The Trans Killer Trope: A Harmful Legacy in Horror and the Films Fighting Back
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The Trans Killer Trope: A Harmful Legacy in Horror and the Films Fighting Back

What We Don’t Talk About When We Make Films About Trans Killers Psycho, A Woman Kills, Dressed To Kill, The Silence of the Lambs – and conversely, Satranic Panic and I Saw The TV Glow.  A note on language. I’m going to be using the word ‘queer’ as a catch-all … The Trans Killer Trope: A Harmful Legacy in Horror and the Films Fighting BackRead more

Beauty Horror: The gore-geous fairy tale micro-genre
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Beauty Horror: The gore-geous fairy tale micro-genre

Beauty Horror: the gore-geous fairy tale micro-genre The Substance (Coralie Fargeat, 2024) and The Ugly Stepsister (Emilie Blickfeldt, 2025)  Horror moves in fashions, and sometimes something new crawls up from the sticky neural pathways of our subconscious. Often it drips blood – but in the last couple of years we’re … Beauty Horror: The gore-geous fairy tale micro-genreRead more

Embracing Fear: Uzumaki Ringu  And The Art Of Junji Ito
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Embracing Fear: Uzumaki Ringu  And The Art Of Junji Ito

On Not Adapting Junji Ito. Filming the unfilmable: Uzumaki, Ringu and the power of ‘and yet’ How often have you watched a low-quality adaptation of a great book and got really irritated? It seems like it shouldn’t have been this hard. The book was right there for them to study! … Embracing Fear: Uzumaki Ringu  And The Art Of Junji ItoRead more

Are Influencers The New Horny Teens? 
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Are Influencers The New Horny Teens? 

Are Influencers The New Horny Teens? Temptation, work, Final Girls and the erotics of disavowal. SUPERHOST (2021), INFLUENCER (2022), MIND BODY SPIRIT (2022), SISSY (2022), DEADSTREAM (2022), SPREE (2020) and CAM (2018)  Content warning for brief references to suicide and sexual assault. Hey hey hey my follower fam, it’s your girl … Are Influencers The New Horny Teens? Read more

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Problem of Franklin
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Problem of Franklin

The Problem of Franklin: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974) and disability in horror Warning for brief mention of self-harm as well as the more predictable horrors of ableism and chainsaws, plus sexual violence. Also some gruesome pictures.  Everything means something, I guess. Sally, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre If … The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Problem of FranklinRead more

Helping You Feel Better About The Human Centipede
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Helping You Feel Better About The Human Centipede

Helping You Feel Better About The Human Centipede Torture porn, storytelling and fluffy animal pictures: a serious critique It’s okay. You’re safe. I promise there will be no screencaps.  But that said, given that I’m the woman who mostly waxes passionate about folk horror and international cinema and arthouse –  … Helping You Feel Better About The Human CentipedeRead more

The White Reindeer: A Haunting Fairytale Experience
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The White Reindeer: A Haunting Fairytale Experience

The White Reindeer: A tale whispered only to you. Introduction by Jim Mcleod As winter descends and blankets the landscape in a tranquil yet chilling embrace, Erik Blomberg’s 1952 cinematic masterpiece The White Reindeer comes alive, pulling us into a haunting fable filled with both beauty and darkness. This film, … The White Reindeer: A Haunting Fairytale ExperienceRead more

Leap of Faith, Exorcising The Exorcist
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Leap of Faith, Exorcising The Exorcist

Introduction In her incisive essay, Kit Whitfield explores the profound implications of William Friedkin’s documentary, Leap of Faith, which delves into the complex legacy of the iconic horror film The Exorcist. Whitfield navigates the delicate interplay between artistry and ethics, unpacking how Friedkin’s approach to demonic possession transcends mere cinematic … Leap of Faith, Exorcising The ExorcistRead more

The Devil’s Bath, Folk Horror Part 2: In Which We Restore Our Faith
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The Devil’s Bath, Folk Horror Part 2: In Which We Restore Our Faith

The Devil’s Bath, Folk Horror Part 2: In Which We Restore Our Faith The Devil’s Bath (2024), directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala Check out Part 1 Lord of Misrule, folk horror, and why we’re still arguing about The Wicker Man Warning: if the death of a child is … The Devil’s Bath, Folk Horror Part 2: In Which We Restore Our FaithRead more

Lord of Misrule, folk horror, and why we’re still arguing about The Wicker Man
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Lord of Misrule, folk horror, and why we’re still arguing about The Wicker Man

Lord of Misrule, folk horror, and why we’re still arguing about The Wicker Man Please note that this brilliant article is directly tied to a second article on The Devil’s Bath, which will be published very soon. [Heads up for mention of suicide and ableism. Also, murder, but you probably … Lord of Misrule, folk horror, and why we’re still arguing about The Wicker ManRead more