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Posted on September 16, 2015

Top Ten Horrific Characters from Childhood Films

Gwen

Perhaps the reason I always loved fantasy as a child is because it teeters on horror for kids. There is adventure, danger, perseverance, and imagination. If you doubt me, consider the darkness in the original Grimm fairy tales or many old nursery rhymes. They follow a similar format and in fact are so closely representative of the genre that horror guru Noel Carroll specifically distinguished his definition of art horror from fantasy. Of course, not all fantasy is horror; however I would like to reveal to you some of the characters and films from my childhood that still send chills down my spine. I am totally giving away my age with this list, but please enjoy the momentary glimpse into my psyche and feel free to add your own.

Posted on July 24, 2015

Top Ten Horror Film Hotties – Male Edition

Gwen

We can always count on horror films to provide us with some of the most memorable images. In some cases it is through special effects, lighting, or make up that provokes us to see the otherwise elusive demons and ghosts. Other times, the unforgettable images simply come from the beautiful people playing the parts. Horror never fails to deliver uniquely alluring characters and what follows is my personal selection of tempting male characters. What makes them so appealing varies across a spectrum of danger, confidence, charm, and sometimes yup…it’s those tattoos.

Posted on July 18, 2015

Top Ten Horror Film Hotties – Female Edition

Gwen

This motley crew has the horror trifecta of beauty, power, and resilience. These villainesses and final females used their brains, their gaze, and some pretty amazing one-liners to thwart the enemy and hold audiences captive. While they are all aesthetically pleasing, their beauty is enhanced by their character’s persona. You won’t find these women in the horror trope category because they always fight back and they certainly persevere both on the screen and in our minds.

Posted on July 5, 2015

Top Ten Reasons Why Sharks Make the Perfect Movie Monster

Gwen

Since this week marks Discovery Channel’s 27^th annual celebration of Shark Week, I thought it was a great time to discuss why sharks probably make some of the best movie monsters.

10. Sharks barely need sleep. Even Freddy Krueger needs more rest than these guys. It was once thought that sharks had to constantly move in order to keep the water flowing over their gills. In fact, they tend to have active and restful periods and some species such as the nurse shark have spiracles which help move the water over the gills during restful periods.

Posted on July 3, 2015

Top Ten Horrific Pets

Gwen

If there are certain messages that horror drives home, it is that you are not safe anywhere and be very careful when you mess with nature. What follows is a list of some of the creepiest and memorable pets from horror history. During my data mining expedition I noted that the majority of horror films that use animals as the monster tend to rely on birds, insects, sharks or reptiles. Outside of these films, the annals of horror include few mammals as the source of horror. The few outliers include the occasional grizzly, ape, wolf, lion, or tiger (and those have more of an undertone of foreignness to their horror).

When it comes to horror on the home front I suggest it’s not only step-parents that you have to worry about but also Felix and Fido. I leaned away from stereotypical uses of cats as witches’ familiars and a dogs as werewolves; what I found was that in many of these films man tampered with nature. What can I say, when you mess with the bull, sometimes you get the horns!