And now, a word from Doc Bowman concerning cats and Halloween….

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Doc Bowman

Hi, everyone!

Doc Bowman here with a very special holiday message!

Tomorrow is Halloween, which my owners — the flame-haired one and the nice one — says is the greatest time of the year! It’s the time when kids get candy, horror movies are on TV, and my owners get to play dress up or, if it’s anything like last year, barely get dressed at all.

But it’s also a time when stupid people do bad things. I’m a black cat so both the flame-haired and the nice-one say that I’m not going to be allowed go outside at all tomorrow. They say it doesn’t matter how much I beg, I’m staying inside. I know they’re doing the right thing but I’m still going to beg and knock things off of tables and counters because I’m a cat and that’s what I do. And they’re going to hopefully give me a lot of treats and pet me to keep me happy, even though they’ll probably have to lock me in the flame-haired one’s room to keep me from running for the front door every time they open it for a trick or treater. That’s just the way thing go at the cat’s house.

Tomorrow night, please make sure that all your pets are safely inside. It may sound like a silly concern but not everyone out there is as nice and wonderful as my owners and the people who read this site!

Have a safe and happy Halloween everyone!

4 Shots from 4 Horror Films: 2018

Posted on October 29, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

This October, I’m going to be doing something a little bit different with my contribution to 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films. I’m going to be taking a little chronological tour of the history of horror cinema, moving from decade to decade.

Today, we take a look at 2018!

4 Shots From 4 Horror Films: 2018

Mandy (2018, dir by Pan Cosmatos, DP: Bejamin Loeb)

Hereditary (2018, dir by Ari Aster, DP: Pawel Pogorzelski)

A Quiet Place (2018, dir by John Krasinski, DP: Charlotte Bruus Christensen)

Halloween (2018, dir by David Gordon Green, DP: Michael Simmonds)

Find Your Next Halloween Costume With The Pulp Covers Of Boris Vallejo

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Dazzling Erin

It’s nearly Halloween! Have you picked out your costume yet?

No?

Don’t worry! The Shattered Lens is here to help! For inspiration, check out the fashionable outfits featured on these pulp paperback covers, all done by artist Boris Vallejo! Find your costume below!

Happy Halloween!

4 Shots From 4 Horror Films: 2005 — 2007

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we take a look at 2005, 2006, and 2007!

4 Shots From 4 Horror Films: 2005 — 2007

Land of the Dead (2005, dir by George Romeo, DP: Mirosław Baszak)

The Descent (2005, dir by Neil Marshall, DP: Sam McCurdy)

Inland Empire (2006, dir by David Lynch, DP: David Lynch)

Halloween (2007, dir by Rob Zombie, DP: Phil Parmet)

6 Shots From 6 Horror Films: 1978

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we take a look at a very important year: 1978.

6 Shots from 6 Horror Films: 1978

Halloween (1978, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cudney)

Dawn of the Dead (1978, dir by George Romero, DP: Michael Gornick)

Piranha (1978, dir by Joe Dante, DP: Jamie Anderson)

Martin (1978, dir by George Romero, DP: Michael Gornick)

Blue Sunshine (1978, dir by Jeff Lieberman, DP: Don Knight)

The Grapes of Death (1978, dir by Jean Rollin)

Ten Things That I’m Looking Forward To In October

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yay! It’s finally October again! Are you excited because I know I am? Seriously, it feels like it’s been a year since I last got to celebrate my favorite month!

Here are ten things that I’m looking forward to in October.

Halloween and Horrothon! — You all had to know that this was going to be number one, right? Halloween is my favorite time of year, both because of the cool weather and the fact that it’s the start of the holiday season! Plus, this time of year that we do our annual Horrorthon here at TSL! (I will also be contributing daily horror reviews to Horror Critic!) I spend all year looking forward to and preparing for this month. Horrorthon can be an exhausting enterprise but it’s always worth it.
Terrifier 2 — Art, the world’s most terrifying clown is back! Seriously, killer clowns are a bit of a cliché but Art is one of the most frightening horror creations that I’ve ever seen. Terrifier 2 is going to be 138 minutes long and, with the legacy of Michael Myers being ruined by the current David Gordon Green Halloween trilogy (seriously, don’t even get me started), now is the time for Art to step up and remind people what horror is all about.
TAR — Todd Field’s first film since Little Children looks intriguing and has been getting rapturous reviews. TAR is getting a limited release on October 3rd before opening wide on October 28th. It may not be a horror film but I’m still looking forward to seeing the film that could very well make Cate Blanchett a three-time Oscar winner.
Triangle of Sadness — For that matter, I’m also looking forward to Triangle of Sadness, this year’s winner of Palme d’Or. The film opens on October 7th and it appears to feature Woody Harrelson in the role that he was born to play.
The Banshees of Inisherin — An Irish film, reuniting Martin McDonagh, Colin Farrell, and Brendan Gleeson? (Previously, all three worked together on the brilliant In Bruges.) How could I possible resist?
Dark Glasses — Dario Argento’s latest film is coming to Shudder!
Night of the Living Dead, The Shining, the original Suspiria, Carnival of Souls, Robot Monster, Little Shop of Horrors, Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Bride of the Monster, Plan 9 From Outer Space, the original Halloween — It’s tradition! These are films that I watch at least once every October and I’m looking forward to watching them this year as well.
Mocking the critics — There are so many snobs out there when it comes to horror. That’s why it’s always fun to spend October mocking them on twitter. Forget those who look down on horror. October is our time.
All The Holiday Specials — Toy Story of Terror? Yep. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown? You know my sister and I will be watching it. It’s not October without the holiday specials.
Setting A Record — Last year, at TSL, we posted 487 times over the course of October. Think we can break 500 this year? We’re off to a good start!

Happy October everyone! I look forward to sharing this wonderful time of year with all of you! What are you looking forward to?

Welcome to October!

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Dazzling Erin

by Erin Nicole

Welcome to October on the Shattered Lens!

Here’s hoping this month finds you with joy, family, friends, fiends, ghouls, and ghosts!

Today is also the start of the Shattered Les’s annual horrorthon! Sit back, enjoy the reviews, the art, and the music videos, and have a great month of ghoulish fun!

by Erin Nicole

6 Classic Trailers For January 16th, 2022

Posted on January 16, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since today is the birthday of John Carpenter, can you guess what the theme of the latest edition of Lisa Mare’s Favorite Grindhouse Trailers is going to be?

Enjoy!

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

Let’s get things started with the wonderfully grainy trailer for 1976’s Assault on Precinct 13! Though the film may have been intended as an homage to Howard Hawks’s Rio Bravo, everything about the trailer screams grindhouse.

2. Halloween (1978)

Assault on Precinct 13 may not have set the box office on fire but it did help build Carpenter’s critical reputation. One fan of the film was the actress Angela Pleasence, who suggested to her father, Donald, that he accept Carpenter’s offer to play the role of Dr. Loomis in Carpenter’s next film. And that film, of course, was Halloween!

3. Escape From New York (1981)

Donald Pleasence returned to play the President in Escape from New York and, of course, Kurt Russell appeared in his first Carpenter feature film. (Russell had previously played Elvis in a Carpenter-directed television film.) Though the film may not have been an immediate hit in the United States, it was embraced in Europe and it led to an entire series of Italian films about people trying to escape New York.

4. The Thing (1982)

Carpenter and Russell reunited for The Thing, another film that underappreciated when first released but which has since become a classic.

5. They Live (1988)

They Live is one of Carpenter’s best films and certainly his most subversive. What may have seemed paranoid in 1988 feels prophetic today.

6. In The Mouth of Madness (1995)

Finally, in 1995, Carpenter proved himself to be one of the few directors to be able to capture the feel of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu stories on film. In The Mouth of Madness, like other Carpenter films, has been rewatched and reappraised over the years and is now widely recognized as a classic.

Happy birthday to the great John Carpenter!

6 Shots From 6 John Carpenter Films

Posted on January 16, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 74th birthday to one of this site’s patron saints, the great John Carpenter!

In honor of the man and his legacy, here are….

6 Shots From 6 John Carpenter Films

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976, dir by John Carpenter. DP: Douglas Knapp)

Halloween (1978, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cudney)

The Fog (1980, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cudney)

The Thing (1982, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Dean Cudney)

They Live (1988, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Gary B. Kibbe)

Escape From L.A. (1996, dir by John Carpenter, DP: Gary B. Kibbe)

Another Halloween Has Come and Gone

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Dazzling Erin

Another Halloween has come and gone and with it, another Horrorthon. We hope you have had a wonderful October and that you’re November brings you much to be thankful for!

And remember, just because you didn’t see the Great Pumpkin this year, doesn’t mean that he won’t be there for you next October. I think Linus can explain it best: