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Obsessed with film since 1982*

about
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about

Where it all began

Cinema. Film. The ‘Movies’. If you are anything like me, you will appreciate every aspect of this incredible art form. I hope my pieces educate or (at least) remind you of the drama, the horrors, the thrill of the adventure... and, most importantly, the excitement and nostalgia it all brings.

Enjoy,

Rich

Resume

As a D&AD Award Winner – with a background in graphic design and illustration – since 2004, I have lectured and delivered degree-level courses within the creative arts and media, including: graphic design, illustration, film studies and journalism. My first novel, The Enemys Son (as James Johnson), was released in 2008, followed by a number of independent comics for various anthologies and collections. As well as numerous film courses delivered via Broadway Cinema my writing credits include: Little White LiesThe Digital FixWe Belong Dead, Diabolique Magazine, Shots, Network, Rue Morgue, Animation Magazine and Fangoria along with film commentary, video essays and accompanying written material for boutique labels including: Eureka Entertainment, Arrow Films, 101 Films and Second Sight Films.

Top 10? These go to 11

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Charles Laughton

Harakiri (1962)

Masaki Kobayashi

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Sergio Leone

Jaws (1975)

Steven Spielberg

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

John Landis

Blade Runner (1982)

Ridley Scott 

The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter  

The Dark Crystal (1982)

Jim Henson and Frank Oz

This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Rob Reiner 

Nightcrawler (2014)

Dan Gilroy

The Red Turtle (2016)

Michaël Dudok de Wit 

 

*A seminal year for film from cult classics to blockbusters: Blade Runner, The Thing, TronE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The King of Comedy, The Flight of DragonsFirst Blood, The Grey Fox, PoltergeistTootsie, GandhiConan the Barbarian, The Plague Dogs...

 

... and Grease 2.

For more favourite films check out 100+, a selection of favourite films year by year from 1920 to present day.

“Pain is temporary, film is forever!” - John Milius

writing

writing

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Cinema Force

The Greatest Batman Story Ever Told:

BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM

A Retrospective

September 27, 2024

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Arrow Video

Freedom Forged

September 27, 2024

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101 Films

The Empathy and Alchemy
of Denis Villeneuve

August 12, 2024

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101 Films

Death of a Fuckin’ $ale$man:

Defining an American

Dramatic Tradition

July 29, 2024

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Second Sight

The Look of Love:

Poetic Violence in

A BITTERSWEET LIFE

July 22, 2024

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Second Sight

Sects Sells: The Sacrificial

Spaces of Ti West

June 17, 2024

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101 Films

THE LAWNMOWER MAN

COLLECTION (LE)

Grassroots and Cyber Suits:

Variations of THE LAWNMOWER MAN

 June 6, 2024

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Cinema Force

Fear the Reaper:

A NIGHTCRAWLER

Retrospective

May 16, 2024

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101 Films

FEAR CITY (LE)

Seeing Red: A Neo-Noir Guide

March 4, 2024

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Animation Magazine

FANTASTIC PLANET at 50:

Revisiting

René Laloux’s Cult Classic

December 6, 2023

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Animation magazine

Poultry in Motion:

A Set Visit to

CHICKEN RUN:

DAWN OF THE NUGGET

December 6, 2023

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Arrow Films

8 Unusual Masked Killers

October 25, 2023

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Second SIght

CRIMES OF THE FUTURE (LE)

Hunger Artists:

A Kafka/Cronenberg Digest

September 11, 2023

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Second SIght

THE CHANGELING (LE)

Raging Heart:

George C. Scott’s Grief,

Guilt and the Gothic

June 5, 2023

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Arrow Films

8 Films Based on

Unfilmable Novels

April 18, 2023

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Fangoria

Beast Master:

KING KONG at 90

April 7, 2023

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Fangoria

Horror Verses:

Warner Bros. at 100

April 5, 2023

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Fangoria

Pecking Order:

THE BIRDS at 60

March 29, 2023

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Fangoria

 

Ways of the Flesh:

Cronenberg at 80

March 15, 2023

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Arrow Films

10 Films that Define

New Zealand Cinema

March 01, 2023

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Fangoria

Love Bites:

10 Romantic Horror Movies

To Sink Your Teeth Into

February 14, 2023

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Arrow Films

10 of the Best

Black-and-White Indie Films

January 24, 2023

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Fangoria

ENCYCLOBLEEDIA

of Gothic Horror

December 22, 2022

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Arrow Films

Green Space:

SILENT RUNNING at 50

December 6, 2022

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Fangoria

Feline Fever:

CAT PEOPLE at 80

December 6, 2022

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Eureka

SON OF THE WHITE MARE

Circle of Life:

Struggle, Transformation

and the Eternal Recurrence of
Marcell Jankovics

November 17, 2022

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Fangoria

ENCYCLOBLEEDIA

of Universal Horror

November 18, 2022

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Fangoria

Going Underground:

DEATH LINE (aka RAW MEAT)

at 50

November 17, 2022

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Eureka

MANIACAL MAYHEM

Charles Laughton:

Strange Doors and Dark Houses

November 14, 2022

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Fangoria

Hag Queens: 60 Years of

WHAT EVER HAPPENED

TO BABY JANE

October 31, 2022

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Fangoria

ENCYCLOBLEEDIA

of Slashers

October 25, 2022

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Fangoria

 

9 Horrors From INSIDE NO.9

October 17, 2022

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Arrow Films

 

10 Defining Moments

in Body Horror

October 11, 2022

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Fangoria

ENCYCLOBLEEDIA

of Folk Horror

September 6, 2022

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Arrow Films

 

Top 10 Killer Female Movies

of the 21st Century

September 6, 2022

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Eureka

 

MAN WITHOUT A STAR

The Wire and the West

August 22, 2022

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FANGORIA

 

Kill It With Fire!

John Carpenter's

THE THING at 40

June 25, 2022

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Arrow Films

 

Top 10 Things We Love

About THE THING

June 13, 2022

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Arrow Films

 

First-Person Shooter:

A Gasper Noé Retrospective

May 27, 2022

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FANGORIA

 

ENCYCLOBLEEDIA

of J-Horror

May 25, 2022

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101 Films

 

JOHNNY MNEMONIC (LE)

Future Proof:

A Cyberpunk 101

May 9, 2022

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FANGORIA

 

Ghosts of Suburbia:

POLTERGEIST at 40

June 4, 2022

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Arrow Films

 

Ten Circles of Hell:

Raising the Best of

Clive Barker on Film

May 13, 2022

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fangoria

 

Raising the Stakes:

BLADE II at 20

March 22, 2022

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fangoria

 

Faith and Fury:

ALIEN³ at 30

May 20, 2022

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fangoria

 

Bedtime Stories

Mother Never Told You:

TALES FROM THE CRYPT at 50

March 3, 2022

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fangoria

 

SWAMP THING:

Roots of Horror

February 19, 2022

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We Belong Dead

 

Spotlight on Science Fiction

January 14, 2022

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fangoria

 

Return of the Loving Dead:

NINA FOREVER

January 7, 2022

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fangoria

 

Under A Swastika Moon:

80 Years of THE WOLF MAN

December 13, 2021

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fangoria

 

Mad Science and Makeup:

FRANKENSTEIN at 90

November 21, 2021

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fangoria

 

Vol 2. Issue #14

NOSFERATU 100th Anniversay

November 19, 2021

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fangoria

 

Hulks and Other Things

October 14, 2021

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101 Films

 

THE BOYS NEXT DOOR (LE)

AssassiNation:

Cold-blooded Rebels and the Death of the American Dream

September 6, 2021

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fangoria

 

Year of the Wolf:

A Triptych of Lycanthropy

from 1981

September 1, 2021

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fangoria

 

Beautiful Beast:

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON at 40

August 21, 2021

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Second Sight

 

THE BABADOOK (LE)

Born from Wreckage: 

Traumatic Origins of a Postmodern Monster

July 26, 2021

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Fangoria

 

Hell Can Wait:

Art, Trauma and Other Demons

in JACOB'S LADDER

July 06, 2021

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Fangoria

 

Strange Frontier:

NEAR DARK

and the

Birth of the American Vampire

June 30, 2021

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Second Sight

LAKE MUNGO (LE)

Ghosts of Oz

June 7, 2021

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Fangoria

 

Dungeons Deep and Caverns Old: Revisiting 

Neil Marshall's THE DESCENT

April 30, 2021

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fangoria

 

The Lore and Lure

of Irish Horror

April 01, 2021

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Second Sight

 

HOST (LE)

Manifestations:

Defining the 21st Century

Ghost Story

February 22, 2021

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diabolique

 

Crash and Fall:

The Perilous Art

of Walter Molino

December 24, 2020

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diabolique

 

Jennifer Kent

and The Nightingale:

A Song of Violence

November 10, 2020

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diabolique

 

The Truth and Consequence

of Serial Killer Movies Part 2:

Murder Games

September 14, 2020

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diabolique

 

The Truth and Consequence

of Serial Killer Movies Part 1:

Morbid Curiosity

 

September 14, 2020

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We Belong Dead

 

Spotlight on Horror

August 26, 2020

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diabolique

 

The Last Zombie Picture Show

October 21, 2020

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shots

 

Gorilla Tactics:

The Evolution of

Branded Entertainment

June 4, 2020

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fangoria

 

Re-Animation:

Regarding Animated Horror

May 28, 2020

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diabolique

 

Weird Westerns Pt. 3:

Lost Worlds and Final Frontiers

May 25, 2020

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fangoria

 

Trigger Warnings:

A Headcount History

May 15, 2020

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diabolique

 

Why You Need to Watch...

LAKE MUNGO (2008)

April 25, 2020

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diabolique

 

Why You Need to Watch...

WER (2014)

April 21, 2020

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fangoria

 

The Z-List:

French Cuisine and Quarantine With

THE NIGHT EATS THE WORLD

April 21, 2020

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diabolique

 

Weird Westerns Pt. 2:

Painting the Town Dead

April 15, 2020

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fangoria

 

Little Monsters:

Children in Spanish Cinema

April 8, 2020

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diabolique

 

Weird Westerns Pt. 1:

Uncanny Origins

April 8, 2020

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diabolique

 

Perfect Execution:

Film and the Electric Chair

April 6, 2020

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little white lies

 

How SHOCK CORRIDOR reflected

the madness of 1960s America

September 2, 2019

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little white lies

 

How the politics of HIGH NOON forged

a new path for the western

September 16, 2019

“To be an artist means never to avert one’s eyes.” - Akira Kurosawa

interviews

Interviews

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES
with
Vincenzo Natali
INVASION OF THE

BODY SNATCHERS (1978)
/ THE THING (1982)

October 14, 2024

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FrightFest

Aurélia Mengin
for

Thomas Jane
SCARLET BLUE

August 16, 2024

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES
with
Thomas Jane
THE CRANES ARE FLYING (1957)
/ COME AND SEE (1985)

July 1, 2024

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Exclusive

George Baron

for

THE BLUE ROSE

June 18, 2024

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES

with

Alex Cox

BARQUERO (1970)

/ COCKFIGHTER (1974)

June 17, 2024

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES

with

Dominic Hailstone

DAWN OF THE DEAD(1978)

/ ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS (1979)

June 3, 2024

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES

with

Neil Marshall

NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)

/ CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF

THE THIRD KIND (1977)

May 6, 2024

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THE GALA SHOW

MONSTERS

May 2, 2024

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Exclusive

Caye Casas

for

THE COFFEE TABLE

April 19, 2024

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES

with

Jeremy Dyson

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)

/ BROADWAY DANNY ROSE (1984)

April 5, 2024

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Fangoria

The FANGORIA ARCHIVES

with

Patton Oswalt

March 22, 2024

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FRIGHTFEST GLASGOW

Alix Austin and Keir Sewert

for

KILL YOUR LOVER

March 5, 2024

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES

with

Abigail Hardingham

THE HAND THAT ROCKS

THE CRADLE (1992)

/ SINGLE WHITE FEMALE (1992)

March 4, 2024

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FRIGHTFEST GLASGOW

Tiago Teixeira

for

CUSTOM

March 1, 2024

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES

with

Gala Avary

CATNAPPED! (1995)

/ THE CAT RETURNS (2002)

February 5, 2024

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES

with

Lulu Adams

PERFECT BLUE (1997)

/ THE MOOR (2023)

January 29, 2024

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES

with

Zelda Adams

GOODNIGHT MOMMY (2014)

/ THE INNOCENTS (2021)

January 22, 2024

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Exclusive

Hadley Austin

for

DEMON MINERAL

January 19, 2024

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES

with

John Adams

THE WARRIORS (1979)

/ THE DESCENT (2005)

January 15, 2024

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Exclusive

COMPANION PIECES

with

Toby Poser

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008) / A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (2014)

January 8, 2024

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Animation Magazine

Oil & Toil:

DK and Hugh Welchman

for

THE PEASANTS

November 24, 2023

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BSFA

Lorna Nickson Brown

for

DOG RUN

November 11, 2023

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Grimmfest

Interview with Andy Nyman,

Actor and Co-Writer/Director

of GHOST STORIES

November 7, 2023

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Grimmfest

Evan Marlowe

For

ABRUPTIO

October 13, 2023

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Frightfest

Camp Horror:

Zach Passero’s ‘The Weird Kidz’

Pays Homage to B-Movies

and Coming-of-Age Classics

October 7, 2023

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Arrow Films

Interview with Joe Dante,

Director of The Howling,

Gremlins and The ‘Burbs

September 25, 2023

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Frightfest

Erik Bloomquist

for

FOUNDERS DAY

August 24, 2023

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Frightfest

CHRIS CRONIN

for

THE MOOR

August 23, 2023

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Frightfest

Ellen Adair and Mitzi Akaha

for

HERD

August 23, 2023

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Frightfest

Mark A. Altman

1982: GREATEST GEEK YEAR EVER

August 21, 2023

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Frightfest

Joshua Warren

for

MY DREAMS HAVE BEEN DARK OF LATE

August 21, 2023

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Frightfest

Stewart Sparke

for

HOW TO KILL MONSTERS

August 18, 2023

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Frightfest

Graham Hughes

for

HOSTILE DIMENSIONS

August 17, 2023

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Fangoria

Dee Wallace

On Her Most Difficult Role:

CUJO 40 Years Later

August 11, 2023

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Arrow Films

Interview with

INSIDE NO.9's

Reece Shearsmith

August 11, 2023

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Fangoria

The FANGORIA Archives

with

Queen of THE VIDEO ARCHIVES PODCAST Gala Avary

August 7, 2023

josh.jpg

Arrow Films

Interview with Josh Ruben,

Actor, Writer and Director

of SCARE ME

July 28, 2023

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Arrow Films

Interview with Anthony Scott Burns,

Director of COME TRUE

June 28, 2023

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Fangoria

PSYCHO II at 40

with Tom Holland

June 3, 2023

josh.jpg

Fangoria

DARLA: Getting Graphic

with Josh Ruben

and Bri Tippetts

May 19, 2023

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Arrow Films

Interview with Vincenzo Natali,

Director of CUBE and SPLICE

April 24, 2023

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Animation Magazine

BLIND WILLOW, SLEEPING WOMAN:

How Pierre Földes

Infused Music and Meaning

into His Murakami Adaptation

March 14, 2023

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Fangoria

Exclusive Interview:

Christmas Horror

with Mark Gatiss

December 21, 2022

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Fangoria

Exclusive Interview:

Masters of Anthologies

with

Mick Garris And Reece Shearsmith

November 15, 2022

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Animation Magazine

 

EXCLUSIVE: Here Be Monsters!

How Chris Williams’ THE SEA BEAST

Took to the High Seas

July 1, 2021

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Animation Magazine

 

Out of Afghanistan:

Michaela Pavlátová

on MY SUNNY MAAD

October 30, 2021

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Animation Magazine

‘Satoshi Kon, The Illusionist’: Anime Auteur in the Spotlight

August 30, 2021

“Cinema is a mirror by which we often see ourselves.” - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

testimonials

testimonials

“Cinephiles should already be aware

of Rich Johnson’s Companion Pieces.

I had a blast talking to him about a

couple of films that made a huge impact

on me. Thanks Rich!”

Thomas Jane

Actor/Producer/Director

Boogie Nights, Stander, The Punisher,

The Mist, The Expanse, Troppo

 

 

“LOVED your piece on Psycho II, Rich, with Tom Holland. I absolutely ADORE that film. It is SOOO brilliant. I’m glad you got to tell him!”

Reece Shearsmith

Actor/Writer/Comedian

The League of Gentlemen,

Inside No.9

“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Rich is my favorite person to be interviewed by.”

Gala Avary

Producer/Podcaster

The Video Archives Podcast

with Quentin Tarantino

& Roger Avary,

The Gala Show

“Rich writes with care and beauty, examining his subjects from unexpected angles and with nothing less than the utmost due diligence. He’s a thoughtful, thorough writer whose passion for cinema is made manifest in every word.”

Meredith Borders

Managing Editor

Fangoria

“Rich