Month: November 2021

Horror Cinema: Sea Fever

The overall feeling that Sea Fever left me with was of humans as prey, and the film did a great job of telling a captivating story of a small group of people facing the challenge of a deep-sea predator. Throughout the movie, I was convinced by the science and the characters’ slow realization of what was happening to them, which made the story believable and more frightening. Add the element of body horror to that with how the creature found its way into the bodies of the crew, and you’ve got a great creepy movie!

My favorite aspect of the narrative was the superstition of the sailors, which provided ominous foreshadowing as the story unfolded. I also loved the deep-sea creature and how it was shown. It certainly put the limited power of the humans into perspective.

Hardiman, Neasa. Sea Fever, Signature Entertainment, 2019.

Horror Cinema Trivia: Dracula (1931)

Among the living creatures seen in Dracula’s castle in Transylvania are opossums, armadillos, and an insect known as a Jerusalem cricket (Stenopalmatus Fuscus).

Opposum in Dracula’s castle.

The Jerusalem cricket was common in Southern California, which may explain its cameo in the film.

Jerusalem cricket in Dracula’s castle.

The inclusion of armadillos was due to the fact that armadillos had occasionally been seen digging in graveyards, which led to the mistaken belief that they would dig their way into coffins and eat the cadavers.

Armadillos in Dracula’s castle.

Learn more about 1931’s Dracula at IMDb Trivia: Dracula (1931).