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
Portrayals of Disability in “Digging Up the Marrow” (2014)
Digging Up the Marrow (2014), a found-footage comedic metacommentary on the horror community, is a fun watch, while also raising some interesting points on the disregard of disability and scapegoating of difference.
Smiley Face Killers Misses Potential
Based on real-life tragedies, Smiley Face Killers misses the potential of what could have been an enjoyable exploration of true crime.
Depictions of Trauma in ‘When a Stranger Calls Back’
When a Stranger Calls Back is a stalker-slasher that stands apart from other films in the genre, giving fans a more rounded, nuanced vision into how trauma might be dealt with in a horror film, without sacrificing the scares.
Book Review — Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas
Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas, an anthology released in 2021 by Hex Publishers, is a fantastical exploration of identity, landscape, and what happens when the two intersect.
New 4K Restoration of Iván Zulueta's ‘Arrebato’
Arrebato (Rapture) is the 1979 cult-hit from Spanish director Iván Zulueta that has thrilled and mystified international audiences for decades and will soon be available for the first time in the United States.
Jane Toppan: America's First Female Serial Killer
America’s First Female Serial Killer: Jane Toppan and the Making of a Monster, authored by Mary Kay McBrayer, is an interesting and experimental novel focused on exactly who you’d expect: Jane Toppan.
Global Horror Cinema Today, Reviewed
In Global Horror Cinema Today: 28 Representative Films from 17 Countries, this broad-strokes perspective on the genre’s recent filmic history will have horror fans keeping Letterboxd open—so many amazing moves, so little time.
Holiday Horror: Santa Jaws
After summoning a holiday shark cartoon and wishing to be alone this Christmas, Cody must fight to protect his family from being killed by his own creation.
The Fantasy of Horror: ‘Brotherhood of the Wolf’ (2002)
Though Brotherhood of the Wolf has its rough edges, this genre mashup of a movie has much to offer for horror and history fans alike.
Christmas Chills: ‘The Advent Calendar’ Review
Shudder’s newest original film, The Advent Calendar, is an impressive French-language feature from writer-director Patrick Ridremont, and features strong cast performances sure to add some chills to your holiday lineup.
Slayings in Suburbia: A Review of YOU, Season Three
The saga of murderers, Joe and Love, turned married progresses as a newborn baby throws a wrench into their new chapter in an upper-class suburban neighborhood.
The Horrors of the Human in ‘Midnight Mass’
The horror in Midnight Mass isn’t its vampire, though that is horrifying as well, but in its people—that an entire town of good, well-meaning families could be so easily convinced to turn on each other and their humanity. It’s a difficult but necessary pill to swallow in a post-COVID, post-QAnon world.
Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World
Travel Anthology features ghostly tales of authors from around the globe, with an interesting focus: There are no stories of haunted houses.
WSB's Halloween Favorites
The WSB team discusses their favorite things about the Halloween holiday. From movies to crafts, decorations and aesthetics, each author conveys what brings them most joy during the spooky season.
Be Afraid and Do It Anyway: Interview with Catastrophe Cate of The Handmade Horror Shoppe
Catastrophe Cate, a DIY creative and actress, celebrates the Halloween season with the opening her new handmade, sustainable venture, The Handmade Horror Shoppe.
Los parecidos: A Tribute to Rod Serling’s ‘The Twilight Zone’
Director Isaac Esban's The Similar is a tribute to Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone, while also exploring the depths of lived reality.
Scenery in Miniature: An Interview with Artist Nikki Norris
Nikki Norris, a Pittsburgh-based artist specializing in dioramas and horror photography, brings cozy and chilling scenes alike to life through her work, emphasizing the importance of the details.
Cursed for Centuries: Reviewing the ‘Fear Street’ Trilogy
Netflix’s Fear Street movies, adapted from the novels by R.L. Stine, feature fun cast performances, an interplay of nostalgia and tropes, and demonstrates director Leigh Janiak’s talent for telling a good story.
Review: The Villa and the Vortex: Supernatural Stories, 1916-1924
The Villa and the Vortex: Supernatural Stories, 1916-1924 by Elinor Mordaunt is a must-read for those who love older horror and weird fiction, and for those who just love a good ghost story.
(Re)building a Legend: Candyman (2021) Movie Review
Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, though it closely follows the footsteps of the original, is a worthwhile sequel, wearing its themes on its sleeve and breathing new life into the story for the next generation.