Elvira Halloween Party Decor Collection by Beistle

Image from Party with Beistle

Elvira, the Mistress of the Dark and Queen of Halloween, has partnered with Beistle, legendary proprietors of Halloween and party decor, to unveil a wicked new line of Elvira-themed Halloween party supplies! Seriously, boils and ghouls, this new Elvira party decor is to die for! They've got spooky streamers, fearsome and fun photo signs, creepy centerpieces, and much more macabre items! Think of it - now you can have an Elvira-themed birthday, party, or other celebration with some boo-tiful decor courtesy of Beistle!

Check out the Elvira Beistle products below:

Happy Mother's Slay: 15 Scariest Horror Movie Moms

It's almost Mother's Day (consider this your reminder to call your mother this weekend), when we celebrate everything about our moms! I'm surprised I've never done this before, but I wanted to share some of the scariest moms featured in horror movies. Note: Before you go any farther, please note that there will be spoilers below - if you haven't seen the films mentioned, please don't read the descriptions as they will give key plot points away! Consider yourself warned...

Check out my list of the 20 Scariest Horror Movie Moms below:

Watch Now on Netflix: Raw

Stop everything you're doing and go watch Raw on Netflix now! It is one of my favorite films I've seen this year, and I am so excited that it is finally on Netflix so it can reach a wider audience. This French-Belgian film was brave, bold, and had plenty of cringe-worthy moments throughout.

Watch Now on Netflix: XX (2017)

I am so behind on my Netflix recommendations, please accept my apologies! Netflix doesn't seem to be releasing many new horror movies lately, but there are still some gems to be found. I recently revisited the horror anthology film XX, which was added to Netflix streaming not too long ago. This horror anthology is unique in that each segment is directed by a woman and each story is told from a female point of view. I had seen it previously but remember being underwhelmed. However, I decided to give it another shot and actually liked it a lot better the second time around!

The Herd, the First Feminist Vegan Horror Film

I recently watched the horror short The Herd, which has been dubbed "the first feminist vegan horror film", and I was absolutely blown-away! It is such a visceral, disturbing short film from the talented Melanie Light (I previously reviewed her short film Switch on my old horror site - an archive of this is available HERE). This short comes at a perfect time, as February is Women in Horror Month (in past years I covered this awesome event on my old horror site - full archives of these articles are available HERE)!

This award-winning short is directed by Melanie Light, written by Ed Pope, and stars Pollyanna McIntosh, Victoria Broom, Charlotte Hunter, with Dylan Barnes, Jon Campling, Francessca Fowler, Andrew Shim and Sarah Jane Honeywell.

In the short, young women are imprisoned in dirty, small pens, artificially inseminated, and when they give birth they have their newborns ripped away (male babies are simply discarded in a trashcan to die, females are kept alive, but raised to suffer the same fate as their mothers), are poked and prodded, tortured and taunted by their captors, hooked up to milking machines, and when they are unable to produce babies and milk, killed. It is horrifying how these women are treated, and early on you develop a seething hate for their tormentors. Who in their right mind would treat a human being this way? If you expand that thinking a bit more, you may ask, who would ever treat a sentient being that way?? Shockingly, this kind of treatment happens every single day to dairy cows.

Celebrate Women in Horror this February

This February marks the 7th year of the fantastic Women in Horror Month, which is a celebration of all that women do for my favorite genre, whether it be in film, literature, or art. It not only highlights all the work that women already do in the genre, but also encourages women to get involved in horror in all roles, including but not limited to directing, writing, acting, editing, producing, blogging, art, music, and so on. I love that there is a month that showcases so much female talent!

My Top 10 Horror Movies of 2013

Happy New Year, fiends!

I didn't post much horror content on this blog in 2013, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the hell out of a lot of horror movies this past year! I've had a blast with the releases in 2013 and thought it was a pretty decent year for the horror genre overall.

That said, 10 horror movies stood out for me in 2013. Please keep in mind I haven't watched every single horror release, so feel free to let me know what I missed, but also please respect my opinion on *my* favorites, which may differ from your own. Also, I've included films that may have had a limited release in 2012 (whether on the festival circuit or limited release) but were given wide (or wider) release in 2013, so please don't come at me with "well, technically, so-and-so is a 2012 release". I know and I don't care since I am going by the wider release date, k?

So without further ado, here is a list of my favorite horror movies from 2013:

Yahoo.com Interviews Me for Women in Horror Month!

This past Valentine's Day I got a pretty rad gift...I was featured on Yahoo.com for Women in Horror Month!! I'm a little late sharing the link on here for a few reasons: 1.) I've been super-busy, 2.) I was out of town and "out of the office" for a while, and, lastly, 3.) I didn't want to overshadow other great (and more meaningful) Women in Horror celebrations happening!

But I'm sharing now, so if you haven't checked it out already, go read it! Since I do a lot of interviews over at Fatally-Yours.com, it was refreshing to be answering questions instead of asking them. It was pretty exciting being interviewed (not to mention an honor), and I think it turned out well.

Check it out below and tell me what you think!

Celebrating 'Women in Horror Recognition Month' with Fatally-Yours.com

My Top 10 Female Horror Villains

When people think of females in horror films they usually imagine a woman running away from a killer, usually stumbling as she screams for the help that will never arrive. In your mind's eye she is probably scantily clad (pervs!) and usually makes boneheaded decisions while trying to escape the killer. Most women in horror films experience graphic, violent deaths...unless, of course, they are the ones perpetrating them!!

While female horror villains are a much rarer breed than female horror victims, they are every bit as vicious, manipulative, violent and evil as their male counterparts. Just take a look at my personal top 10 selections below. And perhaps next time when you think of women in horror you won't think of the stereotypical damsel in distress but of these lovely and deadly ladies!

Katharine Isabelle in Ginger Snaps

Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) – Ginger Snaps 

I feel weird putting Ginger on a "villain" list because I love this feisty character so much and really feel sympathetic towards her during most of her transformation. However, she veers from sympathetic sexpot to bloodthirsty biotch as soon as she butchers that poor, innocent janitor and goes on to become a (literal) man-eater.

 Barbara Steele in Black Sunday

Princess Vajda (Barbara Steele) – Black Sunday

This evil princess vows revenge after being killed for practicing witchcraft and true to her word returns from the dead for vengeance. The stunning Barbara Steele steals the show in this gothic Mario Bava tale, playing both the evil Princess Vajda and her innocent descendant.

Samara in The Ring

Samara (Daveigh Chase) – The Ring

I'm not ashamed to admit that this film scared the holy you-know-what outta me when it first came out and is one of the few remakes that actually improves upon its predecessor. And Samara, whoooo wheee...well, who hasn't had nightmares about her crawling out of that TV?

 Lesley Gilb in Lemora, A Child's Tale of the Supernatural

Lemora (Lesley Gilb) – Lemora, A Child's Tale of the Supernatural

Not many people have heard of this film, but it is an underrated, fairy-tale-like horror movie that's an analogy to growing up. The vampire Lemora is a frightening character because she is the ultimate corrupter of innocence, and yet she is also very beguiling and charming.

 Patty McCormack in The Bad Seed

Rhoda Penmark (Patty McCormack) – The Bad Seed

Childhood and innocence don't always go hand-in-hand, and little Rhoda Penmark is definitely proof of this! This evil child likes getting other people in trouble, causing "accidents" and is generally rotten to the core. Which, of course, is why she is so darn endearing!

Béatrice Dalle in Inside

La Femme (Béatrice Dalle) – Inside

When was the last time I was truly shocked during a film? That'd be the first time I saw Inside a year or two ago. "La Femme" (aka "The Woman") is an absolutely terrifying villain and proof of the brutality that women are capable of. Don't think women can be intense and merciless villains? Check this film out...it will prove you wrong.

 Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) – What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 

An absolute classic performance from the legendary Bette Davis. She makes crazy look so deliciously EVIL!

 Eihi Shiina in Audition

Asami (Eihi Shiina) – Audition

Think you'll never find the right mate? Well, whatever you do, don't hold "auditions" to find a girlfriend/boyfriend and have them find out that they "auditioned" for the part of your significant other. Or you just might find yourself at the wrong end of a piano wire that can cut through flesh and bone easily. I'll never forget the "Kiri kiri kiri kiri kiri kiri!" sounds Asami makes...

Angela Bettis in May

May Dove Canady (Angela Bettis) – May

Poor misunderstood May...all she wanted was some friends to play with! This is another character who I absolutely love and don't really think of as a "villain". How can you not love a girl who reads anatomy books for fun and gets to make out with Jeremy Sisto AND Anna Faris?

Mater Suspiriorum (Suspiria), Mater Tenebrarum (Inferno), Mater Lachrymarum (Mother of Tears)

The Three Mothers (Mater Suspiriorum, the Mother of Sighs, Mater Tenebrarum, the Mother of Darkness/Shadows and Mater Lachrymarum, the Mother of Tears) from Argento’s "Mothers" trilogy (Suspira, Inferno, Mother of Tears) 

Technically, this should count as three separate villains, but since they are all part of the same trilogy (and I do what I want!) I'm counting them as one. These three witches have been around for millennium before being released in each of the three films above. The Mother of Sighs (Mater Suspiriorum) is the oldest and wisest, residing in Germany before dance student Suzy Banyon (Jessica Harper) defeats her in Suspiria. The Mother of Darkness (Mater Tenebrarum) is the youngest and cruelest, residing in New York City until defeated in Inferno. However, the most powerful and most beautiful is the Mother of Tears, Mater Lachrymarum, who resides in Rome until her undoing at the hands of Sarah Mandy (Asia Argento) in Mother of Tears.

Honorable mention: Marie (Cécile De France) - Haute Tension, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates) - Misery, the villain in Tale of Two Sisters (to avoid spoilers, I won't give her name), the Merrye women in Spider Baby, the killer in Alice, Sweet Alice, Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) in Carrie, Mum (Elizabeth Moody) from Dead Alive, Angela (Amelia Kinkade) from Night of the Demons, Muffy/Buffy (Deborah Foreman) from April Fool's Day, the Bride of Frankenstein (though I don't really consider her a villain), Mary Lou from the Prom Night sequels, and, just for kicks, Serial Mom (Kathleen Turner)! I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch here...

Question: Who are your favorite female horror villains?

Celebrate Women in Horror with Viscera and Bleedfest Film Festivals This Weekend

If you are in LA, do yourself a favor and check out these two awesome film festivals focused on women in horror!

On Saturday, July 17th, 2010 you've got the first annual Viscera Film Festival (first reported HERE). Viscera has been celebrating women in horror for years (check out our reviews of their short film selections HERE and HERE), but this is the first time they are holding a physical film festival. The festival will be held at the Downtown Independent located at 251 South Main Street, Los Angeles, California starting at 4 PM with a Bloody Carpet Event followed by six hours of horror films by women, including Q & A's with special guests and an awards ceremony. Following the festival will be a KILLER afterparty where you can mingle (and mangle) with the hosts, special guests and fans. You won't want to miss it!!

This year's Viscera Film Festival is being hosted by The Chainsaw Mafia's Shannon Lark (interview) and Pretty-Scary.com's Heidi Martinuzzi (interview). Among the attendees are many women in horror that we interviewed for our amazing Women in Horror Month!

Tickets are only $15 and available now online. Show support for the event by joining Viscera’s Facebook page, making a donation, and purchasing the newly released 2008-2009 Viscera DVD.

The second film fest in honor of women is Bleedfest, hosted by indie filmmaker Lis Fies (interview), director of The Commune (review). Bleedfest is scheduled for Sunday, July 18th, 2010 at the Two Roads Theatre located at 4348 Tujunga Avenue in Studio City, California and will boast three feature-length films from women as well as short films and Q & A's with the filmmakers!

See the schedule below:

Noon-5:30pm

$10 for all day admission. There will be DVD giveaways as well as opportunities to buy the filmmakers' movies.

12 pm In Memorium
1:20 pm Jenine Mayring's short Simone
1:30 Q&A with Mayring
1:45 The Soskas' Dead Hooker in a Trunk (review)
3:15 Q&A with The Soskas
3:45 Lis Fies' The Commune (review)
5:15 Q&A with Fies
5:30 Mingle (and mangle) with fans and filmmakers over drinks and dinner next door at Aroma!

If you are in the Southern California area, you really don't want to miss either of these great film festivals celebrating the talents of the biggest and brightest women filmmakers!

For more information visit Viscera Film Festival's official site and Bleedfest's Facebook page!