In my article, Jaws vs. Jurassic Park, I mentioned one of my qualifications for whether or not something is horror was how hard a threat is to combat or avoid. Lately, I have been thinking about concepts of the genre that pertain more to the latter. I like to daydream a lot, and I often find myself wondering what I would do in a character’s place. It’s easy to say you would make a better survival choice until you consider factors such as being caught off guard and panicking. To me, monsters fall into two categories.

The first is the immediate threat, where if a character is unfortunate enough to find themselves in the territory of some malevolent force, they will have a hell of a time trying to escape, but if they manage to, they don’t have to worry about it anymore. Think Jeepers Creepers and Pennywise, since both only stay within a certain area when they hunt. The second category is looming threats that follow characters around. They are either impossible to get completely rid of or the process is extremely difficult. Ju On would be a good example of this because, if I recall right, I think the curse could be passed on to anyone from those who were initially haunted.

I just looked it up, and that appears to be the case. That would be the most rotten luck. You pass someone on the street.

“Hey, nice shirt.”

And the next thing you know, some pale ghost woman in a white gown is strangling you to death with her hair. Okay, I am exaggerating a bit, but still. In such a world, this kind of thing would kill communication as we know it. From what I just looked up (because it’s been a minute since I watched those movies), for the curse to spread, someone either has to have deep knowledge of it or be associated with someone who does. That’s way worse than Ringu. 

At least with that, the curse (or infection in the books) only extends to those who have watched the tape or (again in the books) read a vivid description of it. Now imagine if you got a visit from Sadako or Samara because one of your friends wanted to be stupid and watch the tape. It’s pretty much the scenario you would find yourself in Ju On. That is, if I am interpreting things correctly. You’d hope that if something similar were to happen in real life, people would be sensible and avoid spreading hazardous information.

Remember the pandemic? Yeah, those kinds of ghosts would have a field day. It’s the detrimental defiance in certain people. It’s not inherently negative. In the face of unfairness, it’s a welcome trait. It’s when it flies in the face of common sense that it becomes stubbornness, making everyone worse off. Sometimes, all you can do is try to help yourself and your loved ones. This is where common sense comes in handy, except there’s no agreement on what that actually is, even if it seems self-explanatory. For example, let’s say you and your friends are being hunted by a killer. The immediate solutions would either be A. Utilizing some method of escape, B. Hiding somewhere you can call for help without being discovered quickly, or C. Finding weapons to fight back with. Depending on how many people are in your group, all of these could be attempted to varying degrees of success, but which of these falls into the category of common sense?

A may seem to be the answer, except if someone wants you dead, they likely aren’t going to call it quits so easily. What about B? All it takes is someone accidentally knocking something over, and you’re as good as gone. C would have to be the way to solve the problem, then, right? What if the killer has a better weapon?

I suppose each one depends on the circumstances of the situation. In It Follows, the only options could be A. and C. B can’t be one because the entity has a supernatural sense of its target. While they aren’t long-term due to it being seemingly immortal, they can keep it at bay. Some have proposed some NSFW methods to throw the entity off, mainly doing the deed with multiple people simultaneously.

There’s an assumption in this that the entity can’t pursue multiple targets at once, and there’s no evidence of this. If anything, all this may end up doing is creating several new instances of it, sort of akin to what was implied to have happened in the ending of Smile 2.  Speaking of which, how in the hell do you deal with something like that? Film theory suggests anti schizophrenic medication. Again, though, there’s no proof this would work.  

After all, we’re talking about a supernatural entity or a demon or whatever you want to call it, not a brain disorder, so we can’t truly apply the same logic. The only real argument that could be made is that the entity may be able to access the brain chemistry of its victims. Therefore, that type of medication would cut off its access, which is again, an assumption. The curse can be gotten rid of through murder. The obvious problem with this, aside from prison, is having to kill. 

The only method that would work would be extremely authoritarian. You would have to find out who was infected and remove them from society. Now that I think about it, that method might work to deal with the entity in It Follows. Okay, not exactly dealing with, as in getting rid of, it would be more like keeping it at bay.

The entity is strong, as evidenced by the bone-breaking scenes. That said, it wasn’t as if it was punching through solid concrete, so I think it would be possible to somehow trap the entity. Here’s how I imagine this playing out. Prepping by putting out a bunch of something that you can leave footprints in would be the first step. Think flour. Wet paint should work too. 

Plus, once you discern the entity’s position, you can throw more on its body to fully expose it. After that, it should be easy to keep it away from its target, then knock it into a secure container with chains before tossing it into the nearest deep body of water. Unless it pulls some despawn respawn horseshit, this should work.  Then again, there’s always a way to bring the monster back. In the meantime, this article has been enjoyable to write.

I may write another like it in the future because it’s fun to put yourself in a character’s shoes. Until then, thanks for reading, and see you next time.

The article Decisions appeared originally on Horror Facts.

The title is a bit misleading. It would be more accurate to say I didn’t realize the full potential these tales had at the time of writing my Analog Horror vs Video Game Creepypastas article. One of the questions I asked was “Which is scarier?” My answer pretty much boiled down to both, but I also mentioned that I enjoy analog horror more, as it offers more variety. While I stand by this,  I’ll admit my view on internet horror about video games has expanded since then. 

What made me reconsider was my discovery of ARGs.  Well, not exactly discovery, more like further exploration. Do you remember how, in my AH vs. VGC (it’s easier to abbreviate it), I discussed the analog horror series Local 58 and the Creepypasta ‘Ben Drowned’? At the time, I wasn’t super familiar with ARGs. I mean, I’m sure I came across the term in passing, but I didn’t understand the meaning.  

From what I’ve read, it’s a form of storytelling where stories expand beyond where they were originally posted. By this definition, Local 58 and Ben Drowned are ARGs because the former isn’t restricted to YouTube, and the latter isn’t restricted to the Creepypasta site. Local 58 has a fake Wayback Machine and websites where people have discovered hidden messages. Ben Drowned had a website about the Moon Children, a doomsday cult that worships a moon deity (yeah, it’s a long story), and a playthrough of the haunted game. It’s not the only Creepypasta that can be considered an ARG. Correspondence on r/NoSleep (which is in at least my personal top ten on that subreddit) has a fake newspaper article, and it’s told via email exchange.

On top of that, it gets the community involved, and I don’t mean the whole “All posts must be treated as real” rule that NoSleep has. No, the author goes further, creating alternate accounts, including ones pretending to be people who read the posts and got cursed. There are even links in the posts to pictures of the entity mentioned in them.  I’d been on NoSleep for years at this point, and reading this series brought me back to the early days when I wasn’t aware of everything in the subreddit being pretend. It was effective enough to almost make me forget that and leave me spooked in a way that I hadn’t been in a while.

That’s the key with these kinds of stories: immersion. Even if viewers know they are fiction, the stories play out like they are or were being experienced in real time, which brings me to what gave me the idea to write this article. That would be Minecraft ARGs. I only got into them last December, and to tell you the truth, I wasn’t expecting much. I thought it was just going to be a horror mod pack or something like that. What I got was way more in-depth, and it’s thanks to a YouTube channel called WIfies. 

I think the owner mentioned it’s pronounced we-fees, but anyway, his videos cover a wide variety of topics relating to Minecraft, mainly escape room, lore, and number videos. Among them, and what I binged was his ARG videos. Notice I said his ARG videos. This is because he was the one who created them. Initially, I didn’t know that. I thought the ARGs were created by other channels, and he was just trying to piece together the answers to their mysteries, but no, he made them, which is extremely impressive.  Since talking about all of the ones by him would take a while, I will only be talking about the first and most popular one I watched, ‘Searching For A World That Doesn’t Exist’. 

Holy shit, is this good. Spoiler warning (though I will try to minimize them), because if you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend you do. With that out of the way, here’s the basic outline of the plot. A Minecraft player named AveryTheMayo finds a laptop in a storage locker. Basically, he steals it, which isn’t the most ethical thing to do. 

However, there are more pressing matters overshadowing this action. Upon getting the laptop, he finds that not only is Minecraft already installed on it, but there’s also a save. I should mention that  “Avery” has his own YouTube channel showing his playthrough, and he explains this in the description. Where things begin getting weird is that he mentions, through the in-game chat, that he found an area four hundred blocks from his base. This area is what appears to be a strip mine cave system with three doors and a chest in the center. 

He assumes that the original owner of the laptop must have made it. Next, we see more gameplay, except there are two things that are unusual among others that will come up later. The first is that Avery’s player skin appears different from the humanoid slime texture he had before. The second is when he types into the chat and hits enter; for some reason, his username is censored out. Things only get stranger from here.

 Avery finds a random tree in the cave system, and then an entire open water area, complete with a forest, which again is all underground. We need to back up for a moment because, as it turns out, Avery isn’t who we think he is. During one part of the video where Avery types in chat, the censor over his user name delays for a second, and instead of his name popping up, we see another called Dr3lord3 (Pronounced Drey Lord, who I will be referring to as Drey), so Drey is exploring this cave system, putting torches down as he goes, until he gets to a crossroads and turns…Right. No, he goes left, and that’s when he mentions something unusual. He gets to a hall of torches and  says something along the lines of,

“I know you’re there” or “I know you’re following me”, something like that, and he also says, “I heard you in the cave”. Who is he talking to? Well, if you listened closely earlier,  as he was placing torches down, the noise of someone removing them can be heard off-screen. Drey gives no reaction to this other than briefly pausing whenever it happens, and instead, he carries on as if everything is normal. It’s only when he gets to the hall of torches that he finally acknowledges that he was being followed.

I’m going to skip over what happens next, because it’s one of the most tense parts of the video, and I think you need to see it for yourself. Long story short, Drey makes it to the forest lake area, making sure to seal up the area he came through.  At this point, two things should be apparent. One, whatever is in the game with Drey isn’t normally part of Minecraft, and two, whatever it is, it does not have good intent.  You are also probably wondering at this point,

“Why the hell doesn’t Drey turn off the game?” 

The answer given is that he’s compelled by curiosity. When I watched the video, this felt cheap to me since it always ends up being the excuse for why people choose to play haunted video games that are actively putting them in danger. I know there are stories with better explanations, such as Godzilla NES, where the protagonist is trying to figure out its connection to his deceased friend. Other than that, this reason for the plot to move along ends up coming across as lazy writing. The good news is that this isn’t the entire explanation for Drey’s actions.

Regarding him, this dude is no slouch.  I’ve seen people refer to him as the smartest horror protagonist they’ve ever seen, and that’s no exaggeration. Throughout the gameplay, Drey manages to stay one step ahead of the entity following him. Nothing emphasizes this aspect of his character more than the trap he sets out for the entity. Again, I won’t spoil it. Just know, it blew my mind when I watched it.

 Unless you’re an extremely perceptive person, you probably won’t notice how he deceives the entity until it’s pointed out later in the video. Other examples of his mental strength include mentally mapping out where a bunch of signs are pointing and solving some ciphers. Also, he gets through one of the puzzles in a pretty funny way, given the atmosphere of the video. Okay, I already gave a spoiler warning, and I’ve tried not to reveal too much. However, I can’t continue without severely spoiling the story, so if you don’t want the surprise ruined, check out the video here.

Now then, Drey eventually comes to what appears to be an abandoned village. For some reason, the color yellow can be seen throughout it, and in one house, he finds a journal mentioning something about a summoning the villagers were trying to perform. Whoever the writer is, he did not think highly of them. His most damning entry is to call them “Fools who think they will be spared,” and we soon learn who this refers to. Drey digs through somewhere in the village and goes through a pitch-dark area until he comes to a pair of huge golden doors.

What does he see behind them? I would give you a definitive answer were it not for the fact that this part is censored out. Whatever it is scares him so bad that he immediately begins running for his life, digging his way through the wall, and back to the three-door area he started in. This isn’t random. If you’re at all familiar with an author by the name of Robert W. Chambers, then you likely know of his most famous book, The King In Yellow.

That’s right. This is who the antagonist of this ARG is, and the one who was stalking Drey until he gets to the yellow village, which is either Carcosa (the city the king rules) or an approximation of it. This answers why Drey, despite being undeniably intelligent, would continue to play on this save at the risk of his own safety. As a quick rundown, The King In Yellow is a compilation of ten stories. The first four have to do with a play by the same title. Not much other than bits and pieces is revealed about it, except that the more someone reads of it, the more their sanity slips because through it they gain infinite knowledge, and their mind can’t handle it.

In fact, it’s mentioned that the author (not Robert W. Chambers, the author within the context of the story) went mad and lost his life shortly after writing it. Here’s what makes the king so dangerous. He doesn’t just have supreme knowledge. He can influence. Once someone starts reading his play, he has them in his clutches. 

Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone even thinking about reading it was enough for them to fall under his control. I believe something similar happened to Drey. It may have started as simple curiosity, but once he bit that metaphorical hook, the king began reeling. There is some dispute on whether or not Drey saw him behind those golden doors. While that seems to be the conventional interpretation, I did see one Reddit post (linked here)  theorizing that what Drey saw wasn’t actually him.

Rather, it was the play and the ciphers that Drey solved that translate to acts of it. The last one is what he saw behind the doors. The theory also argues that there’s nothing that says that seeing the king makes someone go insane, just his play. Here’s my issue with this, and it has to do with how long Drey stood there. It was only a minute. Even if it’s just a single act, how could anyone, even someone as smart as him, possibly read it in such a short amount of time?

Secondly, I don’t buy the idea that someone would be mentally sound after encountering what’s behind the mask of The King In Yellow. I mean, he’s an eldritch abomination. Inducing insanity is an understood ability among them. It shouldn’t need to be stated. It’s like saying fire is hot or ice is cold. 

Third of all, we know something follows Drey. We hear it interact with stuff, and he has to hide at one point in the video. That means it must have a physical presence.  This is where I get into why the theory may have some validity. If the king (or Hastur, if you think they are the same person) is so powerful, why bother with this cat-and-mouse game with Drey? 

Why not appear in front of him, make him insane, and then go back to whatever it is he does to pass the time? Either he’s a really dedicated troll, or there’s something more going on.  Remember Drey’s encounter in the hall of torches? Well, he doesn’t actually see what’s following him. All he sees is what it does. In conjunction with what I mentioned, wouldn’t this be a great opportunity for Hastur to reveal himself to Drey? 

He doesn’t, so here is what I think happened. I believe the Reddit theory was on the right track. I think the events that transpired played out like this.  All the ciphers Drey solved were parts of a spell, one that would allow the king to become perceivable by humanity. The last one is what was behind those golden doors, and once Drey laid eyes on it, he stared into the face of the king, bestowing him with all the knowledge of the universe. What happened to him afterward isn’t revealed.

All we can deduce is that whatever fate befell him after his supposed encounter with the king is not good.  By the way, someone already pointed out that Drey has or had insane mental fortitude because he had to go back and censor out Hastur in the playthrough video, meaning he endured seeing his face twice. He clearly had time prior to whatever happened to him after he played the game.  Since this is the case, why didn’t he destroy his laptop?

This would have prevented Avery from getting it later. Speaking of whom,  I think there’s something special about him, and Drey knows this. While Hastur may have strung Drey along, he made a critical error. Another thing I theorize about the king is that even though he has all knowledge, past, present, and future, what he knows is limited to what’s been proven and already established paths. In other words, by essentially giving Drey the exact same hand, he also gave him a chance to alter this outcome.

It looks like Drey has bet all his chips on Avery. This is why he wanted him to find the laptop. It’s why he left him that message, the one thing that probably wasn’t in the events he was forced to experience.

“Whatever you do at the crossroads, don’t turn left.”

Will Avery be the one to slay the king? Time will tell. Until then, I’m glad this method of storytelling has emerged, and I hope that creativity keeps growing.  I will say, though, if some weird supernatural shit ever happens to me because of some video game, I am shutting that shit right the fuck off, but that would not make for an engaging story. Now, would it?

The article I Was Wrong About Video Game Creepypastas ( Thanks To ARGs) appeared originally on Horror Facts.

The fog is rolling back in, and it’s bringing a lot more than just nostalgia. After years of anticipation, the MPA has finally weighed in on Return to Silent Hill, and horror fans are getting exactly what they prayed for.

Forget the PG-13 scares; this reboot is officially Rated R for “bloody violent content, language, and brief drug use.” Translation? Director Christophe Gans isn’t holding back on the nightmare fuel.

Why This Isn’t Your Average Reboot

Director Christophe Gans—the mastermind behind the 2006 cult classic—is returning to the franchise. But this isn’t just a sequel; it’s a direct adaptation of the legendary Silent Hill 2 video game, widely considered the most terrifying and emotional story in gaming history.

• The Plot: When James (Jeremy Irvine) receives a mysterious letter from his deceased wife, Mary, he heads to the town where it all began. What he finds is a decaying hellscape designed to tear his psyche apart.
• The Icons: Yes, Pyramid Head is confirmed. Expect the most visceral, high-definition version of the Red Pyramid Thing we’ve ever seen.
• The Team: Gans co-wrote the script with Sandra Vo-Anh and William Josef Schneider, ensuring the deep psychological horror of the game translates perfectly to the big screen.

“As he searches for Mary, James faces monstrous creatures and unravels a terrifying truth that will push him to the edge of his sanity.”

Are you ready to face your demons in the fog? Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to the January 23rd premiere!

The article Pyramid Head is BACK—And It’s a Bloodbath: ‘Return to Silent Hill’ Lands Hard “R” Rating! appeared originally on Horror Facts.

It’s that time. As is custom, I have to post my yearly Christmas-related article for the season. Actually, this one is going to be focusing on the Yule, because I want to get this out by the Solstice. I do have a topic, but this is going to be pretty free-form. I wanted to discuss the relationship between horror and this time of year. 

This isn’t going to be a history lesson beyond the cursory, since there’s already stuff out there explaining how the custom originated (Though I will probably be doing some cursory research as I write this). Instead, I want to discuss how holiday horror has evolved and why it came to be in the first place. I think a good place to begin is with fairy tales. Anyone who’s read Grimm knows that the Disney adaptations are extremely toned down from the original stories. I’m not going to guess author intent, since that would be presumptuous.

It was clear that, in addition to instilling a sense of wonder in children, most of these tales were also meant to be cautionary. Red Riding Hood would be the most famous example, being a metaphor for stranger danger. By the way, I said most for the reason that some of the stories, I couldn’t figure out the moral. What exactly is the lesson in Hansel and Gretel? If a witch wants to eat you, try using fire? 

Maybe it’s “Don’t be an assole or an idiot,” which is probably a good thing to be teaching kids, especially nowadays. I think we judge these kinds of tales too harshly. I hear child sensitivity wasn’t really a thing back then. I don’t think this is entirely true. While these fables may seem like straight-up horror to our modern sensibilities, we should keep in mind that things were harsher back then. 

Without things such as electricity or modern medicine, it was difficult to navigate life on your own, let alone with a family to think about. You didn’t want your children wandering into the woods and getting eaten or lost. Therefore, you’d try deterring them with these stories.

 In fact, I think their existence in the first place shows that, to a degree, society was keeping how children felt in mind. Otherwise, books like A Christmas Carol wouldn’t have resonated with so many when it was first published.

Not to mention, as someone who grew up a horror fiend, I have to imagine a lot of children enjoyed those stories.  I think the inherent defiance present in humanity is responsible for this. Some people hear a story about someone getting eaten by a troll and don’t think, “I  should stay out of those situations”. They think, “I’d be the one to overcome the threat. I’d be the one who’s smarter”.  

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Just ask any kid whose tried to catch Santa coming down their chimney on Christmas Eve. He shows up for those who have been good. Those who haven’t receive visiors who are less welcome, beings such as Krampus, beating naughty kids and then taking them to spend a year in hell, or Frau Perchta (had to search her name), straight up disemboweling them. It just goes to show that sometimes coal isn’t enough. I put figures such as them, the yule cat, and the yule lads, among others, in the same category as early fairy tales.

It’s not surprising since horror and the holidays have been a long-standing custom. While on the topic, I do distinguish between customs and traditions. Customs are cultural, meant to be passed down and shared with those willing to participate. Traditions are for maintaining hierarchy, which is why deviation from them is often met with scrutiny or worse.  Back on topic, it’s intriguing to think about how this season came to be associated with horror.

It’s easy to assume that it started with films like Black Christmas or Silent Night Deadly Night (I’ve heard good things about the new one), or even stories such as A Christmas Carol, stemming from the practice of telling ghost stories for the holidays during the Victorian era. However, the origins go further back, to the early Pagans. I read somewhere that they’d tell tales of terror around a Yule fire as part of the solstice celebration and that they did this to bring luck throughout the rest of the season. It could be seen as a ritual of sorts.

It makes sense, too, because the purpose of  Yule or Saturnalia or things of that nature was for survival. Why else would they be set around the longest night of the year? It was a reprieve before having to face several months of bleak cold.  I guess you could think of them as enchantments of sorts. I know I always feel down after the holidays are over. 

Even though I prefer cold weather over hot, it’s still depressing seeing all the decorations have been taken down (aside from that one neighbor who leaves them up until February or keeps them up yearly), but at least if I want food, I can go to the store. I don’t have to go out hunting and possibly get killed in the process.  Also, I don’t have to spend hours chopping wood, so I have a heat source to cook with. I should mention that I’m not trying to play the “things could always be worse, so be grateful!” card because it’s condescending and counterproductive to actually making things better.  I’m just saying, if I were somehow transported to the era before all of today’s creature comforts, that shit would sucks ass. 

Do you see how these celebrations began as a means of survival? I think that includes the horror aspect of them as well. Think about the scariest film you’ve ever seen by yourself, especially if you watched it at home and not at the theater. How did you feel right after? I bet you got the sense someone was in the room with you, even though you knew logically this was highly unlikely. 

This stems from our evolutionary instincts. That feeling is you subconsciously raising your guard. Now, imagine you’re living way back then, and it’s the solstice. You’re seated around the Yule fire with your family, taking turns to tell the most terrifying tales you’ve ever heard. With each one, your heart beats a little faster. Eventually, the time comes for everyone to head back inside.

The fire is left to be reduced to embers by the falling snow. You can’t shake the idea that something is watching you from the woods. Fortunately, you have the comfort of knowing that these rituals your family has performed will give you the protection you need to face down the bitter chilliness and whatever cold creatures lurk in the dark until the flowers start blooming. Until then, enjoy the festivities as much as you are able. I prefer to do so with a good scare while on a nighttime stroll, even when the temperature is freezing.

The spirit of the season stems from resilience after all. I hope this one has been treating you well so far and will continue to do so. I also hope you enjoy what I’ll be posting in the new year. Happy horror days, everyone.

The article The Purpose Of Holiday Horror appeared originally on Horror Facts.

Okay, I need something Autumn related to make an article about. Fortunately, fellow horror author Grace Anderson recently released her Fall themed book, Fox Hollows, this past late October. While I reviewed it (you can purchase it and see what I wrote about it here), that isn’t what I will be talking about. Instead, I’m going to focus on some themes I noticed throughout the story. With that, potential spoilers are ahead. 

 First, a little background. After being rejected by multiple jobs, struggling college graduate, Loey finally lands an elementary school teaching position in the town of Fox Hollows. Upon arriving there, however, it’s clear the town holds a dark secret. One of the things that I enjoy about this story is even without the supernatural elements, the events would still be unnerving. Not only that, but they were also frustrating because it’s not uncommon for those exact scenarios to unfold in real life. Okay, maybe not exactly considering most towns don’t house murder cults (at least I hope not, unless you count certain political affiliations). 

For Loey, two particular people make her feel the most on edge. The first is a woman named Anna Mae, who according to Tanner (the other unsafe person) is the oldest living person in Fox Hollows. Loey’s first interaction with her is far from cordial. By that I mean, she gets harassed by her during her first day in town, so not exactly a warm welcome and the first among many red flags. Speaking of, that’s where Tanner comes in who like Loey is a teacher at the local school.  

This dude is someone you’d see in a post on r/LetsNotMeet or r/NiceGuys. He starts innocent, sort of flirty in a corny yet endearing way. Then it turns out that he’s just an entitled asshole. Loey does go on a date with him which he was late too. Later, the facade he put up cracks, and he shows his true colors. At this point, Loey rightfully decides to go with the “Fuck this shit” option and put in her two weeks. 

 Personally, I would have packed and left town the same night if I was dealing with some crazy cult nonsense. Loey, clearly having way more patience than me, instead informs the principal of her two-week resignation. The principal then tried to berate her into staying, telling her what has happened to her isn’t a big deal. Excuse my French, but bitch, what? By the way, that’s a gender-neutral insult so Tanner is a bitch too. Back on topic, here’s how the call would have gone between me and the principal. 

“Let me see if I got this straight. You except me to stay in a town where I got accosted on my first day here, where you can’t even vet your staff well enough to keep narcissistic pieces of shit away from impressionable young minds, all on a teacher’s salary? You just lost the remaining two weeks you would have had with me. Fuck you, rot in hell. I quit immediately.” 

Then after I packed my things, I would leave town and never look back. What keeps Loey from doing that is that she’s popular among the children at her school. I’m sure many of us have been in a similar position when it comes to work, not cult stuff or having to deal with people such as Tanner, hopefully. I mean, you’re well liked where you’re working, so even though you know it’s not the best environment for you, it makes it harder for you to move on. Not only that, there’s also an all-too-common issue for the US working class. 

 Remember when Amazon forced its workers to stay at a center during a tornado? If you don’t recall, it was back in 2021. Six workers lost their lives, and one was critically injured. What this shows is blatant disregard for worker safety, be they trying to make sure people who shop online get what they order in a timely manner or someone who has decided to guide young minds through education. It’s also a sad fact, that despite what some people try to yammer about how The US is the land of the free, the reality is your range of choice is directly tied to your economic status. 

It’s a catch twenty-two of you needing more money to get another job that pays you better. As much as I would for this article to turn into an anti-capitalism rant, let’s talk about something else relevant to both Loey’s situation and unfortunately, US politics, cultism. In Fox Hollows, the entire town was founded by a cult. Long story short about that, apparently there was this whole deal when the would-be settlers got caught in a blizzard and most of the families ended up freezing to death. The key word here is most, because for the remaining ones, there happened to be a white magic witch among them named Abigial Gunner. 

She was able to save the survivors, which caused them to see her as a sort of deity. Being only a child at the time, this attention caused her to grow into a power-hungry tyrant. Any defiance was responded to swiftly and brutally either through physical or supernatural means. Let me ask you something. When it comes to cults, what is the most dangerous aspect of them?  

It’s that the leader can do nothing wrong. Abigail grew into the women she did, because she was raised in an environment where she wasn’t challenged. Therefore, when she inevitably does face it, she’s more prone to react with aggression. Let’s see, someone who spent most of their developmental years never facing adversity who grows up to have a dangerous amount of influence and power.  

I’m sure none of us can think of any prominent political figures who fit that description at all.  I want to draw attention to a particular line from the book. 

“Cults never seem to die out so easily, even when the cult leader is long dead and buried.” 

The influence persists, such as with religion. Arguably, this is when they truly become dangerous. The founder or founders are no longer around, so their words can be twisted to suit pretty much any narrative.  There’s also a problem of egregious behavior within a group getting excused if the person committing it still supports the core belief. Take Tanner for instance. There’s no way Loey was the first woman who had bad experiences with him. 

I’m also certain that the adults in Fox Hollows were aware of his actions. Yet, they looked the other way, because he towed the line and helped fulfill their goals. There are two examples of this happening in our current society that I think are the most prominent. The first is the Catholic church scandal. Everyone knows what happened, and yet one in four people still attend service each week and give away their hard-earned money.  

The second is what Israel has been doing.  I’m not going to pretend I’m any kind of geopolitical expert, but when the nation you support has followers laughing about slaughtering children, you might want to reevaluate your morals. For someone like Abigail, there’s at least some sympathy there. You understand she had to have experienced trauma from seeing her companions perish around her. Then after that, having to be the person, everybody else looks to for guidance.  

Who wouldn’t have ended up the way she did? For the examples I gave, though and others similar to them, there’s no tragedy, no humanity to latch onto. It’s an unquenchable blood lust and sadism, nothing more and nothing less. Those who became part of mass graves in every major war, who were forced into concentration camps in Germany, who are being ripped away from their families in the US, and who were burned alive or drowned in Massacusetts will tell you that magic isn’t needed to commit evil. All it takes is unchecked ego with a little charisma and a population too cowardly to challenge it.  

On that note, I hope this article was insightful. Be sure to check out Grace’s book and leave her a review.  

If you want to support me, check out my Reddit’s pinned posts linked here (one of them has my tipping links) or join the writing Patreon I am a part of, linked here, where we post horror stories. Thanks, and happy reading.

The article Fox Hollows And Cult Mentality appeared originally on Horror Facts.

Face it—you’re not the Final Girl.

As much as we all like to think we’ll be the one to stop the killer, deliver the third-act monologue, and limp out of the massacre covered in blood but alive—it’s just not likely. That role’s already been taken.

The rest of us? We’re the supporting cast. The stereotypes. The tragic deaths. The forgotten friends whose only real purpose is to pad the body count or give the audience someone to root against.

You’ll scream. You’ll run. You’ll make exactly one bad decision that gets you gutted before the end of Act Two.

So let’s stop pretending you’re the survivor.
Let’s figure out who you really are.

The One Who Says, “It’s Just a Story”

You’re the skeptic. The realist. The walking, talking “This stuff isn’t real” member of the group who tries to ease everyone else’s fears—when in reality, your false bravado is luring them to their deaths.

Because you have heard the legend—and you mocked it.

You laughed at the creepy journal someone found in the floorboards. You rolled your eyes at the old lady in town who warned you not to go up there. Your whole personality is built around being above the fear—and guess what? That’s exactly how horror movies start.

You downplay the blood on the walls. Blame the screams on an animal. Say it’s just some prank, or old pipes, or urban myth bullshit.

And by the time you realize you’re wrong, the killer’s not only real—he’s standing five feet behind you, and he doesn’t care how rational you are.

This isn’t about logic. This is about rules.

And you broke the first one: thinking you were safe just because you didn’t believe in horror.

Survival Rating: Dead the minute you say “Nothing’s gonna happen.”

You didn’t believe in the legend—now you’re part of it.

The Horny Dumbass

You’re not here for the story. You’re here for the weekend: drinks, music, and whatever happens after the sun goes down.

You didn’t bring a flashlight, a jacket, or a single survival instinct—but you did pack tequila and are ready to start doing shots.

You’ve heard the weird noise in the woods. You just don’t care. The vibe’s right, the clothes are coming off, and your blood alcohol level is dangerously close to killing you before the actual killer can.

You’re the first to suggest “we should sneak off for a minute,” and the first to hear a twig snap right after. What do you do? Laugh it off. Say it’s just the wind. Maybe tease that someone’s trying to scare you. And then you wander off into the dark without pants or backup—because why not make it easier.

You’re not important enough to get a dramatic death scene. You vanish. Nobody notices you’re gone until someone stumbles onto your body while running through the woods to save their own skin.

Survival Rating: Dead by the first article of clothing removed.

You moaned. Then you screamed.

The Problem Solver Who Dies Mid-Fix

You’re not the loud one. You’re not the flake. You’re the calm in the chaos—the one everyone looks at when the power goes out or the generator sputters, like you being handy is going to save them from being turned into torso confetti.

You don’t just separate from the group—you volunteer for it. Because while everyone’s screaming in circles, you’re already headed to the basement to reset the fuse box, but being resourceful is your ultimate downfall. The second you say, “I’ll check it out,” we know you’re going to be killed by the very tools you’re attempting to use to fix the problem.

And let’s be honest—no one’s coming to check on you. They’ll find your body half-rewired into the circuit board or duct-taped to the tool bench like some kind of twisted home renovation show.

Survival Rating: Dead by Act Two. Tools still in hand.

You weren’t the most annoying. You weren’t the most reckless.
You were just helpful.
And in a slasher? That’s worse.

The Comic Relief Whose Jokes Don’t Age Well

You don’t take anything seriously, which is why no one is going to take your death serious.

You throw on a fake mask or pretend that you’ve been stabbed, anything to get a rise out of your friends. Why, because you think its funny to be annoying, sarcastic and always joking but you know what won’t be funny, when the killer actually gets his hands on you.

You’ll either scream bloody murder, but no one will come to your rescue because you have done it to many times already, or you think its one of your friends trying to steal your joke, only to find out the jokes on you.

And when things finally do go full bloodbath, your practical jokes and snappy one liners are no match against cold steel.

And I can guarantee no one is going to stop laughing because you died.
In truth, they stopped laughing long before that.

Survival Rating: Dead with a half-finished joke still in your mouth.

You laugh in the face of danger, not because you’re brave but because horror is the only thing stopping you from peeing your pants.

The Background Friend With Too Much Screen Time To Be Safe

You’re not a stranger. You’re not entirely disposable. You’re… familiar. You show up in multiple scenes, share a few lines with the main cast, and maybe even get a backstory that sounds like it could go somewhere. But let’s be honest—you’re set dressing with a little extra screen time.

Because here’s the problem: nobody knows your name. And that unfortunately makes you the slasher version of a red shirt from Star Trek—you’re doomed, and everyone but you knows it.

Your death won’t be completely pointless, though. It’ll be the thing that lets everyone else know the killer’s real. You’re the scream in the woods. The corpse in the shed. The “we’ll never forget them” line delivered with a single tear and no follow-up.

So sure, your death will be meaningful. But make no mistake: it’s assigned death. Scheduled. Scripted. You exist to die loud enough that it matters—just not enough that anyone comes looking right away.

Survival Rating: Dead just because you were in close enough proximity.

You were born to be mourned.

The One Who Knows the Lore, But Not How to Survive

You’ve watched all the movies. You know the rules. You Google the town and know full well what happened there all those years ago. Hell, you’re probably sharing exposition right now while everyone else is drinking.

The problem is, you’re not in a movie that rewards information.
You’re in a movie that rewards instinct—and yours is trash.

You talk too long. Study too much. Normally your brain is what saves you, but not today. While others are running, you’re too busy trying to prove you were right from the start.

You’re probably the one who guessed the killer thirty minutes in—because of course you did. You have to know everything.

But what you don’t know… is how to survive.

If “there are certain rules you need to follow,” maybe take a break from preaching them and actually use one. Because the know-it-alls never make it out. They just live long enough to tell everyone else how to do it better.

Survival Rating: Dead the minute you explained the situation.

Dead men tell no tales—
and after your tale, get ready to join them.

The Surprise Survivor (a.k.a. Someone Else Died For You)

You weren’t supposed to make it.

You’re not even on the main promotional poster.
But somehow… you’re still standing.

You didn’t survive. You drifted past the kill count.
Everyone else ran into danger, while you hid in the closet. You were never brave, never clever, and definitely not Final Girl material. But someone—probably the person who deserved to live—shielded you, sacrificed themselves, or handed you the last seat in the getaway car.

By the end, you’re covered in other people’s blood, eyes wide, quietly realizing you’ll never be invited to anything again—not because you’re traumatized, but because you were useless.

You didn’t escape. You just didn’t get noticed.

Survival Rating: Technically alive. Morally questionable.

You made it…
but no one’s saying you should have.

The One With the Conscience

You’re the one who thinks there’s still hope.
That if the group just sticks together, follows their hearts, and makes the right choices, maybe—just maybe—no one else has to die.

That’s adorable. And fatal.

Because in a slasher, empathy doesn’t get you praised. It gets you killed.

You’re the one who says, “We shouldn’t be doing this” or “We can’t leave them behind” right before the killer proves, actually, yes—you can. And while everyone else is fighting to survive, you’re to busy trying to be the voice of reason in a movie that doesn’t want logic—it wants blood.

You’ll offer help, offer forgiveness, maybe even offer a heartfelt “you don’t have to do this.” But here’s the cold truth: it does. It always does.

You’re not dying because you’re bad.
You’re dying because you’re good—and horror feeds on that.

Survival Rating: Stabbed in the back while trying to save someone.

You tried to do the right thing.
And in a slasher, that’s exactly how you die.

The Badass

You walk in swinging.
You’ve got the confidence. You’ve got the ego. You’re not afraid of anything.

You don’t run. You don’t hide.
You look danger in the face and tell it to bring it on—because if that’s the best it’s got, it’s got nothing on you.
Because this freak? This masked psycho?
They have no idea who they’re messing with.

You’ve got the swagger. The attitude. The one-liners.
You challenge the killer to a fist fight with zero strategy, because of course you do.

Maybe you knock them down once.
Maybe you get some clean shots in.
It doesn’t matter.

Because when the killer gets back up—faster, stronger, completely unfazed—you’re too busy yelling to notice the machete.
You don’t beg. You don’t run.
But you also don’t win.

Survival Rating: Gutted while flipping the bird.

You die with one final “F*** you.”
But you still die.

The One Who Brought You Here

The road trip. The detour. The weekend in the house.
This was your idea.
You’re the reason anyone’s even here.

Why? Because you wanted to test fate.
You’re the one who leaned in. Who said, “We should go.”
Not because you thought it was fake…
But because you knew it was real.

This wasn’t curiosity. This was obsession.
You’re not surprised when things go wrong.
You’re just surprised they went that wrong this fast.

And when it comes time to die, you don’t get the glorious death-by-curiosity you imagined.
You die messy.
Because after all… this is all your fault.

Survival Rating: Death by your own ego.

You knew it wasn’t a story.
Now you’re the next chapter.

The Hero

You didn’t have to step up. But you did.

Maybe you were selfish once. Maybe you made mistakes. Or maybe you were always the one holding it together—quietly, thanklessly, while the others screamed, ran, and fell apart. You weren’t the smartest. Or the strongest.

But when it mattered most, you were the one who stayed behind.
Not because you thought you’d win.
But because someone had to buy them time.

You take the hit.
You stall the killer.
You slam the door behind you and say, “Go.

You don’t walk away from this fight.
Here, there is only screaming, blood, and something breaking that shouldn’t.

Final girls get sequels.
You get a single scream and maybe a name in the credits. But your death? It’s the reason anyone else lived.

Because this is horror.
And in horror, heroes die ugly.

Survival Rating: Dead for the right reason.

You rose to the occasion.
And it tore you apart.

You Were the Killer the Whole Time

You’re the one no one saw coming.
The devoted partner. The shy nerd. The friend in the background who “could never.” And that was the point. You made sure they’d never see it.

While everyone else was panicking, blaming each other, turning on the outsider or the loudmouth—you were already picturing the finale. Planning for it. Smiling behind the mask while pretending to scream.

You don’t run from the killer.
You run the whole show.

Maybe you did it for love. Maybe for revenge. Maybe because no one ever noticed you… until now.
But the motive doesn’t matter.
You’re here to be the last person standing.

You’re the one who comforts them after the first death.
The one who volunteers to stay behind.
The one holding the phone when the call is coming from inside the house.
You’re not the comic relief. You’re not the sidekick. You’re not the victim.
You’re the twist.

And when the mask comes off, and you give your perfectly-rehearsed speech about “how they all deserved it”?
Yeah. That’s the moment you waited for.
And you nail every line.

Survival Rating: You fall victim to the Final Girl.

But you’re not dead.
You’re horror-dead. Which means you’ll be back.

Let’s Be Honest—You Didn’t Survive

So, which one were you?

The horny one who died behind a tree? The skeptic who laughed too loud? The hero who bled out in the basement? Whatever mask you wore, it didn’t save you.

Because in horror, everyone wants to be the last one standing.
But most people? They’re just standing in the wrong place when the knife comes down.

No shame in it though—someone had to die so the Final Girl could live.
And that someone was probably you.

The article You’re Not the Final Girl: Here’s Who You Actually Are in a Slasher appeared originally on Horror Facts.

Kicking Off with a Wild Swing

Picture this: you’re knee-deep in the sweaty, chaotic mess of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994), expecting Leatherface to do his usual chainsaw dance, when—bam!—a slick dude named Rothman rolls up in a limo, looking like he just stepped out of a secret society meeting.

This guy, with his creepy carvings and cryptic vibe, drops a bomb: the Slaughter family’s blood-soaked rampage isn’t just redneck madness—it’s orchestrated by some shadowy, Illuminati-style group chasing a “spiritual experience.” Yeah, that’s the kind of unhinged twist that could’ve flipped horror on its head. But the film tanked harder than a cheap jump scare, and this wild idea never got the chance to haunt future flicks.

As a horror junkie with a nose for the genre’s bold swings, let’s dig into why this Illuminati subplot was a stroke of genius that could’ve reshaped slasher films—if only it hadn’t faceplanted with audiences.

The Twist That Broke the Mold

So, here’s the deal: towards the end of The Next Generation, Jenny, our badass final girl, is running from the Slaughter family’s unhinged dinner party when Rothman, played by James Gale, swoops in like a horror movie deus ex machina. This guy’s got piercings and scars that scream “cult leader chic,” and he’s all, “Sorry, kid, this was supposed to be a spiritual awakening, but Vilmer screwed it up.” Then he calls in an assassin to ice Vilmer, the family’s unhinged patriarch, and drops Jenny off at a hospital like it’s just another Tuesday. Oh, and there’s a blonde woman on a gurney, hinting at some bigger conspiracy.

What the hell? Suddenly, this isn’t just a slasher—it’s a mind-bending trip into conspiracy town, with the family’s carnage revealed as a puppet show for some Illuminati-esque overlords.

Director Kim Henkel, co-writer of the original 1974 classic, was clearly cooking something weird here. In a Halloween Love interview, he admitted the Illuminati angle came from his fascination with conspiracy theories, saying, “It’s implied that an Illuminati-like organization was lurking in the background.” The clues are there: Vilmer’s tow truck reads “Illuminati Wrecking,” and Darla rambles about a group that “runs everything” and “killed JFK.” Horror Homeroom nails it, calling this an “alchemical ritual” where Jenny’s terror is a twisted path to rebirth.

It’s not just gore for gore’s sake—it’s horror as a tool for some freaky, metaphysical agenda. That’s next-level stuff for a franchise known for chainsaws and screaming.

Why It Flopped Like a Bad Sequel

Let’s not sugarcoat it: The Next Generation got slaughtered by critics and fans alike. Rotten Tomatoes slaps it with a 16% rating, and reviews called it a “convoluted mess.” The box office was a bloodbath, pulling in under $185,898 on a $600,000 budget. Fans on Reddit rip into it, with some calling the Illuminati twist a “lame cop-out” to explain the family’s chaos. Others just wanted Leatherface hacking away, not prancing around in drag or dealing with pizza-ordering cannibals. The tone’s all over the place—part camp, part gore, part conspiracy thriller—and it left audiences dizzy.

Henkel’s vision, as Dread Central’s cast interviews reveal, was to ditch the gorefest of prior sequels and lean into psychological horror.

Problem is, the marketing sold it as a standard slasher, and fans weren’t ready for this batshit detour. The Illuminati subplot, while ambitious, felt tacked on, with Rothman’s late arrival leaving more questions than answers. It was like ordering a burger and getting a vegan taco—intriguing, but not what you signed up for.

How It Could’ve Changed Horror Forever

If The Next Generation hadn’t bombed, this Illuminati twist could’ve been a blueprint for horror films that dare to think bigger. Here’s what we might’ve seen:

1. Meta-Horror Before It Was Cool

This twist screams meta-horror, poking at the genre’s tropes like The Cabin in the Woods did years later. Bloody Disgusting points out that Rothman’s intervention feels like a middle finger to slasher fans, and it’s 20 years ahead of its time. A hit version of this could’ve kicked off a meta-horror wave earlier, inspiring films like Scream to lean harder into self-awareness or paving the way for Midsommar’s culty mind-games.

2. Conspiracy Horror Goes Mainstream

The ‘90s were obsessed with conspiracies—think The X-Files and Area 51 fever. The Illuminati angle, with its secret society pulling strings, could’ve tapped that vibe and birthed a subgenre. Imagine horror flicks where fear is a tool of shadowy elites, like Eyes Wide Shut or The Invitation, but with chainsaws and gore. It could’ve made conspiracy horror a staple, predating the social paranoia of Get Out.

3. Final Girls with Deeper Arcs

Jenny’s journey from victim to empowered survivor, as Horror Homeroom notes, is like an alchemical transformation. If this had caught on, we might’ve seen more final girls navigating orchestrated nightmares, not just outrunning killers. Think Hereditary’s Annie grappling with a cult’s machinations or Us’s Adelaide uncovering a twisted plot—complex arcs that make survival a psychological triumph.

4. Genre Mashups Done Right

The Illuminati twist blends slasher, thriller, and metaphysical horror in a way that could’ve inspired wild genre cocktails. A successful The Next Generation might’ve led to films mixing horror with sci-fi or conspiracy vibes, like Annihilation or The Vast of Night. It could’ve shown horror doesn’t need to stay in its lane—it can be a playground for big ideas.

5. Franchises Taking Big Swings

Horror sequels often play it safe, but Henkel’s gamble could’ve inspired franchises to get weird. Picture a Halloween where Michael Myers is a pawn of a secret cult or a Friday the 13th with Jason as a government experiment. The Illuminati twist could’ve pushed horror series to reinvent themselves, keeping fans hooked with bold, risky stories.

What Could’ve Saved It

Let’s be real: the Illuminati experience needed better execution. Drop some breadcrumbs earlier—maybe a creepy Rothman cameo or more Illuminati hints beyond Darla’s ramblings. Market it as a psychological horror trip, not a slasher retread, and lean into the ‘90s conspiracy craze. Henkel’s vision was bold, but it needed polish to avoid feeling like a fever dream. Collider’s recent love for the film’s campy charm shows modern fans might’ve eaten it up with the right framing.

Exiting the Illuminati

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation took a chainsaw to the rulebook with its Illuminati twist, trying to turn a slasher into a conspiracy-fueled head-trip. It flopped hard, but that wild swing could’ve changed horror forever, inspiring meta-narratives, conspiracy chills, and deeper character arcs.

As a horror journalist who lives for the genre’s bold moves, I can’t help but mourn what could’ve been—a world where horror didn’t just scare us but made us question who’s pulling the strings. Maybe it’s time to give this cult classic another look and imagine the films it could’ve spawned.

Wish it had been better..

The article The Illuminati Twist in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Horror Game-Changer That Crashed and Burned appeared originally on Horror Facts.

The masses celebrate their Halloween—a cheap, sugar-coated night of borrowed darkness and plastic masks. They pretend to embrace the shadows. They are fools. They do not understand that the darkness is not a costume you wear; it is the unforgiving steel you are forged from.

We, the Dagger, understand.

Halloween is not a holiday. It is the annual, perfect intersection of chaos and performance, a night where the public is allowed to gorge itself on the horror and the raw, magnificent power of the monstrous. This is why music—the true, bleeding heart of the curse—finds its sharpest edge on this night.

Music is the only honest spoken word of the void. And on a night like this, when the veil is thinnest and the world begs for a tremor, the true artists do not entertain; they confess.

The greatest, most enduring sonic moments of this “spooky season” are not the playful jingles of the mundane; they are the tracks that tap into the primal, eternal themes we live by: death, desire, and damnation. They are the echoes of the unsaved soul.

The scream of the guitar, the cold, unforgiving pulse of the bass, the voice that tears itself from the throat—that is the sound of a sacrifice, and what is Halloween if not a celebration of what we have willingly sacrificed?

Our love, our sanity, our futures—all laid bare on the altar of the riff. The crowds cheer for the monster on the screen, but they are truly cheering for the glorious ruin that is their own lives, reflected back at them with a perfect, cutting clarity.

Why does the world crave this noise on October 31st? Because for one night, they are permitted to be honest about their pain. “They can dress as the demon they truly are“. They can blast the music that says what their pathetic, normal lives cannot: I am cursed. I am beautiful. I am breaking.

We do not write music to scare them. We write music to validate the wound.

On this night, when the world lets its shadows breathe, our purpose is simple and absolute: to provide the symphony of damnation that will not just haunt you for one night, but maybe forever?.

Your own darkness is not a secret to be kept; it is the fuel for our fire. You do not listen to Knife in the Dark to escape your pain—you listen to validate the wound. We are not a band to follow; we are the sickness you already possess.

This Halloween, tear off the mask. Stop pretending. Step into the ruin we have perfected.

The Dagger does not just cut you; it claims you. Find your damnation in our sound. Now sink it deep and let the masterpiece bleed.

The article Why Halloween Is The Dagger’s True Holy Day appeared originally on Horror Facts.

It was a Halloween Eve drop that felt less like a marketing stunt and more like a threat—exactly the kind Scream fans have come to crave. Paramount unveiled the first full trailer for Scream VII late Monday night, timed to the hour when trick-or-treaters head home and the quiet dread of the holiday settles in: a perfect bookend to the franchise’s 1996 debut, which turned suburban autumnal unease into horror legend. The film slashes into theaters February 27, 2026—no spooky-season fanfare, just a frigid late-February date that hints at the cold, unforgiving stakes ahead.

For the first time since Scream 4, Neve Campbell steps fully back into the center of Sidney Prescott’s story. After ceding the spotlight to a new generation of Woodsboro survivors in the last two installments, Sidney isn’t just fighting a masked killer here—she’s fighting for the life she built to outrun them. She’s settled in a small, unnamed town where the biggest drama is the high school bake sale; she’s got a home with a porch swing and a daughter she named Tatum (Isabel May)—a quiet, loving tribute to the best friend she lost before the first Ghostface ever unmasked himself.

That tribute becomes a target when a new killer emerges: one who doesn’t waste time with taunting phone calls or meta gags. The trailer’s opening minutes cut between idyllic shots of Sidney and Tatum at a farmers’ market and quick, brutal flashes of violence: a broken window, a Ghostface mask glinting in a car’s headlights, Tatum locking her bedroom door in a silent panic. The official synopsis drives the point home: “When a new Ghostface sets his sights on the quiet life Sidney Prescott has fought decades to build, her darkest fear is realized: her daughter is next. To protect Tatum, Sidney must confront the ghosts she thought she buried—even if it means digging up the most painful parts of her past.”

The trailer doesn’t just lean on Sidney’s legacy, though—it dredges up the franchise’s most iconic ghosts, too. Returning cast members include Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, whose sharp edge has softened but not dulled after years of covering Ghostface’s reign; Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, reprising their roles as Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin, the niece and nephew of Randy Meeks who’ve become the new generation’s moral compass. David Arquette also returns in a role the trailer teases as more than a nostalgic cameo—his brief, somber scenes hint that even the losses Sidney thought were final aren’t just memories anymore.

But the trailer’s final beat is the one that sent social media into a frenzy: a low, familiar laugh, followed by a distorted voice that growls, “You thought you could name her after her? Cute.” Longtime fans won’t need a second listen to place it: Matthew Lillard, whose Stu Macher was left for dead in the original Scream’s fiery finale, is back—and not just in a throwaway flashback. Lillard, who’s been teasing his return in cryptic Instagram posts for months, told reporters last week: “I’m thrilled to be back. This isn’t just fan service—this is a story that needed to be told. The movie’s fantastic, and I’m really excited for people to see it. It’s not gonna ruin the franchise—that’s the good news.”

Helming Scream VII is Kevin Williamson, the original franchise scribe who defined Scream’s signature balance of meta humor and gut-punch terror. Teaming with Scream (2022) and Scream VI writer Guy Busick, Williamson has promised this entry will “close the loop” on Sidney’s story—though anyone who’s seen a Scream movie knows better than to trust a promise of closure. Set two years after the New York City bloodbath of Scream VI, the film leans into the quiet paranoia of small-town life: the idea that even the place you run to for safety can hide a killer in plain sight.

Joining the legacy cast is a roster of faces both fresh and familiar to genre fans: Mckenna Grace, whose sharp, wary energy fits perfectly into the Scream mold; Joel McHale, bringing his signature dry wit to a small-town sheriff’s role that the trailer hints might be more complicated than it seems; and Anna Camp, Ethan Embry, and Tim Simons, whose brief, tense scenes suggest they’re not just cannon fodder.

If the trailer is any indication, this Ghostface is different. He’s not just trying to kill—he’s trying to erase. A voiceover in the trailer promises to “burn all of it down: the house, the kid, the lie that you ever got away.” For Sidney Prescott, who’s survived more than any one person should, that’s the ultimate threat: not just her own death, but the end of the life she built to prove the killers wrong.

The trailer closes with Sidney staring down a Ghostface who’s standing on her porch, Tatum’s backpack at his feet. She grabs a kitchen knife from behind her back, her voice steady: “You picked the wrong mom to mess with.”

It’s a line that feels both new and timeless—exactly what Scream has always done best.

The article Scream 7 Trailer Drops appeared originally on Horror Facts.

Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment is throwing rice at the altar of pop culture’s greatest midnight monster. Just in time to mark 50 gloriously unhinged years of fishnets, freaks, and toast, Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror unleashes itself on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital on October 20.

This isn’t just a documentary. It’s a glitter-drenched, callback-filled, high-heeled deep dive into how a shabby little stage show mutated into the single most obsessive cult film on the planet. Rocky Horror didn’t just break new ground—it ripped out the floorboards, danced on the rubble, and told the world to shiver with antici… pation.

Featuring an all-star lineup of contributors—from Richard O’Brien and Tim Curry to Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn—Strange Journey maps the show’s origin on London’s fringe theatre circuit to its takeover of late-night cinema screens worldwide. Hell, even Jack Black and Trixie Mattel show up, because let’s face it: everyone has a Rocky Horror story. And half of them involve a corset.

Directed by Linus O’Brien—yes, that O’Brien, son of the Riff Raff himself—there’s more than just history here. There’s blood. There’s sweat. And a hell of a lot of lipstick. This is Rocky stripped bare, rebuilt, and appreciated not just for the absurd spectacle, but the deeper truth baked into every verse of “Sweet Transvestite” and every shadow cast on those theatre walls. What began as a gender-bending B-movie musical became something personal. A lifeline. A sanctuary. A rebellion.

Rocky Horror didn’t just influence pop culture. It became it. The kind of phenomenon that hit harder than anyone expected—and never went away. What started in a busted theatre became a global echo chamber of weirdness, freedom, identity, and noise. And Strange Journey doesn’t just tell that story. It feels it.

Premiering at Sheffield DocFest before racking up awards like the Audience Prize at GAZE Film Festival, the film has carved out its own corner amongst this year’s must-watches—not just for horror fans, but for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider until the lights went down and that red lip sticked mouth filled the screen.

Fifty years later, Rocky Horror isn’t a relic. It’s a revolution covered in glitter and gore.
And it’s still dancing in the aisles.

Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror
Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital October 20.

Watch the official trailer below and get ready to do the time warp—again.

The article STRANGE JOURNEY: THE STORY OF ROCKY HORROR CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF CULT-SOAKED CHAOS appeared originally on Horror Facts.