John Carpenter

In the second of this week’s two episodes of Generation Z (Sunday and Monday), a teenage girl called Finn wondered why her friend Kelly was so distracted and tearful. As a well-informed type, Finn applied the principle of Occam’s razor and decided that Kelly must be pregnant. In this case, though, the simplest explanation definitely wasn’t the right one. What was ailing Kelly was that her nan had tried to stab her with a large kitchen knife prior to feasting on her flesh – until a male schoolfriend turned up, shot her nan with a crossbow and hid the body in the woods. Residents of the retirement home are also rampaging through the woods, chomping on cockapoos In some British towns, all this might have been something of a one-off.

Amber Duke, Washington editor Talk to Me John Carpenter made some of the best horror movies of all time because his work did more than just try to scare the audience — it explored what really drives fear. Halloween toyed with the nature of evil. The Thing is a commentary on human isolation and the psychological effects of distrust and suspicion. That’s why Talk To Me, a 2023 horror flick from the much buzzed about studio A24, is so good. Yes, it’s about demonic possession and conjuring spirits, but at its core it’s a story about grief. Namely, the poor choices we can make when we miss someone so terribly and we just need a respite from the pain.