Frankenstein
FRANKENSTEIN is what scholar David J. Skal calls a film “caught between humanism and mechanism” released in the “American abyss” of 1931…and it remains a master’s class in atmospheric horror.Read more
More often than not, horror education (or at the very least, an introduction to the genre in its myriad of derivations) is anchored in a frisson for film, where the indelibly phantasmagoric images are imprinted upon one’s mind, all haunting, elating, and expanding the subconscious. Included for your ravenous consumption are a few analytical ruminations regarding some notable entries in the horror genre. Certainly not intended as an exhaustive resource by any means, the TWHFFC merely offers the following explorations of sinister cinema for your casual perusal in order to spread the dark gospel of the genre, as well as serve as a modest academic resource for our students… Enter if you dare, Fiends.
In the Mouth of Madness
Carpenter’s film arguably fits perfectly within the director’s own canon: one that overtly explores those dread-laden and atmospheric, Lovecraftian nuances suggested within THE FOG, THE THING, and PRINCE OF DARKNESS before it. Read more
Dracula: Prince of Darkness
Six years have passed since the cinematic cult of Dracula was destroyed on-screen, but Hammer’s dark fairy tale continues…Read more
The Fog: Santa Cruz Premiere
This nautical tale of a cursed seaside town and the vengeful pirate ghosts that rend it asunder is as effective now as it was then…Read more
Creepshow
This film is equal parts poetic justice, practical effects, and highly stylized presentation–it still kills, it still works, it still scares. Read more
Dracula
In the early scenes especially, Lugosi does, indeed, seem undead and solemnly belabored with the corruptions of time. Read more
The Dead Zone
We overtly feel the loss of John Smith, a man whose universe sees fit to move on without him…Read more
Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn
Playing like a revisionist history of the first film, the gore and ghastliness all move from the horrific to the surreal at an incredibly deft pace…Read more
Army of Darkness
Raimi and co-writer Ivan Raimi wear their influences on their sleeve, and at the same time, move the EVIL DEAD series far from the cabin of its humble beginnings.Read more
Scanners
…Cronenberg’s follow-up to 1979’s disturbing familial drama, THE BROOD, presents a compelling dichotomy between science and morality, as well as the insidious nature of corporate obfuscation.Read more