What is Gulyabani? Anatolia's Most Terrifying Folkloric Creature
What is Gulyabani? One of the most terrifying figures in Anatolian/Mesopotamian folklore; a creature with backward feet, hairy body, wandering through graveyards, attacking travelers and graves. Origin: A multi-layered legend extending from Persian and Arab mythology to Anatolia. Physical characteristics: Tall, bearded, foul-smelling, sometimes appears disguised as a woman. Literature & cinema: Popular culture impact extending from Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar’s novel to the film “Süt Kardeşler.” Imagine a creature wandering among graveyards on dark nights, confusing those who follow it with its backward feet, terrifying people with its hairy body and horrific smell. If you immediately thought “jinn” at the backward feet part, you’d be wrong. Gulyabani, one of…
Liminal Space: What It Means and Why It Unsettles Us
Liminal space, derived from the Latin word “limen” meaning “threshold,” refers to transitional zones that exist between two distinct areas or states. These are in-between spaces where people feel caught between the familiar and the foreign, typically experienced in empty and abandoned locations. Liminal spaces create an atmosphere that feels detached from reality, sometimes eerie and disorienting. Speaking of disorienting, since the term “liminal space” hasn’t fully settled into common usage yet, you’ll see me alternating between the term throughout this article, using whichever version fits better with the flow of each sentence. These spaces aren’t limited to just physical locations; they also represent shifts in time and emotional states.…
What is a Jump Scare?
Our protagonist opens the mirrored bathroom cabinet and grabs their toothbrush and toothpaste. Meanwhile, the music gradually swells, and we brace ourselves for the moment when the cabinet door closes to reveal something sinister in the mirror’s reflection. But nothing appears, and the music has built up for nothing. It doesn’t come because the director figures this formula has been overused, audiences won’t fall for it anymore. That’s why we actually experience that heart-stopping moment immediately after, when the camera pans to reveal a silhouette in the bathroom door’s glass panel. In the end, that moment happens, our bodies jolt from the scare, and then we surrender to that sweet…
Top 20: IMDb’s Highest-Rated Horror Movies
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Alien (1979) Psycho (1960) The Shining (1980) Aliens (1986) The Thing (1982) Jaws (1975) The Exorcist (1973) Shaun of the Dead (2004) Get Out (2017) Predator (1987) Halloween (1978) American Psycho (2000) Train to Busan (2016) The Others (2001) Saw (2004) 28 Days Later (2002) The Conjuring (2013) A Quiet Place (2018) Interview with the Vampire (1994) Horror is arguably the most subjective of all film genres. A scene that sends one person’s heart racing might make another burst out laughing. That is exactly why it is so tough for horror movies to get a fair shake on IMDb. While general audiences often…
11 Action Horror Films That Mix Adrenaline with Terror
Horror cinema isn’t just about haunted mansions. Sometimes we’re battling creatures, barricading against zombies, or even taking a flight with a vampire. These 11 action-packed horror films are perfect for those who want to mix their adrenaline with dread. Overlord (2018) Cloverfield (2008) Dog Soldiers (2002) Predator (1987) Aliens (1986) VFW (2019) Doom (2005) Blood Red Sky (2021) Resident Evil (2002) Feast (2005) The Crazies (2010) Overlord (2018) Honestly, saying “it’s basically Wolfenstein or Call of Duty’s zombie mode: the movie” would be enough. American soldiers parachuting into a Nazi-occupied French village during World War II… but they’re not just facing Nazis: there are creatures created through genetic experiments as…
The Best Vampire Films: From Nosferatu to El Conde
Vampires: the horror community’s most mistreated beings. Sometimes aristocratic, sometimes practically zombies. Sometimes handsome, sometimes repulsive. They’ve been portrayed in every conceivable way. Do they really exist? Are they upset about what’s happening? Who knows. But recently, Robert Eggers’ masterpiece adaptation of Nosferatu put the vampire issue right back at the top of our agenda. Under these circumstances, it would be remiss of me not to create a list of the best vampire films. Now, let’s explore this selection where we’ll pay respect to the classics while celebrating films that push the boundaries of the genre. A blood-chilling lineup awaits you! Nosferatu The Lost Boys Bram Stoker’s Dracula Interview…
The Most Terrifying Doll Horror Movies
Why Are Dolls Scary? 1. Uncanny Valley 2. The Corruption of Innocence 3. Loss of Control Historical Development of the Genre Early Period: First Steps Modern Era: Chucky and the Success Story Contemporary Productions Notable Doll Horror Films Child’s Play (1988) Annabelle (2014) M3GAN (2022) The Boy (2016) Puppet Master (1989) Dolly Dearest (1991) The Doll (2016) Trilogy of Terror (1975) Pin (1988) May (2002) Muñecos infernales (1961) The Rejected (2019) Conclusion Horror films satisfy our urge to confront the unknown while simultaneously reflecting our innermost fears. If you ask me, one of the elements that makes a horror film truly effective is when seemingly innocent objects or beings—things…
The Complete Guide to Horror Film Subgenres
Table of Contents Slasher Films Supernatural Horror Films Psychological Horror Films The Elevated Horror Issue Folk Horror Films Cosmic Horror Films Body Horror Films Zombie Horror Films Vampire Horror Films Werewolf Horror Films Monster Horror Films Sci-Fi Horror Films Animal Horror Films Animated Horror Films Horror films have always held a special place in the cinema world with their limited but passionate audience. Although they’re often not considered worthy of major awards and are evaluated as niche productions appealing only to a specific audience, they’ve actually managed to produce works that hold important places in cinema history, like Nosferatu, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th. In my…
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…
