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The Ugly Stepsister: What Are We Trying to Say?
The Ugly Stepsister has a lot of hype right now. It’s an interesting take on Cinderella told from the perspective of an “ugly” stepsister. The elements of body and psychological horror are used to emphasize the themes of body image, societal standards, and fantasy vs realty. But in the end, I was left feeling conflicted. …
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Final Destination 1-5: Why We Like Watching People Die
I am beyond hyped for Final Destination: Bloodlines. To refresh my memory on the series, it seemed like a good time for a rewatch of the first five. While there are definitely high and low points in the franchise, I was left with a much bigger question: Why do I like these so much? Despite…
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Horror is For Everyone: Gatekeeping Sucks
A Bit of Backstory In a former life before horror, I worked in the comic industry. I had a few different jobs during my time there: sales and marketing, writer, and a super brief stint as an inking assistant. The last one was fun, but not my strongest suit. I will always love comics, but my…
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Until Dawn: Why I Didn’t Watch
I didn’t go see Until Dawn on Friday. To be honest, I had every intention to, but one thing led to another, I got caught up with work and life and before you know it, it’s 5am on Saturday morning and I haven’t seen it. I’m still planning on it, although if I’m honest I’m…
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The Slasher M.O.: Why Kills Matter
H3 (Horror Hating Husband) asked me the other day why it mattered if in a slasher movie the kills happened mostly off screen. He was genuinely interested, and it got me thinking about all the different reasons why we want to see killers kill. Like everything with entertainment why we love what we love is complex. Impact for…
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Halloween: Evil Never Dies
There are thirteen movies in the Halloween franchise. An impressive feat for any IP, but even more so for one that started with a budget of $300,000. The first movie went on to make $70 million on release, and so much more in merch and licensing since then. Halloween became not just a hit, but a cultural phenomenon. Micheal…
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Horror Comedy: The Importance of Laughing through the Pain
At my recent trip to Mad Monster Party, I was a bit surprised to hear so many of the professional guests talk about horror comedy as their current preferred genre. They also talked about the importance of lightness and positivity in entertainment. The three newly released horror comedies this year have received positive critical reception. While none of them…