Joe George

Bio

Joe George is a pop culture writer whose work has appeared at Den of Geek, The Progressive Magazine, Think Christian, Sojourners, Men's Health, and elsewhere. His book The Superpowers and the Glory: A Viewer's Guide to the Theology of Superhero Movies was published by Cascade Books in 2023. He is a member of the North Carolina Film Critic's Association.

Info

Job Title: Pop Culture Writer
Competency: Film, Television, Comic Books, Marvel, Star Trek, DC
Alumni: University of North Carolina – Greensboro
Member of: North Carolina Film Critics Association

Additional Posts From This Author

The Best Regina King Movies and TV Series To Celebrate Her Awesome Talent

Jan 30, 2024

Regina King has appeared on screen for so long that people often underestimate her. Since starting out as Brenda, daughter of the Jenkins clan on the sitcom 227, King has worked with some of her generation's best storytellers, including Barry Jenkins and John Singleton. She has won every major award, including an Oscar and...

The Best Tilda Swinton Movies to Make Fans Swoon

Jan 04, 2024

Although she’s been working in movies since the mid-80s, Tilda Swinton has spent the past two decades establishing her reputation as one of the greatest actors of her generation. Few actors can match Swinton for pure fearlessness, and not just because she makes herself unrecognizable from movie to movie. Swinton also chooses complicated and unlikable...

The Best Spider-Man Comics of All Time

Dec 11, 2023

“With great power comes great responsibility.” That well-known phrase captures everything great about Spider-Man. As the most popular superhero in the world, Spider-Man occupies a unique space in culture. His origin story, in which nerdy Peter Parker gets bit by a radioactive spider and uses his newfound abilities for good, has been told and retold...

The Most Awesome Anthony Hopkins Movies Every Fan Should See

Jan 25, 2024

Anthony Hopkins was well into his fifties when became a Hollywood leading man when he won the Best Actor Oscar for playing Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs 1991. But the Welsh-born actor had a full career before that, on stage, television, and film. Throughout his career, Hopkins has demonstrated great range, playing...

The Greatest Captain America Comics To Inspire MCU Fans

Jan 10, 2024

“I’m loyal to nothing, General — except the dream.” That statement may have come in 1986’s Daredevil #233, but it captures the ethos of the hero who said it, Captain America. From his origins as a masked crimefighter on military bases in 1941 to the current status quo, in which both Steve Rogers and Sam...

The Best Tragic Romance Movies for a Valentine’s Day Cuddle

Jan 29, 2024

Happy couples love to watch romance movies on Valentine’s Day, and with good reason. They get to see their story played out on screen and flirt with the idea that theirs is an epic romance, worthy of cinematic spectacle. The same principle applies to those not in a relationship on Valentine’s Day. For every great...

The Best Annette Bening Movies For Fans Everywhere

Feb 08, 2024

As the child of a Kansas insurance salesman and church singer, Annette Bening didn’t seem like the type of person born for greatness. And yet, she has become one of the most respected actors in Hollywood, receiving nominations for Oscars, Tonys, and Emmys, as well as winning several other accolades. The success comes from her...

The Best Movies About Fictional Pop Musicians

Dec 22, 2023

Movies and pop music belong together. Both media understand the power of spectacle, the ability to turn intimate moments into mass media. By that same token, both media struggle with the outsized demands of their respective forms, which sometimes lose small and human moments amidst all of the excesses. As a result, movies about fictional...

The Most Smashing Incredible Hulk Comics

Feb 07, 2024

Most of Marvel’s first heroes debuted in other comics, showing up in anthology titles such as Tales of Suspense and Amazing Fantasy, because editor Stan Lee wasn’t sure that readers would embrace the character. That wasn’t the case with the Hulk, who made his first appearance in 1962’s Incredible Hulk #1. The gamble proved correct,...

The Best Jodie Foster Movies Everyone Needs to See

Jan 11, 2024

Few actors as young as Jodie Foster can say they’ve enjoyed making excellent movies for five decades. From the moment she made her debut in 1972’s Napoleon and Samantha, after years of TV and commercial work, Foster took control of the screen. Since then, she’s worked with major directors such as Martin Scorsese and Spike...

The Best Movie Monsters Ever

Oct 18, 2023

To be sure, people go to horror stories for a good fright. But they go to horror movies in particular to see something frightening, to marvel at the scary spectacle of cinema. Thanks to the power of the movies, even characters who have long literary pedigrees live as movie stars in the public imagination. Although...

The Best Batman Comics of All Time

Dec 07, 2023

Who is Batman? Sometimes, he’s a lone vigilante of the night, a creature whose thirst for vengeance fills criminals with dread. Sometimes, he’s a member of a larger team, such as the Justice League, the Outsiders, or his own extended family of Robins and Batgirls. Sometimes, he’s a figure of compassion, and sometimes, a figure...

The Weirdest 1980s Sci-Fi Movies That Bewildered Audiences

Feb 05, 2024

Cinephiles love to debate their favorite cinematic decades and will find plenty of evidence to back up their claims. But when it comes to the weirdest ten-year run in movies, the 1980s are the uncontested champs. Between the leaps in special effects technology that followed the release of Star Wars and the home video boom...

The Best Jenna Ortega Movies and TV Shows For Fans of the Rising Star

Jan 14, 2024

By the age of 21, Jenna Ortega established herself as one of the most popular and interesting actors of her generation. From her beginnings as a child actor with bit parts in CSI: NY and Iron Man 3 to her star-making performance in the Netflix series Wednesday, Ortega has shown a level of poise and...

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget Review: Artful Animation For Everyone

Dec 15, 2023

The arrival of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget on screens brings to mind a strange historical perspective. Those of us old enough to have watched the original Chicken Run in 2000 might recall a memorable trailer included with the film’s home video release, one that advertised a new movie called Shrek. Dreamworks SKG distributed...

Sam Raimi’s Movies Ranked Best to Worst

Feb 04, 2024

Sam Raimi may sound like an unassuming Midwesterner, but his films are an art form. Frequently collaborating with Bruce Campell, he's made some of the most intense and inventive horror films of all time. Raimi and Campbell made their mark with The Evil Dead in 1981, a basic cabin-in-the-woods story elevated by Raimi’s exciting direction....

The Best Bluey Episodes of Cartoon Phenomenon

Jan 17, 2024

At first glance, the Australian Bluey looks like one of hundreds kids' shows that clogs streaming services. Presented with simplistic animation with thick linework and bright primary colors, each episode runs about seven minutes long and follows Australian Blue Heeler Bluey, her Red Heeler sister Bingo, and her parents Bandit and Chili. However, the show’s...

The Best Paul Newman Movies

Feb 02, 2024

Like his sometime partner Robert Redford, Paul Newman bridged between the studio system that dominated Hollywood through the 1960s and the New Hollywood approach that rose to prominence in the 1970s. A classically handsome actor who loved to play duplicitous and often complex characters, Newman starred in some of the greatest films of all time,...

The Strangest Comic Book Crossovers of All Time

Feb 02, 2024

Every comic book fan loves a good crossover, a team-up or a battle between characters from different books. It gives readers a chance to see how their favorites measure up with one another and lets creators play with characters they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. In most cases, these crossovers stay in the realm of...

The Worst Star Trek Aliens (and How They Make the Best Aliens Even Better)

Jan 29, 2024

Since its debut in 1966, Star Trek has given pop culture some of the greatest aliens of all time. Vulcans, Klingons, and the Borg appeal to more than just sci-fi nerds and have become parts of the larger lexicon. But not every alien in Trek deserves such praise. With hundreds of episodes to air, producers...

The Best Green Lantern Comics in the Universe

Jan 13, 2024

Since the Green Lantern debuted in 1940, hundreds of characters have used the moniker, ranging from human beings to countless alien variations. No matter who bore the name, however, every Green Lantern shared one key characteristic: an emerald power ring that channeled the user’s willpower into amazing glowing constructs. Although the specifics change from time...

The Greatest Superhero Romances in Comics History

Jan 28, 2024

Most people associate superheroes with derring-do and blockbuster action, but the genre involves more than just muscleheads punching one another into submission. Whether in comic books, movies, or television shows, superhero stories have a history of romance. For those who want a bit of ardor with their galactic escapades and costumed crusades, the genre features...

Aewesome Supernatural Romance Movies to Watch This Valentine’s Day

Jan 28, 2024

Halloween may have come and gone but that doesn’t mean the spooky holidays have stopped. In fact, Valentine’s Day might be the scariest holiday this side of October. From a general fear of commitment to the terror of discovering that a loved one isn’t who they seemed, Valentine’s Day involves a lot more than hearts...

The Best Wedding Movies to Watch This Valentine’s Day

Jan 31, 2024

As the old saying goes, first comes love, and then comes marriage. So, while a lot of people might watch movies on a date this Valentine’s Day, thoughts of marriage don't linger too far behind. What better genre for lovers to watch than wedding movies? From dramas to comedies to even horror, movies about the...

25 of the Strangest Movies We’ve Ever Watched

Jan 27, 2024

What's the oddest movie you've ever seen that made you ask yourself, “What on Earth did I just watch?” Here are some of the weirdest and most out-there movies we've seen. Warning: this list contains potential spoilers. 1. Head (1968) In the 1960s, cool kids were into The Beatles and squares were into The Monkees....

22 Superhero Movies and TV Shows From the 1970s and 1980s

Dec 14, 2023

Superheroes stormed pop culture 2000s, with 2002’s Spider-Man, and then The Dark Knight and Iron Man in 2008, which brought the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the world. Even before the golden age of superhero media, Hollywood and Burbank knew that comics provided fertile storytelling ground. So they brought superheroes to screens big and small, sometimes...

The Best 1990s Crime Movies To Keep Viewers Riveted

Jan 27, 2024

For some Americans, the 1990s marked a time of peace and prosperity. For others, it was a time of exacerbated inequality and violence. That duality helps explain the explosion of crime movies during the decade. Although cinema has always loved those on the wrong side of the law, as in the noir boom of the...

Classic John Cusack Movies For Casual Fans

Jan 26, 2024

John Cusack has had a career that any performer would envy. It’s not just his longevity, but also the range of parts he’s played. From his beginnings as the star of off-beat teen comedies to his most recent work in action movies produced overseas, Cusack has over 75 film credits to his name. These John...

The Most Wondrous Wonder Woman Comics of All Time

Jan 22, 2024

Wonder Woman isn’t the first female superhero ever created. That honor belongs to the Will Eisner Tarzan riff Sheena the Queen of the Jungle. But when Wonder Woman debuted in 1941’s All-Star Comics #1, she soon became the most important female superhero, a position she continues to hold today. The brainchild of psychologist William Moulton...

The Best Patrick Stewart Performances, Ranked

Dec 01, 2023

When Paramount announced Patrick Stewart as the next captain of the USS Enterprise, Trekkies raised an eyebrow with Spock-like incredulity. The patrician actor felt a far cry from William Shatner’s James T. Kirk, and not just because he did not attempt to cover his bald head. After a couple seasons of Star Trek: The Next...

The Most Mythic and Magnificent Thor Comics Ever Released

Jan 21, 2024

Thor existed long, long before the Marvel Comics universe launched in 1961. Even after people stopped believing in Norse deities, they still told stories about the God of Thunder and other heroes of Asgard, tales that have endured for generations. When Jack Kirby and Stan Lee took on the character in 1962's Journey into Mystery...

The Most Beloved Film and TV Robots That Made Fans Swoon

Jan 24, 2024

Believe it or not, the word “robot” is just over a century old, having first appeared in the play R.U.R. by Czech writer Karel Čapek. But the concept of artificial humans has existed as long as people have made machines, tracing its origins to the stories of Pinocchio, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Golem. It’s not...

The Most Underused DC Villains that Deserve Better

Jan 20, 2024

The Joker and Lex Luthor have existed for over 80 years and have been portrayed by Oscar-winning actors such as Gene Hackman and Joaquin Phoenix. They have crossed over into every type of media and in works aimed at every audience. Any comic book universe would be thrilled to have one baddie of their caliber,...

Twenty-Five Classic Universal Monster Movies, Ranked Best to Worst

Jan 19, 2024

Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Wolf Man didn’t originate in movies; they first appeared in folk tales and literature. But for nearly 100 years, the looks and behaviors of these classic monsters have followed the model set by Universal Pictures, the studio that enjoyed two decades of hits about these ghostly creatures. Thanks to massive...

The 25 Worst Oscar Winners of All Time

Jan 17, 2024

The Academy Awards honor the best in cinema of their respective years. At least, they're supposed to do that. Oscar voters often come under scrutiny when choosing between several popular nominees, as when Robert Zemeckis won Best Director for Forrest Gump in 1995 over Quentin Tarintino for Pulp Fiction and Krzysztof Kieślowski for Three Colors:...

The Weirdest Marvel Characters in the Marvel Universe

Jan 20, 2024

Once upon a time, only a select few nerds had strong feelings about Rocket Raccoon or Groot. Thanks to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these characters have become household names. But that doesn’t mean that all have Marvel’s oddballs have gone mainstream. The House of Ideas still has plenty of weirdos in its...

The Greatest Creature Feature Movies of All Time

Jan 18, 2024

Monsters predate cinema by centuries, but monster stories found their ultimate medium with the invention of the motion picture. Movies best capture the awesome sights, the inexplicable horror, the overwhelming majesty of monsters. For that reason, it’s no surprise that monsters have been mainstays of the movies since the silent era and continue to thrive...

The Most Underused Marvel Villains

Jan 18, 2024

Everyone knows Green Goblin, Magneto, and Thanos (not to mention their cinematic counterparts). But the Marvel Universe has a bad guy bullpen that goes much deeper than these big names. Even as the MCU has brought some strange characters into the popular consciousness, including M.O.D.O.K. and Killmonger, there remain many characters who haven’t been given...

25 Spookiest Episodes of Star Trek

Jan 15, 2024

In most episodes of Star Trek and its various spin-offs, members of Starfleet approach the unknown not with a sense of fear but with hope and optimism, confident that any threat can be overcome with empathy and logic. But that doesn’t prevent writers from testing these bold explorers of the future with some scary episodes....

The 25 Worst Superhero Movies Ever Made

Jan 14, 2024

Even the most die-hard, fanatical superhero fan will admit that the genre has fallen on hard times. Sure, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were hits, but they came amidst critical and financial failures like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Flash. As disappointing as these recent movies may...

The 23 Worst Movie Hits of the 1980s

Jan 12, 2024

The 1970s invented the Hollywood blockbuster, first with Jaws and then Star Wars. But the blockbuster came of age in the 1980s. During that heady decade, Hollywood figured out how to make big, glossy, and incredibly satisfying pictures, many of which launched franchises. Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, and Ghostbusters became part of the...

The Most Amazing Fantastic Four Comics Ever Produced

Jan 16, 2024

Stan Lee didn’t want to write superheroes. Although he wrote Captain America stories when he started working for his Uncle-in-Law Martin Goodman’s companies Timely, and later Atlas Comics, the bursting of the superhero bubble after World War II allowed him to focus attention on sci-fi and teen melodrama stories. But after Justice League of America...

The Best Avengers Comics Ever Published

Jan 05, 2024

When Marvel Comics publisher Martin Goodman saw the colossal success of DC Comics Justice League of America, he told his editor-in-chief Stan Lee to copy that approach. Still wary of the superhero bust that tanked most comic book companies after World War II, Lee followed his editor's advice just in part, creating a family of...

The Best Star Trek Episodes that Define the Phenomenon

Jan 11, 2024

In 1969, after a fan letter-writing campaign convinced NBC to give the series a third season, Star Trek came to an end. And yet, more than forty years later, Star Trek goes boldly on, with five series releasing new episodes in 2023 alone. How can a show that faced cancelation several times before airing even...

The Best Flash Comics Ever

Jan 11, 2024

Forget Superman or Spider-Man. The Flash might be the most important superhero of all time. The Flash founded the Justice Society of America, the first major superhero team. The Flash brought the multiverse to comics. The Flash featured a kid sidekick taking over for his fallen mentor. And, on multiple occasions, the Flash (and Flash...

The Best Western Movies of the 21st Century

Dec 29, 2023

Westerns are a genre of the past. Not just the post-Civil War era in which the genre flourished, when dime novels spun tales of Calamity Jane and Billy the Kid, but also the classic Gene Autry and John Wayne movies of the 1950s or even the revisionist Westerns of the 60s and 70s. All have...

The Best Justice League Comics of All Time

Jan 04, 2024

The Justice League of America may not be the first superhero team of all time — that honor belongs to the Justice Society of America. But they are the most important. After the long superhero drought that followed the end of World War II, DC Comics brought the superhero back into vogue by revamping their...

The Worst Hit Movies of the 1990s

Dec 05, 2023

After the excesses of the 80s, the 1990s seemed poised to return to the glory days of the 1970s. With the birth of the Sundance Film Festival and the rise of Miramax, independent film became more readily available than ever. New works from masters such as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, as well as debut...

The Best Jimmy Stewart Movies, Ranked

Nov 03, 2023

Before Tom Hanks, Jimmy Stewart established his screen persona as Hollywood’s preeminent everyman. Born in Pennsylvania in 1908, the gawky but handsome Stewart won over audiences by playing a series of likable and relatable characters in films such as It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. However, Stewart never limited himself to...

The Best Orson Welles Movies

Nov 25, 2023

In 1941, Orson Welles co-wrote, directed, and starred in Citizen Kane, still regarded by many critics as the greatest movie of all time. He was 26 years old. For such a remarkable beginning, Welles had quite a rough career, filled with disagreements, unfinished works, and disappointments. His last performance came in the glorified toy commercial...

The Characters that Need to Appear in the MCU X-Men

Dec 30, 2023

The mutants are coming! Nodoby knows when exactly, but after the series Disney+ Ms. Marvel dropped the word “mutation” in its last episode, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe can trust the X-Men will soon make their presence known. Marvel’s band of merry mutants has a cinematic history that stretches back longer than the MCU,...

The Best Iron Man Comics MCU Fans Need to Read

Dec 21, 2023

Before the first Iron Man movie released in 2008, old Shell-head ranked as a B-list superhero at best. Sure, Iron Man had appeared in monthly comics almost without fail since his first appearance in 1963, but until Robert Downey Jr. took on the role, the character never enjoyed the success of his counterparts at the...

Best Superheroes Who Are Not From Marvel or DC

Dec 26, 2023

Spider-Man! Batman! Superman! Everyone loves these heroes of comics and screen. These three names alone have been responsible for some of the most exciting stories of the past 100 years, alongside some lesser-known characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Doom Patrol. That said, DC and Marvel don’t hold a monopoly on great...

The Most Important Superhero Comics Of All Time

Dec 25, 2023

Comic books existed before superheroes, but superheroes continue to dominate the medium. So, anyone discussing the most influential comic books of all time must refer to introductions of the world’s greatest heroes or innovations in storytelling and form. These superhero comics represent just how far the genre has come and how it can continue to...

The Best Non-Superhero Comic Book Movies

Dec 20, 2023

Comic book movies dominate the media landscape. However, not every movie adapted from a comic book involves Spider-Man, Captain America, or other characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The comic book medium covers many genres, from memoir to comedy to horror. These different types of stories have inspired excellent non-superhero movies that put the visuals...

25 Classic Summer Movies From the 70s and 80s (That Aren’t Jaws)

Jul 05, 2023

Jaws is the perfect Fourth of July film. Not only did the 1974 movie launch the summer blockbuster model that still exists to this day, but it's also a perfect beach flick. But if you’ve seen Jaws 100 times, or if killer sharks scare you out of the water, you still have plenty of movies...

25 Best Robert Redford Movies of All Time

Jul 10, 2023

Five years ago, Robert Redford walked off the screen. After 2018’s The Old Man and the Gun, the actor closed the book on a career that stretched across six decades across multiple genres. Redford leaves behind a remarkable legacy, with major contributions to everything from New Hollywood films of the '70s to the indie revival...

The 25 Worst Episodes of Star Trek and Its Spin-Offs

Jul 20, 2023

Few television series have been as revolutionary as Star Trek. Launched in 1966, Star Trek survived two rejected pilot episodes, diminished budgets, and a second season cancelation to become one of the most profitable franchises ever. In addition to the original series, the franchise has included several movies and eleven spin-off series. As successful as...

Why Lois Lane Is The Most Important Supporting Character in Superhero Fiction

Jul 23, 2023

Midway through Superman’s first appearance in 1938’s Action Comics #1, Lois Lane needs help. A brute called Butch Matson has captured Lois and shoved her in his car, furious that she turned down his demand for a dance. But just as Butch boasts to his buddy about beating up Lois’s “yellow” boyfriend, who should appear...

Bible Study Apps Seek New Ways To Make Scripture Accessible To Busy Believers

Aug 03, 2023

Makers of the popular Logos Bible Study app want to get back to basics. On July 7, Logos’s parent company Faithlife announced plans to do away with its church management services. These included Faithlife Giving, a tool for collecting tithes and donations from congregants, and Faithlife Ministry Tracker, used to schedule volunteers for church functions. ...

William Friedkin’s Movies, Ranked From Worst To Best

Aug 08, 2023

When William Friedkin passed on August 7th, 2023, he left behind one of the most varied and exciting filmographies of all time. Best known for his horror classic The Exorcist, Friedkin experimented in nearly every genre, from sketch comedy to basketball drama. As he crossed genres and decades, Friedkin maintained an eye for clarity in...

Paul Reubens Movies Ranked Worst To Best

Aug 14, 2023

In 1979, Paul Reubens hit a low point. Despite being one of the most popular members of the L.A.-based improv troupe the Groundlings, Reubens failed his audition for Saturday Night Live. Rather than give up, Reubens decided to package a show based on his most popular character, Pee-Wee Herman. A spoof of 1950’ss kid shows,...

The 25 Best Movies Set in Chicago

Aug 17, 2023

The Third Coast. The Windy City. Sure, when people think of big cities in the movies, Los Angeles or New York leap to mind, if not European locales like Paris and Rome. But before LA, Chicago was America’s other major metropolis, a point that filmmakers have not forgotten. Some of the greatest movie makers of...

The Best Gene Hackman Movies, Ranked from Worst to Best

Aug 19, 2023

When Gene Hackman retired after the 2004 flop Welcome to Mooseport, he left behind a body of work to rival that of any actor. From his beginnings in the New Hollywood era to his blockbuster entries in the 2000s, Hackman had done it all: indie films and superhero movies, crime flicks, and sports epics. During...

Francis Ford Coppola Movies, Ranked From Best To Worst

Aug 24, 2023

There has never been, nor will there likely ever be, another filmmaker like Francis Ford Coppola. Born in 1939, Coppola worked in the remains of the Hollywood studio system to become one of the key figures in the New Hollywood movement of the late 60s and early 70s. His battles with the studios and desire...

The Best James Caan Films, Ranked

Sep 01, 2023

With his crooked smile and imposing demeanor, anyone can see how James Caan got cast as Sonny Corleone, even though he’s not Italian. The actor projects toughness, qualities that got him regular work in crime and mafia movies throughout his six-decade career. But Caan had no interest in resting on what came easy. Instead, the...

The Best Robert Duvall Movies, Ranked

Sep 02, 2023

It’s easy to take Robert Duvall for granted. With a career that stretches across six decades, Duvall has given understated performances, a quality has retained even as colleagues such as Al Pacino and Robert De Niro devolve into bombastic stereotypes. While he can bellow a rant with the best of them, Duvall has mastered the...

The Best Will Smith Movies Ranked

Sep 03, 2023

When audiences met Will Smith, he was the Fresh Prince, a likable rapper who, along with partner D.J. Jazzy Jeff, made songs that only irritated parents and reduced Freddy Krueger to a joke long before the movies followed suit. From there, it he made a short jump to TV, where the ever-likable Smith led the...

25 Best Sidney Poitier Movies, Ranked

Sep 03, 2023

It started with Norman Brokenshire. As a young man from the Bahamas, aspiring actor Sidney Poitier had a thick accent, which prevented him from landing regular roles. And so he spent his nights listening to radio reports from Brokenshire, also known as “Sir Silken Speech.” From those informal lessons, Poitier developed one of the greatest...

25 Best Fictional Movie Presidents

Sep 07, 2023

The President of the United States is a fictional job. No, that doesn’t mean that the President doesn’t exist, nor does it mean that anyone who holds the office doesn’t have enormous responsibilities. However, the presidency does become the focal point for the hopes and fears of American citizens, who (rightly or wrongly) project their...

Horror Movies Where the Monster Isn’t the Scariest Thing

Sep 07, 2023

We’ve all heard the old cliche, “Man is the greatest monster.” Screenwriters deploy it to shock the audience or make a larger point about the greater evil of human beings, those whose actions outdo any famous monster because they are real. Indeed, some of the best horror movies of all time pull a reversal on...

Ranking All Chucky Movies and TV Shows

Sep 21, 2023

At its heart, the Child’s Play franchise rests on a single, simple premise. After his spirit gets trapped in a Good Guy doll named Chucky, serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) makes life miserable for young Andy Barclay (most often portrayed by Alex Vincent) in hopes of transferring his essence to the boy. As...

The Best Willem Dafoe Movies

Sep 10, 2023

Listen to an interview with Willem Dafoe and hear a good-natured Midwesterner who approaches his job with no pretension. That unassuming quality shocks those who only know Dafoe through his varied and courageous career, one that stretches across four decades. Dafoe has made his name in shocking, controversial movies, playing Jesus in The Last Temptation...

Horror Movies With Unlikely Monsters

Sep 17, 2023

We all know about the Wolfman and Frankenstein's monster, Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. These famous monsters will always scare us, thanks to their bared claws and unearthly features. But some horror filmmakers want to challenge themselves by not relying on such obvious threats. Instead, these visionaries see evil lurking in the most mundane objects,...

The Best Bruce Campbell Movies, Ranked

Sep 23, 2023

Hail to the king baby! With his good looks and even better sense of humor, Bruce Campbell enjoys a level of success any actor would envy, despite a lack of Oscars and blockbuster leading roles. Since his early days making short films in Michigan with his childhood pal director Sam Raimi, Campbell has carved out...

The Best Dracula Movies of All Time

Oct 05, 2023

The Lord of Darkness. The King of Vampires. Since his introduction by Bram Stoker in the 1897 novel that bore his name, Dracula has stood as one of the most consistent and famous monsters in pop culture. In his more than 100 years of existence, Dracula has appeared in various media, played by countless actors...

The Best Horror Comedies

Oct 05, 2023

Comedy and horror pair like peanut butter and chocolate in the film world. Audiences wouldn’t expect laughing to pair so well with screaming, but a good chuckle takes the edge of a tense scene, and a scare can make a joke feel earned. But as unique as the genre combination can be, more horror comedies...

The Best Slasher Films of the 80s

Oct 07, 2023

Fans consider the 1980s the high point of horror cinema for a reason. With home video becoming a standard part of every American home, and cable channels growing every day, distributors wanted something, anything, to fill up the screen. With their simple plots and easy thrills, horror movies fit the bill, offering maximum return on...

25 Best PG-13 Horror Movies

Oct 10, 2023

Everybody loves spooky season, even the timid among us. Too often, those with weak constitutions skip out on the October tradition of watching horror movies because they equate the genre with its most extreme examples, the gore and disturbing imagery that fills R-rated films. But since the invention of the PG-13 rating in 1984, filmmakers...

The Best Foreign Language Scary Movies

Oct 11, 2023

Year in and year out, movie fans turn to the same few horror movies every October. While there’s nothing wrong with revisiting classics such as A Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween, anyone who sticks to American productions diminishes their spooky season viewing. Some of the most thought-provoking, delightful, and outright terrifying horror movies have...

Best Scary Movies About Nature Gone Wild

Oct 18, 2023

Even the most ardent nature lover knows the dangers posed by the great outdoors. Snakes, bears, and other beasties can do irreparable damage to any careless visitor who wanders into their domain. It’s no wonder that horror storytellers have so often gone outside to find monsters for their tales, even if they have to imagine...

The Best Possession Movies of All Time

Oct 18, 2023

Terrible Movies To Avoid This Spooky Season

Oct 22, 2023

In many ways, horror is the most accessible film genre to do well. With creepy strings and a loud bang, filmmakers can startle the reader and create a sense of unease. Even movies that first met with derision from critics, such as Halloween or The Thing, now enjoy classic status. That said, they can’t all...

25 Best Scary Movies Based on Books (And Aren’t by Stephen King)

Oct 22, 2023

Whenever anyone thinks of the connection between horror movies and horror literature, one name leaps to mind: Stephen King. And with good reason. More than 60 movies have been made based on King’s work, including all-time classics such as The Shining and Carrie. But King is not the only name in the game. For moviegoers...

25 Scariest Found Footage Movies

Oct 22, 2023

In 1999, The Blair Witch Project became one of the most surprising and successful horror movies of all time. The film grossed over 240 million dollars off a budget of $750,000 and terrified viewers with its documentary style. Although it took about another decade to take off, found footage movies soon became a dominant horror...

The Scariest Sci-Fi Movies of All Time

Oct 26, 2023

“In space… no one can hear you scream.” That tagline from Alien captured the horror inherent in sci-fi stories. Science fiction involves traveling into the unknown and pushing boundaries, going to places where the normal rules no longer apply. While such an endeavor can lend itself to optimistic stories about progress and exploration, it has...

The Best Noir Films to Watch This November

Oct 28, 2023

Noirvember has arrived: that time of year when film fans greet the change in weather by watching crime flicks popularized in the 1940s and 50s. Film noir, which translates to “black movies,” explores the shades of gray in the lives of cops, criminals, and everyone in between. These films find dignity in cruel gangsters and...

The Best Cyberpunk Movies of All Time

Oct 29, 2023

Cyberpunk fiction combines the old and the new. Drawing from the conflicted worlds of film noir, cyberpunk films continue the blurred moral lines from that genre into the future, where enhanced technology does nothing to help audiences separate the good guys from the bad guys. The genre started in the world of literature, with books...

Greatest Detectives in Comic Book History

Oct 30, 2023

When one thinks of comic books, most think of superheroes, muscled men and women in tights who solve problems with their fists. And yet, detectives have been and remain part of the medium. In fact, Batman himself made his debut in 1939’s Detective Comics #27, a series that continues publication today. And yet, not all...

The Best Movie and TV Detectives of Film and Television (Who Aren’t Sherlock Holmes)

Nov 05, 2023

When it comes to pop culture detectives, no one tops the man at 221B Bleeker Street, one Sherlock Holmes and his partner Dr. Watson. But even without taking Holmes into consideration, mystery fans will still find several sleuths fit to don his deer stalker hat in movies and on television. From procedurals to sci-fi flicks...

The Weirdest DC Universe Characters

Nov 02, 2023

Even before the current boom of superhero movies, Batman and Superman were household names. Kids of all ages thrilled to the adventures of these and other heroes in the DC Universe, stories about costumed crusaders with outrageous abilities. Readers accept some degree of outlandish unreality in these tales, but if they started to dig a...

The Best David Lynch Short Films

Nov 04, 2023

David Lynch made his name with long-form works, his cult films Eraserhead and Blue Velvet, or the TV series Twin Peaks, which he made with Mark Frost. These larger canvases give Lynch room to engage his idiosyncrasies, including glacial pacing and surreal digressions. And yet, Lynch also loves working with shorts, pieces ranging from half...

Barely Frightening: 25 Worst Scary Movies of the 1980s

Nov 15, 2023

Ask most horror fans about the genre’s best decade, and the overwhelming majority will likely agree that it’s the 1980s. With the VHS boom raising the demand for low-budget scary fare and the slasher craze following the surprise success of Halloween, horror went mainstream in the 1980s. So it’s no wonder some of the best...

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Review: Apple TV+’s Godzilla Series Chooses Bland Drama Over Kaiju Scares

Nov 17, 2023

The opening minutes of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters treat viewers to sight they long to see. No, not Godzilla. They see Bill Randa, the goofy researcher played by John Goodman in the 2017 movie Kong: Skull Island. Anyone not thrilled by Randa’s return might want to skip Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Although the promotional material...

The Best Movie Santas of All Time

Nov 22, 2023

Christmas time and movie time go together like presents and a tree. Even the most disinterested cinephobe will make time to watch It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story. For that reason, studios pump out holiday movies on the regular, and with them a steady supply of movie Santas to grace the screen. Of...

Sam Raimi Movies Ranked Worst To Best

Nov 23, 2023

To hear Sam Raimi talk, sounds like an unassuming Midwesterner who likes to hang out with his childhood friend. But when you realize that the friend is Bruce Campbell and they hang out by making some of the most intense and inventive horror films of all time, that changes things a bit. Raimi and Campbell...

Not Just Bad Guys: 26 Villains Who Win Our Hearts

Nov 24, 2023

There's nothing as simple as good guys versus bad guys, right? We like the good guys because they save the day, and we hate the bad guys because they make things worse. But sometimes, that's not always the case. Sometimes, the bad guy is so smart, charming, or correct that you can't help but side...

The 24 Worst Hit Movies of the 1970s

Dec 14, 2023

Even today, most movie fans agree that the 1970s were the peak of American cinema. However, the decade wasn't all New Hollywood masterpieces and Spielberg blockbusters. Audiences lined up to see some real stinkers, movies that even the filmmakers look at with embarrassment. All the movies on this list were among the top 20 moneymakers...

The Best Laura Dern Movies and TV Shows That Give Reason to Love Her

Dec 14, 2023

The daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, Laura Dern could have just played likable girls next door. With her classical good looks and warm on-screen persona, Dern had everything an actor needs for a successful career. Instead, Dern has challenged herself from the beginning, playing a wide range of characters in every type...

The Best Star Trek Characters to Keep Fans Boldly Going

Dec 16, 2023

Thanks to its setting on the USS Enterprise, Star Trek characters captivated audiences when the show debuted in 1966. But although Uhura and Chekov had their moments throughout the series’ three-season run, the show directed most of its attention to Captain James T. Kirk, his Commanding Officer Mr. Spock, and the ship’s doctor Leonard “Bones”...

The Best X-Men Comics of All Time

Dec 10, 2023

To hear Stan Lee tell it, the X-Men comics came into existence because he grew tired of coming up with new origins. By introducing the concept of mutants, people who manifested amazing powers when they hit puberty, Lee and Jack Kirby could just make up new characters without having to explain them. In 1963, they...

The Best Superman Comics of All Time

Dec 09, 2023

Superman is not just the first superhero. He’s also the most important superhero. Revising their story about a bold tyrant with fantastic mental powers called “Reign of the Superman,” writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster debuted Superman in 1938’s Action Comics #1. In addition to giving the world a powerful human, who leapt through...

Merry Little Batman Review: The Dark Knight Gets Merry and Bright

Dec 07, 2023

The animated movie Merry Little Batman gives viewers a version of Gotham City not seen in any other story. Batman’s beleaguered hometown still features landmarks such as Axis Chemical Plant, Arkham Asylum, and stately Wayne Manor. However instead of the gothic architecture of the Tim Burton movies or the variations on Chicago and Pittsburgh in...

Not-So-Merry Christmas Movies to Celebrate the Holidays

Nov 30, 2023

Believe it or not, not everyone likes spending December listening to cheery songs and wrapping bright-colored packages. For some, the last month of the year means cold weather, long nights, and commercialization. However, these Scrooges need not miss out on the one agreed-upon pleasure of the holiday season: watching Christmas movies. Those who know where...

Weird Holiday Comic Book Tales to Evoke the Spirit

Nov 24, 2023

Superhero comics are weird. Christmas stories are weird. When the two come together, they make some of the oddest and most delightful stories of all time. Writers and artists use the occasion to let their imaginations run wild, creating tales about Santa as a supervillain and the Punisher putting on a red cape and coat...