Look Good for the Boys

2024 was a packed year filled with infections, infestations, mutations, mutilations, slashers, sharks, aliens, werewolves, vampires, drag queens (battling vampires), prequels and sequels that were actually good, and not one but two mysteriously pregnant nun movies. It truly was a great year…for horror. So, Andy and Philip have their work cut out for them sorting through this treasure trove and finding the best of the best (and, of course, killing the few bad apples), but no matter what, we are definitely not spitting this time.

As you look over your X-mas haul today, take a moment with us to focus on those horror movies who might not be getting the love they deserve. In the spirit of the holiday, Andy and Philip want to unwrap some very strange and interesting presents: the low-budget Christmas slashers Christmassacre - AKA Secret Santa (2015) and Nutcracker Massacre (2022).

Art is back for the holidays and he’s brought us a whole new portfolio of work to critique. So, put on your Santa suit and grab an axe, chainsaw, or maybe a tube and some rats to help us examine the messy tableau that is Terrifier 3.

Sometimes families of choice are just as challenging as families of origin…especially if said family involves a bossy vampire, a flatulent frankenstein, a gay werewolf, a problematically sexual hunchback, and a mummy with an abusive parasite. So, Andy and Philip are closing their 2024 family therapy sessions with a unique chosen family of monsters in the regional, low budget horror comedy Franky and His Pals (1991).

This American Colonial Genocide and Overconsumption Holiday, it's important to acknowledge that many people don't have family to spend it with. And some of those people also have to battle mish-mash undead child folk monsters and giant poodles to survive the season. Join Andy and Philip as we take a look at the tradition of Friendsgiving and the nowhere-to-be-no-one-to-be-with folks who find themselves together trying not to become the feast in the 1991 horror-comedy The Boneyard.

Bonjour, et bienvenue à Paris! Andy and Philip have travelled across the pond to provide family therapy to a father and daughter (and a secretary with boundary issues) who have often-conflicting struggles. He’s neglecting her needs while trying to perfect his surgical skills. She’s coming of age and wants to find her place in the world. Also, she doesn’t have a face, which becomes a point of concern in the French classic: Eyes Without a Face (1960).

The horrifying non-spooky holidays are fast approaching which means Philip and Andy are once again taking a look at some horror families in need of help. We're kicking off this especially awful November with the legendary Wes Craven's fittingly prescient tale of toxic gender roles, is-it-or-isn't-it incest, and community-versus-capitalism: The People Under the Stairs (1991)

It’s the Big Day and we’re concluding our Very Vertical Stack Halloween by giving notes to the upstart icon Art the Clown on his controversial pieces (and pieces). Pop that nose ring back in and get your grad school vocabulary ready as we take a stroll through the gory galleries of Terrifier (2011), Terrifier (2016), and Terrifier 2 (2022).

We’re getting closer to the big day, and what better way to celebrate than to spend some time with a couple of killers who are putting on their own Halloween showcase of costumes, props, and murder. In the spirit of the holiday, let’s party with Mark and Eddie from Hollow Gate (1988) and Hauntedween (1991).

It’s that special time of year where we dust off the cobwebs just to add more, and Andy and Philip want to visit some films that may have a thicker layer of dust than others, but are just as excited about the holiday season as we are. From small towns to the suburbs, we’re embodying that Halloween spirit with some cozy Vertical Stack creature features: Jack-O (1995) and The Barn (2016).