The Blaxploitation film era is, for better or worse, a cornerstone in the foundation of modern Black history. The subgenre, a portmanteau of Black and exploitation, came at critical time between the late 1960s when social turbulence and Black Pride intertwined and the 1970s era of superfly style, disco and funk music, and the continued reign of the all-mighty Afro. Blaxploitation gave audiences films that centralized our communities and made us the protagonists, infusing our stories with socioeconomic commentary Black slang and music, Black fashion, and much more. 

Many of the behind-the-scenes creatives were also Black, at times putting a realistic eye on their content. Their work was not without controversy from some prominent Black leaders about how these stories reflected the collective. To be fair, not every portrayal shined a positive light on Black communities. However, this explosion soon led to Hollywood’s continuous capitalization and curious outside eyes. A flurry of stories that were, well, exploitative and leaned into harmful stereotypes about Black people came about. (I’m looking directly at Dino De Laurentiis’ Mandingo.) These non-Black filmmakers and directors would take any story and “Blacken it up,” usually to the point of pure nonsense. 

Blaxploitation’s meteoric rise and decline took place in the same decade. But its influence continues to resonate in Black media of all genres. Most people rightfully point to films like Shaft, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, and Foxy Brown as the pivotal films of this genre with a profound influence on their descendants. But Blaxploitation horror is arguably just as important with stories centered around crimes, rituals, and period drama with supernatural narratives. Oftentimes, exploring the full scope of what it meant to be a Black American during this time period—or any time period, honestly—involved some aspect of horror, even if it was only clear to the intended audience. Let’s explore the history of a few pivotal (and maybe not-so-great) Blaxploitation horror films. 

When you consider the scope of filmmaking in any genre from decades past, it is often hard to pinpoint definitive “firsts.” We tend to largely filter genres through a mainstream or highly-lauded indie perspective, so many films fly under our radars. Who knows if an indie filmmaker made a lost-to-time Blaxploitation horror in, say, 1967? But, we do know that one of the earliest Blaxploitation horror films is also one of the most successful films of this era, period.

William Crain’s brilliant Blacula (1972) is more than just a “Black Dracula.” It makes a profound metaphorical connection between slavery and vampirism through Mamuwalde’s misfortunes. He is a wealthy African prince who goes to Transylvania to petition Count Dracula to stop the slave trade. In return, Dracula refuses to comply, bites him, and curses him with the name Blacula. He’s resurrected in the 1970s and falls in love with Tina, a Los Angeles native.

At this time, horror was only a couple of years from giving birth to a golden age of slashers. Filmmakers leaned heavily into remakes in the early 1970s, including several Dracula flicks. So, taking that trend, putting Black people on both sides of the camera, and crafting a moving horror film with a love story undercurrent struck the perfect nerve. There were imitators, like the rightfully panned Blackenstein (1973), but zero duplicators. The Black vampire energy continued to permeate the air with a slightly less successful sequel, Scream Blacula Scream (1973). In 2021, plans for a Blacula reboot were underway.

But the true standout Blaxploitation horror film of 1973 was Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess, a moody vampire film that dances with some tenets of Blaxploitation films like dealing with “The Man,” overt sexuality, and Afrocentrism. Night of the Living Dead’s Duane Jones starred as Dr. Hess Green, a wealthy anthropologist whose assistant stabs him with an ancient ceremonial dagger. Hess becomes a vampire as a result and falls in love with Ganja (Marlene Clark), his assistant’s widow. Ganja & Hess is a smart and sexy film with themes of assimilation, respectability politics, and more through the ebb and flow of the protagonists’ relationship. While Ganja can be perceived as the stereotypical “seductress,” there’s more depth to her character that she likely wouldn’t have gotten if written from a non-Black perspective.

Overall, Ganja & Hess resides on the more favorable side of Blaxploitation offerings. The film’s off-screen journey took a strange turn when its producers sold it to Heritage Enterprises. The company drastically recut the movie and packaged it as Blood Couple. I suppose the new owners thought it was a little too “smart” for audiences. Needless to say, Gunn wasn’t happy about the chopping of his movie, which was thankfully preserved in its original format. Ganja & Hess continues to resonate with modern audiences, from thoughtful examinations for its 50th anniversary to a discussion of the film in the documentary Horror Noire. Famed director Spike Lee’s remake of the film, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, brought it to a new generation’s attention in 2014, with many agreeing that there’s nothing quite like the original. 

This film set off a deliciously dark and creative spark that carried into 1974 with more Blaxploitation horror films. In fact, two of them came to us courtesy of American International Pictures (AIP). There’s the wildly silly yet enjoyable Abby, which follows a woman who is possessed by (or, depending on how you interpret it, influenced by) a West African spirit of chaos and lust. (The creators’ limited understanding of orishas is slim to none, obviously.) And that’s exactly what this film dishes out in ample amounts as Abby Williams (Carol Speed) becomes a hypersexual one-woman wrecking crew—a lifestyle not befitting of a preacher’s wife. (Abby also stars William Marshall, a.k.a. Blacula himself, as Abby’s archaeologist father-in-law.)

Abby became a financial success; however, it ran into a legal issue with Warner Bros. claiming it was far too similar to The Exorcist and therefore violating a copyright. There’s a noticeable influence but Abby’s writer G. Cornell Layne and producer/director William Girdler didn’t copy every single test answer. Still, it was pulled from theaters at the height of its fame. Abby spent decades out of print until its inclusion in CineFear’s Collector’s Edition in 2006. Since then, copies are hard to find with the “clean,” original copy of the film still unreleased. As of February 2024, Abby is available to watch for free on Plex. 

Much of Abby is quite campy and ridiculous. However, it does find some grounding in its decidedly good performances and unorthodox approach to a possession tale. The juxtaposition of chaos/evil spirits in a religious Black family and watching a “respectable” and proper Black woman completely turn from those notions offers food for thought but only if you want to go down that pathway. Otherwise, it is a great example of horror fun that’s so bad, it’s kinda good.

The horror genre at large needs its vampires and evil spirits for sure, but there’s nothing quite like a zombie flick. 1974 gave us a supremely fascinating and entertaining offering with Sugar Hill. Despite its behind-the-scenes creatives being largely white, Sugar Hill manages to tell a Black-led story that’s engaging and unique without much of the overt (and thinly veiled) racism of other horror flicks at the time. Is the representation perfect by any means? No. But it could certainly be much, much worse.

The titular character, played by Marki Bey, exacts revenge against a mob boss and his henchmen who killed her nightclub owner boyfriend Langston. Sugar goes to a voodoo queen (we love a voodoo queen) who summons Baron Samedi, the lord of the dead. Samedi raises an army of zombies to kill the mobsters. It’s an inspired premise with dialogue that is as classic Blaxploitation as it gets. Sugar Hill doesn’t lean into the excessive gore or brutality that we see in more current offerings like The Walking Dead; however, it establishes an unsettling atmosphere with its zombies.

Speaking of them, they are deceased African slaves who almost exclusively kill white people. There’s much to be said about a long lineage of Black pain, righteous anger, and, to a lesser degree, ancestral power and veneration. Bey’s Sugar Hill is one of the most badass women to ever grace a horror flick. She certainly laid the foundation for the Selenas, Michonnes, and Jerylines to come. As today’s youth would say, she was mothering.

Of course, there are other films that I won’t dive into, like the ridiculous Vampira (1974) that shows Dracula’s wife transforming into a “foxy lady” or the downright nauseating Poor Pretty Eddie (1975), with its touches of Blaxploitation and dousing of sexual assault. Gross. We can’t talk about them all, right? But we can move towards the end of the classic Blaxploitation horror era with 1976’s Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde. Under the direction of Blacula‘s William Crain, the story does an obvious play on the Jekyll/Hyde dynamic. Funnily enough, the doctor’s last name is not Black, but instead Pride (Get it?!).

He’s an LA-based wealthy gentleman who wants to cure liver cirrhosis. He experiments with potential cures on himself and attempts to force experiments on others. Pride turns into a white-skinned, freakish monster who kills sex workers and pimps before the police gun him down . Respectability issues aside, this film touches on historical and unethical experimentation against Black people. It also flips the Black-coded/othered monster trope established in earlier (and very racist) horror films on its head. Pride himself is supposed to be aspirational or a sell-out, depending on the viewers’ perspective. Predictably, (overwhelmingly white) reviewers at the time hated this film. But it continues to hold a special place in old-school horror fans’ hearts. 

That adoring sentiment also exists for J.D.’s Revenge (1976). It’s a rather somber Blaxploitation horror-thriller with some serious actors in leading roles. Glynn Turman stars as the quiet law student Ike who somehow channels J.D.’s superfly spirit during a hypnosis show. Decades prior, J.D. (David McKnight) was unjustly murdered for a violent crime against his sister that he didn’t commit. As J.D. overtakes Ike, the latter begins to act uncharacteristically while also trying to solve the aforementioned crime. It’s a mental trip that moves at a slower pace yet deftly explores the devolvement of one man’s mind. Good stuff, indeed. 

By the late 1970s, the Blaxploitation era as a whole began its decline; however, these films made a lasting impact on cinema. The ‘80s brought us offerings like The Last Dragon, a martial arts film with heavy Blaxploitation influence. But Black-led horror suffered despite the rise of franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. Many Black characters became tropes like the sidekick, Magical Negro, and sacrificial lamb. (Yes, exceptions exist, including Grace Jones’ campy Vamp (1986) and the no-good, very-bad Black Devil Doll from Hell (1984).)

Blaxploitation horror’s influence is stronger in the ‘90s and early 2000s, with the anthology series Tales From the Hood (1995), Leprechaun in the Hood (2000), Def By Temptation (1990), Candyman (1992), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), Bones (2001) and a string of “hood” based films with titles ending in a Z (hello Zombiez). These films would explore issues affecting Black communities, like AIDS, abuse, and poverty, through the lens of scary stories. The continuous rise of hip-hop music further fueled these Blaxploitation-inspired films, with rappers Snoop Dogg, Coolio, and Ice-T stepping into acting.

Now, it’s much more commonplace to see Black horror movies like Get Out, Us, The Blackening, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, Eve’s Bayou, and Vampires vs. the Bronx. There’s also the lower budget “hood” films like Amityville in the Hood (2021) and the wildly titled Bitch Ass (2022). (The latter actually isn’t as bad as you’d imagine, btw. It is not a masterpiece but better than those awful “Z movies.”) 

Many Blaxploitation horror films certainly had problematic elements; however, the idea that Black stories have a place in this genre space laid a foundation for great things to come. Whether introspective, silly, or downright bizarre, Black horror stories from the 1970s were truly a special time in cinematic history. 

The post A Brief(ish) History of Blaxploitation Horror Movies appeared first on Nerdist.

The Simpsons aren’t the only animated characters to make themselves an indelible part of the spooky season. This year marks the 20th(ish) “Ween” installment from Homestar Runner. Normally the site’s October holiday videos conclude with Homestar incorrectly guessing what everyone else dressed as. But this year The Brothers Chaps turned their traditional ending segment into an entire ‘toon. Their clueless star made his costume ignorance into a game show. And while it doesn’t end the way you expect, this Halloween cartoon is as funny as you’d hope.

Homestar Runner‘s new “The Show: Ween Edition” cartoon isn’t your normal TV game show. Rather than simply have Homestar guess everyone’s Halloween costumes—which always leads to zero correct answers and much hilarity—players must predict the exact way Homestar will get their ensemble wrong.

From obscure pop culture characters to Halloween costumes worn by fictional characters in a very famous movie, there’s a full range of identities for Homestar to mess up here. That’s always true of the site’s “Ween” cartoons, though. What makes this year’s installment especially fun is the chance to play along. If you know Homestar Runner well enough, like his friends clearly do, you have a decent shot at guessing his guesses.

I even got one right! I was all over Homestar’s “Devo Construction Worker” answer for Coach Z. However, as is always the case, I also had no idea who some characters are dressed as. I’ve spent a lot of time obsessing over the Halloween costumes of Homestar Runner characters over the years, and every year there are those I don’t recognize at all.

Does that make me as dumb as Homestar? No. No, I am much dumber. There’s no way I’d be smart enough to turn my own costume ignorance into a game show that I both host and guarantee I win.

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We love horror here at Nerdist, but we were kids once too. Not every kid watches A Nightmare on Elm Street at eight years old. Some of us watched regular old cartoons. But, those of us who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s can tell you some of those were scary as hell too. Everyone just wanted to terrify children back then. D’ose were da days. To that end, members of the Nerdist team have delved into their own kinder-fears to give you examples of episodes of cartoons that traumatized us.

We should point out, we’re pretty much leaving out anything that was inherently terrifying. Like Courage the Cowardly Dog, for example. That sh*t was designed to be scary every week. Picking an episode of this would be too easy. Anyway, without further ado.

Rocko’s Modern Life – “To Heck and Back”

To immediately contradict the above, it’s entirely possible Rocko’s Modern Life, Nickelodeon’s fourth Nicktoon which premiered in 1993, was in fact meant to terrify kids. The show, about a Wallaby’s foibles of daily existence, has some of the creepiest and most grotesque imagery this side of Ren & Stimpy. However, I don’t think anything was as nightmare fueling from that series as “To Heck and Back,” the second cartoon of the eleventh episode of the series. In it, Rocko’s best friend Heffer Wolfe (a cow) chokes to death on a chicken bone and as Rocko tries in vain to save him, has a truly disturbing trip to Heck where he meets the avatar of death itself, named Peaches.

It’s not merely that Heffer dies (he has Xs for eyes!) but it’s that Peaches at the end takes off his black hood to reveal his head is made of cow udders and sprays milk everywhere. It’s one of the most vivid memories I have of this entire show, because it scared the poop out of me. – Kyle Anderson

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends – “The Bride of Dracula!”

Saturday morning cartoons in the ‘80s loved using classic monsters, but always watered them down to a ridiculous degree. One of those times was when Dracula popped up on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends and hypnotized Angelica Jones into becoming his bride. He didn’t even know she was the superhero Firestar, he just had a thing for redheads. He might not have picked her if he knew was a living sun. Oops.

In the episode, Vlad takes her to Transylvania, where his Frankenstein and werewolf henchman fight Spidey and Iceman who come to save her. The idea that Drac might just randomly pop into a school dance and choose you as his victim is actually pretty scary when one is nine years old. And his werewolf henchman Bruno was actually scarier to any kid than Dracula, and stuck in my mind longer. Sadly, Dracula doesn’t bite anyone, but at least he’s not as lame as Super Friends Dracula, who turned people into vampires with eye beams. -Eric Diaz

Rugrats – “Under Chuckie’s Bed”

As a late ‘80s baby and ‘90s kid, Rugrats was a huge part of my cartoon lineup. I loved watching those silly babies with large heads go on ridiculous adventures. But one journey I didn’t love was when Chucky made his transition from a crib to a big boy bed in “Under Chuckie’s Bed.” I was long out of the crib stage at this point. However, I still had some serious anxiety about monsters lurking in every shadow of my room, including under my bed. And watching A Nightmare on Elm Street while living on Elm Street didn’t bolster my confidence about sleeping in a bed alone.

Hearing a voice call out to Chuckie, attempting to bribe him into the darkness under his bed with candy gave me chills. Of course, Angelica makes it worse with her story about Barnaby Jones, in which we see Barnaby getting pulled into the abyss in a very It-like fashion. Sure, Chuckie’s monster was only a sweater in the end but the possibility of ending up like Barnaby loomed in my mind. – Tai Gooden

Yu-Gi-Oh! – “Evil Spirit of the Ring”

At its heart, Yu-Gi-Oh! has some truly excellent horror bones. After all, the main conceit of the show is that its characters are basically getting possessed by ancient spirits all of the time. Even the friendlier ones don’t exactly always ask permission. But no character brings the creeps and chills quite like Yami Bakura. And that’s why his introductory episode is the one that makes this list. While other Bakura episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh! are arguably scarier, like his eyeball-filled Battle City duel with Yami Yugi or his graveyard-set, zombie-ridden encounter with the aptly named Bones, this episode is the most quintessentially creepy and also has a great feeling of Halloween.

For starters, “Evil Spirit of the Ring” takes place in the Shadow Realm and involves characters getting their souls sent to a graveyard where they’re chased by the Grim Reaper and see their names on gravestones. And on top of that, Yu-Gi-Oh’s main gang get to play dress up during this episode in true Halloween style. They’re transformed into monsters on the playing field and literally become their favorite cards. It’s horrifying from the perspective of their experience, but also a lot of fun. Taken together, this eerie episode of Yu-Gi-Oh! summons not only evil the spirit of the Millennium Ring but also the spirit of tricks and treats. – Rotem Rusak

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island

I’m gonna cheat a little here and pick the movie Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. While not technically an episode of the television show, this direct-to-video horror classic made regular appearances on Cartoon Network throughout my childhood and left a lasting impact on my love of all things spooky. With a more serious and genuinely scary tone than the previous adventures of Scoobert-Doo and company, Zombie Island was an essential piece of gateway horror that felt exciting and dangerous and is undoubtedly responsible for spawning many lifelong fans of the genre. – Alison Mattingly

Beetlejuice – “Laugh of the Party”

As a kid I thought the Beetlejuice animated series was the greatest thing on TV, I just couldn’t articulate why. My child analysis was mostly limited to saying, “It’s really funny!” Now, as an adult with an expanded vocabulary and greater media literacy, I realize young me nailed it. If you want to see why go back and watch the show’s delightful first Halloween episode, “Laugh of the Party.” It features Beetlejuice attempting to throw a real-world Halloween bash using Neitherworld aides. Predictably that leads to a hilarious disaster.

The episode, like the entire show, totally holds up thanks to the cartoon’s timeless comedic sensibilities. The series blended silly and smart humor via absurdist gags, memorable characters, and clever wordplay. That was all anchored by the genuine friendship between Lydia and the Ghost with the Most. Their partnership made every party, even ones with Halloween monsters running amok, worth attending. -Michael Walsh

BONUS: Turbo Teen

I can’t pick a single episode of this bizarre 1984 series (which I saw later in the ’80s) because the entire thing is messed up. I’m all for things changing into other things in cartoons. Hell, Transformers was my absolute jam. Even people turning into animals, or animals turning into human-like things. I loved all of it. So why, then, was Turbo Teen so upsetting? Well, have you seen it?! It’s about a teenager who has the power to turn into a car. He’s not mechanical, mind you. He can just turn his body into a sports car. The transformation sequence, which they showed ad nauseum in every episode, is almost more harrowing than the similar scene in An American Werewolf in London.

I mean, just look at this monstrosity!

His face turns into the car’s grill! His friends sit inside him! That’s as gross as it gets. – Kyle Anderson

The post Cartoon Episodes From the ’80s and ’90s That Scared Us as Kids appeared first on Nerdist.

You can only play “Monster Mash” and Ray Parker Jr.’s Ghostbusters theme so many times at your Halloween party before you scare your guests away. Nobody likes a spooky shindig featuring a tired playlist overstuffed with cliche classic horror tracks everyone uses. Don’t worry though, Nerdoween is here to help your ghoulish gala rise above the usual macabre musical malaise this year. We’ve put together a collection of creepy songs from a source you might not have considered before: horror comedies. Some of our favorite frighteningly funny movies have fantastic, fiendish soundtracks of their own. Here are 12— including great title themes and memorable haunting hits—that will keep your Halloween party rocking this year.

1. An American Werewolf in London – “Traveling to East Proctor/Werewolf Theme”

We’re starting with a song from one of the best horror-comedies of all-time, An American Werewolf in London. The film features a great soundtrack of songs with the word “Moon” in them, but we’re going to set the right one for our party with composer Elmer Bernstein’s super creepy werewolf theme song. No one would go to the moors if they heard this playing. (For the record, avoid all moors in October just out of an abundance of caution.)

2. Shaun of the Dead – “The Blue Wrath”

It’s no surprise Edgar Wright found the perfect track for the opening title sequence of his zombie comedy classic Shaun of the Dead. I Monster’s unsettling “The Blue Wrath,” with its jaunty beat and inhuman “la la la la” lyrics, is a as catchy as a virus.

3. Tremors – “Main Title”

You can easily make your Halloween party a musical success by just putting on the entire Tremors score , but our favorite entry on the soundtrack is composer Ernest Troost’s title track. It’s an unnerving song that builds slowly to a dramatic crescendo. It’s so good your guests would never guess it came from a horror movie that is also hysterical.

4. What We Do in the Shadows – “You’re Dead”

This perfect mockumentary about the banal lives of vampires features a tremendous soundtrack, but we’re obsessed with Norma Tanega’s fantastic pop folk song “You’re Dead.” It’s a fun number that is inherently unnerving thanks to its repeated lyrics that scream Halloween. It’s so good the movie’s spinoff FX series also uses it as its theme. And we never, ever skip the opening credits because of it.

5. The Evil Dead – “Ascent & Infection”

We’re following up one of our most dance-able selections with one of our scariest. It’s one of the many great, terrifying tracks from composer Joseph Loduca’s score for the cult classic The Evil Dead. You can’t go wrong with any part of this soundtrack, but the long notes in the middle of this scary synth song genuinely leave us on edge wondering when the nightmare will end.

6. Zombieland – “For Whom The Bell Tolls”

Metallica’s “Sandman” might be a classic Halloween track, but there’s a reason Zombieland went with this song from the band’s 1984 album Ride the Lightning. It’s dark, heavy, and everyone knows church bells are inherently scary. It’s no mystery why “For Whom the Bell Tolls” remains one of the band’s most popular songs ever.

7. Gremlins – “Too Many Gremlins”

Some of these horror-comedy soundtracks, like composer Jerry Goldsmith’s Gremlins soundtrack, are consistently great. That makes it hard to choose just one song from each. Ultimately we went with “Too Many Gremlins” because of its attention-grabbing start. Plus, even though it is unsettling and weird, it has the perfect energy for a party. It also gets bonus points for its title. We will always laugh at the mere thought of an exhausted character looking at the camera, shrugging their shoulders and sighing, “Too many gremlins.”

8. The Cabin in the Woods – “Last”

As with Metallica, you can make an entire kick-ass Halloween playlist simply from Nine Inch Nail’s songs, so we’re pumped Chris Hemsworth’s meta horror-comedy about a group of friends-turned-test-subjects includes this track. If we were trying to escape a killer cabin in the woods “Last” would help us run through a wall.

9. Killer Klowns From Outer Space – “Hidden Klown Ship”

Since our last track runs the risk of creating a Halloween mosh pit we want to calm things down a little without turning down the creepiness. Composer John Massari’s scary score for the wonderfully absurd Killer Klowns From Outer Space is perfect for that. We could have chosen any of his songs, but we went with “Hidden Klown Ship” because it has an operatic feel to it. The song tells its own frightening story.

10. The Frighteners – “Superstar”

The Frighteners with Michael J. Fox is an underrated classic. As is Sonic Youth’s slow, methodical, very disturbing cover of the classic song “Superstar.” It’s impossible to listen to this without shuddering. This is what ghosts plays when you visit an abandoned rock venue. This is included on playlists for Halloween parties in Hell.

11. Creepshow – “Welcome to Creepshow (Main Title)”

Did you know the word “haunting” was created to describe the sound of a piano? Okay, that might not be true, but it should be. But even beyond the off-putting notes of Creepshow‘s main title from John Harrison’s fantastic score are the theme’s classic Halloween shrieks and cries. Everything about this upsets us, which is why we love it so much.

12. Planet Terror – “Cherry´s Dance Of Death”

Our final track, “Cherry’s Dance of Death” from Grindhouse‘s Planet Terror, is a dynamic instrumental number that’s equal parts rock, mariachi, and horror. Written by director Robert Rodriguez and performed by the Mexican rock band Chingon, it’s the perfect song for both a movie where a woman fights zombies with her machine gun leg and your Halloween party.

Like the rest of this playlist, it’s the perfect way to keep your Halloween party rocking better than anyone else’s.

Originally published October 8, 2018.

The post These 12 Horror-Comedy Songs Are Perfect for Your Halloween Playlist appeared first on Nerdist.

Halloween is about more than just secret rituals in abandoned forests and summoning demons from the netherworld. Those are great fun and obviously important. But there are also plenty of other pastimes to partake in during October. Some events and celebrations are so beloved by people of all ages they’ve become staples of the proverbial “spooky season.” Which one is the best, though? To help you plan your creeeeepy holiday festivities this year we ranked classic Halloween activities by how much fun they are! Or, in some cases, by how much fighting a werewolf during a full moon instead sounds like a better use of our time.

LAST: Bobbing For Apples

How in all that is holy was this ever a thing? We’ve known about bacteria since 1676, but we needed the last few years to piece together the contaminated puzzle of Halloween’s great germ swap? Forget ghouls and ghosts, is there anything scarier than the thought of putting your open mouth into a big tub of room temperature water full of partially chewed food after 17 people just did the same thing? I’d rather vacation in literal Hell on New Year’s Eve. We should call it “Bobbing for Infection.”

9. Pranks!

There are two types of people in the world. The first group thinks pranks are fun. The second consists of decent people who deserve happiness. No one has ever actually enjoyed having a prank pulled on them. If someone said differently they were simply being polite, because, again, they are decent folk. All prank lovers should be forced to live together on a remote island. We can call it Prank Isle. Or even better, let’s send them there and then never speak of it again! Happy Halloween to us, the good ones!

Note: Halloween pranks are different than “revenge,” a fun activity you can, and should, enjoy 365 days a year.

8. Visiting a Pumpkin Patch

Did you enjoy giving up a relaxing Sunday in September to spend way too much money and time picking your own apples at an overcrowded orchard? Did you love paying a farmer you don’t know to work for him in unseasonably warm weather just so you could end your day with an apple cider donut you remembered being a lot better? You did? Weird, but great news! You can enjoy that experience all over again in October by visiting your local pumpkin patch. It’s a place where instead of hurting your back by reaching up you can hurt your back by bending down. And don’t forget guests of all ages can also get tetanus for free by cutting themselves atop an old broken tractor that’s been rusting for thirty-seven years.

7. Attend a Halloween Parade

Imagine explaining a parade to aliens. Now imagine explaining Halloween to them. Now imagine explaining a Halloween parade. Feel silly? Don’t, it’s not like you’re currently at a Halloween parade*, an event that replaces the best parts of a Halloween party with formal start and end times, standing, not being able to see, and road closures.

*If you are currently at a Halloween parade please let us know if you’ve been kidnapped or just make bad life choices. If it’s the former we’re also curious why your captive is letting you browse the internet. Aren’t they afraid you’ll send an email or alert someone? Also, why aren’t you doing that already? You have our blessing to finish reading this later! So long as you keep this tab open and share it on social media with #ParadesAreWeird.

6. Carving a Jack-o’-Lantern

Nothing says Halloween like a carved pumpkin (except maybe a Dracula). That’s because everyone rightfully loves jack-o’-lanterns. And so long as you don’t pick your pumpkin at a patch, they’re affordable fun for the whole family. The problem is actually making one is no walk in the cemetery. The interior of a pumpkin is a vile realm of smelly mush and second-thoughts. There’s also the matter of actually carving them. No matter how much you think you’re going to slice up an amazing, unique pumpkin, most end up looking exactly alike for a reason. Artfully cutting a thick round gourd takes real skill most of us don’t possess. That’s why the majority of jack-o’-lanterns have wide eyes and big mouths. Those are easy to cut… but not as easy as cutting your thumb.

5. Visit a Haunted House/Castle/Maze/Location

Now we’re getting somewhere! (Literally and metaphorically.) A haunted locale—whether a real place people pretend is full of ghosts or a seasonal exhibition full of great costumes and local theater enthusiasts—offer plenty of excitement, as a terrifying romp full of scares truly captures the spirit of All Hallow’s Eve. Unfortunately that’s also the downside of these creepy spots.

They can leave young visitors with nightmares that haunt them long after they’ve left. They can also cause cardiac events in older guests who forgot how much Jason Voorhees jumping out of a closet can disrupt your normal heartbeat. A haunted “house” of any kind should be something you enjoy only while you are there. It shouldn’t follow you home. And it definitely shouldn’t lead you to an early grave.

(If it does they should bury you at the haunted house. You earned it.)

4. Wearing a Costume

Life is suffering. We, and everyone we will ever love, begin to die the moment we’re born. All any of us can truly hope for are a few brief moments of calm waters during a never-ending struggle to survive in a sea of sadness. But none of us truly survive. We’re all simply waiting for the waves of existence to carry us back into the waters of the cosmos’ infinite and cold black ocean. Don’t worry, though. Once there the universe won’t forget we ever existed, because it never noticed we lived in the first place.

…What better way to forget all of that than by getting creative and dressing up as a totally different person for a night? That’s right! Costumes.

3. See a Scary Movie

What kind of sales job do you need for movies? Movies rule. Horror movies specifically rule. Even bad ones can be super fun. That all seems sort of obvious, no?

So…uh….you ever see Poltergeist? That movie is soooo good. “This house…is clean.” Iconic line. You know some people think Steven Spielberg really directed it? I don’t. Even saying that is unfair to Tobe Hooper. Well, anyway…scary movies…highly recommend ’em.

2. Halloween Parties

Costumes? Candy? Cavorting? Halloween parties might be the best type of parties period. Whether family-oriented gatherings or adult-only soirees, they’re far less stressful than their equivalent Thanksgiving or Christmas events. And unlike weddings you won’t run into any Bridezillas, just maybe the Bride of Frankenstein! (We like to have fun here at Nerdist Dot Com.)

Also, what other type of celebration includes listening to “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” eight times in a single night? Check. Mate. Halloween parties are so good it’s incredible they aren’t number one on this list.

1. Trick-or-Treating

If you’re a kid trick-or-treating is the single greatest thing in the world. You get to dress up, go out at night with your friends, and strangers GIVE YOU FREE CANDY. And unlike Christmas, it’s no strings attached. No adult ever says, “If you want candy you better be good for goodness sake, because a magical elf is watching you while you sleep like a total creep.”

But here’s the thing. Trick-or-treating still rules even when you grow up. Either you take adorable kids out and see them experience true joy, or adorable kids come directly to you and think you’re the greatest person alive. Plus you can steal their candy. Kids are, like, super easy to outsmart. Everyone wins! It’s the best Halloween activity out of all the other activities. It might be the best activity of any month, not just October.

The reverse is true of bobbing for apples. What the hell were we thinking all these years?

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on  Twitter and  Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post We Ranked Classic Halloween Activities by How Fun They Really Are appeared first on Nerdist.

Happy Nerdoween! Every October, Nerdist gets into the Fall and Halloween spirit with a fresh slate of posts and highlights from our previous hits. We have a little something for everyone, from not-scary board games to play to the bizarre history of the Ouija board. This year, we are doing something a little different with Trope Day, a one-day celebration of how tropes play into the horror genre. 

The Seven Deadly Sins: The Horror Tropes Edition

Horror tropes are a staple in the genre, a setup for impending gore or perhaps a powerful commentary on our socioeconomic strife. They can be funny, thoughtful, or even irritating, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a horror offering that doesn’t lean into one of those tested pathways. When we began to think about horror tropes, we noticed that many of them line up with the seven deadly sins. As we all know, religion and horror often walk hand-in-hand, so this is not a shocking revelation. From “The Jock” archetype representing pride to the (somewhat fading) plot device of “having sex = death” obviously referring to lust, this was a fun way to examine common tropes through a fresh lens. 

The Classic Horror Tropes That Will Never Die

There are a few horror tropes and character archetypes, like the wide-eyed “Spook” and “haunted Indian burial ground,” that are thankfully fading into obscurity. Like any other genre, horror is continuously evolving and aiming to reflect the progressive changes in our society. But there are some tropes that will never, ever die. While horror can be quite serious, fans will always love the unseriousness of running up the stairs. “I’ll be right back…” Yeahhhh, you won’t be. And, of course, even with the worst antagonists imaginable, human beings are almost always the real monsters. A Nerdist collaborative post is always a good time!

Laser Focus Podcast: Horror Tropes

Kyle Anderson, Nerdist‘s Senior Editor and the host of our podcast Laser Focus, sat down with Features Editor Tai Gooden to chat about all things tropes. As always, there’s a few fun tangents and a lot of nerdy chatter about how tropes play into horror. 

Nerdist News: The History of Horror Tropes (Video)

Team Nerdist digs into the history of a few major horror tropes that still resonate in media today! Surely you will learn at least one new fact from this in-depth video.

New Nerdoween Posts That You’ll Love

If you can’t get enough of our new Nerdoween content, check out our latest posts:

12 Iconic Horror Villains and Their Zodiac Signs

The Best Final Scenes in Horror Movie History

When Evil Lurks (Review) 

V/H/S/85 (Review)

The post Nerdist Celebrates All Things Horror with Trope Day appeared first on Nerdist.

Horror’s prevalent and enduring tropes are key parts of its foundation, for better or worse. The victim running up the stairs when the front door is right there, people fornicating or partying when there’s a killer on the loose, and an intrepid character investigating that strange noise are both maddening and thrilling. Some horror tropes make us cringe and roll our eyes while others spark joy, but either way we wait with baited breath to watch the inevitable unfold. There’s undoubtedly several motifs that run through any given horror film, especially the connection between moral sins and deadly consequences. We are all familiar with the seven deadly sins from several religious sects—pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth—and each one of them show up in the horror world in the form of a few classic tropes.

A Horror Jock’s Pride Leads to a Mighty Fall

Proverbs 16:18 of the Bible warns us that pride comes before a great fall. And boy does this sin apply to certain horror tropes, particularly in the form of character archetypes who appear in an ensemble cast. One of them is the infamous Jock, an often young, musclebound male idiot who thinks his “superior” athletic ability will ensure his triumph over a murderous (and sometimes supernatural) maniac. This is the case with Julius, a boxer in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. He believes he can defeat Jason with his “guns” (read: muscles) and tries to box with a homicidal… entity. Julius goes down by the ultimate knockout as Jason punches his head clean off his shoulders. Bravery is not a bad thing in horror but overconfidence will get you murked. 

Sometimes, the jock’s pride leads them to do horrific things that make them the true villain. Such is the case with The Rage: Carrie 2 and its group of jocks that exploit and humiliate girls. They have no shame about their actions and believe that they can get away with it because they are untouchable gods. Their pride and status works for them until Carrie teaches them a righteously vengeful final lesson. 

The Pleasure of Lust Begets the Pain of Murder

The deadly sin of lust is a very obvious horror trope one is with far too many examples. The golden horror rule about avoiding sex was a staple in past decades. Final girls like Alice Hardy were always the “good girl virgins” among their friend group, their purity somehow sparing them from a grim fate. Anyone who would dare bare it all risked their lives in the process, with the killer luring them to death one by one.

Some of this was writers/directors inserting their personal morality beliefs into the script. However, there’s also a direct tie with the vulnerability of post-coitus nakedness and a fear of something sinister happening. There’s a reason why we are paranoid when we are home alone and in the shower. And no, it’s not just because Psycho exists.

Thankfully, this trope isn’t prevalent anymore, especially in films like It Follows, where the concepts of death and sex are intertwined in a novel (and not-shaming) way. Many of today’s final girls (and other targets) are choosing to have sex and still obliterating killers to our great delight. But, the sin of lust will never quite fade away in horror, even if it is from a comedic perspective poking fun at the genre. 

Mighty Is the Wrath of a Scorned Soul

Wrath is a driving force in many horror narratives, especially from the perspective of the villain. One frequent trope is the “scorned baddie” exacting revenge in a world where they are severely abused (Carrie) or they are seeking vengeance for their death/death of their loved ones. A famous example of the latter is Mrs. Voorhees, who goes on a killing spree against camp counselors because of her son’s death. Sure, she kills the ones responsible but she also, um, kills other counselors who weren’t even there when it happened. 

But even when the wrath is righteous and from the good among us, like the parents who burned Fred Krueger in his home, it almost always results in a ripple effect of unintended and negative consequences. This all points to one message: never act out of wrath and rage, lest you want innocents to potentially pay the future price for your choice.

Envy Is the Gateway to Evil (and Murder)

This is quite the tricky sin with a lot of different examples, especially in films that straddle the line between horror and classic thrillers. It often roots itself in the trope of the voyeuristic stalker who desires what their prey has and a victim who feels like someone is watching them. Inside (2016) follows the horror story of a psychotic woman who envies a pregnant woman so much that she wants to kill her and steal the child on Christmas Eve.

We also see envy tied into the horror trope of the secret killer family member(s). In Scream 3 (2000) there’s Roman Bridger, who sees the attention and love his half-sister Sidney Prescott got after their mother’s death. His envy of Sidney’s life (along with the pain of rejection) is literally the flame that sparked the events of the entire franchise. There’s also envy in Get Out, a story where affluent white people devise a gross procedure to literally take over Black people’s bodies because they desire their traits. Envy is truly a gateway for evil. 

The Soul of a Sloth Hath Nothing Good Comin’ Its Way

If there’s one rule you better follow in a horror film, it is to move your ass ASAPtually. Do not live in denial and pretend that there’s no real threat happening here. Do not allow others to do the heavy lifting on your behalf. If you do, then you may end up hopping into action when it is already too late to save yourself and others. A great example of sloth behavior typically comes from the ongoing horror trope of the lazy/incompetent police force that constantly fails to do its basic job.

We witness some baffling idiocy from two police officers in Scream 4 (2011) who gawk at a teenage girl in her bra and fail to prevent her murder. But even they don’t hold a candle to the pure overall laziness of the entire police department in Hell Night (1981). You can pretty much count on the cops to be useless and exhibit peak sloth behavior in horror films. 

Be On Your Guard Against the Greed (and Gluttony) of Gentrification and Disturbing the Peace

Ahhh yes, there’s nothing like greed and gluttony, specifically in the economical sense, to set up an intense and bloody narrative. Gentrification and looting are the crux of many haunted house/city/town and cursed land horror tropes. We have seen this one before in many forms. Some rich (and usually white) person thinks they are “doing good” by purchasing property in a marginalized neighborhood. Or they build something on top of sacred land or take some object that isn’t theirs for profit and BOOM, the ancestors or evil spirits are on their ass. (Thankfully, horror has mostly moved away from the harmful ” haunted Indian burial ground” trope that somehow tried to make the ancestors evil. Just respect their land and stop messing with it!)

Sometimes, a person goes into an allegedly haunted space and disturbs the spirits for attention and profit. It never ends well for that person. Busta Rhymes learned this the hard way in Halloween: Resurrection (2002) when a group of students tried to create an internet reality show in Michael Myers’ house. Very stupid behavior, indeed.

Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020) uniquely addresses this with vampires who are sucking the life out of a Black and Latinx neighborhood in multiple ways. They are literally killing people but also killing local business and the neighborhood’s established culture. When a person, ahem, bites off more than they can chew, you can be sure that there will be consequences to their actions.

Considering the frequent crossing of horror and religion, its no surprise that many horror tropes have ties to the seven deadly sins. Like Jason Voorhees, many of these tropes will never die… and we are (mostly) cool with it.

The post The Seven Deadly Sins: The Horror Movie Tropes Edition appeared first on Nerdist.

What’s your favorite scary movie (trope)? No matter how much the horror genre continues to evolve, there will always be room for tropes. Those tried-and-true plot devices and character archetypes, while sometimes overdone, are effective in many ways. Sometimes, a trope is meant to simply humor the viewer as they confidently assert how they would act differently from a film’s character(s). Other times, horror tropes play a more intellectual role, perhaps holding a mirror to the dark aspects of our reality.

They build the foundation to deliver a flawless ending, terrorize us with unexpected visuals, or play into our deepest fears and insecurities. Horror tropes can be fun, exhausting, and heartbreaking, sometimes all at once. And while some tropes are rightfully fading into obscurity, there are a few that, like Jason Voorhees, will never die.

In honor of those enduring tropes, the horror lovers at team Nerdist and our scary movie loving freelance contributors picked tropes that thrill, chill, and reflect our society.

The brilliance of John Carpenter’s legendary The Thing is that it will never again let us trust anybody. We’ll never get tired of wondering if the Childs we saw during in the end was human or not. 

Alison Mattingly: Of all the horror tropes, nothing feels more synonymous with the genre to me than the “final scare.” One of my earliest and fondest horror memories is watching the original Friday the 13th with my parents one Halloween when I was in my early teens (after begging my mom to let me buy the DVD from a bargain bin at the local Wal-Mart). Having been a lifelong chicken with a morbid curiosity for all things dark and scary, I had decided I was ready to watch my first adult horror film. I proceeded to watch the ’80s slasher with awe and terror, enjoying the rollercoaster ride of its thrills.

However, the moment that sealed the deal for me as a born-again horror fan was the final scare trope, which to this day, I think Friday the 13th perfected. With the killer dead and the danger seemingly over as help arrives the next morning, Jason Voorhees springs from the depths of Crystal Lake to drag Alice into the water and deliver one final burst of fear for an unsuspecting audience. I can still distinctly remember both my mom and I screaming. She burst into tears proclaiming, “I hate this movie”, and I, quietly in my nervous laughter, proclaimed my love. 

“…They’re all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act who’s always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door…”

Tai Gooden: Iconic final girl (and anti-horror advocate) Sidney Prescott says these exact words in Scream (1996) during her first phone call with Ghostface. As we now know, this very-meta franchise often pokes fun at horror’s many tropes while simultaneously leaning into them. And when it comes to horror tropes, “running up the stairs” is one of the most nonsensical and hilarious ones in existence. Rarely if ever does it make sense to go upstairs to evade a killer, yet countless people (specifically women) have met their demise by making this choice.

Like the audience, Sidney may believe she’s smarter than the average horror character. But that’s simply not the case when she’s the one in peril. Moments later, Ghostface appears and, after a brief scuffle, Sidney tries to go out the front door but the lock chain holds her back. Does she run out of the back door instead? No. She heads straight up the stairs for a heavy dose of irony. Thankfully, final girl plot armor worked to her advantage, saving her from Ghostface’s knife.

Kyle Anderson: As soon as you see a bathroom in a horror movie, you can all but guarantee bad stuff will happen. One of two things can happen. One, someone will die in the shower, which is a trope of its own. The other is having the life scared out of you with a hideous monster or other nasty sight in the bathroom mirror behind our hapless victim. You can see this trope coming a mile away. If the camera lingers too long on the sink, it’s over. The person looks at themselves in the mirror, then they go to splash some cold water on their face, and then when they look up, someone’s behind them!

Either it’s a figment of their imagination, or a portent of something bad, or just a real monster or killer. But you WILL be scared, mark my words. The variant of this one, if not the splashy-water set-up, is if the person opens the medicine cabinet. Oh dear heavens, when they shut that thing and look in the mirror again, terror ensues.

While many movies have used a scary thing in the mirror, the best and arguably first real instance of the trope version comes in 1981’s An American Werewolf in London. The movie had already had a few fake-out jumpscares to this point, but about halfway through the movie, our hero David goes to the bathroom, rifles through his new girlfriend’s medicine cabinet, and then is terrified by the grinning visage of his dead and decaying friend Jack behind him. It’s part funny, part scary, an all-time great.

Lindsey Romain: Something in horror that always works on me, even though I hate it, is the “police don’t believe you” trope. It’s a step above “no cell service” in terms of frustration. We’re trained to think the police are the ultimate saviors in moments of danger, but as with real life, that’s rarely the case in horror. They often cause even more death and damage. An ineffective cop is one thing, but cops who blatantly disbelieve our protagonist are even worse. We see it in movies like Cabin Fever and Fright Night, and most recently in Barbarian.

When heroine Tess finally escapes her basement prison and finds law enforcement, she’s met with disbelief. They see her ragged conditions and assume she’s a vagrant, abandoning her to danger. It’s even thornier considering Tess is a Black woman and police violence against Black people remains a horrifying reality in the United States. Horror is best when it’s reflecting real-world truths, even when it’s uncomfortable. Tropes like this may not be pleasant, but they’re certainly effective—and even educational. Tess is the hero of Barbarian in spite of the police who failed her, cementing her as one of the best final girls in recent memory. 

Eric Diaz: I believe the children are the future as much as the next person. But even those of you with children of your own know that kids are sometimes just really creepy. You ever walk into a room with a preschooler having a full conversation with someone not there? Or perhaps they are singing an eerie tune to themselves. Then you know what I’m talking about. However, kids are by far the creepiest in horror films. From The Shining’s ghostly twins, to little Damien in The Omen, and even the chorus of ghostly youth at the start of Stephen King’s It, creepy kids are enough to make you lose some sleep.

But the princess of creepy kids remains poor possessed Regan McNeil in The Exorcist. Her transformation from innocent 12-year-old to filth-spewing demon retains all of its power 50 years later.  There’s just something truly terrifying about what’s supposed to be innocent corrupted by evil. It will always be one of horror’s most effective tropes because of this.

DarkSkyLady: Every time this horror trope pops up through darkened homes, abandoned silos, or dank forests, audiences curse or praise the horror gods. When facing an unknown threat, they need to recall Colonel Mustard’s “there’s safety in numbers.” From films like You’re Next to The Strangers 2: Prey at Night to earlier classics like the Halloween franchise and Friday the 13th, whether stated or implied, splitting up is often the death knell for characters. Yet, we love it because it’s fun! It gives viewers a feeling of superiority that, in the same position, they’d survive. 

Then there are films like Cabin in the Woods, which seek to explain this ridiculous “let’s split up” decision. It’s a gas that leads to poor decision-making! In this movie, one character, Marty, hilariously reflects the audience’s thoughts on this bright idea when he incredulously says, “Really?” Whether a film shows foolish characters hacked beyond recognition or reflects viewer savvy, this one whets the appetite for impending carnage. 

Jules Greene: Evil nuns have never been more in vogue. However, there’s something uniquely compelling to me about evil nuns who aren’t monsters like Valak from The Conjuring movies, but rather ordinary people. The found footage film The Devil’s Doorway featured a Magdalene asylum in Ireland, run by a chilling Mother Superior played by Helena Bereen. The Magdalene asylums were places where “fallen women” in Ireland (young girls and unmarried women who were pregnant, disabled, or defiant of social norms) were imprisoned and forced to work in inhumane conditions.

Director Aislinn Clarke showcases the brutality of the asylums, with the film’s Mother Superior as the driving force behind all of it. While we don’t have to look far to find evil nun movies today, the painful truth behind The Devil’s Doorway is what turns this trope into a damning exposé of the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Joshua Mackey: My favorite horror trope would have to be “humans are the real evil.” It essentially reveals that, even though there’s something that “goes bump in the night” within the film, people are the true horror. My favorite film with this trope is Jennifer’s Body. Megan Fox’s Jennifer Check is supposed to be the “big bad” in the film. And in some ways, she is. Is she dismissive and mistreats her “best friend” Anita “Needy” Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried)? Yes. Does she feed on the flesh of the men she preys on as a succubus? Also yes.

However, she was turned into the film’s monster by Nikolai Wolf (Adam Brody) and his bandmates who were the real monsters after *spoiler alert* sacrificing her to Satan for their own capital gain. Needy knew not to trust Nikolai and his crew. In the end, she made sure to take care of them. 

The Horror Movie Trope: “I’ll Be Right Back…”

The Movie: Halloween (1978)

Tai Gooden: If you’re in a terrifying situation and you tell someone that you’ll be right back, then you can bet your a** that you probably will not return. The “I’ll be right back… ” trope almost always proceeds the next round of gore as some bizarrely confident person walks straight towards their last living moments. There are many, many examples of this trope and one of my all-time faves is Halloween. Lynda and her boyfriend Bob break a (formally) cardinal rule about having sex when a killer is on the loose. Bob takes a causal drag of his cigarette before declaring that he will be right back. Of course, Michael kills him and inexplicably nails his body to the wall with a single butcher knife. So much for physics, I guess.

I love this example because it gives us a small and rare window into Michael’s humorous side. He acts like Bob in a ghost costume before eventually taking Lynda out. It’s not the first example of this trope but it is a popular one among horror aficionados.

The post The Classic Scary Movie Tropes That Will Never Die appeared first on Nerdist.

Some horror movies employ a slow burn. They start quietly and carefully build tension scene by scene until they crescendo with a nightmare finale. But other horror movies grab us immediately with a truly terrifying opening. Before we’ve even had our first Raisinets, they let us know what we’re in for with beginnings that set the tone for the film and stay with us long after it ends. There are many horror movie openings but a select few have done it better than anyone. And those films hold a special place in cinematic history. To celebrate them, Nerdist staff picked the best opening scenes in horror movie history.

Get Out (2017)

Tai Gooden: Get Out is a brilliant examination of the discomfort that Black people feel outside of our safe spaces. The legitimate fear that being the “only one” or “out of place” puts us in imminent danger. Andre’s kidnapping plays into this brilliantly, allowing him to be the audience surrogate in this brief yet effectively terrifying opener. The quick shift from hoping he will find his way to safety to seeing him attacked and dragged into a man’s car while Flanagan & Allen’s “Run Rabbit Run” plays is unnerving and nauseating. For a Black person, it’s our worst fear. For others, it is a window into the unprovoked hostility and attention we often feel while simply existing. And for all of us, it sets the stage for a film that examines racism, subjugation, fetishization, and more in a body horror narrative.

Jaws (1975)

Eric Diaz: Although I think of Jaws as an adventure film with horror elements, without a doubt the opening scene is one of the scariest ever in film history. Without a single mechanical shark in sight, Spielberg finds a way to create pure terror as nighttime swimmer Chrissie meets her fate in the form of a hungry Great White. To this day, her unheard screams for help in her final moments send chills down my spine, in a way very few horror scenes do, because it feels so damn real. If there was an Oscar for “most believable death,” it should have gone to Susan Backlinie.

It Follows (2014)

Mikey Walsh: It Follows’ monster isn’t terrifying because it wears a scary mask or carries a deadly weapon. It’s a true nightmare because it slowly and relentlessly tracks its prey. All while often taking on the appearance of a normal stranger or loved one only a future victim can see. But that ghoul is at its scariest before we ever learn what it really is. The movie opens with a perfectly paced, hauntingly scored shot of an otherwise peaceful suburban street. A girl we do not know, yet instantly care about, runs from her house in undergarments and heels from an invisible monster. Her fear is palpable as she assures her family of her safety. All while we know something terrible is coming for her.

While we never see her death following a sad farewell message to her parents, made from a beach where the tide rolls in endlessly like the killer she knows is coming. Her mangled body lets us know exactly why she was right to be so scared. This incredible opening scene lets us know what will follow for the rest of this unsettling film.

Suspiria (1977)

Kyle Anderson: Even when it’s just showing credits over a black screen, Dario Argento’s Suspiria starts to ratchet up the tension. The main theme from Goblin is equal parts music box and industrial saw. Rattling the nerves and creating dread. The colors pick up immediately as Suzy makes her way out of the airport and into Argento’s nightmare world. But that’s just mood and color, the stark red and blue of gels over lights. What makes the beginning of the movie the best in horror is the dream-logic deaths of two characters we only meet briefly.

The girl Suzy sees running away in the rain, meets her fate by a pair of disembodied eyes outside her window, along with a sudden, violent thrash of a hand. Stabbed in the heart, thrown through plate glass, and hanged via telephone wire in a matter of seconds, this death is brutal and vibrant. And her friend’s demise, impaled with pieces of the plate glass, just proves the maestro of horror isn’t messing around.

Smile (2022)

Tai Gooden: Parker Finn’s Laura Hasn’t Slept (2020) is one of the most effective and intense horror shorts in recent history. So I expected greatness from Smile, which mostly delivered on its promise to expand the tale of an unseen and transferable evil. The film is rife with jump scares and disturbing imagery but there’s nothing quite like its captivating, disturbing, and lengthy opening scene. Caitlin Stasey stuns as Laura Weaver, a student experiencing a mental health crisis after witnessing her professor’s suicide. Her ebb and flow from agonizing paranoia to unbridled panic before settling into that stoic and menacing smile sets this scene as a new horror opening classic. The chilling exchange between Laura and Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) lays a strong foundation for a relentless curse, a harrowing inheritance, to creep its way to the next victim. 

Scream (1996)

Meaghan Kirby: It goes without saying, really, that Scream has one of the most iconic opening scenes in all of cinema. But for this list, I’ll reiterate that particular stance. The scene is the stuff of legend: The increasingly menacing phone calls; the abandoned Jiffy pop roasting on its foil in the background; Drew Barrymore giving us an iconic scream queen performance in just 10 minutes!

It’s an homage to When a Stranger Calls with a delightfully brutal twist, signaling the many tributes to beloved horror films and tropes to come. Casting one of the biggest movie stars, sticking her front and center on all marketing materials, and brutally murdering her at the top of the film—what a move. So many others have since tried to pull off similar stunt casting shenanigans. But few have come close to sticking the landing.

Jurassic Park (1993)

Amy Ratcliffe: Leaves rustle amid filtered light. Strange animal noises permeate the air. A team of wranglers looks nervous AF. Jurassic Park may not be a pure horror movie, but the 1993 film’s opening scene sure causes terror. The few minutes showcasing the transport of a deadly velociraptor set the movie’s tension and hints at the danger ahead. It makes sure the audience knows from the beginning that the dinosaurs John Hammond shows off so proudly are not cute pets. Just beneath the wonder of these creatures’ existence lies danger and a longing for human-flavored snacks. The chilling raptor screams, Robert Muldoon’s desperate “shoot her,” and John Williams’ ominous music with its increasing tempo etched this scene into my memory.

The Hitcher (1986)

Rosie Knight: A young man (C. Thomas Howell) drives down a rainy highway, his eyes closed as he tires from the long drive. He’s awoken by a massive truck that almost runs him off the road. It’s a terrifying moment, but nothing compared to what’s coming. After his brush with death, he picks up a hitchhiker, played with devastating ferocity by Rutger Hauer. Two people inside a car in a storm shouldn’t be able to instill the kind of fear that Hauer and Howell do. But as the former torments the latter by playing a demented game of mind control, there might not be a scarier sequence in cinema. However, it’s when Hauer says, “That’s what the other guy said,” as Howell asks, “What do you want?” that you know you’re really in trouble. Hauer might never have been better than playing this cinematic sociopath.

Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021)

Tai Gooden: The opening scene for the first film in Fear Street‘s trilogy is a combination of R. L. Stine book nostalgia, homage to the heyday of shopping malls, and a neon soaked tribute to ’90s slashers. Mall bookstore worker Heather Watkins lengthy struggle against a skull masked killer and her heartbreaking death at the hands of a friend is chilling and intriguing. But what really makes this opening scene stand out are the intricate details you notice upon subsequent viewings. Ryan hearing the whisper of the Shadyside curse calling his name. Stephen King’s Insomnia on the bookshelves. Casting Maya Hawke only to kill her off, just like Drew Barrymore in Scream (1996). Heather desperately saying “It’s me…” to Ryan as blood oozes from her mouth is truly haunting.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Kyle Anderson: How do you top the horror grandeur of George A. Romero’s magnum zombie opus? Well, for one, you make it faster-paced and generally funnier (thanks screenwriter James Gunn). For two? You open it with lengthy short film that introduces your main character, the escalating zombie outbreak, and the imminent chaos that unfolds because of it. After we meet nurse Ana and her husband Luis, we see their seemingly blissful life get turned upside down when they wake up to a neighbor girl in their house.

She looks hurt, but it’s worse than that. She’s dead. She bites Luis who bleeds out quicker than Ana can save him. Then he gets up just as quickly. As Ana runs outside she sees the entire neighborhood has gone to hell, running undead feasting on everyone. Ana drives away only to see it’s more than just the neighborhood. It’s everywhere! This is one of the most impressive shorthands for zombie outbreaks ever put to screen, and still might be Zack Snyder’s crowning achievement.

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Rotem Rusak: Though Hannibal’s presence looms over the film, The Silence of the Lambs belongs to Clarice. Throughout the movie, the scales fall from her eyes, as it were. As she faces evil in its most overtly horrifying and most quietly mundane forms. And while she purportedly has allies as she heads into these battles, at the end of the day she is solitary in her fight. The opening scene of The Silence of the Lambs perfectly conveys this uneasy tension. As Clarice runs alone in the woods, a sense of crawling dread fills the screen. We feel she is being watched because we are watching her. And something, it seems, is about to go very wrong.

Despite this, Clarice runs on, unbothered by her position alone and vulnerable as we perceive her to be. She forges on, confident in herself and her strength, even as the ominous music picks up its pace and birds and wild animals chatter in the trees. The opening sequence concludes with the iconic shot of Clarice entering an elevator full of men. Overtly othered but determined nonetheless to carry on. No safer within the halls of the FBI than she is without.

Halloween (1978)

Tai Gooden: Everything about this opening scene (and its scary score) confirms why John Carpenter’s Halloween is the foundation of slasher films. It transpires through the POV of what we believe is a voyeuristic stalker, lurking in the darkness and waiting for the optimal time to attack a young couple. But the Pandora’s box of horror opens quietly, revealing the shocking hand of a child grabbing a butcher’s knife. Those terse minutes stretch on with you knowing where this will likely go, but endlessly curious about how it will get there. The clown mask slipping over his face, obscuring the most heinous parts of Judith’s murder, and his heavy breathing as he trudges back downstairs is a chilling, unforgettable masterpiece.

But, it’s the last shot of a small blond Michael Myers wearing a bright Halloween costume, staring listlessly and holding the knife with his sister’s blood on it, that packs the biggest punch retrospectively. We witnessed the birth of a silent, relentless, and enduring killer.

Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

Eric Diaz: A lot of horror sequels are pale imitations of their predecessors. But not A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. We’re introduced to young Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette), who, as soon as the credits roll, dreams herself into Freddy’s nightmare world. We get all the Freddy tropes in the opening scene. The Elm Street house, the creepy little girl, and the basement filled with murdered teens. But long before Inception, this scene introduced us to “the dream within the dream,” concept. As Kristen wakes up (or so she thinks) only to find her bathroom faucet handles are an extension of Freddy’s clawed hand. When he uses them to cut open her wrist, it’s hard to not feel queasy. And all of this is just in the movie’s first five minutes.

Final Destination 2 (2003)

Mikey Walsh: Every Final Destination movie opens with a terrifying “what-if.” But it’s the second and best installment of the franchise that delivers an all-time opening horror scene. The vision of a deadly highway pileup reminds us that a normal drive can instantly end in tragedy. But what makes Final Destination 2‘s first scene worthy of inclusion on this list is how it will stay with you for the rest of your life. It’s impossible not to think about that crash when you find yourself driving alongside a massive truck ferrying something large and terrifying (trees or anything else) that you’re not fully confident it can handle. Even a small pickup with something tied up in its bed can conjure the memory of that scene.

Final Destination 2 forever made every trip on a highway a potential drive full of genuine dread. It truly is—fittingly for a car crash scene—nightmare fuel.

The Ring (2002)

Kyle Anderson: I can’t think of a modern horror movie that had as effective an opening scene as either version of The Ring, based on the Japanese film Ringu. Talk about a way to sell your premise as concisely and impactfully as possible. The concept, of a cursed VHS tape that kills anyone who watches it a week later, is pretty out-there, and so you need to show it. Two teenage girls talk about the tape as a modern urban legend, like a Bloody Mary thing, about what happens when you watch the tape. One of the girls has already watched the tape and her blood runs cold as her friend describes exactly what happened. Just through dialogue and moody music, we get a sense that the end is possibly nigh, even despite a fake-out scare halfway through. When the TV turns on all by itself, even before we see the tape itself or the ghost girl, we’re scared to death. Literally in the girl’s case.

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Tai Gooden: The Evil Dead franchise often leans into the sillier and splatter-loving side of horror. However, the latest installment, Evil Dead Rise, is an excellent marriage of horror tropes, humor, and a downright disturbing sequence of events. We’ve got young adults in a creepy lakeside cabin, including the jerky/annoying boyfriend and the girl who doesn’t want to be there. Things go awry as we realize that there’s something wrong with Jessica. Her back turned as she reads words from wuthering heights, her voice getting deeper and warbling lets us know that we are in for something disturbing. And boy do things get demonic, leaving us with a harrowing shot over the lake before the film brings its title to visual fruition. 

Originally published October 20, 2021.

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If a horror film wants to rank in the upper echelon of genre offerings from a critical and commercial perspective, then it is imperative for the narrative to stick its landing. A film’s concluding scene is the vital connective tissue that ties its ongoing storyline(s), thematic underpinnings, and overall character development together in a way that’s logical for its world while playing within the bounds of established tonal settings. It is the aftertaste that makes a meal delicious or ultimately repulsive. A beautiful cap to a dazzling horror tale leaves that coveted lasting impression of ample praise, deep analysis, and widespread recommendations. 

There are many horror films with final scenes that have left fans in awe. But there are a select few that are embedded into our consciousness. Their lasting impressions changed horror cinema history, setting new standards and spawning trends that others may emulate but can never quite duplicate. 

Let’s celebrate thirteen of the best final scenes in horror movie history. 

Get Out (2017)

Get Out deftly tackles themes of microaggressive racism, dehumanization, fetishization, and more through the unsettling tale of Chris Washington, a young Black man who nervously meets the affluent parents of his white girlfriend Rose. Things go awry as he uncovers the entire family’s sinister and heinous plans to utilize his body as white man’s Earthly vehicle. The final scene’s tension is at an all-time high as Chris strangles Rose, the last antagonist standing between him and certain freedom. Suddenly, the flashing lights of what appears to be a police vehicle illuminate the darkness.

Chris’ palpable fear shakes the viewers’ belly as they steel themselves for a heartbreaking outcome. At best, Chris will end up in handcuffs and accused of violently murdering “good white folks.” At worst, his fate will mirror Ben’s in Night of the Living Dead with the cop shooting him to death after his valiant fight for survival. Get Out lets this uncertain dread momentarily linger before the vehicle door opens. Anyone watching this film can’t help but cheer at the sight of his intrepid best friend Rod in his TSA vehicle. It’s a lovely subversion of expectations that allows you to unclench after a long third act of violence, fear, and anxiety. We get to rest in the joy of Chris’ rescue and survival. 

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

The swerve ending is a ubiquitous staple of horror movies going way back, but the way Wes Craven uses it in A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the most jarring. After seemingly defeating dream demon Fred Kruger, heroine Nancy immediately steps outside her front door to a beautiful, sunny day. It’s almost like beginning-of-Blue Velvet levels of idyllic.

If that weren’t enough to get us thinking something’s off, Nancy’s friends—who all died by Freddy’s razor-gloved hand—return to pick her up in a convertible, as Nancy’s alcoholic mother now stands at the door to cheerily wave them off. But things turn bad real fast. The convertible top comes up marked with the familiar stripes of Freddy’s sweater, and Freddy’s hand grabs Nancy’s mom from a tiny window in the front door. She turns into a dummy and gets pulled through, proving you can’t kill the master of nightmares.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

The final scene of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is crazy as hell, especially by horror standards of that time. Sally Hardesty has been fighting for her life against Leatherface and his family all night long. She finally gets a big break when a trucker is able to subdue Leatherface just long enough for Sally to flag down a pickup truck driver. Covered in blood and sweat, she hops into the back of the truck as it speeds off.

Leatherface runs behind them briefly before stopping in the middle of the open road, wildly swinging his chainsaw around in a defeated dance of frustration. Sally’s wide eye stare, hyperventilating, and eerie manic laughter as she distances herself from her torturer is a horror moment that burrows itself into your long-term memory. It’s a solid culmination of her rapid psychological breakdown and the feral carnage we have witnessed throughout the film.

The VVitch (2015)

The Witch is one of the most unsettling horror films of recent memory. With its era-perfect depiction of a puritan family imploding while a real forest witch skulks around, the movie feels icky in a number of different ways. But the ending leaves the sole survivor on a bit of a hopeful note. As the object of her family member’s various Deadly Sins, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) has had to endure a lot through no fault of her own. Having no idea what to do after all of them die, she visits the barn which houses the family’s massive billygoat, Black Philip. Turns out he’s the devil and asks her if she wants to live deliciously. She then walks into the forest, finds a group of other women dancing naked around a bonfire, and gleefully joins them, floating up to the sky. Good for her!

Friday the 13th (1980) 

After a night of terror, Alice finally thinks she will get some reprieve as she floats in a canoe on Crystal Lake. But the seemingly not-so-dead and disfigured corpse of a child Jason Voorhees is there to greet her, pulling her into the depths of the waters. She awakens in a hospital, convinced that the boy is “still there.” Alice is both right and wrong in this instance. He’s not physically a child anymore. However, Jason Voorhees IS in fact still there, waiting to exact his revenge on anyone who dares step foot on his cursed ground. It’s a horror movie final scene that laid a perfect foundation for not only a sequel but a bonafide franchise, something that many slashers continue to aim for today.

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

If you thought a Sam Raimi horror movie could possibly end happily, then you only have yourself to blame. The increasingly ridiculous and jump-scaring toils that befell Christine after she denied a loan to an old Romani woman had finally come to an end, it seemed. She passed an item of her own to the dead woman’s casket, meaning the curse placed on her would lift and she wouldn’t in fact die in torment. Uh oh. Just as everything seemed fine, she realized it was the wrong envelope! Now it’s too late! As if to illustrate everything we need from a title like this, the ground opens and demons literally drag Christine to Hell. Moral: don’t work in banking.

Ready or Not (2019)

Grace’s overnight battle against her new (and hella rich) in-laws in a twisted ritualistic game makes for a modern horror classic. Ready or Not’s dark comedy, sharp dialogue, and truly diabolical narrative keeps us on a wild ride leading up to a literally explosive ending. Grace narrowly survives until sunrise and the curse works its magic as the Le Domas family explodes one by one, drenching her in their blood. Their palatial mansion is ablaze as a soaked Grace walks to a set of steps, drained from her exhausting ordeal.

“Love Me Tender” by Stereo Jane plays as she stands where she exchanged vows, the serene wedding décor juxtaposing the house’s flaming chaos.  She sits down and casually lights a cigarette as the police flood the scene. An officer asks her what happened to her. Grace’s long drag of a cigarette and deadpan “in-laws” answer caps off this wild film perfectly. In-laws are the bane of many married folks’ existence but this story truly takes the cake. 

The Invitation (2015)

The slow burn of Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation takes us from awkward dinner party, through tense dinner party, until finally we get to violent death-cult dinner party. We’ve all been there, obviously. While a few members of the hapless bougie people, brought together in a house in the Hollywood Hills to reconnect, survive the ordeal, the actual horror of the severity of the night’s events becomes clear. It wasn’t just their group that was taking part in the mass murder-suicide (as evidenced by the red lamp hung outside) but in fact it was dozens of other houses. Basically all of the Hills, and probably loads more, had also had similar, or even more fatal, gatherings. It takes a scary premise and turns it nigh-apocalyoptic simply through the image of lantern lights.

Carrie (1976)

After an epic night of exacting revenge on her teenage enemies and her disgusting mother, Carrie sadly sets her own home ablaze and dies in the fire. The sole prom survivor, Sue Snell, sits at Carrie’s gravesite with flowers. Her sadness quickly transforms into terror as Carrie’s bloody arm shoots through the grave and grabs her. Sue is alive but she’s trapped in her own version of hell where Carrie’s memory will haunt her waking thoughts and nighttime dreams. This moment is not the first jump scare scene ever. But it popularized it in the genre, inspiring Friday the 13th and many more horror films to have the undead killer rise for one final moment of terror.

The Mist (2007)

Infamously, writer-director Frank Darabont changed the ambiguous ending of Stephen King’s short story “The Mist,” in which strange, eldritch creatures descend on a small Maine mountain community out of mysterious fog. To his credit, Darabont knew the audience needed a real gut-punch, and King himself approved. Our hero David, his son, and a few other survivors might have gotten away from one horde of monsters, but they don’t know how widespread this is. They don’t know if the entire world has been taken over! Silently, they all decide they don’t want to continue.

David quickly shoots all of them with the remaining bullets in his revolver only to find he doesn’t have one for himself. As he screams in grief, he gets out of the car…only to see the mist lifting and the military role through. David and the audience have to grapple with the knowledge that had he waited another five minutes, it would have been a happy ending. Brutal.

Eden Lake (2008)

A couple heads to a remote lake to spend an idyllic and romantic weekend together. What could possibly go wrong? A lot actually, especially when a pack of wayward teens led by Brett, true psychopath, cross your path. Eden Lake is an overflowing bucket of despair up until the very end. Sole survivor Jenny awakens to seemingly sympathetic faces after crashing her escape vehicle. This brief moment of relief soon shifts to horror as she realizes these people are the parents of her torturers. The gang blames the night’s murders on her and she makes one last attempt to fight for her life. But it is to no avail. Eden Lake ends with her horrific muffled screaming offscreen as Brett wears her deceased boyfriend’s sunglasses and stares into a mirror. It’s brutal, sickening, ruthless, and a flawless unhappy ending. 

The Wicker Man (1973)

You’d be forgiven for watching almost the entirety of Robin Hardy’s 1973 film The Wicker Man and not have any idea why it’s called that. Surely it’s a weirdly dreamlike film, in which a devoutly Catholic and judgmental police officer comes to a remote island community with information that a young girl had disappeared. The islanders practice a kind of paganism, communing with animal spirits and copulating in the night, which repulses the lawman. He scoffs at the preparation for the spring festival, and its hopes of bringing back the island’s apple crop.

Slowly the film reveals the entire mystery was a ruse in order to catch the policeman and prove that he is their perfect virgin sacrifice. As the islanders cheerily lead him over a hill he sees a giant wicker man, already full of livestock, a ladder leading to the man’s head, and a pyre at its feet. He, and the audience, know what will befall him and no amount of his pleas to them and his beseeching of his Christian god will save him. He will burn, while people cheer and sing about it.

Smile (2022)

A horror film where evil triumphs is an exceptionally disturbing treat. This is the case with Smile, a psychological spiral with an ending that haunts you long after the credits. Rose’s fraught mission to rid herself of a murderous supernatural entity that feeds on her deep-rooted trauma takes us back to her abandoned childhood home. We hope that its dilapidated walls will somehow hold a key to Rose’s survival and perhaps make sense of the bizarre monstrosity that plagues her. But that is not the case. The final moment of Rose with that sinister smile plastered on her face as she sets herself on fire in front of Joel is both glorious and gut-wrenching. This is one of the best final scenes in a horror film that people will talk about for years to come. The curse lives on. There is no happy ending. Sometimes, evil simply cannot be contained. 

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For some Halloween means trick-or-treating, horror movies, and bobbing for apples. For others the spooky season is defined by haunted houses, costume parties, and hay rides. But, for those who will always love Chicken McNuggets more than snack-sized Snickers, Halloween is all about plastic containers you get from a fast food restaurant. That might sound weird, but not if you grew up with McDonald’s iconic Boo Buckets. Those adorable Happy Meal containers were a staple of countless childhood celebrations. Now they’re becoming a staple of adulthood, too. McDonald’s has announced it is once again bringing back Boo Buckets. Only this year the collection includes a fourth option not seen for a very long time.

McDonald’s USA Menu Spotter website revealed Boo Buckets are coming back again this year. Starting on October 17, guests hungry for spooky nostalgia can grab one of four new Halloween Happy Meal designs. The 2023 lineup includes: Monster, Skeleton, Mummy and Vampire. The company says its fanged fourth bucket is the first purple option “since the OG purple Boo Bucket.” (The original featured a witch rather than a vampire.)

OG Boo Bucket lovers will also appreciate this year’s set come with lids. That hasn’t always been the case since McDonald’s first introduced them in 1986.

This latest batch of Boo Buckets will be available at participating restaurants nationwide. Don’t wait to grab yours, though. And not just because they’ll only be in stores shortly before Halloween. The fast food chain says, “They’ll be gone faster than you can say ‘boo,’ so head to your local McDonald’s to get a festive pail while supplies last.”

We agree and will definitely be in line on the 17th ourselves. There are millions and millions of other kids who are now adults with jobs, too. It won’t surprise us if these boo Buckets are all sold out by the 18th.

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If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times: anthology horror movies live and die by story quality. That seems fairly obvious, but you’d be surprised how many coast along doing very little, relying on one segment to do the heavy lifting. I caught the most recent entry in the long-running, newly revived V/H/S series at Beyond Fest 2023. V/H/S/85, certainly maintains a consistent level of quality throughout. Each segment feels of apiece with the others, even having the obligatory framing story be more of a story in its own right than previous ones. However, while each segment is impressive, almost all of them is way too long and drags as a result.

As the title implies, this one’s conceit is that every thing is 1985. The outdated format of VHS for home movies means the Shudder era of the franchise has had to go time traveling. 1994, 1999, and now 1985. Aside from clothes and hair, plus digital tape hiss and distortion, a couple of the segments veer into the realm of “Analog Horror,” which is all the rage with the YouTube kids these days. The one that does that the best—and incidentally is my favorite—is the movie’s framing story. “Total Copy,” from director David Bruckner, is a VHS copy of weird documentary about scientists finding a very strange humanoid figure and trying to communicate with it, showing it old tapes along the way. Rarely is the framing story even a story much less the best in the movie, but series staple Bruckner nails it.

The other big name among the directors is The Black Phone director Scott Derrickson and the story “Dreamkill.” It’s sort of two layers of found footage. First we see a grisly murder from the killer’s point of view. Then we follow a police detective (Freddy Rodriguez) and a forensic videographer (James Ransome) as they go to that selfsame crime scene…days after someone mailed them the video tape. This happens a few times, with the tapes arriving before the murders take place. Eventually the cops find the mysterious mailer, and that kicks the story into another gear. I enjoyed this one for the most part, well made and performed.

The other stories are fun, but I think in every case go on too long. Mike P. Nelson’s story is split in two halves. “No Wake” finds a group of 20-somethings in a boat on a lake at the mercy of a sniper on the shore, while follow-up “Ambrosia” features the sniper afterwards. The central twist of both parts, which I won’t spoil, doesn’t really pay off the way it ought. The brutality of the deaths helps it but it didn’t do much for me beyond that.

Gigi Saul Guerrero brings us “God of Death,” in which a Mexican news program suffers an earthquake. The crew find themselves buried in a sinkhole and have to find their way out as they happen upon strange artifacts of Aztec deities. “TKNOGD” from director Natasha Kermani is the one that had me scratching my head the most. It starts as a taped performance art piece about technology becoming the new religion. Later, the artist on stage enters a very cool retro-looking VR space only to find something terrifying inside.

So, obviously consistency is good, but I do think the fact that the tone and style of each segment is so samey, nothing stands out. It’s all equally impressive, the effects and gore are great. But, aside from “Total Copy” which has to feel like a documentary on some level, we don’t get the super weird or atypical entry. V/H/S/94, for example, has a news report with a rat monster in a sewer that looks way different from the others. Similarly, V/H/S/99 ends with a segment which necessitated the filmmakers create their version of the landscape of Hell. Yes it’s true 85 has no bad segments, it also has no truly great segments.

Still, for fans of this kind of movie and this franchise, V/H/S/85 is yet another fun Halloween season romp. And hey, I hope they keep making these every year! It’ll be on Shudder on Friday, October 6.

V/H/S/85 ⭐ (3 of 5)

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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The possession story is one that horror fans know all too well. A demonic or parasitic force creeps its way into a human’s body, wiping away all traces of them and replacing it with something sinister. It frequently manifests as pure evil unleashing itself into its immediate surroundings with a body horror flare. The person’s aesthetic appearance devolves into something delightfully nightmarish. Demián Rugna’s Spanish language horror film When Evil Lurks certainly holds true to the classic possession story. However, it takes notable deviations from this subgenre’s norms. Some leaps stick a solid landing while others barely take flight but it comes together for an entertaining film to add to your Halloween watch list. 

When Evil Lurks follows brothers Pedro (Ezequiel Rodriguez) and Jimmy (Demián Salomon) discover something grotesque that leads to something worse. There’s a “rotten” (read: possessed being) that is bloated and sort of decaying in a nearby farmhouse. All of the typical logical choices, like shooting it or calling in religious reinforcements, either don’t come into play or work to their detriment. The result is an unleashing of evil that spreads across their rural community and has profound effects on their family. Pedro and Jimmy are not the brightest horror duo ever, so their missteps are our entertainment.

This film jerkily hops between full-on panic, quieter emotional character beats, and grotesque scenes, which is in odd contrast to its overall steady pacing. Speaking of grotesqueness, When Evil Lurks gives a hefty offering to the gorefest gods. The best kind of movie is one that knows exactly what it is. And this flick’s primary purpose is to disturb you and make your stomach turn. These well-crafted scenes—and not necessarily the film’s at times convoluted plot—are what will resonate strongest with viewers.

The tension is palpable, the blood is spilling, and the power of this malevolent force becomes abundantly clear. When Evil Lurks‘ perpetrators and victims take on many faces that we don’t wish to see, from young children to typically adorable animals, while expanding its world quite well. One can’t help but make loose connections to this swiftly spreading yet seemingly commonplace force and what the world has experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic. The same goes for human evil, specifically in terms of colorism. But again, those are not the large crux of the film, which is sick, twisted, and rather bizarre entertainment.

When Evil Lurks does fall into pockets of overexplaining its lore instead of just trusting its audience. The first half sets an intriguing stage with physical and emotional terror. Unfortunately, the latter half never quite dials things up. There are some striking scenes in pockets that somehow culminate in a fizzled end. What will keep viewers in the game are the film’s performances, which elevate its material significantly. When Evil Lurks isn’t packing the same powerful punch as Rugna’s Terrified (2017) but it is far from being a terrible film. There are different flavors for horror fans to chew on, if they dare to give it a go.

When Evil Lurks hits theaters on October 6 with a Shudder streaming release on October 27.

When Evil Lurks ⭐ (3 of 5)

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Horror killers are vital to the success of a film or franchise. Victims come and go at a swift pace but those iconic and terrifying figures are foundational to building an engaging and entertaining story. Jason Voorhees, Freddy Kruger, Jigsaw, and many others are deeply embedded into our pop culture landscape and well-known by all, even those who don’t love horror. They all share the common activity of killing; however, they are actually quite distinct in terms of their motivations and personalities. When you think about it, some horror villains seem to align with certain traits that we associate with specific Zodiac signs. Maybe—just maybe—we see hints of ourselves in how they operate in the world because we are a fiery Aries or stubborn Taurus. 

In honor of Nerdoween and the everyday awesomeness of horror in general, let’s line 12 infamous horror killers up with the Zodiac sign that we think fits them best. Surely this won’t cause online outrage, right? 

Jason Voorhees – Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

This silent but very deadly slasher legend walks under the stars in the darkness of Crystal Lake. But he surely doesn’t care about astrology. Like a Capricorn, Jason is a very ambitious and determined being. He only wants to meet his one goal: kill every person who crosses his path. And boy does he do that well, with one of the highest kill counts among his peers. Jason is a sensible and pragmatic dude who uses his nearby resources well. 

Pinhead – Aquarius (January 20-February 18) 

Aquarius people are known for their keen intelligence and innovation. So is Pinhead, the horrifying Hell Priest in the Hellraiser franchise. Pinhead is very intentional about their moves, not the most emotional being, and incredibly smart with their approach. Also, Pinhead makes their victims suffer forever and looks good while doing it, just like a clever Aquarius would do. 

Samara (The Ring) – Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Samara’s watery demise isn’t the only reason she’s a Pisces. This killing entity from The Ring wants you to feel what she felt leading up to her death, torturing you for seven long days and nights before she claims you. Those specific feelings involve pain and suffering that you must spread, lest you want to die. Complex emotions and chaotic thoughts are the definitely hallmarks of a Pisces. 

Chucky – Aries (March 21-April 19) 

Everyone can agree that Aries is the Zodiac sign that fits this horror villain the best. Chucky is ginger, fiery, and so evil that his soul refuses to slumber but instead possesses a doll to continue haunting others. Chucky acts on impulse and has a temper that you don’t want to contend with. If you’re in his path, he will certainly keep you on high alert because his energy is a boundless whirlwind. 

Jennifer (Jennifer’s Body) – Taurus (April 20-May 21)

Is Jennifer really a villain? She’s more of a victim seeking vengeance honestly. Jennifer is staunchly loyal to her bestie Needy and committed to only doing things her way. She can be insensitive at times but her alluring personality and pretty girl privilege make it easy for her to gain fans and prey alike. 

Gabriel May (Malignant) – Gemini (May 22-June 20) 

Gabriel May is literally the parasitic and evil twin of Emily May in Malignant. But we’d dare say that quite a few horror villains have the duality of a Gemini, balancing their normal side with a darker one. Gemini’s get a lot of hate from other signs for being bold, sorta mean, and a bit terrifying, and that fits Gabriel May for sure. 

Leatherface – Cancer (June 21-July 22) 

Cancers are known for being sensitive beings who would hide in a shell all day if they could. That’s what we get with Leatherface, particularly in Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s earlier installments. Unlike many others on this list, Leatherface is not inherently evil. He is a person with limited mental capacity who would probably be kind but he’s driven to do murderous things by his family. Leatherface is also sensitive to the point that he hides behind someone else’s face, which is terribly sad. 

Hannibal – Leo (July 23-August 22)

Yes, we know that Hannibal’s in-universe birthday (January 20) makes him an Aquarius. But he gives off the energy of a Leo for sure. He loves the spotlight and lives for drama, doing everything with a fun flair for applause. Hannibal is super confident in himself with a stylish aura and a driven leader, much like a mighty lion.

Michael Myers – Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Michael Myers was born on October 19, so he’s technically a Libra. But this silent and mysterious boogeyman who moves at his own steady (and shockingly swift) pace gives off Virgo vibes. He’s hyper focused on the task at hand and a true strategist who often outsmarts his victims. Does Mike like small talk? Nope. Does Mike like to win against his enemies? Absolutely. His relentless commitment to his profession is why the Halloween franchise will probably rise again in the future. 

Jigsaw – Libra (September 23-October 22)

Jigsaw’s twisted quest for justice is very much like a Libra. John Kramer wants to balance the scales of society, teaching victim’s lessons or punishing them for their indiscretions with deadly games. He’s a smart dude and, based on those contraptions, super crafty as well. As Beyoncé sings in “Signs,” a Libra will stay on your mind. And once you have see Jigsaw’s work, it will certainly never leave your thoughts.

Freddy Krueger – Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Freddy Kruger’s dream manipulations and slippery presence makes you never want to sleep. It makes perfect sense for this horror villain to have a water Zodiac sign like Scorpio. This charred killer with sharp fingers can get incredibly violent and he’s passionate about crafting hellacious nightmares. In his world, his power seems limitless to the point that it dominates every waking thought of his victim. Freddy can be silly sometimes but that’s only to lure you in for one hell of a sting. 

Ghostface – Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

They aren’t (jokingly?) known as Sagiterrorists for no reason. A Sag is known for having a lot to say, stirring up a mess, and being hyper-confident, sometimes to the point of their own detriment. But they are also great at conversations and generally fun to be around. A killer who will chat with their target over the phone at length before unleashing full chaos is indeed a Sagittarius. There have been many killers behind the Ghostface mask, yet the persona of this character remains mostly the same. Ghostface is blunt but also witty and can easily blend into just about any situation. 

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There is perhaps no “game” that sparks as much curiosity and fear as a Ouija board. The flat board with numbers, letters, a few words, and a planchette (aka the board’s moving device) is generally synonymous with breaking the veil between the living and dead realms. Many see it as a tool to open horrifying portals while others use it to curiously commune with “the other side.” It is also a staple in horror stories, pop culture, entertainment, and certain spiritual practices. But, despite being such a looming part of our culture, most people don’t know the complex history behind Ouija boards.

The Spiritualism Movement and Talking Boards

According to Smithsonian Magazine, the Ouija board stems from Spiritualism, a belief that the dead can communicate with the living. Of course, this idea is something that has existed on a global scale for thousands of years. But, it became quite prominent in the United States during the 19^th century when childbirth, war, and disease among other things led to shorter life spans and frequent deaths. Many people desired a pathway to connect with lost loved ones and get answers to unresolved issues and questions.

The concept of contacting the dead was seen as socially acceptable and even wholesome in many circles. Of course, this is likely because the prominent faces of Spiritualism were white people. For example, in 1848, people became enraptured by Maggie and Kate Fox. They were two young sisters who claimed to get messages from spirits through taps on their walls. Their abilities made them household names and further sparked public interest in reaching out to deceased people.

This led to the birth of “talking boards,” the precursor to the Ouija board, in the late 1880s. It had letters, numbers, and a small cursor to point towards its script. It’s not clear who came up with the first talking board. But technically that person should get credit for laying the groundwork for Ouija boards. Today, Ouija board, talking board, and spirit board are all interchangeable terms to describe the same tool with a rich history. Now buckle up because it’s about to get wild.

The Ouija Board, Séances, and a Very Messy Origin Story

It wouldn’t be the American way if someone didn’t try to further capitalize on the popularity of séances and personal pain, right? And, like most American origin stories, there is a lot of messiness behind the Ouija board’s beginnings and very early history. Charles Kennard of Baltimore, Maryland didn’t care about the Spiritualism movement but he did see a profitable business opportunity. The (allegedly) shady businessman teamed up with coffin maker/undertaker E.C. Reiche, a Prussian immigrant, to start producing their own wooden boards. But, when Kennard starting looking for investors, he took credit for the invention.

There’s some debate over Reiche’s actual involvement. As reported by MyEasternShoreMD, information about Reiche’s life is spotty at best. There are little official records and no real credit to him being the Ouija board creator. This makes sense if Kennard simply took credit for Reiche’s handiwork. But, if that is the case, then why didn’t Reiche at least try to put up a legal or verbal fight for his creation? However, leading talking board expert Robert Murch told Baltimore Magazine that Reiche was indeed involved with early productions only to be cut out by Kennard. Ouch.

After Kennard’s many failed attempts to secure funding, attorney Elijah Bond became interested. They formed Kennard Novelty Company in 1890 along with other investors like William H.A. Maupin, Colonel Washington Bowie, and John F. Green. Bond’s sister-in-law Helen Peters also played a key role in creating the Ouija board’s handle and possibly the name. Kennard and his colleagues claimed that the board named itself after they asked it. The board said Ouija is an ancient Egyptian phrase which means “good luck.”

There’s also a popular albeit nonsensical belief that Ouija is a combination of the French and German words for “yes” (oui + ja). Peters later said she wore a locket with a picture of a woman with the word “Ouija” over it. It is also possible that the name on the locket may have been misread. This is plausible considering there was a prominent author and activist named Ouida at that time. So, even the name itself boasts a history of (potential) magic and mystery.

However, Peters did convince the patent office to approve the Ouija board’s application. She did this through a demonstration that spelled out the officer’s supposedly unknown name. It’s unlikely that they wouldn’t already know the officer’s name but it’s another interesting addition to the origin story. A patent file confirms she did a demonstration and the patent was issued on February 10, 1891.

The company soon brought Bond’s employee William Fuld into the fold and they began to produce boards. The Ouija boards became a hit, which led to the company quickly opening additional factories before Kennard and Bond’s unceremonious booting out of the business. Fuld took over but he strangely died in 1927 after falling from the roof of a new factory. Wildly, he claimed a Ouija board told him to build this factory.

The “Ouija, the Wonderful Talking Board” game became a cultural staple when it hit shelves for $1.50 in 1891. It was a direct path to ancestors but also a bit of intriguing and escapist Friday night fun amid a tumultuous world. People would gather with family or friends and experience the rush of asking questions as the (then) wooden planchette jumps around to provide an otherworldly answer. Their intentions were by all accounts what many would consider pure. The Ouija board began to appear in sketches for major newspapers and grew in popularity throughout the disparity of the Great Depression.

Writers like Pearl Curran and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet James Merrill all began to use the board for creative inspiration. There were people from certain religious and spiritual backgrounds who saw the board as a form of divination (seeking information from spiritual forces), which their beliefs condemn. It fell under the umbrella term of witchcraft that was associated with ungodly deeds.

Decades later, TV shows took a jovial approach to using a Ouija board. I Love Lucy episode “The Séance” (1951) depicts Lucy faking a séance to find favor with a businessman.

However, several stories began to surface about Ouija boards and murder. In 1930, Clothilde Marchand was killed by Lila Jimerson, who was having an affair with Marchand’s husband. Jimerson used a Ouija board to convince an associate, Nancy Bowen, that Marchand was a “witch” who caused Bowen’s husband’s death. Jimerson and Bowen later pled guilty to manslaughter. Despite dark stories involving the Ouija board, many people did not see it as an inherent void of evil. In fact, forty years after Fuld’s death, Ouija boards outsold Monopoly games.

The Exorcist Effect Changes the Ouija Board Forever

Interestingly, the sharp collective change in attitudes towards the Ouija board stems from none other than The Exorcist in 1973.

The supposedly “based on a true story” (which has its share of debatable and murky details) seminal horror flick about a girl who is possessed by a demon after playing with a Ouija board scared the fear of Hell into people. It also didn’t help that The Exorcist‘s release came at an already uneasy time in America. People were still reeling from the Manson cult murders of the late 1960s. The rise of serial killing sprees by culprits like the Zodiac and Alphabet killers who seemed to use ritual patterns in their murders.

The USA was also witnessing the beginnings of modern Satanism through Anton LaVey, who wrote The Satanic Bible and founded the Church of Satan in 1966. People like John Todd and David Hanson began to plant ideas that evil witchy cults run the world. So, a film with spiritual possession and green vomit spewing all over the place absolutely played into those fears.

But The Exorcist isn’t the first film in history to depiction of a Ouija board as a gateway to possession. The Uninvited (1944) features siblings who host a séance to find out the truth behind a death in the home. It apparently isn’t same level of disturbing as The Exorcist.

Suddenly, people forgot about the Ouija board’s relatively pure history and deemed it an evil and demonic tool. Satanic Panic came shortly after in the 1980s after a group of Californian kids told their community that their school was a location for rape, prostitution, and Satanic activities. These unproven allegations led to yet another wave of fear among the American public.

So, anything that could be even remotely associated with Satanism or the occult like the Ouija board, Dungeons & Dragons, and certain types of music became evil. Naturally, this made the Ouija board more interesting to rebellious youth who would use them in secret for some possible thrills and scares. Parker Brothers later became acquired by Hasbro, which still sells Ouija boards and owns the trademark for the name.

Ouija boards remain in more recent public consciousness as stories about demonic possession continue to thrive. In November 2014, 35 Bolivian students were hospitalized because of trances, sweating, and rapid heartbeats after playing with a Ouija board. There have been stories of mass fainting and spirit possession in Mexico, hysteria, and even the rise of a 2015 viral game called ‘Charlie Charlie.’ Players would create a make shift version of a Ouija board with “yes” and “no” on a piece of paper. The game uses two pencils to supposedly chat with a demonic spirit.

Ouija Boards Reign Supreme in Film and TV

The Ouija board’s notoriety as a symbol of evil took over the horror genre. In 1986, the first movie in the Witchboard franchise hit theaters. The story follows Linda and Jim, who become haunted by a ghost after a Ouija board session with Jim’s friend/Linda’s ex Brandon. Linda begins to act unusual and people predictably start to die.

Sorority House Massacre II (1990) taps into the “Ouija board as sleepover entertainment” trope with a group of sorority sisters who use the board to contact a deceased murderer. What Lies Beneath (2000) shows the main character, Claire, using one to contact a missing/possibly dead neighbor. In 2007, Paranormal Activity took Ouija boards to found-footage territory with a paranormal houseguest gaining power from the board.

That same year, the board finally got a film bearing its name. Ouija shows a group of kids who use a board and end up dealing with a stalkerish (and murderous) spirit. The film became a franchise with its latest installment releasing in 2016. And the Ouija board continues to make appearances in film and TV, affirming that is a vital part of pop culture history.

It made an appearance in HBO’s Lovecraft Country (2020), which takes place back in 1955 during pre-Satanic Panic and Exorcist times. A group of teens (including Emmitt Till) get some sinister foreshadowing while playing with the board in a basement. It’s a small scene that speaks to the Ouija board’s firm place in pop culture as a vehicle for spooky and sinister happenings. Netflix’s The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022) addresses the Ouija board through a horror comedy and very modern lens. In the flick, teenage Sydney uses a Ouija board app to contact a spirit that’s allegedly in her creaky old home. Looks like this mysterious board is here to stay, evil rumors be damned.

Ouija Boards as a Modern Spiritual Tool

The Ouija board is still an available and controversial game. But there are people who use it for their own spiritual work and/or to guide others. Popular astrologer, witch, apothecary owner, and YouTuber BehatiLife made an in-depth video about using a Ouija board safely. She says she doesn’t use it for connecting with spirits but rather leans into her abilities for spiritual connection.

She warns against using it if a user is afraid of the Ouija or lacks grounding and personal protection. BehatiLife believes that mainstream media and YouTube feeds into the idea of demonic possessions through using one. A quick YouTube search proves her point with countless videos about people sharing their Ouija board horror stories.

In fact, the general attitude among people who identify as occultists and/or witches is that a person who uses a Ouija board should be cautious, respectful, and use common sense. This is a sentiment in the board’s official description: “Handle the Ouija board with respect and it won’t disappoint you!” Many people believe it can be a source of connection and enlightenment but can perhaps become dangerous with the wrong intention. And some people still use it to connect with their ancestors or find answers from the other side.

Of course, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that Ouija boards can contact the spirit world. Scientists have attributed the planchette’s movement to the ideomotor effect: the unconscious mind’s ability to direct motor activity. But, science certainly can’t and doesn’t explain every single phenomena on Earth, so perhaps there is something taking place. It’s all rather subjective depending on the user’s beliefs about spirit world, the afterlife, and demons.

The Ouija board continues to survive and thrive even after a history of public panic, technological advances, and several generations of users who claim its everything from a connection tool for good to the work of a devil. It sits in the upper echelon of horror plot devices to tap into our deepest fears of losing control over our bodies or allowing an evil entity to slide its way into our space. And, whether its Halloween night, a girl’s sleepover, or a quiet séance searching for answers, this iconic tool will likely remain a staple existing on society’s fringes.

Originally published October 22, 2020.

The post The History Behind the Ouija Board Is Both Pure and Evil appeared first on Nerdist.

Horror villains are an essential part of the genre for obvious reasons. Stories of sheer terror, gore, suspicious happenings, and/or psychological distress cannot exist without a frightening antagonist. But, in order to slice, dice, maim, and murder, scary foes must have something at their disposal. The best and most iconic horror movie weapons are just as famous, if not more, than the killers themselves. They play a major role in a film’s most memorable deaths and often intertwine into the narrative in a specific way.

Unlike a victim desperately searching for something to defend themselves against evil, a villain’s weapon is their sidekick. It often unveils more about their lives and killing style. Sometimes it is not a physical weapon at all! What are the common weapons? Which villains use them? When, if ever, do they deviate from the norm and go rouge during a kill? Let’s break it down using a few classic villains/antagonists and their iconic horror weapons of choice.

Michael Myers and His Butcher’s Knife

Ahhh, we love this silent slasher villain. Michael Myers has been hitting his victims with the stabby stab since the original Halloween film in 1978. And, throughout the franchise’s many films, including the most recent rebooted timeline, a butcher’s knife is his choice weapon. Why? We don’t really know. Mike’s first kill came at the tender age of six. By then, kids know that knives are very dangerous and could seriously hurt someone.

And he seriously wanted to hurt his older sister. However, there are times when he tosses his beloved blade aside and utilizes his own brute strength. He’s rather nimble and able to grab people by the neck and crush their windpipe with ease. Using your hands as a deadly weapon makes sense, especially for a large and homicidal man who is now an iconic horror figure.

Jason Voorhees, the Machete Master

This hockey-masked murderer is a machete wielding nightmare. The usage of a machete as Jason Voorhees’ weapon of choice points to his sad past. It’s a legacy weapon passed down from his mother, the original Friday the 13^th killer. She used it against her victims only to have her own head cut off with it. Interestingly, Jason’s first kills happen with an ice pick and an ax before he gets his hands on the machete.

And boy does it work. Jason might be one of the most versatile killers on this list with a bevy of weapons at his disposal. He’s used a speargun, liquid nitrogen, a sleeping bag, and even a syringe to take his victims out. And, who can forget when he literally punched a man’s head clear off his shoulders and threw poor Kelly Rowland into a tree? Still, the machete is the most iconic killing tool that he (and others) have used in this franchise.

Candyman and the Hook of Horror

Be his victim. Candyman’s lore tells you exactly how he’s coming for you. Say his name five times in a mirror and prepare to die ASAPtually. Candyman aka Daniel Robitalle’s origin story is a sad and racist one that results in him being a superpowered entity with telepathic powers. He can make people go into a trance and/or hear his voice in their heads. But his weapon of choice is a hook, which is interestingly given to him by his killers/oppressors.

The hook is meant to disparage an important part of his body: Robitalle was an artist so cutting off his hand is a sickening blow. And putting a hook was a tactic to dehumanize and cause him further pain. So, he kept the hook and sought vengeance. Unlike Jason, Candyman sticks pretty closely to using the hook as his horror weapon of choice in his movies. But he’s not above sending some killer bees to take someone down, too.

The Ghostface Killers of Scream and their Modified Buck 120 Knives

Each Scream film features a rotating cast of killers, all of whom die at the end of every movie. They have different motivations and approaches to killing but one thing remains (mostly) the same: using a knife to, as Randy said, “slice and dice.” (The specific type is a modified Buck 120, for those who wanna know.) This horror weapon of choice originates from the first movie with Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, who got much of their inspiration from films like Psycho and Halloween.

Both of those flicks feature killers who use knives. So it is no surprise that these horror-obsessed teen killers would follow suit. The Scream killers do introduce some variety in the mix from Tatum’s garage door demise to Roman’s failed attempt at shooting Sid. But that sharp sound of Ghostface’s knife unsheathing is a classic.

Negan (The Walking Dead) Beats You with a Baseball Bat

Is The Walking Dead horror? As a fan of both the show/comic and genre, I say yes. Horror does not have to be scary, which itself is rather objective. A world where flesh eating undead people are roaming around is indeed horrifying. Unfortunately, the undead are the least of people’s problems because human beings will find a way to do bad things. One shining example is the former villain Negan, one of the franchise’s most believable antagonists.

He was (and still kinda is) a grade-A a**hole with enough charisma to get lost people to follow him. While he had access to fire and manpower, his brutal weapon of choice was a barbed wire baseball bat named after his deceased wife Lucille. It’s an inspired horror weapon choice that played a part in one of the most iconic and heart-wrenching deaths in the show and comic’s history. Honestly, I’d rather someone shoot me in the head than to have my brains slowly bashed in with a spiky bat.

Leatherface and the Chainsaw of Death

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is about as bizarre as you can get. Imagine the terror of being chased by a physically imposing man wearing a human skin mask. His weapon is pretty obvious based on the franchise’s name. But, funnily enough, Leatherface’s first kills are with a hammer and impaling someone on a meat hook. He also doesn’t technically perform a true massacre until much, much later in the franchise. Still, the eventual chainsaw chases and deaths in this franchise will never get old.

Considering the Sawyer family’s preoccupation with meat (both human and animal) and occupations as slaughterhouse workers, using a chainsaw makes a lot of sense. And boy, is it a gruesome choice. Like other large and silent killers, Leatherface does have strength and general ingenuity to take someone out. But the old and faithful chainsaw is usually the way to get the job done.

Carrie, the Telekinetic and Vengeful Teenager

Is Carrie truly a villain or a victim seeking vengeance? Depends on who you ask. She did choose some pretty extreme retaliation tactics against her terrible classmates and mother. Mortal weapons are no joke but supernatural telekinetic powers? That’s a tough one to fight. We don’t fully understand the origins of Carrie’s powers but I’d like to believe that they manifested as a protective mechanism from the cruelty she faced in the world.

Your chance of dying is 100%… unless you too are a super being too. Carrie can shut doors, flip cars, and send sharp objects flying your way without blinking her eyes. Now, that’s the definition of a deadly and super iconic weapon for much horror delight.

Freddy Krueger and His Gloves with Bladed Fingers

Dealing with a horror antagonist in the flesh is one thing. Having a killer take you out in your dreams is something else. Freddy’s using your nightmares to come for you… and you can’t lock a door in your mind. Using a human’s need to sleep against them is a terrible horror weapon for sure. But the Nightmare on Elm Street antagonist takes this terror further with his infamous gloves with blades on the fingers.

It’s never made clear why he chooses this unorthodox (and now iconic) weapon to deliver horror in folks’ dreams. But for a sadistic and truly “evil for no reason” character like him, there’s no logic to be had. The blade fingers are makeshift and work a lot like a bear claw with the ability to leave scars or annihilate. Freddy does use some other tools (including Jason’s machete in their standoff film) but we all know that horrifying glove (and ugly sweater) all too well.

The Fisherman (I Know What You Did Last Summer) Hooks His Prey 

I Know What You Did Last Summer is another slasher franchise with a roster of victims. The original film stars several wildly popular ‘90s teen icons, pitting them against super cringe dialogue and a man with a hook. They thought they killed him but a year later, he rose from his “grave” like Jesus, except dark and ready for murder.

The original killer Ben Willis uses a hook, which is both a nod to his profession as a fisherman and a matter of convenience. If you are near a boat or dock and want to kill, why not use this accessible sharp object? Like Scream, the killers change but the primary weapon (and that weird black cloak) remain the same.

Zombies/Walkers/The General Undead Take a Bloody Bite

Are zombies are truly horror villains? To be fair, they are mostly everyday people who couldn’t run fast enough. They don’t purposely have a sinister agenda because they are rotting flesh. But, the undead are technically antagonists in an apocalyptic world, so we’ll throw them in here.

Zombies (or walkers, as The Walking Dead calls them) come in different versions with some of them running like hell while others amble sneakily. But they all use the same weapons to get victims: their teeth. Their scratches and blood/guts are also a biological hazard that could lead to death. As seen above, they might even get nonsensical strength and pull your guts out. The use of teeth as a weapon is relatively common in horror movies, even outside of the undead. Pennywise and Xenomorphs also have deadly chompers.

Pinhead’s Teleportation, Illusions, and Summoning Skills

Hellraiser’s bad guy could possibly kill you with his looks alone. That would be one hell of a sight to encounter. Pinhead is straight from Hell so he rightfully has a ton of otherworldly abilities and weapons at his disposal.

He summons hooks and chains to rip his victims to shreds, making them move and shapeshift with his mind. Pinhead also uses teleportation and illusions to take down his victims. And there’s really nothing that can take him down for good. He’s a purveyor of chaos who will pretty much do anything to kill when the unction strikes.

Of course, there are many, many horror baddies who use some iconic weapons in their movies. All of them have some sort of method, whether it is physical or psychological, to wreak havoc. Knives, chainsaws, hooks, and more all lead to splatter and gore.

Originally published on October 4, 2021.

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Like countless people my age I grew up devouring R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series. That’s why I don’t care how old I get, I’ll always worry about turning into a bee, then losing my temper and stinging someone. (If you have no idea what that means please read Why I’m Afraid of Bees.) However, these days I tend to watch more horror movies than read horror novels. But that doesn’t mean I’ve lost my admiration for those classic books and their signature covers. And clearly artist and designer Alex Vincent hasn’t either. He’s given modern horror films their very own Goosebumps editions, in a series that is scary good.

Alex Vincent has a knack for designing crossover art for horror stories of every medium. But as a ’90s kid I’m especially partial to his Goosebumps-inspired collection. (Which I first saw thanks to Film Daze on Twitter.) Vincent’s collection, based on Tim Jacobus’ work, includes covers for modern day masterpieces like Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Midsommar.

He also created R.L. Stine book versions of Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us, as well as a perfect Goosebumps cover based on the iconic opening scene from Scream.

I would have read all of them 300 times each as a kid.

Look, I get it, these movies are all classics and studios probably don’t need me to tell them how to profit off of them. But I’m just saying I would buy all of them on Blu-ray again if they came with this artwork on their covers. These are absolutely gorgeous, funny, and creepy. What more could you want from a Goosebumps collection?

If you want more of Vincent’s fantastic art (and obviously you do), make sure to check out his other horror collections at his Twitter and Instagram pages. And you can even buy prints, including these Goosebumps covers, at his online shop.

And if he wants to make a modern movie poster for Why I’m Afraid of Bees I know at least one person who will buy it. Even if it would definitely scare me for the rest of my life.

Originally published on October 12, 2022.

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It’s almost Halloween! In the spirit of the spooky season Guillermo del Toro has blessed us with eight terrifying new horror stories under the banner of his new series Cabinet of Curiosities. From gothic family drama to gruesome body horror, there’s something for every horror fan. With tales from the makers of movies like The Babadook, Twilight, and Mandy, this is a real who’s who of genre creators. Some of the stories are even based on tales by del Toro! So once you’ve watched every one of the delightfully dark entries into the awesome Netflix anthology then join as we breakdown the most terrifying moment from each episode! 

“Lot 36” – The Dottie Monster

The opening episode of Cabinet of Curiosities introduces viewers to a desperate man, Nick, and his terrible debts. His quest to pay them off leads him down a dark path. It all begins when he purchases a storage unit filled with strange occult objects. Rather than fearing them, he covets their worth. It’s this choice and his own racist mean streak that ultimately lead him to a fate worse than death. The most shocking moment of the episode comes when Nick disrupts a spell that keeps a demon, Dottie, trapped inside the storage unit. Suddenly, a nightmare of tentacles awakens. The first monster of the season is also one of its most impressive. Slimy, prehensile, and straight out of Hell, this is a truly shocking and unforgettable creature brought to life brilliantly. 

“Graveyard Rats” – A Fate Worse Than Death

Though there is another unbelievable monster in the second entry of Cabinet of Curiosities, the most horrifying moment comes after its appearance. David Hewlett stars as graverobber Masson in this claustrophobic tale of another debt-ridden man. Hearing a rumor of a wild treasure to steal out of the depths of the graveyard, Masson begins his final scrabbling descent. But after he has faced down a giant rat and found spoils beyond his wildest dream, he must face his—and many others’—worst fear. Rather than escaping the graveyard, he ends up trapped in a coffin, buried alive with no way out. The worst is yet to come, as rats swarm him. We end the episode with Masson dead and a rodent emerging out of his mouth. 

“The Autopsy” – The Autopsy 

It’s probably no surprise that an episode called “The Autopsy” excels in the horror of the titular procedure. But David Prior’s tale still manages to surprise as F. Murray Abraham leads a story about a pathologist exploring a terrible disaster. As he begins his autopsy, he learns something awful. It wasn’t an accident and the body he’s operating on isn’t dead. In fact, it’s host to an alien parasite. In one of the most brilliant practical sequences of the series, the alien puppeteers its own body to do an autopsy on itself. It’s a wonderfully grotesque moment that perfectly matches the noir storytelling that has led us to it. And F. Murray Abraham gets a brutal hero moment as he cuts out his own eyes to beat the alien. See, if it cannot see, it cannot survive.

“The Outside” – RIP Martin Starr

Ana Lily Amirpour leans into the awkward in this cringe-inducing horror about the pressure to be perceived as beautiful. Kate Micucci leads as Stacey. She wants nothing more than to be a part of the popular clique at her bank job. Her husband, played by Martin Starr, loves her as she is but that’s not enough for Stacey. When she makes a strange connection with a late night infomercial, she becomes obsessed with a lotion called Alo Glo. Though the cream makes her break out in a horrible rash, she believes it will transform her, and she’s not wrong. Sadly for her husband, he can’t see the possibilities, so she kills him and turns his body into a taxidermized version of himself. It’s the most gruesome moment, made worse by how heartbroken he clearly is at what his wife is doing and her absolute lack of remorse. 

“Pickman’s Model” – The Feast

Arguably the most affecting episode this season is this haunting H.P. Lovecraft adaptation. Starring Ben Barnes as an artist named Thurber who discovers a dark and demonic truth in the art of the titular Pickman, the story is a gothic slow burn that never lets up. But its scariest sequence is actually spread throughout the episode as Thurber sees the feast for the demon. We first experience it in the bowels of his home, where we see human remains and rotting food laid out. The table is a nightmarish spread, and its attendants are the figures from Pickman’s paintings. But it’s only after Thurber kills Pickman and learns that his monstrous creations are based on reality that the most shocking moment occurs. As his now cursed wife prepares dinner, he realizes she’s preparing their own child as the main course. Horrific stuff. 

“Dreams in the Witch House” – The Witch’s Kiss

Cabinet of Curiosities boasts stunning creature work and haunting storytelling. In Catherine Hardwick’s H.P. Lovecraft-inspired entry we get a dark fairytale about Walter, a man whose all-consuming desire is to bring his dead sister back to life. After being kicked out of the Spiritualist Society, he discovers an odd unheard of potion that allows him to visit the Realm of the Dead. That just so happens to be where his sister’s spirit is kept by a witch called Keziah Mason. She’s a feat of impressive SFX, and in one of the most spooky scenes, Keziah grasps Rupert Grint’s Walter in a powerful embrace. Kissing him and sucking his soul, she claims that he is hers, something that we will later find out is true in the most awful sense. 

“The Viewing” – Perceiving the Obelisk

Panos Cosmatos brings his unique sensibilities to this delightfully trippy segment that follows a group of strangers brought together by an invitation. As the night goes on, their host (Peter Weller) entices them with substances, promises, and really great music. Eventually, though, they’re taken to see a magnificent and strange obelisk. It’s here that things get really strange. The Giger-esque rock is hiding something dark inside it. An otherworldly demonic presence emerges and begins to emit a powerful energy. It’s this that leads us to two wonderfully shocking moments. The first happens as one of the guests’ face melts Raiders of the Lost Ark style. Next we get a brilliant Scanners inspired head explosion. How much you enjoy this entry will likely depend on your taste for surreal slow burn. But you can’t deny those awesome explosive deaths. 

“The Murmuring” – The Haunting

A tragic domestic chamber drama, “The Murmuring” feels more like a play than a Netflix series. Jennifer Kent brings her emotionally driven gothic storytelling that made The Babadook such a success to this tale of grieving couple Nancy and Edgar. Their loss drives them further into their work studying birds. Moving to a rural isolated old house to get closer to the creatures they’re focusing on begins to take its toll on Nancy. Although this doesn’t have the kind of gross out moments some of the others boast, it still has some heart-stopping shocks. All of them come from the haunting that Nancy begins to experience. One of the most instantly breath-taking moments is the first time that she comes across the ghost of a young drowned boy. It’s the kind of jump scare that could cheapen the story, but instead it just adds to the tension and fear. 

Featured Image: Netflix

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It’s Nerdoween time again, hobgoblins and ghouls, and to celebrate the spirit of the season, let’s carve those James Webb Space Telescope jack-o’-lanterns and reshare one of NASA’s timeless pictures. It’s the “Pumpkin Sun” photo from the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft in 2014, which makes our fiery fusion reactor in the sky look like a blazing jack-o’-lantern. The eyes, nose, and wicked mouth are all there upon the Sun’s countenance of plasma, and it even looks like it has little, flaming ears.

The space agency tweets the seasonally appropriate Sun picture during spooky season, noting that it’s an ultraviolet image that shows the “active regions of our home star.” In a post that offers high-res downloads of the picture, NASA notes the active regions that make up the facial components of the Sun-o’-lantern are brighter than the rest of the Sun’s surface because they’re emitting more light and energy thanks to “an intense and complex set of magnetic fields hovering in the sun’s atmosphere….”

Note that the Pumpkin Sun picture has been colorized in gold and yellow to help emphasize the Halloween vibes—we can’t see ultraviolet light with our limited people peepers, so the image has to be colorized somehow so we can see it. (And yes, we’re aware that some folks with Aphakia claim to be able to see ultraviolet light, but we’re talking about Nerdoween here so let’s not dwell on that.)

Also check out NASA’s Halloween-themed exoplanet posters, including a “Zombie Worlds” poster and a “Rains of Terror” poster, which are available as high-res images here. The temporarily spookified space agency also released a movie “trailer” dubbed Galaxy of Horrors, which “reveals the sinister science behind real worlds we’ve discovered in our galaxy.” NASA’s series of sci-fi horror movie posters based on real science also expanded to include black holes, dark energy, and roasting planets.

Whether you make your own space-themed jack-o’-lantern or just appreciate the Sun-o’-lantern in the sky, NASA can help put some nerd into Nerdoween.

Originally published October 30, 2019.

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In this day and age, numerous Black horror films tell Black stories and push the boundaries of horror. Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, and Mariama Diallo’s Master have all done so. However, without Kasi Lemmons’ 1997 classic Eve’s Bayou, these films may not be here today. This movie effortlessly blends Black culture with Southern mysticism and gothic horror themes to create a piece of work we still revere decades later. 

The ’90s gave birth to numerous works from numerous Black directors. Spike Lee gave us Malcolm X; John Singleton gave us Boyz in the Hood; and Theodore Witcher gave us Love Jones. But In 1997, Lemmons’ masterpiece Eve’s Bayou arrived on the scene. Her directorial debut brought together an all Black starring cast, featuring Jurnee Smollett, Meagan Good, Samuel L. Jackson, Lynn Whitfield, and Diahann Carroll (with Jackson as an executive producer). 

Eve’s Bayou tells the story of the Batistes, a Black Creole family in 1960s Louisiana who appear to have it all. Status, money, and love are what the Batiste family exude, but all that glitters isn’t gold. That affluent shell breaks when 10-year-old Eve (Smollett) catches her father’s (Jackson) infidelity in the act. Paired with supernatural forces and mysticism, family secrets lead to pain and eventually, tragedy. 

25 years later, the film’s importance still rings true. 

Gothic horror films consist of bleak landscapes, supernatural forces that reverberate throughout the film, and a protagonist who’s haunted by an issue. Eve’s Bayou brings all of these to the table, but through the perspective of a Black Creole family in Louisiana. 

At the time, this was unheard of. Black filmmakers in horror existed, as did Black-led horror films. However, the majority of these films utilized racism, poverty, and oppression as some of the “things that go bump in the night”. Eve’s Bayou centered on the everyday life of a Black family nestled in a bayou. This film lived outside of the lines of what other Black filmmakers were doing at the time.

“Studios looked at the script, and said ‘Who is gonna come and see this?’”, Jackson recounted, while speaking at the National Film Theatre. “Just because we couldn’t put a hip-hop soundtrack on it meant it wasn’t going to be Soul Food. Not every story about everyday Afro-Americans is a ‘Hood’ film. In this film, there is no mention of the political climate of the times. It could have been about any race, they just happened to be black.”

Carving her own path, Lemmons’ film became the most successful independent film of 1997. It took in $15 million on a $4 million budget.  With constant rotation on televisions in the early ’00s, Eve’s Bayou’s success, impact, and relevance still echo today. “Honestly, it’s a little intimidating because it was my first film,” said Lemmons in an interview for Essence Magazine. “I always kind of want to be that free again. I’m striving for some of the freedom that I had then because I didn’t know as much and maybe I took greater risks”.

Aside from its all-Black cast, another risk came from incorporating Voodoo. While not witchcraft, but a religion with a blend of West African roots and Catholicism, Voodoo, as well as Black mysticism, have a strong presence within Eve’s Bayou. 

Typically, Voodoo becomes a catchall for the different variations of this religion found in Haiti, Brazil, different countries in Africa, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Cuba. Unfortunately, this catchall also reduces Voodoo (specifically Haitian Vodou) to a depiction that tends to weaponize, demonize, sexualize, make into a caricature, or all of the above the racist anxieties of U.S. moviegoers toward Black people. The 1932 film White Zombie was probably one of the first racist depictions of the religion. This led to the 1944 short Voodoo Devil Drums 1958 film Voodoo Village.

And while racist views skew the perspective of Voodoo and Black mysticism in the media, the  women within Eve’s Bayou use both as a source of strength, support, and foresight. Diahann Carroll’s Elzora and Debbi Morgan’s Mozelle bring Voodoo into the mix as such, while Smollett’s Eve and Morgan’s Mozelle also utilize their psychic gifts to unearth the truth and to solve problems. This all seamlessly intertwines Black mysticism and religion into a generally white genre. 

Thankfully, Lemmons took these risks, as they paid off tremendously. This study on trauma, forgiveness, memory, and truth was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2018. And while the film has been on rotation in numerous Black family homes, its reach has expanded into various forms of media. References to it have appeared in everything from animated comedies like The Cleveland Show to dramas like Queen Sugar, to visual albums like Beyoncé’s Lemonade. 

Lemmons’ bittersweet opus has opened doors for more Black-led films created by Black filmmakers to stand the test of time in horror. Although Eve’s Bayou centers around a Black family, it’s the women and the girls who drive the film. Through the complex narratives of Eve, Roz, Cisely, and Mozelle, the movie takes shape. The strength, vulnerability, and emotion they exude have inspired moviegoers and artists alike.

The same essence of these narratives exist freely within holistically developed Black women characters of horror films today. It led to the impressive duality of Lupita’s Adelaide/Red in Us; the emotional complexity of Regina Hall’s Dr. Gail Bishop in Master; the charismatic depth of Teyonah Parris’ Briana Cartwright in Candyman. Additionally, without Lemmons’ stunning directorial debut, who’s to say we would also have talented Black women directors like Mariama Diallo, Nia DaCosta, Misha Green, and Nikyatu Jusu highlighting Blackness in nuanced horror films? 

But that’s the legacy that this film leaves behind. In a time where white-centered films dominated horror, and where Black horror films—and Black films in general—had the stigma of lesser quality, Lemmons’ Eve’s Bayou creates a space for Black voices to shine. Her examination of each character should be lauded for her delicate approach to each one’s struggle on-screen. 

But that’s just her strength as a director. Her screenwriting skills should be equally lauded for the nuanced dialogue and world building. They truly take you into Louisiana and into the world of the Batistes. The melancholic tone permeates throughout, testing the intricacies of family dynamics and highlighting the complexities of Black women hold. It shows they deserve a more holistic portrayal. In all, Eve’s Bayou is a trailblazing horror classic that deserves remembrance as such.

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Coming-of-age genre movies have shaped our love of film here at Nerdist. From The Goonies to Attack the Block, it’s one of our favorite flavors of genre filmmaking. That’s why we were so excited to see the atmospheric trailer for Nyla Innuksuk’s debut feature SLASH/BACK. Set in the quiet arctic hamlet of Pangnirtung, Nunavut, the film follows a group of young alien-fighting girls. We were lucky enough to check out the film and it’s a charming, chilling, and delightful debut. To celebrate SLASH/BACK’s release in theaters, digital, and VOD on October 21, we chatted with Innuksuk about combining horror and joy into this narrative.

Nerdist: When did you first land on the concept for SLASH/BACK?

Nyla Innuksuk: I think I’ve had this idea of teenage girls fighting aliens for a really long time. I’ve got friends who are like, “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve had this idea for a movie.” I grew up as a fan of movies and loved movies like ET and Goonies. And all these other adventure movies like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. So for me when I had the chance to make my first feature, the idea of being able to do something that felt like one of the movies that I grew up watching but in this place that I loved and was familiar to me in a different way was just this fun mix of things.

You touched on some of the influences but were there any other specific movies that you revisited when you began to make SLASH/BACK?

Innuksuk: So many! There were different kinds of inspirations throughout and in different ways. Leatherface and Ed Gein who was also the inspiration for Psycho. All those kinds of things were definitely fun to explore, and with the practical effects they were really a blast. The Thing on the topic of practical effects was obviously a big one. But also movies that are less obvious, like Scream, for instance, I loved. To have Nalajoss [Ellsworth] running up the stairs being chased by an alien then jumping out a window and into a boat. That whole sequence was basically taken from Scream. So it was really fun to explore those kinds of nerdy interests within the context of this coming of age movie. 

Those two aspects really define the movie: the horror of the aliens and the joy of this really authentic friendship. Before we talk about the amazing girls of Pang, can you tell me about designing the aliens? They have big Men in Black skinsuit vibes.

Innuksuk: Yeah, definitely. And I know for sure when we were trying to figure out how do we actually execute this, Men in Black was definitely something we looked at. So it was a bit of a fun, creative process that was done in stages. That’s what I love about making movies is you get this opportunity to work with such amazing artists and people that are just really great at what they do. So getting to figure out from the concept of how these creatures would work, how they would move, how they come to the community, what form they would take, that was a really fun puzzle to figure out with my co-writer Ryan Cavan. Once we figured that out, and it’s in the script, it’s like, okay, now how do we actually make this a reality? 

I was so lucky that this amazing contortionist Troy James lived in Toronto, which is where I’m based. He does a lot of work with Guillermo del Toro and can do just the craziest things with his body. And he was available and excited to come up with us and the girls loved working with him. So we built these skin suits that he would wear and we worked together to figure out okay, how would you move if your body was all tentacles? Then getting to work with all these really amazing creative people in the VFX world to enhance the blood and gore and create that new tentacle work. It was just so much fun and really a collaborative process throughout with some really talented folks.

At the center is this brilliant group of friends, and all the girls are such great actors. Could you talk about building this authentic group of teenagers who are so necessary to making this sci-fi story work?

Innuksuk: It was a process that was done with the girls. I actually had this idea for this movie and developed it as a short film proof of concept to try and get this feature made. A lot of the same cast members from that were in the feature. Because there weren’t any casting or talent agents in Nunavut and no teenage stars to pick from, we had these acting workshops. I had a local theater actor help me out with those and we just invited a bunch of young women and girls to come out if they were interested in acting. In that process, we’d try different groups of kids reading the pages from the short film, and then we’re able to cast that way. We found Alexis [Wolfe] and Chelsea [Prusky] and Nalajoss and then later we found Tasiana [Shirley]. 

When my co-writer Ryan Cavan and I were up in Nunavut working together on this script, we would hang out with these three kids. We’d go out on boat rides, we’d go to cabins, they’d tell us stories about their crazy grandmas, and we’d just listen to them talk about boys nonstop! It was the drama of teenage life. And every time we’d go and see them it was something new. So the dynamics of the friendships, how those can change really quickly, there’s different things that might influence the dynamics of our friend group that even the kids might not be necessarily aware of. All of that was really inspired in part by this work that we did with these teenagers. So we knew that if the world was being invaded by aliens, these kids would probably still talk about boys. 

We all were learning so much in the process of this. So it’s been great. We’re all in Spain together now sharing the movie with audiences. So just seeing how they’re continuing to grow as young people and actors has been really inspirational. 

And now you’re sharing the movie with the world! What are you most excited for people to experience when they watch SLASH/BACK?

Innuksuk: I think what has been so nice is just hearing the girls talk about it. To hear other people mention it is just giving this window into a part of the world or a community that maybe people aren’t familiar with. We see this as our home and the things that we do as so normal that sometimes it’s hard when you realize, “Oh, people aren’t used to seeing us in this way,” that we’re both modern and connected to our traditions. It’s been neat to see the response to that and that maybe people haven’t had the opportunity to see indigenous teenagers in this kind of modern context. And so I’m excited for people to get to know them because they’re really great.

Nyla Innuksuk’s SLASH/BACK hits theaters, digital, and VOD on October 21. 

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From horror movies and trick-or-treating, to costume parties and haunted houses, the Halloween season gives us so much to enjoy. But there’s another great way to get into the spooky spirit, too, all while enjoying a cup of Witch’s Brew with your friends and family. You can host a Halloween-themed board game night with a tabletop adventure that embraces the best of Halloween. If you’re not sure which one is right for you, though, we have you covered. Here are seven spooky board games to play this October.

Mysterium

Mysterium brings a silent ghost to the table, as one player serves as a murder victim speaking to the living through visions (a.k.a. picture cards). Over the course of the game, which runs around 45 minutes, you’ll try to solve the mystery as a medium deciphering these unspoken clues. Set the light lows and keep communication to a bare minimum and you’ll start to feel the intensity of the moment. However, if you keep the lights on this is also a great game to play with kids, too, especially since it’s easy to create “teams” of mediums rather than have individual players. This is a fantastic party game that an accommodate far more than 2-7 players.

Last Friday

It’s obvious which slasher horror movie franchise inspired Last Friday. A machete wielding sociopath will hunt you down at a remote summer camp for a weekend in 1980. That is unless you play as the dangerous supernatural sociopath. Running anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours, the hidden movement game features four chapters. Over the course of play you’ll go from hunted to hunter, back to fighting for survival. And while you won’t actually die, you’ll still feel the terror of a killer sneaking up on you.

Betrayal at House on the Hill

This spooky list wouldn’t be complete without Betrayal at House on the Hill, a terrific haunted house game you can enjoy with your family, at parties, or alongside more serious board game devotees. In (roughly) 60 minutes of gameplay you’ll create your own haunted abode with tiles and detailed game pieces, making each sit down unique. But the real fun comes during the endgame. That’s when one of the (up to six) players learns they must work against everyone else. The others must stop the betrayer before they ruin everything. That twist adds a whole extra layer of excitement to an already suspenseful and spooky game.

Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game

It doesn’t get much spookier than trying to survive inside a small colony in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. That setting provides a real sense of dread and terror while playing Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game. Two to five players, each overseeing their own group of characters, must deal with dangers both inside and outside the colony. That involves making some hard choices over one to two hours that will have you questioning your own morality. But while everyone must work together to survive, what makes Dead of Winter so good is that each person has their own secret objective. To win you must also achieve this goal, which might mean working against everyone else. Zombies, starvation, and disease aren’t the only things to fear with this game,

Tiny Epic Zombies

Not every Halloween-appropriate board game has to be terrifying. They can also be fun, quick, and easy to play. That’s what you’ll get for 30 to 45 minutes when you sit down to the addictive Tiny Epic Zombies. Designed for 1-5 players, the game features five different game modes. You can also opt for a cooperative play through or compete against each other. You can even decide if the game itself or players control the zombies. And whether you’re attempting to survive the living dead from inside a mall, save everyone, or trying to kill the living, you can enjoy both sides of the battle. Especially if you die during the game. The fun isn’t over if that happens, you simply become a zombie. Now that’s an appropriate way to celebrate Halloween.

Letters from Whitechapel

Who was Jack the Ripper? History might never know, but for anywhere from 90 minutes to more than two hours someone at your table will be the infamous killer. Letters from Whitechapel puts two to six players in the middle of his 19th century killing spree. The person playing as Jack the Ripper has one goal: claim five victims (the Wretched) before the game ends. The others all work as police detectives trying to cross paths (literally) with the serial killer before he strikes again. The only thing missing from the unsettling Letters from Whitechapel is Jack’s top hat. And, fortunately, actual victims.

Pandemic

There are many versions of Pandemic you can play, but for 45 minutes two to four people still can’t go wrong with the original co-op game. It features what may now be the scariest premise in all of board game history. Terrible diseases are running rampant across the planet, and you must work together to help stamp out hot spots, build research labs, and find cures before humanity succumbs to these killer viruses. But no matter how well you’re doing, Epidemic! cards will make things worse when you can least handle the pressure.

Just make sure if you do sit down to play it everyone is fully vaxxed and healthy. A spooky board game is a great way to celebrate Halloween. But only because the terror is limited to your tabletop.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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It’s been little more than a decade since Mike Flanagan made a soft launch into the horror genre with his debut feature Absentia. It was a little film, but one that quietly set the tone for the creator, best known these days for his Netflix series like The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, and his Stephen King film adaptations. It also introduced us to actress Katie Parker, the first in a legion of Flanagan regulars that populate his projects. Kate Siegel (Flanagan’s real-life wife), Henry Thomas, Samantha Sloyan, Alex Essoe, Rahul Kohli, Carla Gugino, and more have come to feel like a mini horror family. 

The Flanagan Feel

Beyond his casts, Flanagan is a beloved figure in the horror scene because his genre work isn’t your standard-fare shlock. Nor is it rife with jump scares. (Although when he does do those, they’re all-timers.) There’s a sensitivity to his work. An earnestness. Characters speak wisely, often in long monologues, with alarming insight and tenderness and provocation. It may verge too close to saccharine for some viewers, but for many of us, it’s just the right balance: beauty and blood—a tantalizing elixir. And one even non-horror fans might find themselves indulging in. 

In honor of Flanagan’s latest horror series, The Midnight Club—an adaptation of the Christopher Pike book series and his first YA project—we’re looking back at all of his films and TV series to date and serving up a sample pack for those new to his oeuvre. Along with a brief synopsis, we’re providing a scare rating (on a scale of o to 5 spooks) for those who are Flanagan-curious but too easily scared to jump in without feelers. We’ll also let you know where you can stream the series, so you can get started planning your Halloween viewing. 

Absentia (2011)

Flanagan got his start with student and short films, but Absentia was his first proper full-length feature. Though hindered at times by its low budget (which was crowdsourced on Kickstarter), the film—a play on The Three Billy Goats Gruff—is an urban fairytale that is remarkable for how adverse it is to convention. The story follows a pair of sisters dealing with the disappearance—and sudden reappearance—of one’s husband and all that such a disturbance entails. It’s properly scary and, best of all, indelible, with characters who stick in your subconscious and genuinely great creature effects, considering the budget. It teases the greatness to come and shows what a master horror creator can achieve even with great limitations. 

Flanagan regulars: Katie Parker, Courtney Bell, Doug Jones, Justin Gordon, Jamie Flanagan, Dave Levine, Natalie Roers

How scary is it: 3.5 out of 5 spooks. Though not as viscerally scary as some of his later work, excellent makeup effects and a great performance from legendary creature actor Doug Jones take this film to some really dreadful places. 

Where to watch: Stream it on Amazon

Oculus (2013)

If Absentia introduced us to Flanagan’s work, Oculus is where his style comes into clearer focus and the themes he’ll return to start laying their ground. It follows a young man (Brenton Thwaites) recently released from a psychiatric hospital, where he’s been for the suspected murder of his own parents. He struggles to connect with his sister (Karen Gillan), desperate to prove their parents’ deaths were the result of a supernatural phenomenon emanating from an antique mirror in their childhood home. You don’t have to look hard (pun intended) to see the similarities between Oculus and Hill House, with their flashback plots, themes of generational trauma and grief, and ghosts as metaphor. The Oculus mirror has also turned into a Flanagan Easter egg, hiding in plain sight in many of his later projects. 

Flanagan regulars: Annalise Basso, Kate Siegel, James Lafferty, Katie Parker, Courtney Bell, Justin Gordon, Dave Levine, Jamie Flanagan, Brett Murray, Jack Teague

How scary is it: 4 out of 5 spooks. Oculus is loaded with jump scares, frightening specters, gruesome imagery, and some straight-up gnarly body horror. It’s not the most elegant of Flanagan’s work, but it’s also very straightforward horror and has a lot of fun with the gruesome stuff. 

Where to watch: Stream it on Hulu

Hush (2016)

Hush is a singular Flanagan feature in that it’s not at all preoccupied with the past, or with ghosts, or generational trauma. Instead, it’s a lean, mean slasher flick with a genius premise. It follows Maddie (Kate Siegel), a deaf author self-isolated in a remote cabin in the woods. She falls victim to a masked killer who sees her disability as an advantage. A physical tête-à-tête being perpetrator and prey follows, one that whittles the story to its essential function and does away with the rest. Though the film has been rightfully criticized for casting an able-bodied actress in the main role (both Flanagan and Siegel have noted and apologized for the misstep), Maddie still emerges as a notable heroine of the genre, and Hush shows that Flangan (and Siegel, who co-wrote the script) can do more within the horror genre than we might have previously assumed.

Flanagan regulars: Kate Siegel, Samantha Sloyan, Michael Trucco

How scary is it: 4.5 out of 5 spooks. Hush is a straight-up slasher, with all that the subgenre entails: blood, gore, jump scares, dread, terror—you name it. It’s not relentless or so over-the-top gory that it’s ostracizing, but if you’re at all adverse to slasher-style scares, you might want to skip this one. 

Where to watch: Stream it on Netflix 

Before I Wake (2016)

Though filmed in 2013, Before I Wake was caught in release purgatory for years when its original distributor, Relativity Media, went bankrupt. Originally titled Somnia (and renamed against Flanagan’s wishes), the film is centered on a couple and their foster son Cody, whose dreams (and nightmares) magically come true. Kids with supernatural abilities are another of Flanagan’s trademarks, so it’s fun to see the film that started it all. Bonus points for an early performance from soon-to-be-mega-child-star Jacob Tremblay. 

Flanagan regulars: Jacob Trembaly, Annabeth Gish, Justin Gordon, Brett Murray, Jack Teague, Courtney Bell, Natalie Roers

How scary is it: 3.5 out of 5 spooks. The movie’s big bad Canker Man is nightmare fuel and the nightmarish nature of the story is pretty intense. But it’s not the hardest of Flanagan’s pure horror to get into if you’re easily scared. 

Where to watch: Stream it on Netflix  

Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

A sequel to Ouija, a horror movie based on a Hasbro game, sounds like a miserable idea on paper. But leave it to Flanagan to buck expectations. This follow-up is not only brilliantly scary, but it began professional collaborations that would lead directly into his latter work—most importantly with Henry Thomas, who’s appeared in all of Flanagan’s projects since. The story follows a recently widowed mother running a scam seance business who accidentally conjures a spirit through her Ouija board that torments her two young daughters. A lot of mayhem and fun follows, and demonstrates Flanagan’s capable hand when trusted with a franchise and studio money. 

Flanagan regulars: Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Annalise Basso, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Doug Jones

How scary is it: 4 out of 5 spooks. The family element (and PG-13 rating) keeps this one from veering too far over the edge, but this is a traditional studio tentpole horror movie, rife with jumps, and thrills. 

Where to watch: Stream it on Netflix 

Gerald’s Game (2017)

Easily the gnarliest of Flanagan’s oeuvre, and his first Stephen King adaptation, Gerald’s Game feels like his biggest arrival in a lot of ways. A critical hit, the film brilliantly translates King’s fairly simple novel—about a woman handcuffed to a bed after accidentally killing her husband during foreplay—into not only a terrifying horror story, but a sorrowful one, too, with themes of betrayal, abuse, and regret taking center stage. It’s a film that’s also remembered for what has to be one of the most gruesome sequences involving hands ever put to screen. This one is not for the squeamish. 

Flanagan regulars: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Carel Struycken, Jamie Flanagan, Natalie Roers 

How scary is it: 5 out of 5. Gerald’s Game is a litmus test even for seasoned horror pros thanks to the aforementioned hand scene, which is one of the goriest and hardest-to-sit-through horror scenes of recent memory. The film also comes with a major trigger warning, as one of the overarching themes has to do with childhood sexual abuse, including scenes where the abuse is directly depicted. 

Where to watch: Stream it on Netflix 

The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

Arguably Flanagan’s magnum opus (at least so far), this 10-episode Netflix series is a legitimate masterwork and one of the best-ever horror TV series. A loose adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s seminal 1959 horror novel, the show follows the Crain family, who move to the eponymous house with plans to flip it. Instead, the decaying mansion infects them, planting seeds of trauma that haunt them into adulthood. A story of impossible grief and transcendent love, it’s Flanagan at his very best: scary, thoughtful, and elegantly profound.    

Flanagan regulars: Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, Carla Gugino, Elizabeth Reaser, Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Annabeth Gish, Robert Longstreet, Katie Parker, Lulu Wilson, Violet McGraw, Samantha Sloyan, Bruce Greenwood, James Lafferty, Fedor Steer

How scary is it: 3.5 out of 5 spooks. Though it’s loaded to the brim with ghosts and has an all-timer spook in the Bent-Neck Lady, it’s not the kind of grueling horror that’s hard to sit through for non-genre fans. Its sentiment and great big heart is a spoonful of sugar to help the horror go down.  

Where to watch: Stream it on Netflix 

Doctor Sleep (2019)

Stephen King’s Shining sequel Doctor Sleep is divisive among book readers, and a film adaptation had every right to go terribly wrong. But again, Flanagan eases concern with a movie that blends the iconography of Kubrick’s 1980 film with King’s source material, creating a balm for fans of both. Ewan McGregor stars as a grown-up Danny Torrance, who is drawn to a young girl with similar “shining” abilities to his own, who is being stalked by a troupe of soul-sucking “vampires” who gain youth by killing psychic children. Rebecca Ferguson is the standout here, her villainous Rose the Hat an iconic female villain for the books.

Flanagan regulars: Alex Essoe, Robert Longstreet, Bruce Greenwood, Katie Parker, Carel Struycken, Henry Thomas, Jacob Tremblay, Violet McGraw, Jamie Flanagan, Fedor Steer

How scary is it: 4 out of 5 spooks. Though it won’t have you jumping out of your seat, this one gets a high scare-rating thanks to the violence perpetrated against young children, both by Rose’s cronies and real-life forces like neglect and abuse. 

Where to watch: Stream it on HBO Max 

The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)

A sequel of sorts to Hill House, this second installment of the (now sadly defunct) Netflix Haunting series adapts another classic horror novel, this time Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw. The tale follows an American governess caring for two children in a mansion in the English countryside, who befriends the home’s quirky staff. The house is (expectedly) haunted, and the apparitions particularly fixated on the kids. What starts as a traditional Gothic horror story transforms into something rather tender and loving, with a queer love story for the books. 

Flanagan regulars: Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Alex Essoe, Carla Gugino, Katie Parker, Jamie Flanagan

How scary is it: 2.5 out of 5 spooks. Bly Manor might be your safest bet if you’re Flanagan-curious but a little too scared of his darker stuff. The series is full of striking horror imagery (like the Lady in the Lake) and bumps in the night, but there’s nothing too dreadful.

Where to watch: Stream it on Netflix 

Midnight Mass (2021)

Addiction is a theme in much of Flanagan’s earlier work, but it’s a grounding force here. Midnight Mass is a story teased throughout his filmography—Hush’s Maddie wrote a book called Midnight Mass; its cover also appears in Gerald’s Game—and for good reason: it’s the most personal of his works, stemming directly from his own history of addiction. The result is a beautiful story about a remote island plagued by religious fanaticism and a monster preying on their vulnerable souls. The result is something so special it’s hard to really quantify, with a stellar central performance by Hamish Linklater as the town priest that will leave you haunted in more ways than one. Hill House may be his masterpiece, but Midnight Mass is the underdog.

Flanagan regulars: Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Samantha Sloyan, Igby Rigney, Rahul Kohli, Alex Essoe, Matt Biedel, Michael Trucco, Henry Thomas, Annabeth Gish, Robert Longstreet, Carla Gugino, Annarah Cymone

How scary is it: 3.5 out of 5 spooks. There’s definitely plenty of haunting imagery, and the penultimate episode is shockingly brutal, but the series is more thoughtful and considered than it is downright scary. It uses horror to amplify what is really a story about the boundaries of faith and what it means to live—and die.  

Where to watch: Stream it on Netflix 

The Midnight Club (2022)

The Midnight Club might sound like a weird project for Flanagan, when it fact it’s the perfect bridge between his brand of horror and content for younger audiences. But don’t be fooled: this isn’t a kid’s show. It’s a macabre but fun-as-hell YA horror series based on the Christopher Pike novels of the same name. The story centers on eight terminally ill teens in a unique hospice center: an old manor with a history of haunts. At midnight, they gather in the basement to share horror stories. One night, they make a pact: whichever of them dies first must make contact with the others from beyond the grave. 

Flanagan regulars: Annarah Cymone, Igby Rigney, Zach Gilford, Samantha Sloyan, Matt Biedel, Robert Longstreet 

How scary is it: 3.5 out of 5 spooks. This may be a YA series, but that doesn’t mean it’s light on scares. While nothing verges on over-the-top terror, it’s definitely a horror show, complete with jump scares, spooky spectres, and other imagery that aligns it perfectly with the more grown-up stuff in Flanagan’s catalogue. 

Where to watch: Stream it on Netflix (October 7)

The post A Guide to Mike Flanagan’s Horror Catalog appeared first on Nerdist.

Welcome back to the Nerdist Reading List. Each month I curate book recommendations that’ll delight, charm, and terrify. Basically, this is the place to find the best fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and romance books and comics to add to your books-to-read pile. To make things easier, each month will include a selection of already released books you can grab instantly. We also have new books you’ll definitely want to pre-order or add to your library holds. For October books we’ve got epic trans led YA fantasy, a reimagining of a classic Chinese novel, a clutch of spooky horror reads, and even a saucy Holiday romance! Basically there’s something for everyone. 

Fantasy October Books

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas – Available now

One of the best books I’ve read all year, The Sunbearer Trials has already become an indie bestseller. This immersive fantasy is filled with vibrant queer characters stunning action and a central set of trials as engaging as The Hunger Games. In this Mexican-inspired fantasy young every ten years teen semidioses must battle through a series of dangerous challenges to protect their world. Teo is a Jade, one of the “lesser” semidioses who lives in the shadow of the Golds. But when Teo is selected for the trials along with another Jade his world is thrown into turmoil as he gets the chance to shape and save the home he loves so much. 

Eternally Yours by various authors – Available now

This stunning paranormal romance anthology edited by the brilliant Patrice Cauldwell is a perfect spooky season treat. Featuring YA stories from many of our favorite writers, this collection features romantic tales about angels, demons, merpeople, vampires and more. And the list of authors is just as exciting as the concept. Kalynn Bayron, Kendare Blake, Kat Cho, Melissa de la Cruz, Sarah Gailey, Hafsah Faizal, Chloe Gong, Alexis Henderson, Adib Khorram, Anna-Marie McLemore, Casey McQuiston, Sandhya Menon, Akshaya Raman, Marie Rutkoski, and Julian Winters. What more could you want from an anthology this month?? 

Blood Moon Prophecy (Legend of the Nyx, #1) by Dilani Kahawala – October 11

Tilly Nyx is living in the shadows of her own mistakes. Her mother’s death and exile haunt her every day. Now after over a decade living undercover in New York city she has the burning desire to return home, though she has no idea where that is. It’s here that her unbelievable quest begins sending Tilly into an uncanny world of magic, fleets, and potions. Will she be able to find her family and the truth about who she is? Or is it too late to turn back the clock on what happened so many years before? 

The Witch Hunt by Sasha Peyton Smith- October 11

The highly-anticipated sequel to The Witch Haven drops this month continuing the story of Frances and her fellow witches. Now living a peaceful life in the cozy halls of Haxahaven Academy, Frances feels like her woes are behind her. But when her magic begins to act strangely and she’s suddenly called to France, her adventures begin once again. It’s in the cobbled streets of Paris where she learns that her actions from the first book have had dire consequences. So, now she has to rectify her wrongs in this lovely fantasy yarn. 

Strike the Zither by Joan He – October 25

We adore the writing of Joan He here at Nerdist. From her daring mystery debut Descendant of the Crane to her sophomore sci-fi masterpiece The Ones We’re Meant to Find she never disappoints. Her newest book reimagines the classic Chinese novel Three Kingdoms, but replaces its predominantly male cast with a roster of brilliant complex women. Our story centers on Zephyr, a startlingly intelligent strategist for a ruthless warlord. After she’s forced to infiltrate an enemy camp Zephyr is drawn into an unexpected adventure and quest for survival in this must read historical fantasy from one of the most exciting authors working today. 

Horror October Books 

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson – Available now

Alexis Henderson’s The Year of the Witching was one of the standout novels of 2020. She’s back to follow up that searing debut with this stunning gothic novel. Marion answers an oddly worded advertisement to take a position working for the upper echelons of society in a far off part of the country. Soon she’s enmeshed in the strange happenings of the House of Hunger. Rich aristocrats who hire “bloodmaids” in order to drink from them at will. It’s a shocking arrangement that becomes even more dangerous when some of her fellow bloodmaids begin to go missing, pitting Marion against Countess Lisavet, the powerful woman at the center of it all. 

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson – October 4

A queer reimagining of Dracula told through the eyes of his first bride? You can sign us up just based on that description. And that’s before we get to the complex, dreamy, and lyrical style that S.T. Gibson brings the world of Constanta and her new paramour to life. Soon though she realizes her husband is capable of terrible things, putting her new life into question. Originally released in 2021 through the independent publisher Nyx, Redhook acquired the title and are rereleasing it in October in perfect time for the spookiest of seasons. So if you need some gothic polyam / bisexual romance in your life then make sure to add this to your pre order list. 

The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce – October 4

Camilla Bruce broke onto the scene with her atmospheric chiller You Let Me In. And her followup The Witch in the Well looks to be just as darkly delightful. Elena and Cathy grew up together but as so many friends do grew apart with age. But when they’re flung back together, both inspired to write about a terrible tragedy centuries before their worlds collide. The past and the present weave a treacherous puzzle as the pair try to find the truth about the witch hunts that had hundreds of years before torn apart the idyllic summer paradise they once visited. But soon their story begins to echo that of the women that came before with deadly consequences.  

You can check out a ton more spooky reads on our Halloween Reading List!

Comics

The Best of 2000AD by Various Creators – Available now

You’ve likely heard of Judge Dredd, but did you know he comes from a brilliant British comics series called 2000AD? In this new quarterly graphic novel series from editor Owen Johnson collects some of the best and most iconic stories from the publisher and pairs them with thoughtful essays from some of comics criticism’s best minds. The first volume has a gorgeous cover from Jamie McKelvie, stories by icons like Alan Moore, John Wagner, and Alan Grant. And it features an incredible essay from comics editor and historian Adam Karenina Sherif.

Demon in the Wood, by Leigh Bardugo and Dani Pendergast – Available now

The GrishaVerse has already inspired a smash hit Netflix show and multiple brilliant books, but now the sprawling fantasy universe has its first comic book. Creator Leigh Bardugo teams up with awesome artist Dani Pendergast to bring to life the prequel story of the Darkling. Centering on the villain when he was just a boy, this tragic and beautiful story adds layers to the villain we know and the scared child he once was. And Pendergast’s art brings a whole new visual language and magic to the world of the Grisha. A must read for fantasy lovers everywhere. 

Timothy Dinoman Saves the Cat By Steve Thueson – Available October 4 

If you’ve yet to discover the vibrant and hilarious works of Steve Thueson then you’re in for a treat. The Philly based cartoonist has long been delighting readers of their self-published works. But in a new Middle Grade graphic novel they introduce us to Timothy Dinoman. Basically, imagine James Bond if they were a cool, kind, anthropomorphic iguanodon. This is one of the funnest books of the year as Thueson brings to life an all-ages friendly espionage adventure. Filled with gadgets, action, and cool disguises, you don’t want to miss Timothy Dinoman’s debut! 

Holiday Books…Early

Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone – Available Now

It’s a bestseller match made in heaven as authors Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone collaborate on this absolutely delightful plus size Holiday love story. Bee Hobbes is already a successful performer when she’s cast in a clean cut Christmas movie on the Hope Channel. The only problem is her other career is as a beloved plus-size adult film star. She has to keep that under wraps as the film begins to shoot and that becomes a lot harder when her childhood crush and co-star Nolan Shaw, discovers the truth and the pair begin a steamy romance. Saucy, fun, and delightfully dirty this is a Christmas romance for adults only, and it’s all the better for it.

Featured Image:  Ace Books/Viking Books for Young Readers/Roaring Brook Press

The post 12 Wicked Books to Keep You Warm This October appeared first on Nerdist.

Fall is the perfect time of year to dive into fictional lands, which we are seeing right now with shows like The Rings of Power dominating the TV landscape. But, with the spooky season’s arrival, we also love to throw some chilling fantasy and downright scary things into the mix. There is a plethora of TV and film offerings to choose from; however, indie creators don’t often get the same recognition for their contributions to horror and fantasy.

This is disheartening considering it is their ingenuity and work that truly anchors those genres and pushes them forward. (A very true sentiment when it comes to horror specifically.) It can admittedly be difficult to find their work and, while Nerdist cannot list all indie horror and fantasy creators, here are a few who are bringing innovative works our way. 

Moon Ferguson

Moon Ferguson’s work has been on our radar for a while, particularly her Black witch series Juju. Through Ferguson’s Filled With Magic Productions, she is gearing up for yet another horror project. The Criblore anthology will feature stories with witches, vamps, demons, and more with Black people at the center of them all. Using the swamps and beaches of her native South Florida as the setting, this is an indie project to look out for. Criblore is coming this spooky season. 

LaDarrion Williams

Playwright and screenwriter LaDarrion Williams caught eyes with Blood at the Root, a Black fantasy short film. It follows Malik, a New Orelans-based HBCU student who is caught up in a world of magic. Witches, Hoodoo, and more interweave into this story, which is set to become a YA novel.

Bianca Malcolm

Malcolm’s short horror film Transform(Her) is one of thirteen picks for Nyx Horror’s “13 Minutes of Horror” list. The one-minute films are all on Shudder right now and this one is a true standout. The story is about a group of aliens who invade a department store and try to craft the perfect woman. However, things are not what they seem for a shocking twist. 

Deanna Gomez

Another “13 Minutes of Horror” finalist and talented creative, Deanna Gomez shook us up with Mother. But she’s perhaps better known for A Bad Feeling Horror Podcast and being a part of the trio of hosts known as the Write or Die Chicks. Anytime we can hear Black and Latina women talking about horror, it is a great thing. 

Jim Vendiola 

An award-winning writer/director, Warner Media 150 Artist, and development executive, it’s not shocking that Vendiola’s horror comedy short Pretty Pickle is making the festival rounds. There’s several works of art under this celebrated indie creator’s belt, so get ready to expand your list. 

Nikyatu Jusu

Jusu’s horror offerings like Nanny (coming to Prime Video in December) and her Sundance stunner Suicide by Sunlight make her an indie filmmaker to watch. Her stories have a way of grabbing the viewer and refusing to release them from a few unexpected turns. 

Jeff Barnaby

Barnaby—a Mi’gmaq creator—films are primarily through Indigenous characters, which is a wonderful thing considering horror’s quite racist history when it comes to including their stories. Blood Quantum (currently on Shudder) isn’t new but it is certainly worth adding to your list with a story about the dead coming back to life outside the isolated Mi’gmaq reserve of Red Crow. The only people who are safe are the Indigenous people who are immune.

The post Give Your Spooky Season Support to These Indie Horror and Fantasy Creators appeared first on Nerdist.

The early 1990s was a weird, transitional phase for the horror genre. The slasher boom, which was accompanied by a werewolf boom and a vampire boom, had burned out by the end of the decade. The last Halloween and Friday the 13th entries in 1989 performed poorly at the box office, as did Freddy Krueger’s that same year.

So what would horror become in the following decade? Especially after ten years of wild excess? Well, after the huge success of The Silence of the Lambs in 1991, horror would get bigger, glossier, and a little more respected. 1992 was a peak year for the genre during that decade. And here are some of the horror (and horror adjacent) movies from that year, each currently celebrating its 30th anniversary. Ones that you should definitely check out this Spooky Season.

Alien 3

Let’s get the facts out of the way; Alien 3 is nowhere near as good as Alien or Aliens. And it’s definitely not the sequel anyone was expecting after James Cameron’s incredible action-packed second film. But Alien 3, which was David Fincher’s directorial debut, still has much atmosphere and enough genuinely unsettling moments that make it worth watching.

Sigourney Weaver is as incredible as ever as Ellen Ripley, now the only woman trapped on a penal planet with an assortment of murderous male prisoners. Oh, and one very murderous xenomorph who has been stalking her for years. Throughout, you can see the hints of the brilliant director Fincher would become, even when it gets lost in the film’s meanderings. Worth watching at least once. And at the very least, it’s better than Alien: Resurrection.

Army of Darkness

Technically, this movie came out in North America in 1993. But since they released it first in Europe in 1992, we’re going to count this as a ’92 movie. Sam Raimi completed his original Evil Dead trilogy with this one, which maintained the horror/comedy style of Evil Dead 2. But Army of Darkness didn’t just rehash the second movie. Raimi made a horror/medieval fantasy/time travel hybrid comedy, which is filled with visual flair, and one amazing punchline after another. This movie fully perfected Raimi’s visual style in fact. And Army of Darkness truly made Bruce Campbell’s Ash an icon, and many people consider this one the best of the Evil Dead trio.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Dracula had been brought to life literally dozens of times on screen before 1992, most memorably by Bela Lugosi and then later, by Christopher Lee and Frank Langella. But Francis Ford Coppola did what no other big screen adaptation had done before, and stick to the plot of Stoker’s novel (With a little Anne Rice-style Goth romanticism thrown in for good measure). The result was an absolutely unique film.

Gary Oldman gives an all-time performance as the undead Prince Vlad of Transylvania, as does Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Van Helsing. (Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder are also in this movie. That’s all I’ll say about that). The true reason this movie shines so brightly is the absolute feast for the eyes and ears it is. Every frame is a visual wonder, and the score is rapturous. With this film, we pick up new details with each viewing.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the most iconic TV shows of all time. But it simply wouldn’t have existed without this horror comedy, released five years earlier. Truthfully, a lot of this movie doesn’t work; the tone is all over the place, and a lot of the jokes just don’t land. But Paul Reubens is amazing and hilarious as the vampire lackey who just won’t die. And the basic idea of a ditzy cheerleader who was born to be the killer of the undead yields a few memorable comedic moments. Sarah Michelle Gellar would later make anyone instantly forget Kristy Swanson ever slayed a vamp. But this movie has its charms.

Candyman

Say his name five times. We dare you. Although the re-imaging/legacy sequel that came out in 2021 was excellent, Bernard Rose’s original Candyman is the root from which it sprang. Based on a Clive Barker short story, Candyman is deeply creepy, and one of the best films to explore the power of urban legends on our collective psyches. And the incredible Tony Todd instantly joined the ranks of horror icons like Freddy and Jason from this one performance. We would also be remiss not to mention the score from composer Philip Glass. One of the best horror scores ever, not just from the ‘90s. This is an important film in the African-American horror genre, and ultimately the entire horror genre, period.

Dr. Giggles

The slasher genre had burned out by the time Dr. Giggles came out in 1992, and died a pretty quick death at the box office. But years of VHS rentals at the height of the Blockbuster Video explosion made this cheese-fest beloved by some today. Essentially, the titular “Dr. Giggles” was a deranged mental patient, whose father was a doctor who collected the hearts of his patients for a deranged experiment. His son, played by Larry Drake, now escaped from the asylum, goes on a killing spree in the great slasher tradition, even if he himself was never exactly a great slasher. They showed this one at many a ‘90s teen slumber party.

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth

The first two Hellraiser films are pillars of ‘80s horror, and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth… is not quite that. This was the first Hellraiser film to lose Clive Barker in all but name, and it winds up feeling like a generic horror movie of the era because of it. Still, it can’t be all bad as long as Doug Bradley is our Pinhead, and also gets a chance to play the human he once was. The wildly blasphemous scene of Pinhead imitating Christ’s crucifixion saying “I am the way” almost makes up for the Cenobite with CDs in his head who used to be a DJ. We’re not really sure what that was about.

Sleepwalkers

Although not one of the greatest Stephen King adaptations, Sleepwalkers is nevertheless quite a guilty pleasure. The film’s plot is about the last two survivors of a vampiric species of shapeshifters. Ones that drain the life force of human female virgins. There are a lot of fun moments in this one, but it never quite lives up to the King name. Starring Brian Krause. later of Charmed, Twin Peaks’ Madchen Amick, and future Borg Queen Alice Krige, the screenplay was actually an original work written by King for the screen. It doesn’t live up to the quality of his best stories, but at least it’s better than Maximum Overdrive.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

David Lynch and Mark Frost’s original Twin Peaks TV series, centering on the murder investigation of homecoming queen Laura Palmer, often felt like it lived in the aftermath of a horror film. Well, David Lynch’s 1992 prequel to the series, Fire Walk With Me, is that horror film. And it brought every disturbing hint and subtext from the show to the surface in a totally unforgettable way. The movie was not sold as a horror film, much to the anger of some ticket buyers. But that’s exactly what it was. There are images and moments in this film so disturbing they’ll stick with you forever. A crucial part of the overall Twin Peaks story, and one of the ’90s best horror films.

The post Celebrating the Glorious Horror Films of 1992 appeared first on Nerdist.

In 2022, we got a slate of great horror movies from X and Pearl to Glorious and Barbarian. What a lovely year for scares. And there’s no time like now to look way back to a classic horror year with amazing and scary (though often underseen) films that came out fifty years before these films. Who knew 1972 was also such a good year for horror? Here are some of our favorites from the barrage of boo that hit the screens in ’72.

All the Colors of the Dark

The early 1970s were resplendent with giallo movies, the Italian mystery-thriller cycle that began to merge with horror in dark and interesting ways. Director Sergio Martino made five of these films in the early 1970s, and the spookiest of those is All the Colors of the Dark. It takes the murder mystery and gives it an infusion of psychedelia and witchcraft. You truly cannot beat raven haired actress Edwige Fenech in her prime, nor can you beat Bruno Nicolai’s electrifying score.

Asylum

In the 1950s and ’60s, Hammer Films were the unstoppable in the realm of British horror. By the 1970s, however, they struggled to keep up with mainland Europe and America. In the UK, upstart Amicus Films took the top spot with a series of anthology horror films starring the likes of Lee and Cushing. Asylum was one of two such movies in 1972. This one sees a potential new head physician at a mental hospital listening to the terrifying and unbelievable stories of the patients. The orderly wagers he can’t figure out which of these patients is the former head physician.

Blacula

The Blaxsploitation movement in the early ’70s brought Black culture to the mainstream, and also gave us several traditionally white film types through a Black lens. One of these latter type movies that absolutely shouldn’t work is Blacula, cleverly an African vampire prince instead of a Transylvanian one. Despite the silly name and exploitation vibes, Blacula is a surprisingly creepy, romantic horror flick. And it features character actor Thalmus Rasulala, maybe the coolest name in history.

Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things

Before Black Christmas, Porky’s, and A Christmas Story, director Bob Clark made a weird little spooky comedy with a silly name. A theatre troupe go to an abandoned island for a mock satanic ritual. Always a good plan. While they spend most of the runtime bickering and boinking, their insufferable leader (co-writer Alan Ormsby) actually manages to raise the dead. Oops. The final act of this movie is truly gnarly zombie carnage.

Don’t Torture a Duckling

Lucio Fulci is the king of Italian splatter with his ’80s offerings Children of the Living Dead, The Beyond, and House by the Cemetery. But in the late-’60s through the late ’70s he made a number of different kinds of movies, like westerns, sex comedy, and, as in this case, giallo. This tale, of a rural Italian town beset by unsolved child murders, is one of the darkest of the genre. Fulci picks apart provincial superstition and prejudice while showing us grisly violence and lost innocence. Fun!

Dracula A.D. 1972

Remember when I mentioned Hammer Films earlier? This was the kind of thing they were doing in the ’70s. The penultimate appearance of Christopher Lee as Dracula for the company, this one moves from the moody Gothic period films of the series into sexy, swinging modern day London. It’s a weird movie, to be sure, and the supremely gaunt Peter Cushing can’t quite perform as the action hero Van Helsing he once was, but it’s pretty fun regardless. And has a killer theme tune.

Horror Express

Speaking of Lee and Cushing, they got to team up for real in another movie in 1972. (That’s three already just on this list!) The Spanish-produced Horror Express takes place entirely aboard the Trans-Siberian Express in the late 1800s as rival scientists Lee and Cushing have to contain a monster. Lee has brought a block of ice with a prehistoric ape onto the train for research. So you’re thinking, oh I bet the giant ape wakes up and gets loose on the train. Not quite. The ape is actually host to a sinister alien lifeform which takes over people’s brains. So it’s like Victorian The Thing. It’s rad as hell, trust me.

The Last House on the Left

The late Wes Craven’s legend looms large on the horror world. A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream will never not appear on people’s yearly best-of horror lists and marathons. But we mustn’t forget his first film, made with heavy Vietnam-era frustration and downbeat attitude. A loose adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring, The Last House on the Left features a lengthy, brutal torture and murder sequence of two innocent young girls, and that’s only halfway through the movie. When the psychotic group of killers arrive at one of the girls’ parents’ house, things get even rougher.

Sisters

I have a real love-hate with Brian de Palma movies. Like, dude, just admit you’re ripping off Hitchcock, it’s fine! Everybody does it. Despite that, I can’t deny he’s very adept at suspense and weirdness. His 1972 thriller mixes a Rear Window set-up (reporter swears she saw a murder across the street) with psycho-supernatural twin stuff. De Palma begins his fixation with split-screen here as well, which is definitely a trademark to have. Margot Kidder plays the titular twins and she is dynamite.

Tales from the Crypt

T’other Amicus anthology film to come out in ’72, this one adapts several stories from the classic E.C. horror comics. This is one of the more moody and gloomy of Amicus’ bunch (probably because it was shot entirely in overcast England). A group of strangers find themselves in a strange cave where a hooded man tells them why they’re there. This leads into each story, wherein not good people find their comeuppance. Stories include a woman who murdered her husband at Christmas only to be menaced by a lunatic in a Santa suit; a military taskmaster takes over a home for blind veterans who don’t take kindly to their new treatment; and an adulterer who desperately tries to get to his mistress following a car accident.

The best story hands down is “Poetic Justice” in which the horrible rich people trying to force a kindly old widower (Peter Cushing) out of his home and very quickly wish they hadn’t.

Tombs of the Blind Dead

Euro-horror of the ’60s and ’70s is some of my very favorite. The tone, the style, and the premises are so fascinating. This Spanish film checks the boxes on just about all of them. A trio of young people—two women and a men—aboard a train to the country find themselves menaced by mummified Knights Templar from the Crusades who have no eyes and hunt via sound. It’s such a weird little movie but incredibly effective and gruesome.

Other 50-Year-Old Screamers

Honorable mention goes to other movies turning 50 this year. Godzilla vs. Gigan is a ton of fun; Night of the Lepus is about giant killer bunny rabbits; The Red Queen Kills Seven Times is another excellent Gothic giallo with a scary masked murderer; Alfred Hitchcock himself made the giallo-inspired Frenzy; and who doesn’t love backwoods banjo nightmare of Deliverance? Darn good movies all around!

Also there’s the 1972 British horror movie The Asphyx which I don’t think is a very good movie but has an amazing trailer.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

The post The Terrifying, Terrific Horror Movies of 1972 appeared first on Nerdist.

When most people think about the many influential eras of horror, they usually point to the rise of the modern day slasher in the 1970s, the often absurdity of 1980s horror sequels, and the meta teen horror domination of the 1990s. But, in 2002, horror gave us some true movie gems that were entertaining and unforgettable in multiple ways. Sometimes, things got very weird and other times it was plain baffling. Are these films a part of a defining decade? No. Were all of them even good? Also no. The bad ones are glaringly worse in a year where The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers hit theaters.

Believe it or not, all of these horror movies came out way back in 2002. 

28 Days Later

Before The Walking Dead comics made their debut with Rick Grimes waking up to a devolved world full of flesh-eating zombies/walkers, 28 Days Later did the same thing. Except, its protagonist is Jim, who is less cool than Rick Grimes but also must contend with the infected undead who straight up run at you. Big Yikes. 28 Days Later played a major role in pushing the zombie genre to new territory, bringing it back to mainstream glory with its character-driven narrative. And years later, Selena is still the real MVP. 

The Ring 

In 2002, The Ring set off a chain of English movies remaking Japanese horror classics with a spin on found footage. Naomi Watts leads the way as the film’s investigative reporter Rachel Keller, who is trying to uncover the truth about a disturbing video that “kills” viewers seven days later. The premise was relatively unique for American horror and freaked out an entire generation with its creepy antagonist and that unforgettable sequence of images. Samara’s image is nearly as popular as the greats like Freddy and Jason, showing up in future pop culture offerings like the Scary Movie franchise and even influencing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. So it is safe to say that The Ring is a pop culture staple. 

Ju-On: The Grudge 

Everything about Ju-On: The Grudge shook us to the core, from that scary child to the house of horrors the film explores. The film’s nonlinear storytelling weaves together to craft a truly haunting narrative as the viewer pieces together the full disturbing puzzle. Its impact on American horror is evident with its remake The Grudge, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, in 2004. 

Cabin Fever 

A cabin in the woods full of young (and probably horny) people is always top-tier fodder for a horror film. This flick takes it up a notch, replacing the classic slasher villain with a flesh eating virus. And once you’re infected, things go off the rails in a very murdery way. Cabin Fever may not get the glory of other horror films in the 2002 (or ever, tbh), but it’s a solid body horror venture.

Signs 

What happens when a farmer discovers crop circles on his land? In our normal world, they would call in the news and perhaps find a way to capitalize off of this strange fortune. In the horror world, however, it leads to an investigation that unfolds the existence of aliens and other weird happenings. Anxiety and tension reign supreme in Signs. 

Resident Evil 

Cheers to the Resident Evil film that sparked an entire franchise. (And, it’s the best of them all. No debate.) The leap from popular game to seeing Raccoon City in live-action brought a lot of gamers joy. A race to a mysterious underground facility to destroy it with time ticking plus evil undead people. How could it not be a success? The struggle between Alice and the Umbrella Corporation will never get old. 

Dark Water 

Ahh, there’s nothing like a creepy ghost kid and strange building with supernatural horrors. And it’s even worse when you’re a mom who already has enough drama and strife on her plate before realizing that something odd is going down in your new apartment complex. Yoshimi and Ikuko’s haunting journey of trying to survive in an unthinkable situation is equal parts strange, creepy, and horribly sad. 

May 

Angela Bettis is this film’s titular character, a girl with a facial feature and odd personality that leads others to ostracize her. She tries her hand at love a couple of times before heartbreak pushes her to a bloody extreme. And, whew, does the ending make you sweat and squirm in the most uncomfortable way. 

Dog Soldiers 

When it comes to horror monsters, werewolves are a long-time staple as antagonists. There’s something about a bloodthirsty and really big bipedal wolf trying to devour you on a spooky night. In this film, a group of British soldiers have to encounter a whole pack of beasts and try to stay alive until dawn. Sounds like a frankly terrible time. 

Bubba Ho-Tep 

Horror movie fans know Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams of Evil Dead fame. (And now he’s a MCU food merchant.) But Campbell takes the lead as Elvis Presley in this very bizarre flick. Imagine if Presley got a little too shook up to the point that he went into a coma, only to wake years later in a nursing home with not-John F. Kennedy, portrayed by Ozzie Davis. Oh, and there’s a killer mummy taking everyone down. Absolutely without sense and probably a movie you’ve never seen before. Good luck finding it because there are only a handful of prints in existence and it was a “see it here or miss it” type of deal. Let the hunt begin. 

Queen of the Damned

The late, great Aaliyah’s last acting role is in this Anne Rice-inspired vampire film, which made it to theaters a few months following the singer’s death. In it, she portrays Akasha, the queen of all vampires who wants to make Lestat (played by Stuart Townsend) her king. And of course, there’s a love triangle afoot with a human woman who falls for Lestat. There’s a lot of mixed feelings about this film; however, no one can deny that Aaliyah looks amazing as a vampire. 

Halloween: Resurrection 

If the Halloween franchise doesn’t do anything else, it’s gonna invade a decade for no reason. There’s been at least one Halloween film in every decade since the 1970s and the alleged film arrives in 2022. Lordt. Anyway, this one follows the weird H20 reboot that was a continuation of the first two films. You know, when Laurie faked her death and goes into hiding to be found years later. Well, this film shows poor Laurie in a psychiatric facility when evil Mike Myers rises once again. The best part? Busta Rhymes is an Internet reality show director who kicks MM Bruce Lee-style and survives. Very iconic and legendaric behavior, tbh. And one of the best horror movie moments of 2002 by miles.

Blade II 

These films are certainly not in any ranking order for me. But, this is certainly a 2002 horror movie fave of mine. Sure, I’m ready to see Mahershala Ali bring something new to the role in the MCU. But 20 years ago, it was a thrill to see a badass Black action hero slay vampires, specifically Reapers in this sequel. This Dhampir is a boss, a legend, and always comes for blood. Love to see it. 

One Hour Photo 

The words “Robin Williams” and “horror” seem like complete opposites. But, the beloved comedian showed fans that he can also be downright frightening in this psychological thriller. It’s very much a film of its time (not too much photo developing anymore, I guess) with a wild story about a photo developer who gets a little too involved in a customer’s life. Just when you think this film can’t get any more twisted, it goes into another loop. 

The post The Weird, Frightening, Bloody, and Bizarre Horror Movies of 2002 appeared first on Nerdist.

Since its direct-to-home video release in 2007, watching Trick ‘r Treat has become a hallowed Halloween tradition for many horror fans. The delightful cult anthology film comes from the mind of Mike Dougherty (Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Krampus) and centers around Sam, a young trick-or-treater in a burlap onesie. It’s basically a rule that you have to watch Trick ‘r Treat every spooky season. But the film has never had a theatrical release… until now! This year, Trick ‘r Treat will be heading into US cinemas for the first time ever. The 15th anniversary celebration of this film will kick off with a free celebratory Beyond Fest screening on October 1. Then Trick ‘r Treat will unleash its horrors on the big screen in theaters. To this epic flick, let’s rank its chilling and iconic spooky stories.

6. “Opening”

Simple but very effective, this efficient short establishes everything you need to know about Trick ‘r Treat. As Emma and Henry return home from their celebrations, it quickly becomes clear that the former is a Halloween grinch while the latter is a passionate follower. When Emma blows out the jack o’ lanterns before midnight, she falls victim to the Halloween spirit known as Sam. He’s the burlap-sacked mascot who enforces the rules of Halloween, the film’s core recurring figure, and now a spooky season icon who weaves the interlocking stories together. 

5. “Conclusion”

It’s hard to really rank the opening and closing segments of the movie as they’re so integral to the journeys of each of the characters. “Conclusion” barely edges out “Opening” because of its ending. We revisit the elderly Mr. Kreeg as he hands out candy to trick-or-treaters. We see Henry and Emma, Rhonda, and the “Surprise Party” posse. But it’s Kreeg’s final visitors who make their mark as they get their ghastly and long-awaited revenge. It packs a real punch and ties together Trick ‘r Treat‘s wonderfully creepy stories perfectly. 

4. “Sam”

Brian Cox stars in this extremely spooky segment. Cox’s cranky old man Mr. Kreeg keeps breaking the rules of Halloween… and we all know what happens when you do that. The showdown between Sam and Kreeg is full of fun, pranks, and of course a certain amount of violence. And for fans of Sam, this segment gives the audience the most action from this character. It also delivers a massive reveal about Kreeg that connects him to one of the bleakest and best segments of the film and sets up his ultimate fate. 

3. “Surprise Party”

Anna Paquin shines in this deliciously demented take on Halloween monster lore. As a group of friends heads out to a Halloween party, Laurie (Paquin) struggles to embrace her wild side as the crew hunts down dates. After deciding to go alone and look for a date on her own terms, Laurie finds herself in the woods being stalked by a strange hooded figure. Her fate looks like a foregone conclusion. But “Surprise Party” quickly turns that classic setup on its head as Laurie turns out to be far less innocent than she seems. If you’re a monster movie lover, this’ll likely be a standout. Plus, it features one of many John Carpenter references in the anthology film thanks to Paquin’s Laurie, a nod to Halloween’s Laurie Strode. 

2. “Principal”

Dylan Baker has long been one of the most talented and terrifying character actors. And he delivers another chilling performance in Trick ‘r Treat. As a local principal with a terrible secret, Baker channels both Norman Bates and Michael Myers in the best possible way. This is one of the most memorable Trick ‘r Treat entries and the most twisty for sure. We bet you can’t guess where it’s going until it’s final reveal. Plus, Principal Wilkins shows up in another entry in a perfectly twisted and unexpected fashion. “Principal” definitely comes close to topping the final entry in our list; however, there’s another extremely satisfying story that even by Baker cannot beat.  

1. “Halloween School Bus Massacre”

Undoubtedly the most haunting and horrific segment of Trick ‘r Treat, “Halloween School Bus Massacre” introduces us to a group of teens heading out to pull a classic Halloween prank. They go to the local quarry and try to freak someone out with a tale of murder and mayhem. But the crew accidentally invokes the vengeful souls who died there. Taking on ableism, filicide, and the complicity of society in both, this heartbreaking tale comes with a cathartic and brutal twist. Sam might be the spirit of Halloween, but his tales often have moral lessons and this one is a doozy. Just like the rest of the stories in Trick ‘r Treat, it also smartly connects to the other segments. But you’ll have to revisit the Halloween classic to discover how. 

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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Though it’s still almost 100 degrees while I write this, we are officially in spooky season. September has hit and with it comes the promise of ghosts, ghouls, and warm spiced cider. Basically all the loveliest things fall has to offer. To help you make the most of this delightful time I’ve curated a list of 15 brilliant books to help you embrace Halloween. From final destination-inspired folk horror to witchy romance there are plenty of new stories for every type of reader. So wrap up warm—or get your fan running—and prepare ready to get spooky with these Halloween book recommendations.

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson – Available Now

Taking on a legendary horror novel like Carrie is no easy feat but in The Weight of Blood, Tiffany D. Jackson does just that and makes it look effortless. This contemporary YA reimagining centers Madison Washington, a young biracial woman in Georgia. As her high school embarks on its first integrated prom the star quarterback asks Madison to the dance. She’s always been an outcast but prom offers a chance to be “normal.”

However, as anyone who has read Carrie knows, things aren’t what they seem. Madison has a secret too and it’s a powerful one. 

The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror by Various Authors – Available Now

Folk horror is one of our favorite genres here at Nerdist. And there have been some brilliant new additions and explorations of the genre in recent years.  A new anthology featuring a ton of brilliant authors looks to add to that this fall. Collecting tales from Erica Waters, Chloe Gong, Tori Bovalino, Hannah Whitten, Allison Saft, and more, this book takes on local myths, urban legends, and classical folklore bringing them to life in terrifying ways. A perfect autumn read that will deliver a story for every kind of spooky season mood. 

How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine – Available Now

Slasher fans rejoice! Danielle Valentine has delivered a Scream level meta-homage horror that delivers wild final girl fan service. When a man stabs Alice’s sister Claire during a Halloween party, Alice’s life falls apart. She spent years studying horror to stay safe and yet she let her sister go into a corn maze alone. But just as Alice is about to testify against the man who killed her sister she’s attacked by a Sidney Prescott look-alike who throws her back in time to the night Claire was killed. Alice has until midnight to find out the truth about what happened and save her sister in this wonderfully twisted thriller. 

Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne – Available Now

Looking for something more romantically inclined but with a spooky gothic edge? Then look no further than Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match. This charming spin on the classic Mary Shelley yarn sees the titular inventor become inspired by her more famous brother’s experiments to create a man all her own. Angelika’s delightfully chaotic choice sparks the events of the book. It leads her on a monstrous romance featuring plenty of candles, shadows, and a mystery to be solved.

Raising the Horseman by Serena Valentino – Available Now

Disney has been doing a delightful job of recontextualizing some of their most famous films recently. And their newest title takes on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow! Kat Van Tassel is sick of the legend that defines her family. But when her mother gifts her her namesake’s diary on a very special anniversary, Kat is suddenly dragged into the very past she’s desperate to ignore. Then, when a delightful new girl arrives to town, Kat suddenly has to reimagine her life, her history, and her love life while trying to solve a 200-hundred-year-old mystery to save the place she loves.

The Depths by Nicole Lesperance by Available Now

We’ve been getting a lot of great tropical horror recently and The Depths is another delightfully terrifying addition. When Addie’s mother drags her along to her secluded island honeymoon Addie couldn’t be less enthused. Eulalie Island seems like a paradise but Addie is lonely and tired. That is until she meets a mysterious boy who tells her the “island loves you” and suddenly Eulalie Island opens itself up to her. But behind the beautiful foliage and sandy beaches lie dark secrets connected to the deaths of two girls. 

Lucky Girl, How I Became a Horror Writer: A Krampus Story by M. Rickert – Available Now

If you can’t wait until Christmas but want to embrace the inherent spookiness of the season, make sure to add this to your to-read list. Lucky Girl, How I Became a Horror Writer: A Krampus Story takes place over the festive season as a lonely young writer, Ro, hopes to find companionship. After bumping into some strangers in a diner she organizes an impromptu dinner party which quickly becomes a stage from shared ghost stories. But stories have a certain power and at Christmas the veil between worlds is thinner than ever…

Valley of Shadows by Rudy Ruiz – Available September 20

This startling neo-Western blends the boundaries of horror, magical realism, and mystery. Solitario Cisneros’ life has been lost to tragedy. But when a savage series of killings begin to ravage his quiet life he has to reluctantly embrace the living once again. Finding unexpected inspiration and support from Onawa, a gifted and enchanting Apache-Mexican seer, the pair head into the desert. This genre-defying literary thriller delves deep into the dark past of the US Mexico border shining a light on the injustice, suffering, and isolation it’s built on. 

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling – Available September 20

Expanding the world of her charming witchy romance The Ex Hex, Erin Sterling returns to Graves Glen. It’s here we first met the founding Penhallows and Gwyn Jones. Cousin to the first book’s leading lady Vivi, Gwyn became a firm fan favorite and is now getting entangled with a new handsome Penhallow of her own. This time it’s Wells, the dutiful Penhallow son who has come home to set up shop in Graves Glen. But when a new band of witches arrives in town he’ll have to team up with Gwen. Don’t be surprised if some magical sparks fly. 

Demon in the Wood Graphic Novel by Leigh Bardugo and Dani Pendergast – Available September 27

If you know us here at Nerdist, then you know we love Shadow and Bone. Leigh Bardugo’s brilliant fantasy series has been delighting us for a decade and now she’s bringing the Darkling to comics. Adapting her prequel Demon in the Wood with artist Dani Pendergast this is an absolutely vital addition to the Shadow and Bone world and hopefully the first of many comic book stories set in the Grishaverse. Centering on the Darkling when he was just a boy, this tragic and beautiful story adds layers to the villain we know and the scared child he once was. 

Lute by Jenn Thorne – Available October 4

Final Destination meets The Wicker Man is this utterly enthralling folk horror story. Lute is the kind of book you’ll read in a single sitting. Lute takes its name from the small island where it’s set. Nina Treadway thought that The Day was nothing but a silly tradition when she first moved from Florida. Of course someone would have noticed if seven people died every seven years on the exact same day. But Nina is wrong. The Day is very real. Affecting, unexpected, and both terrifying and joyfu,l Lute is like nothing else you’ll read this year.

As a spooky season treat, Jenn Marie Thorne shared this exclusive insight into the story with Nerdist. “The origin of Lute is a mystery to even me. Sometimes my ideas come from news stories or events in my life, but in this case, the set-up for Lute simply popped into my head right before I fell asleep one night. Once I’d outlined the “what if,” though, bigger questions arose, ones that were definitely tied into what I was experiencing at the time, particularly as an American living in England, looking out at the shifting political landscape around me. I wanted to look at the personal choices we make when faced with fear—do we protect ourselves or embrace community? Often folk horror is about the perils of tradition, of the community over the individual. With Lute, I wanted to examine that more critically and turn it on its head.”

Malice House by Megan Shepherd – Available October 4 

There’s plenty of family-based horror on our list this spooky season and we’re eternally grateful. Excavating the horrors of home is fertile ground for genre and Malice House adds depth and darkness to a monstrously good tale. Haven Marbury wants nothing more than to be an artist, but the death of her father and a duty to clear out his rambling seaside home must be dealt with first. Uncovering a lost—and rather terrifying—manuscript by her Pulitzer-winning patriarch seems like the opportunity she needs but when the monsters from the pages begin to appear in her very real world, suddenly she has to rewrite everything she knows about herself and her life. 

Little Eve by Catriona Ward – Available October 11

Catriona Ward has firmly established herself as one of the best horror authors of our age with her novels Last House on Needless Street and Sundial. Little Eve focuses on another unusual family, this time living in an isolated area of Scotland during the early 1900s. This gothic novel already won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel and promises to be a delightfully gothic chiller about family, home, and the end of the world. 

Will Do Magic for Small Change by Andrea Hairston – Available October 11

Another perfectly timed rerelease is Andrea Hairston’s stunning historical fantasy Will Do Magic For Small Change. This epic family saga follows Cinnamon Jones, the granddaughter of famed performers and conjurers, Redwood and Wildfire. You may have read their tale in Hairston’s award-winning 2011 novel. If not, no worries as this is a wonderful novel in its own right and a great jumping on point. When Cinnamon is given a book about a Dahomean warrior woman and an interdimensional alien at the 1893 World’s Fair, she’s drawn into a centuries old mystery that she dedicates herself to solving alongside her theater troupe in this utterly unique tale. 

Black Paradox by Junji Ito – October 25

It wouldn’t be Halloween without Junji Ito and Viz has a gorgeous new edition of one of his most infamous stories. Four strangers meet on a strange website known as Black Paradox: a nurse, Maruso; Taburo, a man with a strange obsession; an engineer, Pit-tan who has created something terrible; and Baracchi, a woman devastated by a birthmark on her face. There, they plan to end their lives. But their chance encounter leads them to an unexpected fate. Ito is a master for a reason and this lengthy tale showcases exactly why he’s as beloved as he is.

The post 15 Awesomely Atmospheric Books to Read This Spooky Season appeared first on Nerdist.

The same story that’s always told simply gets told again, but now under the guise of representation. But the question remains, to whom are those stories appealing? In truth, no one. The normative populations that might reject queer stories reject the stories anyway. The queer populations who look for representation feel glad for the attempt but often find the stories lacking in the end. 

Sometimes, though, representative stories get told without true awareness of that representation. This is the case with the generally popular witch figure. Though there are surprisingly few queer witches in pop culture, the narrative of the witch is, almost definitionally, a queer one. 

Columbia Pictures/A24/Wicked

In this case, I use the word queer in its most diffuse form. There are many ways one can envision themselves as queer, be that through the lens of gender, sexuality, romantic affinity, or any other aspects of life that might put you on the queer spectrum. But queerness, though it has footholds in any one thing or another, reflects something about how one conducts their life. Would people who define themselves as not-queer raise a brow at any part of someone else’s existence? That, in my opinion, is enough to declare queerness. At its heart, the definition of the word is, after all, “strange; odd. Peculiar or curious.” In short, not the norm. 

The witch’s narrative role is to eschew and sometimes destabilize the hallmarks of normative life. Many witch symbols are inversions of a more “typical” traditional existence, especially for women. For example, they fly around on their broom instead of sweeping the floor. They make potions in their cauldrons instead of cooking in them. They are often childless and unmarried. And it is precisely the sum total of these facets which call to the queer audience. Because to hold magic, to be a witch, is to be other. 

This leads to a strange dichotomy. On the one hand, there are purposefully queer stories that fail to capture the otherness of being queer. On the other hand, there are witch narratives that capture this exact feeling, though unknowingly. Because of this ignorance, however, these stories also tend to fail queer audiences in other ways. Harnessing the latter narratives, reflecting on their lessons, and moving to tell them with a more purposeful aim could offer a key to unlocking greater meaning in our media.

An Eschewing of Norms

Disney

The popular narrative of the “Wicked Witch” highlights an interesting truth. Often, at the heart of wickedness is the idea that society, with its structure, order, and institutions, is good. Because how do we know what evil is? We look at what it opposes and understand that to be good. But when “good” equates to “normative,” then “evil” necessarily equates to “queer.” 

Two of the best examples of this phenomenon come in the guise of Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent and The Little Mermaid’s Ursula. Together, they stand in opposition to two of normative culture’s greatest bastions: birth and marriage. 

To be clear, many queer people desire marriage and children. The fight for marriage equality and parenting rights are among the fiercest battles queer people have ever fought (and are still fighting). And the wins in these areas are incredible. However, because of the difficulty of these fights, societally enforced shunning, and just the way queer culture has formed, these aspects do not always loom as specifically over queer partnerships as they do over non-queer ones. In more “normative” relationships, regardless of what the couples themselves want, the societal demand for these ideas exists. 

It is almost hilariously resonant that the sum of Sleeping Beauty equates to the following: Maleficent is not invited to a baby shower because Aurora’s parents deem her “inappropriate.” And then she throws a dramatic fit that lasts over a decade. (Even though she probably didn’t want to go anyway.) Or that Ursula feels much more concerned about her appearance in the mirror than the farce of marriage she plans to undergo. (Not to mention her drag queen inspiration.)

Both these witches are primarily interested in their pets, their power, and getting back at the people who have wronged them for their otherness. Both of them commit the cardinal sin of trying to interject themselves between the heroine and her more-or-less-a-stranger love interest. Wicked, truly. 

What could be more good, after all, than King Triton’s abusive destruction of Ariel’s property? Or Aurora’s birth betrothal and the desire of her father that she wed and have babies immediately? Or the way, even when King Triton does come around, Ariel gets literally hefted from her father to her husband? But what could be purer than birth? Or more important than marriage?

And though these are extreme examples, even in our modern-day society, similar cultural norms persist. And, in an attempt to extend relatability to a queer narrative, these norms often get pressed into purposefully queer stories. Even though it is precisely the shattering of them that appeals to queer audiences. 

For instance, in Happiest Season, one of the few lesbian Christmas movies around, the story revolves around a proposal. And often, examples of queerness introduced in larger properties such as Star Trek include depictions of the idyllic nuclear family. Except for this time, it’s queer. Again, these portrayals of queer people are also important. But their purpose is often to appeal to non-queer people’s prioritized norms. The “white picket fence existence,” which society has so long denied to queer people, gets trotted out in media to make queerness feel more palatable.

With that in mind, it’s no wonder Maleficent and Ursula are queer icons. 

Freedom from a Narrow View of the World

A24

In a different kind of witch tale, The Witch, Thomasin’s story also reads intensely queer. Beset by an abusively stubborn father, stringent religious fervor, isolation, and the perils of being a woman, Thomasin is bound in every sense of the word by her blood family. She is forced to think of herself as wicked and deserving of shame as she is sexualized by her brother, forced into starvation and loneliness by her father, and judged by her mother. Removed from all comfort, she dreams idly of laughter. Thomasin lives in the proverbial closet, always watched by the panopticon of her family. 

Meanwhile, the witches of this movie also partake in the same norm-breaking that Ursula and Maleficent introduce. They steal and kill babies, the most horrifying destruction of a normative union, mashing them up for their personal ends. They torment men. The witches leave no one who cleaves to any organized belief, in this case, primarily religious, untouched. In the end, only Thomasin remains standing. 

This movie is less clear in the way it invites us to view its witches. But from the perspective of a queer reading, they are undoubtedly the heroes. The found family (which we will dive into later) is an integral part of the queer existence. The rejection of blood family, an institution of normative culture, has been a common queer rite of passage. Even for those whose given families do not outright shun them, a difference in worldview often makes finding a family an integral piece of the queer experience.

Although some might feel horrified by the carnage that comes at the end of Thomasin’s tale, the sleep she falls into is not one of grief but of relief. A familiar relief that comes at the end of a very long trauma when one finally tastes freedom. 

“Wouldst thou like the taste of butter? A pretty dress? Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? Wouldst thou like to see the world?” The devil asks Thomasin. 

A normative audience might see madness in the final sequence, after death, destruction, and loss. But as Thomasin sheds her shift, and the restrictions of a world that would bind her, and enters the fray of euphoric women, a queer audience only hears… 

 “Wouldst thou like to be queer?” 

The Ways One Must Interact With Society

Wicked

Wicked tells a tale of two witches: Elphaba, The Wicked Witch, and Glinda The Good. And there is a lot about this narrative that reads supremely queer. For example, Elphaba and Glinda’s duets are tantamount to love songs, ranging from the passionate “Loathing” to the romantic “For Good.” 

The actual love story for both witches involves Fiyero, a literal strawman. A very “hand of God”-feeling character designed to make these witches’ narratives more normative. But despite this, the strong connection between Elphaba and Glinda makes up the heart of the musical. It is, after all, Glinda that Elphaba asks to run away with her at the moment of truth. 

But what queer people can recognize most involves the division set up between them. Elphaba steps into her power or queerness, while Glinda keeps her heart hidden to please the society she wishes would love her. 

Although she loves Elphaba she will not abscond from society for her. Elphaba, meanwhile, makes concerted choices to embrace herself, even if it means the derision of everyone around her. Elphaba is unable to stomach the cruelties of society and refuses to bend to its whims. To embrace herself and feel truly good, by her own measures, she must cast off the trappings of the world that won’t accept her. As Elphaba shrewdly notes in her defining song, “Defying Gravity, “And if I’m flying solo, at least I’m flying free.” Another evocation of the queer shedding of norms, society, and blood families. 

Glinda remains closeted in a fashion or at least allows the norms around her to reshape her. This feels similar to how pop culture seeks to reshape queer narratives into their most “familiar” forms. Elphaba accepts that she cannot live this way. 

What Wicked does successfully show is that there is no right way. Each queer person must do as they see fit with themselves. And one can only take the steps they are ready to take. Coming out to the world requires sacrifice, and being a “Wicked Witch” is a heavy burden. Expressing one’s self when queer is always a fraught proposition.

The story’s true villain is neither witch but instead normative society. This facet of the witch narrative mirrors the decisions queer people make every day. 

A Found Family

Columbia Pictures

The found family is central to the queer narrative and also to a witch’s story. What is a coven, after all, but a found family plus powers? And what queer found family doesn’t dream of a little of magic? It’s no coincidence that many queer units of this kind have, at one point or another, dabbled in real-world renditions of spellwork. 

One of the most well-known covens of all lives in The Craft. A witch story that is so queer until it’s not. 

More than anything else, queer relationships grow on intimacy. A shared perspective, shared pain, shared joy, and shared love. There’s a level of trust required to be your most authentic queer self with another person. Because however much you may love or trust someone, the possibility always exists that they will simply not accept you.

Before they call a circle, the women of The Craft take turns holding a knife to each other’s hearts, and allude to this idea, saying, “It is better that you should rush upon this blade than enter the circle with fear in your heart. How do you enter?” Only to hear the reply, “With perfect love and perfect trust.” Although it can feel scary to share, finding people with whom you can share, a friendship that shifts into family, is a gift like no other.

In The Craft, three girls rejected by their peers find their missing link, their number four, and unlock a special kind of magic. And this magic, but really, this friendship brings them something they sorely lacked: power. And through that power, they finally take their own agency into their hands in order to make their lives better. 

That’s the queer vision of the story, anyway. And, perhaps unknowingly, the first act of The Craft does tell it well, in both the original and the reboot’s versions of the tale. The original is grungier, while The Craft: Legacy feels cleaner around the edges. But regardless of which version resonates more, the narrative of four outcasts who delight in their otherness, who find love, acceptance, and found family in one other, escaping society into the welcoming arms of nature to hold hands in the forest and realize their strength, represents a queer experience that so many have lived. 

It’s a beautiful story.

Sony Pictures

The Craft also stands out for its representation of witches of color and other marginalized witches. Rochelle uses her magic to fight against the horrible racism levied her way. And the reboot’s Lourdes and Tabby are Latinx and Black witches, respectively. Lourdes is also a transgender witch, a sadly rare queer witch in pop culture. These powerful examples of non-white non-cis-female witches are important reminders that the witch and the queer narratives need to work hard to be more inclusive. Neither one can unlock their true meaning until they include everyone who should be able to find themselves in these tales. As Tai Gooden writes in her piece, “We Need More Stories About POC Witches”:

Depicting witches of color in an authentic way goes deeper than seeing a relatable face. It is a possible avenue for people of color to further curiosity about their ancestors’ beliefs and rituals that became known as witchcraft. It is a chance for those who practice various forms of witchcraft to be represented in a way that challenges preconceived notions and harmful stereotypes about their identity. And it can show the full scope of witches, which extends far beyond White cishet women.

This holds true for witches, and it holds true for depictions of queerness. 

Consequences 

Wicked/Columbia Pictures/Disney

But unfortunately, something that every one of these witch narratives gets unwittingly right about the queer experience, for all the wrong reasons, are the consequences that come for witches who step into their power. Due to often misogynistic and sometimes queerphobic perspectives, witches almost always get punished for daring to be themselves, both by the narrative and the authors. (Writers, by the way, should watch out for this facet of the story and prevent it in future witch tales. And when learning about queer narratives from witch stories, creators should also leave this one out.)

Wicked Witches like Ursula and Maleficent are often felled for their fight against the status quo. And even more often, they are felled by cishet white men (and complicit women) who aren’t competent. And more disturbingly, they are often cut down in phallic ways at the height of their power: Ursula by a ship’s mast to her childless stomach (read: uterus) and Maleficent by a sword to her empty chest. In the former tale, it’s dumb luck that gives Prince Eric the edge. In the latter, it’s arguably only the power of other witches, termed fairies, who are seen as good because they have given themselves to domesticity. (Although, they too are punished the second they dare bring out their powers for selfish aims.) 

In Wicked, no matter if you relate more to Elphaba or Glinda, there exists no true happiness or goodness for you. Narratively, although Wicked complicates many things, Elphaba remains “The Wicked Witch.” By the time the movie shifts into its last act, she has given in to rage and power-lust. Although she “repents” in time for the healing touch of heterosexual love, she still takes up the narratively evil position for owning her strength. Meanwhile, Glinda, though she has given her whole self to society, remains lonely and lost. Allowing Glinda and Elphaba to run away together could have offered the obviously best ending.

Though Thomasin’s story ends happier than most, from where queer people sit, had the narrative known it was telling a queer story, it could have engaged more with a happy ending for her. Though she joins a group of women in the forest, she is not welcomed or embraced by them as she ought to have been. Additionally, giving the devil the form of a man adds an edge of menace to the otherwise triumphant moment. There’s still a note of, “Has Thomasin traded one authoritarian, paternalistic figure for another?” If Satan had been a woman, the ending would have been exactly right. 

Finally, the first half of The Craft reads like a formative queer daydream. But the other shoe must drop. After its first act, The Craft takes a sharp turn and turns the joy of its first act into a cautionary tale about wanting and taking too much for yourself. The initial wonder of both the original and the reboot evaporates before the witches or audience can fully grasp it. The women become the villains of their own story, having dared to seek justice and peace for themselves. Having dared to step into their own power. For this, they must be punished.

For those who are marginalized in any way, being told that they are wicked and that their fight for themselves is on par with the struggle of those who hate them is a reality. But this is a poor story to tell. Especially in the case of Rochelle’s spell against her racist bully, the idea that the consequences should come back around to her, or that she should feel any pity for her abuser, reveals that the narrative went wholly astray. 

In the original, The Craft concludes with the destruction of the found family and punishment for most of its members. There’s a distinct note of: Wouldn’t it have been better for them if they just conformed all along? It feels important to add that the final image of Nancy Downs imprisoned in a mental institution reads homophobic and misogynistic in a way that would require another article to fully analyze.

Even in the reboot, which tries to correct some of these errors, there still comes a moment where the idea of ridding someone of their misogyny gets termed “not consensual.” A gross misuse of the word. After this moment, the witches conclude they should bind their powers because they have been too irresponsible with them. And at the end of the story, it isn’t clear whether they give up their abilities or not. But why should the witch have to lose their magic? Why is the witch’s level of responsibility the issue and not the cruelty itself? 

In its focus on the consequences, though an apt reflection of a queer person’s experience with society, the narrative of the witch so often fails its queer audience. Where, in being a queer story that doesn’t know it’s queer, it simply falls short.

What We Can Learn from The Witch

Disney/Sony Pictures/Wicked/Columbia Pictures/A24

At the end of The Witch, in the glimmers of the lives Ursula and Maleficent lead, in Elphaba’s defiance, in the joy the first half of The Craft delivers, and in many other witch narratives, lives something incredible. These witch stories often speak far more powerfully to the queer audience than the other mainstream narratives they are allowed. Rom-coms about engagements, glimpses of girl bosses, and the always the momentary cameo of a family all fall short in the face of a norm-breaking, powerful coven.

Though pop culture presents witches as evil most of the time, they often represent a queer person’s dream life. But this representation generally comes not because the narrative seeks to tell a queer story but because queer people can recognize their stories when they see them.

From this, we can take away that there’s no such thing as “reading yourself into the narrative,” but instead, that the narrative should reconsider what story it tells. It’s worth celebrating the resonance that witch characters have to queer audiences, but essential to keep an eye on the intent of these stories. From the kind of bonds queer people seek to the ways they must engage with society to the freedoms they desire and values they hold, we can learn much from the queer appeal of the witch both inside witch narratives and out. 

The post Why the Witch Calls to the Queer Audience appeared first on Nerdist.

Warner Bros./The CW/Netflix/ABC/Paramount Pictures

Early Depictions of Witches and Witchcraft 

Most early depictions of witches framed them as possessing malevolent energy. In fact a lot of early writings on witches and witchcraft were downright menacing and certainly helped stoke fear of anything unexplained or deemed unnatural. There’s, of course, the Bible, and then Malleus Maleficarum, a medieval book seen as the de facto manual on witchcraft and its heretic nature. It was written by a pair of German Domenicans so it certainly had ties to the church but its popularity extended far beyond the church—and even surpassed the Bible in popularity for a time. 

Then, of course, there were the mythological sorceresses, including Circe, Hecate, and Morgan le Fay, who while not initially presented as evil in some cases, generally saw their stories descend into tales of duplicitousness and cruelty. While we can look back fondly on their scheming ways, for centuries they were best remembered (mostly by men) as unnatural cautionary figures. Even Shakespeare, who lived during a time of deep fear of witchcraft, got in on the trend. The Three Witches of Macbeth exist as a menacing force, even if they’re not remotely the only villains in that particular play.

Still, it was up through the turn of the 20th century where the first major rumblings of non-threatening—or outright “good” witches—appeared in media and literature. Usually alongside a classically evil witch. Most famously L. Frank Baum’s novel The Wizard of Oz and its famous 1939 film adaptation. But the latter half of the century and certainly through the present, depictions of witches, especially specifically non-scary witches, are certainly broader. With, naturally, a broader gradient between good and evil, leaving a lot of room in-between. 

However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t parameters. In fact, among the broad depictions of witches over the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st, there are a handful of characteristics and tropes that encapsulate them all. 

Pop Culture Witches’ Real World Roots

Many modern pop culture witches can generally trace their roots back through real historical events. In America, they often descend from the witches of Salem, our most noted—though certainly not singular—instance of witchcraft persecution. Among the many pop culture witches whose roots lie around that infamous period in history are Samantha Stephens in the sitcom Bewitched, Bonnie Bennett in The Vampire Diaries, Morticia Addams in The Addams Family, and Spellmans in multiple TV iterations of Sabrina (to varying specificities). Their ancestors—or in some cases, their younger selves—made their homes in Salem, their families fleeing during the trials. Even Agatha Harkness has roots in Salem. 

The CW

Whether they’re tangentially connected to the witch trials or overtly, both have an overlapping trait: there were witches in Salem. Weaving the real-world events into a fictional narrative certainly adds context and depicting the superstitions and fears of witchcraft in history is necessary. However, there’s an unsettling side effect. It lends an ounce of retroactive credibility to the witch hunters. It’s sort of a two-fold conundrum, because it makes sense to use the era as a jumping off point but it also overlooks the victims, killed by fear mongering puritans presiding over sham trials. The recent horror trilogy Fear Street actually circumvented this trope by making the accused witch in question actually innocent, reminding viewers of the horrific reality of the trials.

It’s telling that Salem specifically lies at the root of so many pop culture witches. Witchcraft is such a diverse study and the practice is intertwined with so many cultures and lore. There are variations of witchcraft and mysticism all over the world. However, so much of what we see depicted in media are that of cis, white, able-bodied women. The depiction of “good” witches in the media often pushes against the centuries-long view of witchcraft as a sinister, evil practice. A force to be defeated. Witches are not a homogenous group—there are so many ways to practice witchcraft. But still, with the same white creators, using the same historical backdrop to tell their stories, we’re not examining the beauty of witchcraft in all its forms. Furthermore, it consistently puts a white face to the “good” witch.

ABC

The Town Eccentrics

In most depictions of modern witchcraft, good witches live in our midst with their true powers (mostly) hidden. This largely goes hand in hand with the aforementioned real-life history of witch trials. And the general fear of things deemed unnatural or odd. They are shrouded in secrecy, living among non-magical beings. The secrecy is often more or less an informal arrangement between a coven or magical family. But sometimes the rules are a bit more stringent. In Harry Potter, for instance, the quest to remain hidden goes all the way to the top, with strict secrecy laws in place by the magical governing body. 

As such, attempts to stay under the radar are largely imperfect. A magical slip-up here and there. One member of the family wholly ignoring the secrecy pact. And thus, witches attempting to live incognito as regular humans are usually deemed eccentric by their communities. As, of course, their house is full of strange happenings. In Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the Spellmans run a funeral home, which is the perfect cover for their spooky, gothic vibe in town. That they’re a family of witches is not generally public knowledge in Greendale. But still, in the Netflix series—though slightly less so in ‘90s sitcom—there are plenty of humans in on the secret. 

But, generally, witches attempting to blend into their non-magical communities aren’t the most seamless at it. More often, a witch living a non-magical life is noted for their eccentricities. Sometimes, they fully embrace said reputation. Such as beloved Practical Magic aunts, Franny and Jet Owens. Others, like the Cromwells in Halloweentown or Samantha Stephens in Bewitched, make a more concerted, if not wholly successful effort to keep their magical powers under wraps. 

Warner Bros.

And then, of course, there are the strictly magical communities. In Harry Potter, most witches and wizards live among non-magical folks. But several strictly magical communities appear throughout the series, giving just a glimpse of normal magical life. Ditto in Halloweentown, in which the family matriarch, Agatha Cromwell, resides in the titular town full of monsters and magic, and for whom not using magic is a perplexing arrangement.

Magical Education

Given the secrecy surrounding witches’ existence, it’s a given that education is a vital element. As untrained witches would certainly pose a threat. Magical education is largely divided into two camps: learning at home or at formal magical educational institutions. In Harry Potter and in The Magicians, those with magical powers attend an actual school. The former is a magical secondary school, whereas the latter is more of a grad school for magicians (a.k.a. those with magical powers). In both the Sabrina sitcom and Netflix show, the titular teen initial witch’s education is mostly through lessons with her aunts. Although in the Netflix series she does receive a more formalized education after she turns 16 and chooses that path.

Netflix

However, more often, witchiness is an inherited trait and therefore full of traditions passed down through generations. For Sally and Gillian Owens in Practical Magic, it appears most of their magical training is from their aunts over the course of their childhood. Likewise, while eventually introducing a magical school, Wizards of Waverly Place mostly used the after school lessons method to teach magic. And in both iterations of Charmed, a magical mentor called a Whitelighter guides the Halliwell sisters—and more recently, the Veras—through their magical studies.

The two teaching methods highlight the distinction between magic’s role in their respective worlds. The formalized education strictly points to the set of rules and regulations within the magical community. Whereas the informal training, through magical elders and the like, represents magic as part of a way of life. And not the foundation for which there is a strict set of rules. Magical oversight may exist in both but the former points to it more severely.

The fear of witchcraft persists all over the world; not just 17th century New England. Sure these modern pop culture witches are fictional, but normalizing the idea of the good witch in a variety of mediums—in TV shows, movies, books—directly combats centuries of stigma against witchcraft and mysticism. There are still leagues to go in depicting witchcraft in its full diverse practice. But seeing witches as forces for good—or, at the very least, incredibly nuanced people—better represents witchcraft as a spiritual way of life. It pushes back on the idea that witchcraft is inherently evil or something to fear. Sometimes witches are just people who want to drink a bunch of midnight margaritas and maybe break a family curse.

The post Exploring the Tropes of the Modern Day Good Witch in Pop Culture appeared first on Nerdist.

Once upon a time, I was a little girl surrounded by eccentric single women. My paternal grandmother got divorced before I was born, and two of her sisters were spinsters as well. I lost my mother quite young, and so my extended relatives raised me and my younger sister. I loved and appreciated all of their efforts, but now—as a grown woman reflecting—I miss those kooky single aunts most of all.

Together, we got into trouble. They encouraged dessert eating at odd hours, loud outerwear, and pranks played on unsuspecting bystanders. (We once put whoopee cushions under seats at a movie theater and cackled at the chorus of toots as the lights went down.) Halloween was holier than Christmas. One aunt taught me the trick to her vitality: She wore a mask and went trick-or-treating every October 31st. She was in her 50s.

Warner Bros.

They are all long gone, but I am reminded of them every time I revisit Practical Magic, one of my favorite movies. (Based on the novel of the same name by Alice Hoffman.) My trick-or-treating Aunt Nancy showed me the film at a young age, and it left an indelible mark. The beautiful East Coast home near the water. Black cats slinking through ankles. That gorgeous kitchen and adjoining greenhouse where potions bubbled to life and midnight margaritas overflowed. As a kid, I loved the story of Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman), two orphaned sisters who move in with their aunts and reconcile with the fact that they’re witches. It was the ultimate fantasy. I, too, was lacking my real parents. And I, too, dreamed of secret generational promises. I wanted so desperately to be a witch.

But these days, I watch Practical Magic through a different set of eyes. These days, I see myself in the aunts most of all. Jet (Dianne Wiest) and Frances (Stockard Channing) take the girls into their home, that aforementioned East Coast home that is alive with imagination. It is light and majestic and surrounded by nature. The aunts live out an idyllic life in their home, casting spells for local women, making potions in the greenhouse, drinking wine, and eating cake on the lawn. And best of all, there are no men in sight.

I never had “normal” aspirations as a child. Never dreamed of my wedding day. Had no interest in being a mother. As I grow older, I’m at times insecure that I’m in my 30s and single and childless. But it’s not that I haven’t met “the one” or that I’m awkward and uncomfortable in romantic situations. On the contrary, I’ve had many relationships and romances. But I never felt compelled to make them last. I’m simply uninterested in that, and always have been. I prefer my own company and schedule. And that shouldn’t be “odd” or “bad” or “abnormal.” It’s simply who I am and what I like, and I’d like to be respected for my choices the same way I respect and love my married friends.

Still, I feel insecure when I explain my age and living situation to strangers. I wish I didn’t, but it’s the reality of navigating life as a single woman of a certain age in this society. That’s why I love Practical Magic a little extra. Because it provides a solid example of older single women living a fabulous and fulfilling life. Jet and Frances have family and love all around them. They travel with their coven and dance naked under the full moon. The townspeople fear them and judge them, but they don’t mind at all. In fact, they delight in it. After all, as Frances tells Sally: “My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage.”

Warner Bros.

There’s so much to love about Practical Magic. And there’s a reason it has found a new audience in recent years. It’s a movie about female empowerment and connectedness. It’s cozy and inviting, and also spooky and a bit sinister. Sally learns to accept her power, Gillian learns to stop chasing hers, and the two find freedom in their sisterhood. Something they learned and upheld from their beloved aunts.

I have my own kooky single aunts to thank for some of my favorite parts about myself. My love of antiques and old houses. The boxes of jewelry I inherited from them; bulbous stone rings and droopy earrings and beaded necklaces. The desire to prank snotty children in public spaces. A devious sense of humor that finds the funny in every grim situation. But most of all, the strength and self-fulfillment that come from moving through life on my own and in my own way. And for showing me Practical Magic, which comforts me in their absence as I continue down my path.

The post The PRACTICAL MAGIC Aunts Are the Perfect Spinster Role Models appeared first on Nerdist.

Unfortunately, the portrayal of Black witches tends to follow the stigmatizing elements of this trope. But, when you think of those who steer clear of this pitfall, one iconic character who comes to mind is Angela Bassett’s Marie Laveau from American Horror Story: Coven. The third season of Ryan Murphy’s critically acclaimed anthology series brought audiences to Louisiana with a story full of witches, ghosts, and serial killers. Viewers initially followed a private school of witches in New Orleans. But the story became entrenched in a battle of magical forces: the coven versus the voodoo practitioners of Marie Laveau.

Based on the actual Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Bassett’s Marie Laveau was a powerful voodoo practitioner and community leader in New Orleans. A shrewd entrepreneur, her work extended beyond personal gain. From the American slavery era to Jim Crow to the present-day, she used her abilities to uplift and protect the New Orleans’ Black residents. Although not on the friendliest of terms, Marie also created a truce between her voodoo practitioners and the witches in the city. 

Her focus was to protect her community and seek revenge against those who dared to threaten it. Based on how she gave multiple AHS: Coven characters a run for their money, she did a good job. Whether it was through raising hordes of zombies, creating powerful potions, or simply using her charisma, Marie Laveau was a force to be reckoned with. Interestingly, she’s often painted as a villain. But her moral compass ultimately leaned towards keeping her community safe. This is a woman who recognizes her power and intelligence and isn’t afraid to use them. Her “by any means necessary” mentality kept her and her fellow practitioners protected. In the very end, she brought hell to her enemies. And it was glorious. 

Unlike many magical Black characters, she did not use her abilities at the expense of her well-being. And she certainly would not make a sacrifice for her white counterparts. In “The Replacements,” Marie is asked by Cordelia Goode (Sarah Paulson), daughter of the reigning Witch Supreme, Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange), to perform a fertility spell. Marie laughs at the thought of ever helping her or Fiona’s fellow witches. 

This is a far cry from the Black witches whose narratives are built around protecting white leads. Black witch portrayals prior to and after Bassett’s award-nominated take on Marie Laveau seldom do this. Witches like Bonnie Bennett (and her grandmother) from The Vampire Diaries consistently showcase their increasingly powerful abilities. Still, they lose everything to protect mostly white protagonists.

Viola Davis’ Amarie “Amma” Treadeau in Beautiful Creatures did not have to sacrifice herself as she does in the book series; however, she’s a conduit of wisdom and guidance to the white main characters. Within the book, her character is the nanny to Ethan Wate. An amalgamation of her book character and a librarian, Amma is the keeper of caster knowledge. Unfortunately, she isn’t developed beyond fulfilling a caretaker role within the film.

The recent Chilling Adventures of Sabrina delivers a bevy of Black witches. Rosalind is a conduit for what she calls “the cunning,” Marie LaFleur is a voodoo practitioner, and Prudence and Ambrose dish out powerful spells as a witch and warlock, respectively. But even Rosalind and Ambrose fall prey to providing wisdom and sacrificing their needs for their white counterparts.

FX Networks

Granted, nothing is above critique. As great as Bassett’s rendition of Marie was, there is also room to explore Black witches beyond the parameters of voodoo. We see this in exceptions like Rochelle and Tabby from The Craft and The Craft: Legacy. Fringilla in The Witcher, Prudence in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Abigail in Motherland: Fort Salem, and even in Gabourey Sidibe’s Queenie in American Horror Story: Coven all deliver magical Black witches who aren’t aligned with voodoo.

Their sources of power vary and they do not always use it for ill intentions. It is a reflection of the multitudes that Black people can be, something we need more of in media. If only everyone could follow Kasi Lemmon’s film Eve’s Bayou, which shows witches with a wide range of personalities and motivations.

Angela Bassett’s rendition of Marie Laveau was an entryway into how we can imagine Black witches onscreen. Perhaps one day we will see them running their own covens or working solo, having flaws, and not sacrificing themselves for others’ sake. The door is wide open so let more Laveau-like witches enter.

The post AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN’s Marie Laveau Is a Supreme Witch appeared first on Nerdist.

The costume, which we first saw at The Mary Sue, clocks in at seven feet tall and features four of the chocolate-covered wafers. And it comes with a magnetic wrapper because, you know, the brand’s gotta stay strong.

KIT KAT

Now, here’s the real kicker. You can rock the costume in the classic four-piece set. Or break apart and pair off. But worry not, KIT KAT isn’t concerned if you stay together or split—after all, a KIT KAT is a KIT KAT. 

“Group costumes can be really hard to choose when you have so many people that need to agree, but luckily everyone loves and can agree on KIT KAT,” said Benita Chang-Godoy, Senior Brand Manager of KIT KAT. “It’s time to bring the perfect four-person Halloween costume that is a show-stopper to wear together but also really fun to break apart.”

KIT KAT

In order to enter, just tag a trio of palls you’d want to rock the KIT KAT costume with on the brand’s official Instagram or Facebook pages. The contest began on October 24, and runs until the end of October 27. So KIT KAT is really coming in under the wire here with this costume. Check out the full contest rules and maybe snag a KIT KAT for good luck.

The post KIT KAT Made a Group Costume with an Exit Plan appeared first on Nerdist.

‘Tis the season to be spooky! Yes, Nerdoween is here and we’re ready to help you find the best ways to celebrate. One of our favorite Fall activities is to curl up with a good book. Luckily, there are plenty of those that fit the bill. We’ve covered some of our fave recent horror novels, as well as romance and even books you can read for free. But this list is all about that wonderful witchcraft. From cozy YA to haunting historical fiction all the way through a cute graphic novel about witches, there’s something for every kind of witch.

Edie In Between by Laura Sibson

Penguin Random House

If you’re a fan of Practical Magic, then this witchy book is for you. Edie in Between is a sweet contemporary tale of witches, family, and finding yourself. It all starts when Edie’s mother dies, upending her life in Baltimore and sending her to live on her grandma’s houseboat in the small marina town of Cedar Branch. Here, she’ll find the connection to family that she never had as she realizes her magical roots can’t be trimmed. And when she unearths a dark old secret, she’ll use everything she has to save her loved ones.

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

Simon & Schuster

Speaking of Practical Magic, it’s the perfect time to pick up the third book in the beloved Owen family saga. The fourth and final entry into the decades-long tale, The Book of Magic, hits shelves in October, so what better reason to pick up Hoffman’s most recent Owen sisters novel. Magic Lessons is a great jumping-on point for new readers because it’s a prequel. Tracing the curse that haunts the Owen sisters back hundreds of years, this is a bewitching family saga that begins in 1600s Salem where a young woman feels the pain of unrequited love and sets her family on a path that will change their lives forever.

The Year of Witching by Alexis Henderson

Ace

If you’re looking for a darker thrilling read, The Year of Witching is a must. Immanuelle Moore has lived a life defined by a mistake she never made. In the puritanical community of Bethel, her mother’s union with a man of a different race has set the pair apart. As she tries to live a submissive, pious life, Immanuelle feels herself drawn to the woods that surround Bethel, and once she enters them her life is changed forever. See, the problem with Bethel isn’t the witches that the Prophet killed but the Prophet and his church. And only Immanuelle has the power and knows the truth that can save her home. Powerful stuff.

Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

HarperTeen

Want a little bit of Killing Eve cat-and-mouse in your witch tale? Then Witches Steeped in Gold is made for you. Iraya has spent her life as a prisoner and wants nothing more than freedom… except revenge. Jazmyne is a princess but her station promises nothing other than death. Together, these two witches are going to have to make a dangerous pact in order to save themselves and take down the fearsome power that threatens them both! Engaging, immersive, and drenched in tension you could cut yourself on, you’ll be thinking about this Jamaican-inspired fantasy for days after you turn that final page.

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Sourcebooks Fire

In this brilliant fantasy novel, Tea accidentally brings her brother back from the dead. She’s a witch so it’s not too surprising that she has powers, but this specific power set means she’s a Bone Witch. This subset of witches is feared by their community and often ostracized. Luckily, Tea finds a mentor in an older Bone Witch and together they embark on an unbelievable journey. Her path leads Tea to embrace her powers, but as nefarious threats rise she’ll have to make an incredibly hard choice. This is one to lose yourself in!

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Swoon Reads

We’re huge fans of this gorgeous and emotionally driven supernatural romance here at Nerdist. You might have even read along with us as part of Nerdist Book Club! If not, the story goes like this: Yadriel, a young trans boy wants nothing more than for his family to recognize him as a brujo. In his struggle to get them to accept him and his wishes, he inadvertently resurrects a dangerous spirit. While it seems like a simple mistake, it soon becomes much more when the spirit decides he wants Yadriel’s help. But like any unexpected partnership, the longer they stay together the less they want to part…

The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Haunted by the recent death of her brother, Frances is struggling to keep her job as a seamstress in 1911 New York. Her already crumbling world is thrown upside down when she wakes up next to her boss. Sadly, he’s dead with her scissors in his neck. Before she can come to terms with what she’s done or pay for her crime, she’s whisked away to Haxahaven Sanitarium. But all is not what it seems. The Sanitarium is actually a school for witches, and Frances is there to learn her craft. Soon, answers about her brother’s untimely death are offered. But is the price worth paying? Frances will have to choose for herself…

Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

Wednesday Books

The haunting gothic of Jane Eyre gets transported to the vast deserts of Ethiopia in this stunning horror tale inspired by Charlotte Brönte’s classic novel. Blackwood does a great job building out her own lore, impressive magic system, and more here. Andromeda is an exorcist who is hired by Magnus Rochester to cleanse his home. But this is a job like no other, and as she enters she realizes she might never leave. An inventive, original, and legitimately scary debut, this is a must for fans of witchcraft, horror, and romance.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Clune

‎ Tor Books

While this book doesn’t technically include any witches, it still feels very witchy. It’s also one of the loveliest stories that we’ve read in a long time. Linus Baker is a lonely man. He lives a solitary life as a caseworker keeping an eye on magical children in their government-assigned care homes. But his dystopian existence is turned upside down when he gets assigned a new case. The magical home of Arthur Parnassus is filled with some of the most powerful and unique children Linus has ever met, but his higher ups are afraid of the idyllic hideaway and those who live there. This is an unbelievable yarn about love, found family, and home.

Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama

Kodansha

It’s the perfect time to pick up one of our favorite current manga series. Witch Hat Atelier is nothing short of absolutely magical. Coco is a delightful daydreamer who wants nothing more than to understand the magic that is present in her world. After a true witch comes to her mother’s fabric shop, Coco learns the secret behind magic and changes her world forever. Shirahama has crafted one of the best comics in decades with this immersive magical tale of inner-power and fantastical magic worlds. Make sure you’re reading this and the other witchy books listed here!

Featured Image: Penguin Random House, Ace, Wednesday Books

The post 10 Contemporary Witchy Reads for a Magical Spooky Season appeared first on Nerdist.

Thus begins the folk horror western The Wind, from director Emma Tammi and writer Teresa Sutherland. A Midnight Madness selection of the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, Tammi and Sutherland’s film uses genre tropes to explore a phenomenon known as prairie madness. Anyone who has read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 1943 autobiographical novel These Happy Golden Years is at least somewhat familiar with the term. 

IFC Midnight

Prairie madness arose mostly in the wake of the Homestead Act of 1862, which promised settlers 160 acres of land—mostly on marginal land in the Great Plains—if they could live on it and make a decent farm within five years. Most of these farms were at least half a mile apart from each other. But many were a great deal more isolated. The work was brutal, the land unforgiving. Like one character utters in the film, “This place is wrong. We’re not supposed to be here.”

Although the film shares its name with the 1928 silent film starring Lilian Gish, based on the 1925 book of the same name by Dorothy Scarborough, the only attributes they share are the isolation and the unrelenting ferocity of the wind. Sutherland attributes her fascination with the prairie wind to her time living in Kansas. Working in a community garden the old women would tell stories of settlers driven mad by the loud winds. The screenwriter researched the phenomenon by reading the diaries of settlers. 

Transforming her research into a psychological portrait of four such settlers, in The Wind we follow Lizzy Macklin (Caitlin Gerard) and her husband Isaac (Ashley Zukerman) as their relationship unravels after a younger couple Emma (Julia Goldani Telles) and Gideon Harper (Dylan McTee) begin occupying the cabin nearest to their homestead. Told in a non-linear fashion, we slowly discover what led up to Lizzy’s blood-soaked introduction in the stirring opening sequence. 

IFC Midnight

Through her screenplay, Sutherland not only unpacks how isolation caused prairie madness, but also threads in many factors that caused women to be more susceptible. There’s mourning, as we see in flashbacks that Lizzy lost a child during birth in their first year on their homestead. Immigration, as Lizzy explains she was brought over from Germany as a child and often speaks German when stressed. And then there’s jealousy as the young Emma crushes on Isaac, who she views as much stronger than her own husband. All of this is heightened by the land, which Emma laments to Lizzy that it “plays tricks on your mind.”

Sutherland’s script also explores the fine line between religion and folklore. Early on we see Emma reading from a mysterious pamphlet. Later she taunts Lizzy by reciting the names of demons. Mara, The damner of souls. Succorbenoth, Bringer of jealous thoughts. Abbadon, The destroyer. Babael, Keeper of graves. Towards the end of the film, it’s revealed that this pamphlet was a religious tract given to both women by a reverend when they each first settled in the area. 

Entitled Demons of the Prairie, the tract lists out 15 demons, most of which find their origins in the early Bible and other ancient religions. Director Tammi confirmed that while the demons are mostly real, the pamphlet with its striking cover featuring a black boney demon, with gangly limbs, oversized hands with claws, horns and pointed ears, eyes blazing yellow was a fabrication. 

IFC Midnight

Although religious tracts pre-date the printing press, they became more common after its invention and were used frequently by Martin Luther. Political and religious tracts rose in popularity in the 1800s, with missionary-based groups like the Mormon church and Jehovah’s Witnesses still passing out literature in this manner today. 

For much of the early white settlements in the American West, trading posts were an integral hub. They served as general stores, banks, post offices, and community centers. They were also where many writers at the time distributed pamphlets that ranged in subject from environmental observations to historical reporting. Local pamphlets collecting American folklore continued well into the 20th century. There’s even a resurgence today with projects like Ken Layne’s Desert Oracle that collects folklore and legends of the American desert or the Islandia Journal which seeks to do the same for the myths, folklore, cryptozoology, and more of Florida & the Caribbean.

The descriptors of demons listed in Demons of the Prairie eventually manifest in the behavior of both Emma and Lizzy, as they each succumb to variations of prairie madness. Mara damns their souls by twisting both of their minds. Succorbenoth plants jealous thoughts that disrupt their marital beds. Abbadon destroys the peaceful lives the foursome had been working towards. Babael keeps Lizzy’s mind forever on the grave of her stillborn son, the shadow of which colors the film from the very first frame. 

IFC Midnight

With their film The Wind, Tammi and Sutherland join a long line of women telling tales of women in the American West. From Willa Cather, whose novels O Pioneers! and My Ántonia defined our collective idea of the Great Plains, to Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose Little House series idealized the American pioneer spirit. By fusing the everyday horror embedded in the stories these writers popularized with the aesthetics and psychology of films like Rosemary’s Baby, the filmmakers have crafted an unforgettable piece of folk horror that will linger on your mind, like a relentless prairie wind. 

The post THE WIND Uses Folk Horror in an American Prairie Western appeared first on Nerdist.

20th Century Studios

Evil Willow Peeks Out

Despite Willow combatting magic addiction and that darkness inside her in the final season, it leapt out in “Selfless.” While trying to protect a girl and herself from a spider monster that takes hearts, Willow gets fed up with the girl’s mewling. We see black-eyed Willow return as Willow orders, “For God’s sake, shut your whimpering mouth!” As Halfrek states, there are fans of Willow’s “water cooler vengeance,” and I am one of them.

Don’t F*** with Me

Willow was not to be trifled with in season six. The writing was on the wall when she threatened Giles in “Flooded” after he admonishes her for using magic to resurrect Buffy and calls her a “rank, arrogant amateur.” When Willow cautions, “The magics I used are very powerful. I’m very powerful, and maybe it’s not such a good idea for you to piss me off,” it was a WTF moment for the ages that the show revisits later.

“Buckle Up, Rupert”

20th Century Studios

And here is when Willow is more than ready to unleash her rage. Willow had iconic dialogue in season six—I mean “bored now” when she flays Warren and “get off super-bitch” are also unforgettable—but the scene in “Grave” when Giles returns to stop evil Willow takes the cake. Not only does Willow call him irrelevant, but she reminds Giles of when he called her a “rank, arrogant, amateur” and tells him, “well buckle up, Rupert… cause I’ve turned pro.” Willow, good or bad, is stunning, and her clapbacks—superior.

Battling a God

Season five marks the first time we see black-eyed Willow as she lays the smackdown on Glory. In “Tough Love,” the god from a hell dimension feasts on parts of Tara’s brain, leaving Tara insane. Willow ain’t letting that slide. Though Willow only has a few years of magical experience under her belt, she makes Glory cry out in pain. Although Buffy has to rescue Willow as her strength wanes, Willow still flexed her skills. I mean, she had lightning shooting out of her hands!

“She’s with Me”

20th Century Studios

If there’s one thing about Willow, she will dish payback at the opportune moments. In “The Gift,” Willow finally found a way to help Tara by dipping her hands in Tara and Glory’s brains to take back what Glory stole. That already weakens Glory for her upcoming battle with Buffy. All I know is I’d want Willow in my corner every single time. Willow and Tara’s dialogue and embrace after is beautiful.

“Hush”

Season four featured a lot of Willow moments to choose from: her “will be done” spell gone awry, her choosing Tara after Oz’s return. But the moment in “Hush” when Willow and Tara’s connection is so powerful they’re able to move a vending machine tops it. The entire scene has passion, confusion, and uncertainty as their eyes and hands meet. Magic and love? The best combination! Willow and Tara remain goals.

No More Snuggles with Vampire Willow

Being a fan of Willow made this episode even better because we got two Willows! Willow was the best vampire in the series. The entire episode of “Doppelgängland” in season three was hysterical. Willow fans will notice the vampire Willow’s “bored now” turns up with evil Willow in a later season. The best moment is regular Willow in the vampire Willow’s attire. “I’m a blood-sucking fiend. Look at my outfit!” I almost fell out my chair. Though “I think I’m kinda gay” is a beloved runner-up, and “what do I want with you” was hilarious, and “I’m all fuzzy” and…

“Phases”

20th Century Studios

This episode in season two gives us the first long-term relationship for Willow. Not only were Willow and Oz adorable together, but their quirky banter at the end of the episode was goals at the time. Willow accepts Oz, werewolf and all, pointing out that “three days out of the month [she’s] not much fun to be around either.” Aww, their young love was the best from the entire group’s high school days.

“Deliver”

This is the moment I joined team Willow. Despite Willow’s self-deprecating, insecure nature, she demonstrated spunk in Willow fashion. In “The Harvest” episode in the first season, after Cordelia gossips about Buffy in class, Willow tries to defend Buffy and receives a verbal lashing from Cordelia. But Willow gets the final word, and laugh, when Cordelia wonders what key to hit to save her work in computer class, to which Willow simply replies, “Deliver.”

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Right now, Amazon Prime Video has one of the best shows ever made. A show you might know nothing about. Six episodes of utter comedy perfection that only recently became available to stream in the United States for the first time. A cult classic that devoted fans like myself learned about years ago because the biggest comedy nerd in our lives had bootleg copies they rightfully demanded we watch. Now, as a loyal and dedicated admirer of the series and its stars, it’s time for me to pay it forward and demand you do the same. Because Halloween is the perfect time for you to finally watch Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace.

Channel 4

The one and only season of Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace aired on Britain’s Channel 4 in early 2004. Co-created by Richard Ayoade and Matthew Holness—who also wrote and starred on the show—the series is a horror parody. While you can (and should) watch it any time of year, the spooky season is an ideal time for your first viewing. But the show has plenty more targets besides horror.

From bad ’80s television, pompous authors, campy sci-fi, hospital dramas, and self-righteous director commentaries, the series spoofs countless genres, people, and storytelling staples. All covered by a truly (intentionally) terrible show that captures the beautiful absurdity of low-budget TV. Darkplace is rife with horrible editing, poor and unnecessary dubbing, and atrocious camera work. Sound effects don’t match the action onscreen. Neither does extraneous dialogue. And cheap props and costumes combine with laughable special effects for a show that was dated the second it was “filmed.”

The series is genuinely a comedy of errors. However, each poorly framed shot and continuity error is done with complete sincerity. These are meant to be the honest mistakes of overmatched creatives who don’t know they’re producing garbage. That’s a huge reason the show works so well. Making something intentionally bad is easy. Making that badness seem authentic—and therefore genuinely funny—is much harder. And no TV series has ever done it better. But that’s far from the only aspect that earns the series a special place in comedy history.

The comedy is actually a show-within-a-show. Garth Marenghi (played by Holness) is a best-selling author famous for hacky horror novels. The character is clearly inspired by Stephen King. But without a fraction of King’s talent or intelligence. Marenghi introduces each episode—first by reading an awful line from one of his books—and provides commentary throughout. Because Darkplace is presented as a lost TV show filmed sometime during the ’80s.

Marenghi claims it was too radical for the time. The network has elected to air it now though because of a huge drought in broadcast television content. Only this time it comes with commentary about each episode’s themes and inspirations, how it was made, and why Marenghi is a singular genius.

Channel 4

Within the Darkplace series, Marenghi plays Dr. Rick Dagless, M.D. He’s a talented “maverick” hotshot doctor at Darkplace Hospital in Romford, London. A medical facility that stands “over the very Gates of Hell.” (Lars von Trier’s The Kingdom is obviously a major influence on the show.)

Romford’s hospital is a place full of demons, monsters, and magical medical maladies that can only be stopped by Dr. Dagless, a tortured, deep man who is also incredibly kind, smart, and handsome. Which may or may not be the reason all the doctors constantly carry guns during their shifts. The egotistical Garth Marenghi writes his starring role to represent the person he thinks he is. Unfortunately, his own writing and commentary betray his efforts at presenting himself as talented.

Joining him on the Darkplace is his equally lacking in both self-awareness and shame publisher and publicist Dean Lerner (Ayoade). Lerner plays Darkplace‘s head hospital administrator, Thornton Reed. Despite the fact Lerner never acted before and never should have. For all of Darkplace‘s filming errors, it’s Lerner who stands out as the single worst aspect of the show.

Ayoade totally nails his character, the one with the show’s highest degree of difficulty. His Lerner is so funny because Ayoade is completely believable as a bad actor. One who looks at his telephone before it rings and needs to pause between lines to slam his desk. Lerner is as overmatched by his fictional role as Ayoade is up to his actual one.

What’s equally incredible is that Ayoade’s just as hilarious playing Lerner during his interviews about the episode. Where he also shares insight into working with Garth, his time in show business, and certain private activities he definitely should not share. Both Marenghi and Lerner are oblivious misogynists whose general ignorance leads them to say stupid things with full confidence. They’re lovable yet detestable, likable yet repugnant. And they’re both impossibly funny.

That absurd confidence runs throughout the show. Marenghi’s heavy-handed writing is full of strained analogies, clunky dialogue, misnomers and incorrect idioms, overwrought exposition, plot holes, exhausted tropes, and forced narration. It is consistently awful and hilarious. The fact no one involved in the show can recognize that makes it all the better.

It’s the same type of comedic sensibility you’ll find in a Christopher Guest movie. Everyone who worked on Darkplace thought they made something memorable. They did. Just not for the reasons they think. And that retroactive aspect of the show is vital to making the whole series work. Without Marenghi and Lerner’s commentary the show would still be great. But it wouldn’t be special.

And yet, all of that doesn’t even fully capture why the series is rightfully a beloved cult classic. Every time I watch it (and I have many times) I find something new to appreciate. Because not everything is broad and obvious. There are just as many subtle jokes and gags sprinkled into every scene. (Including in the show’s opening credits.) Like how the series’s other two stars—Matt Berry’s Todd Rivers, who plays Dr. Lucien Sanchez, and Alice Lowe’s Madeleine Wool, who portrays the psychic-powered Dr. Liz Asher—randomly walk out of a hospital room in full fencing gear.

An unacknowledged joke that’s so good it’s better than anything most sitcoms will ever do. The show seamlessly blends broad comedy with subtle humor. Thanks to Holness and Ayoade’s impeccable writing and the cast, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is loaded with jokes from start to finish.

Speaking of Matt Berry, best known in America for playing Laszlo on What We Do in the Shadows, he throws 99 miles per hour in every single scene. Whether as Dr. Sanchez or Todd Rivers, he turns even the simplest lines into comedy gold. This show is where my unabashed love affair with Berry started. His performance alone is worth watching. (Though in truth all four stars bring their A-game the entire time. Including Lowe’s Wool, the only one of the four who doesn’t provide commentary for reasons I won’t spoil.) Especially when Berry/Rivers gets to do a very special musical performance in the final episode. One that has happily been stuck in my head ever since I heard it.

Channel 4

There are a million “best shows you’ve never seen.” But this really is it. Ask any comedy fan who has seen it and they’ll tell you the same thing. It’s also less than two hours of perfection. You can watch the whole series in-between handing out candy on Halloween. Honestly though, that’s not the real reason this is the ideal time to watch Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. It just happens to be Halloween right now. And right now is always the best time to watch it.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike, and also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post GARTH MARENGHI’S DARKPLACE Is a Pitch Perfect Horror Parody Series appeared first on Nerdist.

Horror as a genre is always a response to the real life culture and social happenings of a particular time and place. Slasher movies in the ’80s reflected the conservative surge in the US at the time. The giallo in Italy made the most of a post-fascist loosening of censorship. And horror made in Spain during the regime of Franco had to specifically depict other countries as the source of fear and derision. Cultural context for horror is maybe the most fascinating part of studying those trends, and perhaps none is as fascinating as the “Coffin Joe Trilogy,” a trio of Brazilian horror movies using the country’s staunch Catholicism to its advantage.

N.T.M

Coffin Joe, an English translation of his Portuguese name Zé do Caixão, is the creation and persona of Brazilian writer, director, and actor José Mojica Marins. The character is an undertaker who terrorizes communities with his penchant for violence and belief that his own bloodline is perfect and must be continued through impregnating the perfect woman to bear him a son. Coffin Joe wears a black suit, cape, and top hat, and has a thick beard and grotesquely long fingernails.

Though he only appeared in three official movies, Marins appeared as Coffin Joe in several other movies, three television series, various music videos, and even had his own comic book series. He’s generally considered “Brazil’s National Boogeyman,” which is quite the feat. But what makes Coffin Joe so interesting is not his look, but his attitude. In a country as religious as Brazil, its his Nietzschean and atheist beliefs that make him so terrifying, and it’s always through Catholicism that he is defeated.

The first appearance of Zé do Caixão came in Marins’ 1964 movie At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, the very first horror movie produced in Brazil. The townsfolk hate Coffin Joe for his atheism and violent ways, but they fear him for his strange physical prowess and allure. The movie begins with Joe delivering a monologue directly to camera:

What is life? It is the beginning of death.
What is death? It is the end of life.
What is existence? It is the continuity of blood.
What is blood? It is the reason to exist.

This immediately stands in stark contrast to one of the major tenets of Catholic Christianity. Death is not, for Catholics, the end of life. Belief in God is life everlasting. The blood, in Coffin Joe’s worldview, and specifically perpetuating his “superior” blood is the key to immortality.

Throughout the movie, he beats, maims, and kills various people and takes women into his grasp as possible vessels for his superior blood. The proper authorities continually attempt to punish him through the laws of man, but he evades prosecution. Eventually, he does meet his end not by angry villagers, but by the apparitions of his victims returning to banish him to Hell.

Paranaguá Cinematográfica

Many horror monsters, specifically vampires, use demonic or Satanic imagery, and crosses and holy water—instruments of Catholic God—are the tools for their destruction. But Coffin Joe is specifically not a disciple of the devil. In the 1967 sequel This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse, Marins presents Joe as an enemy of both God and Satan, equally. He’s an atheist, he doesn’t believe in any of that. Catholics believe in the devil and Hell; they are the punishment for wickedness. But Coffin Joe thinks it’s all ridiculous and simple-minded.

We find out at the beginning of the movie that Coffin Joe did, in fact, not die at the end of the first film. After a lengthy stay in a hospital, he goes back to his wicked ways, even more determined to find the perfect woman to bear him a son. He kidnaps several women and subjects them to horrible torture, looking for the one who will show no fear. Apparently fear is not superior. He feeds the ones who scream to venomous snakes.

Paranaguá Cinematográfica

Eventually, Joe finds a woman, Laura, who shares his belief in “continuity of blood” and begins an affair with her. He, naturally, kills all of her family who stand in their way. Laura becomes pregnant, but a complication means only one, she or the baby, will live. They both agree that the child should live, but the surgery fails and both Laura and the son die.

What’s particularly fascinating about This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse and its relationship with religion comes about halfway through the movie. Joe learns that one of the women he fed to snakes was pregnant, and he feels guilty. Even a sadist like Coffin Joe knows children are the key to continuity of blood. That night, he has a vivid nightmare—in color!—of his trip to Hell, where he sees the torture that awaits him. At the end of the movie, after a townsperson shoots him, a priest comes to him and begs him to repent and accept Jesus into his heart, which he does just as he dies.

Even more so than the first movie, the second movie is all about the need for Catholicism and belief. God and the Devil essentially team up to thwart Coffin Joe at the end of the movie. Coffin Joe therefore becomes both the monster and the victim in this instance. He’s a horrible murderer, but even he cowers at the might and majesty of Christian deism.

After a 40-year hiatus, Marins wrote, directed, and starred in the final official Coffin Joe movie, 2008’s Embodiment of Evil. It finds Coffin Joe, who again didn’t actually die, released from a maximum security asylum through legal kerfuffling. Forty years away from society means Sao Paolo has changed dramatically. More people are atheists, living hedonistic lives. Coffin Joe still wants to find a perfect woman to bear him a son, but now he has many acolytes willing to help him, and many women who want to be his chosen bearer.

Embodiment of Evil is not nearly as good or interesting as the earlier films, in my opinion. Given that it’s 2008, the Gothic atmosphere of the ’60s films are largely gone and we instead have over-the-top gore, copious nudity, and a general heavy metal vibe. Even still, however, Marins reflects the changing attitude of the time. Not only are the ones who oppose him now all the older generations and a militant young priest, but they’re all direct victims of his past crimes. No more is the mere sin of his beliefs enough to damn him. If anything, the perceived piety of those against him is the crime.

20th Century Studios

It’s also the only one of the three movies where Coffin Joe succeeds. Yes, he dies (he always dies), but his efforts to continue his bloodline come to fruition. The movie ends with eight of his potentials showing up to his grave, each pregnant. The implication is not that God will smite the wicked, it’s that the wicked will inherit the Earth.

José Mojica Marins passed away in February 2020, at the age of 83. He left behind a truly wild persona and a legacy of horror spanning nearly 60 years. The Coffin Joe Trilogy doesn’t represent the most strictly terrifying, nor the best made horror movies ever, but their point of view and iconography are so strong and singular that they deserve a place in horror history.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

The post The Horror and Catholicism of the Coffin Joe Trilogy appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s Halloween time again (or Nerdoween time as we say around these nerdy parts) which means horror flicks, a wide array of candies, and, if you have the energy, decorating your home. For decoration inspiration, here’s one house in California that has a mind-blowing light show synced with the final piece of dialog and outro song from The Matrix. And it’s so good you may awaken to a whole new world of holiday displays.

Laughing Squid picked up on the Halloween light show, which is one of professional light-show installer Tom BetGeorge’s latest displays. For those unfamiliar, BetGeorge has a YouTube channel full of these types of home light-show displays. The installer has, for example, created a dazzling Christmas light show using Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. As well as a “Take on Me” tribute light show that should’ve stuck around for more than a day or two!

Tom BetGeorge

Despite the fact that we’ve seen tons of BetGeorge’s light shows, this one may take the top spot. The light show opens with Neo’s famous final words from The Matrix in full. Then it plays up the movie’s end-credits song: “Wake Up” by Rage Against the Machine. And as soon as the first light-up pumpkin starts singing with Zack de la Rocha’s vocals, there’s an explosion of technicolor treats.

Incredibly, even though the whole show is freaking spectacular, it’s easy to pick out the best part: the singing pumpkins. There’s just something about the menacing winter squashes’ singing that makes us want to watch this over and over. Which we have about five times now. (Just like we have with The Matrix!)

Tom BetGeorge

As with many of his other projects, BetGeorge put this one together as a free event to fundraise for the McHenry House; a family shelter in Tracy, California. Which means if you’re in the area, you may want to check out the light show. Because even if it’s possible we actually do live in a simulation, this universe of zeroes and ones still really knows how to put on a show!

The post This MATRIX Halloween Light Show Lets You Take the Fun Pill appeared first on Nerdist.

Nerdoween is the perfect time to highlight some of our fave filmmakers! Today, it’s Timo Tjahjanto’s turn. The Indonesian filmmaker has been terrorizing us since we first saw The Mo Brothers’ Macabre. His signature blend of gore, incredibly choreographed action, and inventive horror are why we love him. Over the last decade plus, Tjahjanto has established himself as one of the most exciting genre filmmakers working today. So as everyone is looking for some truly great horror to explore right now, we’re presenting our favorite Tjahjanto flicks for your perusing pleasure. Strap in for a wild ride through his catalog.

Macabre (2009)

Overlook Entertainment

Directed with Kimo Stamboel under the moniker The Mo Brothers, Macabre is a true cult classic. This is the kind of film talked about in hushed whispers by teenage horror fans. And for very good reason. Macabre feels most akin to movies from the French New Extremity movement like Inside and Martyrs. That’s thanks to The Mo Brothers’ passion for the gruesome and grotesque. A group of friends embark on a trip together but are waylaid when they help a mysterious woman on the side of the road. As any horror fan knows, that never goes well. Soon the group is at the mercy of her mother Darah (played by the unbelievably scary Shareefa Daanish) and have to survive a dinner party from hell. Pure midnight movie madness. The kind of film that becomes high school playground legend and nightmare fuel.

You can watch Macabre on Shudder now.

V/H/S/2 – Safe Haven (2013)

This is the short that put Timo Tjahjanto on the American horror map. Co-directed with The Raid’s Gareth Huw Evans, this is one of the best V/H/S entries ever. The found-footage nightmare focuses on a documentary crew in Indonesia. Managing to infiltrate a notorious cult named Paradise Gates, the team is ready to expose the strange interior organization. But once they head into the compound they realize they’re just pawns in the cult’s plan. Safe Haven showcases the brilliant mix of action and horror that Tjahjanto is known for. Gory, atmospheric, and at times utterly terrifying, this is one of our all-time favorite horror shorts.

You can watch V/H/S 2 free (with a library card) on Hoopla now.

Killers (2014)

Another eerily engrossing gem from The Mo Brothers, Killers is an adrenaline rush of an action-horror flick. In Japan, a serial killer Nomura (Kazuki Kitamura) posts his grisly murders online. Over 5000km away in Jakarta, a journalist Baya (Oka Antara) discovers those videos, then in a moment of extreme violence also learns he can kill. Soon Baya begins to shape himself into a vigilante killer, uploading his murders online just like Nomura. But when the two connect online, beginning a murderous rivalry, it sets them on a brutal collision course. Antara and Kitamura are the beating, bloody hearts of this cat and mouse thriller. But the slickly directed action and brutal twists and turns will keep you hooked to the very last minute.

You can watch Killers free on Tubi.

Headshot (2016)

Vertical Entertainment

If you’re a fan of The Raid (who isn’t?!) then The Mo Brothers’ Headshot should be at the top of your watch list. Iko Uwais stars as an amnesiac with a dark past who can’t remember who he is. His only ally is the doctor who is helping him back from the brink. When she’s attacked by shady figures from his past, he must fight to save her. Dynamic action and an emotional heart make this one stand out. Tjahjanto utilizes his skill for putting violence to screen to make an action flick that feels like no other. Uwais once again makes a case for being the most exciting living martial artist. Plus it makes the perfect double feature with our next pick.

You can watch Headshot on Netflix.

The Night Comes for Us (2018)

This is the movie that made this writer a true Timo Tjahjanto obsessive. The Night Comes for Us is one of the best martial arts movies ever made. It also happens to be the goriest. Smashing together extreme violence and bloodshed with the incredible martial arts talents of Joe Taslim and Iku Uwais, this is a completely unique watch. Taslim stars as Ito, an enforcer for the Six Seas Triad who saves a girl during a fatal raid. It’s a choice that turns his life upside down as he has to face down against his former Six Seas colleagues and an ex-friend in Uwais’ Arian. It’s a showdown for the ages, and for those of us who miss the splatter action of movies like Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, it’s a must watch.

You can watch The Night Comes for Us on Netflix.

May the Devil Take You (2018)

Probably the most fun you’ll have this Halloween, May the Devil Take You is a love letter to Sam Raimi and that’s a good thing. Alfie hasn’t seen her father for years, but when he dies she visits his hometown with her step-family. It’s not a pleasant homecoming as his abandoned villa is steeped with supernatural nastiness. Soon Alfie is swept up in a devilish fight for survival as her father’s connections to the occult come back to bite his heirs.

Very much a descendant of The Evil Dead, this is a super fun supernatural horror with a badass heroine that you’ll love to root for. Plus it has a ton of legitimately great scares. Don’t watch this one alone; it’s the perfect Halloween movie watch with as many buds as possible! The equally great sequel May the Devil Take You Too is currently streaming on Shudder!

You can watch May the Devil Take You on Netflix.

V/H/S/94 – “The Subject” (2021)

Shudder

Timo Tjahjanto returned to the V/H/S franchise with this terrifying short that lavishes in the gnarly kind of practical effects we rarely see anymore, creating true gory greatness. Set in the lab of a deranged yet gifted scientist, Budi Ross brings an unhinged passion to James, the master of ceremonies. He believes that the true fusion between man and machine is possible. Think Tetsuo: Iron Man but on stimulants.

His many experiments are brutal and grotesquely inventive. Things only get worse for his victims when their would-be rescuers arrive. This bloodbath escalates through its 30 minute run time, never missing a beat. If you long for the heydays of practical horror then you’ll lap up every blood-soaked second.

You can watch V/H/S/94 on Shudder.

Featured Image: Shudder

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Television in the 1970s was absolutely wild. Sitcoms were edgier, dramas spent more money, and TV movies played multiple nights per week. So many TV movies, in fact, that the breadth of genres went very wide. Horror and thrillers, often quite scary, would grace television screens on some random night and chill viewers to the bone. Infamously, Steven Spielberg’s 1971 TV movie Duel proved so popular that he made his leap to theatrical features. Recently, distributors like Kino Lorber and Warner Archive have remastered some of these televised horrors and put them out on Blu-ray for posterity. And a lot of them are really good.

Kino Lorber

This is by no means a complete or thorough discussion of horror/thriller TV movies from the 1970s, nor is it meant to specifically talk about the best ones ever. It’s more a mélange of the kinds of movies you’d get on your screens, were you a TV viewer back then. Maybe some of you were! I don’t know you.

The Night Stalker

For many, the be-all, end-all of TV horror in the ’70s involves an investigative reporter and renowned seersucker suit-wearer, Carl Kolchak. Producer Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows) commissioned Richard Matheson (The Twilight Zone, I Am Legend) to write an adaptation of the then-unpublished novel by Jeff Rice titled The Kolchak Papers. In the age of Watergate, Rice’s idea was to make the hero a Woodward and Bernstein-esque reporter, looking for truth and encountering government cover-up. Only it had a vampire in it!

The Night Stalker, which aired on January 11, 1972, as the ABC Movie of the Week, followed Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin), a fairly sleazy and hard to like investigative reporter as he looks into serial killings in Las Vegas. He quickly discovers the victims don’t just die, they have most of their blood drained. He rubs everyone the wrong way, including the chief of police, the sheriff, the district attorney, and his own editor Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland).

Universal

The suspect, Janos Skorzeny (Barry Atwater), turns out to be a centuries-old vampire who has been on the authorities’ radar for years. Kolchak takes it upon himself to fight Skorzeny and even though he succeeds in staking him, and the FBI witness it, he’s run out of town.

The Night Stalker was immensely popular, the most viewed program of the year. It’s also still one of the most effective and at times quite scary horror things of the era. ABC would have been foolish not to capitalize on that.

The Night Strangler

One year later, a follow-up movie aired. While Stalker director John Llewellyn-Moxey did not return to direct, Curtis, Matheson, McGavin, and Oakland came back for the sequel, The Night Strangler. This time, Carl Kolchak has relocated to Seattle, along with Tony Vincenzo for some reason, and he’s back to annoying authorities in his effort to uncover the truth.

Universal

The problem with The Night Strangler is that it’s basically a retread of The Night Stalker. It’s not a vampire this time, but it does have an ancient killer. Dr. Richard Malcolm (Richard Anderson) is an alchemist who created an elixir of life back in 1868 and has resurfaced every 21 years for a period of 18 days to extract blood from people in order to make his next batch. It’s…fine. It’s more Kolchak, so that’s a plus, but it really just feels like the same movie with different circumstances.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker

The original idea was for there to be a third Kolchak movie, The Night Killers. But ultimately Curtis and Matheson both backed away. Star McGavin was game, but ABC wanted to capitalize on the ratings. Instead of a third movie, they greenlit a TV series. Kolchak: The Night Stalker premiered on September 13, 1974. Initially, the show was under the shepherding of writer Rudolph Borchert, but he and McGavin didn’t get along, and eventually the young writer David Chase became the de-factor story editor. You know Chase; he only went on to create The Sopranos.

Each episode had Kolchak, now based in Chicago working for the fictional Independent News Service, still with Vincenzo as his irascible editor. This is the show that birthed the now-ubiquitous “monster-of-the-week” format for sci-fi/horror series. Kolchak went up against Jack the Ripper, voodoo zombies, invisible UFOs, ghosts, and even a headless biker.

Kino Lorber

To be quite frank, not every episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker works as well as others. That said, several episodes are legitimately great. “The Vampire” is a direct sequel to The Night Stalker, about one of Janos Skorzeny’s victims turning into a bloodsucker. “The Spanish Moss Murders,” directed by Gordon Hessler, is a fascinating and weird story of a creature that’s a projection from the mind of a man undergoing a sleep study. “Horror in the Heights,” written by Hammer horror legend Jimmy Sangster, finds a creature killing old Jewish people by appearing to them as beloved friends. “Demon in Lace” has a succubus possessing the bodies of recently deceased women in order to feed on the lifeforce of lusty men. Great stuff.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker only lasted 20 episodes but its legacy and the legacy of the other Kolchak movies gave birth to later supernatural detective shows like The X-Files.

Women in Big Houses

Kino Lorber

The Kolchak saga is a bit of an outlier in the realm of ’70s TV horror, in that it starred a man. Most horror TV movies gave us women as central figures in order to ensure maximum terror. A trio of moves out now from Kino Lorber feature women traipsing around very large houses, looking particularly afraid.

The first of these is The Screaming Woman which aired on ABC only 18 days after The Night Stalker. Directed by Jack Smight (The Illustrated Man) and adapted from a Ray Bradbury story, it follows a wealthy older woman (Olivia de Haviland) who has recently returned home from a stint in a mental hospital. Soon after she’s back, while out on a walk, she hears a woman screaming for help and realizes it’s coming from under the ground. She begs her son to help her dig, but he (and eventually the whole neighborhood) thinks she’s delusional. Can she convince anyone in time?

Universal

Later in 1972, ABC aired The Victim, which starred Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) who travels from San Francisco to her younger sister’s mountain home for moral support upon learning her sister will file for divorce from her husband (George Maharis). We know that the sister has been killed by someone and they are somewhere in the very large house. While this sounds like a really good premise for a movie, it amounts to watching Montgomery walk from room to room calling “Susan? Are you there, Susan?” a million times.

Universal

The final release is the absolutely buck-wild Scream, Pretty Peggy from 1973. Directed by Gordon Hessler and co-written by Jimmy Sangster and Arthur Hoffe, the movie follows Peggy (Sian Barbara Allen), a go-getter college student who forcibly takes a job as housekeeper for sculptor Jeffrey Elliot (Ted Bessell) and his alcoholic mother (Bette Davis). Peggy, who is presumptuous to the point of audacity, starts asking a lot of questions about Jeffrey’s absent sister Jennifer. Well, is she absent? Someone sure has been stabbing people with knives.

Women Versus Monsters

If women walking around very large homes isn’t spooky enough for you, they eventually added legitimate creepy monsters to them. The 1973 ABC Movie of the Week Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark finds Sally (Kim Darby) and her husband Alex (Jim Hutton) inheriting an old mansion from Sally’s grandmother. While checking out the old building, they learn the grandmother had the handyman brick up a fireplace in the basement. Why would she do that? Well, turns out there are tiny little monsters trapped in there who now have plenty of room to haunt Sally and make her seem crazy.

While the premise sure is weird, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is surprisingly effective for its time. It made such an impression on Guillermo del Toro that he wrote and produced a big screen remake in 2010.

Warner Bros.

And finally for our purposes, we’ve got maybe the gold standard of monsters-on-tv movies, 1975’s Trilogy of Terror. We’ve got our friend Dan Curtis back, producing and directing, and Richard Matheson back co-writing with William F. Nolan. This movie is an anthology of three unrelated stories, each starring Karen Black as different characters. While the first two stories are fine, the third, “Amelia,” has Black alone in an apartment terrorized by a haunted Zuni warrior doll. It’s one of the finest and scariest pieces of TV ever.

These are just some of the wild and interesting offerings of horror TV movies. They’re a lot of fun, and pretty short if you’re in the mood for a sub-80-minute piece of ’70s ephemera. And in October, why wouldn’t you be?

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

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Happy Nerdoween!!! This spooky season is the perfect time to celebrate some of our fave horror icons. But while our minds often go to scary movies and TV shows during this hallowed time, this year we are thinking outside the box. We’re looking to comics, manga, and books to fully explore some of those scary antagonists who get into our brains and refuse to let go. Here are a few print horror villains you need to know.

Tomie (Tomie)

Viz Media

We could have written an entire piece about Junji Ito’s terrifying creations. But to keep things simple, we chose one of his most nightmarish and iconic monsters. Murdered by her classmates, Tomie returns the next day to her high school intent on revenge. A twisted reinvention of the femme fatale, Tomie soon became a recurring figure in Ito’s short stories. The beautiful young woman often targets egotistical men, who she drives mad with her beauty. Both terrifying and awe-inspiring, Tomie works as both a mythical nightmare muse and warning tale to the kind of men who will drop everything for a pretty face.

Ayoola (My Sister, the Serial Killer)

Doubleday

One of fiction’s most frightening serial killers, Oyinkan Braithwaite introduced readers to Ayoola, the titular murderer of her stunning debut novel. A young, beautiful woman, Ayoola has killed three of her boyfriends by the time we meet her. While she claims self-defense, her lack of emotion, near sociopathic ability to continue on with her life, and the fact that she always calls her sister to clean up her mess hint at something darker.

What makes Ayoola so terrifying is the absolute normality that she represents. She’s the popular girl next door. The girl you might have a crush on, and one who absolutely wouldn’t blink at killing you. Plus, she has an enabler who will stop at nothing to protect her and hide her secret.

Carnage (Marvel Comics)

Marvel Comics

Another vital serial killer inclusion is Cletus Kasady. But you probably know him better as Carnage. Though you might not think about a nefarious murderer being a key part of the usually kid friendly Spider-Man lore, that’s exactly the case with Kasady. He was a cannibalistic murderer who ended up in a cell next to Eddie Brock. It was here he came into contact with the symbiote that transformed him into Carnage. Combining a sociopathic cannibal with an all-powerful alien is truly a terrifying prospect. While Carnage and Venom are seen as a little campy these days, at his core Carnage is a horror villain for the ages.

Violator (Spawn / Image Comics)

Todd McFarlane

Another descendant of Venom but in a wholly different way, Violator was born when Todd McFarlane left Spider-Man at the height of the book’s success and created Spawn. Violator is best known for his strikingly disgusting appearance as a horrifyingly horned agent of Hell. But that’s not his only form. This murderous beast also assumes the unsettling human body of a slovenly clown. That’s two ghastly guises to haunt your dreams! And if you need something to really keep you up at night, make sure to watch John Leguizamo in the 1996 Spawn movie.

Dio Brando (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Viz Media

Nothing is simple in the world of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Especially not the origin, motives, and power set of one of its most famous bad guys: Dio Brando. Though his outlandish looks and strong jaw might make you think he’s an odd pick for this list, don’t be fooled. As part of his never ending quest to terrorize his adopted brother Jonathan Joestar, Dio ended up turning himself into a vampire. Talk about commitment. But he’s not only a bloodsucker, he later becomes a Stand user, making him near all-powerful in the magical arts. Spooky!!!

Mephisto (Marvel Comics)

Marvel Comics

How could we not include Nerdist‘s favorite demonic presence? While Mephisto has yet to make himself known in the MCU, he’s been causing horrific havoc in the Marvel Universe since 1953’s Bible Tales for Young Folk #1 where he starred as the Serpent… no, really. Though the over-the-top devilish imagery might make him less obviously horrifying than some on our list, Mephisto is a truly powerful being who can literally make your life a nightmare. He also takes his name from Mephistopheles, one of literature’s most infamous villains. The Faustian pacts he loves to trick heroes into are also a reference to that very influence.

The Batman Who Laughs (DC Comics)

DC Comics

DC Comics has long been the home of some great rogues who’d hold their own against some of the genre’s most fearsome villains. But over the last few years, they’ve introduced maybe their most appalling creation yet. The Batman Who Laughs is an alt-universe version of Bruce Wayne. His pale visage and deathly cackle are a result of the Joker toxin. Yep, this is a combo of Gotham’s two most unstable men, and he’s as scary as that sounds. Did we mention that he also keeps jokerfied Robins on chains like pet dogs? *shudders*

Featured Image: Viz, DC Comics, Todd McFarlane

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Toho/Shochiku

A Page of Madness/Kurutta Ichipeiji, 1926 (dir. Teinosuke Kinugasa)

Thought lost for nearly forty-five years, this silent horror film was the product of avant-garde Japanese artists known as Shinkankakuha. Eschewing more naturalistic representation, the film uses unsettling visuals—including some of the eeriest masks you will ever see—to leave a lasting impact on the audience. Set in an isolated asylum in the countryside, we follow a janitor as his volatile relationship with his wife begins to interfere with his ability to do his job. When first released in 1926 the film utilized benshi, which was a popular storytelling narration that often featured beloved poets relating the story to audiences. Today you can find versions with or without the narration, both equally disquieting.

Ugetsu, 1953 (dir. Kenji Mizoguchi)

Based on the 1776 book of the same name by Ueda Akinari, Ugetsu is an example of a Japanese Jidaigeki (period-set) ghost story. In this ethereal and downright spooky film, Masayuki Mori stars as Genjūrō, a potter who ignores warnings from a respected sage not to seek profit during this time of upheaval. Leaving his wife and child on the shore, Genjūrō seeks a new marketplace for his wares. In doing so, he falls under the spell of a mysterious noblewoman named Lady Wakasa (Machiko Kyō). We later learn that Wakasa is a spirit who has returned to Earth in order to experience love for the first time. Kazuo Miyagawa’s ethereal cinematography transports viewers as effectively as the film transports Genjūrō himself. 

The Ghost of Yotsuya/Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan, 1959 (dir. Nobuo Nakagawa)

Finding inspiration in Yotsuya Kaidan, a kabuki stage work that has been adapted more than 30 times, Nakagawa’s film remains one of the most influential in the genre. A tale of betrayal, murder, and ghostly revenge. The film stars Shigeru Amachi as Iemon Tamiya, a ruthless samurai who spends much of his time either murdering people or plotting the murder of people in the name of upward mobility. Eventually the spirits of those he wronged drive the samurai and his co-conspirators mad, allowing the spirits to seek peace once their revenge is complete. You can see echoes of this story throughout later films in the genre. 

Jigoku, 1960 (dir. Nobuo Nakagawa)

The last film produced by Shintoho before the studio went bankrupt, Jigoku is notable for its explicit depictions of characters tormented in Hell. Bodies pile up at a breakneck pace in this film, starting with Kyōichi, a yakuza gang leader who dies when students Shirō (Shigeru Amachi) and Tamura (Yōichi Numata) kill him in a hit and run. While guilt wrecks Shirō, Tamura shows no remorse for the incident. Other characters throughout the film suffer from similar guilt for deaths they caused—some in the war, others by more unseemly fashions. The rest of the plot gets a bit complicated, but know there is a mass poisoning, suicide, and eventually torture scenes in Limbo. It’s wild. 

Onibaba, 1964 (dir. Kaneto Shindo)

Set during a civil war in fourteenth-century Japan, with her son, Kishi, away at war, an older woman (Nobuko Otowa) and her daughter-in-law (Jitsuko Yoshimura) survive by killing samurai who wander into their tall grass swamp, stripping them for whatever they can sell. After learning that her son has died and her daughter-in-law is having an affair with neighbor Hachi (Kei Satô), the older woman tries to frighten the younger woman to death with a terrifying mask she stole from one of the dead samurai. The atmosphere of this chilling folktale is heightened by Hikaru Hayashi’s frenzied score and cinematographer Kiyomi Kuroda’s striking nighttime imagery. 

Kwaidan, 1965 (dir. Masaki Kobayashi)

Kwaidan is one spelling of the Japanese term for ghost stories, which is the perfect title for this anthology film. Inspired by Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, a 1904 compilation of folk tales by Lafcadio Hearn, Kobayashi’s film is composed of four chilling stories. In “The Black Hair” a scheming swordsman who divorces his wife in order to marry for money finds himself entangled with a corpse. “The Woman of the Snow,” has two woodworkers who find their lives changed forever after an encounter with Yuki-onna, or snow spirit. In “Hoichi the Earless,” a blind musician must make a deal with spirits for his life. The final tale, “In a Cup of Tea,” finds a ghastly apparition in a cup of tea that terrorizes all those who look upon it. 

The Face of Another/​​Tanin no Kao, 1966 (dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara)

Based on a 1964 novel by Kōbō Abe, Teshigahara fuses the traditions of J-horror with the slick filmmaking of the Japanese New Wave. Tatsuya Nakadai plays engineer Okuyama, whose face is disfigured in an industrial accident and is subsequently given a lifelike mask to wear. Warned that the mask may change his personality, Okuyama tells his wife he’s away on business and begins to live a new life as a new man. As the film progresses, Okuyama’s personality does indeed change, slowly descending into a life of violence and perversion. 

Genocide/Konchu daisenso, 1968 (dir. Kazui Nihonmatsu)

Blending horror and science fiction, Nihonmatsu’s film is a perfect example of Tokusatsu, the Japanese term for live-action films that lean heavily on special effects. While a group of military personnel transport a hydrogen bomb, they are attacked by a swarm of killer insects. Wonderfully cheesy effects are mixed with horrific action. For those who love a slice of weird doomsday cinema, it doesn’t get much more unique than this. 

Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell/Kyuketsuki Gokemidoro, 1968 (dir. Hajime Sato)

Another Tokusatsu classic, in Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell, passengers of a downed airplane find themselves face-to-face with an alien determined to possess both their bodies and their souls. This pulpy apocalyptic yarn features incredibly gross special effects from Michio Mikami, equally balancing vampire tropes with B-movie flying saucer vibes. There really isn’t anything quite like this film. 

Yabu no Naka no Kuroneko, 1968 (dir. Kaneto Shindo)

An example of Kaibyō, or monster cat fiction, the title of the film in Japanese is literally “a black cat in a bamboo grove.” Cats are frequent figures in Japanese folklore, including ​​a spirit known as bakeneko, who can shapeshift. Interestingly, “Yabu no naka” is also an idiom that means a mystery that is difficult to unravel. Set in feudal Japan during a civil war, the story concerns the onryō, or vengeful spirits, of a woman and her daughter-in-law who were raped and murdered by a band of ruthless samurai. Exacting their revenge by posing as refined ladies, they slowly seduce and kill all samurai they meet, tearing at their throats like feral cats. The women’s revenge pact is threatened when they encounter their husband/son, who himself has become a samurai. 

The Living Skeleton/Kyūketsu Dokurosen, 1968 (dir. Hiroshi Matsuno)

Mixing tropes from kaidan, doppelganger thrillers, mad-scientist movies, and tokusatsu, Matsuno’s film centers on a sleepy seaside town where a ship sinks after being ransacked by pirates. Years later after a Catholic priest (Masumi Okada) offers shelter to Saeko (Kikko Matsuoka) when her twin sister Yoriko (also Matsuoka) disappears at sea, Saeko discovers the submerged ship and its doomed passengers. Saeko must fight against an unearthly bond to the undead in order to save her own life. 

Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees/Sakura no mori no mankai no shita, 1975 (dir. Masahiro Shinoda)

Establishing himself as one of the mavericks of the Japanese New Wave, Masahiro Shinoda’s foray into horror is deeply disturbing. Based on a short story by Ango Sakaguch, the film follows a lowly mountain man who falls under the spell of a woman he meets in an enchanted forest. In order to prove his devotion to her, he marries and murders a succession of seven wives. Composer Toru Takemitsu’s atonal score heightens the beautiful eerie atmosphere of this blood-soaked romance. 

Hausu, 1977 (dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi)

One of the most bonkers films ever made, Obayashi’s iconic Hausu follows a school girl who convinces six classmates to come with her to visit her ailing aunt in her isolated rural estate. Facing a myriad of supernatural forces, including a truly beguiling witch cat, the girls are slowly devoured by the house, one by one. Obayashi specifically created the special effects to look as if a child created them, which adds to the film’s quirky charm. Although originally ravaged by critics, the film attracted a cult following and is now considered one of the greatest Japanese films of all time. 

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In some ways, it makes sense. The Reagan era of the United States was considered to be a return to traditional American values, and thus a 1950s cultural revival of sorts. But in 1986, horror films thoroughly reflected this homage to the past. Several retro-themed horror films were explicitly adapted from 1950s B-movies. Or, they had the slightly schlocky spirit of science fiction horror from that era. This mini-era celebrates the inventive genre filmmaking seen at a ’50s drive-in.

Night of the Creeps features a storyline about alien slugs landing on Earth. They wriggle their way into the human body, turning their hosts into bloodthirsty zombies. It is clearly inspired by Invasion of the Body Snatchers and other alien invasion films; however, Night of the Creeps isn’t interested in paying homage to these movies. Instead, it creates an authentic interpretation of a B-movie. It fully matches the genre’s sense of humor and charmingly nonsensical antics.

The film’s cold open is even set in the 1950s. Two teens in a Lovers’ Lane situation witness what they think is a falling star and encounter aliens. This gently guides the audience to regard this film in the context of a classic B-movie. But despite its clear reverence for 1950s horror, Night of the Creeps references all the quirky horror that came before it. Not only is it an alien invasion/zombie/slasher mashup, but it also features characters who are all named after eminent genre directors. (This includes David Cronenberg and James Cameron, who also released sci-fi-inspired horror films in that same year.)

Similarly, Little Shop of Horrors manages to do a little of both. It’s based on a non-musical film of the same name from 1960 starring Jack Nicholson in one of his first on-screen roles as a sadistic dentist. But rather than updating the setting to reflect the 1980s, the film luxuriates in retro New York City. The costumes, the Greek chorus who perform Motown-style songs, the luridly colorful creature design of Audrey II, and even the concept of a rundown little florist shop in Brooklyn all speak to a conscious desire to keep the film rooted in a late 1950s aesthetic. And despite its bright musical tone, it features a deceptively dark narrative of the familiar alien invasion trope.

Chopping Mall takes a step away from the creature-based horror design which dominated the 1950s, but is nonetheless inspired by a similar style. On the surface, it feels thoroughly rooted in the 1980s. The entire film takes place in a shopping mall, the bastion of 80s materialism. And it features a far more sophisticated brand of killer robot than would have been available in prior decades. But director Jim Wynorski repeatedly said he was inspired by the 1954 film Gog, where a supercomputer at a top-secret nuclear facility controls two high-powered robots that go on a killing spree. Even when constructing a narrative that doesn’t feel overtly reverential to 1950s B-movies, it was impossible to escape the long arm of their influence in these kitschy 1986 genre films.

Of course, we know David Cronenberg and James Cameron did things a bit differently. Their films are undoubtedly inspired by 1950s horror, but they give it a stylish upgrade. “Elevated horror,” or whatever they’re calling it these days. Cronenberg puts a new twist on The Fly, which was created to be nothing more than a silly monster movie to terrify 1950s audiences. He transforms it into a genuinely gruesome exploration of disease and decay. When Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) merges with the fly, he can no longer trust his body. He can feel it deteriorating more every minute, acutely aware of how it will soon fail him entirely. Released in the midst of the AIDS crisis, The Fly’s graphic depiction of a body in decline is especially poignant.  

Warner Bros./Concorde Pictures/TriStar Pictures

Cameron, on the other hand, inherited a 1950s sci-fi horror vibe from director Ridley Scott and writer Dan O’Bannon, who were responsible for the original Alien. O’Bannon in particular has never hesitated to acknowledge the influence of pulp science fiction on his screenplay. In fact, he said, in his own words, “I didn’t steal Alien from anybody. I stole it from everybody!”

He cites films like The Thing From Another World, Forbidden Planet, and Planet of the Vampires as clear inspirations. In taking over from Ridley Scott on the 1986 sequel to Alien, Cameron picks up the thread, further expanding in Aliens the motifs established previously. There’s the social commentary about the ultra-powerful corporation putting Ripley and her team in harm’s way for the sake of profit. But, there’s also the perpetual exploration of traditional masculinity and femininity, especially within the character of Ripley herself. (Intriguingly, both Aliens and Night of the Creeps feature the concept of unwelcome penetration from alien beings as a source of body horror.)

Why do we see so many of these types of horror films in 1986? The easiest explanation is that it’s the natural cyclical nature of filmmaking. Directors and writers reference the movies they liked as teenagers, which generally happen to have come out 20-30 years previously. There’s certainly evidence to suggest that we tend to see a repeat of trends on a roughly thirty-year cycle (the reason why, for example, everything 90s is incredibly in right now.)

It would be fun to imagine that there was some nexus event in, say, 1983 that inspired all these filmmakers to get films in production that all referenced the same subgenre of horror film from the 1950s. But more likely, it’s just a fun, quirky coincidence. For one brief, shining moment in 1986, the 1950s B-movie finally got its moment in the sun.

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Unless you’re a hardcore horror and sleaze fan there’s likely no reason you’d know the name of British director Pete Walker. He is an independent director-producer who worked predominantly in the ’60s and ’70s. While he started his career with softcore comedies like For Men Only and School for Sex, he eventually gained notoriety with a brief cycle of increasingly grisly and salacious proto-slasher movies. Most of them have copious nudity and blood to keep the teens happy. If we look deeper, we find a fascinating thread traveling through all of them. They tend to depict the mental collapse of the older generation, who feast (sometimes literally) on the permissive youth culture.

Pete Walker (Heritage) Ltd.

Scary old people are not a horror trope unique to Pete Walker, surely. The notion of an elderly person committing murders or using black magic has been around for hundreds of years. But it isn’t merely that the sadistic villains of Walker’s movies are olds. It’s that they represent a generation unwilling to give up control. They cannot allow their ways and values to be “corrupted” by a sex-crazed, dope-smoking youth. We see this kind of thing nowadays with octogenarian politicians clinging to their elected power like insects trapped in tree sap. They can claim to worry about moral deterioration, but it’s really just fear that they’ve become obsolete.

In order to discuss these movies properly, I’m going to get into some plot spoilers. If you’d like to watch any of these movies, the entire Pete Walker collection is currently streaming on the Arrow Video app.

The Flesh and Blood Show

The first of Walker’s “golden” period is 1972’s The Flesh and Blood Show. It follows a group of young theater actors as they head to a seaside theater in the offseason to mount an improvised play. They don’t know who hired them, just that it’s a wealthy producer. They end up staying in the theater while they rehearse, and amid sexual trysts and jealousy, and some fairly upsetting pranks, someone begins picking off the actors one by one.

About halfway through the film, the gang go to a cafe for breakfast and see an older gentleman who says his name is Major Bell (Patrick Barr). He says he’s a big fan of theatre, even did some acting in the army, and asks to come by to watch rehearsal. Eventually, we and the actors learn he’s actually Sir Arnold Gates, an actor who disappeared 15 years prior after allegedly killing his wife and her lover, both actors in his production of Othello. During a prolonged flashback, we see Gates tie the pair up and board them up under the stage, the corpses of whom one of the actors found previously.

Pete Walker (Heritage) Ltd.

Gates has, as you may have expected, completely cracked, both from the indignity of his wife’s affair, and the guilt surrounding his crimes. He hired these new actors to relive his glory days, as it were, killing any he finds to be too outwardly sexy. While later slasher movies would make promiscuous young women the victim of the killer, Walker’s movies make that the direct focus. It’s because this old man is a cuckold and it’s implied impotent—both literally, and by no longer being the It-actor/man—that he goes on his murderous rampage.

House of Whipcord

Walker followed The Flesh and Blood Show with 1974’s House of Whipcord, which places the perceived lack of morality of young women right at the forefront. Our heroine is Ann-Marie (Penny Irving), a French model who meets a young man at a party and begins a surprisingly chaste romance. The young man, who says his name is Mark E. Desade (Robert Tayman), asks Ann-Marie to accompany him to the country to meet his parents. This is technically what he does. His mother Mrs. Wakehurst (Barbara Markham) has taken over an old prison and now abducts, imprisons, and tortures young women who she believes skirted proper punishment for their lewd and immoral behavior.

A recent nude photoshoot where the producers didn’t get a permit results in Ann-Marie’s arrest for indecent exposure. Though the courts only made her pay a 10 pound fine, Wakehurst believes she got off light. Adding to the utter charade of this horrible place, Wakehurst’s elderly, now-blind lover, a judge (Patrick Barr again), presides over the girls and passes judgment. Little does he know, however, that Wakehurst has no intention of “rehabilitating” any of them. Instead she tortures, terrorizes, and eventually hangs them for even the most minor of infractions.

Pete Walker (Heritage) Ltd.

While whipping nubile young women is a case of exploitation cinema at its most obvious, Walker clearly wanted to add subtext and a deeper sense of irony. He opened House of Whipcord with the tongue-in-cheek text “This film is dedicated to those who are disturbed by today’s lax moral codes and who eagerly await the return of corporal and capital punishment.” And, like all of his villains, Mrs. Wakehurst is a hypocrite. She was fired from her previous job as matron of a girl’s reform school for abuse, but she herself had an affair with the judge who sentenced her years ago and he left his family. Wakehurst’s moral superiority and status gives her, she thinks, the right to do these horrendous deeds.

House of Mortal Sin

This level of hypocrisy and puritanism run amok continues in Walker’s 1976 movie House of Mortal Sin. Another infuriating experience, like Whipcord, this movie highlights the power imbalance between “respectable” members of the older generation and the perceived frivolousness of youth. It also portrays gaslighting at its most insidious and the dismissing of young women’s concerns at its most upsetting.

Jenny (Susan Penhaligon) is a young woman who goes into a church confessional hoping the priest on the other side is a friend of hers named Father Cutler (Norman Eshley). It’s not, however; it’s an older priest named Father Meldrum (Anthony Sharp) who pressures Jenny into confessing what’s troubling her. She’s having issues with her boyfriend, who’s a bit of a cad, and who convinced her to have an abortion recently. Though Jenny leaves quickly, Meldrum becomes fixated on her and begins to stalk and kill any men he believes have hurt and corrupted her.

This is, of course, boils down to Meldrum’s own repressed sexuality. A thread in the film talks about how archaic the practice of priest celibacy is, reflected in Father Cutler’s attraction and eventual clandestine relationship with Jenny’s older sister Vanessa (Stephanie Beacham). Meldrum is, in his way, the flipside of Mrs. Wakehurst, wholly obsessed with young women. But whereas Wakehurst punishes the girls for their indiscretions, Meldrum aims to protect the girl’s purity, which he believes others in her life are corrupting.

Pete Walker (Heritage) Ltd.

Jenny tries to tell any and all authorities about Father Meldrum, but nobody believes her. She’s just a naive and confused young woman, after all, and this is a respected man of the cloth. He’s doing all of this for her own good, and soon she’ll learn gratitude. In the movie’s most shocking finale, Father Cutler discovers the truth, and even catches Meldrum red-handed after murdering Vanessa. But rather than turn him in, he allows Meldrum to get away with it, to save the Church from the indignity of a scandal. It’s so enraging because you know things like this really have happened, and continue to happen. Walker just put it in the middle of a horror movie.

Frightmare

In between his two House of… movies, Walker made what is probably his most well known and for my money best movie. 1974’s Frightmare stars Sheila Keith, Walker’s most frequent and iconic actor. Keith appeared as a stern prison warden in Whipcord and an ominous housekeeper in Mortal Sin. She had a very particular look, incredibly conducive to striking fear. In Frightmare, she plays Dorothy, a woman recently released from a mental asylum, believed cured. Her husband Edmund (Rupert Davies) was also in the asylum, though it seems he only had himself committed to stay close to his wife.

The pair have a 15 year old daughter named Debbie (Kim Butcher) who was in an orphanage until recently. As far as she knows, her parents died. Now that she’s out of the orphanage, Debbie takes up with a biker gang and gets into increasingly violent skirmishes. This is, obviously, to the chagrin of her older half-sister Jackie (Deborah Fairfax), who has taken her in. Jackie is Edmund’s daughter from a previous marriage and a new man she’s dating, Graham (Paul Greenwood), is a psychiatrist who believes he can help Debbie. If only Jackie would tell him her family history.

Pete Walker (Heritage) Ltd.

As the movie goes on, we find out that the real history is Dorothy is a murderer and cannibal who used her ability to read tarot cards to lure younger people into their country home to kill and eat them. Pretty gruesome stuff. And despite the authorities believing both she and Edmund are cured, it doesn’t take long for Dorothy to go back to her flesh-drilling ways. Once the already sociopathic Debbie learns her parents are alive, it’s a real homecoming worthy of that chainsaw family in Texas.

Walker and Old People

In Pete Walker’s films, as we’ve seen, it’s the older generations destroying the younger. These movies spoke to the young people of the time, who were obviously the target audience. As a countercultural reaction to the death of the ’60s, Walker shows in graphic detail the resurgence of conservative, buttoned-up, puritanical WWII generation who are not prepared to go quietly into that good night. When young people are evil murderers in his films, it’s always because they are related to the older killers.

In The Flesh and Blood Show, the young heroine turns out to be the murderous actor’s traumatized daughter; Mark E. Desade in House of Whipcord is the result of the affair between Mrs. Wakehurst and the judge. Debbie is a psychopath in Frightmare, but only because she’s Dorothy’s kid. He flips this around in his 1976 movie Schizo in which the heroine believes the old man who went to prison for killing her mother is after her when really he exists as one of her personalities. But in 1978’s The Comeback, Walker makes Keith the murderer again, this time getting revenge for her child’s death.

Pete Walker (Heritage) Ltd.

In Pete Walker’s cinema, the corrupting influence is not drug-taking and free love, it’s always the repressed parental or grand-parental figures who find that activity repulsive. As an independent exploitation filmmaker, he knew he had to put blood and flesh on the screen, but in each case, he does so with a great deal of political and social satire. The elderly generations, he warns, tongue in cheek, would rather kill us all than admit they’re past their prime.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

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Every October the same handful of Halloween kids’ movies dominate television schedules and social media. Hocus Pocus will air roughly 37 million times this month. I will also be reminded ever day I’ve never seen Halloweentown. And soon even movies I enjoy, like Casper, or outright love, like The Nightmare Before Christmas, will feel like overplayed pop songs. And yet, despite a dearth of true spooky season family staples, my favorite kids’ Halloween film never gets a fraction of the love and adulation it deserves. Thirty years after it came to theaters, Ernest Scared Stupid has become the season’s forgotten classic. A title an overdue re-watch proves it clearly deserves.

I was the exact target audience for Jim Varney‘s Ernest P. Worrell when the character made the move from television to the big screen. I already loved—LOVED—Ernest and his whole weird family. (All played by Varney). Him starring in actual movies just confirmed what young me already suspected: Ernest was the biggest star in the world and everyone knew and loved him. That might sound absurd, but for my generation Ernest was basically an eight-year-old’s Jim Carrey long before Ace Venture.

Varney’s face was seemingly made of clay. Able to contort into any ridiculous shape it needed at any moment. He could also seamlessly drop in and out of any voice he wanted. With different pitches, accents, or speech patterns, each funnier than the last. And those skills let him inhabit any character he played, which is why his whole cadre of Worrell family members always made me laugh. As they do in Ernest Scared Stupid.

Buena Vista Pictures

It should also never be forgotten that the late Jim Varney was a master of physical comedy who never shortchanged a gag. He always gave his all, no matter the film or scene. Ernest was, fittingly, totally earnest. Both the actor who brought him to the life and the dumb, eminently likable character he played. That’s what really made Ernest the best. Kids always know when someone is being sincere with them. Just like they always know when someone, or some movie or show, is condescending to them. Varney always treated his young audience with love and respect.

Everything that made Ernest a special character is on display in Ernest Scared Stupid. (Which, it should be noted, is a fantastic title.) He’s caring, equal parts brave and cowardly, emotional without reservation, and, most importantly, impossibly funny. Watching this movie now it’s obvious Jim Varney’s own deserved place as a great comedic actor has also unfairly faded with time.

Buena Vista Pictures

But those thing were always true of Ernest P. Worrell. Yet, not every Ernest film deserves the title of “classic.” The reason his Halloween entry should be included on the short list of annual fall season screenings is that it also has everything you’d want from a kids’ Halloween film.

Ernest Scared Stupid is funny yet sweet, scary yet hopeful. With a story directed for a young audience. (Though Varney’s performance alone makes it a worthy comedy even for adults.) The film also touches on timeless themes of family, friendship, and community. But it never feels saccharine or patronizing. In large part because it also does the best thing any kids’ Halloween movie can do. When I was young the movie scared me stupid. It features a terrifying monster. A monstrous troll brought to life with an amazing practical costume and not CGI, which is always much more frightening. That old beast turns children into wooden toys. And that’s not merely an idle threat.

Buena Vista Pictures

Throughout the film the troll hunts down children like the kind of predator all kids learn to fear. He plucks them from the street. Traps them in dark and scary woods. And he even kidnaps one girl from her bed. A scene that almost certainly traumatized every kid who ever worried a creature lay hidden under their mattress.

The troll needs five children to birth its seedlings. Often in kid’s horror-comedies the threat of something even worse than what’s already happening is just that – a threat. Not something the big bad will be able to actually achieve before the heroes save the day. But not in this movie. That world-ending danger becomes reality, as countless trolls (all in their own unique costumes) come to life and go on the attack.

Which all leads to a truly great ending, as Ernest saves the day. Not like a conquering warrior though. But as the big dumb sweetheart he is. Why fight a troll when you can show him unconditional love? It’s a perfect conclusion for the film, which also sees Ernest have a tear-filled reunion with his dog Rimshot. A scene that still hit me right in the heart. Just like it did the first time I saw it as a second-grader.

That was a sensation I felt throughout my entire re-watch for the film’s thirtieth anniversary. Three decades after it premiered, Ernest Scared Stupid still hits all the right notes. Like how I couldn’t stop laughing when an oblivious Ernest couldn’t figure out the missing letter in the troll-killing secret weapon. I don’t care how old you are, Ernest threatening a monster with “Miak” instead of “milk” is a flawless, timeless gag. As is the great Eartha Kitt’s performance as the town’s wise, old, strange denizen. And the film’s iconic kids’ fantasy tropes of making amazing contraptions, building an awesome treehouse, and facing down scary monsters.

Ernest Scared Stupid, starring a beloved character played by a great performer, was a perfect kid’s Halloween movie when it came out. Three decades later that’s still true. We shouldn’t forget that every October, so it can be remembered as the classic movie it is. KnowhutImean?

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike, and also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Across its subgenres, horror often takes place in various versions of Anytown, USA. It might be the quiet and idyllic (or highkey unsettling) sleepy town nestled a good drive from a major city. Or perhaps it’s a one stop light, “nothing ever happens here” rural place where everyone knows each other…or so they think. Leaves skip along sidewalks, trees and tall grass sway in the breeze, vacant buildings pepper the landscape, and life is slow. But, underneath that façade, there’s something sinister afoot. When you think about it, small towns are the perfect location for a horror story.

As a person who grew up in a small town in rural North Carolina, I am all too familiar with how they can be a real-life hotbed for urban legends, salacious stories, and haunted house narratives. You either hear about or silently wonder what happened to the fire-scorched old house you pass every day. There’s an abandoned building with scary stories and rumors attached to its history, piquing your curiosity and fear simultaneously.

Netflix

A reclusive person living in a creepy house becomes fodder for outlandish speculation. Elders remember a tragic story of a murder that shook the town to its core. Gossip and news uncover the skeletons in people’s closets, revealing that they weren’t who they seemed to be. Those are all horrors that can happen anywhere but they feel exacerbated in a small town. So it is no surprise to me that countless horror films, TV shows, and books center their action in small towns and/or rural settings. Let’s take a closer look at some reasons why they work well for the genre.

The Fear of Isolation, Forgotteness, and High Visibility

Small towns and rural area residents are both isolated and extremely visible. There’s no crowd to dissolve and blend into like you can in a city. If the town is small enough, it’s likely that too many people know your business, for better or worse. Despite popular belief, a small town is not one big community. There are divisions and subsets that often lead to devisiveness and discord.

Take Midnight Mass for instance. Crockett Island is a remote New England place where every single face is recognizable. If you are new, they will notice and watch you. But, among its residents, there is brewing tension from past events that still permeates in present times. The town itself isn’t prominent but every single resident is highly visible.

Netflix

A town’s location may result in a lack of access to certain resources, fostering an environment that feels sequestered from the larger “society.” It’s akin to being in a wilderness of sorts, especially if there is no major city nearby, where people have to rely on their ingenuity, survival instinct, and others nearby. You may even get that feeling that there’s “nowhere to run” if trouble arises. Death and mayhem can take place in these “forgotten” pockets of America with little to no attention. In short, their terror is their problem, whether it comes from supernatural roots, strange entities, or a human killer.

We see this in films like Night of the Living Dead, which utilizes a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse to amp up the terror of being chased by zombies. Ben and his cohorts don’t have a securer place to go. And, there’s no help coming any time soon. Before moving to Virginia, The Walking Dead follows this same concept starting its story in a small Georgia town a couple of hours away from Atlanta. The group does go into the abandoned city on occasion but much of its early storyline takes place in camps, on farmland, and in the woods. Again, they are on their own without the safety in larger numbers.

Stranger Things is a prominent example of the balance between isolation and high visibility, particularly through Joyce Byers. She lives on the outskirts of an already small town, a location that leaves her home vulnerable and leads to Will’s disappearance. Hawkins residents rally behind her looking for Will; however, their support soon turns into whispers and stares about her apparent emotional and mental spiral.

She becomes a small town archetype of the crazy local lady, the center of their attention while also being mostly alone. Again, this can happen in any community but those murmurs seem to reverberate louder in a smaller place. It plays into our real fears of being watched/judged, loneliness/isolation, and knowing that something is wrong but no one believing us.

The Othering of Small Towns

The feeling of being “othered” is big in horror. Hell, the genre itself is othered, as evidenced by award shows rarely recognizing horror’s contributions to cinema.

In many ways, small towns, specifically those in rural areas, are othered by people who have never lived in one. Residents are stereotyped and judged for “choosing” to live there despite it not always being a choice. Small town residents don’t all lack intelligence, speak with a thick accent, eschew progressive beliefs, or hate everyone who isn’t from their home. And all small towns and rural areas are not “shit-kicker” places for people with no future.

An excellent recent example of this is Shadyside, OH, the fictional town in the Fear Street trilogy. The entire community is under a decades-long generational curse that causes killing sprees. The city and its cycle of murder are written off by outsiders who think Shadysiders are just violent people who are ruining their own lives. And many Shadysiders simply accept things for what they are, believing the things said about them to be true.

But Deena Johnson is determined to discover the truth and break the curse over her town. A curse that is unsurprisingly tied to white cishet male privilege. Deena herself is othered in the story as a Black lesbian from the “wrong side of the tracks” but she ends up being the silent liberator for all Shadysiders, present and future. Small town horror stories give voice and narrative to places and people who are othered. Some of them become antagonists while others become the heroes that some never thought they would be.

The Juxtaposition Between Ideal Neighborhood and Deadly Foe

Picture it. A pretty street lined with large decorated houses, neat yards, and kids playing on the sidewalks. It’s the snapshot of a small town neighborhood where people seemingly have their slice of the American Dream. That image can quickly become sinister if you imagine a killer lurking behind one of those well-trimmed bushes. A tenet of horror is playing on our fears that things are not what they seem. This is certainly the case in many fictional and real small towns. A quick Google search about small town murders will affirm that they often happen in picturesque places, leaving residents stunned and upset.

This brings Halloween to mind. Haddonfield, Illinois goes into shock after a boy murders his big sister and comes back for a killing spree. It’s a horrific piece of the town’s history that they have grappled with (mostly silently) for years. If you took a look at Haddonfield, you’d never think something so gruesome could go down there.

In the upcoming installment of its retconned storyline, the direct survivors of Michael’s terror and other residents will come together to put an end to this looming evil. This ties into that tight-knit community aspect and how, when terror arises, it is up to the aware residents to save themselves.

Much of the Scream franchise takes place in Woodsboro, California, an idyllic and wealthy town. It is certainly not a place where you’d expect a teen killing spree. Downtown Woodsboro is rather adorable and everyone lives in really nice houses in the middle of nowhere. It all sets up a great place to cause mayhem. Think about it. Casey Becker could have run but where the hell would she have gone? You couldn’t even see her neighbors.

Stu Macher’s house was the perfect place to carry out a massacre because it took the police all damn night to get there. And, the film leans into the aforementioned reality of small towns: the gossip circle. I hate to admit it but it is a thing. Rumors about Maureen and Sidney are interweaved in this tale, making Sidney’s journey a social nightmare. It’s easy to picture horror in the “grim” streets of a city or a crumbling/abandoned place or town. But the terror of friendly streets mixed with the stabby action is a dynamic duo.

Dimension Films

Slasher stories with flesh and blood killers are one thing. You can’t ignore literal murder. But when you throw supernatural elements into these tiny slices of paradise, it becomes another animal, playing into the notion that “perfect” small towns have the most secrets. Some of them that the majority may not know. The majority of residents in Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Sunnydale remain in general oblivion about their town’s vampiric happenings. But, a few of those who do know are up to some sinister stuff of their own.

A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Springwood, Ohio harbors the very dark secret of Freddy Krueger, the child killer whom the townspeople killed years prior. He comes back, taking kids out in their dreams, and the adults around them are largely unaware. Again, these are places that look great on the outside but have a dark soul. Pairing pretty with gruesome is a horror trope classic.

The Examination of Safeness

Even if a small town has some creepy, dilapidated buildings or isn’t so pretty, many people associate them with being “safer.” It makes sense in many ways. Neighbors know each other from their kids playing together. Generations of families grow up in the same place. There are fewer people who could hurt you, right? Wrong. Small towns make for good horror settings because it breaks down that assumption.

Hawkins isn’t a fancy small town. It’s a normal, working-class place. But people assume they know each other very well. They allow their children to roam the streets all day and half the night on their bikes with little worry. In fact, before 1983, there hadn’t been a missing person for decades. And the biggest scandal was an owl attacking a woman’s head because it looked like a nest. So, when multiple kids go missing, it puts fear into the hearts of its residents. The same goes for pretty much any other ’80s or ’90s era horror film set in a small town with a kid or teen ensemble. They are just out in the streets and the parents do not care until something goes down. And sometimes they still don’t care.

This goes for quite a few Stephen King stories. You might know him. He’s the King of Small Town Horror. Maine towns Derry (It) and Chamberlain (Carrie) are places that not only fit into the “lovely” or “safe” aesthetic but also seem safe…until you look closer. Carrie certainly wasn’t safe from her mother and horrible peers. And the adults in It have no idea that a dancing weird clown is killing their kids. It is a reminder that there’s nowhere on Earth where humans live and horror cannot ensue.

The Outsider and a Town with Secrets

Perhaps the scariest marriage of horror and small towns is when everyone knows…except you. And they don’t just know what’s going on, they accept it as a norm and perhaps participate in it. It’s not harmful to them but boy, if you are an outsider, you have something to worry about. The concept of being new to a place with people who have an established bond, culture, and general daily flow is scary enough.

Throw some dark secrets, possible supernatural mess, and murder into the mix and it’s a solid foundation for horror. There’s Dead & Buried, where the townspeople are killing visitors and a sheriff realizes no one is who they seem to be. Potter’s Bluff is a very bad place, indeed.

The aforementioned Midnight Mass also plays with this in a different way through its Sheriff Omar Hassan, who is not only an outsider but an “other” because he’s not Christian. There are secrets that he’s constantly unraveling in town. Or Children of the Corn, where a small Nebraska town is full of a kiddle cult who murder adults to the chagrin of some travelers. Get Out also fits here with its rural location and poor Chris not knowing the family’s sinister plans.

There’s also a particular brand of secretiveness in small town horror that I call “we don’t go there.” The residents know some BS went down at a specific house/location and they don’t fool with it. But, they also really don’t warn others to stay away either. Or if they do, it is an afterthought or not very convincing. Friday the 13th is a prime example. The people of Crystal Lake disassociate themselves from the murders that took place at Camp Crystal Lake.

What transpired there is a secret of sorts that they don’t care to divulge to newcomers. It’s keeping “our business” to ourselves, perhaps out of shame, fear, or distrust of outsiders. We see this in the first film when everyone looks at Annie like she’s nuts for taking a job at Camp Crystal Lake. They express shock that the place is opening back up. But damn, y’all could’ve told her that some MESS went down so maybe don’t go there. Ralph tells her about “Camp Blood,” but of course she doesn’t believe the “local kooky man.” And, of course, the truck man decides to tell her when they are already on the way there. Not that she was bright enough to listen anyway, but I digress.

This also applies to Stephen King’s Jerusalem’s Lot. The people of Preacher’s Corner know this abandoned place and Chapelwaithe ain’t kosher at all. And when Charles and Calvin decide they want to take residence there, the locals are like “if you go down this path, that’s on you.” It’s rather amusing to me as a small town person because it screams “stop coming here for your investigative thrills and leave us alone.”

Of course, there are far too many small town narratives to name. And that’s a testament to how well these settings work in horror. From secrets to rumors to being seen and isolated, small towns and rural areas will always reign supreme in thrilling, gory, and twisted tales.

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