Supernatural psychological horror

A rookie with a long history at the Academy came up with the following request the other day:

I've seen the Australian Babadook 2014 and enjoyed it so much that I want to see more supernatural psychological horror films. I'm happy to receive film suggestions.

The rookies dove into the request, and the following little list of movie tips resulted.

Tittel	År
1408	2007
The VVitch	2015
The Wind	2018
The Innocents	1961
Grave Encounters	2011
Crimson Peak	2015
The Lighthouse	2019
Talk to me	2022
The Skeleton Key	2005
Below	2002
Sinister	2012
In the tall grass	2019

Others are checking out:

Krampusnacht! Krampus & Christmas horror

Krampus is a mythological figure in the folklore of Central Europe, especially in the Alps (Austria, Bavaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia and South Tyrol). He is traditionally a figure who punishes disobedient and naughty children at Christmas time, in contrast to St. Nicholas (who is the equivalent of Santa Claus), who rewards the good with gifts. His name probably comes from the German word "krampen", meaning claw. Krampus appears on the evening of December 5, known as Krampusnacht (Krampus Night), the night before St. Nicholas' Day. Krampus is usually described as a devil or monster-like figure, often half goat and half demon. He usually has large buck horns, a fur-covered body (often made of goat or sheepskin), claws, a long tongue, and a hoof on one or both feet. On Krampusnacht 2025, as ominous gusts of wind carried supercooled rain across Scandinavia, the rookies at the Horror Rookie Academy decided to flock together. They dug into th...

Escapism in horror, sci-fi and absurd film

Quite a reality we live in, huh? 🥴 It's kinda messed up. Kamikaze-trained harp seals with GoPros on their heads swim around our oceans while geopolitical toxic masculinity literally spills out across all continents. On top of it all: AI. There seems to be no end to it all. That's why the Horror Rookie Academy offered a whole week of escapism in early February 2025. ...but what exactly is escapism in horror, sci-fi and absurdist film? It's not a genre, is it? We introduced the topic like this: - SUBJECTIVE: For some, _all_ films can actually be an escape from reality. Here we are looking for tips on which films/series (horror/sci-fi/absurd) are an escape from reality for you. There are no right or wrong answers here. 😁 - HUMOR: Humor strikes me like a joker in this game. For example, I laughed my way through The Human Centipede; for me it was a very unrealistic comedy - and then I know that my mother would perceive the film a little differently. (I accidentally saw David...

Damer i skrekk: Skrekkruttskolens Ladies Night

Ladies night satt som ei kule på Skrekkruttskolen! Det er jo laget mye bra horror av, om og med råtøffe damer. Without further adue: her presenteres 31 stalltips innen film med "women in horror, strong female characters, scream queens and horror divas". Nr Tittel År IMDb 1 Whatever happened to baby Jane? 62 8,1 2 The Exorcist 73 8 3 Rosemarys baby 68 8 4 Misery 90 7,8 5 Texas chainsaw Massacre 74 7,5 6 Carrie 76 7,4 7 The Descent 2005 7,3 8 Audition 99 7,3 9 The Nanny 65 7,3 10 The Devils rejects 2005 6,9 11 Ms ...

The origin of the Horror Rookie Academy

The Horror Rookie Academy has been operational for 15 straight years now! Good heavens, it's almost unbelievable. It's time for a little look back at the origin of the Academy. When I was little, my dad worked as a captain in foreign trade, and my brother and I used to join the boat during the summer holidays. (It was a simpler time, before the age of HSE...) Norwegian seafarers are so lucky to have the Norwegian Sailor's Church (Sjømannskirken) which works for their well-being. The Sailor's Church used to run a library service on Norwegian ships, providing books and films for the sailors. Either someone responsible for such things at the Sailor's Church was a horror and sci-fi lover, or their insight into the contents of the films of the time was so-so: the library cabinet onboard the boat was filled with the VHS tapes that basically made me the horror fanatic I am today. Jaws, Frankenstein, The Shining, Poltergeist, Rosemary's Baby, The Thing... All of which w...

Monster Monday!

(foto: Pans Labyrint (2006)) Now and then, The Horror Rookie Academy arrange topic weeks, wwekends or days. Our Monster Monday was a huuuge succes (the Rookies know and love their monster movies!) so below is a list of our favorite monster movies. Raaaaawr....! 👹 Tittel År The Bay 2012 Prophecy 1979 Basket Case 1982 Exists 2014 Tremors: shrieker Island 2020 Feast 2005 The Thaw aka Arctic Outbreak 2009 Bird Box 2018 Incident at Loch Ness 2004 The Cabin in the woods 2011 Doom 2005 Silent Hill 2006 Monsters 2010 Eight Legged Freaks 2002 Cloverfield 2008 Lake Placid 1999 Evidence 2012 Troll Hunter 2010 Don't be afraid of the dark 2010 The Mist 2007 The Host aka Gwoemul 2006 Dog Soldiers 2002 Alien 1979 Aliens 1986 Jaws 1975 The Giant Claw 1957 Antlers 2021

Iä! Iä! Lovecraftian horrors

H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) was an American author best known for his influential contributions to the genre of "weird fiction," especially cosmic horror. His work is characterized by a unique blend of science fiction, horror, and the supernatural, often exploring themes such as forbidden knowledge, humanity's insignificance in the universe, and the fragility of reason. Lovecraft created a mythos—a loosely connected universe populated by ancient, powerful beings such as Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, and Azathoth. This "Cthulhu mythos" became central to his legacy, and was later expanded upon by other writers. So, to the eternal question: what does this almost etherial term "Lovecraftian" actually mean? I think Wikipedia says it well: "Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror, fantasy, and weird fiction that emphasizes the terror of the unknown and incomprehensible more than gore or other shock elements....

Yūrei: pray you never encounter one!

Dear reader: a violent storm is approaching Scandinavia. Red alerts of all sorts have been issued, and the populus is busy removing loose objects, filling up their water tanks and checking if they have enough batteries to last. Later tonight, when all Hell breaks loose , they will huddle together, step away from the windows, brace themselves and excert a nordic form of calm born through experience with hellish weather. But i digress. Now, let me take this occasion, to tell you about the nightgown - wearing ghost. Her face is covered by her long black hair. She is the one that comes crawling down the stairs and out of closets in you nightmares. The ghost that make this throat gurgling "moaaaaaaaaaaaaa" - sound that makes your skin crawl. The one that that comes crawling towards you, behind you, in the darkness to pull you... away. Away from this world. Let me tell you about yūrei! I will do so by telling you about one of the world's most well known and dreaded yūrei: Kay...

PPH: om Post Production Hell

Det ringer inn til det som mye mulig er siste time i Back to school weekend. Tema: POST PRODUCTION HELL! Dette er et uttrykk som filmgeeks gjerne slenger om seg med; her går tante Grusom i dybden og forklarer litt nærmere hva dette innebærer. Post production hell -eller Development hell / Development limbo- er et begrep som brukes om filmer og spill som "fanges" i etterproduksjon. Disse prosjektene kan bli forsinket med mange herrens år - eller de ender opp med aldri å komme ut. "Independence Day 2" var et eksempel på en film som holdes i postprod limbo; der befant den seg siden 1997 og fram til utgivelse i 2018. World War Z er nok en annen film som har vært en snartur innom postprod hell for en kjapp skjending og refokusering. Urk! Hvordan ender så enkelte filmer opp i denne tilstanden? Årsakene kan være mange: 1. Skaperen av åndsverket har solgt rettighetene til et studio med sine regissører og produsenter; infrastrukturelle endringer i filmverdene...

Automotive horror!

The term automotive horror , also referred to as "car horror" or "highway horror," refers to horror fiction where the primary source of dread, isolation, or violence is directly linked to vehicles and the culture of the open road. It essentially exploits the psychological terror of a machine turning malevolent or the vulnerability of being isolated on a desolate road. Automotive horror utilizes several distinct concepts to create terror: The Sentient/Evil Vehicle: The car itself is the monster. Christine (1983), anyone? It's often possessed, cursed, or supernaturally alive, acting with malevolent intent to kill, terrorize, or corrupt its owner. The topic of evil cars represents Technophobia , an underlying theme where technology, which is supposed to represent freedom and convenience, instead betrays you. Turns on you like a dirty street whore in the night. The Highway Hunter: The vehicle is simply a tool used by a human serial killer or psychopath who us...

Masks in horror!

Masks are widely seen in horror films. But of course. Hidden identities and a visage without any visible emotions are the stuff nightmares are made of. Or masks made of the skin of a human head... Eeew! Leatherface, Jason Vorhees, Ghostface and Michael Myers were pioneers in the mask game. Those iconic roles have since been followed by a wide array of masked killers in horror. Increasingly cheezy, some might feel -myserlf being among them. The home invasion subgenre has in particular taken masks to its heart. The rookies at The Horror Rookie Academy recently endulged themselves in a Mask Saturday, shining a powerful mental light on masks in horror. Below is the list of 28 movie recommendations that followed. Enjoy! Nr Title Year IMDb 1 Scream 1996 7,4 2 StageFright 1987 6,6 3 Christmas Cruelty 2013 4,4 4 The Collector 2009 6,3 5 My Bloody Valentine 1981 6,3 6 My Bloody Valentine 2009 5,4 7 Onibaba 1964 7,8 8 The Orphanage 2007 7,4 9 Alice, Sweet Alice 1976 ...

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