When I was growing up, there was a kid I always dreaded being around. He wasn’t violent or dangerous, but he made me deeply uncomfortable. He ate his own boogers, farted without the slightest embarrassment and usually had dried snot… Continue Reading →
I was in my teens when Barney & Friends began airing on PBS, so I was not exactly the show’s target audience. Barney was mostly the butt of jokes among my high school friends. I understood that the show was… Continue Reading →
Last year, I introduced the #HauntLife Midyear Movie Missteps Awards, a completely unnecessary ceremony honoring the movies that confused, disappointed or irritated me during the first half of 2025. It was both petty and therapeutic in a way. It was… Continue Reading →
Back in the day, renting movies was a weekly exercise in patience. Finding the best entertainment options while beating your neighbors to the local store’s limited inventory (or not) felt like beating your head against the wall at times. For… Continue Reading →
Growing up, Christmas with my family followed a carefully rehearsed routine, even though none of us had actually rehearsed it. My sister and her family would come over for dinner. Since I was older than my niece and nephew, I… Continue Reading →
One of the things I love most about the horror genre is discovering how different countries approach it. Japan has given us vengeful ghost stories. Italy helped define the giallo movement with stylish murder mysteries drenched in blood. France pushed… Continue Reading →
I was never one of the popular kids in high school. I wasn’t necessarily bullied, either. I just ran with a group that most people would have described as socially awkward. We were the band kids, the gamers, the movie… Continue Reading →
I have worked in cybersecurity long enough to know that most people do not think much about digital security until something goes horribly wrong. Passwords, banking apps, fraud alerts and multi-factor authentication are just everyday annoyances until suddenly somebody loses… Continue Reading →
There was a period of time, years ago, where I became completely convinced that I could win the TV show, Survivor. This confidence made absolutely no sense. I was already an out-of-shape man with a bad back, colorblind and the… Continue Reading →
There was a night in college when my best friend showed up at my door, convinced he had cracked the code to winning back his ex-girlfriend. His plan was, in his words, “bulletproof.” We would drive to Myrtle Beach, stake… Continue Reading →
Dead Media is a Throwback to Following the Rules of ’90s Horror
Back in the day, renting movies was a weekly exercise in patience. Finding the best entertainment options while beating your neighbors to the local store’s limited inventory (or not) felt like beating your head against the wall at times. For… Continue Reading →