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The concept of a haunted or cursed object goes deep into the human race's collective memory. Ever since we were barely bipedal Cro-Magnons, we learned that there were certain things we should not touch or even look at, lest we encounter danger as a result. As our minds and awareness expanded, such deep seated fears extended out toward the supernatural, and we began entertaining the idea that such things as books, paintings, music, and eventually cinema could somehow be cursed. While these fears are still alive and well in the digital space, warning us against clicking on mysterious hyperlinks, there's still a certain je ne sais quoi to allegedly cursed physical media.

When the "V/H/S" franchise began in 2012, the filmmakers behind it capitalized on this latent fear of ours, providing just enough hints and allusions as to why a series of VHS tapes seen in the films might contain eerie,...

Some horror films have the look of what is thought to be yesteryear. Many employ this for the story, the actors to be a certain style of the time for nostalgia. One of the moments you notice when viewing these is the Directorial choices that often are too modern for the time. The lighting is not for black and white photography that was often done by Europeans fleeing trouble in their countries. Casting your mind back to the days of Dead Of Night (1945), and The Ghost Train (1941) and sprinkling in the crime work of Director Basil Dearden you have the wonderful experience of Sean Hogan’s folk horror short film To Fire You Come at Last (2023)

Evocatively photographed in early Mario Bava ‘Black Sunday’ style in black and white you find a group of men who have been coerced into walking a coffin to the local graveyard for burial. However,...

Though there had been earlier efforts, like Ealing Studios’s Dead of Night from 1945, the horror anthology film came into its own in the 1960s with titles like Kobayashi Masaki’s Kwaidan and the Poe-centric Spirits of the Dead from directors Roger Vadim, Louis Malle, and Federico Fellini. Hammer Films’s rival Amicus churned out no fewer than seven of them in a 10-year period starting with Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors. But the one that really got the omnibus rolling was Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath from 1963, an Italian-American co-production that resulted in two different versions of the film.

After the success of 1960’s Black Sunday, American International Pictures took a more active hand in producing several of Bava’s later films, altering them in the process to suit American audiences that tended to skew younger. The Aip cut of Black Sabbath rearranges its three segments, tones down some...

Warning: This article discusses difficult subject matter including sexual assault and child abuse.

I first learned about Matthew Holness' "Possum" when it was seeking distribution during the American Film Market. Hundreds of titles were on display, but everyone was talking about a black and white poster of a bed with a bag on it ... but the bag and gigantic spider legs sticking out of it. The image sparked a visceral reaction from anyone who walked by, but few could have predicted the abject terror that would come with "Possum." The closest genre to define "Possum" is a psychological thriller, but it's filled with jarring imagery, effective jump scares, and a story that crawls under your skin — and stays there.

"Possum" is based on Holness' short story of the same name featured in "The New Uncanny: Tales of Unease," and incorporates Sigmund Freud's theories on the uncanny. Utilizing a filmmaking...

If anyone wrote the book on complicated parental relations, it’s Anthony Perkins. While Mother is nowhere to be found, this time around Tony is having Daddy issues in How Awful About Allan (1970), an effective, low key TV thriller directed by Curtis Harrington (The Dead Don’t Die). As long as you can leave Norman up in his room, you should have a good time.

Originally airing as an ABC Movie of the Week (because of course) on Tuesday, September 22nd, Allan had to contend with Hee Haw/All in the Family on CBS and the NBC Tuesday Night at the Movies. At the time however, ABC had this format on lockdown with audiences, and for good reason – they always brought in top shelf talent to display on the small screen, and How Awful About Allan is certainly no exception.

Let’s dig out our trusty and totally unreal TV...

Dan Curtis and Richard Matheson fit together as comfortable as Pb &J, warm slippers on a cold day, and the best of TV horror. Dead of Night (1977) is the follow up to their critically acclaimed anthology Trilogy of Terror (1975), in which Karen Black starred in three distinct episodes of small screen mayhem. And much like that one, Dead of Night shall always be remembered for a terrifying final tale.

Originally broadcast on March 29th, 1977 on NBC, Dead of Night was Curtis and Matheson’s sixth collaboration of some sort, starting with Curtis producing the arrival of Kolchak and The Night Stalker (1972). And while this isn’t the best of their ventures together, solid performances and strong writing leading up make that final segment worth the wait.

Let’s dust off our TV Guide and see what the duo have in store for us:

Dead Of Night (Tuesday, 9pm, NBC)

Three...

For horror fans of a certain vintage, Dan Curtis is TV terror royalty. The Dark Shadows soap opera, The Night Strangler, The Norliss Tapes, Dracula, Dead of Night, and of course, Trilogy of Terror (1975) – a unique anthology telefilm that boasts not one, but four great performances by Karen Black. This one kept some night lights on, folks, mostly due to the final segment featuring an overly enthusiastic Zuni fetish doll.

Originally airing on Tuesday, March 4th, 1975 as an ABC Movie of the Week, Trilogy of Terror ‘s competition was M*A*S*H* / Hawaii Five – O on CBS, and the NBC World Premiere Movie. M*A*S*H* was always a hard one to pass up, but anyone into horror knew where their dial stopped.

Let’s flip open our tattered, ear marked, fake TV Guide and see what we have:

Trilogy Of Terror (Tuesday, 8:30pm, ABC)

A blackmailed school teacher.

It’s the eyes, isn’t it? Wide like saucers and twice as deep, they’re impenetrable. And the wooden leer of the wide open maw betrays them, separate and with its own agenda. Of course I’m referring to ventriloquist dummies, and the eerie spell they cast upon the viewer. The horror viewer, specifically; we’ll seek out anything that gives us a sense of unease. Which brings us to Richard Attenborough’s Magic (1978), a wryly creepy tale of encroaching madness and showbiz folly. (Aren’t they the same thing?)

Produced by 20th Century Fox and Joseph E. Levine (Carnal Knowledge) and released by 20th Century, Magic opened in November of ’78 in the U.S. and rolled out to the rest of the world in early ’79. Grossing nearly $24 million U.S. against a $7 million budget with positive reviews to boot, Magic was an unqualified success – with one of the...

Sometimes it’s psychological. Sometimes it’s visceral. It can be a masked killer’s twisted pastime. A labyrinth our poor heroes must find their way out of. Perhaps a nasty round of torture by the Big Bad. Whatever it is, the sick feeling of impending doom overcomes us as we realize the characters might not make it out alive. Sometimes they can think their way through. Sometimes they can fight. But when the exits are closed and the madman decides to get creative, all bets are off.

****

Alucarda, La Hija De Las Tinieblas / Innocents From Hell (1977) – A Dracula takes revenge

Director Juan López Moctezuma came along during the new wave of 70′s Mexican genre pics that expressed radical and subversive views. An important intellectual figure in Mexico in the fifties, sixties, and seventies, Moctezuma produced Jodorowsky’s El Topo and Fando Y Lis. Of his three horror films (which also includes Mansion of Madness,...

“If a movie makes you happy, for whatever reason, then it’s a good movie.”

—Big E

*******Warning: Review Contains Spoilers*******

By Ernie Magnotta

If there’s one thing I love, it’s 1970s made-for-tv horror films. I remember sitting in front of the television as a kid and watching a plethora of films such as Gargoyles, Bad Ronald, Satan’s School for Girls, Horror at 37,000 Feet, Devil Dog: Hound of Hell, Scream Pretty Peggy, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Moon of the Wolf and The Initiation of Sarah just to name a few. Some of those are better than others, but all were fun.

When I think back, there have been some legendary names associated with small screen horrors. Genre masters John Carpenter (Halloween), Steven Spielberg (Jaws), Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street), Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Joseph Stefano (Psycho) all took shots at television...

Scariest movies ever made: The top 100 horror films according to the Chicago Film Critics (photo: Janet Leigh, John Gavin and Vera Miles in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho') I tend to ignore lists featuring the Top 100 Movies (or Top 10 Movies or Top 20 Movies, etc.), no matter the category or criteria, because these lists are almost invariably compiled by people who know little about films beyond mainstream Hollywood stuff released in the last decade or two. But the Chicago Film Critics Association's list of the 100 Scariest Movies Ever Made, which came out in October 2006, does include several oldies — e.g., James Whale's Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein — in addition to, gasp, a handful of non-American horror films such as Dario Argento's Suspiria, Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre, and F.W. Murnau's brilliant Dracula rip-off Nosferatu. (Check out the full list of the Chicago Film Critics' top 100 horror movies of all time.

Popular in the 1960s and early 1970s with more rare appearances in the 1980s, 1990s and the 2000s, the anthology-style horror film has made a solid resurgence in recent years with such portmanteau releases as The ABCs of Death films and the V/H/S series.

With Mexico Barbaro, Fear Paris and other projects in various stages of completion, the anthology horror film looks to continue to be an important part of the horror cinema landscape.

Some anthology films employ a framing or wraparound sequence in an attempt to connect the segments that make up the film while others dispense with this classic Amicus-style approach entirely and simply present a collection of short films connected by genre.

Either way, a horror anthology film is ultimately about the quality of its individual segments and this article will take you on a tour of the greatest horror anthology segments of all time.

Stars: Anna Walton, Tom Wisdom, Tanya Myers, Nick Brimble, Emma Cleasby | Written and Directed by Axelle Carolyn

[Note: This review is of the full Uncut version of Soulmate shown at last years Frightfest Halloween All-Nighter, which is not the version being released on DVD. The BBFC requested cuts to the opening suicide scene due to "imitable technique" and so director Axelle Carolyn excised the entire scene from the home entertainment release - hopefully that scene will be made available online at some point]

Actress Axelle Carolyn first turned her hand to directing with the well-received short The Last Post in 2011, she followed it up with the short The Halloween Kid, which screened as part of the International Short Film Showcase at Film4 Frightfest in August 2012. Soulmate, her feature directorial debut, stars Anna Walton (who previously worked with Carolyn on The Halloween Kid and will be a familiar face in to genre fans, having appeared in Hellboy 2 in 2008 and The Seasoning House in 2012) and sees a woman, Audrey, retreat to a remote country cottage after attempting to commit suicide due to the sudden death of her husband. But once settled in she soon discovers her safe haven is haunted by its previous owner, and this spirit has some startling links to the nearby local community, especially the strange Zellaby family.

Stars: Anna Walton, Tom Wisdom, Tanya Myers, Nick Brimble, Emma Cleasby | Written and Directed by Axelle Carolyn

Actress Axelle Carolyn first turned her hand to directing with the well-received short The Last Post in 2011, she followed it up with the short The Halloween Kid, which screened as part of the International Short Film Showcase at Film4 Frightfest in August 2012. Well now she returns to to the Frightfest fold for her first feature film Soulmate, which opened the 2013 Frightfest Halloweeen All-Nighter.

The film, which stars Anna Walton (who previously worked with Carolyn on The Halloween Kid and will be a familiar face in to genre fans, appearing in Hellboy 2 in 2008 and The Seasoning House in 2012) sees a woman, Audrey, retreat to a remote country cottage after attempting to commit suicide due to the sudden death of her husband. But once settled in she soon discovers her safe haven is haunted by its previous owner,...

By Todd Garbarini

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Dan Curtis’ Burnt Offerings (1976) was the first horror film/thriller that I saw. I was twelve years-old and its impact on me was indelible. The rapport between Karen Black, Oliver Reed, and Lee Harcourt Montgomery was plausible enough to make me extremely concerned when all hell broke loose on this “perfect” family, though some have argued that this family was frightening enough without the house!

Aside from the artful cinematic visual style and the film’s methodic and slow build-up, the performances by the three leads and supporting work from Burgess Meredith, Eileen Heckart, Dub Taylor, Bette Davis, and the unforgettable Anthony James as the chauffer elevate the film higher than similar genre productions. What also helped make Burnt Offerings so memorable was Robert Cobert’s phenomenal score which fits the movie like a glove. For years I searched fruitlessly...

There are those of us reading this who still remember the sweet shocks of the made-for-tv 1970s horror movie. Usually spat out by ABC under its Movie of the Week moniker, they were less daring, less profane but occasionally brilliant exercises in compact genre mayhem.

These prime-time flicks employed network stars in melodramatic tales designed to seep under your skin—often in less than 90 minutes, commercials included. Y’know, stuff like Don’T Be Afraid Of The Dark, Crowhaven Farm, Moon Of The Wolf…and of course, the immortal Karen Black vehicle Trilogy Of Terror.

Which brings us to the man who not only gave us Trilogy Of Terror, but several more of the best ‘70s TV-movie macabres, the late and indisputably great Dan Curtis. He was the driving force behind the cult ‘60s daytime vampire soap opera Dark Shadows and its theatrical adaptations (1970’s excellent House Of Dark Shadows...

• Dimension Extreme and Genius Products have issued cover art for Dorothy Mills, the evil-girl chiller they’re releasing February 10. And Paramount Home Entertainment released cover art and details for the Tales From The Darkside: The First Season boxed set, coming the same day, that we first reported on here.

Dorothy Mills, in which a psychiatrist travels to an island off the coast of Ireland to investigate the case of a teen who has tried to kill a baby and discovers the dark secrets surrounding her, is presented in widescreen with Dolby Digitial 5.1 sound and comes with a making-of documentary; retail price is $19.99. Darkside, a three-disc package with 24 episodes in fullscreen and mono sound, plus audio commentary by George A. Romero on the “Trick or Treat” pilot episode, retails for $39.99.

• Anchor Bay Entertainment has set a Feb. 24 DVDebut date for Walled In. Gilles Paquet-Brenner’s story of a young engineer...

• Dimension Extreme gave Fango a first look at the cover art for Eden Lake, the killer-youth chiller it releases January 6 with Genius Products. As we previously reported, the disc will include commentary by writer/director James Watkins and a making-of featurette, retailing for $19.97 (with a Blu-ray also coming for $29.95). See Fango #279, on sale in December, for an Eden Lake set visit.

• Ariztical Entertainment revealed to us the full specs for its disc of Gay Bed & Breakfast Of Terror, streeting November 18 (following select theatrical playdates that began this past Friday). Presented in 16x9-enhanced widescreen with stereo sound, the movie will be accompanied by:

• Audio commentary by writer/director Jaymes Thompson, actors Mari Marks and Robert Borzych and postproduction crew Tim Kelley

• Behind-the-scenes featurette

• Fruitcake short film

• Outtakes

• Music video

Retail price is $29.95.

• Media Blasters provided us with cover art (temporary in a couple of cases) and details on a bunch of its winter titles.