Saying goodbye to old friends is one of the hardest things in life to do. Remembering old times and laughing is often the best way to do it. In 1948, Universal Studios (more precisely, Universal International) did just that with old friends Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster and the Wolf Man in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.(read more...)

Another movie about the four-horsemen of the apocalypse arriving; the end of the world, where everything is kissed goodbye. Do we need another movie about this? We've had enough alien invasions to last us a lifetime, but what if the danger was people? Regular people turned nuts destroying humanity. 28 Days Later opens with the intent of starting and letting loose as soon as it can. That's why there are no opening credits, or title. Immediately we see that shuddery infamous British camera switch on, obviously Danny Boyle is standing or sitting somewhere behind it, maybe wearing a smirk, as he watches his interpretation of a common nightmare unfold.(read more...)

Carnival of Souls is unlike any other movie I’ve ever seen. I don’t think it would make any serious film fan’s "best ever" list, but it is unique and at times chilling enough to have carved a niche for itself in horror history. At times this 1962 black and white indie thriller is amateurish, even downright cheesy. I must say, however, that there is a certain quality this film possesses, as do many independent and novice films, that frees it from the traditional trappings of Hollywood and allows for some genuinely fresh and inspired moments. Those inspired moments in Carnival of Souls, blended with the crudeness of the production, are amongst the most inventive and absolutely creepy in all of horror cinema.(read more...)

Few images from the last century are so universal as to be a part of the social unconscious. A flat-top head, a pair of bolts in the neck, and a skin tone ranging from gray to green - show that to anybody, and they'll say "Frankenstein." A little research will show that such a description didn't come from Mary Shelley's novel. Frankenstein (or, more accurately, Frankenstein's Monster) may have started out as a character in a book, but it was in James Whale's 1931 classic (and very loose) adaptation that he achieved cultural godhood - and it's not hard to see why.(read more...)