Awright, first things f*ckin' last…
I just saw a clip of Robert Englund, iconic in his role as Willie on the old TV show “V”…oh, and also as the
horror legend Freddy Krueger, talking about the Nightmare on Elm Street remake, and why it didn't work out ...

The Before Picture
Banes at 12:00AM, Nov. 4, 2021The Horror Group Shot
Banes at 12:00AM, Oct. 28, 2021
There are a handful of cinematic “group shots” that showcase an ensemble of characters in a memorable way.
The Avengers in their first movie have one where they're finally all together, back to back in a circle to face the invading alien army.
There's the Usual Suspects in ...
Horror is Living Forever
Banes at 12:00AM, Oct. 21, 2021
Living Forever
Robert Zemeckis, director of Back to the Future, Forest Gump, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit among other great movies, made a more obscure dark comedy called Death Becomes Her. The subject matter involves magic related to living forever…even after you're technically dead.
This has always been ...
Horror and Morality
Banes at 12:00AM, Oct. 15, 2021
The idea of “sin” is a prevalent one in horror stories. In terrifying tales, the monstrous against the human also explores good vs. evil.
There is often a “sin” perpetrated by horror Protagonists. The classic Psycho begins with Marion Crane stealing money from her job. Her intentions are understandable, maybe ...
Horror, and the Broken
Banes at 12:00AM, Oct. 14, 2021
I'm wounded but you can't see it!
A lot of stories involve a wounded and/or flawed character. It's a staple of strong storytelling; a character has some kind of pain or wound to overcome, and that's the inner journey they take along with whatever outward ...
Horror and Technology
Banes at 12:00AM, Oct. 7, 2021
I remember when cell phones began to get popular and pervasive. As a fan of horror movies, I said to myself “well, that's the end of a lot of horror stories!”
With cell phones, it doesn't matter if you're stuck at camp or in a creepy house ...
Little Rubber Puppet Monsters
Banes at 12:00AM, Sept. 30, 2021
In the early 80's, thanks to the success of Halloween and Friday the 13th, a slew of slasher movies was released. There was even a documentary about the glut of imitators that flooded the theaters/video stores for a few years.
There was a smaller trend (smaller in several ...
Crime, Law and Fiction based on the Four Directions
Banes at 12:00AM, Sept. 23, 2021
Malcolm Gladwell was in an interview, and expressed a theory, or mini-theory. He talked about the show Law and Order and how it works, with almost every episode a comforting victory of the system.
From there, he theorized four types of fictional approaches, calling them the Western, the Eastern, the ...
Things You Wish They Taught in School
Banes at 12:00AM, Sept. 9, 2021
I've had the conversation multiple times - maybe based on something I read in the past - that the
business of taking care of your money, your credit, taxes and expenses is something that was never touched on when I went to school.
Well, these have been proclamations rather than conversations ...
Through A Mirror Darkly
Banes at 12:00AM, Sept. 2, 2021
Star Trek: A Piece of the Action
So this could be considered Part Three of my loose-knit series on science fiction: The Distorted Society.
This is a sci-fi convention where there is an Earth…or another planet, at least somewhat Earth-like, that has some aspect of society that is a ...