by Michael Varrati

For a generation of horror movie fans, she is the ultimate survivor.

Although his victims and adversaries proved numerous over a multitude of films, it was in Nancy Thompson that the iconic Freddy Krueger first met his match. Though Nancy would ultimately meet her end at Freddy’s bladed fingers in the subsequent sequels, the character’s plucky determination was forever seared onto the collective brains of fright fandom. Nancy, brought to exuberant life by Heather Langenkamp, has persevered as a symbol of goodness across the decades; leaving a mark that many other final girls only dare dream.

For Langenkamp herself, carrying the legacy of Nancy has been a continuous badge of honor. Having played the character in three films, she is easily one of the most recognizable faces in horror. Yet, for someone as mired in the world of dark fantasy as Langenkamp has become, she has never allowed her thoughts on the genre to grow complacent. Langenkamp’s new documentary, I Am Nancy, serves as a personal investigation into the world that horror cinema has created, and seeks to answer the actor’s own unanswered questions about what compels throngs of fans to revel in such blood-spattered entertainment. Read More…

By Michael Varrati

I don’t want to brag, but the best date I ever had was with Wes Craven.

…unfortunately, ol’ Wes is completely unaware it happened.

Late last fall, I found myself with a rare Saturday wherein I had absolutely no commitments. Determined to not waste such a gift sitting around my house, I decided to take myself out for a nice romantic dinner for one.

Grabbing a prime seat in the window of a local eatery I enjoy, I casually picked at my meal while watching the bustling masses rush by in an autumnal blur, appreciating the colors and human spectacle. Meanwhile, across the street from my vantage point, employees at a movie theater situated in my line of sight began to set to work hanging a new poster in the display box. Being the movie nerd that I am, my curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself fixated on what they were doing.

Soon, the image was revealed to me, a splash of deep reds and eerie shades of gray:

Wes Craven’s My Soul to Take. Read More…

By Michael Varrati

When one considers the wild and unorthodox world of avant-garde schlock king Mark Pirro, it is likely that the individual never makes the correlation between his late night fare and the hallowed halls of our nation’s universities. However, as far apart as these two notions may seem, that is exactly the scenario in which I first encountered the work of this audacious auteur.

During my days at Kent State University (setting of several Stephen King stories and one particular real life horror), I had the tendency to enthusiastically enroll in as many film class oddities as my schedule would allow. One such spring, I found myself in a class devoted entirely to the history and dissection of the monster movie. Joining me in this fright film endeavor was fellow-future Ultra Violent scribe and dear friend Ally Melling. Entering the room with an already vast knowledge of horror and exploitation cinema, the two of us were looking for a fun and simple class to coast through, all the while getting credit to talk about something we’d likely have talked about for free. Read More…