There are few certainties in life — death, taxes, senioritis striking schools in May (or January, as the case often is) — and one of the more distinct certainties in the world of horror is what happens when you contact the dead. Whether you’re playing alone with a Ouija board, sitting with a psychic at…
At St. Paternus University in Berkeley, CA, a small group of researchers has spent the last three years experimenting with the Lazarus serum, a discovery they hope will help the medical community escape the pressures of time, saving more patients while avoiding negative side effects and loss of cognitive function. Frank (Mark Duplass, “Tammy”) and…
If you are thinking about engaging in some other activity after watching Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, be sure to leave some time for decompression. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, the semi-autobiographical Whiplash is a visceral, adrenaline-pumping musical drama that raises — but does not resolve —…
The whole concept of a Ouija board is that those who use it are unable to see the entities with whom they make contact. It’s basically texting from beyond the grave (Jason Reitman, take note). Considering this fact, especially when combined (bear with me) with Edmund Burke’s 1757 treatise A Philosophical Inquiry into the Origin…
We just finished up with “Annabelle,” the horror prequel for “The Conjuring,” so it is now time to discuss the horror prequel for “Insidious,” Insidious: Chapter 3. In this installment the supernatural entity has taken a liking to an injured teenaged girl who appears to live only with her father. Why is not known yet…
The Purge: Anarchy opens hours before the Annual Purge: The one night when all crime — including murder — is temporarily decriminalized. Americans all over the country either barricade themselves indoors to hide from the violence, or stockpile weapons in preparation of “purging the beast.” The film’s focal character Sergeant (Frank Grillo) falls into the…
In December of 2009, I was fortunate to have a friend who liked me enough to invite me to the Paramount premiere Blu-ray party at her house for a small horror film I’d turned her onto (she had entered a contest and lo and behold, she won). That movie was “Paranormal Activity,” and it had…
