What Sleeps Beneath is an online magazine that explores the horror genre as one of the most important cultural vehicles of our time. It is a home for all horror-loving nerds, and a space to investigate what the genre tells us about ourselves. We write book and movie reviews, conduct interviews, and write original academic research.
Browse the full archive, or search for a specific article. Not sure where to start? Use the drop-down to browse by topic, format, or subgenre.
Archive
- B-Movies & Cult Classics
- Body Horror
- Books & Literature
- Classic Horror Films
- Cosmic Horror
- Cults & Religious Horror
- Essays
- Events
- Folk Horror
- Found Footage & Mockumentary
- Gendered & Queer Horror
- Ghosts & Hauntings
- Holiday Horror
- Independent Films
- International Horror
- Interviews
- Lists
- Possession & Exorcism
- Recipes
- Sci-Fi Horror
- Slashers
- Survival & Environmental Horror
- TV
- Thrillers
- True Crime
- Vampires
- Werewolves & Transformations
- Women in Horror
- Zombies
Cabin in the Woods: The Love/Hate Relationship with Horror Cliches
In fact, Cabin is just as much of a comedy or takes on elements of science fiction, as much as it is a “loving hate letter” to horror.
The Exorcist III’s 30th Anniversary
Blatty’s success with The Exorcist III (1990) comes not from his directorial skills—his inexperience can be fairly obvious at times—but rather from his talent as a writer.
‘I Saw the Devil’ 10th Anniversary Review
Though you never stop rooting for Soo-hyeon, there are several times when you have to ask yourself, “Is he going too far? Should I be feeling the way I feel?”
Defiance: Seeing Red - Mark Rothko & Suspiria
There is a perpetual and cyclical bleeding out of color and emotion in the Rothko paintings, such that the viewer is easily overwhelmed. In Suspiria, it is unabashedly intentional. This is the first of a 3-part series on the colors of the original Suspiria.
Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Nobuo Nakagawa’s ‘Jigoku’ (1960)
What it may lack, for some viewers, in pacing, it more than makes up for in creativity.
The Haunted Spaces of Suburbia: An Interview with Robert McLaughlin
Hauntings are not restricted to the dead: economic, social, cultural factors, and the very past itself can come to bear on the present. In this interview with Robert McLaughlin, author and lecturer, we discuss hauntology and suburban life.
Movie Review: “Plan 9 from Outer Space” (1959)
While protestors fight tooth and nail for a better future where Black lives are protected, cherished and uplifted, we sit squarely at a cultural crossroads where the U.S. has the chance to reckon with the atomic graveyard of its past.
How Guilt and Pain Drive ‘The Ritual’ (2017)
From the tragic evening, into the unknown and unwavering forest, the viewer is met with horror-version visuals of what it might be like to live through a devastating experience.
Reading the Bible with Horror, Reviewed
The intersection of a religious text and the horror genre is one that I felt I should have realized sooner. For anyone interested in religious horror, this text is an essential read. You can also find our interview with author Dr Brandon Grafius in the culture section.
Challenging Perception in ‘The Last Wave’
In lieu of any scary villains or boogeymen, The Last Wave allows a primal awareness to roll in like a storm cloud. Peter Weir is content to provide a framework of a story and allow Indigenous voices to drive the substance of the film.
Gothic Children: Investigating Comics & Children's Literature with Dr. Julia Round
Like the specters that have been known to haunt the Gothic fiction genre, Gothic modes have a tendency of cropping up where they might be least expected. For Dr. Julia Round, this means investigating comics and children’s literature.
Exploring Wilderness Horror in ‘Backcountry’ (2014)
Nature and creating the horror of being lost.
Memory, Introspection, & Grief: A Ghost Story
And though I would first consider A Ghost Story (David Lowery) an unblinking, compassionate look at grief, there are also beautiful moments of introspection through the lens of memory.
Pet Sematary: Looking at Grief through a Paranormal Lens
A timely & thoughtful look at the 2019 Pet Sematary.
Vampires & the Stigma of Mental Illness in ‘The Transfiguration’ and ‘Martin’
The Transfiguration stitches together a new vision of what it means to be a vampire in modern cinema. A lovechild between Let the Right One In, and the hidden ’70s gem, George A. Romero’s Martin, it effectively builds on the rich history of vampire films in the U.S. and maintains a sense of relevancy, without sacrificing its unique point of view.
Foreshadowing The Great Recession in ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’
A deep dive into the visuals of The Exorcism of Emily Rose reveals a haunting foreshadowing of the economic recession.
Women in Horror: An Interview with Professor Aalya Ahmad
Driven by a passion to bridge the gap between academia and fandom in horror, Dr. Aalya Ahmad has spent much of her career teaching students from a variety of backgrounds about what the genre has to offer, as well as diving into the intersection of feminist theory and horror.
Movie Review: I Am Legend
Looking back on this beloved film in the wake of Covid-19, I didn’t know what holding a job, providing for myself, or living alone was like. I had no idea about life’s greatest fears or the fragility of human life itself.
Does ‘The Hunt’ (2020) Land its Political Satire?
The cracks might be obvious, but in a film so obviously tongue-in-cheek, where every character is a caricature and no one is safe, it’s difficult to seriously suggest anyone will actually be offended.
‘The Lodge’ Combines Architectural Horror with Religious Trauma
My only real issue with The Lodge is how it sticks the landing.