Essays
How ‘The X-Files’ shaped modern fandom
The X-Files stands in a unique place in the world of fandom. While it is certainly not the first property to have a rabid fanbase, The X-Files premiered right around the time that the internet was becoming readily accessible. Because of that, it gave birth to a new type of fandom, with a new vocabulary and a new way of existing…(cont)
Andy Milligan: The Ed Wood of 42nd Street
Sex, murder, mayhem and monsters. All common – even expected – visions in the grindhouses of New York’s legendary 42nd Street. But while directors like H.G. Lewis, Russ Meyer and Frank Henenlotter have all achieved a modicum of success (or at least notoriety) since the Disney-fication of 42nd Street in the early 1990s, there is one director who was never quite able to escape the Deuce: Andy Milligan. (cont)
Snuff: The Biggest Myth in Film
Snuff films are the biggest myth in the film industry. Despite countless accusations and panicked investigations, no snuff film has ever been turned up. No convictions have ever been made. In short, snuff films are a scare tactic, dreamt up by the media to terrify the public. (cont)
Cannibal Holocaust, the first found footage horror film
If you ask casual filmgoers to name the first found-footage horror film, most would say The Blair Witch Project. The 1999 faux documentary, directed by Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, was certainly a sensation and made a ton of money at the box office. The Blair Witch Project also kicked off the popularity of the subgenre, leading to films like Paranormal Activity, V/H/S, and [REC], as well as countless porn parodies -- the sign of every successful film…(cont)
Psycho, the first film to demand scheduled showtimes
Of a filmography that spanned nearly 50 years, Psycho is probably Alfred Hitchcock's most famous masterpiece. Based on the book of the same name by Robert Bloch — which was, in turn, loosely based on real-life murderer Ed Gein — Psycho tells the twisted tale of Norman Bates, a mild-mannered motel manager who has some severe mental issues, including a split personality and a tendency toward murder…(cont)
Controversial TV: A look at what originally caused headaches
When controversial TV topics hit, they often create a bigger fuss than their film counterparts. Television comes into the home, and unless you want to be that weirdo who doesn’t have television, the broadcast networks are always available…(cont
Looking ahead to ‘Aquarius’ season two: what does history say will happen next?
This summer, NBC’s “Aquarius” blended police procedural, family melodrama and the story of real-life cult leader Charles Manson (Gethin Anthony) and his “Family” into an engrossing thirteen hours of television. Series director and executive producer Jonas Pate has said that “Aquarius” is not historically accurate, but “inspired by the truth” of the Manson Family, who committed one of the strangest and most infamous murder sprees in Los Angeles history. But when looking forward to the second season ordered by the network, Charlie Manson’s life is a great blueprint for the series.(cont)
Five human/monster sex scenes that take ‘The Shape of Water’ to the next level
Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water won Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards, which makes it special in several ways. It is one of the few genre films to ever win this award, but its win also revealed that the Academy has no issues with a sex scene between a human woman and a fish-man…(cont)
‘The X-Files’ review: My struggle with “My Struggles”
You would think that I would be used to The X-Files ending after all these years. By the time it ended in 2002, I had already checked out of the show. When the second movie came around in 2008, it wasn't great, so it was easy to let go…(cont)