Stanley Kubrick was a cinematic genius – an asshole, sure, but a brilliant filmmaker. Capturing amazing shots of both realistic scenes and fantastical ones, Kubrick had the type of eye for framing, lighting, and staging […]
Category: Columns
PARTY AT ERIK ESTRADA’S! – THE MISOGYNY OF RICHARD SULLIVAN IN NEW YEAR’S EVIL
Any good slasher movie worth its salt gives us a villain that has some traumatic event that sets off their murderous frenzy – their trigger if you will. In this installment, the focus is on […]
HUMBUG: A BLOODY PISS-TAKE ON THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS HORROR SERIES
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…or so we’re told. While it’s got its share of big family fun and lovely gifts, Christmastime is also when families get together to brawl, rehash our fights […]
A ROUGH AND TUMBLE XMAS WITH THE DUKE
John Wayne is an American film icon, but to me, he’s also an annual reminder of the most wonderful time of the year. While I cannot think of anything “wonderful” about 2020, when I think […]
HAZINGS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: THE SORROW OF MRS. JENSEN AND DETECTIVE POLANSKY IN ‘TO ALL A GOODNIGHT’
Any good slasher movie worth its salt gives us a villain that has some traumatic event that sets off their murderous frenzy – their “trigger,” if you will. Sometimes it’s horrifically tragic, sometimes it’s tragically […]
THANKSGIVING IN SHADOW WOODS: THE ANGER OF TERRY SIMMONS IN BLOOD RAGE
Any good slasher movie worth its salt gives us a villain that has some traumatic event that sets off their murderous frenzy – their “trigger,” if you will. Sometimes it’s horrifically tragic, sometimes it’s tragically […]
A BLOODY PISS-TAKE: WHY ‘FRIDAY THE 13TH’ SUCKS
It’s time to take the bloody piss: in the first installment of this series based on new columnist Justin Harlan’s idea “Why Your Favorite Horror Movie Sucks,” we’re tackling the revered slasher franchise that many […]
‘THE BORDER’: JACK NICHOLSON’S SHARP HOMAGE TO ‘HIGH NOON’
The Border is one of those quiet movies of which seemingly very few Jack Nicholson fans have heard. Coming off of Kubrick’s high-profile adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining, the actor went back to his […]
IT’S MY PARTY: THE TORTURED SECRET OF ANN THOMERSON IN ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME’
Any good slasher movie worth its salt gives us a villain that has some traumatic event that sets off their murderous frenzy – their “trigger,” if you will. Sometimes it’s horrifically tragic, sometimes it’s tragically […]
DIE, OR GET LAID TRYING (ON THE ROLE OF HORROR SHAPING ’90S SOFT-CORE)
Do successful horror films grow into franchises, or are they genetically bound to the insatiable libido of culture, forcing them to evolve into soft-core porn? While longevity among any horror brand has both its inevitable […]
PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROWDY 1970s SEX COMEDY
I first heard about Pretty Maids All In A Row from Anna Biller’s Twitter account. It’s evidence that everybody’s capable of giving you useful information at least once. This film caught my attention because it stars Rock […]
GOOD GOD, Y’ALL: THE PIOUS PSYCHOSIS OF FATHER JANSEN IN SPLATTER UNIVERSITY
Any good slasher movie worth its salt gives us a villain that has some traumatic event that sets off their murderous frenzy – their “trigger,” if you will. Sometimes it’s horrifically tragic, sometimes it’s tragically […]
24 HOUR PSYCHO: SPENDING A DAY AT THE BATES MOTEL
The first thing that comes up if you search for Douglas Gordon’s 24 Hour Psycho on YouTube is his interpretation of the shower scene from Hitchcock’s 1960 original. In the end, it could probably never […]
THE TRAGIC DEMISE OF ALEX HAMMOND IN PROM NIGHT
Any good slasher movie worth its salt gives us a villain that has some traumatic event that sets off their murderous frenzy – their “trigger,” if you will. Sometimes it’s horrifically tragic, sometimes it’s tragically […]
JENNIFER LOPEZ, MORE THAN JUST A FLY GIRL
During a holiday dinner late last year, the topic of Jennifer Lopez’s acting career came up, within the context of a larger film discussion, thanks to my mentioning her excellence in Steven Soderbergh’s Out of […]