Amber T / Contributor 08/08/2023 Amber T / Contributor 08/08/2023

[Event Review] GASP! Horror Film Festival 2023

The first ever GASP! horror film festival, Manchester’s only horror film festival dedicated entirely to minority filmmakers, took place last month from June 17 - 18 at cult cinema CULTPLEX. Six feature length films and two short film showcases celebrated and elevated the work of female filmmakers, foreign language filmmakers, people with disabilities, people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community.

Elizabeth Bishop / Senior Contributor 08/08/2023 Elizabeth Bishop / Senior Contributor 08/08/2023

[Editorial] Interview with Carter Smith director of The Passenger (2023)

Liz Bishop sat down with Director Carter Smith (The Ruins, Swallowed) to discuss how The Passenger (2023) came to be, and his experience of working on a script more emotionally driven than his previous body-horrors.

Ariel Powers-Schaub / Senior Contributor & Admin Assistant 07/08/2023 Ariel Powers-Schaub / Senior Contributor & Admin Assistant 07/08/2023

[Event Review] Access: Horror Film Festival (2023)

A two-day event packed full of academic panels, short films, and talks exploring and celebrating the history, impact and future of disability in the horror genre.

Iona Smith / Senior Contributor & Events Organiser 06/08/2023 Iona Smith / Senior Contributor & Events Organiser 06/08/2023

[Film Review] Talk to Me (2023)

Granted, Talk to Me, directed by brothers Danny and Michael Phillipou may not be the scariest film of the year, but it is thrilling, shocking and relentless nonetheless, with so many reasons to see it on the big screen.

Amber T / Contributor 05/08/2023 Amber T / Contributor 05/08/2023

[Film Review] New Religion (2022)

Since premiering at last year’s FrightFest, Keishi Kondo’s New Religion has been at the top of every Japanese horror fan’s watchlist. In his directorial debut, Kondo has created less of a straightforward horror movie and more a living, breathing thought experiment, fluttering in the midst of moral philosophy and asking an enraptured audience to reckon with the timeless, unanswerable question: what makes a human? Spine? Collarbone? Ribs? Hair? History?

Megan Kenny / Contributor 27/07/2023 Megan Kenny / Contributor 27/07/2023

[Film Review] The Wicker Man (1973)

If you haven’t seen The Wicker Man then drop whatever you’re doing, light your Hand of Glory and fire up the Maypole. Summer is coming, and the land awaits your sacrifice.

Candy Allison / Contributor 25/07/2023 Candy Allison / Contributor 25/07/2023

[Editorial] The Shocking Brilliance of Frankenhooker (1990)

Modern horror cinema has used the Frankenstein theme in various iterations, but none so unique as exploitation director Frank Henenlotter’s Frankenhooker (1990).

Kim Morrison / Senior Contributor & Social Manager 23/07/2023 Kim Morrison / Senior Contributor & Social Manager 23/07/2023

[Mother of Fears] How I Love to Love Nadine in The Stand (2020)

The story focuses on a group of survivors after most of the world’s population is wiped out by Captain Trips, a lethal super-flu. And while there are enough horrors to go around in a story like this, the real focus of King’s book is how those who survive react to the changing world around them.

Liz DeGregorio / Senior Contributor 20/07/2023 Liz DeGregorio / Senior Contributor 20/07/2023

[Film Review] Jagged Mind (2023)

As a psychological horror film, Jagged Edge is hard to watch. But there are spots of hope that also make it an emotionally satisfying experience. As Billie grasps for answers, it is the women in her life that help her find herself again.

Kim Morrison / Senior Contributor & Social Manager 18/07/2023 Kim Morrison / Senior Contributor & Social Manager 18/07/2023

[Editorial] 11 Best Werewolf Transformations in Horror Films

While some films successfully opt to leave the transformation scene out completely, like the wonderful Dog Soldiers (2002), those who decide to include it need to make sure they get it right, or it can kill the whole vibe of the film. So load up on silver bullets, mark your calendar for the next full moon, and check out 11 of the best werewolf transformations!

Alix Turner / Contributor 14/07/2023 Alix Turner / Contributor 14/07/2023

[Film Review] The Seeding (2023)

I love horror films set in the daylight. Sometimes stark, dry sunshine can be more chilling than darkness, and even more so when combined with the lonely expanse of a desert. Barnaby Clay’s debut feature film, The Seeding (2023), takes these elements and asks us to contemplate what it would take to survive in that environment, and what kind of people might thrive there.

Jerry Sampson / Senior Contributor 13/07/2023 Jerry Sampson / Senior Contributor 13/07/2023

[Film Review] Rose: A Love Story (2020)

This beautiful and moving film is a quiet nod to the enduring power of love, and while aspects of Rose: A Love Story are truly terrifying, it is the relationship built within the story that offers the viewer a truly unique experience.

Elizabeth Bishop / Senior Contributor 13/07/2023 Elizabeth Bishop / Senior Contributor 13/07/2023

[Game Review] Remakes, Rituals and Romance: Resident Evil 4 (2023)

It may shock some of you that I, a Taylor-Swift-loving, girly-girl, am the one to review the Resident Evil 4 video game for Ghouls Magazine, but let me be clear - I LOVE this franchise with my entire black heart.

Iona Smith / Senior Contributor & Events Organiser 10/07/2023 Iona Smith / Senior Contributor & Events Organiser 10/07/2023

[Film Review] Stephen King on Screen (2023)

Since Brian de Palma’s stellar triumph with his adaption of Carrie in 1976, people have been keen to turn Stephen King’s stories into film and television, with varying success. Some are incredible blockbusters, which the author himself hates (sorry Kubrick, King despises The Shining) whilst others are quietly released miniseries that become cult favourites (here’s looking at you 1990’s IT).

Amber T / Contributor 08/07/2023 Amber T / Contributor 08/07/2023

[Film Review] The Sound of Summer (2022)

There are certain sounds that encapsulate life in Japan. The gentle 'beep boop' of the pedestrian crossing signal. The lighthearted arrival jingles that signal the approach of your commuter train.

Jenn Reid / Contributor 06/07/2023 Jenn Reid / Contributor 06/07/2023

[Film Review] Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares - The Robert Englund Story (2023)

Like many horror fans, I have vivid memories of seeing A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) for the first time. Or, more accurately, I have vivid memories of the nightmares I had afterwards. As a kid, I was terrified of Freddy Krueger.

Alix Turner / Contributor 05/07/2023 Alix Turner / Contributor 05/07/2023

[Editorial] Interview with Ariel Baska on Access:Horror Film Festival

Access: Horror is “a two-day event packed full of academic panels, short films, and talks exploring and celebrating the history, impact and future of disability in the horror genre”, and as you can see from the festival’s website, the subjects under discussion and the panels alike are all rather fascinating. Earlier this week, I spent half an hour in the company of Ariel Baska, the person who came up with the idea for Access: Horror to dig into her motivation and what pass-holders might expect.

Emma Bailey / Contributor 04/07/2023 Emma Bailey / Contributor 04/07/2023

[Editorial] Blood, Guts and Mommy Issues in The Witch (2015)

The Witch (2015), written and directed by Robert Eggers, is a horror movie about the most terrifying phenomenon to befall a young woman: mommy issues. While the movie is beloved for a variety of reasons, such as for its haunting visuals, eerie soundtrack, and feminist overtones, it is seldom recognized for its fascinating portrayal of mother-daughter conflict.

Iona Smith / Senior Contributor & Events Organiser 01/07/2023 Iona Smith / Senior Contributor & Events Organiser 01/07/2023

[Editorial] Ranking M. Night Shyamalan: his Good, his Bad, Not so Good, and his Twists

I am a Shyamalan apologist. I would say I’m sorry but I’m really not. I know he has some questionable films and has made some unorthodox choices over the years when it comes to his twists, but the king of narrative spin still stands tall in my book.

Kristen Leer / Contributor 29/06/2023 Kristen Leer / Contributor 29/06/2023

[Film Review] The Ancestral (2021)

If you think a haunted house is scary, imagine that your house is built on top of a problematic psychiatric hospital. Ancestral (2021) is a Vietnamese film directed and written by Le-Van Kiet who is well known for his film, Furie (2019) and recent release, The Princess (2022).