Students were assigned Carrie (2013) and Scream (1996) to watch and practice noticing details. The pair of films were also assigned so that I could teach how to connect texts through common themes. Both deal with teen culture at the respective times in which they came out in culture, focus on being a girl in high school, and toxic […]
Maybe it’s just my particular “FYP” on TikTok, but lately I’ve been seeing uploaded videos of American Horror Stories’ episode “Bestie” (season 3, episode 1). I watched the episode when it first debuted and seeing it on TikTok reminded me of how much that episode personally and professionally bothers me. The episode follows Shelby (Emma Halleen), […]
I usually teach first year writing (FYW) to college students for at least one summer session each year. It’s a six week course taught asynchronously online. Normally it runs for a full semester, fifteen weeks, during the Fall and Spring semesters. It can be a bit of a challenge to condense that into only six […]
It took me three days to finish Skinamarink, which should be an indication of my thoughts on the film. Both as a casual viewer and a horror scholar, I think the movie is just too long and drawn out. Certain images and scenes are repetitive and not in an interesting, uncanny way but more in a […]
Evil Dead Rise (2023) is the latest installment in the Evil Dead franchise. I rented it last night and have some thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I am not usually one for a lot of gore, but I thought all the gore in Evil Dead Rise is beautifully done and adds to the deeper […]
I watched Huesera: The Bone Woman (2022) for one of my recent weekday movie nights. The film follows Valeria (Natalia Solián) as a woman whose pregnancy appears haunted by the supernatural. At first, Valeria presents as the tame, submissive wife to Raúl (Alfonso Dosal) who is depicted as the more traditional and conservative of the […]
I teach introductory college writing courses AKA First Year Writing (FYW) courses at a college in Massachusetts during the Fall and Spring semesters. These semesters are 15 weeks each and fully in-person. I also teach at least one summer FYW course each year. This course is 6 weeks and all asynchronous on Canvas. The English […]
Prey for the Devil is a 2022 horror film directed by Daniel Stamm about a nun, Sister Ann (Jacqueline Byers), who must confront the trauma of her mother’s alleged possession in order to free a patient (Posy Taylor) from their own demonic suffering. The film provides Sister Ann’s backstory through a series of flashbacks from […]
We have two vampire movies to look forward to this Spring and Summer, Renfield and The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Renfield premiered last Friday in theaters. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 58% “Tomatometer Score” and an 80% “Audience Score.” The New York Times calls it “93 minutes of well-wrought absurdity.” Judging from the trailer, it is a light-hearted take […]
One of the most fearsome figures from Icelandic folklore is Grýla. Grýla is a ogress (in some accounts a giantess or troll) who lives high in the mountains, coming down into villages and towns during the holiday season. What does she do amongst the humans? She snatches up naughty children, of course, and brings them […]
I am teaching introductory writing this semester and the theme of my particular classes is horror on screen and in real-life. During the first week, students were assigned Alien (1979) and District 9 (2009) to view and post about what stood out to them. At this early point in the semester, I want students to practice slowing down with […]
Paranormal Perspective 