horror tropes Archives - Page 4 of 42

Night Patrol Opens the 2026 Horror Conversation

Going into 2026, I’ve found myself genuinely optimistic about the state of horror in a way I haven’t felt in a while. Not the cautious “maybe this year won’t be a disaster” optimism, but the kind that comes from looking… Continue Reading →

Knowing the Destination Doesn’t Make the Journey Any Easier in The Strange Dark

There’s a part of me that has always thought knowing the future would be the ultimate cheat code. No surprises. No wrong turns. No awkward moments where you realize too late that you absolutely should not have said that thing… Continue Reading →

January 13, 2026

2025: The Year of Horror

The film industry has been up-and-down, as a whole, in 2025. While the domestic box office actually crossed $8 billion for only the third time since the global spread of COVID-19, its overall totals were incredibly top heavy, featuring more… Continue Reading →

January 13, 2026

The Music City Film Critics Honor Sinners as the Big Winner of 2025

Sinning equals winning for Warner Bros. this year!

January 12, 2026

The 2025 #HauntLife Movie Awards

Every year I hand out my #HauntLife Movie Awards, a collection of completely fake, deeply personal honors that exist somewhere between sincere appreciation and gentle bullying. These aren’t about box-office numbers, Rotten Tomatoes scores or what film Twitter decided was… Continue Reading →

January 12, 2026

Don’t Forget About Highest 2 Lowest

When it comes to Akira Kurosawa, I never would have guessed that it would be Spike Lee who was paying respect to the acclaimed filmmaker in the 21st century, but yet here we are. The latest Spike Lee Joint, Highest… Continue Reading →

January 2, 2026

The Awards Season Welcomes Brazil’s Secret Agent

As the 2025 awards season winds down, several trends have emerged. It’s been a great year for horror movies. More than a few would-be blockbusters absolutely flopped. The domestic box office is slowly creeping upward, thanks to the holidays, but… Continue Reading →

December 31, 2025

One Battle After Another Made Me Question Myself

I’m starting to wonder if my movie tastes have quietly drifted out of sync with the critical consensus. Not in a “everyone else is wrong” way, but in that slow realization that the movies hitting me hardest are often the… Continue Reading →

December 30, 2025

The Plague Infects Teenage Traumas

Growing up in the ’80s without basic cable or the internet, summertime fun during my preteen years revolved around visiting the city swimming pools. You got exercise, the adrenaline rush from the high dive, to hang out with friends, a… Continue Reading →

December 28, 2025

Will Tron: Ares be Jared Leto’s Final Franchise Fumble?

How many successful film franchises are based on retro-classic video games? A couple that instantly come to mind are Super Mario Bros. and Sonic. I guess a better question to ask is how many successful film franchises have actually been… Continue Reading →

December 27, 2025

Geek Culture, Zombies... and Other Monsters

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