5 days agoOpen Your Textbooks and Scream!By T.J. Tranchell In 2004 I discovered Carol J. Clover’s Men, Women, and Chainsaws and my life hasn’t been the same since. The combination of Clover’s deep academic dive into horror films and the support of a community college professor broadened my view of what I could do as a…Academia5 min readAcademia5 min read
Mar 17Maybe the Real Horror Was the Colonialism We Did Along the WayBy Katie Gill It’s tough to swap genres partway through a film or TV show. Sure, there are a few examples that come to mind that pull it off well. Psycho (1960) goes from a drama to a horror. Sunshine (2007) goes from science-fiction to a slasher movie. But what…Survival7 min readSurvival7 min read
Mar 10Toxic Men: The Travis Stevens TrilogyBy Justin Drabek Sometimes the world can seem bleak and tragic with overwhelming circumstances at every turn. We sometimes turn to horror because no matter how gruesome, intense, or heartbreaking the story is, the hero wins most of the time. It’s the same reason why people watch things like professional…Toxic Masculinity7 min readToxic Masculinity7 min read
Mar 3Decolonizing Dread | ‘Bone Tomahawk’ and the Misunderstanding of CulturesBy Jordan Gerdes Previous ⬅ Decolonizing Dread | Colonization and the Cosmos in ‘Prometheus’ At the dawn of the 20th century, the North American continent was extensively settled, having been mapped, drawn, quartered, and divided among white settlers. The rise of new technologies, such as the steam engine, took a…Culture7 min readCulture7 min read
Feb 24When a Man BleedsBy T.J. Tranchell Upon its release, John Carpenter’s The Thing was a box office and critical bomb. The $15 million budget for the movie met a $19.6 million return in 1982. Carpenter gave audiences the quintessential cult classic; what was seen as a failure has become a revered film and…Gender7 min readGender7 min read
Feb 17Misunderstood Monsters | How Tiffany in ‘Bride of Chucky’ Reminds Us to Set Ourselves FreeBy Matt Konopka Previous ⬅ Misunderstood Monsters | Punching Through the Face of Change with ‘Psycho Goreman’ Welcome fellow monster kids to Misunderstood Monsters. This is where I, Matt Konopka, sink my fangs into all sorts of beasts, ghouls, and creatures from above while I search for the humanity behind…Love7 min readLove7 min read
Feb 10Faith and Morality in ‘Viy’By Luke Beale The morality in folklore and fairy tales has always been complex. Fairy tales have a reputation for being highly moral, and it’s true, they often imbue very clear messages. “The Frog Prince…”: beauty is more than skin deep. “The Three Little Pigs”: build solid foundations. “Little Red…Morality6 min readMorality6 min read
Feb 3Faces of Frankenstein | The Innovation and Influence of James Whale’s ‘Frankenstein’By Brian Keiper Previous ⬅ Faces of Frankenstein | Prototypes of the World’s Most Iconic Monster In terms of influence and cultural impact, James Whale’s Frankenstein is a strong contender for the greatest horror movie ever made. In fact, its effusion into the culture is so complete that it is…Innovation15 min readInnovation15 min read
Jan 27Decolonizing Dread | Colonization and the Cosmos in ‘Prometheus’By Jordan Gerdes Previous ⬅ Decolonizing Dread | “The Ruins” and Resistance History is full of events soon forgotten and too often repeated: Napoleon’s failed invasion of Russia in 1812, followed by Hitler’s failed invasion in 1941; The Great Depression in 1929 spurred on by the same careless economic conditions…Human History6 min readHuman History6 min read
Jan 20Misunderstood Monsters | Punching Through the Face of Change with ‘Psycho Goreman’By Matt Konopka Previous ⬅ Misunderstood Monsters | Rebel ‘Gremlins’ in the Machine Welcome fellow monster kids to Misunderstood Monsters. This is where I, Matt Konopka, sink my fangs into all sorts of beasts, ghouls, and creatures from above while I search for the humanity behind their frightening exteriors. From…Resolutions7 min readResolutions7 min read
