Of The 1900s
“And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” –Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5 Once the 1900s began, technological advances in cameras and projectors were…
Of The 1890s
Wherever historians would like to place the actual year of the first “film,” its beginnings were firmly in the 1890s. Between Edison’s phonograph, Dickson’s kinetograph and the Lumière brothers’ commercialization of their projectors with the cinématographe, the moving picture was well…
Oh! The Horror… | of the Unknown
What scares people is diverse and seldom shared in the same ways or amplitude of fear and anxiety. It is subjective according to the makeup of each individual person. One horror film might send a man into a frenzied terror…
Oh! The Horror… | of Anticipation
It’s a new year which means there will be a whole new slate of horror cinema to be released (probably) every day of 2018—as it continues to be the most profitable genre in film. In an age of #FOMO (“Fear…
Oh! The Horror… | of the Coming
“O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.” Advent has passed, as has the celebratory birth date of…
Oh! The Horror… | of Privileged Horror
A couple of years ago on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Ellis, in usual fashion, gave a 15-25 minute monologue about Hollywood and then turned to the #OscarsSoWhite scandal that was sparked by the remarks of Jada Pinkett Smith. It’s…
Oh! The Horror… | of the People Around Us
David Fincher’s Zodiac (2007) still stands as an example of cinema that succeeds at balancing the visceral thrills and exploitation of true crime narratives with a sensitivity towards those victims, investigators, and involved bystanders who actually lived in the Zodiac’s…
Oh! The Horror… | of the Last Church on the Left
The tension between the sadistic and masochistic appeals of horror was reflected in the divide between Cunningham and Craven. The producer saw LAST HOUSE as an escape, an outlet for some dormant pain. As it happens, he also knew that…
Oh! The Horror… | of Getting Loved Ones to Watch Horror Movies
My name is Andy and I have a wife. She’s a wonderful wife. Funny, smart, empathetic, and much more. My wife puts up with a lot. For example, take a moment to go to Instagram and type in #MargaretSleeping. I’ll…
Oh! The Horror… | of the First Day of the Rest of Your Life
“There is no way that this winter is *ever* going to end as long as this groundhog keeps seeing his shadow. I don’t see any other way out. He’s got to be stopped. And I have to stop him.” –…