Higurashi: When They Cry – GOU is a 2-volume psychological horror manga written by Ryukishi07/7th Expansion and illustrated by Tomato Akase. Ryukishi07 is a Japanese author, artist, and representative of the group collective 07th Expansion, who are well-known as the creators of the When They Cry series, consisting of Higurashi When They Cry, Umineko When

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Is there such a thing as a good war?  After World War I, the Allies left Germany in a state of defeat and despair. Consequently, one man used the disheartened people to build a nation of fanatics. They followed him into another war that would throw the world into chaos. As the Germans struggled to

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The film It (2017) surprised me. In fact, I saw it five times due to how much I enjoyed it! Unlike a majority of modern horror films, it focused more on story and character development rather than cheap jump scares and overused horror mechanics. This is why I am breaking this review into two: the

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Dead Bride

Francesco Picone’s Dead Bride (2022) is not a live-action version of Corpse Bride, Tim Burton’s animated, family-friendly necrophilic tale. Although it borrows many elements from beloved horror films, such as a murdered bride seeking vengeance, this movie copies but fails to reach the same qualities as the films it emulates. As with many supernatural stories,

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The curse of endless sequels has plagued horror films for years with multifarious results. The Ringu series kicked off back in the late 90s and is no exception to this curse. With the previous effort in the series, Sadako (2019), seemingly failing to meet fan expectations—high expectations that were set by the involvement of Hideo

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Skinamarink (2022)

“I came out early, I couldn’t take it”“I hated it”“I loved it and won’t have a word said against it!”– Quotes overheard in the foyer, after having seen Skinamarink. Written and directed by Kyle Edward Ball and shot on a micro-budget at his childhood Canadian home, Skinamarink (2022) is inspired by a childhood nightmare. Pirated,

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  After File 01 went off with a bang, Koji Shiraishi’s Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi! File 02: Shivering Ghost (2012) tries something different and turns out unexpectedly good. The first episode of the mockumentary series didn’t disappoint in serving Koji’s found footage brands and Japanese myth goodness, showing how his knack for storytelling and genre

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It’s understandable why Japanese filmmakers focus so often on the feudal era in their horror cinema. It’s a setting so naturally horrific in the plight and pain of the peasant class that few supernatural elements are necessary to invoke dread in audiences. The stark reality of daily life alone is enough to make the viewer

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The Waiting

Take a group of unhappy people, add a ghost, and plenty of bad life advice, and the result may look something like F. C. Rabbath’s 2020 film, The Waiting. Billed as a horror romantic comedy, The Waiting tries to be many things yet masters of none.  Eric Brady, a new hotel employee, stumbles upon an

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If Ugetsu is what kickstarted the Japanese tradition of Edo Gothic, Kaneto Shindo may have perfected it with Onibaba (1964). It’s a horror film that doesn’t resort to horror, a ghost story with no ghosts. Its evils reside in all too familiar sources: resentment, human nature, and religious hypocrisy, all woven seamlessly through its narrative

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