When I was a wee sprog, more than any other kind of movie, I loved classic Universal Studios monster movies. Frankenstein, Bride Of, Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Dracula, Phantom of the Opera, these guys were my buds. Despite the fact that they all enjoyed many sequels,…
Slasher movies have been around for a while, depending on how you want to define the term. From a certain point of view, they were making slashers in the ‘20s. Film scholars traditionally point to the simultaneous releases of Psycho and Peeping Tom as getting the ball rolling, and then in the following decade grungy blood-and-guts extravaganzas…
While my last review may have stretched the definition of a “Halloween movie” to its breaking point, this one will also do that. I aim only for consistency. But hey, maybe by the end of the month I’ll review something that meets the most basic definition of a horror film*. Shin Gojira (2016): When a…
The Halloween season brings with it many rituals and traditions, but there is one above all others that I steadfastly keep. At least once during this spookiest of months, I sit down either by myself or with a friend and try my best to beat the original Castlevania video game in one sitting. Originally released in Japan in…
Several years ago, back when I was in the habit of writing Second Breakfast every week without fail, I wrote a few words (~6,000) on one esteemed Mr. Scoobert Doobert Doo. In fact, for my last Octoberween celebration with Rooster Illusion, I dedicated five weeks to write what I somewhat confidently deemed a “Comprehensive History of…
By 1991, director Wes Craven had lived several lives. Over the course of 20 years, the college professor-turned-horror-auteur evolved from the grindhouse provocateur to the 80s slasher hitmaker behind the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Still several years from leading the meta-horror renaissance with Scream, Wes Craven released a movie that defies easy categorization. Parts dark…
And…………..we’re back. That was a scary couple of years. Speaking of scary things, we’ve marked our favorite month-long celebration of all things spooky for our triumphant return. What better way? For my part, as some of you may recall (because I assume I couldn’t possibly have new readers), many of my past Octoberween articles focused on…
Rooster Illusion 