The Beat went hard on horror this Halloween season, leading to the creation of its very own Horror Beat. From manga to movies, our coverage explored fear and ghoulish terror in all its forms, and now it will continue to do so year-round.
Horror doesn’t rouse itself to life by the end of September and then slumbers for the next eleven months starting November 1st until next Halloween. No, horror is a constant. Much like fear, it doesn’t sleep or go on vacation. It’s always there to remind us of the terrible things we have to face and how important it is that we do so.
With that said, it’s an absolute privilege to announce that I will be managing the Horror Beat, doing the (dark) lord’s work as best I can.
No threat of a Halloween hangover here. Horror will continue to have the attention it deserves for the entire year so it can scare as many people as possible into becoming lifelong fans. In case you might’ve missed some of the great work The Beat staff has already done for Horror Beat, here’s a selection of some of the best stuff we put out in October.
As George Romero used to say…Stay scared!
- Our Dark Favorites from Master of Horror Stephen King, by The Beat Staff
No discussion on horror is complete without Stephen King, the main man from Maine and one of the most prolific writers in fiction (in any genre). The Beat got together to talk Mr. King’s oeuvre and which of his works we gravitate towards the most. Some great selections here. Good for readers looking for movie/book/comic recommendations.
Horror manga is a vast world with hard-to-find titles slowly making their way back from obscurity or discontinuance. In this article, Dan Morris explores the bizarrely cartoony but always terrifying work of Kanako Inuki, the Queen of Horror Manga, and makes a strong case as to why more readers should take the time to get scared by her stories.
Horror soundtracks tend to have strange backstories that do a lot to make already scary movies scarier. Avery Kaplan’s take on the Night of the Living Dead soundtrack unearths key details that give the sounds it produced a different understanding of its origin and its identity.
4. Session 9 makes work terrifying, by Zack Quaintance
The Beat‘s own Reviews Editor, Zack Quaintance, took on one of the best horror movies of the early aughts: Session 9. In a refreshing analysis of the film, Quaintance argues the story’s focus on work is what makes it truly scary. Removing asbestos should be premise enough for a horror movie, and Quaintance makes a strong argument for it.
- Webtoon at Midnight delivers the scares, by Deanna Destito
Deanna Destito has been highlighting the wealth of free comics available to readers for The Beat on a regular basis. For Horror Beat, she brought attention to Webtoon at Midnight, a free horror anthology released on the popular digital comics platform Webtoons. Keep an eye out for Destito’s “A Year Free Comics” articles for more great free comics and manga selections.
- Tananarive Due finds inspiration in her uncle’s terrifying experience for The Reformatory, by Ricardo Serrano Denis
A bit of shameful self-promotion here, but really the point is to bring attention to the importance of horror prose fiction in the comics ecosystem. Horror prose has found a very welcoming home in comics conventions, with a dedicated fanbase clamoring for panels and signings. Expect more attention given to horror prose here. It’s already begun with an interview with master of horror Tananarive Due on her new book The Reformatory. It was one of the best conversations on horror I’ve had in my time writing about the genre. Due deserves to be read in any form, be it prose (The Good House), comic (The Keeper), or interview.
For more Horror Beat coverage, click here. Tell us in the comments below what scares you, or what you want to see more of.
That’s awesome news!
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