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The Slumber Party Massacre: Happy Women’s History Month
Intended and written as a parody of slasher movies by Rita Mae Brown, The Slumber Party Massacre director Amy Holden Jones made the brilliant decision to film the movie as seriously as possible. The result is a campy, and at times hilarious, take on the genre filtered through the eyes of underrepresented demographic: women. Specifically, well-written women.…
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A Bay of Blood: Bava at His Best.
There is a lot of debate over the “first” slasher, and A Bay of Blood gets brought into the discussion for good reason. Packed full of moody, tense atmosphere, brutal kills, and plot twists, it’s one of Bava’s more controversial films. Critics were put off by the excessive gore and weak plot, especially when compared to his…
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The Blob (1958): Maybe the Kids Were Right
Lately, I’ve been in the mood for classic horror, and it doesn’t get much more retro than The Blob. From the campy opening theme, to the fear of things from beyond, and the focus on youth, The Blob is a perfect sci-fi/horror time capsule. But how well does this 66-year-old vintage film hold up? Production History: Originally titled “The Molten…
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The House that Screamed: A Spanish Slasher with Lasting Impact
Known in Spain as La Residencia, The House That Screamed from 1969 is another Psycho-inspired horror movie. With each iteration on the psychological thriller’s base formula, more extreme themes and gore are introduced, pushing movies like Dementia 13 and The House that Screamed away from thrillers and mysteries, and more solidly into horror. The themes of abuse of power, control and isolation that…
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Blacula: Revisiting a Legend
Released in 1972, Blacula was my first experience with Black horror, horror written and/or directed by Black people from their perspective. Directed by William Crain, the lasting impression that this movie leaves is largely due to his influence. Most avid film watchers have a moment when they encounter a movie that, regardless of how they feel about it, they…
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Mad Monster Party 2025: Review and Recap
I don’t go to a lot of conventions—something I’d like to change this year—but Mad Monster has been a twice-a -year event for us for a while now. I covered Mad Monster Expo last August. Does Mad Monster Party offer a different enough experience to justify two shows in one year? Yes and no, and both answers are why I…
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The Monkey Review: Death is a Funny Thing.
I did not love Longlegs, Osgood Perkins’s previous movie, but it did make me super-curious to see his next project, The Monkey. Especially after the marketing made it obvious that it was intended to be the darkest of dark comedies, the kind where death itself is the punchline. If that’s your idea of humor, you’re in for a…
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Dementia 13: Introducing Francis Ford Coppola
In 1963, Roger Corman gave a young Francis Ford Coppola the opportunity to direct the low-budget film Dementia 13. Corman was looking for something tonally in line with Psycho, heavy on psychological drama and brutal knife kills. Despite giving creative freedom during filming, Corman was displeased with Coppola’s finished film and required changes to make it releasable.…
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Politics and Horror: The Washingtonians
This President’s Day politics, horror and camp collide with an episode of Master’s of Horror called “The Washingtonians”. But first, a word about politics in fiction, specifically horror. It feels like about ten years ago when I first remember hearing the complaints about how everything in entertainment was “becoming too political”. To me, this statement has…
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Valentine: A Slasher With No Heart
Saving the most derivative for last, Valentine is a retro-inspired slasher that hits all the high notes without adding anything new. While critics called it too much like ‘80s slashers, with the benefit of 24 years of hindsight, the real problem is Valentine isn’t nearly enough like the beloved slashers of the ‘80s. Recap and Review: Spoilers Ahead! Traumatic Past Valentine opens with…