I’m going to put this on the table right off the bat: I love Night of the Comet. It’s one of my favorite films, and this will not be an entirely objective review. It’s not a masterwork of cinematography like The Innocents, it doesn’t boast compelling dialogue or characterization like Hellraiser, and it’s too firmly entrenched in the pop culture of the age to be a timeless classic like some of the other films I’ve discussed here at CineDump.
Read MoreHellraiser (1987) #WiHM
Citizens of CineDump, in honor of Valentine’s day, we wanted to bring you the tale of a young woman, caught in the wiles of a dangerous, powerful man. He thrills her sexually with his rough, S&M flavored love making, and this leads to a contract that binds them both. Of course, I’m talking about 50 Sha--- no, wait, Hellraiser.
Read MoreHavenhurst (2016) #WiHM
Horror presents its own joys and its particular sorrows. Any genre fan can name them: gore over story, shallow characterization, and predictability. A parody of horror movies like the Scary Movie franchise or a loving send-up like Scream wouldn’t be complete without lampooning these less-than-desirable traits.
Read MoreThe Bad Seed (1956) #WiHM
The Bad Seed gets a lot of things right, the first and foremost thing being a little acknowledged age-old truism: Kids are freaking creepy. Developmental psychology tells us that before a certain age, children are essentially sociopaths: self-serving, low on empathy, driven by desire. They form packs, they have friends adults sometimes can’t see, they resolve issues with kicking, scratching, and hitting.
Read MoreEyes Without a Face (1960) #WiHM
I never liked good guys. Squeaky-clean white knights riding off into the sunset with cardboard cut-out princesses were less satisfying than a troubled soul groping toward the light. That’s probably why growing up I never related to women in horror movies--they were either flawlessly good Final Girls, promiscuous Meat, or, worst of all, a nameless excuse to get some R-rated nudity in before the next gore shot.
Read MoreThe Innocents (1961) #WiHM
In Kier La Janisse’s House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films, the author makes a fascinating and cogent observation about the role of women in horror cinema: They’re constantly going nuts. From such prominent classics as Repulsion to more obscure totems like The Mafu Cage, the genre seems preoccupied with depicting the slow mental breakdown of its’ female protagonists. Unfortunately, La Janisse doesn’t do much in the way of developing or exploring a thesis, devoting a disproportionate amount of text to the “autobiographical” part of the title.
Read MoreNosferatu (1922) #WiHM
Along with interviews featuring some of the horror genre’s most fascinating women, CineDump is also proud to showcase reviews, discussions, and ramblings celebrating some great horror movie heroines and villainesses. For our first entry, we’ll look back at one of the earliest horror movies made, 1922’s Nosferatu. Coming just three short years after the groundbreaking The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu employed some at the time cutting edge technology, surreal imagery, and a familiar story to capture the fears of its audience.
Read MoreSplit (2016)
M. Night, we need to talk, sweetie. I’ve been there with you for awhile, and I always defended you. Sure, I didn’t see The Last Airbender or anything like that, but I did scold everyone who gave you grief.
Read More