Every year it seems, one or two titles will vie to occupy that all-important space as the prestige horror film of that year. Films like Hereditary, It Follows, The Babadook… Continue reading "Chasing Ghosts: ‘Relic’ Explores the Horrors of Dementia"
As horror fans, we have mixed reactions to the term “torture porn”. On the one hand, it’s a frustratingly vague moniker that writes off a whole swathe of mid-2000s horror… Continue reading "50 Shades of Gore: ‘The Dare’ Invites Us to Revisit Mid-2000s Torture Porn"
And so we enter the final stretch of the most sacred month in the horror calendar. We hope you haven’t yet had your fill of frights, because here, in no… Continue reading "31 Days of Halloween: The Best Horror Films of 2020 (Part 3)"
Now that we’re almost halfway into the Halloween month, you’re no doubt looking for some more of the very best horror to slake your thirst for the macabre! Without further… Continue reading "31 Days of Halloween: The Best Horror Films of 2020 (Part 2)"
Despite our well-documented enthusiasm for anthology horror films here at Vampire Squid Towers, we have to admit that they are a mixed bag. Even the very best of them will… Continue reading "‘The Mortuary Collection’ Brings Us Four Tales Fresh From the Crypt"
Two days ago, The Guardian published a review of Mike Flanagan’s loose The Turn of the Screw adaptation, The Haunting of Bly Manor. It, erm, didn’t go down well. Branded… Continue reading "Editorial: About ‘That’ Guardian Review of ‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’…"
Death Ranch is a no-holds-barred ode to ’70s Blaxploitation cinema. It follows an African American trio of siblings on the run from the law, fighting for their lives as they… Continue reading "Director Charlie Steeds on Paying Homage to 1970s Blaxploitation with Retro Revenge Thriller ‘Death Ranch’"
I Am REN is a Phillip K. Dick-inspired science fiction thriller that slowly unravels itself to reveal a haunting mental health parable. Taking the unsettling serenity of the Polish countryside… Continue reading "Writer/Director Piotr Ryczko and Actor Marta Król on ‘I Am REN’, a Polish Sci-Fi Thriller with a Mental Health Message"
Films like Grave Encounters and The Last Exorcism have created an enduring modern horror trope: the media-savvy showman whose staged flirtations with the paranormal suddenly become all too real. The… Continue reading "Unoriginal Sins: ‘The Cleansing Hour’ Might Not Be The Freshest Exorcism Tale But It Sure is Fun"
What if you cross the wrong person today? What if a chance exchange were to be taken the wrong way? Perhaps you’ve had a trying day and some stranger ends… Continue reading "When the Devil Drives: ‘Tailgate’ Mixes Fragile Masculinity and Road Rage"
An homage to Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s iconic work, Alejandro Ibáñez Nauta reimagines his father’s story Who Can Kill A Child? in his own brutally dark dramatic horror, Urubú. Shot entirely on location… Continue reading "Alejandro Ibáñez Nauta and Carlos Urrutia on Dark Amazonian Jungle Horror ‘Urubú’"
Triggered draws its influences from a range of classic horror concepts, twisting a little bit of Scream into a base of Battle Royale and flavouring the whole story with a pinch… Continue reading "Ariye Mahdeb, Alastair Orr and David Jones on Campsite Battle Royale Movie ‘Triggered’"
A claustrophobic film with a small yet brilliant cast, The Oak Room takes you on a winding journey through stories within stories. Starring Breaking Bad’s R.J. Mitte, Orphan Black‘s Ari Millen and Peter Outerbridge, it drip-feeds the audience… Continue reading "Cody Calahan and Chad Archibald on the Stories Within Stories of Claustrophobic Horror ‘The Oak Room’"
Well, 2020’s been an absolute shocker, but we’ve managed to claw our way to October, everyone (with taste)’s favourite month! While we may not be able to look forward to… Continue reading "31 Days of Halloween: The Best Horror Films of 2020 (Part 1)"
A carefully crafted and reflective horror film, Unearth is a multifaceted exploration of living in the modern world. It pays close attention to its primary cast of two farm families,… Continue reading "John C. Lyons and Dorota Swies on Dramatic Environmental Horror ‘Unearth’"