The Party Sorcerer Guide To Horror: For The Beginners, The Veterans, and The Curious

In 1984 the slasher genre of horror reached a fever pitch. New blood (pun intended) needed to be infused into the films and a man named Wes Craven was the perfect person for the job. Set in a California town, and revolving around teenagers being stalked by a burnt man in a Christmas sweater in their dreams, A Nightmare on Elm street was determined to ensure that going to sleep was never going to be the same again.  Nightmare was such a huge moment in horror history because it took its scares from something we all do not unlike Jaws. These moments of safety and calm being destroyed by a largely unseen force are extremely strong elements of true horror, and this is why this film is as successful as it has been. This film created a strong empowered woman as its lead character who balances the ups and downs with becoming an adult being contorted in a twisted fashion by the villain, you truly care for what happens to her in her terrifying journey.  Of course, like the shark in Jaws...

When interviewed about his 1978 masterpiece 'Halloween', John Carpenter remarked that he asked director Bob Clark how he would create a sequel to his smash hit about a psychopath who is left to run amuck during a much-beloved holiday.  Clark responded, "I simply told him if I wanted to do the sequel, which I wouldn't, I would have had the psychopath get caught and then escape on Halloween". The film that Carpenter was referencing was the Canadian cult classic, Black Christmas.  Shot in Toronto in the winter of 1974, Black Christmas tells the story of a psychotic killer who stalks a group of sorority girls with obscene phone calls. The film is shrouded in a cold yet cozy atmosphere, where mystery abounds long after the credits roll. Though it is speculated, I consider this film to be the true birth of the slasher genre, and I feel it is vastly underrated largely because Canadian content is not taken as seriously  as our American counterparts.  This film is extremel...

Dun, dun... dun, dun... I could not help myself. Those simple notes are enough for any horror fan to know, within seconds, the 1975 film that made anyone and everyone that much more cautious of the water. Jaws tells the story of a man-eating shark terrorizing a small New England community during its peak summer months. When the situation reaches a fever pitch, three heroes, the police chief, an oceanographic expert, and a salty sea captain set sail for a showdown with the creature not exactly knowing what to expect.  Jaws cements its place in the horror genre for taking a 'less is more' approach to its handling of the titular creature. The shark is virtually unseen until the third act of the film, and at this moment everything your mind has built up to seeing comes to a blood-curdling realization. Jaws also balances emotional brevity and humour making the jolts that much more convincing. You care for each of the characters in the film and if they become victim to the shark it l...

Welcome to the Party Sorcerer's Guide To Horror! Here is where you will find a definitive analysis of some of the genre's most beloved and terrifying films.  The goal of this blog is to inform the curious, educate beginners and entertain the veterans of horror films. Each post will see Party Sorcerer take an in-depth look at a significant film from the past using a three-pronged approach that includes the (spoiler-free) description of the film, why it impacts the genre of horror, and lastly, the broader themes applied to the world we live in today.  So stick with Party Sorcerer in the coming weeks for all things horror!