Shortly after my father passed, I received a phone call from my younger brother. He told me that he kept watching horror films and that they were, in a way, making him feel better. He asked me if that was strange. Now, to some, that may seem very strange: watching films where terrible things happen to people. But, I informed my brother, it’s not as … Continue reading Grieving Through Horror Films
When Doctor Sleep was first released in theaters, I remember the film receiving mixed reviews, which made me hesitant to watch it. The film The Shining is my favorite horror film. I didn’t know how much they would refer to the film vs. the book The Shining because those two are very different. I was more or less just nervous about the screenplay and how … Continue reading Doctor Sleep (2019): A Return to the Overlook Hotel
Recently, I showed my boyfriend the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a film often considered one of the first horror films from the 1920s. It’s filled with loads of German Expressionism and your girl loves German Expressionism. He really enjoyed the film (thank goodness), and we got to talking about remakes. We started discussing who we would cast in a remake of this film. … Continue reading A Recasting of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
“One, two, Freddy’s coming for you” Those words, that rhyme, has haunted multiple generations of horror fans. In 1984, a character was created and immortalized by Wes Craven and Robert Englund: Freddy Krueger. There was a magic (terrifying magic) in the way Englund played Krueger. So, I would imagine that there was immense pressure on Jackie Earle Haley when taking on that same role in … Continue reading A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 & 2010)
Anybody that knows me knows that I am a sucker for anything to do with abandoned insane asylums. What that says about me, I am not completely sure. You figure it out. Anyway, keeping that in mind, the 1999 remake of House on Haunted Hill greatly improves upon the original 1959 film. 1959’s House on Haunted Hill is a classic. Starring Vincent Price, the film … Continue reading House on Haunted Hill (1959 & 1999)
I’m going to be completely upfront for this one: the 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of my all-time favorite horror films. There are a number of reasons why this film is one of my favorites and, unfortunately, the 2003 remake omits several of those reasons. However, I would argue that, when not compared to the original film, 2003’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre isn’t terrible. For … Continue reading The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974 & 2003)
Look, the original Cabin Fever, although I do love it dearly, is a mediocre film, at best. Released in 2002 and directed by Eli Roth, Cabin Fever follows a group of college grads to a cabin for a vacation and, while there, they contract a flesh-eating virus. In 2016, the film was remade, and I’ll dive into that in a moment. 2002’s Cabin Fever was … Continue reading Cabin Fever (2002 & 2016)
In 1981, Sam Raimi burst onto the feature film scene with a film that would go on to spawn two sequels (kind of), a remake, and a television series. Evil Dead was a masterclass on special effects and special effects makeup, and the remake carried this on. The original Evil Dead follows Ashley “Ash” Williams, his girlfriend Linda, his sister Cheryl, their friend Scott and … Continue reading The Evil Dead (1981 & 2013)
In 1979, a house with “evil eye” windows became associated forever with murder and the supernatural, thanks to Stuart Rosenberg’s film, The Amityville Horror. 26 years later, those same windows would appear again in a remake of the classic, directed by Andrew Douglas. Amityville Horror (1979) was a cultural phenomenon. The film, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder, is based on the book of the … Continue reading The Amityville Horror (1979 & 2005)
It is notoriously hard to make a PG-13 horror film that is actually scary and/or creepy. It takes a perfect balance of imagery to push it just to the limit. Director Andre Overdal did just that. It really is impressive. At one point I found myself wondering how the film was pg-13 because it’s so creepy. Which, I then quickly reminded myself that the books … Continue reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
