by Phoenix It is my goal to engage with literature, philosophy, science, books. I would argue that reading is always important, because it gives us a range of ideas to work with and apply to real life. It is a space to think about things. I feel a lot of the great philosophers and writers
By The Reverend When I was growing up Vietnam vets were still feeling the sting of the jungle. The government had fucked its bright-eyed boys by sending them out to die in the name of some faceless authority figure’s agenda. To add insult to injury, they’d dumped foul chemicals on their own troops so that
by JL Mayne Have you ever seen anyone who has had a severe stroke? Part of their brain starts dying. They lie there, staring at you, wondering what in the hell is going on inside of their head. Part of them tries to talk to you, but all that comes out is a jumble of
By Bob Freville As fans of the dark and depraved, we’ve all devoured dystopian novels and movies with the same gusto that a coprophile affords 2 Girls, 1 Cup. But like the fated Neo of The Matrix, it’s time we drop the proverbial red pill and take the blinders off. We are living in a
I’ve a story for you about the recent Hill House adaptation and a place I used to live and why I have trouble sleeping if Mystery Science Theater 3000 isn’t playing on the television. This is a ghost story. I do not necessarily believe in ghosts, regardless of the following confession or the scar I
By Zakary McGaha All horror fans, casual and diehard, know a couple standard, more mainstream but still classic franchises by heart: Halloween, Child’s Play, Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There are many more, of course, but I’m zeroing in on these four in particular because they each have their own infamous “black sheep”
By Bob Freville At 62, controversial French novelist Michel Houellebecq continues to rankle the literary community with his caustic post-modern novels, banal poetry, musical vanity projects and mundane photography. For those unfamiliar with the author’s style, imagine Andrew Dice Clay if he was raised on a steady diet of hookers, Valium and Voltaire. His voice
By Bob Freville When some of us hear the word “dark,” it conjures up things like the Dark Tower movie, based on Stephen King’s iconic book series, or Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, but others among us immediately picture something completely different. Dark comedy movies haven’t always been popular, but they’ve always been distinct from
by Zakary McGaha A ton of horror fiction fans are currently optimistic. They’re saying we’re due for another horror boom…you know, like the one in Paperbacks from Hell. Well, I’ve said on multiple occasions in private, and I’ll say it again now: this isn’t going to happen. Nothing is going to bring back the mass-market
By Bob Freville If you’re anything like me—a glorified freakshow with a propensity towards hunting through thrift stores for forgotten gems—you’ve likely unearthed a king’s ransom of bizarre and risque movies on VHS or DVD. Many of us have marveled at flicks like Adam Rifkin’s The Dark Backward (1991) or the Mel Brooks-produced The
