2023 has been a big year for me in terms of my writing. With my daughter finally in full time education I have finally has a chance to try and make this freelance thing work. It has only been a few months, but so far, so good. In addition to having more time, I have also been able to do some super cool things in 2023. As we approach the end of the year, I thought I’d write a little post championing some achievements that I’m super proud of.
Working Class Panel Ghouls Magazine
For Ghouls Magazine I was part of a live panel exploring Working Class representation in both the horror film industry, and movies themselves. The recording can be viewed on Ghouls Magazine’s YouTube channel.
Hypochondriac US Blu-ray
Earlier this year Vinegar Syndrome released Addison Heimann’s breath-taking Hypochondriac onto Blu-ray. For the release I was asked by Addison to contribute an essay for the accompanying booklet. This was a first for me, and the experience was made all the more special in it being for a film that utterly stole my heart. My essay is entitled ‘The Progressive Future of Queer Fear’ and discusses how refreshing it is to have a film with a queer character that is not defined by their sexuality.
Copies are still available to purchase on the Vinegar Syndrome website.
Movies with Mummy
In May, my then four year old, Aurora, had the idea to create a podcast. Initially I thought it would just be phase, and yet, Movies with Mummy has gone from being fortnightly to weekly. The show is a micro podcast that chats about whatever television show or movie (or game) that Aurora chooses. Each episode is chaos, but we have a lot of fun making them. We have just passed 2000 downloads, which might not sound like much compared to others, but given how chaotic it is, I’m immensely proud that Aurora’s idea is being enjoyed by some.
FrightFest Intros and Q and A’s
At this year’s August FrightFest I had the honour of opening the Main Screen for its first full day of programming on the Friday. As well as kicking off the day, I also got to introduce the film, It Lives Inside. Later that day I introduced The Weird Kidz and hosted a Q&A with the films producer, Charles Horak. On the Saturday, I introduced the fantastic River.
In October I was invited back for their Halloween event to introduce Lovely, Dark and Deep.
It Follows UK Blu-ray
I have been a fan of Second Sight for years. The boutique label champions physical media and their releases are all wonderfully in-depth. This year I have been lucky enough to write for not one, but two, Second Sight releases. The first was for It Follows for which I explored how David Robert Mitchell’s film subverts teen horror conventions in a piece titled, ‘It Unfollows.’
The limited edition of It Follows can be found on the Second Sight website.
Ginger Snaps Trilogy UK Blu-ray Boxset
The second release I got to work on for Second Sight this year was the Ginger Snaps trilogy boxset. I have been in love with this series since the first movie was released in 2000, so working on this set was a dream come true. My essay, ‘They Don’t Call it a Curse for Nothing’, focuses on the first Ginger Snaps and how it expresses lycanthropy distilled through the female experience.
Limited edition copies of the Ginger Snaps boxset can be purchased from the Second Sight website.
Arrow Video Website
I have long been a fan of Arrow Video and was thrilled when I was able to start writing for their website blog this year. My first piece gave me the opportunity to gush about Dinner in America, and the second allowed me to highlight how awesome Alabama Worley is in True Romance. Links to both articles are listed below.
Why Dinner in America is ‘the tits’
True Romance at 30: The Still Cool Alabama Worley
Certified Forgotten
Another new outlet that I was able to contribute to this year was the awesome Certified Forgotten. They were kind enough to let me speak about my beloved Return of the Living Dead 3. My essay analysed how Kurt and Julie are the Romeo and Juliet of the zombie world. You can read it at the link below.
The Shakespearean Romance of ‘Return of the Living Dead III’
MCM Panel: Werewolves, Crawlers and Footsteps – In Conversation with Janine Pipe and Neil Marshall
In October, MCM were kind enough to let me loose as a moderator on one of their panels at Comic Con. I had an absolute blast chatting with author and director, Janine Pipe, and prolific British horror director, Neil Marshall. The pair have a fascinating relationship, which has seen them go from fan and filmmaker, to frequent collaborators. Janine wrote a book about Neil’s debit feature, Dog Soldiers, called Sausages, and the pair are currently working on Janine’s short film, Footsteps. The chat chronicled their journey and featured some great insights into Footsteps and even had an exclusive look at Neil’s next film, Duchess.
The panel was recorded, and can be watched with a Popverse membership.
OFSC membership
Also in October, I was one of ten new members welcomed into the OFSC (Online Film Critics Society). This new position means that I get to vote in their awards each year and I can’t wait to start championing horror on my ballot sheets.
Disturbing Behavior Live Panel
As part of this year’s SoHome Horror Film Festival, I was asked to be involved in a special live discussion of David Nutter’s Disturbing Behavior. The conversation will form a future episode of Drunken Horror Podcast.
Film Disclosure 
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