For ghosts, ghouls, vampires, and other things that go bump in the night, the rich and strange landscape of the American Southeast provides an abundance of creepy hiding places. Which brings us to the literary/cinematic genre known as “Southern Gothic,” a vein of storytelling that, like good art, is hard to define, but you do know it when you see …

Now that former Disney teen idol  Zac Efron has been cast as serial killer extraordinaire Ted Bundy in an upcoming film called Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, it’s a good time look back at the actors who’ve already been there with Terrible Ted. In chronological order, they are: Mark Harmon in THE DELIBERATE STRANGER (1986), a TV miniseries, directed …

It’s the best month of the year for horror fans (yay!)—and what better way to spend it than binge-watching the best films of the Master of the Macabre, Vincent Price? If you think that classic horror is always hammy and campy, think again. Many of Price’s best films are bonafide classics and easily accessible through disc or streaming services (or …

Film makers have always used stand-ins for locations and props to save money, time. and labor. Some film makers, though, like to aim for authenticity above all, and this was especially true in the days before CGI, and also before cheaper, non-union states started to become the preferred choice for shoots. Of all the anecdotes I researched for this article, …

Rate This Movie SYNOPSIS: A courtroom frenzy ensues and sweeps 1970s America when a young single mother reluctantly tips the attention of a widespread manhunt toward her longtime boyfriend, Ted Bundy. REVIEW: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019), produced and directed by Joe Berlinger; starring Zac Efron, John Malkovich, and Lily Collins. This long-awaited film, starring Efron as serial …

Rate This Movie SYNOPSIS: Ensconced in her sprawling California mansion, eccentric firearm heiress Sarah Winchester believes she is haunted by the souls of people killed by the Winchester repeating rifle REVIEW: There are a fair amount of books and movies (see below) featuring houses/buildings that were inspired by the Winchester Mystery House near San Jose, California; however, this film, co-written …

Hollywood has been turning popular television series into big-screen epics since at least the late 70s, starting with Robert Wise’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) (see below). This trend really took off in the late 90s and early 2000s, however, when it seemed like a new television-show-turned-movie hit the multiplexes every week. Some of these reboots were highly successful, …

Rate This Movie SYNOPSIS: Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it. REVIEW: The Haunting of Hill House (2018), a 10-episode Netflix series directed by Mike Flanagan; starring Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Timothy Hutton, Michiel Huisman, Elizabeth Reaser, Kate Siegel, Victoria Pedretti and Oliver …

Rate This Movie SYNOPSIS: A married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond. REVIEW: Don’t Look Now (1973), directed by Nicholas Roeg; written by Allan Scott and Chris Bryant; based on the novella by Daphne Du Maurier; starring …

SYNOPSIS: During a rural summer picnic, a few students and a teacher from an Australian girls’ school vanish without a trace. Their absence frustrates and haunts the people left behind. REVIEW: Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), directed by Peter Weir from a script written by Cliff Green, based on the novel of the same name by Lady Joan Lindsay;  starring …

SYNOPSIS: Madrid, 1991. A teen girl finds herself besieged by an evil supernatural force after she plays with a Ouija board with her two friends. REVIEW: Veronica (2017) – directed by Paco Plaza from his own co-written script, starring Sandra Escacena, Ana Torrent, and Consuelo Trujillo; in Spanish with English subtitles. Paco Plaza hit it big internationally with the [REC] …

SYNOPSIS: A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that’s stalking them. REVIEW: The Ritual (2017), directed by David Bruckner of V/H/S fame. debuted at the TIFF Toroton Intl Film Festival ,then picked up by Netflix for U.S. streaming from February 9. This film references several very famous …