It is very easy to underestimate the importance of a good, spooky horror soundtrack. Sound effects get all the glory for creating effective scares that make us jump out of our seats, but a great horror soundtrack can keep us up all night and make a horror movie iconic. After all, what would “Jaws” be without […]

Steven Spielberg famously got his start as a director via the trial by fire of guiding Joan Crawford through the pilot episode of Rod Serling’s “Night Gallery.” The screen diva put him through his paces but good, but the filmmaker hung in there, likening the experience to “pitching to Hank Aaron your first time in […]

We have not, it seems, seen the last of Sersi and the gang, as the Eternals are going to appear again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The question is, when will they show up? And, perhaps more importantly, where are they going to show up? We will get into some speculation and analysis but first, […]

Directed by Ben Stiller and created by Dan Erickson, Season 1 of “Severance” on Apple TV+ has proven itself one of the most powerful and resonating sci-fi series in recent memory. It takes place in a mysterious company called Lumon whose workers’ consciousnesses are severed into their work selves (referred to in-world as “Innies”) and […]

Marvel isn’t necessarily a name you associate with horror. Sure, the recently-released “Werewolf By Night” on Disney+ and various comic specials like “Marvel Zombies” have dabbled in the genre. However, none of these are particularly scary. It’s likely because the brand’s bigwigs want to ensure that a specific image is being presented of its vast […]

The 2022 year in film belongs to horror fans. From the sicko slasher that could “Terrifier 2,” to satirical indie hit, “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” and Jordan Peele’s blockbuster-sized nightmare, “Nope,” horror has consistently been bringing audiences back to theaters for thrills and chills. But by far, one of the biggest success stories of the year […]

Riding the crest of the 1980s horror-comedy movie wave, Joe Dante’s “Gremlins” signaled, along with contemporary films like “An American Werewolf in London” and Larry Cohen’s “Full Moon High,” a growing comfort with the absurdities of the genre. It would further mark an industry shift, with its violence pushing the boundaries of family-friendly cinema and […]

Darren Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a Dream” is one of the most visceral movies of all time. The film sucks the viewer into the characters’ experiences with spine-tingling, gut-wrenching sensory overload. The film simulates some of the most over-stimulating feelings in the world — heroin, speed, grief, and orgasm. The director uses split screens in “Requiem […]

In the same way that people often call all forms of disposable paper tissue “Kleenex” or medical adhesive bandages “Band-Aids,” Tim Burton has permeated the subgenre of spooky animated films so deeply, he is often misattributed as the director of films actually helmed by Henry Selick. A lifelong animator, Selick’s directorial debut was “The Nightmare […]

Movies based on real history seldom end well, because it is not only hard to capture reality, but to make it cinematic. Taking liberties, especially in biographical movies, often leads to countless angry tweets and people being mad over what was included and what was changed. Movies based on historical events are frequently bound to […]