Welcome, once again, to Must Read Horror. You want great horror articles? This is the place to find the best the web has to offer. This week:
- Conjuring a Fright: What Makes a Great Horror Movie?
- 10 Triumphs of Low Budget Horror Film Making
- Sisters and Shivers: Women Who Make Horror Movies
- The History and Psychology of Clowns Being Scary
- The Least Believable Found-Footage Horror Films
For more articles like this, please follow @thisishorror on Twitter.
Conjuring a Fright: What Makes a Great Horror Movie?
It’s easy to scare people in films. Put your protagonist in front of a bathroom mirror and have them open it. Then, wait for them to close it and boom! The trouble with this is that it’s terribly cliché. Once you’re prepared for it, the shock is removed. So how do directors successfully frighten today’s more desensitised audience? This article from The Guardian investigates.
10 Triumphs of Low Budget Horror Film Making
All the money in the world does not guarantee a successful and engaging horror film. In fact, some of the best and most terrifying films were filmed on a budget roughly the same as John Goodman’s rider. Here, What Culture looks at ten low-budget triumphs of horror filmmaking.
Sisters and Shivers: Women Who Make Horror Movies
This article from The Ditch explores the women of horror, from Jen and Sylvia Soska (American Mary) to Jennifer Chambers Lynch (Chained).
The History and Psychology of Clowns Being Scary
Captain Spaulding once asked a terrified kid, “Don’t we make ya laugh? Aren’t we fuckin’ funny?” Well, to a lot people, the answer would be no. Clowns have been terrifying people for years. Coulrophobia now affects at least six-billion people (the other billion are clowns) across the world, and although that statistic was entirely made up, a lot of people just downright dislike these creepy non-entertainers, as this article from Smithsonian Mag explores.
The Least Believable Found-Footage Horror Films
The whole point of found-footage horror movies is to create an air of realism. We know that these documentary crews will all die, thus leaving their masterpieces unfinished, and yet we persevere anyway. Good ones are few and far between (Troll-Hunter, The Bay) while terrible ones are ubiquitous (Apollo 18, The Tapes, Atrocious, The Amityville Haunting). Here, Huffington Post looks at some of the more implausible found-footage horror films.
ADAM MILLARD
Support This Is Horror Podcast on Patreon
- For $1 you get early bird access to all our podcasts and can submit questions to guests.
- For $3 you get access to our patrons-only podcast Story Unboxed: The Horror Podcast on the Craft of Writing.
- For $4 you get the full interview, no two-parters.
The best way to support This Is Horror is via Patreon. How much will you pledge? Go on. Be awesome.
Visit our Patreon page and pledge to the This Is Horror Podcast today.
This Is Horror Books
Head on over to the This Is Horror Shop to see the books we have available. We have a special offer on All Four Year One Books—JUST £10!
This Is Horror Books on Kindle Unlimited and Amazon
- They Don’t Come Home Anymore by T.E. Grau
- A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman
- The Visible Filth by Nathan Ballingrud
- The Elvis Room by Stephen Graham Jones
- Water For Drowning by Ray Cluley
- Chalk by Pat Cadigan
- Roadkill by Joseph D’Lacey
Subscribe, Rate and Review on iTunes!
Help the Podcast, spread the word: subscribe, rate and review on iTunes UK, iTunes US or your country’s iTunes.
Amazon Affiliates
Support us by shopping through our Amazon Affiliate links: Amazon UK and Amazon US.