BBC Four Documentary: A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss
Through a post at Zombos Closet of Horror I became aware of a great documentary on horror films produced and aired in the UK. It is titled A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss. Gatiss is an actor, screenwriter, and novelist who has been involved a number of comedy and genre projects. Some of his […]
Catholic Theologian Rejects “Zombie Jesus”
Today I came across an essay and interview that appeared last year in Religion Dispatches by Jason VonWachenfeldt that touched on a controversy between the Vatican and systematic theologian Roger Haight. I’m not sure of the present state of the controversy, if there is one, but a year ago the Vatican had concerns about some […]
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978): Social and Theological Reflections of the “Me Generation”
I have been fortunate with the holidays to have a little extra spending cash that I have been able to put into adding to my video library. One of the films added to my collection was Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978). Of course, this film is based on the book by Jack Finney from […]
The Art of Hammer: Horror, Beauty, and a Vanishing Art Form
In the contemporary period films are marketed through the various media that intertwines with our lives on a daily basis. We watch trailers for forthcoming films in the theater, they are shown on television, and the Internet plays a major part in promoting films through websites and various social media. But before most of these […]
Entertainment Weekly: The Walking Dead “Best New Show on TV”
I recently came across a magazine that devoted its cover to their assertion that AMC’s The Walking Dead is “The Best New Show on TV.” Surprisingly, this claim and appreciation for a zombie horror show was not found on the cover of Fangoria, Horror Hound, or Famous Monsters of Filmland, but instead on Entertainment Weekly […]
The Horror! The Horror!: Controversial Horror Comics of the 1950s
“THIS BOOK CONTAINS: MURDER! MAYHEM! ROBBERY! RAPE! CANNIBALISM! CARNAGE! NECROPHILIA! SEX! SADISM! MASOCHISM … and virtually every other form of crime, degeneracy, bestiality, and horror!” The words above appear in a report from the mid-1950s titled “Comic Books and Juvenile Delinquency” from the Committee on the Judiciary’s investigation of juvenile delinquency in the United States. […]
Aaaaah!! Indie Horror Hits Volume 2: Another Great Collection from Crypt Club Productions
I am a fan of good horror, and many times it is difficult to find. But when Hollywood productions fail we can often look to independent horror to satisfy. That is certainly the case with Aaaaah!! Indie Horror Hits Volume 2 produced by Crypt Club Productions Inc. Their website provides a synopsis for this collection: […]
Thomas M. Sipos – Horror Film Aesthetics: The Visual Language of Fear (Part 2)
With this post we continue and conclude our interview with Thomas M. Sipos, author of Horror film Aesthetics: The Visual Language of Fear (McFarland, 2010). Part 1 can be read here. TheoFantastique: To continue our discussion of definitions, how do you propose readers of film sort out confusing overlaps between horror and science fiction, perhaps […]
Thomas M. Sipos – Horror Film Aesthetics: The Visual Language of Fear (Part 1)
Thomas M. Sipos has worked as a script reader, actor or extra on more than 70 productions and has contributed to Filmfax, Midnight Marquee and other magazines. He is the author of a number of books, including Horror film Aesthetics: The Visual Language of Fear (McFarland, 2010) and maintains the blog of the same name. […]
Reflections on The Walking Dead
The television series The Walking Dead premiered last Sunday, Halloween night, and I thought before the second episode this weekend I’d share a few reflections. Given my interests and the social venues and media circles I travel in it was difficult not to become aware of this series. AMC did a masterful job of tapping […]
