who simply wanted to direct stories that interested him, paying tribute to existing genres while forging his own…
Zombeavers (2014)
At some point in the last few decades, we found the concept of the B-movie losing a lot of meaning, undoubtedly the result of filmmakers become far more self-aware, and the rise of the “so bad, it’s good” approach to genres that were often considered to be nothing more than filler, done to capitalise on…
It Won’t Stay Dead: The Secrets of Frankenstein (Guest Column)
Andre Ferreira is a mechanical engineer by day and a film buff by night. He claims to be moderately competent in both. The following is his spectacular tribute to Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, a superb piece of writing that I am very proud to share. What is scary? Can a film approaching it’s 100th…
It Follows (2014)
For about as long as we have been sentient, there have been stories designed to stir a reaction – laughter and melancholy are some of the more common ones, and we also see efforts to mystify and enthrall in many cases. However, by far the most fascinating form of artistic expression, at least in terms…
The Spiral Staircase (1946)
Nestled in the idyllic countryside of Vermont stands a beautiful manor – inside are a blend of wealthy residents, a few companions and a couple of members of staff, all of whom go about their daily routine without too much hassle. This is until they slowly start to fall victim to a mysterious killer who…
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Madness has always been a concept that has fascinated writers and artists from every medium – from the philosophers that defined the antiquity to contemporary storytellers that examine human behaviour and our relationship with both our own minds and surroundings, we’ve become obsessed with the idea of sanity, particularly in distinguishing the exact boundaries that…
Carrie (1976)
Horror is perhaps the one genre with the most number of starkly iconic images that have infiltrated the culture and become distinct representations of cinema as a whole. One of the most striking shots in the history of horror is that of a teenage girl standing on stage, covered in blood, with a blazing fire…
The Postmodern Pelican 