Between The Covers

During the second half of that decade of extravagant excesses that was the 1980s, the vampire film genre was riding a high wave. Cult classic Fright Night, released in 1985, singlehandedly revived interest in all things featuring the creatures of the night. The Lost Boys would premiere in the summer of 87, also to great public acclaim. And a short few months later, a low-budget movie from a then unknown director appeared in theaters with very little fanfare and confusing mark

Back in the late 90s, Asian horror was virtually unknown to Western audiences. The few titles that did reach Europe and beyond were often bootleg VHS copies with poor dubbing and even worse picture quality. This may have contributed to a general skepticism towards Asian cinema. DVDs were still a novelty in those days. They had not yet become as popular as they did throughout the early 00s. VHS tapes were still in circulation. For better or worse, a cursed VHS tape would becom

It all began with a giant ape It was in the distant days of 1933 when a young Canadian actress named Fay Wray became the object of contra-natura affection for a big ape. Wray, not yet 30 years of age, was tasked with appearing fainty while in the proximity of the forthcoming animal, and more importantly, to scream when Kong tried his moves on her. To scream a lot. Thus, Ms. Wray would unwittingly become the original Scream Queen, the first of a long breed of beautiful female

With the absolute dearth of 4K horror releases in the coming week, I have decided to use this week’s Back From the Dead slot for something a little more current. What’s the throwback, you ask? Well, the title says it all. So, the nominations for the Emmy Awards are out and Apple TV’s horror series Widow’s Bay is right up at the front of the pack with 19 nominations (only Hacks and The Pitt have more). I recently finished watching season 1 and I can see why. From acting to wri

Why are horror masks so scary? From Michael Myers and Ghostface to modern masked killers, discover the psychology of horror, the history behind horror movie masks, and why hidden faces continue to create some of cinema's most unforgettable horror villains. Explore the real reasons scary masks unsettle us and why they remain one of horror's most powerful symbols.

The devil is in the riff Horror cinema has been around a while. From Lon Chaney's early and silent forays into the genre back in the 1920s (who can forget the unmasking of the eponymous protagonist in Phantom of the Opera, portrayed by the Man of a Thousand Faces, Mr. Chaney himself), to Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and every creature, monster, and witch in between, the cinematic hall of fame is littered with the heads of those who fell foul of the killer's blade. And going