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The Asphyx (1972)
I’m going to begin this review by stating the obvious: Peter Newbrook’s horror masterpiece The Asphyx (1972) (pronounced “ass-fix”) has the best title ever. Call me juvenile, but when the serious British protagonist solemnly delivers lines like “I want you to summon up my own asphyx,” or “it is within my grasp to trap a…
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Glorious (2022)
When it comes to horror movies, I used to think that there was nothing new under the sun. But then I saw Rebekah McKendry’s Glorious (2022). Shocking and impressing me at every turn, the film’s plot is–at least to my knowledge–truly original, making comps with other genre content challenging. It’s a story of cosmic proportions…
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Daddy’s Head (2024)
When I saw the trailer for Benjamin Barfoot’s Daddy’s Head (2024), I scoffed at the menacing shots of a minimalist glass house. In recent years, too many filmmakers have leaned on the easy horror of see-through structures, exploiting the vulnerability of their occupants instead of doing the difficult work of developing a better story. If…
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Children of the Stones (1977)
If you are looking for a horror series to binge watch, you could easily find new or recent content on Netflix. But why not try something different?–something with less gloss but more period interest and loads of heart. Take a trip back to 1977, when the pants were tight and the collars wide; and get…
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Dracula’s Widow (1988)
The Coppola family seems to have cornered the market on vampire films. Between Francis Ford’s blockbuster, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), and Nicolas Cage’s darkly manic performance in the now cult classic Vampire’s Kiss (1988), it’s easy to forget Christopher Coppola’s low-budget horror comedy, Dracula’s Widow (1988). But I like an underdog, and this uneven effort…
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Dracula’s Daughter (1936)
If you’re interested in the history of queer representation in film, then I recommend Dracula’s Daughter (1936). Like so many movies from this archive, it’s a frustrating watch because same-sex desire must be expressed circuitously, rendered monstrous, and ultimately punished. I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by saying that the lesbian vampire dies in the…