Kim Morrison / Senior Contributor 31/08/2023 Kim Morrison / Senior Contributor 31/08/2023

[Editorial] 9 Terrifying Cerebral Visions in Horror Movies

Being able to see into the future or back into the past is a superpower that a lot of us would like to have. And while it may seem cool, in horror movies it usually involves characters being sucked into terrifying situations as they try to save themselves or other people with the information they’ve gleaned in their visions.

Melissa Cox / Contributor 31/08/2023 Melissa Cox / Contributor 31/08/2023

[Editorial] 8 Mind Horror Short films

But some of the most terrifying horrors are those that take place entirely under the skin, where the mind is the location of the fear. Psychological horror has the power to unsettle by calling into question the basis of the self - one's own brain.

Kim Morrison / Senior Contributor 29/08/2023 Kim Morrison / Senior Contributor 29/08/2023

[Editorial] Virginity is a Killer as Cherry Falls (2000) Celebrates 23rd Anniversary

On August 25, 2000, the UK was treated to a gem of a slasher film, Cherry Falls (2000), being released in cinemas. While censorship issues meant the film was released two months later as a TV movie in the United States, Cherry Falls has still earned its place as a cult classic in the slasher world.

Madelaine Isaac / Contributor 29/08/2023 Madelaine Isaac / Contributor 29/08/2023

[Editorial] Deadly Duets: The Power of Dance in Horror Cinema

From the jaw dropping moment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986, Tobe Hooper) when Stretch and Leatherface dance it out, to that edge-of-your-seat final boogie between Noa and Steve in Fresh (2022, Mimi Cave), I want to argue that these sequences change the course of both films, directing each narrative inexorably towards their end.

Kim Morrison / Senior Contributor 27/08/2023 Kim Morrison / Senior Contributor 27/08/2023

[Mother of Fears] I Don’t Wanna Be Buried in a Pet Sematary (1989) and (2019)

Both the original Pet Sematary (1989) and its 2019 remake are stories about the way death and grief can affect people in different ways. And while the films centre on Louis Creed and his increasingly terrible decision-making process, there’s no doubt that the story wouldn’t pack the same punch or make the same sense without his wife, Rachel.

Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana / Senior Contributor 24/08/2023 Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana / Senior Contributor 24/08/2023

[Book Review] The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear

However Nat Segaloff’s book The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear is a surprising and fascinating literary documentation of the movie that caused moviegoers to faint and vomit in the aisles of the cinema.

Nicole Sanacore / Contributor 22/08/2023 Nicole Sanacore / Contributor 22/08/2023

[Editorial] Examining Addiction in Midnight Mass (2021)

Both Riley’s addiction and his Catholic upbringing define his arc in the miniseries, manifesting in a dangerous combination as he’s turned into a vampire against his will because of the island’s mysterious new priest, Father Paul (Hamish Linklater).

Ariel Powers-Schaub / Brand Manager & Admin Assistant 20/08/2023 Ariel Powers-Schaub / Brand Manager & Admin Assistant 20/08/2023

[Editorial] Eat Shit and Die: Watching The Human Centipede (2009) in Post-Roe America

On Saturday, 17th June 2023, I sat down with two friends to watch The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) and The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2012). I was nervous to be grossed out (I can’t really handle the idea of eating shit) but excited to cross these two films off my list.

Amber T / Contributor 17/08/2023 Amber T / Contributor 17/08/2023

[Film Review] Tokyo Horror Film Festival: Idol Never Dies (2023)

Comedy splatter legend (and the mastermind behind such Criterion classics as Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead and Mutant Girl Squad) Noboru Iguchi’s IDOL NEVER DiES played as the main feature of the inaugural Tokyo Horror Film Festival, which took place on July 1 in Tokyo’s Nakano ward. The festival also featured an exclusive Q&A with director Iguchi himself.

Amber T / Contributor 16/08/2023 Amber T / Contributor 16/08/2023

[Film Review] New York Asian Film Festival: Back Home (2023)

Despite what a particularly vocal subset of haters might crow online, horror has always explored the well-solidified connection between familial trauma and the supernatural. Countless horrors spanning all eras, from Don’t Look Now to Relic, have propounded the idea that far scarier than any ghost, ghoul or demon are the scars your family can leave on you - in the case of Nate Ki’s Back Home, both literally and physically.

Amber T / Contributor 15/08/2023 Amber T / Contributor 15/08/2023

[Film Review] New York Asian Film Festival: The Abandoned (2023)

One of the standout Taiwanese features played at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival was Ying-Ting Tseng’s The Abandoned, a bleak police procedural thriller that shone an uncomfortable spotlight on the harrowing realities faced by a country’s most vulnerable occupants.

Amber T / Contributor 14/08/2023 Amber T / Contributor 14/08/2023

[Film Review] New York Asian Film Festival: Home Sweet Home (2023)

Star of last year’s NYAFF hit Shin Ultraman, actor and filmmaker Takumi Saitoh returned to the fest this year with his second directorial feature Home Sweet Home – a slick and sinister thriller that subverts the image of the haunted house from dusty old mansion to something far more enviable.

Liz DeGregorio / Senior Contributor 13/08/2023 Liz DeGregorio / Senior Contributor 13/08/2023

[Editorial] Top 15 Female-Focused Mind Horror Films

Many of the most effective horror films involve blurring the lines between waking life and a nightmare. When women in horror are emotionally and psychologically manipulated – whether by other people or more malicious supernatural forces – viewers are pulled into their inner worlds, often left with a chilling unease and the question of where reality ends and the horror begins.

Leyla Hamedi / Contributor 11/08/2023 Leyla Hamedi / Contributor 11/08/2023

[Editorial] Interview with Rodrigo Gudiño director of The Breach (2023)

Rodrigo Gudiño is no stranger to horror business. In 1997, he launched Rue Morgue, a leading horror and entertainment resource that has since expanded to include Rue Morgue Magazine, Rue Morgue Digital, as well as a horror expo and TV channel.

Leyla Hamedi / Contributor 10/08/2023 Leyla Hamedi / Contributor 10/08/2023

[Film Review] The Breach (2023)

Isn’t it great that there’s now an almost universally accepted shorthand for spooky, interdimensional stories that play with the fabric of time and often introduce creatures the simple mind cannot fathom? Instead of writing all that out, we just say “Lovecraftian Horror” and the avid viewer can fill in the blanks themselves.

Melanie Moyer / Contributor 09/08/2023 Melanie Moyer / Contributor 09/08/2023

[Film Review] The Empty Space (2023)

Andrew Jara Continues to evolve with The Empty Space (2023). Andrew Jara’s delve into the complexities of grief blends the warnings of Pet Semetary with the discomfort and unease of psychological horror using the good bones of a clearly personal script to weave a tale of trauma, isolation, and self-initiated freedom.

Amber T / Contributor 08/08/2023 Amber T / Contributor 08/08/2023

[Event Review] GASP! Horror Film Festival 2023

The first ever GASP! horror film festival, Manchester’s only horror film festival dedicated entirely to minority filmmakers, took place last month from June 17 - 18 at cult cinema CULTPLEX. Six feature length films and two short film showcases celebrated and elevated the work of female filmmakers, foreign language filmmakers, people with disabilities, people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community.

Elizabeth Bishop / Events (Midlands) & Social Media 08/08/2023 Elizabeth Bishop / Events (Midlands) & Social Media 08/08/2023

[Editorial] Interview with Carter Smith director of The Passenger (2023)

Liz Bishop sat down with Director Carter Smith (The Ruins, Swallowed) to discuss how The Passenger (2023) came to be, and his experience of working on a script more emotionally driven than his previous body-horrors.

Ariel Powers-Schaub / Brand Manager & Admin Assistant 07/08/2023 Ariel Powers-Schaub / Brand Manager & Admin Assistant 07/08/2023

[Event Review] Access: Horror Film Festival (2023)

A two-day event packed full of academic panels, short films, and talks exploring and celebrating the history, impact and future of disability in the horror genre.

Iona Walling-Smith / Events Manager (London) 06/08/2023 Iona Walling-Smith / Events Manager (London) 06/08/2023

[Film Review] Talk to Me (2023)

Granted, Talk to Me, directed by brothers Danny and Michael Phillipou may not be the scariest film of the year, but it is thrilling, shocking and relentless nonetheless, with so many reasons to see it on the big screen.

Ghouls