Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction Films
Retrospective articles take a look back on historical topics. Some are in-depth examinations of individual titles. Others are more general explorations of topical trends.
In horror cinema, nothing so much becomes a character’s life as the leaving of it. It is de rigueur to see screen victims beaten, bitten and bled out, clawed and jawed, decapitated, eviscerated, and even evaporated. These fates are not reserved merely for the anonymous extras (the equivalent of STAR TREK’s red-shirted bit players) who …
Read More “Horror's Fallen Heroes: Village of the Damned (1960)”
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Movie monsters know that more than anybody. Much of the genre is built upon the suspenseful build-up to the first full revelation of exactly what it is that we the viewers have paid to see and shiver over. Often, that revelation takes the form …
Read More “Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself: I am … Dracula”
Long-time fans of the James Bond films know that the secret agent enjoys a good vodka martini, shaken not stirred. But what is a vodka martini? Why should it be shaken rather than stirred? And come to think of it, is there even such a thing as a vodka martini? Readers of the Ian Fleming …
Read More “James Bond at 50: Vesper Lynd and Vodka Martinis”
As part of Cinefantastique’s 50th anniversary tribute to TALES OF TERROR (1962), we recently posted a podcast discussing producer-director Roger Corman’s three-part omnibus of horror inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. As scintillating as the podcast conversation might be, it cannot capture the aesthetic achievements of the film, which features impressive production design …
Read More “Tales of Terror (1962): a 50th Anniversary Pictorial Retrospective”
This year marks Pixar Animation Studios 25th Anniversary, although the core group that went on to form Pixar actually dates back before 1986. Cinefantastique was on the scene to celebrate Pixar’s first major success, TOY STORY in 1995, along with their early triumphs in computer graphics for effects work. As CARS 2 is about to …
Read More “A CFQ Retrospective: Celebrating Pixar's 25th Anniversary”
There is a tradition in Japan to present ghost stories during the warm summer months. An 18th century kabuki play by Nanboku Tsuruya provided the most popular and durable storyline – that of an ambitious, would-be samurai named Iemon who marries and then murders Iwa, whose ghost returns to wreak revenge on her faithless husband.The …
The Green Hornet Strikes NOW! The 1980-90’s comic book revival.
The fourth installment of the Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast focuses its attention on the 1961 classic THE INNOCENTS. This ambiguous and haunting ghost story was produced and directed by Jack Clayton, based on Henry James’ novel The Turn of the Screw and William Archibald’s stage adaptation, The Innocents. Oscar-winner Freddie Francis supplied the atmospheric black-and-white photography, …
Read More “The Innocents: Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast #4”
Another Challenge for The Green Hornet — TV in the era of Bat-Mania.
The Green Hornet jumps to the 4-Color world of comic books and investigates other media.