Why SAW The Musical Is Even Better Than Evil Dead

If you know me, you know my complicated, obsessive love affair with the SAW franchise. I’ve seen every single movie multiple times. I rewatch them, analyze them, and unabashedly adore them—even though they remain the only horror movies on the planet that genuinely make me want to cover my eyes because of how stomach-churningly grotesque some of the traps and deaths are (a fact I reflected on when revisiting the original film).

Naturally, when I heard about SAW The Musical: The Unauthorized Parody of Saw at the Walnut Street Theatre, I had to go. However, what I wasn’t prepared for was to walk out of the theater with a gigantic smile on my face, covered in stage blood, and completely blown away by this incredible show.

It is, without exaggeration, one of the best musicals I have ever seen.

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Saw X: A Bloody Triumph For A Legendary Franchise

Movie franchises that extend beyond a couple of sequels often struggle to maintain their quality. A prime example is the Saw franchise, which, over the years, saw its storyline become convoluted and its characters entangled in a complex web of horror. However, with 2021’s Spiral marking a notable departure from the Tobin Bell era, Saw X brings this iconic character back in a way that could easily have resulted in a cheap cash grab. Surprisingly, Saw X emerges as the most personal and bloodiest installment in the franchise to date, making it a standout sequel that proves there’s still plenty of life left in the Saw saga.

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Book Review: The Art of Pulp Horror

Profusely illustrated with more than 800 rare and unique images from around the world — including book and magazine covers, interior illustrations, movie posters, comic books, promotional items, tie-ins, and previously unpublished artwork commissioned especially for this book — The Art of Pulp Horror charts the history of escapist horror and the individuals who created it. Watch my video review below for an inside look at this book.

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Book Review: The Art of Horror Movies

This revised edition of The Art of Horror Movies includes more films, rare images, and in-depth explorations to bring this award-winning book completely up to date, cementing its position as the definitive and essential guide to horror movies. Watch my video review of this book below.

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Book Review: The Art of Horror

Amazingly, there has never been a book quite like The Art of Horror – a celebration of frightful images, compiled and presented by some of the genre’s most respected names. While acknowledging the beginnings of horror-related art in legends and folk tales, the focus of the book is on how the genre has presented itself to the world since the creations of Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley first became part of the public consciousness in the 19th century. It’s all here: from early engravings – via dust jackets, book illustrations, pulp magazines, movie posters, comic books, and paintings – to today’s artists working entirely in the digital realm. Watch my video review below of this impressive book.

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Shudder: What’s Streaming in July

We are just a few days away from July and summer is upon us. With things heating up, read on for a full rundown of what’s streaming on Shudder in July!

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Movie Review Recap: Saw Franchise

Over the past week or so, I’ve revisited and reviewed all of the Saw movies. I even saw Spiral, the ninth film in the Saw franchise, on opening night and reviewed it as well. For your convenience, below are links to all of these reviews, as well as a link to a post I wrote about meeting Tobin Bell and Costas Mandylor at Monster-Mania a few years back. I even got to interview Costas Mandylor for that piece! I hope you enjoy all of the time and work that went into these articles, and remember: the game is never truly over.

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Revisiting Jigsaw

Following the epic finale to the series in 2010, there were no longer new Saw movies to enjoy every year. Then, in 2017 Jigsaw was unleashed upon the world. Is it any good? Keep reading for my take on Jigsaw.

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Revisiting Saw 3D

Released on October 29, 2010, just in time for Halloween, Saw 3D was to be the final film in the franchise, and it was going out in a blaze of glory with a technology that was all the rage at the time: 3D! Kevin Greutert, who was behind the camera in Saw VI, returns to direct Saw 3D. I saw this movie in theaters, when it was released, to experience this final installment in Real D 3D. Is Saw 3D a love letter to fans that ties everything up nicely with a big, beautiful bow? Read on to find out.

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Revisiting Saw VI

Saw VI, released in 2009, is the lowest grossing movie in the Saw franchise, only bringing in approximately $68 million. Kevin Greutert, longtime editor for the Saw films, makes his directorial debut in Saw VI. He’d go on to also direct Saw 3D. So, is Saw VI worth watching, let alone revisiting? Read on to find out.

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