How do you make a Hellraiser? The secret ingredient is love. No, really. Content warning: we’re talking about the Hellraiser franchise here, so torture, gore, mutilation, medical abuse, suicide, sexual assault, addiction, suicide and a lot of blood, plus some discussion of homophobia and systemic oppression because, well, this is … How do you make a Hellraiser? The secret ingredient is love. No, really.Read more
Do All Dogs Really Go To Heaven? Good Boy (Ben Leonberg, 2025), Good Boy (Viljar Bøe, 2022), and the existential horror of dogs Yes, Good Boy has finally made it to Shudder UK! But we’re not stopping there. Oh no. No, today we’re looking at movies, we’re looking at ourselves, … Good Boys, Do All Dogs Really Go To Heaven?Read more
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 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
Why is The Rule of Jenny Pen so divisive? Want to find an interesting watch by looking at review scores? There are two ways. One is to find one of the five-star movies, something that’s either a brilliant masterpiece or at least so much fun that nobody can resist saying … Why is The Rule of Jenny Pen so divisive?Read more
Yes, These ARE Your Mother’s Fairies Fréwaka and the trauma of a nation. Content warnings: suicide, abuse, child death, false imprisonment, torture, murder. Don’t say their name. It draws their attention – and if they look at you, you might never be seen by mortal eyes again. You might call … Fréwaka and the Trauma of a Nation.Read more
King of the Gimmick House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler: William Castle and the astonishing! trick! of! telling a surprisingly decent story! I hope you enjoy it. And I hope your nightmares are nice ones. William Castle, introducing ‘Mr Sardonicus’ William Castle is one of those directors most of … William Castle, The King of the GimmickRead more
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? 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 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 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 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
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 Advent Calendar, directed by Patrick Ridremont In which we ask what a gift is worth Merry Christmas one and all! Today we’ll consider what would happen if Tiny Tim wasn’t such an angel. You know who’s hard to shop for? People with birthdays in December. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law … The Advent Calendar: A Christmas Horror ReviewRead more
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
