Hag horror originated in the early 1960’s and enjoyed its heyday during this time. Golden Era Hollywood actresses such as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis suddenly found themselves struggling to win roles over the younger, rising starlets of the time. So, in an ironic moment of art imitating life imitating art, these women turned to psychological horror films centered on unstable and dangerous older women. And a new character archetype was born.

Here at Ghouls, we’re not averse to getting a little soppy with it, so we’ve rounded up seven of the most romantic horror films to spice up your Valentine’s Day, and where to stream them.

We devoured films of blood, obsession, and brutality, letting the screams of terror soundtrack our time in the shadows. Below, are our favourite films that haunted, thrilled, and consumed us while the magazine was on hiatus:

Ahead of the Academy Awards ceremony, Ghouls has rounded up where you can stream all of the 2025 horror releases in the UK and the US from the comfort of your own home.

Now it’s time for Soho’s main 2023 event, which is presented over two weekends: a live film festival at the Whirled Cinema in Brixton, London, and an online festival a week later. Both have very rich and varied programmes (with no overlap this year), with something for every horror fan.

In the six years since its release the Nintendo Switch has amassed an extensive catalogue of games, with everything from puzzle platformer games to cute farming sims to, uh, whatever Waifu Uncovered is.

A Quiet Place (2018) opens 89 days after a race of extremely sound-sensitive creatures show up on Earth, perhaps from an exterritorial source. If you make any noise, even the slightest sound, you’re likely to be pounced upon by these extremely strong and staggeringly fast creatures and suffer a brutal death.

If you like cults, sacrificial parties, and lesbian undertones then Mona Awad’s Bunny is the book for you. Samantha, a student at a prestigious art university, feels isolated from her cliquey classmates, ‘the bunnies’.

Kicking off on Tuesday 17th October, the 2023 edition considers the cinematic, social and cultural significance of the possessed, supernatural and unclean body onscreen.

I was aware of the COVID-19 pandemic before I knew that’s what it would be called, and before it ever affected me personally. My husband is always on top of world events, and in late 2019, he explained what was happening around the globe.

Metal and horror have many aspects in common. The passionate fanbase for both genres attend festivals and has created strong communities. Horror and Metal fans often sport clothing depicting their favourite bands or films, almost like a uniform.

The slasher sub genre has always been huge in the world of horror, but after the ‘70s and ‘80s introduced classic characters like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Leatherface, and Jason, it’s not harsh to say that the ‘90s was slightly lacking in the icon department.

Mother is God in the eyes of a child, and it seems God has abandoned the town of Silent Hill. Silent Hill is not a place you want to visit.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Modern horror cinema has used the Frankenstein theme in various iterations, but none so unique as exploitation director Frank Henenlotter’s Frankenhooker (1990).

The story focuses on a group of survivors after most of the world’s population is wiped out by Captain Trips, a lethal super-flu. And while there are enough horrors to go around in a story like this, the real focus of King’s book is how those who survive react to the changing world around them.

While some films successfully opt to leave the transformation scene out completely, like the wonderful Dog Soldiers (2002), those who decide to include it need to make sure they get it right, or it can kill the whole vibe of the film. So load up on silver bullets, mark your calendar for the next full moon, and check out 11 of the best werewolf transformations!