Horror and Sci-Fi Stuff
The trope of the mysterious and possibly supernatural curio shoppe is long-standing, going back to the writings of H. G. Wells. These shops will always have what you are looking for, regardless of whether or not you know you are looking for it. Almost everything can be had for a bargain, but nothing is without... Continue Reading →
We at Maniacs and Monsters will always rise to defend the oft-maligned B movie. No matter how you interpret the designation, there is no shame inherent in B movies, and we hope to combat the stigma connected to the label. Given the association with low budgets, independence, and minimal recognition, perhaps B movies are a... Continue Reading →
Man is a morbid and macabre creature. An awareness of our own mortality has quite naturally developed into a fear of, and a fascination with, death and the final resting of our remains. Thus, it is of little surprise that the work of the body snatcher or resurrectionist, as those in the profession prefer to... Continue Reading →
In a long and varied career, there may not be a film style that Roger Corman has left untouched. His is a legacy that defies classification but, if you were to try, Corman is probably most closely associated with his Gothic horrors and low-budget B-movie fare from the 50s and 60s. The Gothic horrors were... Continue Reading →
Film historians love to define “Golden Ages”, periods in which certain genres, cultures, locales, and/or studios saw a boom in both the creation and the acceptance of their films. These “ages” provide a useful short form for discussion purposes but, not surprisingly, their boundaries are not clearly defined. The 1960s saw the emergence of a... Continue Reading →
In 1960, MGM British Studios first introduced us to a pack of blond-haired, candescent-eyed children in Village of the Damned (starring Barbara Shelley, a Hammer regular). Four years later, the frightening and murderous youth would return in Children of the Damned. In the interim, Hammer Film Productions would produce and release its own film about... Continue Reading →
From 1935 until 1979, Hammer Film Productions released some 166 feature films. A phrase commonly used when referring to many of these pictures is ‘lesser known’. Even if you restrict yourself to the horror and thriller genres for which Hammer is best remembered, there is still a large number of ‘lesser known’ works. Of course,... Continue Reading →
Let’s get one thing out of the way up front. Producer/Director Roger Corman is responsible for some great movies. His many films starring Vincent Price and based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe immediately come to mind. But Corman knew he was in the B-movie business and took pride in making films with next... Continue Reading →
Another Halloween season has come and gone and, despite everyone wearing masks, it was not as festive as we would have liked. I hope you all still managed to sneak in a little ghoulish fun…at a safe social distance of course. For me, while I missed being able to attend the horror conventions and film... Continue Reading →
Welcome to the second part of my October horror movie extravaganza (part one can be found here). I, along with nearly every other horror fan in the world, have decided to ring in the Halloween season by watching a horror movie every night this month. Unlike about 20% of those other fans, I have a... Continue Reading →
We horror aficionados have always claimed October as our own. Unfortunately, the state of the world has put a definite damper on all horror and Halloween related festivities. But, if we cannot go out to haunt the land, we can use the opportunity to shutter ourselves away in a dank dungeon and watch as much... Continue Reading →
(This article originally appeared, in a slightly different form, in June of 2015 on the site GeekPr0n.com. Gone but not forgotten.) Today marks what would have been Christopher Lee’s ninety-eighth birthday. It’s been almost five years since his passing and it is still hard to accept. Christopher Lee gave us numerous reasons to assume he... Continue Reading →
Horror is a very broad genre. Horror by definition elicits fear and shock or, at the very least, attempts to elicit those emotions. Beyond that basic criterion, there is plenty of room for interpretation. Monsters, ghosts, and other supernatural elements are certainly ingrained in our idea of horror entertainment but they are not necessary components. ... Continue Reading →
My dear, dear friends. My brethren. I am here to denounce my transgressions before ye. I have sinned the sin of misdirection. For while the movie on which I am about to speak boasts a villain most heinous, and while it is true that numerous characters suffer both physical and psychological terrors, yet this work... Continue Reading →
(This article originally appeared, in a slightly different form, in October of 2013 on the site Cheese-Magnet.com. Cheese-Magnet is people!) I suspect most horror and science fiction enthusiasts are fans of the late writer Richard Matheson (1926 – 2013), although many may not realize it. As author and/or screenwriter, Matheson was responsible for many genre favourites... Continue Reading →
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