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Articles by Horror Homeroom
Multiversal Hopes and Horrors in The Rebellion Against the Conspiracy Against the Human Race and Other Worlds Than These
Mike Thorn The contemporary world all too often looks like nothing but a series of breathlessly converging existential crises: far-right autocracies, genocides and wars, intensifying climate disasters, the sweeping threats of generative AI, and the online erosion of collective truth. Two new books use literary horror both to explore our world’s widespread evils and to imagine other ways of being.
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival: Ryan Glover’s Split Rock
I watched Split Rock as part of the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, where it had its North American premiere on October 21, 2026. Written and directed by Ryan Glover, Split Rock is his second feature after The Strings, which was released in 2020 (and is available on Shudder). Split Rock is about a group of geologists – Lauren (Clark Backo), Ben (Drew Ray Tanner), Sam (Olivia Luccardi), and Trevor (Graham Verchere) – who are surveying an area of the Badlands in southern Saskatchewan.
Endless Night: Agatha Christie for Horror Fans
Agatha Christie published Endless Night late in her career, in 1967. It’s a stand-alone novel, without the stabilizing center provided by either of her famous detectives, Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple. It is, perhaps because of that, a good place to start for horror fans interested in how Christie’s work as mystery writer frequently veers into horror.
Obsession and the Patriarchy
James Staynings When my partner joked on our car ride home from the cinema about how Curry Barker’s Obsession (2026) is a metaphor for the patriarchy, the statement became a… fascination. We stumbled and analysed our way through the woods on a Bear hunt. We read, listened and discussed others’ observations. I noticed something in much of the discussion around the ironically named protagonist who evokes the 2024 TikTok Phenomenon.
M3GAN 2.0: One of the Most Interesting Horror Films of 2025
Gerard Johnstone’s M3GAN 2.0 (2025) has mostly not been identified as a horror film. On IMDb, it’s labeled “thriller,” “action” and “sci-fi.” On Wikipedia, it’s “science fiction action.” This is after the first film in the franchise, Johnstone’s M3GAN (2022), was widely dubbed a “science fiction horror” film.
Society Must be Upended: 28 Years Later and the Shattered Dream of Zombie Apocalypse Post-COVID-19
Andrés Emil González When Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma near the beginning of Danny Boyle’s classic zombie film, 28 Days Later (2002), he does so wholly alone. This is not so surprising in a film and, indeed, a whole subgenre of horror fixated on the idea of societal breakdown and the survival of the individual in its aftermath, but it is a choice worth reexamining in light of Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland’s return to the franchise with 2025’s 28 Years Later.
Chlorinated Slaughter: Predation and Power in Ten Horror Movie Swimming Pools
Cullen Wade “Swimming isn’t a sport. Swimming is a way to keep from drowning.” —George Carlin, Playin’ with Your Head Springboard If, as it’s speculated, our prehistoric ancestors learned swimming to escape predators1, I doubt many of the millions of Americans who use swimming pools every year are consciously practicing how to avoid being ripped apart by beasts.
‘Everything but people’ – Joshua Erkman’s A Desert - Horror Movie - Horror Homeroom
A Desert is the first feature film from director Joshua Erkman (who co-wrote the film with Bossi Baker). It has been described as a neo noir / horror hybrid – although, in every way, this film can certainly stand as pure horror. It is quite self-conscious about its horror lineage, and it evokes all the emotions you expect from horror: it’s unsettling, disturbing, shocking, terrifying, and at times repulsive.
Aislinn Clarke Talks about Fréwaka, Her New Irish Folk Horror Film
Johanna Isaacson In March 2025 Aislinn Clarke visited my alma mater, University of California, Santa Cruz as part of a symposium exploring creative and critical intersections in the work of UCSC and Queens University Belfast faculty. I was fortunate to attend a screening of Aislinn’s amazing new folk horror film, Fréwaka, and to have the opportunity, along with Literature professor Renée Fox, to interview the writer/director in front of a live audience.
A Haunting in Alola – Ghost Narratives in the Pokémon Franchise - Horror Movie - Horror Homeroom
The Pokémon franchise is full of ghosts and spirits even outside of their Ghost-type Pokémon, and the appearance of such paranormal activity dates back to the first title. In Red/Blue, a young girl NPC in Lavender Town asks the player about an unseen white hand on their shoulder after inquiring whether they believe in ghosts (Figure 1).
In the Twilight Zone: The After Hours in Severance
In Severance’s latest episode, “The After Hours” (season 2, ep. 9), the show makes its most direct reference yet to another television series. Could it be more appropriate that it’s The Twilight Zone? Specifically, the thirty-fourth episode in season one, “The After Hours,” which aired on June 10, 1960. For those of us who like to look for hidden references, this one isn’t much of a challenge (“The After Hours” = “The After Hours”).
Ecumenical Exorcism in The Unborn
Steve A. Wiggins For about three decades after The Exorcist (1973), possession movies tended to be Catholic. It was as if demons were a distinctively Catholic problem. Demons, in fact, are recognized worldwide in a variety of different forms, not all of them evil. In the three major monotheistic religions they do tend to be enemies of God and should be banished whenever possible.
Shudder Secrets: Black Cab
Horror fans know Nick Frost best for his iconic performance as Ed, Shaun’s (Simon Pegg) slacker best friend in Shaun of the Dead. Frost went on to star in several other films, many of them comedies, including Hot Fuzz, where he again acted alongside Pegg. Frost’s career has also included lots of voice work in cartoons. As diverse as Frost’s career has been since that unforgettable role in Shaun of the Dead, it’s great to see him return to the horror genre in the British film Black Cab.
Shudder Secrets: MadS a Drug-Fueled, Apocalyptic Horror
David Moreau made a name for himself as writer of the 2006 New French Extremity film Them. As the director behind the drug-fueled, apocalyptic nightmare MadS, he crafted a film just as vicious as anything from the movement he was initially associated with. His feature is a bloody, harrowing one-shot, influenced heavily by the likes of George A. Romero’s zombie movies and 28 Days Later.
Shudder Secrets: Daddy's Head
Writer/director Benjamin Barfoot’s Daddy’s Head is one creepy creature feature. However, it’s not a schlocky, late-night B movie. Barfoot’s eerie film is also a layered and arresting drama that explores the profound grief of a stepmom and a boy, reeling from the sudden loss of his father. While it’s true the creature steals most of the scenes it’s in, the film works so well not only because of its practical effects, but also the characterization.
The Leech Woman: The Aging Female Body as Shock
The essay below is drawn from an article I published in 2019 called “The Shock of Aging (Women) in Horror Film.” I’m excerpting (and adapting) part of the article here because the film it’s about, a very much undervalued film by Edward Dein from 1960 called The Leech Woman,[i] is not only a brilliant film but uncannily anticipates Coralie Fargeat’s equally brilliant film, The Substance (2024).
Shudder Secrets: The Demon Disorder
With recent films like Hell Hole, Alien: Romulus, and Malignant, there’s been a return to practical effects in the horror genre. I, for one, welcome this, especially considering the debates regarding AI and its use in film and other art forms. The Demon Disorder, directed by Steven Boyle, is a nasty bit of body horror that also contains elements of possession.
Oz Perkins’ Longlegs as Folk Horror
Oz Perkins’ 2024 film, Longlegs, is at first glance a serial killer film, with references abounding to Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs (1991) and, to a lesser extent, David Fincher’s Seven (1995). Perkins has been quite explicit in interviews, however, that he lures viewers in with this promise and then gives them something else.
Shudder Secrets: Humane
Because of her name, Caitlin Cronenberg’s feature debut Humane warrants attention within the horror community. Unlike her dad’s body of work, however, Humane is less concerned with body horror and much more interested in class politics, current divisions, and even ecological collapse. This film is very different in tone than her father and brother, Brandon Cronenberg’s filmography, and that’s a good thing. Let her carve out her own voice as a filmmaker.
Exploring a Filming Location: Alan Garner's Red Shift
Alan Garner’s writing is famously bound to the land. One of his best-known novels, Red Shift (1973) is set in Cheshire, Garner’s native county in north west England. Indeed, the novel features specific places and events in Cheshire: Mow Cop Castle, a folly built in 1754 in the village of Mow Cop, split between the counties of Cheshire and Staffordshire, and St. Bertoline’s Church in Barthomley, Cheshire, the site of a Royalist massacre of twelve suspected Parliamentarian supporters in 1643.
Considering Catholic Horror Literature
Gavin F. Hurley I was a teenager when I first watched The Exorcist. It terrified me. Later, in my twenties, I read Blatty’s novel. It still terrified me. But its complexity began to seep in. While the story was entertaining and the style was easy to read, the novel was also intellectual and spiritually engaging. Energized by the horror genre, this balance intrigued me—and sparked my interest in Catholic horror literature. As many of us know, horror fiction can motivate meaningful inquiry.
Shudder Secrets: The Devil's Bath
Anyone familiar with Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala’s work knows that their horror films aren’t exactly an upper. Goodnight Mommy is a grim portrayal of motherhood, painting children as little hell spawns. Their last film, The Lodge, isn’t exactly flattering to children either, while underscoring a sense of isolation in a grim wintery setting. Their latest, The Devil’s Bath, is somehow their bleakest film to date. That’s really saying something considering their body of work thus far.
Call for Papers — Horror Homeroom Special Issue #9: Body Horror (November/December 2024) - Horror Movie - Horror Homeroom
Though the term was coined in 1986, ‘body horror’ dates back to the beginnings of Gothic literature—Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818); Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)—and extends into contemporary fiction, film, and new media.
Shudder Secrets: Exhuma
There’s just something about contemporary Korean horror movies. Films like The Wailing, Train to Busan, A Tale of Two Sisters, and I Saw the Devil, all feel epic in scope and execution. You can count Exhuma in that mix, Shudder’s latest film, which, so far, is South Korea’s highest-grossing film of 2024 following its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. Directed and written by Jang Jae-hyun, the film clocks in at over two hours, and yet, despite the long runtime, it’s a totally engrossing feature.
Are all creature features the same?: Talking The Great Alligator (1979) and Alligator (1980)
In today’s episode, it’s creature feature, B-movie summer horror with 1979’s The Great Alligator and 1980s’s Alligator. Despite their very different settings, both films lean into the carnage caused by their snappy, tail-spinning reptilian monsters while simultaneously suggesting that the true villains are more of the two legged variety. But do their eco-critical considerations resonate with today’s audiences? We’re breaking it all down today with spoilers, so stay tuned.
Silver and Gold: The Quiet and the Storm Disturbing Hybridity in Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s The Lure
by James Rose Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s The Lure (2015) is, like its mermaid protagonists, Golden (Michalina Olszańska) and Silver (Marta Mazurek), a peculiar hybrid: part Horror, part Musical, it is an adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid that has been fused with biographical experiences from the director’s teenage years, all integrated into the landscape of 1980’s Poland.
In a Violent Nature: A Long, Bloody Hike in the Woods
I’m certain that In a Violent Nature will polarize horror fans. Some will absolutely love a few of the grisly kills, especially one near the halfway point, while others may find the movie to be a tedious arthouse slasher. I’m somewhere in the middle. I appreciate what this film tries to do by showing us the slasher’s POV. I’m certain this will inspire other creatives going forward. On the other hand, there’s a reason we’ve never had a Friday the 13th movie from Jason’s perspective.
Tarot in Horror: 9 Films You Should Watch
With this month’s release of Tarot (Spenser Cohen & Anna Halberg), a horror-comedy supernatural slasher inspired by 2000s mid-budget American horror, I decided to count down nine other instances of tarot readings in horror, thriller and supernatural film. The Scary of Sixty-First (Dasha Nekrasova, 2021) The Scary of Sixty-First is a psychological horror directed by “dirtbag left” podcaster Dasha Nekrasova of Red Scare.
We Met In The Forums by Rob Ulitski: A Review
Patrick Zaia We are repeatedly told, by media theorists and political podcasters alike, that the alienation and fragmentation which mars contemporary society stems from the erosion of the barriers separating the digital from the physical. Manufactured virtual realities saturate our lives to such a degree that we can no longer discern simulation from reality, as engendered by the ubiquity of technology and our enforced participation in social media portals and data-mining apps.
Shudder Secrets: Infested
If you simply read the synopsis for Infested, you might think you’re going to get a cheesy and perhaps funny B movie, a-la Eight Legged Freaks or even Tarantula. However, director Sébastien Vanicek’s feature debut is much, much more than that. It’s an intense, nerve-jangling movie with downright menacing venomous spiders. I’ll go as far to say it’s one of the most suspenseful films I’ve seen all year, with sequence after sequence that’s pulse-pounding.
The Fawn Response - A New Way of Thinking about Folk Horror
JDC Burnhil Anyone who attempts to devise a definition of “folk horror” quickly discovers how peculiarly exasperating the task is. As much as readers and critics may agree that certain works definitely belong to the corpus – as much as we may sense that the corpus is bound by a common spirit – the bewildering variety of twists folk horror can take makes it difficult to confidently identify the key elements.
Children of the Corn: Where Fritz Kiersch’s 1984 Adaptation Gets It Right – and Wrong - Horror Movie - Horror Homeroom
Fritz Kiersch’s adaptation of Stephen King’s 1977 short story, “Children of the Corn,” was released in the US on March 9, 1984. It’s one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations (somewhere in the top ten) – and its many strengths notably include an early starring role for the amazing Linda Hamilton, seven months before she appeared in the career-shaping The Terminator.
Shudder Secrets: Satanic Hispanics
There have been countless horror anthologies, from the classic Creepshow, to the more recent V/H/S franchise, to Tales from the Hood. Of course, some are better than others. What makes Satanic Hispanics unique is that it’s the first anthology to feature all Latino directors. While some entries are stronger than others, it’s generally a decent film that boasts some pretty impressive special effects.
Lithic Nightmare of The Keep (1983)
By Kevin Cooney Tremendously flawed but much loved, The Keep (1983) was director Michael Mann’s first and only horror film thus far. For all of its cinematic beauty and meticulous production design, studio meddling and production delays turned the movie into a legendary failure. However, hidden within the mangled edit is a foreboding portrayal of evil.
Shudder Secrets: History of Evil
Though History of Evil is set in 2045, its dystopian America feels like it could happen way sooner. In writer/director Bo Mirhosseni‘s film, militants roam the land, hunting for immigrants and citizens that are part of “the resistance.” Just before they execute or jail the innocent, they say a prayer. Meanwhile, there are checkpoints everywhere and extreme far-right radio shows that talk about “God and country.” Sure, it can happen here.
The Reproductive Imperative of Folk Horror: Robin Redbreast and Alex Garland's Men
In an early classic of folk horror, the 1970 BBC Play for Today episode, “Robin Redbreast” (written by John Bowen and directed by James MacTaggart), a middle-class professional woman, Norah Palmer (Anna Cropper), whose long-time boyfriend just ended their relationship, moves rather reluctantly to a remote cottage she acquired during the break-up.
Give Us a Sign: On the Possibility of Non-Diegetic Ghosts
By Andrés Emil González If any single monster or supernatural entity has a claim to shaping horror film and literature as we know it today, it is almost certainly the ghost –and with good reason. The figure of the ghost or spirit embodies (so to speak) some of horror’s fundamental traits, including liminality between states of being, glimpses of a world or truth beyond our own, and a sense of powers that act on human lives without our awareness or comprehension.
A Response to "Finding a Lost Production by Nigel Kneale?"
Jon Dear I read with interest your recent guest post, “Finding a Lost Production by Nigel Kneale?” by Professor Philip Jenkins and felt compelled to respond. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity. A little about myself: I’m a writer on archive British television and film and I’ve written and presented extensively on Nigel Kneale and his work.
Shudder Secrets: Dario Argento Panico
You have to appreciate the greats while they’re still around. Within the last decade, the horror community has lost some of its auteurs. This includes Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, and, more recently, William Friedkin. While Dario Argento is an Italian filmmaker, he comes from the same generation as these other directors, bursting onto the scene in the early 70s with his colorful giallos and stylish kills.
Born Bad?: Talking A Nightmare on Elm Street 1 & 3
In today’s episode, “one, two, Freddy’s coming for you” in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Chuck Russell’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). In the original 1984 release, a group of teens attempt to outsmart Freddy Krueger, a supernatural killer who stalks them in their dreams. In the 1987 sequel, a band of institutionalized teens attempt to defeat Krueger and save the life of an innocent by intentionally entering Dreamland together to dire consequences.
I am so Glad: Pearl and an Interpretation of a Smile
by James Rose Even though it is the second part of a projected horror film trilogy, Ti West’s Pearl (2022), is more a sharply written and extremely well performed character study of the titular character than it is a genre film. Set in 1918, at the height of World War One and the Spanish Flu epidemic, the film chronicles the slow but steady emergence of psychopath Pearl (Mia Goth).
The Place Called Dagon
by Philip Jenkins Baylor University The current fascination with folk horror as a genre began with British contributions in cinema and literature, and that focus is still obvious, despite all the efforts to broaden and globalize the narrative. Even today, the American part of the story is still seriously under-valued, particularly early writings that long precede the British wave of the 1960s.
The Wicker Woman - A Missing Folk Horror Link
by Philip Jenkins Baylor University Folk horror is a major theme in the study of contemporary media and popular culture. Because it attracts so much attention, I am both surprised and pleased to say that I have discovered a significant reference to add to the discussion, one that I am pretty sure nobody else has spotted. It might actually be a missing link in the emergence of that whole genre.
The Lord of Misrule – Paint-by-Numbers Folk Horror - Horror Movie - Horror Homeroom
The Lord of Misrule is the latest horror film from William Brent Bell, who has previously directed 2016’s The Boy and Orphan: First Kill (2022), among others. The Lord of Misrule is firmly in the folk horror tradition and, as a huge folk horror fan, I had been excitedly anticipating its release. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.
Sloths Gone Wild: Talking Slotherhouse (2023)
In today’s episode, it’s an old school horror-comedy romp with Matthew Goodhue’s Slotherhouse (2023). The plot revolves around Alpha, a homicidal three-toed sloth who is abducted from her home in the Panamanian jungle by poachers. Upon killing Oliver, one of the poachers, she is taken in by Emily who believes Alpha just might be her ticket to the sorority house presidency.
Why You Should Watch The City of the Dead (and its Striking Resemblance to Psycho)
It’s a moment of uncanny serendipity in horror film history. The City of the Dead (re-named Horror Hotel in the US) – the first directorial project of Argentinian-born British director, John Llewellyn Moxey – was released in the UK in September 1960. Produced by Americans Milton Subotsky and Max J.
The Devil Inside: Talking The Exorcist (1973)
In today’s episode, we are finally tackling the film Roger Ebert called “a raw and painful experience” that “transcends the genre of terror, horror, and the supernatural.” We are, of course, talking about William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973). Based on William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name, the film is an acknowledged classic trafficking in body horror and demonic possession, scenes of which have morphed into head turning, pea-soup laced pop culture shorthand.
{Movie Review} It's a Wonderful Knife: A Bloody & Clever Twist on a Holiday Classic
There’s always a need for more holiday horror, for gruesome films to watch to cure the post-Halloween blues. It’s a Wonderful Knife, directed by Tyler MacIntyre and written by Michael Kennedy, is a blood-soaked Christmas slasher that’s a unique twist on, you guessed it, It’s a Wonderful Life. Set in the town of Angel Falls, the film stars Jane Widdop in the final girl role as Winnie Carruthers. Seemingly, she comes from a perfect, stable family.
The Best of R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour
R. L Stine’s The Haunting Hour is an excellent – and distinctly underrated youth horror series. It ran for four seasons from late in 2010 until 2014 on Discovery Family and should definitely be talked about more than it is. In this essay, I’m going to highlight some of the best episodes of the series – adding to the list over time. I’d love to hear from readers – and viewers of the series – what your favorite episodes are.
"There Are Better Ways to Die": Final Girls and Ecohorror
Named for their natural settings, The Handmaid’s Tale season four finale, “The Wilderness” (2021) and Land (2021) are both, importantly, women-directed stories that expand ecohorror elements and the feminist horror genre, flipping the Final Girl horror trope.
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