By 1984, two of the big ‘unholy trinity’ of 80s slasher franchises, Halloween and Friday the 13th, had already been established. Wes Craven was late to the party, but he brought with him the film that would not only complete the slasher picture but would also birth the franchise that arguably became the biggest pop…
Let’s get one thing straight before we step into this particular circle of cinematic hell: Italian horror in 1989 was not a place of prestige. It was a graveyard of ambition. The golden age of Mario Bava and Dario Argento had curdled into a landscape of diminishing returns, where the masters were tired, the budgets…
“What’s your favorite scary movie?” It’s maybe the most famous opening line in horror history, and I’d somehow never actually watched the movie it came from. I know, I know, how does someone who loves movies avoid SCREAM for this long? The Ghostface mask is everywhere, from Spirit Halloween stores to Reddit memes, and I’ve…
Act I: The Fucking Foreplay You all know the drill. You hear the magic word—SEQUEL—and the blood runs cold, not from fear, but from disappointment. It’s a studio contract, a cash-grab, a cynical, focus-grouped piece of cinematic product designed to wring a few more dollars out of a perfectly finished corpse. It’s a mandatory encore…
I recently had the pleasure of hosting a roundtable discussion with several members of the Horror Archives staff. We examined the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise in great detail in what made for a great conversation. Joining me for the roundtable were: Bronson West, Chris Flackett and Robert Chipman. Be sure to let us…