#social-realist-horror

[ follow ]
Independent films
fromInverse
3 hours ago

'Faces of Death' Will Make You Feel Like You Need a Shower - And That's a Good Thing

The reboot of Faces of Death critiques society's desensitization to violence through a fictional narrative about content moderation.
Film
fromIndieWire
3 hours ago

'Faces of Death' Review: One of the Most Notorious Horror Movies Ever Made Gets Smartly Resurrected for the Social Media Era

Daniel Goldhaber's 'Faces of Death' critiques media consumption and violence in a post-modern slasher format, contrasting with the 'Scream' franchise's approach.
#literature
fromThe Atlantic
2 days ago
Books

Unconventional Novels About Conventional People

Aging revolutionaries and conformists share parallel narratives of disillusionment and the loss of youthful dreams in recent literature.
Books
fromThe Atlantic
2 days ago

Unconventional Novels About Conventional People

Aging revolutionaries and conformists share parallel narratives of disillusionment and the loss of youthful dreams in recent literature.
US news
fromwww.npr.org
1 day ago

'London Falling': A teenage imposter, an aging gangster and a body in the Thames

Zac Brettler, a young man living a double life, died after jumping from a luxury apartment, raising questions about his death and identity.
fromOregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
4 days ago

FilmWatch Weekly: Camus' 'The Stranger' on screen, Christian Petzold's 'Miroirs No. 3,' and more * Oregon ArtsWatch

François Ozon's adaptation of The Stranger, while visually stunning, reveals the limitations of cinema in depicting the complex inner states of consciousness that Camus masterfully crafted in his text.
Writing
Design
fromDesign Milk
2 days ago

OUTSIDERS Investigates the Space Between Society and Solitude

Modern design challenges conventional public seating to enhance social interaction and presence in urban spaces.
#queer-cinema
Independent films
fromQueerty
1 week ago

WATCH: This steamy dystopian film promises to "arouse and petrify" with its all-gay future vision - Queerty

A queer erotic short film explores life in a dystopian future with a toxic couple in an all-gay colony, blending humor with thriller elements.
Independent films
fromQueerty
1 week ago

WATCH: This steamy dystopian film promises to "arouse and petrify" with its all-gay future vision - Queerty

A queer erotic short film explores life in a dystopian future with a toxic couple in an all-gay colony, blending humor with thriller elements.
Television
fromThe Atlantic
4 days ago

TV's Failing Cure For Middle-Aged Malaise

Imperfect Women exemplifies the decline of the 'messy-mom thriller' genre despite initial viewership success.
fromInverse
6 days ago

94 Years Later, An Iconic Horror Genre Finally Reveals Its Complex Roots

The zombie was actually a Haitian Vodou metaphor for slavery. For enslaved Africans in Caribbean colonies like Haiti, the theft of one's autonomy was akin to a walking death.
History
#theater
NYC music
fromGothamist
4 days ago

How 'American Psycho' inspired a new theater opening in Bushwick

A new cultural venue, The Empyrean Club, is set to open in Bushwick, inspired by the musical 'American Psycho'.
Arts
fromSFGATE
1 week ago

Horror show shatters box office records in San Francisco

A new play, 'Paranormal Activity,' has set box office records at A.C.T. by attracting new audiences and generating significant ticket sales.
NYC music
fromGothamist
4 days ago

How 'American Psycho' inspired a new theater opening in Bushwick

A new cultural venue, The Empyrean Club, is set to open in Bushwick, inspired by the musical 'American Psycho'.
Arts
fromSFGATE
1 week ago

Horror show shatters box office records in San Francisco

A new play, 'Paranormal Activity,' has set box office records at A.C.T. by attracting new audiences and generating significant ticket sales.
Mindfulness
fromPsychology Today
5 days ago

Should You 'Rage Against the Dying of the Light'?

Fighting against death can be noble but may lead to futility and emotional strain, while acceptance offers liberation and wisdom.
#supernatural
SOMA, SF
fromwww.theguardian.com
5 days ago

Ghost Killer review fantastic karate chopping and gunslinging in in supernatural action-comedy

A college student connects with the ghost of a murdered assassin, leading to supernatural action and personal growth.
Independent films
fromInverse
3 days ago

'The Serpent's Skin' Will Fill the 'Buffy'-Shaped Hole in Your Heart

The Serpent's Skin revitalizes YA supernatural horror-romance through a heartfelt queer narrative and nostalgic visual style.
SOMA, SF
fromwww.theguardian.com
5 days ago

Ghost Killer review fantastic karate chopping and gunslinging in in supernatural action-comedy

A college student connects with the ghost of a murdered assassin, leading to supernatural action and personal growth.
Independent films
fromInverse
3 days ago

'The Serpent's Skin' Will Fill the 'Buffy'-Shaped Hole in Your Heart

The Serpent's Skin revitalizes YA supernatural horror-romance through a heartfelt queer narrative and nostalgic visual style.
#horror
fromInverse
9 hours ago
Film

Kelly Marie Tran's Eerie New Ghost Movie Unearths A Forgotten Piece Of American History

Film
fromInverse
9 hours ago

Kelly Marie Tran's Eerie New Ghost Movie Unearths A Forgotten Piece Of American History

Emily and her family confront grief and historical trauma in Rock Springs, where a ghost story intertwines with the legacy of a past massacre.
Writing
fromPolygon.com
1 week ago

This new crime thriller brings a haunting, video game-inspired edge to NYC noir

The novel is inspired by horror and mystery, set in 1990s New York, following a Polish immigrant's dark journey.
Film
fromABC7 Los Angeles
3 days ago

'Psycho Killer' slashes onto digital, just in time to watch at home for halfway to Halloween viewing

A Kansas highway patrol officer seeks revenge on a satanic murderer in the horror movie 'Psycho Killer.'
Independent films
fromVulture
1 week ago

Sure, They Will Kill You, But Can They Get On With It Already?

They Will Kill You satirizes rich Devil worshippers while contrasting them with the mundane lives of actual Satanists, challenging stereotypes and societal fears.
Film
fromThe Independent
4 days ago

How Backrooms went from a viral 4chan post to an A24 movie starring acclaimed actor

A24's horror film Backrooms explores a fictional liminal space inspired by a viral internet myth from 4chan.
Writing
fromVulture
2 days ago

Camus's The Stranger, It Turns Out, Is Still Relevant

The adaptation of The Stranger emphasizes Meursault's passive nature and the racial implications of his actions, adding depth to the original narrative.
Video games
fromEngadget
1 week ago

Blumhouse's horror-centric cozy game Grave Seasons will be released on August 14

Grave Seasons combines farming and romance with horror elements in a Lovecraftian setting, releasing on August 14.
Television
fromInverse
3 days ago

The Best Paranoid Horror-Comedy That You Missed Is On Peacock

The ' Burbs explores neighborhood paranoia and microaggressions through the lens of a black mother navigating her new community.
Film
fromVulture
2 days ago

The Twist in The Drama Is Not the Problem

The film features a controversial plot twist involving a character's past plan for a school shooting, sparking significant online speculation and backlash.
Books
fromThe New Yorker
4 days ago

The Sci-Fi Novelist Who Disappeared for Decades

Cameron Reed's science fiction explores cognitive estrangement, revealing alien worlds that reflect and challenge our own societal norms and moral dilemmas.
fromArtnet News
1 week ago

Guillermo Del Toro Scored a Different Prize at the Oscars: A Rare Frankenstein Painting

Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein earned nine nominations ahead of the 98th Academy Awards, but he did not win the Best Picture award despite the film's success in other categories.
Arts
fromEngadget
4 days ago

An immersive 'Black Mirror Experience' is launching in Montreal

The Black Mirror Experience is an interactive virtual reality experience that blends physical space and VR, designed to blur the lines of fiction and reality in which you become the main character.
Television
Film
from48 hills
3 days ago

Screen Grabs: Aliens, witches, mermaids, and other swell company - 48 hills

Love can take unconventional forms, as seen in films featuring relationships with aliens, witches, and other offbeat characters.
Books
fromInverse
4 days ago

47 Years Later, One Ambitious Stephen King Thriller Just Got A Huge Upgrade

Salem's Lot, Stephen King's second novel, was adapted into a successful miniseries, praised for its storytelling and atmospheric horror.
Independent films
fromInverse
4 days ago

15 Years Ago, One Underrated Sci-Fi Thriller Set A New Time-Loop Standard

Time-loop stories allow characters to explore alternate destinies, creating a unique narrative experience that blends control with the unpredictability of choices.
#horror-films
Television
fromEsquire
1 week ago

Why Is Horror TV So Complicated Right Now?

Modern horror films have become overly complicated, straying from classic survival rules established in the 1996 film Scream.
Film
fromIndieWire
4 days ago

Horror Movies Seemed Unusually Good in Q1 - What Went Wrong at the Box Office?

Q1 2026 saw unexpected quality in horror films, contrasting with historical trends of poor releases during this period.
Books
fromAnOther
4 days ago

Djamel White's Novel Is Irish Fiction's Gangland Answer to Heated Rivalry

Djamel White's debut novel, All Them Dogs, blends crime fiction, romance, and tragedy, featuring a complex protagonist navigating the criminal underworld.
Independent films
fromInverse
5 days ago

35 Years Later, A Classic Scorsese Thriller Is Getting A Modern TV Reboot

Cape Fear is being adapted into a miniseries by Apple TV, following a pair of public defenders facing a vengeful murderer they once defended.
#film-vs-literature
Film
fromVulture
3 days ago

Should A24 Be Worried About The Drama's Plot-Twist Drama?

The Drama features a controversial plot twist involving a character's admission of a near mass shooting, sparking significant backlash.
Books
fromSlate Magazine
5 days ago

A Major Scandal Rocked the Book World. It's Only the Beginning of What's to Come.

Hachette canceled the publication of Mia Ballard's novel Shy Girl due to accusations of A.I. writing influence.
fromThe New Yorker
3 days ago

"The Drama" Struggles to Justify Its Combustible Premise

In a bustling Boston café, Charlie is instantly smitten with Emma, who is quietly reading a novel. He approaches her, gushing about the book, only to realize she hasn't heard him.
Film
#frankenstein
Writing
fromThe Walrus
2 weeks ago

Frankenstein Taught Me the Classics Are Alive, They're Really Alive! | The Walrus

Frankenstein explores themes of unchecked ambition and responsibility, paralleling modern concerns about artificial intelligence and the creation of consciousness.
Books
fromHarvard Gazette
2 weeks ago

Our 'Frankenstein' Fixation - Harvard Gazette

Frankenstein endures as a cultural touchstone over 200 years after publication due to its nested narrative structure and the monster's eloquent humanity that challenges initial perceptions of monstrosity.
Writing
fromThe Walrus
2 weeks ago

Frankenstein Taught Me the Classics Are Alive, They're Really Alive! | The Walrus

Frankenstein explores themes of unchecked ambition and responsibility, paralleling modern concerns about artificial intelligence and the creation of consciousness.
Books
fromHarvard Gazette
2 weeks ago

Our 'Frankenstein' Fixation - Harvard Gazette

Frankenstein endures as a cultural touchstone over 200 years after publication due to its nested narrative structure and the monster's eloquent humanity that challenges initial perceptions of monstrosity.
Television
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen: the Duffer brothers' horror series is absolutely terrifying

The new series by the Duffer brothers combines horror elements with a wedding setting, creating an unsettling atmosphere filled with eerie occurrences.
Independent films
fromInverse
1 week ago

Kiyoshi Kurosawa Just Released An Eerie Psychological Thriller Like No Other

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Chime explores modern terrors through a ringing sound that incites violence, reflecting societal issues and psychological pressures.
Board games
fromKotaku
1 month ago

Our Dark Lord Cthulhu Awakens In This Lovecraftian Adventure

The Dark Rites of Arkham is a point-and-click adventure game set in Lovecraft's fictional city of Arkham, where Detective Jack Foster investigates ritualistic murders linked to mystical cults and ancient gods.
Film
fromQueerty
3 days ago

WATCH: This shocking camboy drama pushes queer cinema into provocative new territory - Queerty

Blue Film is a provocative camboy drama exploring taboo subjects and complex human relationships between a sex worker and his former teacher.
Independent films
fromThe Independent
1 week ago

'Eat the rich' horror They Will Kill You is all style, no substance - review

Zazie Beetz delivers a powerful performance as Asia Reaves in They Will Kill You, showcasing resilience and complexity in a chaotic narrative.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

The best recent crime and thrillers review roundup

Killing Me Softly and Whidbey explore complex themes of trauma, morality, and systemic failures in healthcare and society.
Film
fromWIRED
4 days ago

Watching a 7.5-Hour Movie in Theaters Made Me More Hopeful About Our Collective Brain Rot

A seven-and-a-half-hour film screening challenges modern attention spans, highlighting a cultural shift in viewing habits and the struggle for sustained focus.
#julia-ducournau
Independent films
fromFilmmaker Magazine
1 week ago

"Absolutely Not a Genre Film": Julia Ducournau in Conversation with Robert Eggers on Alpha

Julia Ducournau's latest film is a grounded family drama exploring themes of transformation and stigma during a viral outbreak reminiscent of the AIDS epidemic.
Film
fromInverse
1 week ago

Why The Most Baffling Body Horror Movie Of The Year Is Not What You Think It Is

Julia Ducournau's film Alpha uses an imaginary disease as a metaphor for paranoia during the AIDS pandemic, focusing on family trauma and coming-of-age.
Independent films
fromFilmmaker Magazine
1 week ago

"Absolutely Not a Genre Film": Julia Ducournau in Conversation with Robert Eggers on Alpha

Julia Ducournau's latest film is a grounded family drama exploring themes of transformation and stigma during a viral outbreak reminiscent of the AIDS epidemic.
Film
fromInverse
1 week ago

Why The Most Baffling Body Horror Movie Of The Year Is Not What You Think It Is

Julia Ducournau's film Alpha uses an imaginary disease as a metaphor for paranoia during the AIDS pandemic, focusing on family trauma and coming-of-age.
fromVulture
5 days ago

How Much Is Kristoffer Borgli Trolling Us?

The Drama is a more localized version of the same thing: If you do something bad (or almost do something bad, or do something bad out of your own control), how mad should people be at you - really?
Film
Film
fromThe Verge
1 week ago

Red Rooms makes online poker as thrilling as its serial killer

Red Rooms effectively combines realistic technology with expert tension building, creating an unpredictable thriller that keeps viewers engaged and questioning character motives.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
6 days ago

Night Stage review public sex enthusiasm the key to extravagant and subversive erotic thriller

An erotic thriller from Brazil blends realism with bizarre elements, focusing on public sex and its implications for identity and desire.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

The best recent crime and thrillers review roundup

Obnoxious jewellery dealer Rodney Manderson has been killed outside the Bowery auction rooms, stabbed through the eye with the Victorian hatpin that his boss, Rose Bowery, has brandished in front of the nation on Bargain Hunt. As she discussed the pin's virtues as a deadly weapon as well as its millinerial uses, the fiercely loyal Rilke decides while feeling grateful to have skipped lunch and trying not to think of jelly to remove it before calling the police.
LGBT
Books
fromThe Atlantic
1 month ago

When Did Literature Get Less Dirty?

Philip Roth's Zuckerman Unbound functioned as a response to the controversial reception of Portnoy's Complaint, with Roth's protagonist expressing regret over writing sexually explicit material that drew accusations of anti-Semitism and misogyny.
#zombie-cinema
Film
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 weeks ago

With The Bride!, Maggie Gyllenhaal Clumsily Exhumes 200 Years of Zombie Girls

Zombie narratives have historically centered women's perspectives since Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and contemporary filmmakers continue exploring this feminine-coded genre tradition.
fromInverse
3 weeks ago

'Undertone' Is Scariest With What It Doesn't Show

The first thing you notice about undertone is how quiet it is; not just in its audio mix, but in how it's shot - primarily steady wide shots that slowly pan across empty rooms, allowing your eyes to frantically scan for something amiss. It's an understated form of filmmaking that allows for the movie's scares to hit all that much harder.
Film
Arts
fromdesignyoutrust.com
1 month ago

Breathtaking Grotesque Illustrations Capturing Humanity's Darkest Corners by Vergvoktre

A diverse array of contemporary visual works spans photography, illustration, street art, tattoos, sculpture, anime, and dark cinematic painting.
Film
fromThe Nation
1 month ago

The Cinema of Societal Collapse

Oscar-nominated international films explore survival and resistance under authoritarian regimes, depicting both specific historical tyranny and speculative global oppression.
Film
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

The Future of Horror Movies Is on YouTube

YouTube has become a primary platform for discovering emerging horror filmmakers who transition from short-form content to feature films with studio backing.
#queer-horror
fromQueerty
2 months ago
Film

Queer desire becomes the ultimate horror in Sundance's most terrifying LGBTQ+ breakout hit Leviticus - Queerty

fromQueerty
2 months ago
Film

Queer desire becomes the ultimate horror in Sundance's most terrifying LGBTQ+ breakout hit Leviticus - Queerty

Books
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Curing Zombies in "The Bone Temple"

Monsters evolve to mirror the cultural anxieties and ambitions of their eras, revealing societal fears about race, empire, mental health, and scientific cure.
fromEsquire
1 month ago

How A24's Liminal Horror Movie 'Backrooms' Was Born From the Internet

Until recently, "liminal spaces" were only known to architects. But on the Internet, storytellers and amateur filmmakers have morphed these ubiquitous places you pass by on errand runs into caverns of cosmic terror. Now, a new A24 film from 20-year-old filmmaker Kane Parsons is set to kick off the summer and christen it the season of liminal horror.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Else review pandemic-style horror has bad guys crawling out of the woodwork, literally

This isn't your average pandemic thriller; here, the infected meld with inorganic material in their surroundings, until their outward contours and their personhood are gone. Thibault Emin's film starts with a little whiff of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro's Delicatessen. After their one-night stand, hypochondriac Anx (Matthieu Sampeur) and impertinent Cass (Edith Proust) find themselves bunkered up in one corner of a madcap apartment block.
Film
Film
fromInverse
1 month ago

10 Years, A Cult Director Kickstarted Their Career With A Terrifying Folk Horror

The Witch's success revitalized mainstream interest in folk horror, inspiring Hollywood, indie, and international films while highlighting pagan iconography and rural dread.
Film
fromwww.dw.com
2 months ago

An undying trend: How vampires hold a mirror to society

Vampires in storytelling symbolize societal fears and reflect historical social and racial violence, as shown by a 1930s-set horror about community-targeted vampires.
Film
fromwww.dw.com
2 months ago

An undying trend: How vampires hold a mirror to society

The vampire figure personifies societal anxieties and mirrors social and racial violence, sustaining enduring cultural relevance across myth, literature, and film.
fromFilmmaker Magazine
2 months ago

"The Psychological Horror of Being a 13-Year-Old": Charlie Polinger on The Plague

After spotting that Eli's rash guard conceals a red, flaky skin disorder, the boys have concluded that he has the titular plague, a contagious disease that affects social standing as much as it does dermatological well-being. If anyone ever touches him, they must thoroughly wash themselves before they're considered full-blown infected. Even something as innocent as Eli sitting at the same lunch table sends his teammates running and screaming.
Film
Film
fromKqed
2 months ago

'Dead Man's Wire' Is a Retro Thriller That's Pertinent to the Present

Dead Man's Wire channels Dog Day Afternoon's righteous rage and contemporary echoes, propelled by Bill Skarsgård's intense performance and critique of media spectacle and capitalism.
Film
fromVulture
1 month ago

Why Are So Many Movies About Kidnappings Right Now?

Contemporary hostage films use captivity to interrogate power imbalances, allowing marginalized figures to confront untouchable elites and reflect wider social anxieties.
Film
fromInverse
2 months ago

'Dead Man's Wire' Proves Gus Van Sant Movies Still Matter

Dead Man's Wire is a taut, timely crime thriller and strong Gus Van Sant comeback dramatizing a 1977 three-day hostage standoff with crowd-pleasing energy.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Grim reapers: what has fertilised the rich new wave of neo-rural noir?

European neo-rural cinema depicts collisions between tradition and modernity in the countryside and portrays nature, not locals, as the primary source of threat.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Down with the neo-puritans: I say a true Christian can watch horror films and Emmerdale | Ravi Holy

I posted a rave review of the new Sam Raimi film, Send Help, the other day and triggered a debate I didn't expect: is it OK for Christians to watch horror films? Send Help a gore-laced plane-crash survival face-off, according to the Guardian review (which was less kind than mine) is more comedy-horror than horror, or maybe horror/thriller. But there's definitely horror there you get the point.
Film
Film
fromInverse
2 months ago

The Weirdest Existential Thriller Of The 2000s Just Got A Huge Upgrade

Birth portrays a widow's unresolved grief and rising doubt when a child claims to be her late husband's reincarnation, unsettling her attempt to move on.
[ Load more ]