Behind the Couch

1980 Dir. Lewis Jackson AKA You Better Watch Out When he sees his mother canoodling with someone dressed as Santa on Christmas Eve, something snaps in little Harry Stadling’s head. Years later, when he’s all grown-up, Harry has developed an obsession with Christmas, and with being Santa Claus. Intent on delivering presents to those he deems ‘good’, Harry sets off into the night with toys stolen from the factory where he works, determined to bring joy to the hearts of children - whether they like it or not - and vengeance upon his bullying co-workers. Part psycho-on-the-rampage narrative, part character study, Christmas Evil is many things; most of all surprising. To begin with, it really taps into the arguably inherent creepiness of the notion of a man who leaves presents for children by entering their house in the dead of night via their chimneys. Many of the moments in the film - such as when Harry (a brilliantly unhinged Brandon Maggart) spies on his neighbour’s children ...

1972 Dir. Sergio Martino When she loses her unborn baby in a car accident, a grieving woman becomes the target of a Satanic cult who may have been responsible for the death of her mother many years ago… Sergio Martino’s All the Colours of the Dark is a psychedelic trip of a giallo, filtered through the gothic aesthetics of Hammer Horror and the Satanic Panic-induced paranoia of Rosemary’s Baby . Reconceptualising the usual conventions of the giallo into a plot about a Satanic cult’s advances on a traumatised woman, it falls into a miniscule group of films critic Kim Newman dubs ‘giallo-fantastico’; gialli which boast overtly supernatural aspects as well as typical troupes such as sexual perversion, blackmail and murder. Adding to the delirious nature of the plot are abstract dream sequences and myriad moments which cunningly blur the line between reality and deranged fantasy. Jane (Edwige Fenech) has increasing panic attacks, hallucinations and nightmares which are woven into ...

Exquisite Terror is an independently produced periodical which takes a more academic, analytical approach to horror. Exquisite Terror III is now available to pre-order. Inside you'll find in-depth essays on The Exorcist , Jörg Buttgereit, my own piece on the presence of cats in horror, exclusive hand-drawn artwork and much, much more. All for only £2.45 . Exquisite Terror is a labour of love for all involved. Print isn't dead - support independent publishing. Click here to pre-order your copy today.  For international sales, please contact info@exquisiteterror.com prior to order. " Exquisite Terror is something rather different… genre fans looking for interesting, sometimes provocative features on the fringe elements of the genre will find much to enjoy here." Strange Things Are Happening

"Mouldy mildew, mother of mouthmuck!" Issue 18 of Paracinema Magazine is now available to pre-order... Packed full of ridiculously good ‘letters that stay’ on all kinds of genre cinema, this issue includes the likes of When Single Shines the Triple Sun: Duality and Self Discovery in The Dark Crystal by Christine Makepeace, Marriage Bites: Lesbian Vampires and the Failure of Heterosexuality in Daughters of Darkness by Erin Wiegand, 3D’s Use and Potential in Today’s Cinematic Landscape by Caleb McCandless, Speed Racer: The Art of Absurdity by Patrick Smith and The Goriest Film You Never Saw by Jose Cruz. Head over to Paracinema.net and pre-order a copy. Support independent publishing, or, you know, face the wrath of the Skeksis! 

Cake by Emma /Photo by me. Behind the Couch turns four years old today! Thanks so much to everyone who has swung by. This year I dandered down Elm Street with a movie marathon , swooned over Vincent Price , talked about Italian horror cinema with a pop star, and loitered in graveyards .  There were of course also the usual reviews of old favourites , new favourites , obscure gems and obscure trash , as well as chats with a  fairy tale expert , and the  author  of a book of creepy poetry for children. Behind the Couch was also invited to join LOTT D . This year not only marked the 30th anniversary of Dario Argento’s Tenebrae , but also my bumbling foray into the world of podcasting; the results of which included putting together Paracinema’s first podcast (on the music of John Carpenter) and chats about Italian horror with Aaron ( The Death Rattle ) Duenas and Jon ( Shocks to the System ) Towlson, which you can listen to here and here . Away fr...