Saturday, July 25, 2009

Horror Blogs You Should Be Reading

I'm inspired tonight by an excellent little piece published today on Fangoria.com by Brad McHargue of I Love Horror, a proud fellow member of the League of Tana Tea-Drinkers. It's all about the phenomenon of horror blogging, and it got me thinking of the various blogs I personally love reading, and which I'd like to recommend to you fine people tonight, if you're not already reading them, that is.

Needless to say, Brad's own blog is among them--it's an unflinchingly frank take on the genre that's well worth checking out, even if he likes to bash every single frickin' movie he reviews (well, except Orphan, he loved that one). Really, McHargue, lighten up man! And of course, anyone who reads my blog knows I can't recommend highly enough The Vault's sister blog, the completely unique Day of the Woman. But aside from those two, I urge you guys to check out:

Frankensteinia
Pierre Fournier's loving journey through the universe of everyone's favorite flesh golem is truly indispensible. It was one of the first horror blogs I fell in love with, and I think you will, too. Mr. Fournier's knowledge of Mary Shelley's creation is encyclopedic. Join him as he regularly spotlights the countless manifestations this timeless piece of literature has taken in our culture...

Horror-Movie-A-Day
Brian Collins is one determined and dedicated dude. This guy has taken it upon himself to watch a different horror movie every single day and review it for his readers. Now that's hardcore. Sometimes they may be classics, but just as often they're dreck, causing me to have even more respect for the passion he brings to the table!

Kindertrauma
What a brilliant concept. An entire blog dedicated to the horrific stuff that scared the crap out of us as kids. The uniqueness of this blog has gotten it a fair amount of attention, as it should. Let Unkle Lancifer and company take you by the hand for a twisted walk down memory lane, and while you're at it, feel free to share your own personal childhood terror anecdotes!

The Horrors of It All
When The Vault of Horror was just getting off the ground, it was Karswell of THOIA who gave me some valuable words of advice in horror blogging. For anyone who loves pre-code horror comics, namely the wondrous output of EC Comics, this is your ultimate online destination. You'll even find high-res, printable scans of the actual comics themselves!

Love Train for the Tenebrous Empire
Tenebrous Kate is one of a kind, and you gotta love her. She's got style, she's got a bottomless love for twisted exploitation horror, plus she has a bizarre fixation on entertainment involving nuns. Look to her excellent blog for a horror perspective that's extremely cool, well-informed and always clever as hell. This is one smart horror blogger, with one heck of a voice.

The Lightning Bug's Lair
A visual feast that's jam-packed with special features and insightful reviews. The Lightning Bug is one of the horror blogosphere's most knowledgeable souls, and truth be told, it was his relentless dedication to regular features that gave me the boot in the ass needed to create some of my own here in The Vault! Thanks, Bug!

Freddy in Space
I'm going to call this the finest horror blog that has yet to be invited into the LoTT-D. Simple as that. Johnny Boots has a head for horror content, as well as an insightful mind for horror commentary. I can't tell you how many times he's come up with an idea that had me hitting myself in the head wishing I had come up with it first (Name That Zombie, anyone?). Plus, he's got giveaways out the yin-yang!

In It for the Kills
The subtitle of this blog is "Horror Perspectives"--and rightfully so. Erin Lashley has a strong love of B-movies and cult horrors from the '70s to the present, and it shows in this wonderful blog. This one is filled with great reviews. And I recently had the pleasure of contributing to it myself!

McBeardo's Midnight Movies
My most recent discovery, and boy am I glad I found it! McBeardo is one hell of a character, and goddamn does he know his cult movies. Not everything on here is horror, but enough of it is that I feel comfortable recommending it to any horror fan. Especially if your love gravitates toward the shlock-tacular. Plus, I went to junior high with this guy's younger brother. Small world...

Musings Across a Continuum
What can one say when it comes to Ms. Harker, other than that she is one of the coolest, most bad-ass female horror blogtrices since, well... since BJ-C! This Aussie vampire lover takes genuine delight in sharing her enthusiasm with her readers. She loves True Blood, hates Twilight, and manages to pack every other sentence with vague sexual innuendo. What's not to like?

The Beyond
At just 13 years of age, the one and only horror prodigy known as Soap Magic is one hell of a kid blogger. How can you not go head over heels for someone who hasn't even started high school, yet can converse on Murnau's Faust, Nekromantik, and the Lucio Fulci canon? He's only been at it a few months, and he's already started writing for Bloody-Disgusting. Get on board with this kid, now.

That's it for now. For anyone I've left out, you know I love you. There are so many great horror blogs I read on a regular basis, that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Rest assured, there will be a follow-up post on this topic down the road!