The frontiers of media provide lawless opportunities for artists. Before the corporate-appointed sheriff rolls into town, utopias of artistic expression are possible. What those utopic dreams are and how long they last is an entirely […]
BHYH: WHAT OCTOBER BRINGS
BUT HAVE YOU HEARD is our occasional music recommendation column in which we dare to dive into the murky depths of Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, YouTube (and more) to bring you our most choice audio selections, […]
‘JAWS 2’: THE SEQUEL THAT KNOWS ITS WORTH
I’m not ready for autumn. In late September and early October, as the days grow short and the nights cool off sharply, horror fiends’ pulses quicken as Halloween lurches ever closer; I’m just not in […]
NEW IN ACTION: AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021
Each month The Grumps bring you a selection of what’s new and now in the Action genre. Strap in for Round-house Round-Up! FROM NICK SPACEK: YAKUZA PRINCESS (2021) [NEW TO SELECT THEATERS] You know a […]
AUDIO FANFICTION: ‘MALIGNANT’
Earlier this week we published a thoughtful piece on James Wan’s latest horror offering, Malignant. Whether or not anyone had the same takeaway from the film as the author, I felt good publishing the essay […]
‘MALIGNANT’: THE ANTI-CHOICE MAN OF YOUR DREAMS
Dream logic is a powerful narrative engine, driving both the most anxiety-inducing of horror and the wackiest of screwball comedy. It only makes sense that a franchise like Nightmare on Elm Street quickly changed course […]
SPENCER SEAMS DOESN’T LIKE MANDY
Grumpire 15, Mandy 0 Heavy Metal Horror Fans beware, we’re joined on this episode by friend and fellow podcaster Spencer Seams to discuss what just doesn’t sit right for him about Panos Cosmatos’ horror/fantasy epic […]
IT’S A RODEO ROUND-UP!
To round out WESTERN WEEK, here’s a quick round-up of some of our favorite Westerns — none too unconventional to mention! FROM ELBEE: DUDES (1988) [collector’s edition blu-ray via shout factory] If we’ve learned anything […]
LIVING IN A GRAY AREA: ‘BONE TOMAHAWK’ AND MORAL COMPASS
Set in a blazing hot desert, Bone Tomahawk opens with David Arquette’s Purvis slitting a man’s throat. Almost immediately thereafter, we meet his partner-in-crime, Buddy (Sid Haig), who lectures Purvis on the proper way to […]
‘JOHNNY GUITAR’: A WESTERN DREAM
Editor’s Note: an earlier version of this essay first appeared at Cinepunx.com A long time ago, Francois Truffaut, maker of fancy French films, thought this little American Western called Johnny Guitar had such grace that […]
The Western With a Participation Trophy: ‘THE QUICK AND THE DEAD’
When I volunteered to write an article about the 1995 western movie The Quick and the Dead, I fully intended to write something entirely positive. After all, I’ve watched this movie several times and liked […]
BATTLE GOTH AND THE TROJAN WHORES: ‘DJANGO’ AND ‘THE CROW’
The heart of Texas holds a bright shining star, but what if it is really a black hole? When considering the grim side of Western films, this seems perfectly reasonable. Anti-heroes readily populate our cultural […]
FRIDAY THE 13TH: GRUMP STYLE
Have you ever searched for Friday the 13th-themed films to watch on Friday the 13th that aren’t explicitly tied to the Friday the 13th franchise? Even if you have the patience (God bless you if […]
Getting Out of a Ruh-Roh, Shaggy: IN Defense of ‘Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island’
If you’re one of the lucky people who were eating solid food by the time 1998 rolled around, odds are high that you like the exploits of the semi-understandable Great Dane named Scooby-Doo. If you […]
G.G. GRAHAM DOESN’T LIKE PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Grumpire 14, Promising Young Woman 0 Joining us on this episode is cult film aficionado G.G. Graham! G.G. specializes in exploitation, so it’s no wonder she would bring us a couple of genuinely ruthless tales […]