Shocktoberfest 2022

Week Two Nineteenth-century American author Edgar Allan Poe was my introduction to horror. Literary scholars consider him to be a key foundational block of the genre and his works are ubiquitous, certain to be found in any library or bookstore.  Even my elementary school had a copy of Tales of Mystery and Imagination that I

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Shocktoberfest 2022

Week One Welcome to Shocktoberfest 2022, the only horror movie festival curated by me! This is a list of movies I watched to prepare for Halloween, plus a thought or two. Week One is pretty long.  I wish I could watch ten horror movies a week, but work and a non-horror movie-loving wife need attention.

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Give Me Pity

“Ever try to lose yourself? No! Because you’re too busy trying to find yourself.”      -Sissy St. Claire Subversive feminist filmmaker Amanda Kramer returned to this year’s Fantastic Fest with a bizarre journey into the dark soul of one woman’s struggle for identity.  Visually astounding, GIVE ME PITY! takes the form of a prime-time,

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The Offering

Jewish-themed horror movies are ‌rare but this year’s Fantastic Fest features at least two films that explore the rich and fantastic pantheon of Jewish folklore and the role of kabbalah, the intense study of mysticism, and the occult by Jewish scholars. Director Oliver Park and screenwriter Hank Hoffman delve into complex, familial themes of grief,

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Movie Review Don't F*** in the Woods 2

My offer still stands, but if you get us out of here alive, I’m throwing anal in with the deal” – Tasha (Kenzie Phillips) If you are reading this because Don’t F*** in the Woods 2 sounds like a great title, save yourself the effort of reading further and go watch it. For fans of

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What did we get in the end? Constant pressure. Unmet expectations. Workhorses! All for a bunch of men that did not know what to do with us on the wrong side of 35. – Harper Dutch   Hagsploitation is the subgenre of exploitation and horror films about older women who have become aged, ugly and

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The sparsely populated northern European country of Norway is the home of large reindeer herds, fjords, the birthplace of black metal, and many quality horror films. A list of notable Norwegian horror titles includes the fable Thale (2012), the excellent, found-footage film Troll Hunter (2010), The Lords of Chaos (2018), and the newly discovered Lake

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The Classic Movie Monsters of Hollywood from the 1930s During the Great Depression, Americans sought relief in the comforting darkness and fantasy worlds they found in movie theaters. In the years following the violent conflict and subsequent societal upheavals of WW I, the United States suffered an epic economic crisis caused by the stock market

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Virus:32

“Today is not a day to be scared of madness.”                                                          -Luis Virus-32, an exciting, new entry to the crowded field of zombie movies, has arrived from South America and is currently streaming on Shudder. In this Uruguayan movie, the zombies become catatonic for 32 seconds after a killing, allowing the survivors a brief window to

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Luchador Films

Everything goes in the world of luchador films! Luchador film is a popular genre based on the characters of Mexico’s thriving professional wrestling circuit. Lucha libre (named after the wrestling style used by the wrestlers) films were prevalent from the late 1950s to the 1970s. While these films, with their masked, barrel-chested heroes and lithe

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