Monsters and Creatures in Horror Films
Vampires Zombies Werewolves Ghosts Mummies Aliens Giant Monsters (Kaiju) Clowns Satan, Demons, and Djinn We’re all familiar with certain motifs and elements that appear frequently in horror cinema. Among these recurring figures are the creatures and monsters that sit at the heart of countless films. Before diving into the monsters we encounter in horror movies, let me clarify how I’m defining “monster” for this piece. The “monster” concept I’m working with here refers to creatures that either don’t exist in the real world, or if they do exist in some form, are portrayed in films in drastically different ways from their real-life counterparts—largely as malevolent beings. Many of these…
Sci-Fi Horror Films: When Science Fiction Meets Terror
Is sci-fi horror a subgenre of horror, or a subgenre of science fiction? Or perhaps neither, maybe it’s a hybrid genre that stands on its own? I say we take the third option and move on without hurting anyone’s feelings. Also, the Turkish podcast “Gerisi Hikaye” coined the perfect term for this: “Science-Horror” (Bilim-Korku), and I absolutely love it. This genre has a massive fanbase, so I thought, why not put together a list? Event Horizon (1997) Alien Series The Thing (1982) Pitch Black (2000) Phantoms (1998) The Faculty (1998) Village of the Damned (1995) Jason X (2001) Invaders from Mars (1986) Pandorum (2009) Moon (2009) eXistenZ (1999) Sputnik…
Horror Movies for Kids: Age-Appropriate Thrills and Chills
Coraline (2009) ParaNorman (2012) Monster House (2006) The Witches (1990) Goosebumps (2015) Frankenweenie (2012) Casper (1995) An article titled “horror movies for kids” might strike some people as strange. After all, we’ve long been told that horror films can negatively affect children’s psychology, and many horror movies are released with not just a PG-13 rating, but an R rating. However, there are actually quite a few horror films specifically designed with young audiences in mind. When carefully selected and matched to appropriate age groups, horror movies can offer children suspenseful yet not overly frightening stories that provide genuinely enjoyable experiences. At Korku101.com, we’ve compiled a list of the most…
What is Cosmic Horror? The Best Cosmic Horror Films, Books, and Games
What is Cosmic Horror? How Did Cosmic Horror Emerge? Authors and Works Cosmic Horror in Cinema The Best Cosmic Horror Films The Thing (1982) Event Horizon (1997) In the Mouth of Madness (1994) The Color Out of Space (2019) Annihilation (2018) The Void (2016) The Best Cosmic Horror Games Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (2002) Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (2005) Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010) Conarium (2017) Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones (2019) The Sinking City (2019) Call of the Sea (2020) The Shore (2021) Humans fear what they don’t know. Yet they’re equally curious. They inevitably succumb to their curiosity and generally face the…
Best Spanish Horror-Thriller Movies
Table of Contents [Rec] (2007) The Orphanage (2007) The Devil’s Backbone (2001) Sleep Tight (2011) Julia’s Eyes (2010) Verónica (2017) Kidnapped (2010) The Nameless (1999) Shrew’s Nest (2014) In a Glass Cage (1986) The Night of the Virgin (2016) Cross the Line (2020) The Baby’s Room (2006) [Rec] 2 (2009) Witching and Bitching (2013) The Skin I Live In (2011) Darkness (2002) If we were to match thriller cinema with a single country, Spanish cinema would undoubtedly claim the top spot. Spain has delivered remarkable work in the horror genre alongside films with surprise endings, mind-bending plots, and jaw-dropping twists, particularly in recent years. I emphasized “recent years” because this…
Award-Winning Horror Movies from the Academy Awards to Cannes
Academy Awards (Oscars) The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Get Out (2017) Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Black Swan (2010) Cannes Film Festival The Birds (1963) Antichrist (2009) BAFTA Awards Black Swan (2010) The Others (2001) Golden Globe Awards Get Out (2017) The Sixth Sense (1999) Venice Film Festival Don’t Look Now (1973) Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) Repulsion (1965) César Awards The Others (2001) Goya Awards The Orphanage (2007) Sundance Film Festival The Blair Witch Project (1999) Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) The Fly (1986) Horror movies and award ceremonies have a troubled relationship. Horror fans know this all too well. Whenever the topic comes up, we don’t hesitate to…
Horror Films about Clowns
It (1990-2017-2019) Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) Terrifier 1-2 (2016-2022) Clown (2014) The Clown at Midnight (1998) House of 1000 Corpses (2003) Coulrophobia means fear of clowns. The word “coulro” apparently comes from a Greek word meaning stilt-walker. The first thing that came to my mind was those tall people walking on long wooden stilts at fairs. When I think “tall man,” I’m not scared, but it did kind of kill my vibe. Joking aside, I’ve met people who genuinely suffer from clown phobia. Whether you have the phobia or not, clowns feel unsettling to pretty much all of us. Given that, clowns are indispensable villains in horror…
Banned Horror Films: The Stories Behind the Screens
Faces of Death (1978) Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) Cannibal Holocaust (1980) The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972) The Last House on the Left (1972) The Devils (1971) Freaks (1932) Grotesque (2009) Cinema has a history filled with sensations and controversies. Banned films occupy a particularly prominent place in that history. Banned horror films, by challenging societal norms and pushing boundaries, have typically sparked major debates. Some disturb authorities, while others create unearned controversy just to grab attention. Some test the limits of art, while others have been needlessly censored. Either way, these films that ran afoul of censorship have often become more talked about and sought after than…
A Popular Folkloric Horror Tale: The Jinn Wedding
The Jinn Wedding is perhaps one of the most prevalent and enduring folk horror beliefs in Anatolia, passed down through generations for centuries. While there are many different folk beliefs about jinn haunting people and sometimes places, the Jinn Wedding stands apart from similar tales in a notably positive way. Both the widespread presence of memorates about this belief across different regions and its more coherent narrative structure compared to other jinn-possession themed stories make the Jinn Wedding narratives from Anatolia and beyond worthy of examination. What is the Jinn Wedding? Before exploring the belief, it’s worth explaining what the Jinn Wedding is, something you might be familiar with from…
Animated Horror Films That Brought a New Style to Horror Cinema
Animated Horror Films That Brought a New Style to Horror Cinema Mad God (Phil Tippett, 2021) Coraline (Henry Selick, 2009) Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (Yoshiaki Kawajiri, 2000) Perfect Blue (Satoshi Kon, 1997) The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993) ParaNorman (Chris Butler & Sam Fell, 2012) Corpse Bride (Tim Burton & Mike Johnson, 2005) Frankenweenie (Tim Burton, 2012) Monster House (Gil Kenan, 2006) Kubo and the Two Strings (Travis Knight, 2016) Animated horror films that bring a fresh breath to horror cinema have been appearing more frequently in recent years. These films, which combine visual aesthetics with creative storytelling, offer viewers a unique experience. The blending of dark, tension-filled scenes…
