Right now we are in the era of the expanded universe. We have Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Black Mirror, and even Parks and Rec/The Good Place. One of the often overlooked storyscapes is the world created by Stephen King. His work doesn’t always connect the dots for us, but if you pin his book covers to a map of New …

Stabbings. Stranglings. Ghastly dolls. Anxiety-fueled phone calls. Bludgeonings. Chases. Unseen terrors. There’s no single recipe to cook up a horrifying opening scene. Some tease you with scares before blasting you with the horror. Others gut punch you with the horror right away. The greatest opening scenes do have one thing in common. They make a promise to the viewer. This …

In most genres of cinema, the sequel is almost inherently worse than the original. However, horror is not like most genres. Sequels can sometimes match the quality of the original or surpass it. The reason could be related to a higher budget, more attention from studios, less attention from studios, or just the result of taking scares and creativity to …