Dread Central's Tyler Doupe' guests ✍️, 'Casper' teaches us how to live 👻, Favorite gateway horror 🧟, & more!

Hello there. Journalist, film critic, and author Tyler Doupe´ here. Thank you to Brett and Bee for
the chance to participate in this installment of Horrorverse. I’m a longtime fan of the
newsletter and I eagerly devour each issue as it drops. It’s an honor to be included.

I recently released my first book, Queer Horror: A Film Guide via McFarland Books. It was a
years-long process and a true labor of love. Bee and Brett asked me to share some details about
my experience with horror and the genesis of the book. So, here goes.

I grew up in a very religious household. My parents were convinced that horror was a conduit
for evil that would undoubtedly bring the devil to our doorstep. As such, any contact with it was
expressly forbidden. However, that’s just scratching the surface. Any films or television
programs with magic or a supernatural component were also off limits. So, my world was pretty
small in my formative years. That made the macabre so desirable. So exotic. So alluring.
Naturally, I consumed as much horror content as I could when I could. I vividly remember
catching part of The Gate during the Saturday morning cartoon hour. I was riveted. My mom
eventually caught on and made me change the channel. However, the film was forever
imprinted upon my brain and remains a favorite to this day.

Most of my experiences with the horror genre were like what I just described until I reached my
teen years and had slightly more autonomy. I managed to see April Fool’s Day, Army of
Darkness, Night of the Living Dead, and a few other classics on VHS while visiting friends. Each
of those films left a lasting impression that only furthered my appetite for more genre content.

Like horror movies, any mention of or reference to queer culture was also off limits in my
childhood home. I was so deeply closeted that I couldn’t even acknowledge that I might be gay
within the confines of my own mind, let alone actually say it out loud. I would rationalize. I
would try to ignore the ‘unnatural thoughts.’ And I would ask the God to whom my parents prayed to make me 'normal..’

After leaving for college, I was free to explore the horror genre without anyone looking over my
shoulder. However, religious guilt continued to plague me and kept me from living
authentically. I was convinced I was abnormal and damaged. I tried to live like a straight man. I
would attempt to mirror my heterosexual counterparts and say and do exactly as they did. Yet,
I felt like a fraud. As close as I would come to convincing myself I was perfectly straight, there
was a part of me, deep down, that always knew the truth.

After years of denial and shame, I finally came out. It was scary and traumatic. I look back on
the loneliness and isolation I felt back then and shudder. My family has come around since then
and we have mended fences. However, the memories still haunt me on occasion.
During those dark times, I found solace in cinema and television. Queer representation in
movies and TV made me feel less alone. Seeing people like me in media instilled a sense of
belonging.

Over time, I began to channel my creative energy into writing. Eventually, that turned into a
career. When I was writing for the now-defunct Chiller TV blog, I met Sean Abley, a fellow
contributor to the site. Sean eventually invited me to contribute to a book chronicling queer
representation, themes, and subtext in the horror genre. Over time, I pivoted from one of
several contributors to the book to the co-editor of the tome.

Sean and I edited (and contributed to) the 900+ entries in the book, which covers the
aforementioned themes from the dawn of cinema all the way up until 2021 when
representation became more commonplace. The talented stable of contributors includes
Calpernia Addams, Molly Henry, Alan Kelly, Daniel W. Kelly, Brian Kirst, and Michael Varrati.

It was a pleasure to get to work with a talented stable of contributors and a lifelong dream
achieved to turn my passion for writing and my life experience into a reference guide. The book
is available now through McFarland Books.

Issue 034’s Letterboxd list can be found here

Dating is the worst, thanks to the hundreds of apps available, so when Alex (Blu Hunt) meets Kyle (Ben Smith-Petersen), all looks promising... but it isn't. Kyle is harboring a terrible secret, and Alex, who doesn't like to be ghosted, isn't letting go. Elric Kane's The Dead Thing may come across as a slow-paced horror film, but it's not. It builds up the right amount of character development and story to keep the viewer interested, and then delivers a predictable but well-executed reveal that brings it all together. The film's streaming exclusively on Shudder, and I recommend swiping right on this one! [Read Brett's review]

In recent years, there has been a tidal wave of religious horror films. From The First Omen to Immaculate and Agnes, the genre has expanded in tone, theme, and style. One of my most-anticipated titles of 2025, Andy Crane and Nathan Shepka's The Baby in the Basket asserts itself as a horror/drama provoking discussion around the contamination of faith, the tenuous strings that connect humanity, and how evil is born, not raised. While the horror elements fail to strike even an ounce of fear, the dramatic moments prove to be an ample foundation on which the whole piece is structured. When a baby in a basket shows up on the doorstep of a convent, the nuns take it in their care until the raging storm subsides. What transpires next is a pile of dead bodies and no answers to its cause. Many suspect the baby of bringing with it unforetold evil, and the nuns must confront their beliefs before it's too late. The Baby in the Basket isn't about reinventing anything but rather to elicit conversation about religion and what it means to be a loyal follower. [written by Bee]

Rounding is among the year's biggest surprises. Writer/director Alex Thompson sculpts a harrowing analysis of the human condition, trauma, and desperation. When young resident doctor James Hayman (Namir Smallwood) moves to the country, he takes up residence at a local hospital. What begins as a much-needed fresh start, after a nervous breakdown, turns into a dark and twisted tale about a young patient's presumed severe asthma. As things begin to callapse around him, James finds himself spiraling out of control again. This time he sees monstrous visions that seek to bleed him dry. Thompson rips horror from real life to puncture the wind from your lungs. The hallucinations are wholly unnecessary, yet the true terror stems from the actions of human begins and their need to feel wanted. Rounding is a devastating watch that buckles the knees in more ways than one. [written by Bee]

Writer/director Matt McClung invites you into the twisted hellscape of religious fanaticism with Inhabitants. When a young man named Francis (Josh Rivera) and his girlfriend Olivia (Anna Jacoby-Heron) move in together, Francis' mom isn't afraid to express her disapproval for the decision, frequently sending them graphically violent religious postcards. Olivia seeks answers through the mystical and decorates their new home with crystals and other iconography. But as they settle into their new place, it becomes clear Francis has long-buried trauma that he has yet to deal with invovling his youth pastor, whose ghost comes to haunt the couple. While the scares are slight, the film excels with its dramatic moments, owed largerly to Rivera's sinewy, emotionally wrought performance that leaves you breathless. The film confronts religion and how we, as human beings, are constantly on the hunt for the answers of the universe. Inhabitants might not be particularly scary, but it does provoke a necessary conversation. [written by Bee]

By now, you've definitely seen Tobe Hooper's classic Poltergeist. It ranks as one of the greatest horror films ever (and rightfully so), and spawned two mediocre sequels (as well as one forgettable remake). If haunted homes are your thing, well then, we've got a list for you. It's gettin' spooky out there! Check out the list on Letterboxd.

We've missed seeing Samara Weaving on the big screen, so we're happy to announce that Borderline, which she co-stars with Ray Nicholson (Smile 2), is premiering in theaters on March 14th.

Sosie Bacon (Smile) will star alongside a jealous childhood doll in BRETT (nice name). This concept is giving off Benny Loves You vibes...

Sam Raimi's survivor horror film Send Help is expected to receive a response in theaters on January 30, 2026.

Season 1 of Shudder's hit series The Creep Tapes will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on April 1, 2025. Season 2 premieres in late 2025.