Posts

Creator Highlight: ABadWitch

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By: Myriam Akbar Meet Yolanda–also known as @ abadwitch on Instagram! She’s from New York and has been a part of the horror community since 2020, also beginning content creation that year. “I was always alone in my nerdy interests and didn’t even think about posting about them, until I found the Instagram horror community in 2019,” she says.  Yolanda got into film around 10 years old, watching horror films on YouTube when people would previously upload in 10 minute increments. She considers horror her favorite genre, gravitating towards the slasher, technology, and paranormal subgenres. She lists Hausu , A Nightmare on Elm Street , Sinister ,  The Fear Street Trilogy , and Stay Alive as some of her most loved horror films. Yolanda is also a fan of comic book, fantasy, and adventure films. For example: Marvel, DC, and the Mortal Kombat films. She highlights X-Men , Spawn , Avengers: Infinity War , and X-Men Days of Future Past . As for TV shows, her favorite is The Walking D...

Creator Highlight: Meagan of Tea & Popcorn Podcast

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By: Myriam Akbar Meet Meagan– a social media content creator and host of the film commentary podcast, Tea & Popcorn Podcast. She’s been active in the field since 2017, mostly on Instagram (@meaganzworld). However, she launched her podcast and YouTube channel in 2024. Describing her podcast as a cozy movie and culture space, she says, “It’s still in the growth process. I want to create a safe place for women to discuss film and the discourse surrounding it.” Although Meagan recalls always having a love for film, she feels she truly became a cinephile when she was 15 and attended an acting summer camp (that turned into film camp). Her favorite genres are horror, musicals, and dramas. Her favorite movie is Dreamgirls , while she says the early seasons of SpongeBob Squarepants is her comfort show.  Meagan studied digital communications in college, focusing on film production. However, she learned a lot about content creation and social media marketing during the last term of her s...

Women’s History Month: Highlighting 6 Black Women Screenwriters in Horror

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By: Myriam Akbar To honor Women’s History Month, I would like to highlight Black women screenwriters who explore the horror genre. In general, I feel that those behind film ideas are less talked about than those behind the camera. I am inspired by and strive to learn from these women as I pursue screenwriting and filmmaking myself. They’ve worked on stand-out films in the genre and we should most definitely keep our eyes out for more of their work.  1) Akela Cooper Akela Cooper was raised in Missouri and graduated from Truman State University with a degree in Creative Writing. She also received a MFA from the USC School of Cinema-Televison. Her television filmography is extensive and shows her versatile talent, writing and producing episodes of various genres. In terms of horror films, Cooper wrote Maglinant and M3gan . She also co-wrote Hellfest , M3gan 2.0 , and The Nun II .  2) Nikyatu Jusu Nikyatu Jusu was born in Atlanta, Georgia and attended Duke University, graduating ...

Creator Highlight: BriHeartsHorror

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By: Myriam Akbar Meet BriHeartsHorror – a bright and passionate content creator who is present on Instagram, Tiktok, and Letterboxd. Bri was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. During the day, she works with middle schoolers as a licensed therapist. However, she spends the rest of her time being a horror movie lover and part-time content creator. BriHeartsHorror as it exists on TikTok began in December 2021. Bri posted her first video, featuring an audio where she gave her opinions of horror franchises. To her surprise, it went viral and she started gaining a following.  When asked about when her passion for film began, Bri said, “I grew up loving movies and television. My mom is a huge fan also, so we bonded by watching things together. She introduced me to so many of my favorite movies and television shows.” In terms of horror, Bri enjoys the subgenres slasher, psychological, zombie, and body. However, she also likes comedies, coming of age dramas, and thrillers.  “I th...

Bite-Sized Storytelling: Short Film Recommendations Featuring Black Talent

By: Myriam Akbar I’ve always loved bite-sized storytelling, whether on the screen or page. Since I was a child, anthologies have been one of my favorite narrative forms. Twilight Zone, Goosebumps, Creepshow, Trilogy of Terror, Tales From the Hood . Contained, thematic, and addictive. This pushed me to study short stories while pursuing my degree in Literature and Creative Writing. However, strangely enough, it wasn’t until about a year ago that I began watching short films. As a script writer and an aspiring filmmaker, it only made sense that I study that narrative form in addition to full-length projects. It has been such a fun and rewarding experience.  In honor of BHM, I have compiled a list of short films featuring Black talent–whether it be lead actors or filmmakers. WAKE by Bree Newsome; for example, is a favorite of mine that I’ve been rewatching every year. The films on this list are mostly of the horror genre but there’s also some thriller, comedy, and sci-fi mixed in. Th...

Marlon Wayans’ Response to HIM Criticism is Significant For All Film Discourse

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By: Myriam Akbar HIM is a supernatural cult horror film directed by Justin Tipping and produced by Jordan Peele. On a surface level, the plot follows a rising football star named Cameron who goes to remote grounds for an intense mentorship after an injury that could end his career. However within that, supernatural elements and religious allegory are used to examine the obsessive and exploitative nature of American football culture. Following its release, reviews were initially negative in terms of online discourse but became divisive as more people watched the film. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 56% score based on 1000+ verified ratings, impacting the overall reception of the film. Often people use these scores to determine whether they’re going to watch in theaters or wait for streaming–sometimes whether they’re going to watch at all. From what I gathered, viewers had issues with the cohesiveness of the story, lack of scares, relatability to the characters, and multitude of complex theme...

The Body Remembers: Marshmallow Review & Analysis

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By: Myriam Akbar Marshmallow is a 2025 indie sci-fi horror film that feels like an episode of Goosebumps —focusing on adolescence, adventure, and a frightening mystery. However, it’s clearly made for a broader, more mature audience and has higher stakes. This slasheresque camp tale is written by Andy Greskoviak and directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio. The plot follows children attending a summer program as they investigate an urban legend-like mad scientist. It’s now available to watch on Shudder, rightfully becoming a part of horror discourse and receiving the praise it deserves. Viewers like myself were blown away by its originality and third act’s plot-twist.  The film opens with twelve year old Morgan having a terrifying nightmare involving water, moving to a scene of him attempting to play basketball with his new neighbors who cruelly reject him. One evening during dinner, he and his family discuss his leaving for summer camp which fills him with agitation. His grandfather attemp...