(Review) Nate Parker's NEWBORN Intrigues As a Social Study but Falters as Horror A review of Newborn (2020) examining Nate Parker’s flawed attempt at psychological horror, elevated by David Oyelowo’s powerful performance but undermined by a weak third act and shallow handling of m...

Our writer Michael Fairbanks says #Newborn had the bones of a haunting prison drama, but Nate Parker fumbles it into generic horror by the third act. David Oyelowo does everything he can to carry it, but even he can’t save that ending. A frustrating near-miss.
tinyurl.com/ys2tfe4x

(SXSW) OVER YOUR DEAD BODY: For Better, for Worse, for Murder. A review of OVER YOUR DEAD BODY, premiering at SXSW, the dark comedy thriller starring Jason Segel and Samara Weaving as a married couple who arrive at the same murderous conclusion about their relati...

OVER YOUR DEAD BODY at @sxsw : proof that til death do us part is more of a suggestion than a vow. Samara Weaving and Jason Segel choose extreme violence and gore over couple counseling. tinyurl.com/bdhbtsbe

Review: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026) –the horror bride takes over SXSW Ready or Not 2: Here I Come storms SXSW 2026 with bigger kills, expanded mythology, and a bloodier game for Samara Weaving’s iconic final girl. This review breaks down how the sequel raises the stakes...

The bride survived… now she’s running the game.
READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME crashes SXSW 2026. My new favorite writer Radek Velicka talks about how the movie brings bigger kills, richer chaos, and a whole lot more rich people to destroy.

tinyurl.com/ysya9eak

(Deep Cuts) Oscar Worthy Acting But Keep Aunt Gladys in the Dark: Why Horror’s Best Villains Don’t Need a Backstory Davalyn Baker examines Amy Madigan’s Oscar-winning performance in Weapons and argues why horror works best when its villains remain mysterious. From Aunt Gladys to Jaws, this piece explores the power ...

Horror finally got its Oscar moment… but are we about to ruin it?
Super excited to have Davalyn Baker join our time as she breaks down why Weapons works so well...and why giving Aunt Gladys a backstory might kill the fear. professorhorror.com/Deep-Cuts-Os...

(Reviews) FACES OF DEATH Is The Best Wes Craven-less Scream Movie Michael Fairbanks reviews Faces of Death and argues why Daniel Goldhaber’s modern horror thriller feels like the best Scream movie without Wes Craven. Blending social media satire, serial killer cinem...

What if the best Scream movie… isn’t a Scream movie? #FacesOfDeath takes meta horror into the algorithm age and actually has something to say about people. @kingofburbank2 breaks it down. #Horror #FacesOfDeath #Scream tinyurl.com/33n2xmwa

Guess who's back? Our #Pleatherface finally watched Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) and wow! turns out the real zombies were us, the consumers, all along. A mall, a helicopter, and a masterclass in social commentary. tinyurl.com/ycyn4aac

(Deep Cuts) What a Hays Code 2.0 Could Mean For Horror What would a modern Hays Code look like? This article explores how political influence and industry power could reshape horror, drawing parallels to Hollywood’s censorship era and examining what today...

What happens when horror gets “cleaned up”? A new Hays Code wouldn’t just censor gore… it would erase queerness, silence dissent, and drain the genre of everything that makes it dangerous. Read Bee Delores' article on Hays Code 2.0. tinyurl.com/33s68696

Any writers/reviewers looking for work? Professor Horror is looking for people to write reviews ($10) or more in-depth analytical pieces ($20). If you have a column or piece to pitch or want to work as a reviewer, please let us know. And share this post if you can. Thanks!

(SXSW) THEY WILL KILL YOU: Toys with the Limbs of Its' Genre Influences A high-energy review of They Will Kill You that explores its Tarantino-inspired storytelling, brutal action sequences, and Zazie Beetz’s breakout performance, while critiquing its thin character devel...

Our new writer Michael Fairbanks says #TheyWillKillYou is part Tarantino remix, part blood-soaked brawler. Zazie Beetz delivers, but the film’s style sometimes outpaces its substance. Still… hard to complain about this chaotic, machete-swinging fun. tinyurl.com/kb6u5rmn

(Deep Cuts) Why Minimalist Home Invasion Horror Still Terrifies Us A deep dive into minimalist home invasion horror, exploring how films like The Strangers, Funny Games, and Hush use simplicity, silence, and confined spaces to create some of the most unsettling and r...

Why are home invasion movies so terrifying? Because they strip horror down to its most brutal truth: it can happen anywhere…even at home. Temmie's debut article looks at home minimalism hits harder than monsters. tinyurl.com/58dsntvx

(SXSW) DRAG Review: Lizzy Caplan Is Down for the Count in This Twisted Home-Invasion Thriller SXSW review of DRAG, the debut thriller from Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer. Starring Lizzy Caplan and Lucy DeVito, this home-invasion gone wrong turns into a brutal, gore-filled survival nightmare...

Lizzy Caplan throws out her back mid-robbery and suddenly #DRAG turns into a full-blown nightmare. Add a terrifyingly chill John Stamos and you’ve got one of @sxsw's most bizarre crowd-pleasers. New writer Courtney Convex reviews the movie here tinyurl.com/ya5bbvne

Talking animals, magical realism, and the worst relationship advice imaginable. Dario Russo’s #TheFox premiered at @SXSW and turns folklore into a hilariously strange tale of infidelity, denial, and one man’s terrible plan to fix his relationship. tinyurl.com/mndkvpw5

Irish Folklore and Haunted Grief: Damian McCarthy’s HOKUM Terrifies SXSW At South by Southwest 2026, Damian McCarthy returns with HOKUM, a chilling folk-horror story blending haunted artifacts, Irish legend, and family trauma. After the success of Oddity, McCarthy once aga...

Irish folklore, haunted artifacts, and a hotel room no one wants to unlock. After scaring @SXSW audiences with #Oddity, Damian McCarthy returns with #Hokum. A folk horror story about the power of stories and the dangers of dismissing them. tinyurl.com/ybkyx4xd 🐇👻

(SXSW) Keep Austin Scared: Five (plus one) Films to Watch at SXSW 2026 A horror lover’s guide to SXSW 2026: Professor Horror highlights six must-see films including Hokum, Ready or Not 2, Fifteen, Never After Dark, and Serling.

#SXSW has quietly become one of the best festivals for horror discoveries, and the 2026 lineup looks ready to impress (and terrify) festival audiences once again. tinyurl.com/mryxcd3a Keep Austin scared! #Hokum #ReadyOrNot2 #OverYourDeadBody #NeverAfterDark #Fifteen #Serling

(Sundance Film Festival Review) THE INCOMER: Islands, Outsiders, and the Stories We Refuse to Leave A Sundance NEXT Innovator Award winner, The Incomer by Lous Paxton is a darkly funny fantasy-drama about two isolated siblings whose island mythology is challenged when a mainland stranger arrives. Bl...

#TheIncomer (@sundancefest NEXT Innovator Award winner) is a bedtime story with teeth. Two siblings, one island, a bureaucrat with paperwork and LOTR fan-fic energy. Darkly funny, weird, about outsiders building realities from fantasy and fear. tinyurl.com/3u57599f

(SXSW) Grubby Cole Reveals Early SXSW Movie SXSW announces its first wave of Film & TV titles, and festival favorite Grubby highlights early standouts like Ready or Not 2, They Will Kill You, and several buzzworthy indie horror picks still seek...

SXSW’s first Film & TV wave is here! @grubbycole will be on site keeping the fest running smooth. Check out his list of must see films at @sxsw.com this year. #SXSW #FilmFest #HorrorMovies. tinyurl.com/yz8r57fx

(Sundance Film Festival) The Horrors of Pregnancy in MUM, I'M ALIEN PREGNANT A Sundance-premiering New Zealand horror-comedy, Mum I’m Alien Pregnant blends grotesque practical effects, alien genital humor, and sharp satire on bodily autonomy, overbearing parents, and the messy...

Alien splooge, practical-effect body horror, and a sharp jab at bodily autonomy Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant is gross, funny, and weirdly profound and Sundance's slimiest sci-fi comedy. tinyurl.com/mb5wmttf

Meet the Members of the 2026 Press Inclusion Initiative Cohort - sundance.org The 2026 Sundance Film Festival began on January 22 and since last Thursday, hundreds of members of the press have been in Park City, Salt Lake City, and beyond (via festival.sundance.org) experiencin...

Here are some articles from the Sundance Film Festival Press Inclusion Initiative. I was absolutely thrilled to be part of this, and will definitely cherish my time at Sundance forever.

www.sundance.org/blogs/meet-t...

(Sundance Film Festival) Once You Go WICKER: Love, Autonomy, and Fairy-Tale Defiance Wicker Than Fiction: Love Without Ownership — WICKER, premiering at Sundance, reimagines the fairy tale as a romance built on agency, devotion, and refusal to be owned. Olivia Colman stars in a story ...

Wicker Than Fiction: Love Without Ownership. #WICKER, premiering at Sundance, reimagines the fairy tale as a romance built on agency, devotion, and refusal to be owned. Olivia Colman stars in a story that is decidedly NOT Beauty and the Beast. tinyurl.com/3jpmjjws

BUDDY Is a Unicorn-Fueled Descent Into Mascot Horror Casper Kelly’s BUDDY twists kids’ TV nostalgia into mascot horror, blending puppet carnage, unsettling cheer, and a surreal collision of TV and reality.

#Buddy played the first midnight at @Sundance and it brought the crowds Mascot horror, puppet chaos, more weirdness from the mind of Casper Kelly. tinyurl.com/59fvbp6v

(Horrified Linguist) “THEY THOUGHT HE WAS FAMILY:” Primate (2025) Our new resident linguist “Wise Up” Katie Weiss launches The Horrified Linguist with a chilling analysis of Primate (2025), exploring language, communication, and what happens when a beloved “family m...

Check out our newest column! Our resident linguist “Wise Up” Katie Weiss dissects how language, family, and animal communication collide in Primate (2025)...and why it makes the horror hit harder. tinyurl.com/4wxw5nt7

Five Horror Movies We’re Dying to See at Sundance (Professor Horror Goes to Park City) Professor Horror attends Sundance for the first time and highlights five must-see horror films, from Midnight chaos to international dread.

Professor Horror is headed to #Sundance for the first time. Midnight chaos, slow-burn dread, and genre weirdness await. These are the 5 films we’re watching closely. Expect vibes, fear, and emotional damage (the good kind). tinyurl.com/yu4u787d

An Unkindness of Ghosts Shows Why the World Is the Real Monster A review of Rivers Solomon’s An Unkindness of Ghosts examining disability, care, and institutional horror aboard a generation ship built to produce suffering.

Life aboard the HSS Matilda is designed to keep order by producing suffering. Rivers Solomon’s AN UNKINDNESS OF GHOSTS is institutional horror...where race, medicine, and power are enforced through policy, not villains. A brutal, necessary read: tinyurl.com/y7t7j9mk

(Movies) All Gore, No Monkeying Around: PRIMATE Delivers Killer-Chimp Chaos PRIMATE delivers killer-chimp horror with practical gore, crowd-pleasing kills, Deaf representation, and a rabies-fueled rampage made for the big screen.

#PRIMATE is fast, nasty, and wildly fun. Big practical gore, a chimp that feels terrifyingly real, and crowd moments that had my theater laughing and screaming. If you love creature features that go hard, check it out in theaters today! tinyurl.com/22benetd

Horror as Absence: When a Body Is Replaced by Memory in JENNIFER MURPHY STILL LIVES A creepy spoken-word horror short narrated by Danielle Harris turns gendered violence into an urban legend, exposing how communities whisper instead of act.

A creepy spoken-word horror short narrated by Danielle Harris turns gendered violence into an urban legend: whispered about, passed down, and never acted on. Watch "Jennifer Murphy Still Lives" and read our analysis at Professor Horror. tinyurl.com/3ftpjzpk
#horror #horrorshort

(Purgatory Video) In a Reverse Cregger, Some of the Best Minds in 1980s Horror Delivered a Culturally Incisive Comedy with AMAZON WOMEN  ON THE MOON A deep dive into Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), this installment of Purgatory Video explores how horror legends Joe Dante, John Landis, and Carl Gottlieb turned late-’80s television culture into a s...

New Year, New Column!
In Purgatory Video, writer @prestonfassel.bsky.social digs up obscure movies. This month, he revisits #AmazonWomenOnTheMoon, a bizarre 1987 sketch comedy by horror legends that predicted the media hellscape we’re living in now. tinyurl.com/ms4vyv3w

Fresh Meat: Discovering Halloween III and the Horror of Consumerism A first-time horror viewer revisits Halloween III: Season of the Witch, unpacking its themes of consumerism, technology, and corporate evil.

Love Halloween III? Hate it? Today, horror newbie #Pleatherface explores this polarizing film on his first-ever watch...going in with almost no prior knowledge and discovering a strange tale of masks, media, and consumer terror. tinyurl.com/237zhxwp

(Review) Anaconda (2025): A Movie About Making Movies (and Loving the Bad Ones) Anaconda (2025) review: a witty, self-aware comedy with Jack Black and Paul Rudd that proves some movies are just meant to be fun and not perfect.

ANACONDA (2025) is a movie about making movies...and loving the bad ones. A love letter to messes, midlife movie dreams, and why sometimes the joke is the point. Don’t expect the first move and just go to have a good time. Out Dec 25. #AnacondaMovie tinyurl.com/2yj9mv8h

Happy last night of Chanukah to everyone!

LOVE deep cuts! The autocorrect is not my friend this morning.