According to a recent Internet campaign to get a certain record to the No.1 spot in time for Christmas, everybody knows that the bird is the word. Well, I have news for The Bird and all his acolytes: namely, that a greater, more cultured, and ultimately more select group of us know that Monsters Rule OK. Anyone not acquainted with this premise obviously didn’t watch much late night TV, or attend many midnight movie screenings, in that otherwise barren period known as the 1980s, for ‘twas then … [Read more...]

OK, I’m going to ask a question which on the surface seems fairly obvious, but which, nevertheless, remains to my knowledge unanswered. Namely: just where exactly did the tradition begin of telling ghost stories at Christmas? “What tradition”, exclaim a million youthful voices raised on reality TV and gangsta rap. “Fooey!”, say I, diametrically opposed to anyone unaware of the grand customs of the past. But that still doesn’t stop me from wanting to achieve a greater understanding of such … [Read more...]

It’s always good to watch an old fashioned Hammer costume epic at this time of year. Maybe it’s the way the snow and ice seem to bring out the hidden urges within us all to sit in front of a roaring log fire in an old castle, enjoying a palatial banquet and a bottle of vintage port. Maybe it’s the way the trees take on eerie, foreboding shapes when stripped of their natural foliage. Or maybe it’s just because they used to show them all through the holidays without fail when we were kids, and … [Read more...]

The early 1970s were certainly an interesting time for Britt Ekland. As well marrying Rod Stewart, during which time she helped popularise the now-recognised concept of “Swinglish”, she also appeared, one after the other, in a run of four undisputed horror classics- first as Charlotte Rampling’s murderous “friend” Lucy in Asylum (1972) then a thorn in the side of Hywel Bennett and Hayley Mills in Endless Night (also 1972) before achieving immortality as dubbed Caledonian temptress Willow … [Read more...]