Horror

Last week on our Walking Dead podcast, I half-heartedly joked around about how I cared more about the pig Violet than I did about Patrick dying. One week later, I find the most heart-wrenching moment coming not when the humans die, but instead when three piglets are sacrificed in order to stop the prison gates from falling down. This isn’t necessarily meant as a full on attack of the show. The ‘three little pigs’ scene is by far the highlight of the episode; as the barriers of the prison come tumbling down, so does Rick’s hope in retaining momentary peace. He and his group are losing in every which way possible to the flesh eating walkers, and if taking lives isn’t enough, now the walkers are feeding on their main food supply.

Ah, splatter. A singular genre, only achievable in its most fully realized form in a cinematic format, seemingly crafted solely to delight. But there must be something within the way we react to the films of this genre that says something about us, whether that response is deliberately in the artist’s intent or not. Splatter’s fundamental …

After an uneven but mostly solid third season, The Walking Dead opens back at the prison, as a supply run between the survivors and the new Woodbury recruits quickly goes haywire. Meanwhile Rick attempts to help a mysterious woman he meets in the woods, and a character’s sudden death after a violent coughing spell, can only indicate that a new threat has arisen, potentially leading the series down on a new path.

Strangler of the Swamp Written by Frank Wisbar and Harold Erickson Directed by Frank Wisbar USA, 1946 “Old legends – strange tales – never die in the lonely swampland. Villages and hamlets lie remote and almost forgotten. Small ferryboats glide between the shores, and the ferryman is a very important person. Day and night he …

The FrightFest All-Nighter 13 returns to the Vue in London’s Leicester Square on Saturday October 26 for the third year, with six killer titles including UK premieres of The Station, Patrick, Nothing Left to Fear and Soulmate. So climb aboard FrightFest’s Halloween Express, with guests including Neil Marshal, Anna Walton, Renaud Gautheir and Michael Armstrong, …

Antisocial is the feature length debut for directing and writing team Cody Calahan and Chad Archibald. In spite of their youthful appearances, they are not new to the Canadian film industry or Fantasia, having produced over ten short and feature length films – including Fantasia fan favourite Monster Brawl which screened at the fest in …

Three significant events have occurred in 2013 that lend credence to the claim sci-fi is on its death bed as far as mainstream moviemaking goes. Star Trek Into Darkness continued to drive its franchise further and further away from its ideological roots in pursuit of money spinning breakneck action with a loose plot better suited to the Mission: Impossible series; the announcement that Star Wars will be revamped under the tutelage of the very same J.J. Abrams shows that rather than create new iconic franchises the executives would rather bleed dry the old ones; and Avatar will be graced by three sequels, suggesting a lack of faith in fresh ideas on the part of James ‘Mr. Innovation’ Cameron.

Closing off the 2013 edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is a new film by long time Fantasia favourite Sion Sono. Sion Sono is one of the few filmmakers to completely embody the ethos of Fantasia and he has been an almost constant presence at the festival since he won the award for most …

Rather surprisingly given its small budget and lack of household, or in some cases even recognizable names, Ben Wheatley’s Kill List made quite a critical splash when it was released two years ago. The follow up to his rather porous debut Down Terrace, the story of two hitmen, three targets and an escalation from moody …

The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh Directed & Written by Rodrigo Gudiño Canada, 2012 There are, broadly speaking, two types of haunted house stories: those in which some more or less innocent stranger gets caught in the middle of some festering saga of ancient wrong, and those in which the ectoplasmic chickens of past …

There is, one imagines, a breaking point with exactly how infatuated any of us will be with the modern celebrity. We fawn over them in tabloid magazines, keep tabs on their romantic lives, and get angry when they make choices we disagree with, but how far are we willing to go? Would any of us actually want to be infected with a virus or disease simply because a celebrity got it first?

“Welcome to the Tombs” basically puts a close to the season’s subplots and sets us up for season four: the Woodbury inhabitants move to the prison (including Tyreese), the Governor is still on the loose (with Martinez and Shumpert), and Rick is no longer seeing ghosts.

“Clear” breached new dramatic heights for The Walking Dead Season 3. This is a very strong episode, and stands with the best yet. For only the second time in the show’s history, The Walking Dead takes Rick Grimes and a couple of others away from the rest of the group for the entirety of the episode.

As I prepare for the season three finale of The Walking Dead, I decided to list off my favourite moments so far. Anyone who listens to our Walking Dead Podcast knows I am by far, the most positive, and while I acknowledge the many things the series does wrong (all in script form), I can’t …

The Walking Dead, Season 3, Episode 14: “Prey” Written by Evan T. Reilly and Glen Mazzara Directed by Stefan Schwartz Airs Sundays at 9pm ET on AMC In the NHL, three stars are awarded to the three most valuable players of every game. If we could do the same with television, composer Bear McCreary would …

Joshua Hoffine truly has a unique style and a devilish eye. His photos are equal parts beautiful and horrifying, and looking through his gallery you might not want him around your children. Seriously though, he is a talented photographer and fans of horror films should check out his work. Enjoy! Check out more of Joshua …

The 2013 Paley Fest kicked off its programming on Friday night with a Walking Dead panel moderated by Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick. The cast and crew took the stage for the 30th anniversary of the event to let fans and press know what the future of the hit series will bring. The biggest takeaway …

Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead and Invincible comic book series, announced a new development deal with Fox International Channels (FIC). With record breaking ratings for the season three midseason premiere of The Walking Dead ((12.3 million viewers to be exact), Fox International Channels wants Kirkman to bring exorcism to television. The international distributor …

The Walking Dead, Season 3, Episode 12: “Clear” Written by Scott M. Gimple Directed by Tricia Brock Airs Sundays at 9pm ET on AMC “Clear” breaches new dramatic heights for The Walking Dead Season 3. This is a very strong episode, and stands with the best yet. For only the second time in the show’s …

Issues: 1-11 Story: Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan Script: David Lapham Artist: Mike Huddleston Colours: Dan Jackson Now that the filth of Twilight is behind us, horror fans can peek out from their enclaves and reclaim the vampire genre from the greasy clutches of angst-ridden tweens. With Veritgo’s American Vampire taking a hiatus this …

Dracula Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Written by James V. Har 1992, USA In 1992 director Francis Ford Coppola returned to Bram Stokers source novel as the primary source of inspiration for his gothic chiller Dracula, evading the numerous cinematic translations that have haunted cinema screens over the previous century, giving the classic tale a …

The Walking Dead, Season 3, Episode 9: “The Suicide King” Written by Evan T. Reilly Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter Airs Sundays at 9pm ET on AMC Coming off some of the strongest episodes in the show’s history, The Walking Dead returned from its mid-season hiatus, to a disappointingly, bearish B movie quality. That’s a big surprise …