Oh! The Horror… | of Deconstructing the Heart of the Slasher Genre
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. — John 15:13 (ESVUK) I just thought what was so clever about the conceit of the movie is that it really is the story…
Reviewing the Classics | The Innocents (1961) and the Madness of the Past
Henry James’ 1898 novella, “The Turn of the Screw,” is either the greatest ghost story ever written or it is the greatest ghost story without actual ghosts ever written. Critics throughout the years have passionately debated the true nature of…
Oh! The Horror… | of Destroying the Cure
Richard Matheson is a name few people probably know—outside of horror and science fiction fanatics—but he has written stories that have received many film and television adaptations throughout the years, not to mention writing the screenplays for many of them.…
Oh! The Horror… | of ‘Split’ & Misrepresentation
One massive spoiler ahead. If you haven’t seen the movie (and are interested in seeing it), hold off on reading this until you do. 2015’s The Visit was M. Night Shyamalan’s first bid for a return to form for a…
Oh! The Horror… | of Our Grief-Stricken Thoughts
Reader, be warned, there be spoilers ahead… There are all sorts of monsters that lurk in dark recesses. Some are fictional—lingering between the pages of a book and the flickering celluloid of films—while others are imaginary but are given psychical…
Review| Fences
“Some people build fences to keep people out…and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you.” – (2.1.32) of August Wilson’s Fences I had no familiarity with August Wilson or…
Oh! The Horror… | of a Very Scary ‘Black Christmas’
Before ‘The Shape’ ever stepped foot back in Haddonfield, Illinois and Jill Johnson was warned that the terrifying phone calls were coming from inside the house, there was ‘Billy,’ the perverted killer in the sorority house attic who wreaked terror…
Review| Nocturnal Animals
“The very nature of love is something that requires sacrifice of self; an emptying of ego, pride and want so that the other person becomes the recipient of all that we have to offer…”
Oh! The Horror… | of ‘Scariness’ and Horror Cinema
Towards the beginning of 2016, in their discussion of this year’s indie horror darling, The Witch, within the context of 1973’s cult classic, The Wicker Man, The Next Picture Show podcast (hosted & produced by former writers for, the now defunct, The Dissolve) considered…
Oh! The Horror… | of Double Features
I am so pleased this week to be collaborating with a good friend of mine, Joseph Nooft, who is a contributor for Mockingbird. We wanted to bring to you a couple of suggestions each for some double features—a non-horror film…