By the way, what is the deadline for proposals?

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 103: Open House (1987) This is a gorgeous lagoon-style pool that blends in with the grounds, with a lovely waterfall feature. I have a feeling that some of the rocks are fake, in a mini-golf course kind of way, which would cost it major points in terms of being fun to swim in. Aesthetically, though, this is a triumph.

I've been putting this off, because it's the last, so let me just say that these have been a joy! More importantly, the print zine (with a bonus review & bonus writeup cut from S(p)lasher Flicks for space!) is on my Ko-Fi shop.
#horrorsky #booksky #filmsky #openhouse #poolreviews #splasherflicks

Yessss all my music x horror heads activate!
(It’s not like I’ve spent the last 2 weeks hyperfocused on Americana music & horror related writing projects or anything. Nope, couldn’t be me.)

Yessss been waiting

—When someone’s kid is ripping & running & being rambunctious, you are obligated to proclaim, “They’re gonna sleep well tonight!”

Unwritten but ironclad rules for talking to other people about their children:

—When someone tells you how old their kid is, no matter the age, you must respond, “That’s such a fun age.”

—When someone’s kid got into college, no matter the college, you are required to say, “That’s a good school!”

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 102: Colossal (2016) I don't think I need to repeat how unsafe it is to jump into a pool so leaf-covered you can't see what's in there, but my admonition against having a pool you can leap into from an upper story probably does bear repeating.

Damn, have I really not posted a pool review in 5 days? It's a good thing we're almost done, because I guess I'm *close* to overstaying my welcome. Only one more left!
#poolreviews #colossal #splasherflicks #horrorsky #filmsky #booksky

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 101: Don't Breathe 2 (2021) This is another case where, if you can see past its condition, there's a very nice pool to discover. I'm pretty sure the sign at the deep end indicates a depth of 22', which gives it a major advantage over most residential pools. Re-mount that springboard, break out the mop, & you're in business.

We're getting to the end of this journey, scary swim team. Only 2 pools left. Say hello to Detroit again, then say goodbye.
#dontbreathe2 #poolreviews #horrorsky #splasherflicks #filmsky #booksky

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 100: Poison Ivy: The New Seduction (1997) There's something suggestive about the shape of this pool, but I can't quite wrap my hand around it.

It's on just the tip of my tongue, but the cockamamie thing is so hard to grasp it's driving me nuts.
#poolreviews #poisonivy3 #splasherflicks #horrorsky #filmsky #booksky

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 99: Bad Things (2023) The indoor pool could use some opening up. I don't think dark-colored wall tiles are a good idea when the space already feels kind of cramped. The outdoor pool has some nice sky blue accents, but really should be covered in the winter.

If a motel in a horror movie has a pool, it definitely isn't somewhere you want to stay.
#poolreviews #splasherflicks #badthings #horrorsky #filmsky #booksky

Poster for the 2020 film Gretel & Hansel

Bruuuuuuh did the trees in this poster always say “feed”? Is this new? How the hell did I miss that?

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 98: Fever Dream (2021) This is about as minimalist as you can get, & not in a sleek modern way. As in The Stepford Wives, I'm not sure how you can avoid getting your grass clippings in the pool. Amanda is right to worry about the kid falling in, because there's literally nothing to stop that from happening. The phrase "concrete pond" has never been more apt.

Welcome back, scary swim team. Seems like pool fences in horror movies are kind of a feast or famine thing.
#feverdream #horrorsky #filmsky #booksky #poolreviews #splasherflicks

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 97: Cat People (1982) Not as bad as the one in the original film, but that is a very low bar. At least this one has...a window? & a higher ceiling but still, a pool should not feel claustrophobic. The brown tile work, especially around the edge, is really nice though.

Cat People movies are 0 for 2 when it comes to pools I'd want to swim in.
#poolreviews #catpeople #remake #splasherflicks #horrorsky #booksky #filmsky

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 96: Piranha (1978) It's hard to assess this as a swimming pool since, by daylight, it's clearly more of an industrial holding tank. On closer inspection though, it was probably converted from a pool, so those poor kids can be forgiven.

One thing I (Cullen Wade) have never done in my life is hop a fence at night to trespass into somebody's pool. Yes I feel like a fraud, but you know what? You're never too old & summer is almost here. Anybody wanna come with me?
#poolreviews #piranha #splasherflicks #horrorsky #filmsky #booksky

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 95: The Glass House (2001) Minus the flat-edge coping on two sides, this pool is more traditional than you'd expect from the ultra-modern look of the rest of the house. The warm color of the decking & the modest furniture make it downright homey.

What's up scary swim team? Modern architecture leaving you cold? Loosen things up with a humble pool.
#splasherflicks #theglasshouse #poolreviews #horrorsky #filmsky #booksky

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 94: Poltergeist III (1988) This one is all about the view. Very few pools are so dire that they couldn't be redeemed by that vista--which is good, because there's some kind of weird spigot-looking trip hazard where the diving board should be.

I just realized that's not the diving board side. Oh well, it still shouldn't be there.
#poolreviews #poltergeist3 #splasherflicks #horrorsky #booksky #filmsky

I heard they outed Banksy.
Not gonna look it up. I prefer not to know.
Y'all fucked up.

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 93: Lady in the Water (2006) When a pool suggests a heart shape without actually being heart-shaped. Kind of a melted guitar pick. You know I'm not the biggest fan of cantilevered coping, but that can be forgiven. My only note is it seems a tad small for an apartment complex of this size.

I'm one of those weirdos who thinks Shyamalan's Lady in the Water is a horror film but Trap is not.
#poolreviews #splasherflicks #filmsky #horrorsky #booksky #ladyinthewater #mnightshyamalan

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 92: Let the Right One In (2008) I promise this is the last time I'll mention this: we in North America should be taking notes from the Scandinavians on proper lighting for a public swimming pool. The pastel colors on the bleacher fronts also help to make this a cheerful environment. The water level could be higher, but that's a design choice, not neglect.

And with that, we've reached the last of the movies people keep asking me about. It's mostly deep cuts from here on in, folks!
#filmsky #booksky #horrorsky #lettherightonein #poolreviews #splasherflicks

Only 2 Black writers have ever won original screenplay Oscars, & both were for horror films.

Only 2 horror films have ever won original screenplay Oscars, & both were by Black writers.

If Javier Bardem wasn’t goated already, he definitely is now. 🖤🤍❤️💚

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 91: Swimfan (2002) I didn't go to high school in the New Jersey suburbs, so I don't know how common it is for schools there to have repurposed public bathhouses from the 1940s with balconies & intricate mosaics but I can't help feeling like I missed out.

Oh no! I missed a day yesterday! Guess we get an extra day of fun.
#swimfan #poolreviews #horrorsky #filmsky #booksky #splasherflicks

No choice but to post Velicity from Evil Bong 2.
You read that right. VELICITY.

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 90: The Hunger (1983) Without an establishing shot for context, we'll never get clarity on (a) what this fancy restaurant that overlooks a clothing-optional swimming pool is all about, (b) why said pool is so bare-bones & industrial-looking, & (c) why the lights are off.

"It's a movie, just go with it" is not a thing in my world, but if I were to extend that courtesy to any filmmaker, it would be Tony Scott.
#filmsky #horrorsky #booksky #poolreviews #splasherflicks #thehunger #lesbianvampires

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 89: The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) Not much to say. Modest-sized, kidney-shaped, well-maintained, no-frills backyard pool. Gets the job done & looks good doing it. Probably no more than 6' at its deepest though, so I hope you aren't dead-set on diving.

Welcome back to suburbia, scary swim team. There's a lot to look at.
#poolreviews #slumberpartymassacre #splasherflicks #horrorsky #booksky #filmsky #slashers

PAPER CUTS: “S(P)LASHER FLICKS” Wets Our Appetite For Unique Analysis (REVIEW) — Macabre Daily Review of the new book by Cullen Wade, “S(p)lasher Flicks: The Pool In Horror Cinema” (2026) where he does a deep dive into the psycholgoy, sociology, and symbolic meaning of the swimming pool within ...

@scaredsane.bsky.social at @macabredaily.bsky.social followed up our cool interview with this extremely complimentary #bookreview of S(p)lasher Flicks!

www.macabredaily.com/articles/pap...
#splasherflicks #booksky #horrorsky

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 88: The Twilight Zone: "The Bewitchin' Pool" (1964) Pool is so dang big they can't even fit the whole thing in one shot. Extremely excessive for a 4-person family. Also, unrelated, but I could never figure out why the parents talk like Mid-Atlantic yuppies but the kids sound straight outta the Georgia pines.

@svengoolieofficial.bsky.social reminded me last week that Son of Frankenstein is even more nonsensical with the accents.
#poolreviews #horrorsky #filmsky #booksky #twilightzone #splasherflicks

gonna tell my kids that every reference to "crypto" from the 2020s was actually short for cryptofascism & they will believe me because literally all of it will make sense

S(p)lasher Flicks Pool Reviews Day 87: Fright Night (2011) Not sure why there's a full pool at a vacant house (especially in the desert), but I like the tile work. It's hard to be certain but I think that's a sun bench in the corner, which is always a nice feature.

In order for it to work, you have to believe in it, & I believe that this movie works.
#poolreviews #splasherflicks #horrorsky #filmsky #booksky #frightnight