Horror Movie Talk Blog Posts

The Most Frightening Zombies that Movies and Games Have Brought UsWhat are your favorite types of zombies? Specifically, which variants of zombie or zombie-like creature in your anecdotal experience are the most memorable, and how so? Do you prefer one that is the scariest, smartest, deadliest, most tragic, most challenging, most entertaining, most original, etc? … [Read more...] about My Top 10 Zombie Types

Pitting Michael Myers against Jason VoorheesEveryone loves a good rivalry. If they didn’t, we wouldn’t see those obnoxious “Team (insert name here)” t-shirts all the time. We can thank Twilight for giving us something we never asked for with their Team Jacob and Team Edward nonsense.  However, if it proves one thing, it's this. People love competition between a few solid options. So we ask the question, "Who wins in Halloween Vs. Friday the 13th?" … [Read more...] about Halloween Vs. Friday the 13th

Comedy and horror? Can they actually go together? In fact, yes they can, and it makes for interesting funny horror movies. Sometimes the storyline gets lost, and people enjoy it for the comedic laughs it can provide, because you need that break from jumping, haunting, and the rest. … [Read more...] about Funny Horror Movies

A Chronological Look at Scary Dolls and Puppets Birthed by Horror MoviesDolls and puppets, every little girls’ favorite toy to play with, ask for at Christmas. However, she might not realize that every doll and puppet has a history and story behind it. There are legends, myths, stories, and tales told about certain dolls and puppets coming to life or being possessed by the devil himself! … [Read more...] about Scary Doll & Puppet Horror Movies

When Do Remakes Go Too Far?This is a question that, like many in the subjective domain of art, has no simple answer: “When do remakes go too far?” By what metrics do we determine when they veer too off course from their respective source material? Where are the lines drawn, if any, when setting out to recreate an iconic work? How do we constitute the terms of said boundaries? Chances are, if you ask a hundred different people, no two responses will be exactly alike. … [Read more...] about Pet Sematary: Original Vs. Remake

If you were hoping for a review, then I’m sorry to disappoint. Truthfully, there’s little I can say about 1982’s divisive (to say the least) Halloween III: Season of the Witch that hasn’t already been said regarding the film’s quality or lack-there-of. Countless critics have already covered this movie in more depth than I ever could in a single blog, both to defend it and/or systematically tear it apart. … [Read more...] about Halloween III: Were the Fans Wrong About Season of the Witch?

Before anyone jumps to conclusions, let’s be clear: I do NOT prefer 2010’s Nightmare on Elm Street over Wes Craven’s 1984 original. To me, it was at best a mediocre, formulaic slasher with moments of quality. At worst, it was a thoroughly disappointing, uninspired homage filled with wasted potential and overused obnoxious jump-scares. It made money but crashed & burned overall in living up to its predecessor’s legacy. To be fair, that was no small task to begin with. … [Read more...] about A Nightmare on Elm Street: Original vs Remake

When enough examples of a specific outcome about a topic or action occur, it can become understandable to generalize about it. One common example of such stereotyping in horror is the jump-scare. While exceptions of course historically exist in which this trope is utilized to a quality result, the majority (particularly in recent years, as many would attest) are over-saturated in what amounts to a shortcut. Executed at its best, a jump-scare’s function within a movie generally demonstrates how the experiences of a character can disarm or lull the audience into a false sense of security in a variety of scenarios, which in turn leads to a sudden event inciting surprise or fear. … [Read more...] about Art of the Jump-Scare: Film vs. Video Game

Saturating media today probably more than any monster, zombies have so persistently infected pop-culture not only through fear of their countless variants but what the creature represents: The personification of death & the unknown. Outside generations of varying socio-political commentaries, the undead have from one perspective always symbolized death's creeping inevitability, possibly the most primal fear we can connect with regardless of cultural differences. Whether it's the suspense of not knowing if/when/how they'll catch you, how long you can stay a step ahead, debating what the point of it all is, or whether to end it on your own terms, the Hollywood zombie’s unique approach thoroughly embodies this. … [Read more...] about Slow Zombies vs. Fast Zombies: How Have They Influenced The Genre?

When we originally started the podcast, I thought we had picked a pretty good, well-defined niche. However, as David and I started discussing what kinds of movies we could watch and review on the podcast, we ran up against an interesting question: what counts as a horror movie? It seems like a simple question, but when you start thinking about it, many of your assumptions about what defines a horror movie can be easily challenged. … [Read more...] about What Counts as a Horror Movie?