2023-03-09 15:59
The introduction to Not of the Living Dead, the latest book on cinema’s King of the Zombies quotes George A. Romero from a 1992 interview, saying that he hopes he’ll be rem… Read More
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2022-12-03 15:32
Back in the mid-90s, John Kenneth Muir staked out ground as a film critic willing to take horror cinema more seriously than most. Buoyed by the success of his early books about i… Read More
2022-02-28 14:37
Philip K. Dick: Essays of the Here and Now, ed. David Sandner. www.McFarlandBooks.com When I learned about this new book of essays on the work of legendary sci-fi novelist Philip… Read More
2021-09-12 19:56
NOW AVAILABLE HERE! "Maddrey's book restores the crafts of writing and screenwriting to the story of the cinematic adaptations of the early novels of Stephen King. By focus… Read More
2020-11-19 15:55
In spite of the chaos of 2020, I managed to get three different projects into publication this year.First, my in-depth study of the 1983 film Brainstorm was published in e-book form by Liver… Read More
2019-12-18 15:14
There is nothing simple about T.S. Eliot. At least, that's the simple conclusion to be drawn from the existence of thousands of books, essays and dissertations about the Nobel Prize… Read More
2019-04-20 20:49
Having children means having an excuse to revisit one’s childhood, and I’m thrilled that my daughter is finally old enough to watch the movies I grew up loving as a kid. Ju… Read More
2019-04-20 20:31
I have never been shy about expressing my love for David Lynch’s TV series TWIN PEAKS. I did it here. Here. And here.Somehow, this series manages to balance the uncan… Read More
2019-04-19 20:17
The second stop on our Pacific Northwest trip was The Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel THE SHINING. Sort of. Kubrick used the… Read More
2019-04-19 03:17
This past week I took my family on a quick road trip through the Pacific Northwest. Because I’m me, we hit up several places associated with my favorite movies and TV shows. &hell…Read More
2019-03-14 20:45
There are a handful of writers that I find myself coming back to again and again. Aldous Huxley is one of them—but not so much Huxley the British novelist, as Huxley the American… Read More
2019-01-19 17:00
The legacy of John Carpenter’s 1988 film THEY LIVE seems to loom larger with every passing year. Maybe that’s why I’ve put off writing about it for so long. So… Read More
2018-09-25 01:10
NOW AVAILABLE! (CLICK HERE)“The next time I teach Eliot to undergrads I will assign this swift, witty, enjoyable invitation to T. S. Eliot’s work and thought. Maddrey… Read More
2018-07-15 01:04
Castle County, Maine, was established in 1877, but the county seat of Castle Rock was a relatively quiet place until the early 1900s. That’s when lumber baron Otto Schenck and mi… Read More
2018-02-14 03:55
“This isn’t a teenage movie. Many films today are about young people being hip. But these characters are adults.” – John Carpenter in Fangoria #69 (1987)I… Read More
2017-12-15 02:43
Okay, confession time: I didn’t see BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA until 1997, more than a full decade after it was released in theaters. I’m not really sure why. I had… Read More
2017-10-21 23:51
Hero Initiative art by Cat Staggs (https://www.stormkingproductionsstore.com)In a recent interview, John Carpenter justified the track selections for his retrospective album Anthology. … Read More
2017-10-09 02:12
In 1998, the home video business was booming. DVD players were available, but VHS was still king—and more and more horror movies were becoming available on video every day. … Read More
2017-10-06 16:13
Promotional art for Slashback Video exhibit at Bearded Lady's Mystic Museum in Burbank, CAContinued from HERE...Crozet, Virginia. 1991. The first video store I visited in my new… Read More
2017-10-01 16:53
L.A. horror fans are ringing in the Halloween season at Slashback Video, an art installation created by Blumhouse exec Ryan Turek and aimed at the VHS generation. It’s a strange… Read More
2017-09-20 22:14
Cover art for the forthcoming book Simply EliotIn the summer of 2009 I attended the inaugural T.S. Eliot Summer School in London, England. Before the first session, I started chatting… Read More
2017-09-12 16:26
Stephen Gervais cover art for Stephen King's novel CHRISTINE (https://suntup.press)A few weeks ago, I saw John Carpenter’s CHRISTINE at The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood…. and t… Read More
2017-08-04 15:33
Art by Christopher Shy (www.studioronin.com)A few weeks ago, I got to see John Carpenter’s THE THING in 70mm at The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Although I’ve probably se… Read More
2017-07-23 15:30
Art by Christopher Shy (www.artofronin.com)After THE FOG, John Carpenter went to work on the second film in a two-film deal with Avco-Embassy. His original plan was to write a film bas… Read More
2017-07-17 02:38
The first time I saw NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was on a cheap, grainy Goodtimes video purchased from K-Mart. I was about ten years old, and I had no idea what I was getting into. … Read More
2017-07-09 23:03
Art by Cat StaggsTHE FOG is one of my favorite John Carpenter movies—partly for sentimental reasons, and partly because it is one of the most brilliantly sound-designed horror movies o… Read More
2017-06-30 19:54
Art by Darick RobertsonIs there anything left to say about John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN? This film has been endlessly analyzed over the past four decades, despite the fact that it… Read More
2017-06-24 21:16
I grew up in a small Virginia town where there wasn’t much to do. That probably has something to do with my love of movies—because the one thing by hometown did have was th… Read More
2017-06-21 19:45
John Carpenter on the set of DARK STARWhen I was about seven years old, I watched John Carpenter’s THE FOG on late night TV. I was not allowed to watch R-rated movies, so I had t… Read More
2016-10-30 14:48
The Story: Virginal heroine Edith (Mia Wasikowska; Alice from from Tim Burton's ALICE IN WONDERLAND) marries the wrong man (Tom Hiddleston; Loki from THE AVENGERS) and ends up living in a ha… Read More
2016-10-29 11:00
The Story: A felon is sentenced to house arrest in her childhood home… which, unfortunately for her, is haunted. Expectations: This one has been on my watch list since the begin… Read More
2016-10-28 14:14
The Story: A young woman goes surfing on a remote beach in Mexico, and encounters a killer shark.Expectations: Every few years, we get a new JAWS movie. In 2003, it was OPEN WATER.&nbs&hell…Read More
2016-10-28 00:32
The Story: After reconstructive surgery, a mother returns home to her two sons… but they don’t believe she’s really their mother.Expectations: Something about the synopsis… Read More
2016-10-26 11:00
The Story: A family of three has been living in an underground bomb shelter for 300 days… but what are they hiding from?Expectations: This is the feature film debut of The Duffer Brot… Read More
2016-10-25 11:00
The Story: An aspiring actress, down and out in West Hollywood, sells her soul for a “gateway role” in a horror movie.Expectations: All month, I’ve been thinking about watc… Read More
2016-10-24 20:47
The Story: Two kids spend a week with their estranged grandparents. Weirdness runs in the family.Expectations: M. Night Shyamalan wrote and directed this movie. I feel like I hav… Read More
2016-10-23 16:06
The Story: A dinner party is interrupted by a rip in the fabric of space and time, pitting a group of L.A. eccentrics against their doppelgangers.Expectations: Two-thirds of the way through… Read More
2016-10-23 16:03
The Story: A war vet shows up to help the family of his fallen brother-in-arms. But he has some peculiar ideas about how to “help” them.Expectations: When I sat down to sta… Read More
2016-10-21 14:40
The Story: A young couple goes hiking in a national park, and runs afoul of a creepy Irishman and a really hungry bear.Expectations: JAWS with a bear? Good luck topping THE REVENANT.Re… Read More
2016-10-20 14:53
The Story: A bad batch of chicken nuggets turns the children of the quiet Fort Chicken community into flesh-eaters. Expectations: My buddy Rob G. (of Killer POV / Shock Waves fame) rec… Read More
2016-10-19 11:00
The Story: A young woman in a small fishing village in Denmark finds out she has inherited the curse of the werewolf. Expectations: Arthouse werewolf movie?Reaction: Years ago, I read a book… Read More
2016-10-18 14:43
The Story: A rookie cop pulls night watch duty on the final night that an old, abandoned precinct will be open to the public. And then she finds out why it’s closing.Expectations… Read More
2016-10-17 14:15
The Story: According to Netflix: “A freelance cameraman can’t be fussy about his assignments. But this one could go way beyond his comfort zone.”Expectations: I knew… Read More
2016-10-16 15:24
The Story: Four members of an indie punk band agree to play a gig at a biker bar in the middle of nowhere, and find themselves in the middle of a neo-Nazi drug war.Expectations: Horror film… Read More
2016-10-15 20:25
The Story: A mysterious electromagnetic pulse turns everyone using a cell phone into a rage zombie. John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, the dynamic duo who struck gold with Stephen King… Read More
2016-10-14 14:06
The Story: Things get weird for a mild-mannered film archivist when he finds out that his wife is cheating on him… and that they’re living in a house where a husband brutally mu… Read More
2016-10-13 11:00
The Story: A deaf/mute author is stalked in her rural home by a killer.Expectations: The synopsis reminded me of two often-overlooked horror films, WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967) and EYES OF A STRAN… Read More
2016-10-12 13:48
The Story: Christian and Wyatt are the kind of friends who know each other’s darkest secrets and deepest vulnerabilities, and have supported each other through a lot of tough times.&nb&hell…Read More
2016-10-12 01:21
When I was in college, I gravitated toward the film studies section of the library, and especially toward the sci-fi/horror film section. A handful of titles stood out: Siegfried Kraca… Read More
2016-10-11 17:33
The Story: A middle-aged couple that recently lost their son (really, another dead kid movie?) moves into a haunted house. Shit happens.Expectations: An above-average ghost story. &hell…Read More
2016-10-10 12:53
The Story: Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are trying to start a new life together in Los Angeles, but someone from Simon’s past won’t let him move on.Expectations… Read More
2016-10-09 11:00
The Story: Mourning the death of his mother, a young American seeks an emotional escape in Italy and meets the love of his life. With a twist.Expectations: Vampire movie.Reaction: It&r&hell…Read More
2016-10-08 11:00
The Story: A teenager from the wrong side of the tracks unknowingly falls in love with a vampire.Expectations: “The first Iranian vampire Western”? I’m in.Reaction: I… Read More
2016-10-07 22:41
The Story: Jack is a laconic vegan who likes hot tea and Bingo night. He's also immortal.Expectations: Recently I worked on a documentary project where Henry Rollins was one of the int… Read More
2016-10-06 22:48
The Story: A Puritan minister and his family are cast out into the New England wilderness, where they encounter a devilish influence.Expectations: After its premiere at Sundance, this indie… Read More
2016-10-05 11:00
The Story: American mom Maria recently lost her son in a freak car accident in Bombay. Her Indian housekeeper suggests that she go to a Hindu temple “where the door between world… Read More
2016-10-04 11:00
The Story: A blind Vietnam veteran learns that a werewolf is stalking his retirement community. Expectations: Werewolf movies are tough. When they’re good (AN AMERICAN WERE… Read More
2016-10-03 14:19
The Story: A small town in the northeastern logging region is haunted by a legendary Native American monster. Expectations: This one sounded a lot like John Frankenheimer’s PROPH… Read More
2016-10-02 14:54
The Story: Young newlyweds Paul (Harry Treadaway, from PENNY DREADFUL) and Bea (Rose Leslie, from GAME OF THRONES) retreat to her family’s cabin in the woods. He seems a bit nerv… Read More
2016-10-02 14:45
The Story: Two years after the tragic death of their son, Will and Eden are reunited at a dinner party in the Hollywood Hills, where Eden and her new husband are sharing secrets of a cult th… Read More
2016-09-30 11:00
Two posts in two years?! I think it's safe to say that this blog is mostly dead. But, to quote Miracle Max in THE PRINCESS BRIDE, there's a difference between "mostly dead" and "… Read More
2016-05-28 01:12
A few years ago, I decided to write a followup to my 2004 book Nightmares in Red, White and Blue, a cultural study of American horror films. At first, I imagined it as… Read More
2014-11-13 17:29
Cover art by Tom and Sian MandrakeEarlier this year, I published my sixth nonfiction book, Beyond Fear -- a study of Stephen King, Wes Craven and George Romero's "Living Dead" films. … Read More
2014-11-13 14:44
I have to admit that this year's horror movie marathon didn't excite me as much as the last two. Maybe it's because I settled for new releases on Netflix direct-play instead of diligen… Read More
2014-11-02 15:57
It's hard to explain my love of George Romero's DAY OF THE DEAD in a rational way. I remember years ago, I was housesitting for some friends in London. I had been there al… Read More
2014-10-30 13:50
(NOT the official poster... but too cool to ignore. Art by Tony Moore.)The Story: This horror anthology is set into motion when a couple of private detectives search the apartment of a… Read More
2014-10-29 15:25
The Story: Two American dudes go on an extended vacation to Europe, and a sexual encounter turns one of them into a monster.Expectations: The David Cronenberg version of HOSTEL.Reacti… Read More
2014-10-28 15:33
The Story: A family encounters aliens on a camping trip near Brown Mountain, North Carolina, home of the legendary "Brown Mountain Lights."Expectations: Alien abduction movies get a b… Read More
2014-10-27 14:05
The Story: A couple is trapped in their house for six months following a zombie apocalypse. Naturally, they get stir crazy.Expectations: A few years ago I saw an exceptional lit… Read More
2014-10-26 14:03
The Story: A TV journalist who specializes in exposing hoaxes follows a young man to an isolated community, where several hundred people live under the cultish influence of a man who… Read More
2014-10-25 14:00
The Story: An idyllic coastal town on the eastern seaboard becomes nosh for an invasive parasite.Expectations: The Netflix synopsis made this sound like an episode of HAVEN. But direct… Read More
2014-10-24 14:06
The Story: A man in the midst of a mid-life crisis takes his family on an ill-fated trip to Disney World.Expectations: About twenty days into this marathon, I started getting a little… Read More
2014-10-23 14:18
The Story: One night in February 1959, nine hikers mysteriously died in the northern Ural mountains of Siberia. Investigators were unable to determine the cause(s) of death, but two o… Read More
2014-10-22 14:17
The Story: Paranormal investigators set up their equipment in the haunted apartment of a widower and his two children. Mayhem ensues.Expectations: I'm always hopeful about paran… Read More
2014-10-21 14:09
The Story: A teenage girl in a backwoods community is secretly marked for ritual sacrifice, but refuses to accept her fate. The result is a very angry "god."Expectations: None r… Read More
2014-10-20 14:42
The Story: A timid English sound mixer (Toby Jones) travels to Italy to work on a supernatural horror film. The experience of posting the film demoralizes him so much that he be… Read More
2014-10-19 15:06
The Story: A family vacation goes awry when an adolescent brother and sister disappear overnight. When they turn up again the following day, they're... different.Expectations: T… Read More
2014-10-18 15:09
The Story: A professional debunker investigates the alleged haunting of a rural boys school in post-WWI England, and finds clues to unravel mysteries in her own past.Expectations: An… Read More
2014-10-18 02:36
The Story: A female journalist investigates the mysterious disappearance of a friend who was last seen experimenting with a goverment-engineered drug called DMT-19. During her investig… Read More
2014-10-16 19:15
The Story: A family moves into a reputedly haunted house and stirs up angry ghosts.Expectations: My synopsis is probably unfair, because what drew me to this movie was the Netflix syn… Read More
2014-10-15 16:03
The Story: Maddy sets out to ruin senior year for her high school's elite, but her machinations lead to the deaths of the entire cheerleading squad, including herself. Luckily, Maddy's… Read More
2014-10-14 13:42
The Story: A young woman with a slight case of crazy pushes her best friend off a building, then gradually loses all her inhibitions and moral bearings.Expectations: One of the distributors… Read More
2014-10-13 13:35
The Story: 11-year-old Neve watched her abusive parents die in front of her... but what killed them?Expectations: I knew nothing about this movie when I started watching it. Som… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
A few months ago, I published an article on Wes Craven's 1986 film Deadly Friend in an online horror journal. As far as I can tell, the issue in which my article appeared is no longer… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
In the spring of 2012, I planned a two-week road trip through the Four Corners area—partly to research a book I was writing about westerns, but mainly to visit some places that I just… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
A few months ago, a friend introduced me to a mix tape club—a group of people who routinely exchange mix CDs, just for the hell of it. Intrigued, I spoke to the guy who organized the g… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
1935: The German electronics company AEG (Aus Erfahrung Gut) invents the first reel-to-reel magnetic tape recorder. They call it the Magnetophon.1958: RCA Victor introduces the first… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
I suppose it's time to acknowledge that this blog has become mainly an archive of book and movie reviews, and a chronicle of my trips to various filming locations.This site isn't goin… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
Oh yes, there will be spoilers. (You've been warned.)1) After a genuinely uncomfortable opening scene, this is mostly a scene-for-scene remake of the 1976 film. Lawrence D. Cohen… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
Kings of Horror rolls on... and I'm understanding why Turek and Bibbs decided to limit themselves to only the theatrical horror films adapted from the works of Stephen King. My own lis… Read More
2006-06-07 11:16
Ryan Turek and William Bibbiani are still valiantly making their way through the Stephen King movie canon with their month-long series Kings of Horror. Because the sheer volume of ada… Read More
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