pop culture

Pop culture for horror junkies; all about the famous films, creepypasta tales, trends and tropes that bled from the fringes of fright into the macabre mainstream.

Bad Luck, No Mercy
The box was older than the rest of the games in the thrift store—its corners soft, the colors faded to a sickly pastel. CHUTES AND LADDERS, the lid read, smiling children frozen mid-laugh.
By Christina Nelson 12 days ago in Horror
The Monster You Don't. Content Warning.
There was only one rule: don’t open the door. The premise of the game was simple. Contestants were placed in a colosseum with an unlocked exit door and a bloodthirsty monster for twenty-four hours.
By Call Me Les12 days ago in Horror
The Haunted Tower of London: Dark History, Ghost Stories, and Royal Tragedies
For almost a thousand years, the Tower of London has loomed along the River Thames as one of the most recognized—and spookiest—sites in the United Kingdom. Originally constructed by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, the Tower was first and foremost a fortress designed to secure Norman domination of England. However, as the Tower grew and matured as a structure and as a symbol of British history, it would come to serve many purposes simultaneously— royal residence, prison, treasury, armory, and even site of execution—no wonder it is associated with so many stories of ghosts and otherworldly experiences.
By Kyrol Mojikal13 days ago in Horror
The Spiritual Door Was Opened And Something Answered...
Most people think of séances and Ouija boards as relics... Parlor tricks from another century, novelties sold in boxes, harmless ways to flirt with the unknown.
By Veil of Shadows14 days ago in Horror
Yeongdeok Haunted House: Korea’s Most Terrifying Abandoned Ghost House
The Yeongdeok Haunted House (영덕흉가), or simply Yeongdeok House, is a haunted mansion situated on a cliff overlooking the ocean within Yeongdeok County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It does not look any stranger than any typical old haunted house – two stories, paint peeling off, windows smashed, and a whole lot of disrepair. However, this haunted house has been a legend in Korea for many decades as being among the most haunted sites within the country.
By Kyrol Mojikal16 days ago in Horror
December 25th Repeats
I wake up to bells. Not church bells—those stopped ringing years ago—but the cheap electronic chime of my alarm clock playing a distorted version of “Jingle Bells.” The sound drills straight into my skull. My eyes open before I can stop them.
By Modhilraj23 days ago in Horror
The Carol That Knows Your Name
The first time it happened, I thought I was mishearing it. Christmas Eve had settled into the apartment like dust—quiet, soft, unavoidable. Outside, the city glowed in muted colors, strings of lights blinking in tired rhythms, as if even joy needed rest. I sat alone at the small kitchen table with a cup of reheated coffee, the radio murmuring to fill the silence. I always kept it on during holidays. Silence had a way of remembering things I tried not to.
By Modhilraj23 days ago in Horror
The Keep (1983): How Michael Mann’s Ambitious Horror Epic Became Hollywood’s Great Orphan
“Success has a thousand fathers… while defeat is an orphan.” — ancient proverb Released in December 1983, The Keep should have been a prestige genre event. Instead, it became one of the most infamous misfires of the decade — a big-budget sci-fi/horror/war hybrid that collapsed under the weight of its ambition.
By Movies of the 80s26 days ago in Horror
THE HONG KONG "PHUNG TY" CASE
Behind the urban splendor of Hong Kong, dark and sinister underbelly persists. Here, a group of women known as "Phung Ty" operate outside the law, engaging in the business of selling incense and Buddhist offerings. "Phung Ty" in Hong Kong isn't a single individual's name, but a general term for women practicing this profession.
By HieuDinh30 days ago in Horror
Christine (1983): Stephen King vs. John Carpenter
## *Christine* (1983): Book vs. Movie Stephen King, John Carpenter, and Two Very Different Ideas of Evil There are movie adaptations that miss the point of their source material.
By Movies of the 80sabout a month ago in Horror
Friday the Thirteenth Part 2
1981–82 were pivotal years in horror. So many great movies—The Beast Within, The Thing—and some genuinely cursed gems such as Poltergeist and Twilight Zone: The Movie came out in this pivotal gateway era. But it wasn’t as if we didn’t have fair warning. After all, 1979 alone saw Alien, Phantasm, and Friday the Thirteenth—the original badass slasher—alongside Halloween II, all stalking out of the cinematic woods, hatchet in hand, ready to divest the viewer of his screwy, sweaty, popcorn- and JuJuBee-stuffed noggin. It was a grand, glorious—if utterly terrifying—time of wonderment, oh my brothers.
By Tom Bakerabout a month ago in Horror
The Three Knocks
The city had gone quiet hours ago. Outside, the streetlights flickered lazily, washing the empty road in a pale, dying glow. Inside apartment 3B, Alina sat cross-legged on her bed, phone in hand, scrolling mindlessly through her messages for the tenth time in a row.
By Zohaib Khanabout a month ago in Horror