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Posted on May 22, 2015

Top Ten Horror Comedy Movies

Gwen

The weather up here in the Northeast is improving and as we all get a little more Vitamin D from the sun I suspect the regional seasonal affective disorder is waning. Perhaps this is why I felt compelled to move toward the lighter side of the horror genre. Join me in celebrating some of the funniest horror comedies from over the years. I am going to preface this list by saying that I did not purposefully bias the list toward the 1980s (despite my overt preference for the decade). The 1980s are naturally a crucible for horror comedy and from a numbers standpoint this decade easily dominated the others with its overwhelming marriage between horror and cheese. The list is in chronological order as to not influence your expectations; the descriptions are a combination of my thoughts and imdb. I must also thank USA Up All Night for introducing me to most of these masterpieces.

Posted on May 8, 2015

Mother’s Day (1980) Review

Gwen

A sense of sisterhood peeks out from the otherwise less than maternal Mother’s Day. Synopsis: In Mother’s Day, three former college roommates go off into the woods for an annual reunion tradition. What they meet in the back woods is some citified rednecks that do the bidding of their sadistic mother.

Posted on April 30, 2015

Horror’s Creepiest Kids Roundup

Gwen

I must begin with a disclaimer that I am quite possibly incapable of keeping this top ten list narrowed down to ten creepy kids. Since scary little children are one of my passions within the horror genre, I especially found it hard to narrow the field. In addition, I historically struggle with being concise if you haven’t noticed. On that note, I hope to distinguish my list from the many others on the web. I did not choose these children because they appear physically horrific or unnerving. Many will be disappointed that I left off such notable creepy kids as Reagan from the Exorcist, Carol Ann from Poltergeist, or Toshio from the Grudge. I tried to pick children who had leading roles, spent the whole movie outside of the womb, and who are uniquely evil kids. Historically the horror genre uses its creepy kids as an indicator of other societal ills. Often films justify the child’s horrific nature by making them possessed, adopted, abused etc. What makes a kid especially scary to me, is when they are utterly unpredictable, they appear normal, and there is little to no explanation for their horrific actions. My list argues that some of the best creepy kids are so scary because they challenge the way we see children. They take away our comfort by illuminating the fact that childhood and innocence are not synonymous. Furthermore, some people are really born bad and you can’t always tell.

Posted on April 24, 2015

It Follows (2014) and Unfriended (2015) Film Reviews: Gwen’s Take

Gwen

Review: It Follows and Unfriended offer a much needed return to social commentary.

I think the release dates of It Follows and Unfriended are quite serendipitous. Let me explain why. I wholeheartedly agree with Dawn’s assessment that It Follows expounds upon one of horror’s greatest standing rules that if you have sex, you die. However, I feel that the movie speaks to a broader subject matter which includes age old gossip as well as the current digital age.

Yes, those who died in It Follows had sex. The horror however, lies in what follows from having sex. It speaks directly to reputation, image, self-worth, and literal images that follow the act. For decades prior to the cyber era, women especially feared for and guarded their reputation.

Posted on April 12, 2015

Considering The Allure of Horror Films

Gwen

There is a debate among scholars, psychoanalysts, philosophers, and spectators as to the allure of horror. Generally speaking theories include manifesting repressed feelings, seeking to see others punished / survive, sensation seeking, purging of emotions, and as an outlet for societal ills.[i] In an attempt to weigh in on this discussion I argue that the allure of horror films is largely linked to the acceptance of the darkness in our hearts. It is about the gratification of letting your socially uncomfortable traits frolic amongst the others for 90 minutes. [ii] While this may seem dangerously close to the catharsis school of thought, I diverge by adding a few other mechanisms. For one, I don’t feel as if we need to be purged of these feelings that society deems undesirable. Furthermore, I believe there are three overarching components to the enticement of horror films: 1) engagement in the illicit; 2) the comprehensive, visceral body sensations; 3) and most importantly, the admission that we all have a dark side.
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