52/1: The varieties of horror
I’d like to clear up a bit of a myth — you can actually follow either Animal Man or Swamp Thing without reading the other. Writers Jeff Lemire and Scott Snyder have clearly spent the first year of the two titles building a common world with a number of common elements and themes, but they … Continue reading
Bogey men
When I was a little kid, probably about six or seven years old, I had this recurring nightmare: A tall thin man would float outside my second floor bedroom window. He was always dressed in a black business suit, and had a gaunt profile with thinning white hair. I could never quite make out his features through the … Continue reading
Natural monsters
My recreational research of animals and overactive imagination means I often entertain the idea of the possibility of movie monsters being real things. For me this is my normal thought process and I don’t understand why everyone else isn’t more scared of this shit. Glow-in-the-dark cat clones are part of our world, what’s so off-the-wall about … Continue reading
Let the right one in, indeed
I’d say you were within your rights to bite The right one and say, “what kept you so long?” “What kept you so long?” – Morrissey “Let the Right One Slip In” I must admit right off the bat (pun only partially intended) that I am not a big fan of vampire films, generally speaking. At … Continue reading
How AMC and TCM saved my Halloween
Every year I lament the state of the Halloween horror movie marathon. Sure, networks try (A Friday the 13th here, a Nightmare on Elm Street there), but it almost always feels like an obligation and not the indulgence it should be. What’s Halloween without a proper horror marathon? Thankfully, this year I didn’t have to ask. … Continue reading
The horror before words
Halloween is perfect for video games. In a sense, nearly everyone who turns on a video game is putting on a costume to run around as Mario, Master Chief, or a lovingly-crafted World of Warcraft avatar for just a little while. There’s also some scary, scary shit out there. The original Metroid is scary. Fighting … Continue reading
Death, taxes, & remakes
There are two things you can count on in life: Death and Taxes. I say add Remakes to the list. Remakes certainly aren’t a new trend. Alfred Hitchcock even remade one of his own films. The problem is that remakes have ceased to be an innovative take on an old story but instead have become … Continue reading
Speaking of remakes: The Crazies
I am far removed from George Romero’s original The Crazies, having only viewed it once and with little interest. It wasn’t specifically that it was too talky (it most certainly was). It was that it was too shouty, if that is a word (it most certainly isn’t). Must everyone shout about everything?! But I digress… Breck Eisner’s … Continue reading
