Category: Analysis
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ANALYSIS: Mommy’s Little Monsters – Motherhood in Horror
This Mother’s Day, Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana unpacks the darker side of motherhood… There is very little else in the entirety of a person’s life that is as frightening as reproducing, giving birth to and raising a tiny human whose survival instinct – unlike that of most animals – doesn’t kick in properly until their late teens. […]
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ANALYSIS: “I am not a real duck” – A Portrait of Paranoid Marriage in HONEYMOON (2014)
Spoilers Before the Fear Street Trilogy, director Leigh Janiak’s debut explored the dark waters of a relationship in freefall. Kim Morrison investigates… “Before I was alone. And now I am not.” This is one of the first things we hear Bea (Rose Leslie) say on her wedding video in the opening minutes of Honeymoon (2014). […]
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ANALYSIS: “So many pretty parts, no pretty wholes” – MAY (2002), Twenty Years On
Spoilers Ariel Powers-Schaub examines the lasting legacy of Lucky McKee’s incendiary directorial debut… Despite being twenty years old May (2002) remains painfully incisive today, containing themes which still feel relevant for 2022. Focused on the eponymous May (Angela Bettis), the film follows her as she works at an animal hospital, sews her own clothing and makes […]
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ANALYSIS: Examining the Real-World Violence of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972)
Spoiler and Trigger Warning for Sexual Assault One of the most infamous entries in the “video nasty” era, Wes Craven’s debut feature continues to shock to this day. Kim Morrison examines the method behind the madness… Even though the video nasties list was something that popped up in the ‘80s, films that were once on […]
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ANALYSIS: “You’ve got to live in the now, girls” – Past, present and the paranormal in LAST NIGHT IN SOHO (2021)
Spoilers Marking director Edgar Wright’s return to horror, Last Night in Soho threw the audience several curveballs. With the film out this week on DVD and Blu-ray, Melissa Cox untangles the threads of time, space, mental health and hauntings… When I watched the trailers for Edgar Wright’s Last Night In Soho, I didn’t expect that […]
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ANALYSIS: The 90’s Slasher Cycle
In 1996, Scream changed everything. But what came next? Becky Darke breaks it down… The state of slasher films in the 1990s is notorious among horror fans, following a period of over-saturation from juggernaut franchises and, later, the subgenre’s rejuvenation through director Wes Craven’s and writer/producer Kevin Williamson’s spearheading of teen slashers 2.0. A new […]
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ANALYSIS: “His name was Jason” – cycles of grief in FRIDAY THE 13th (1980)
Spoilers Everyone knows the story of Camp Crystal Lake. But could it be that beneath the surface of this seminal slasher there are deeper themes of grief, loss and trauma? Tim Coleman makes the case… The original Friday the 13th, famously, doesn’t feature Jason Voorhees: unless one’s counting the final jump-scare which may / may […]
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ANALYSIS: The Final Girl of Our Dreams
Spoilers Rebecca McCallum assesses the journey of Nancy and Heather across the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise… Fearless and tenacious, with an inner fight that will not be quashed, Nancy Thompson is one of horror’s most adored and memorable final girls, brought to life by the incomparable Heather Langenkamp, who – as director Wes Craven […]
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ANALYSIS: Complicated Views on Family in MALIGNANT (2021)
Spoilers Horror fans always have a lot to say, something especially true regarding James Wan’s latest, Malignant. I loved it, from the campy beginning to bonkers ending, and immediately knew it would become part of my regular rotation. In particular I adored how Malignant tackled a topic I haven’t seen much in horror lately: family […]
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ANALYSIS: Dinner is Served – A Tasting Menu of Mealtimes in Horror
Spoilers Family get-togethers can be hell. This Thanksgiving, Rebecca McCallum pulls up a chair at the worst dinners in horror history… Mealtimes are often seen as a communal event: a time for families and friends to come together and enjoy drinks, nourishment and good conversation. Horror cinema shines a light on such occasions, exploiting the […]
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