Mike Thorn's Blog, page 42
September 8, 2016
Two Reviews of New Horror Films (31 & Don't Breathe)
I recently reviewed Rob Zombie's 31 and Fede Alvarez's Don't Breathe for Bright Lights Film Journal.
Check 'em out, if you're interested:
The Horror of a Nation’s Despair: Rob Zombie’s 31 (2016)
Don’t Breathe, Just Keep on Surviving
Check 'em out, if you're interested:
The Horror of a Nation’s Despair: Rob Zombie’s 31 (2016)
Don’t Breathe, Just Keep on Surviving
August 28, 2016
New Film Criticism Piece: "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: George Lucas’s Greatest Artistic Statement?"
My new article for Bright Lights Film Journal discusses my choice for the 21st century's best film yet, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Fight me, BBC.
You can read the article here:
http://brightlightsfilm.com/star-wars...
You can read the article here:
http://brightlightsfilm.com/star-wars...
August 26, 2016
Read My New Story, "Hair," in DarkFuse Magazine
I am so humbled and excited to share this news. My new story "Hair" is now available to DarkFuse subscribers.
If you're interested, now is the time to subscribe: until midnight EST, a one-year membership to the magazine will be available for $12. Use the coupon code DFMag24 at checkout.
If you're interested, now is the time to subscribe: until midnight EST, a one-year membership to the magazine will be available for $12. Use the coupon code DFMag24 at checkout.
August 22, 2016
Article Published on (the Great) M. Night Shyamalan
Very excited that my article "M. Night Shyamalan’s Terror Trilogy: Signs (2002), The Village (2004), and The Happening (2008)" has been published in Bright Lights Film Journal.
Check it out here: http://brightlightsfilm.com/m-night-s...
Check it out here: http://brightlightsfilm.com/m-night-s...
July 4, 2016
Upcoming Publications
I have four confirmed publications for the near future.
Look for my essay "Collective Abjection: Social Horror in Stephen King’s It" in THINKING HORROR, volume two.
Also, Turn to Ash, volume zero will include my new short story "The Auteur" (basically my love letter to Kathe Koja, Thomas Ligotti, and horror cinema). This one is a limited release, which you can pre-order here: https://turntoash.com/2016/07/01/sale...
More news on the other publications soon!
Look for my essay "Collective Abjection: Social Horror in Stephen King’s It" in THINKING HORROR, volume two.
Also, Turn to Ash, volume zero will include my new short story "The Auteur" (basically my love letter to Kathe Koja, Thomas Ligotti, and horror cinema). This one is a limited release, which you can pre-order here: https://turntoash.com/2016/07/01/sale...
More news on the other publications soon!
February 8, 2016
My Favorite Horror Films: A Constantly Evolving List
A constant work in progress.
The essentials. One film per director. Chronologically organized.
Le manoir du diable. Georges Méliès, 1896.
The Sealed Room. D.W. Griffith, 1909.
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. Robert Wiene, 1920.
The Haunted House. Buster Keaton & Edward F. Cline, 1921.
Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages. Benjamin Christensen, 1922.
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens. F.W. Murnau, 1922.
M. Fritz Lang, 1931.
Freaks. Tod Browning, 1932.
Vampyr. Carl Th. Dreyer, 1932.
King Kong. Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933.
The Bride of Frankenstein. James Whale, 1935.
The Wolf Man. George Waggner, 1941.
Cat People. Jacques Tourneur, 1942.
The Seventh Victim. Mark Robson, 1943.
Creature from the Black Lagoon. Jack Arnold, 1954.
Les diaboliques. Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955.
The Night of the Hunter. Charles Laughton, 1955.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Don Siegel, 1956.
I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Gene Fowler Jr., 1957.
The Crawling Eye. Quentin Lawrence, 1958.
The Tingler. William Castle, 1959.
Les Yeux sans visage. Georges Franju, 1960.
Peeping Tom. Michael Powell, 1960.
Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock, 1960.
The Innocents. Jack Clayton, 1961.
Cape Fear. J. Lee Thompson, 1962.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. Robert Aldrich, 1962.
The Haunting. Robert Wise, 1963.
Matango. Ishirô Honda, 1963.
Repulsion. Roman Polanski, 1965.
Vargtimmen. Ingmar Bergman, 1968.
Psych-Burn. J.X. Williams, 1968.
Môjû. Yasuzô Masumura, 1969.
The Devils. Ken Russell, 1971.
Don't Look Now. Nicolas Roeg, 1973.
The Exorcist. William Friedkin, 1973.
The Wicker Man. Robin Hardy, 1973.
Black Christmas. Bob Clark, 1974.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Tobe Hooper, 1974.
Jaws. Steven Spielberg, 1975.
Picnic at Hanging Rock. Peter Weir, 1975.
Carrie. Brian De Palma, 1976.
The Last House on Dead End Street. Roger Watkins, 1977.
Shock Waves. Ken Wiederhorn, 1977.
Suspiria. Dario Argento, 1977.
I Spit on Your Grave. Meir Zarchi, 1978.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Philip Kaufman, 1978.
Alien. Ridley Scott, 1979.
Buio Omega. Joe D'Amato, 1979.
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht. Werner Herzog, 1979.
Zombi 2. Lucio Fulci, 1979.
Cannibal Holocaust. Ruggero Deodato, 1980.
Maniac. William Lustig, 1980.
The Shining. Stanley Kubrick, 1980.
The Burning. Tony Maylam, 1981.
My Bloody Valentine. George Mihalka, 1981.
Possession. Andrzej Żuławski, 1981.
The Entity. Sidney J. Furie, 1982.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Tommy Lee Wallace, 1982.
La morte vivante. Jean Rollin, 1982.
Xtro. Harry Bromley Davenport, 1982.
Angst. Gerald Kargl, 1983.
The Dead Zone. David Cronenberg, 1983.
The Hunger. Tony Scott, 1983.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Joseph Zito, 1984.
Day of the Dead. George A. Romero, 1985.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. Jack Sholder, 1985.
Aliens. James Cameron, 1986.
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Tom McLoughlin, 1986.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. John McNaughton, 1986.
The Hitcher. Robert Harmon, 1986.
Manhunter. Michael Mann, 1986.
Evil Dead 2. Sam Raimi, 1987.
The Gate. Tibor Takács, 1987.
Hellraiser. Clive Barker, 1987.
Near Dark. Kathryn Bigelow, 1987.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Chuck Russell, 1987.
Predator. John McTiernan, 1987.
Prince of Darkness. John Carpenter, 1987.
Child's Play. Tom Holland, 1988.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Stephen Chiodo, 1988.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. Rob Hedden, 1989.
Pet Sematary. Mary Lambert, 1989.
Shocker. Wes Craven, 1989.
Begotten. E. Elias Merhige, 1990.
Child's Play 2. John Lafia, 1990.
Alien³. David Fincher, 1992.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. David Lynch, 1992.
The Addiction. Abel Ferrara, 1995.
Alien: Resurrection. Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1997.
Bride of Chucky. Ronny Yu, 1998.
The Blair Witch Project. Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez, 1999.
Ôdishon. Takashi Miike, 1999.
Ginger Snaps. John Fawcett, 2000.
Trouble Every Day. Claire Denis, 2001.
28 Days Later. Danny Boyle, 2002.
Dans ma Peau. Marina de Van, 2002.
May. Lucky McKee, 2002.
Signs. M. Night Shyamalan, 2002.
Haute tension. Alexandre Aja, 2003.
AVP: Alien vs. Predator. Paul W.S. Anderson, 2004.
Seed of Chucky. Don Mancini, 2004.
Sakebi. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2006.
À l'intérieur. Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury, 2007.
[REC]. Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza, 2007.
Zodiac. David Fincher, 2007.
Martyrs. Pascal Laugier, 2008.
Shutter Island. Martin Scorsese, 2010.
Twixt. Francis Ford Coppola, 2011.
The Conjuring. James Wan, 2013.
L'inconnu du lac. Alain Guiraudie, 2013.
Oculus. Mike Flanagan, 2013.
Under the Skin. Jonathan Glazer, 2013.
Unfriended. Levan Gabriadze, 2014.
#Horror. Tara Subkoff, 2015.
Knock Knock. Eli Roth, 2015.
Queen of Earth. Alex Ross Perry, 2015.
The Shallows. Jaume Collet-Serra, 2016.
The essentials. One film per director. Chronologically organized.
Le manoir du diable. Georges Méliès, 1896.
The Sealed Room. D.W. Griffith, 1909.
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. Robert Wiene, 1920.
The Haunted House. Buster Keaton & Edward F. Cline, 1921.
Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages. Benjamin Christensen, 1922.
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens. F.W. Murnau, 1922.
M. Fritz Lang, 1931.
Freaks. Tod Browning, 1932.
Vampyr. Carl Th. Dreyer, 1932.
King Kong. Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933.
The Bride of Frankenstein. James Whale, 1935.
The Wolf Man. George Waggner, 1941.
Cat People. Jacques Tourneur, 1942.
The Seventh Victim. Mark Robson, 1943.
Creature from the Black Lagoon. Jack Arnold, 1954.
Les diaboliques. Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955.
The Night of the Hunter. Charles Laughton, 1955.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Don Siegel, 1956.
I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Gene Fowler Jr., 1957.
The Crawling Eye. Quentin Lawrence, 1958.
The Tingler. William Castle, 1959.
Les Yeux sans visage. Georges Franju, 1960.
Peeping Tom. Michael Powell, 1960.
Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock, 1960.
The Innocents. Jack Clayton, 1961.
Cape Fear. J. Lee Thompson, 1962.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. Robert Aldrich, 1962.
The Haunting. Robert Wise, 1963.
Matango. Ishirô Honda, 1963.
Repulsion. Roman Polanski, 1965.
Vargtimmen. Ingmar Bergman, 1968.
Psych-Burn. J.X. Williams, 1968.
Môjû. Yasuzô Masumura, 1969.
The Devils. Ken Russell, 1971.
Don't Look Now. Nicolas Roeg, 1973.
The Exorcist. William Friedkin, 1973.
The Wicker Man. Robin Hardy, 1973.
Black Christmas. Bob Clark, 1974.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Tobe Hooper, 1974.
Jaws. Steven Spielberg, 1975.
Picnic at Hanging Rock. Peter Weir, 1975.
Carrie. Brian De Palma, 1976.
The Last House on Dead End Street. Roger Watkins, 1977.
Shock Waves. Ken Wiederhorn, 1977.
Suspiria. Dario Argento, 1977.
I Spit on Your Grave. Meir Zarchi, 1978.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Philip Kaufman, 1978.
Alien. Ridley Scott, 1979.
Buio Omega. Joe D'Amato, 1979.
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht. Werner Herzog, 1979.
Zombi 2. Lucio Fulci, 1979.
Cannibal Holocaust. Ruggero Deodato, 1980.
Maniac. William Lustig, 1980.
The Shining. Stanley Kubrick, 1980.
The Burning. Tony Maylam, 1981.
My Bloody Valentine. George Mihalka, 1981.
Possession. Andrzej Żuławski, 1981.
The Entity. Sidney J. Furie, 1982.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Tommy Lee Wallace, 1982.
La morte vivante. Jean Rollin, 1982.
Xtro. Harry Bromley Davenport, 1982.
Angst. Gerald Kargl, 1983.
The Dead Zone. David Cronenberg, 1983.
The Hunger. Tony Scott, 1983.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Joseph Zito, 1984.
Day of the Dead. George A. Romero, 1985.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. Jack Sholder, 1985.
Aliens. James Cameron, 1986.
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Tom McLoughlin, 1986.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. John McNaughton, 1986.
The Hitcher. Robert Harmon, 1986.
Manhunter. Michael Mann, 1986.
Evil Dead 2. Sam Raimi, 1987.
The Gate. Tibor Takács, 1987.
Hellraiser. Clive Barker, 1987.
Near Dark. Kathryn Bigelow, 1987.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Chuck Russell, 1987.
Predator. John McTiernan, 1987.
Prince of Darkness. John Carpenter, 1987.
Child's Play. Tom Holland, 1988.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Stephen Chiodo, 1988.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. Rob Hedden, 1989.
Pet Sematary. Mary Lambert, 1989.
Shocker. Wes Craven, 1989.
Begotten. E. Elias Merhige, 1990.
Child's Play 2. John Lafia, 1990.
Alien³. David Fincher, 1992.
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. David Lynch, 1992.
The Addiction. Abel Ferrara, 1995.
Alien: Resurrection. Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1997.
Bride of Chucky. Ronny Yu, 1998.
The Blair Witch Project. Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez, 1999.
Ôdishon. Takashi Miike, 1999.
Ginger Snaps. John Fawcett, 2000.
Trouble Every Day. Claire Denis, 2001.
28 Days Later. Danny Boyle, 2002.
Dans ma Peau. Marina de Van, 2002.
May. Lucky McKee, 2002.
Signs. M. Night Shyamalan, 2002.
Haute tension. Alexandre Aja, 2003.
AVP: Alien vs. Predator. Paul W.S. Anderson, 2004.
Seed of Chucky. Don Mancini, 2004.
Sakebi. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2006.
À l'intérieur. Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury, 2007.
[REC]. Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza, 2007.
Zodiac. David Fincher, 2007.
Martyrs. Pascal Laugier, 2008.
Shutter Island. Martin Scorsese, 2010.
Twixt. Francis Ford Coppola, 2011.
The Conjuring. James Wan, 2013.
L'inconnu du lac. Alain Guiraudie, 2013.
Oculus. Mike Flanagan, 2013.
Under the Skin. Jonathan Glazer, 2013.
Unfriended. Levan Gabriadze, 2014.
#Horror. Tara Subkoff, 2015.
Knock Knock. Eli Roth, 2015.
Queen of Earth. Alex Ross Perry, 2015.
The Shallows. Jaume Collet-Serra, 2016.
October 15, 2013
My Favorite Horror Novels/Novellas: A Constantly Evolving List
The absolute essentials. I've limited myself to one book per author. Organized by authors' last names.
The Damnation Game, by Clive Barker (1985)
Story of the Eye, by Georges Bataille (1928)
The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty (1971)
The Scarf, by Robert Bloch (1947 / 1966)
Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury (1962)
House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski (2000)
The Obscene Bird of Night, by José Donoso (1970)
The Between, by Tananarive Due (1995)
Horns, by Joe Hill (2010)
The House on the Borderland, by William Hope Hodgson (1908)
The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson (1959)
The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James (1898)
The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka (1915)
The Girl Next Door, by Jack Ketchum (1989)
It, by Stephen King (1986)
The Cipher, by Kathe Koja (1991)
Conjure Wife, by Fritz Leiber (1943)
The Fifth Child, by Doris Lessing (1988)
The Stepford Wives, by Ira Levin (1972)
The Monk, by Matthew Gregory Lewis (1796)
At the Mountains of Madness, by H.P. Lovecraft (1936)
The Great God Pan, by Arthur Machen (1890)
I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson (1954)
Melmoth the Wanderer, by Charles Maturin (1820)
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (2006)
Toplin, by Michael McDowell (1985)
Zombie, by Joyce Carol Oates (1995)
Starling Street, by Dinah Palmtag (1973)
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, by Edgar Allan Poe (1838)
The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe (1794)
The Ideal, Genuine Man, by Don Robertson (1987)
The Room, by Hubert Selby Jr. (1971)
Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley (1818)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)
Dracula, by Bram Stoker (1897)
Ghost Story, by Peter Straub (1979)
The Killer Inside Me, by Jim Thompson (1952)
The Other, by Thomas Tryon (1971)
The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole (1764)
The Invisible Man, by H.G. Wells (1897)
The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde (1890)
The Damnation Game, by Clive Barker (1985)
Story of the Eye, by Georges Bataille (1928)
The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty (1971)
The Scarf, by Robert Bloch (1947 / 1966)
Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury (1962)
House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski (2000)
The Obscene Bird of Night, by José Donoso (1970)
The Between, by Tananarive Due (1995)
Horns, by Joe Hill (2010)
The House on the Borderland, by William Hope Hodgson (1908)
The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson (1959)
The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James (1898)
The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka (1915)
The Girl Next Door, by Jack Ketchum (1989)
It, by Stephen King (1986)
The Cipher, by Kathe Koja (1991)
Conjure Wife, by Fritz Leiber (1943)
The Fifth Child, by Doris Lessing (1988)
The Stepford Wives, by Ira Levin (1972)
The Monk, by Matthew Gregory Lewis (1796)
At the Mountains of Madness, by H.P. Lovecraft (1936)
The Great God Pan, by Arthur Machen (1890)
I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson (1954)
Melmoth the Wanderer, by Charles Maturin (1820)
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (2006)
Toplin, by Michael McDowell (1985)
Zombie, by Joyce Carol Oates (1995)
Starling Street, by Dinah Palmtag (1973)
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, by Edgar Allan Poe (1838)
The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe (1794)
The Ideal, Genuine Man, by Don Robertson (1987)
The Room, by Hubert Selby Jr. (1971)
Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley (1818)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)
Dracula, by Bram Stoker (1897)
Ghost Story, by Peter Straub (1979)
The Killer Inside Me, by Jim Thompson (1952)
The Other, by Thomas Tryon (1971)
The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole (1764)
The Invisible Man, by H.G. Wells (1897)
The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde (1890)
