My head was resting on the interior frame of a small SUV, behind the driver’s seat, parked outside an outlet mall in California. I held a book that I can say without a doubt, has influenced who I have become today. Not to say that I am mad… I was 15 years old when I read Poe’s short story, The Tell Tale Heart. It’s a quick-paced tale of terror that begins with the confession of a cold-blooded murder. I’d read various poems from Poe earlier on, and I could have honestly called

“Believe nothing you hear, and only one-half that you see.” Our protagonist here, whilst on a venture through the southern stretch of France, finds himself just miles away from a personally much-lauded location: the Maison de Sante. Private madhouse. A place flown famously throughout the airs of the medical community due to its unorthodox treatments, rehabilitations. The system of soothing. This system, although still strict at its parameters, acted as a better angel fo

The historical context of Edgar Allan Poe is always worth noting when discussing his work. The United States was plagued by Tuberculosis and chattel slavery. This comes across in his poetry through a variety of motifs. Do you remember reading Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher (or, perhaps, having it read to you)? I believe this particular poem is a not-so-subtle commentary on race, racial purity, and the transmission of property (among other things) within a tr

Edgar Allan Poe. The Tomahawk Man. Progenitor of what some may deem as horror, the psychedelia and the psychosis and the wherewithal of the human condition, writ upon the pages of burgeoning, and troubling, times—whilst going through his own troubling times, mind you: rifling through the waning cupboards of poverty, circumstances orphaning, abandoning, coming to awful grips with the loss of both his Wife and Mother at the early hands of tuberculosis, struggling the th

Pyewacket dropped in Canada during the Toronto International Film Festival last year, followed by a limited release in December. As of March of this year, it hit the rest of the world and slipped under my radar until June when one of our local eclectic theaters announced their showing. The poster alone was enough to get me curious. The image of the bloody hand and strand of yarn mixed with the black metal font and subtle dead human lying in the background had me hooked. Metal

Adaptations always are tricky. They can sometimes hit the brunt of the mark – rarely, yes, but it does happen luckily from time to time, and usually with some unavoidable plot-point martyrdom. And sometimes they lie in a somewhere-in-between, existing as a wildly different story with no actual relations to the source material, but yet still managing its decency and enjoyability as whatever it is. But most often, they fall short and beyond, crippling the hopes and dreams of th

I have had the pleasure of consuming great horror this year. I’ll gladly speak highly of The Haunting of Hill House. Annihilation checked all of my sci-fi/horror boxes while adding in plenty of Lovecraftian lore. And Mandy was the best kind of gruesome. However, nothing had quite the impact that Hereditary did. If you have not seen Hereditary, kindly remove yourself from the rock you’ve been living under. I saw it. It kicked my ass. I analyzed with friends. I saw it again.

Apostle was written by Gareth Evens with Dan Stevens, who also acted in Beauty and the Beast (2017), as the Beast. I knew nothing about this movie before I watched it. I saw it on Netflix and decided to watch the trailer which peaked my curiosity. I didn’t know the writer, director, or even know who Gareth Evens was until I looked him up on IMDB. Knowing nothing about this movie allowed me to watch it without any expectations and I really enjoyed it. A little background about

Day 31: Face Your Fate… Halloween The original Halloween has always been one of my favorite horror movies, so I was really excited to see this movie. The emotionless mask with hallow dark eyes and single mindedness of a purpose of pure evil make this movie a true horror movie to me. The movie has many elements from the original but still stands as a great sequel. I will admit that parts of the story are unbelievable and predictable but overall I do think this movie is worth s

Day 30: They keep coming back in a bloodthirsty lust for HUMAN FLESH!… If it doesn’t scare you, you’re already dead! George A. Romero’s original masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead. The zombies in this movie are not very scary and don’t even look that much different than regular humans, but given when it was filmed it was probably very cutting edge. The movie looks like it was filmed on a tight budget which may have contributed to its simplicity. It has a tragic ending whic

Based on the True Case Files of the Warrens… The Conjuring This movie really gives me the creeps. I think that once a movie is not only based on demons and satanic activities but is also based on true events it goes a little too far for my tastes. I saw this movie for the first time this year and I tried to watch it again for the purposes of this review, but I only got about halfway through it. I think the filming and the special effects are well done. The jump scenes are wel

Poison, Drowning, Claw, Or Knife. So Many Ways To Take A Life. If you don’t follow the rules tonight, you won’t live to see tomorrow. Trick ‘r Treat! I guess this is a movie about the underdog or outcast getting revenge on Halloween, making it a horror movie. I think the movie has some gaps in the story line which makes the movie unrealistic and therefore takes away from the scare factor. The scary scenes are really just quick flashes that don’t give the viewer a chance to re

There are good reasons to be afraid of the dark. If you love being scared, it’ll be the night of your life. Fright Night! This was my first time watching this classic. There were some bothersome aspects, mostly the friend Ed’s character. Is he a bully or does he get bullied? Still not sure on that one. But overall the story is a timeless tale of terror; every child’s worse fear. The use of practical effects is remarkable and missing from today’s cinema. Specifically, the wolf

Day 26: The scariest comedy of all time! Young Frankenstein. Young Frankenstein is a movie I will watch year after year. The jokes are obvious and silly but the pacing is excellent and I never feel like I miss out the punchline. But what amazes me here is the actual attention to detail placed on delivering a product that feels like it I was made way back when. The staging shots are all done in a similar slow pan and the lighting tricks are simple but work well with the black

Day 25: Every family tree hides a secret… Hereditary. This movie is a cinema masterpiece as far as combining great special effects with a believable horror storyline. There are very subtle special effects that are just done perfectly. The build up of mystery and suspense is really good. The characters evolve with the story line really well with great acting. The last 20-30 minutes of the movie pull everything together and really make the movie worthwhile. I felt like the movi

Day 24: Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire. The Lost Boys. Once you get past the bad camera shots and some cheap special effects of this movie you realize that is a must-see film. The movie does a good job of addressing questions that any viewer may ask, so there aren’t any holes in the story line. It has a great balance of horror mixed with comedy. I believe there is a message in the movie that even vampire boys need a family

Day 20: “Take car. Go to Mum’s. Kill Phil. Grab Liz. Go to the Winchester. Have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over. Yeah, boyyyeee!” Today we share our thoughts on Shaun of the Dead. One of my all time favorite movies… or is it spelled favourite? Either way, the British humor is second to none in this zombie apocalypse comedy. From lighter takes on otherwise-dire situations, it really captivates you as a viewer and still manages to keep a serious tone. Mo

Day 19: Where there is imagination, there is darkness and from within that darkness lurks a being of unfathomable terror … close to home. If it’s in a word. Or it’s in a look. You can’t get rid of … The Babadook I don’t have anything negative to say about The Babadook. I absolutely loved it. It’s dreary and tense from the start with little rest throughout. The creature’s design is unnerving but he is kept just enough in the dark that I was inescapably drawn to him. The mother

Day 18: A new dimension in evil; There is a hell – This is worse. The Void. The Void is not perfect though it does deserve at least one viewing. The acting is just okay across the board with a relational subplot that’s been done plenty of times before. Where it shines is the practical effects. Almost every creature and set piece look handmade and I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic to horror movies of yesteryear when that was all they had. Each layer down the shift in atmosphe

Day 17: Talk on the phone. Finish your homework. Watch T.V. Die …in The House of the Devil. The House of the Devil is a slow, slow burn. Unfortunately, when it does pick up it has already been so long since anything exciting has happened the climax seems thrown in there at the end. As if the first hour and a half is one movie and the finale is separate. I wanted more build to that climax, there were honestly maybe only one or two clues before our Samantha is actually in dange