The corruption of the bonds of family has long been a source of horror in…
Tobe Hooper gets a bad rap as a director. Sure, he gets credit for THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE and, if you’re the right sort of horror fan, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, but beyond that his filmography is often glossed over, ignored, or credited to other collaborators. And yet Hooper directed several impressively creepy (and, occasionally, wickedly funny) horror films that did not involve Texas or chainsaws. One such film worthy of reconsideration is his 1976 film EATEN ALIVE! (aka STARLIGHT SLAUGHTER, aka HORROR HOTEL, aka DEATH TRAP, aka LEGEND OF THE BAYOU).
When I was 11 years old, Stephen King knocked me for a triple whammy: he…
Horror always felt “dirty” because it was primarily advertised toward adults but these eerie family films made it feel safe and made me feel less weird for being fascinated by all this creepy stuff. However, one film, more than others seemed to have a profound effect on me in a way that I wasn’t expecting… but I couldn’t remember what it was.
Lots of TV shows are big hits – but very few of them change the…
In the minds of millennials and Gen X’rs, there is an symbol of the 70s…
If you’re a reader already lucky enough to be familiar with Bob Clark’s 1974 horror classic DEATHDREAM (aka DEAD OF NIGHT), you may be wondering why it’s even appearing on a column of undervalued or undercelebrated films, and it’s true that there’s been a critical re-evaluation of the film that has taken hold over the past decade. But, frankly, I still think there’s work to be done, even within the catalogue of the venerable Bob Clark, where it deserves to sit among his very best: including A CHRISTMAS STORY, BLACK CHRISTMAS and (former most profitable Canadian film of all time) PORKY’S.
Scream For Help is not a widely known or discussed film, but those who know…
There’s the adage of not judging a book by its…
Sometimes, a film feels more like an exercise in the absurd than it does a…