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Oh, The Horror: WoC in Horror

Hana Shafi

In this Oh, The Horror, I share some excellent, and undeniably scary, horror films with women of colour in the lead. This was, by far, the most challenging Oh, The Horror post I’ve ever written. The truth is, finding notable mainstream Western horror films for this list wasn’t easy. Several films that popped up in […] More »

Oh, The Horror: Problematic horror

Hana Shafi

While most horror movies have problematic elements, the ones below are the worst. Unlike others, there’s simply no merit in them to overpower the awful parts of the film. 1. Hostel (2005): The Hostel franchise is problematic for a variety of reasons. First and foremost it’s part of the torture porn or “gorno” subgenre and […] More »

Oh, The Horror: Scary seniors

Hana Shafi

Within the darkness of the woods as the wind howls, an old woman emerges from the trees and offers you cookies. Creepy, right? Despite the fact that most of us find comfort in the warm, overly buttery cooking of our grandmothers, old women in horror are the creepiest. You know granny means trouble in a […] More »

Oh, The Horror: Holy horror

Hana Shafi

Thanks to horror movies, I could probably perform a perfect exorcism. I know exactly what demons to look out for, the ways in which they can deceive you during an exorcism, and how to request permission to do one. It’s probably not the most useful thing to know, but I have to admit that much […] More »

Oh, The Horror: Body image

Hana Shafi

The last place I expect to feel bad about my body is when I’m curled up on the couch watching a horror film. Guts being ripped out of peoples stomachs and demon vomit splashing across the screen should hardly make me question whether I’m pretty enough. But then there’s the rest of the horror film. […] More »

Oh, The Horror: Scaretastic Halloween Edition

Hana Shafi

In this very special Halloween edition of Oh, The Horror, I’ve put together a list of horror films that are both frightening and socially progressive. With diverse casts, strong women in the lead, insightful social commentary, and some very eerie twists, these films will keep you screaming in your seats without inducing any angry rants […] More »

Oh, The Horror: Scream queens

Hana Shafi

This is how women are portrayed in horror: dashing through the dark streets in their underwear; half-naked at sorority sleepovers being terrorized; running up the stairs instead of going for the front door; either naked or in their underwear at the worst possible moment; or fully-clothed and making dismal escape attempts. You would think after […] More »

Oh, The Horror: Rise of the torture film

Hana Shafi

One of the most pervasive and totally gross movie trends of the 2000s is the notorious torture film genre—sometimes dubbed “torture porn” or “gorno” (a combination of gore and porno). I may be horror-movie obsessed, but I make it a rule to not watch torture films. They’re the scourge of the horror genre, representing a […] More »

Oh, The Horror: Night of the Living Dead

Hana Shafi

Horror is an endlessly fascinating genre. The idea alone is weirdly sadomasochistic—it’s a genre that profits off watching fictional characters get scared, attacked, murdered, while simultaneously scaring the viewers themselves. But taken at a deeper level, horror explores the disturbing side of human nature, our own twisted, often unspeakable, fantasies coming to life on the […] More »