A horror movie doesn’t necessarily need to be “scary” to be successful, and even then what gets under peoples’ skin is highly subjective. Describing a horror movie as “scary” can nonetheless imply its success in several areas at being able to frighten audiences, such as having a well-developed atmosphere or […]
Robyn Adams
Robyn Adams is an actress from Stockport, Greater Manchester, who spends a lot of her time watching horror films, feeding the pigeons in her garden, and being annoying on Twitter. She has previously written for Ghouls Magazine, hosted a panel talk on LGBTQ+ representation in horror in partnership with Forward Stockport and Grimmfest, and been a guest on numerous genre film podcasts. Her friends don't trust her to pick films on movie nights anymore.
Ghost Game (Frightfest 2024) Review
For as long as there have been cameras, they’ve been used to “capture” ghosts. The invention of the daguerreotype in the 1800s brought with it the advent of “spirit photography” – an attempt to capture definitive photographic proof of the paranormal (or at least sell it as such), during the […]
Hell Hole (2024) There’s Something in the Dirt (Review)
Better known as “fracking”, the process of hydraulic fracturing is, if you’ll pardon the expression, a largely untapped well of horror potential. The controversial fossil-fuel mining technique (outlawed here in the UK since 2019), is infamous for causing environmental damage, pollution, sickness, and even earthquakes – making it a real-life […]
Cuckoo (Fantasia 2024) (Review)
Cuckoos are brood parasites that lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species and, once hatched, the chicks are raised by the unsuspecting host parents, who frequently reject their own eggs and young as a result. To Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), a teenage girl forced to move to the […]
The Nico Mastorakis Collection (1984-1992) Movie (Review)(Part Two)
This is the second part of an extensive two-part review of Arrow Video’s new boxset, The Nico Mastorakis Collection, which you should check that out for context (this part is a continuation after all), and to get a proper sense of the man, the myth… the Mastorakis. READ PART ONE […]
Hollywood 90028 (Fantasia 2024) (Review)
Whereas many will undoubtedly be raving about the wonderful selection of new premieres at the 2024 edition of Fantasia Fest for weeks to come – and for good reason, as its lineup is tremendous – I’d certainly advise genre film fanatics to not ignore the restored and resurrected titles on […]
The Nico Mastorakis Collection (1984-1992) (Review – Part One)
For those of you who don’t know who Nico Mastorakis is allow me to fill you in with a bit of context. Mastorakis is an 83-year-old Greek filmmaker, radio DJ, and journalist, who was responsible for a slew of cult genre titles like The Zero Boys (1986), Hired to Kill […]
Fantasia Film Festival 2024 (Curtain Raiser)
In centuries past, wealthy eccentrics would sometimes entertain, shock, and astound dinner-guests by showing them collections of intriguing, and frequently downright bizarre, items known as “Cabinet(s) of Curiosities”; these could contain anything from fragmentary relics of dead civilizations to some crude taxidermied chimera constructed by sewing the torso of a […]
Riddle of Fire (2023) One of the Most Authentic Modern Attempts at the 1980s-Style Kids Adventure Movie (Review)
When I think “Vinegar Syndrome”, I don’t necessarily think of a wholesome, feel-good, family-friendly adventure romp – for those not familiar with the iconic U.S.-based Blu-Ray label, you’d be more likely to see them announce a release of The Untold Story (1993) than The Neverending Story (1984), though I wouldn’t […]
Carnage for Christmas and Liminal (Salem Horror Fest 2024)(Review)
As both a transgender woman and an enthusiast in horror, folklore, and all things spooky and fortean, I find myself frequently considering the relationships that people have with places; with horror, I frequently consider the ways in which locations can be haunted (literally or figuratively) by the actions of people […]