Behind the Monsters

A cheap film shot in 21 days changed the landscape of horror, made several careers, and gave one actress an iconic role that she’s tweaking 42 years later. Today, fans of that first sighting of Michael Myers in 1978 are at the helm of the franchise's newest installments, executing their love for the character through the mask and script.

Filmmaker Bernard Rose's adaptation of Clive Barker's tale, 'The Forbidden' was flipped on its head when he questioned, 'what if the monster in the story was a normal looking black man?' Enter Candyman - the genre's first black slasher, rich with subtext about racial tensions and the martyred black bodies of American history. In 2021, he's coming back - and is perhaps the most relevant horror icon imaginable.

By the 1980's, animatronics had gotten to a level of sophistication where anything you wanted a puppet to say, it could emote. Although 'scary dolls' had been around for years, Chucky brought an authenticity to the trope, through his refined movements and sharp wit. What started as a nasty spin on 80s consumerism flourished over three decades into an unlikely progressive horror property that refuses to get back on the shelf.

In 1984 Wes Craven saw the slasher boom filling screens and took it to the next level by leaving reality behind. In doing so he (and star Robert Englund) created the rock star of slashers, Freddy Krueger. Perhaps the most recognizable horror icon, Freddy Krueger's one-liners and merchanise has proven to be enjoyed by horror and non-horror fans alike. While other slashers carve through teen bodies; Freddy continues to invade our minds.

The producers just wanted to rip off HALLOWEEN. What happened instead was the accidental creation of a machete-wielding avatar of conservative 1980s morality - one that, absent a new entry, a fiercely loyal fanbase has taken to resurrecting on their own. As the horror genre becomes more mainstream, we are seeing Blairstown, NJ - the town where Friday the 13th was filmed - embracing Jason fandom.

When Clive Barker wrote ‘The Hellbound Heart’, he never imagined the character he penned as “Lead Cenobite”, would go on to the become the horrific and undeniable symbol of pleasure and pain and thanks in large part to childhood friend Doug Bradley, the icon of the Hellraiser film franchise. With a reboot in the works and an upcoming series on HBO, this seductive super masochist from hell who will literally tear your soul apart continues to fascinate and enthrall us.