Director Scott Derrickson reteams with his Sinister star Ethan Hawke in Derrickson’s adaptation of the Joe Hill story, The Black Phone and Hawke is nothing short of terrifying as a child killer known, in the late 70s era Colorado the story is set in, as The Grabber. The Grabber is stalking a town that lives…
Tag: scary
Cloverfield (2008) – 15th Anniversary 4K
I remember seeing Cloverfield opening weekend in the theatre. I was very excited to dig into a monster movie that saw a kaiju trampling New York City, and I loved that it was being told from the viewpoints of a group of survivors who recorded everything with their videocamera. Unfortunately, I forgot my previous experience…
Barbarian (2022) – Zach Cregger
Wow. Writer/director Zach Cregger blew me away with this one, completely subverting my expectations while playing with the traditional horror rules in this fantastic thriller of a film. From his framing to camera movement to casting to the way he doles out the story, Cregger plays with an increasingly film-savvy and educated horror audience and…
The Eyes of the Dragon (1984) – Stephen King
1984 was the year I discovered Stephen King through ‘Salem’s Lot, my first King novel. But I remember my mother was a big King fan (still is) and we had arranged to get her The Eyes of the Dragon as her birthday or Xmas present. It wasn’t your usual King story, and I think that…
Fringe (2008) – The Same Old Story, and The Ghost Network
The second episode of Fringe first aired on 16 September, 2008. Written by J.J. Abrams, Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman this episode continued pushing the ideas of body horror first seen in the pilot episode. This time an unfortunate woman sleeps with the wrong man and within moments becomes pregnant, and within minutes delivers a…
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) – Chuck Russell
The third entry in the Elm Street franchise is a lot of people’s favorites after the first film, and it’s easy to see why, with story credits from Wes Craven and Frank Darabont this instalment features Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) on the cusp, he’s still scary, but he’s also starting to introduce some quips to…
In the Tall Grass (2019) – Vincenzo Natali
In the Tall Grass a novella by horror legend Stephen King, and his son Joe Hill makes for a fascinating and unnerving watch, even if the film version leans towards a kind of happy ending that wasn’t even brushed on in the original source material. And speaking of, horror novels work on a whole different…
Millennium (1999) – Seven and One, and Nostalgia
Here we are, the penultimate installment of Millennium, the first spin-off from Chris Carter’s The X-Files, and as we close in on the end of the series, the solid episodes just keep coming. Seven and One, written by Frank Spotnitz and series creator Chris Carter, is scary, unnerving and fantastic. First airing on 30 April,…
The X-Files (1995) – Dod Kalm, and Humbug
Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa take Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) to see in their teleplay developed from a story by Gordon. Dod Kalm first aired on 10 March, 1995, and the FBI agents find themselves the rapid onset of a debilitating old age. When a ship’s crew is rescued and brought ashore,…
The X-Files (1994/1995) – Excelsis Dei, and Aubrey
Excelsis Dei by Paul Brown plunges agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) into the still incredibly relevant exploration of a long term care facilities, and how those who live there are treated… done, of course, with The X-Files twist. This episode first aired on 16 December, 1994. It seems a nurse, Michelle Charters…
The Mind Reels 