Cinema Shock

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968): George Romero & The Birth of Modern Horror

For our inaugural series on Cinema Shock, we're digging into the legendary collaboration between George Romero and special effects icon Tom Savini. While Savini didn’t w

John Carpenter's THE THING (1982): Box Office Disaster | Part 4

THE THING bombed at test screenings, got savaged by critics, and lost the summer box office war to E.T. — a failure so bad it nearly ended John Carpenter's career. This e

John Carpenter's THE THING (1982): The Frozen Shoot & the Bus Crash | Part 3

Filming THE THING meant spending weeks in sub-zero temps in Stewart, British Columbia — and a bus crash that nearly killed the cast and crew before the shoot even began.

John Carpenter’s THE THING (1982): Building a Monster From Scratch | Part 2

THE THING (1982) shot its Antarctic scenes on the refrigerated soundstages of Universal Studios, where special effects designer Rob Bottin spent months building creature

THE END OF OAK STREET (2026) | Review

For our August new release review, we're taking a look at the latest film David Robert Mitchell, THE END OF OAK STREET. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor star as parents t

John Carpenter’s THE THING (1982): Nobody Trusts Anybody | Part 1

THE THING (1982) spent years stuck in development as John Carpenter transitioned from low-budget indie successes to his first major studio feature. This episode covers th

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981): World Building on a Budget | Part 2

Expanding the dystopian wasteland of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981) took dirt cheap, surprisingly effective special effects and relentless location scouting. Part 2 of our d

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981): A Script From the Trunk | Part 1

In ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981), John Carpenter gambled his biggest budget yet on transforming a former Disney child star into the ultimate anti-authority badass. Part 1 o

THE FOG (1980) | Saving A Sinking Ship | Part 2

The first cut of THE FOG had no tension. Carpenter knew it, Hill knew it, and the studio knew it. This episode picks up in the editing room, where a finished film was qui

THE FOG (1980): Carpenter's Ghost Story | Part 1

John Carpenter had just made the most profitable independent horror film in history, and his first instinct was to make sure nobody called him a "slasher" director. This

EVIL DEAD BURN (2026) Review | Bonus Episode

Groovy. A new EVIL DEAD movie just hit theaters and we just had to talk about it! Every month, members of CinemaShock+ have the chance to choose what new release we revi

HALLOWEEN (1978): Defining The Slasher | Part 3

John Carpenter: The Shape of Dread The first cut of HALLOWEEN screened for executives and nobody flinched. No score, no sound design — just long quiet shots of suburban

HALLOWEEN (1978): Constructing The Shape | Part 2

John Carpenter: The Shape of Dread The face of modern horror cost two dollars and a can of spray paint. Part 2 of this production history gets into the physical reality

HALLOWEEN (1978): The Babysitter Murders | Part 1

John Carpenter: The Shape of Dread Before Michael Myers became an immortal cinematic icon, he was a nameless shape in a script written for pocket change. This look behin

ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976): Outsmarting the Censors | Part 2

John Carpenter: The Shape of Dread This week, we wrap up our two-part analysis of ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13. Picking up right where we left off, we dive straight into the p

ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976): Urban Western Origins | Part 1

John Carpenter: The Shape of Dread We're kicking off our new retrospective series, John Carpenter: The Shape of Dread, with a two-part look at ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13. Th

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE (2026) Review | CinemaShock+ Picks

By the power of Grayskull, the listeners have spoken! For our June new release review, the members of CinemaShock+ have chosen MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, the major live-act

DARK STAR (1974): John Carpenter's Beginnings (From the Archives)

This week on Cinema Shock, we're beginning our deep dive into the master of genre cinema with John Carpenter: The Shape of Dread. To set the stage, we’re throwing it back

I LOVE BOOSTERS Review: Boots Riley’s Anti-Capitalist Shoplifting Comedy | CinemaShock+ Pick

This week on Cinema Shock, we’re reviewing I LOVE BOOSTERS, a film that injects a shot of adrenaline and style into the modern crime genre. Moving far beyond the typical

FACES OF DEATH (2026) Review: Analyzing the New Era of Shock Cinema | CinemaShock+ Pick

The results of our April poll are in, and the community has spoken. While we had a stacked ballot this month, the votes swung decisively toward the most controversial and