Monstrous Musings

There’s been some drama happening in the horror world, right? Not too long ago some shit went down in the horror community – a reviewer gave a negative review of an independent film and the creator of the film created a smear campaign against that individual. I won’t go into the full details but it got me thinking about independent filmmakers and the support we give them.

Whilst I didn’t agree with how the filmmaker handled the situation, I understood their upset at having their hard work and labour of love slashed to pieces. It must be tough to take when you’ve put your heart into a piece of work. However, criticism exists to give personal opinion and sometimes that opinion won’t always be positive. I always had a difficult time telling a filmmaker their film wasn’t for me, but then any good artist should be able to take criticism, and the ones I’ve been honest with have welcomed the feedback.

That got me thinking about Kyle Edward Ball’s Skinamarink which came out last month. After seeing the hype about it being one of the scariest films of all time, I was pretty stoked to sit down in a pitch black room and frighten myself. But it didn’t happen. For me, there was no scares, no fright, just boredom. I felt bad because I wanted to support an independent filmmaker but I just didn’t vibe with the film. I saw a lot of discourse online, some in agreement and others finding it the scariest shit ever. Whilst it wasn’t my kind of film, I could appreciate the experimental element of the film and its ambition to create something different.

And that’s the thing, with experimental indie films, it’s never going to be everyone’s bag. But that’s okay. Another experimental film that I recently checked out was Robbie Banfitch’s The Outwaters, and that totally vibed with me. This found footage film is a bit batshit and goes quite extreme in its nature, which really worked for me but again, didn’t for a lot of people. Films that have a niche won’t always resonate with everyone but I’ve only seen both Ball and Banfitch take it in their stride and appreciate the feedback both good and bad.

There’s something really admirable about creators that can take on feedback. I’m no filmmaker and doubt I’ll ever be, but even when it comes to writing I have to be open to taking on feedback and often that’s negative feedback. So seeing a filmmaker actively go against a negative review and to make it personal felt out of place for how we support each other as creators.

From my experience in the horror world, most people are generally very supportive of one another and also any kind of criticism. So let’s keep it that way shall we? Let’s remember to support one another and be honest in our feedback, and most importantly just be kind.

What happening at Ghouls

So what’s happening at Ghouls Magazine at the moment? Good question. In short, a lot!

We’ve recently published our latest podcast episode, and I was lucky enough to get to chat to the one and only Janine Pipe all about Damien Leone’s Terrifier (2016) and Terrifier 2 (2022). The latest Ghouls member podcast episode is live and it’s the wrap-up episode in Ariel Powers-Schaub and Iona Smith’s mini-series on the Final Destination franchise.

Part one of some announcements… The first is we are excited to announce that Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana, Iona Smith and Liz Bishop are now Senior Contributors with us! They have been constantly providing us with lots of horror content and we’re very lucky to have them.

The next announcement is that we have partnered with True Romance pizza bar in Camden, London. Every month we’ll be hosting a film club night showing a horror film, complete with pizza, cocktails & other horror fans! This has been a dream of mine and I’m so excited it’s becoming a reality with the help of Pete who runs True Romance and Lost Souls Pizzeria.

I’ve had the amazing help of the wonderful Iona, who has been my wingwoman on this and will be joining me to introduce the films & host Q&A discussions after some of the films! So if you fancy coming along, the first event is happening on Wednesday 15th February for a little anti-valentines fun with horror film The Loved Ones. The event is free at doors open at 7pm with the film starting at 8pm. Plus, cocktails are £7 and 2x slices of pizza are just £7 so you can stuff your face, get drunk and indulge.

Finally (for now, anyway!) we are opening up to new writers and pitches for editorial articles, so if you or someone you know might want to be a part of Ghouls Magazine, then just fill in this form.

See ya sooooonnnnnnnnn,

BYEEEEEEE

Zoë xx

When people think of horror films, slashers are often the first thing that comes to mind. The sub-genres also spawned a wealth of horror icons: Freddy, Jason, Michael, Chucky - characters so recognisable we’re on first name terms with them. In many ways the slasher distills the genre down to some of its fundamental parts - fear, violence and murder.

5 Oct 2023

3 Oct 2023

[Ghouls Podcast] Maniac (2012) with Zoë Rose Smith and Iona Smith

3 Oct 2023

Throughout September we were looking at slasher films, and therefore we decided to cover a slasher film that could be considered as an underrated gem in the horror genre. And the perfect film for this was Franck Khalfoun’s 2012 remake of MANIAC.

3 Oct 2023

24 Sept 2023

[Editorial] If Looks Could Kill: Tom Savini’s Practical Effects in Maniac (1980)

24 Sept 2023

In the late seventies and early eighties, one man was considered the curator of all things gore in America. During the lovingly named splatter decade, Tom Savini worked on masterpieces of blood and viscera like Dawn of the Dead (1978), a film which gained the attention of hopeful director William Lustig, a man only known for making pornography before his step into horror.

24 Sept 2023

11 Sept 2023

[Editorial] Deeper Cuts: 13 Non-Typical Slashers

11 Sept 2023

Looking for some different slasher film recommendations? Then look no fruther as Ariel Powers-Schaub has 13 non-typical slasher horror films for you to watch.

11 Sept 2023

10 Sept 2023

[Editorial] Editor’s Note: Making a slash back into September

10 Sept 2023

Even though they are not to my personal liking, there is no denying that slasher films have been an important basis for the horror genre, and helped to build the foundations for other sub-genres throughout the years.

10 Sept 2023

31 Aug 2023

[Editorial] 8 Mind Horror Short films

31 Aug 2023

But some of the most terrifying horrors are those that take place entirely under the skin, where the mind is the location of the fear. Psychological horror has the power to unsettle by calling into question the basis of the self - one's own brain.

31 Aug 2023

20 Aug 2023

[Editorial] Eat Shit and Die: Watching The Human Centipede (2009) in Post-Roe America

20 Aug 2023

On Saturday, 17th June 2023, I sat down with two friends to watch The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) and The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2012). I was nervous to be grossed out (I can’t really handle the idea of eating shit) but excited to cross these two films off my list.

20 Aug 2023

13 Aug 2023

[Editorial] Top 15 Female-Focused Mind Horror Films

13 Aug 2023

Many of the most effective horror films involve blurring the lines between waking life and a nightmare. When women in horror are emotionally and psychologically manipulated – whether by other people or more malicious supernatural forces – viewers are pulled into their inner worlds, often left with a chilling unease and the question of where reality ends and the horror begins.

13 Aug 2023

31 Jul 2023

[Editorial] 8 Body Horror Short films

31 Jul 2023

Body horror is one of the fundamental pillars of the horror genre and crops up in some form or another in a huge variety of works. There's straightforward gore - the inherent horror of seeing the body mutilated, and also more nuanced fears.

31 Jul 2023