Voodoo: How a Religion became a Horror Trope

In October in the UK it is Black History Month, and of course October is ‘Month of Horror’ on this blog. It is a trope in horror media, and popular culture as a whole, that depicts Voodoo as a Satanic, blood-sacrifice, black magic cult based on purposeful and general misunderstandings of the religion. Born through

History in Focus: The Salem Witch Trials

Welcome back to 2023’s Month of Horror, and one thing that has inspired horror in people throughout Christian history was the concept of witches. At the start of 1692 several girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts began having a series of fits which escalated into one of the most infamous witch hunts of history. However, a

Comics Explained: Storm

In the US it is Black History Month, so I thought it would be a good idea to cover one of the most important black characters in comic history: Storm of the X-Men. While not the first black character, beaten to that honour by Black Panther, Blade, Luke Cage, Falcon, and Misty Knight. However, Storm’s

Myths, Legends, and Faith: Zombies

It’s the final week of 2022’s Month of Horror and in the UK October is also Black History Month. The legacies of slavery in the Caribbean led to folklore and belief intersecting Black History with what we associate with horror. The zombie is one of these, but the original zombies were a far cry from

Race, Class, and Zombies: George A Romero’s Living Dead series

Welcome to Halloween and we’re also on the final day of Black History Month in the UK, and today we’re looking at both in one of cinema’s most iconic film series. In 1968 George A Romero released Night of the Living Dead, a movie which was so horrifying that it helped introduce ratings for movies.

Myths, Legends, and Faith: Wazimamoto, Vampires and Blood-Draining in East Africa

Picture: Nairobi in the 1920s In the UK Black History Month lands in October – when we do our Month of Horror – so this week I wanted to combine the two. In the fantastic documentary, and book it’s based on, Horror Noire one of the first and most influential lines, paraphrased, is ‘for African-Americans