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Obsessed with film since 1982*

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about

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... as well as the horrors on display... the action, adventure... and, most importantly, the excitement it all brings.

Enjoy,

Rich Johnson

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 and accompanying essays for boutique labels, Curzon, Eureka, Arrow Video, Arrow Films, 101 Films and Second Sight Films.

Top 10? These go to 11

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

Blade Runner (1982)

Ridley Scott 

The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter  

An American Werewolf in London (1981

John Landis

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.

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

writing

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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, 2022

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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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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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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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Curzon

 

Loneliness & Robots:

The BRIAN AND CHARLES Story

July 4, 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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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)

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)

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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diabolique

 

The Truth and Consequence

of Serial Killer Movies Part 2:

Murder Games

September 14, 2020

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fangoria

 

The Lore and Lure

of Irish Horror

April 01, 2021

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diabolique

 

Crash and Fall:

The Perilous Art

of Walter Molino

December 25, 2020

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Second Sight

 

Host (LE) – Manifestations:

Defining the 21st Century

Ghost Story

February 22, 2021

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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 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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network

 

Chamberlain & Dumas

March 9, 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

writing

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

interviews

Interviews

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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

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shots

 

Tilting at Windmills:

Building Branded Entertainment

with

Jae Goodman

June 18, 2020

testimonials

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

testimonials

‘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 is a highly rated and much valued contributor to the Arrow Video Blog. Always professional to work with, his in-depth knowledge and engaging writing style frequently creates insightful and absorbing articles for our audience.’

Dominic Walker

Editor, Arrow Video Blog

Arrow Films

‘Rich, thank you. This was delightful. I’m very proud to be a part of the Arrow site and it was joy to speak with you!

Vincenzo Natali

Writer/Director

Cube, Splice, Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

‘I just wanted to thank you and compliment you regarding your article: “Death Line at 50”. Aside from the fact it was blush-causing, it was so incredibly well written. It is truly a pleasure to read your writing.’

Gary Sherman

Writer/Director

Death Line, Dead & Buried, Poltergeist III

‘Rich’s passion for film truly shines through in his writing. He’s always able to find interesting and new topics of discussion, even on works that have been an area of focus within the film world for decades now. A true talent!’

Phillip Escott

Filmmaker & Production Manager

Second Sight, Fractured Visions, The Found Footage Phenomenon

‘Rich is a rare find — a brilliant writer, a passionate, knowledgeable cineaste and a truly professional and reliable journalist.’

Ramin Zahed
Editor in Chief
Animation Magazine

Rich is a highly esteemed film tutor at Broadway. His film knowledge is encyclopaedic and his passion for cinema, contagious. I always look forward to his next course idea because I can be certain that his new concept will surprise and delight.

Caroline Hennigan

Programme Director

Broadway Cinema

‘Rich is not only a great bloke, he’s an

outside-the-box thinker when it comes to art, a writer of prodigious imagination (have you read his novel?) and a deep reservoir of film lore to boot.’

Liam Sharp

Artist & Writer

Marvel / DC Comics

Green Lantern, Batman and Wonder Woman

‘Rich’s writing brims with insight, intelligence and always makes for interesting reading. His enthusiasm, passion and film knowledge make him a valuable addition to any writing team.’

Hel Harding-Jones

Editor

The Digital Fix

‘I have Rich to thank for the most thoughtful, thorough profile I’ve ever read about my approach to our industry and the business we’ve built with that approach. More than a professional perspective or

retrospective, when I read Rich’s article I thought to myself, “Yeah, that’s me, that’s us.” Rich has a way of bringing out the humanity in all of his subjects, and working with him was far more conversation between engaged people than it was Q&A between interviewer and interviewee.’

Jae Goodman

CEO

Observatory

‘Rich has been a recent, welcome addition to the stable of shots freelance writers. His research is in-depth, his communication is great and his enthusiasm for the subject on which he is writing is infectious, which carries through to the finished article.’

Danny Edwards

Co-Editor

Shots

‘I was delighted to have Rich on board for our Spotlight on Horror book. His writing is incisive, intelligent and most entertaining. Hoping this is the start of many projects together.’

Eric McNaughton

Publisher

We Belong Dead Magazine

‘Thanks again for writing such a great article about our weird wee country and its film scene! It’s wonderful to read such thoughtful work about our film history and I think you write beautifully.’

Aislin Clarke

Writer/Director

The Devils Doorway

‘A lovely piece on Irish horror.

Thanks for shining a light!’

Kevin Lehane

Writer

Grabbers

Rich’s interview was well written and encapsulated, in concise form, the many conversations we had about my background and experiences. He captured, particularly,

the early childhood influences from the post-war period in my hometown Vienna that were certainly a big subconscious influence in my work.

 

Otto Rapp

Artist

The Deterioration of Mind Over Matter

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