Pitcher Gets The Hook: Night Game

With the start of Major League Baseball this week, I thought it would be another opportunity to delve into the very obscure genre of baseball-horror. A few years back I reviewed the crazy, Japanese gorefest, Deadball. This time, I’m tackling (apologies for mixing sports metaphors) the little known 1989 “thriller”, Night Game starring Roy Scheider.... Continue Reading →

A Fine Kettle of Fishmen

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 →

Brain Teaser

Brains.  Most of us have one.  But who among us has ever stopped to consider whether our brains are friends or foes?  We don’t question the loyalty of our brains, which is a sign they are hiding the answer from us.  Brains issue decrees with divine authority that we are powerless to deny.  Your brain... Continue Reading →

The Witchy Women of Devonsville

Released in 1983, The Devonsville Terror tells the tale of three women murdered 300 years ago after they were suspected of being witches. The film was directed by Uli Lommel, best known for the early 80s slashic The Boogeyman, and was originally intended as a theatrical release but ended up going straight to video. After... Continue Reading →

Frankenstein: Unbound and Down

Having seen many film versions of the the classic Frankenstein story over the years, I can safely say that Roger Corman’s 1990 interpretation, Frankenstein Unbound, is the most…ummm…unique. A science fiction film as much as horror, the story begins in the far distant year of 2031, where a scientist named Buchanan (played by John Hurt)... Continue Reading →

If Thy Eye Offends Thee

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 →

Antlers: Taking Horror by the Horns

At first glance, Antlers (2021) may appear to be just another standard monster movie but scratch below the surface and you'll find a dark complexity that is rare in modern horror.  Set in a small, impoverished town in Oregon (but filmed in British Columbia, Canada), the film begins with a man and his young son being... Continue Reading →

The Men Who Should Have Cheated Death

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 →

Dynasty of Fear

In 1972, Hammer Film Productions released a double bill titled Women in Terror.  With some influence from the giallo all'italiana film genre popular at the time, both films were psychological horrors including mystery elements.  As the title of the double feature implied, the films focused on terrorized women and how a lack of comprehension about... Continue Reading →

That Time Vincent Price Went Clubbing

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Vincent Price went clubbing? Well wonder no more, just watch The Monster Club! This 1981 anthology film walks the line between horror and comedy and perhaps a little more on the comedy side than was initially intended. Vincent Price plays a vampire named Eramus who... Continue Reading →

When It Flies…Someone Dies!

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 →

Safe and Secure from All Alarms

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 →

Call Evil by Its Proper Name

I have always been fascinated with the concept that faith and belief are the precursor to deities rather than, as is usually assumed, the other way around.  The theory is that faith is what brings the gods into existence and what gives them power in a literal sense.  Humanity looks to the gods for guidance... Continue Reading →

Powered by WordPress.com. Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren.

Up ↑