Why is it always the small towns and quaint hamlets that are favoured by science fiction and horror writers when it comes time to choose the setting for their works? What is it about these charming little villages that makes them so appealing as far as tales of alien invasion and supernatural possession tend to…
Category: Horror
Deliverance (1972)
There are many places we are encouraged to explore and experience their splendour, whether they are in the natural or constructed world. Yet, horror films set in these places very rarely yield particularly effective results, with the exception of a few that are truly innovative. Yet, the sense of adventure and familiarity with the excitement…
Wolf Man (2025)
For what has seemed like decades, Universal has been attempting to revive its long-deceased cinematic universe based around iconic monsters that populated several incredibly successful and historically important horror films made between the 1930s and late 1940s. Despite their best efforts, there haven’t been many instances where it felt like they were doing anything particularly…
The United Screams of America: A Terror-Fueled Voyage Through Fifty-One Films
A couple of years ago, I chose a slightly ambitious project – I would take a cinematic road trip through the United States, choosing a single film from each of the fifty states (as well as Washington D.C.) that was either entirely or prominently set within that particular part of the country, to get a…
Nosferatu (2024)
As far as horror goes, we have never had any shortage of films about vampires, which stretch right to the dawn of the silent era (where the term “vampire” wasn’t even widely used in the same way it is now), and extend to the modern day, where filmmakers attempt to establish their own voices within…
Heretic (2024)
It is generally considered an unspoken rule of polite society that one should steer away from discussing politics and religion, especially with those who you don’t know since it can run the risk of offending the beliefs of others. However, both are subjects that are not only topics of conversation in just about every situation,…
The Front Room (2024)
There is no greater gift than motherhood, for both the parent and children – having someone to care for you and nurture you as you age (whether biological or adopted or simply motherly figures that guide your life) can stand someone in good stead as they make their way through life. However, there is a…
Dracula (1931)
When it comes to horror, few directors are more influential than Tod Browning, who single-handedly helped change the course of the genre for good, with his unique vision and precise style of storytelling being the foundation of many extraordinary works. Perhaps his most well-known film outside of his iconic Freaks (which remains one of the…
Cuckoo (2024)
All is not what it seems to be in the Bavarian Alps – at least that’s what the protagonist of Cuckoo, the most recent film by Tilman Singer, begins to realise as she travels with her family to this remote corner of Europe, where they will be taking up residence as her parents start working…
The Comedy of Terrors (1964)
The blurring of comedy and horror is not always an easy process, but it is one that has yielded some of the most brilliant and provocative works in the history of cinema. It takes quite a special writer and director to combine two wildly different emotions – laughter and fear – and create an atmosphere…
The Postmodern Pelican 