Dependence and Defiance in Pan’s Labyrinth
Pan’s Labyrinth shows how fascist power relies heavily on its subordinates, disguising its deeply intertwined dependence as authority.
dark fantasy
Vampires and the Ecstasy of Consumer Submission
Vampires once symbolized aristocratic tyranny, but now mirror decadent late-capitalist enthrallment. Our ecstasy of submission – to the vampire, the corporation, the franchise reboot, the Kickstarter campaign – offers relief from the heavy burden of autonomy.
Batman Returns’ Delirious Psychosexual Tension
The stitches, the shadows, the skin and the other psychosexual tension and animalistic identities of Batman Returns.
Jiří Barta’s Weird and Scary Stop-Motion Animation
The Stop-motion dystopia in Jiří Barta’s The Pied Piper combines the horrors of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with Metropolis, as filtered through medieval carving techniques.
‘Death of a Unicorn’ Substitutes Hot Splatter with Soft Satire
The satire in the Grand-Guignol fantasy Death of a Unicorn is not barbed enough to really skewer viewers with its point about greed.
Tim Burton’s ‘Batman Returns’ Is a Horror Film of a Different Sort
Criticized for its grotesque imagery, Tim Burton’s 1992 film Batman Returns is a commentary on the horror of social and political ills that still haunt us today.
The Moving Pixels Podcast Goes to Hell…blade
We brave the depths of Helheim to talk about the art, craft, and representation of psychosis in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.
10 H.P. Lovecraft Stories Worth Rereading
Why not let H.P. Lovecraft's fears of the unknown become yours for a while this Halloween?
In ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ and ‘High Spirits’, Horror and Comedy Clash but Don’t Always Mix
Scream! Factory's horror/comedy "double feature" doesn't truly fit into either genre.
What Makes Monsters: Guillermo del Toro on Pan’s Labyrinth
Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth tells the story of fascism in Spain through a child’s experience. It is another ideology he despises that makes monsters of children today