🦃 Matthew Jackson 🦃
@awalrusdarkly.bsky.social
One time I sat in the Munster Koach. HWA Member. @scaresshapedus.bsky.social Host. Lead Critic at Dread Central. Bylines at Pop Heist/AV Club/Fangoria/Bloody Disgusting/More. Austin Film Critics member. 🍅-approved.
Pinned
Today in the *final* Tracing The Shape, my 31-day essay series on John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN, I finally answer the question that's been gnawing at me: What does Michael Myers want?
Thanks to everyone for joining me on this deep dive journey.
matthewjacksonwrites.com/tracing-the-...
Thanks to everyone for joining me on this deep dive journey.
matthewjacksonwrites.com/tracing-the-...
Tracing The Shape 31: You Can't Kill The Boogeyman
Halloween, like Black Christmas and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, doesn't really end, not in the neat way we tend to think about. There's no real solution to anything, just two people who managed to s...
matthewjacksonwrites.com
I have written roughly 35,000 words about HALLOWEEN in the last 31 days. I think it might make a nice book. Seriously.
Any horror/film studies publishers interested in this?
Any horror/film studies publishers interested in this?
Reposted by 🦃 Matthew Jackson 🦃
A GAME IN YELLOW is on BookPage's "10 best sci-fi, fantasy & horror novels of 2025" and I'm very sickos.jpg about it right now 🤩💛
November 18, 2025 at 11:31 PM
A GAME IN YELLOW is on BookPage's "10 best sci-fi, fantasy & horror novels of 2025" and I'm very sickos.jpg about it right now 🤩💛
🖤🖤🖤
November 19, 2025 at 12:43 AM
🖤🖤🖤
Still hoping to find a home for my slasher novel. I've got a finished draft ready to show agents and editors, I just need a little room to get a foot in the door. If you know someone who's interested or might be interested, please let me know! #amquerying
Halloween Week Self-Promo Time:
I wrote and #amquerying a novel called NIGHT OF THE SKULL.
It's about three teens who try to rob the local land baron to save their families and find a legendary slasher waiting in the basement of a mansion.
Fun, scary, YA/A appeal. Needs an agent.
#HorrorSky
I wrote and #amquerying a novel called NIGHT OF THE SKULL.
It's about three teens who try to rob the local land baron to save their families and find a legendary slasher waiting in the basement of a mansion.
Fun, scary, YA/A appeal. Needs an agent.
#HorrorSky
a man standing on the porch of a white house at night
ALT: a man standing on the porch of a white house at night
media.tenor.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Still hoping to find a home for my slasher novel. I've got a finished draft ready to show agents and editors, I just need a little room to get a foot in the door. If you know someone who's interested or might be interested, please let me know! #amquerying
Reposted by 🦃 Matthew Jackson 🦃
🍷 ALERT 🍷
A new HANNIBAL recap from @awalrusdarkly.bsky.social is live! 🍴
With this show, it is easy to believe multiple motivations for every character. That's the level of complexity laid out. 🥩
New recaps drop Tuesdays at 12 AM ET for subscribers 🔓 $7/mo, $70/year ✉️
A new HANNIBAL recap from @awalrusdarkly.bsky.social is live! 🍴
With this show, it is easy to believe multiple motivations for every character. That's the level of complexity laid out. 🥩
New recaps drop Tuesdays at 12 AM ET for subscribers 🔓 $7/mo, $70/year ✉️
'Hannibal' 1x07 Recap: "Sorbet"
With this show, it is easy to believe multiple motivations for every character. That's the level of complexity laid out in this series.
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 8:00 PM
🍷 ALERT 🍷
A new HANNIBAL recap from @awalrusdarkly.bsky.social is live! 🍴
With this show, it is easy to believe multiple motivations for every character. That's the level of complexity laid out. 🥩
New recaps drop Tuesdays at 12 AM ET for subscribers 🔓 $7/mo, $70/year ✉️
A new HANNIBAL recap from @awalrusdarkly.bsky.social is live! 🍴
With this show, it is easy to believe multiple motivations for every character. That's the level of complexity laid out. 🥩
New recaps drop Tuesdays at 12 AM ET for subscribers 🔓 $7/mo, $70/year ✉️
Jacob was my entry into Paste, and that gig opened up my world as a writer and critic in ways I'm still building on. I wrote a lot of stuff I'm immensely proud of because we were encouraged to dig deep, to really fine tune our arguments, to explore cinema history. It was wonderful and I'll miss it.
Writing for Paste TV and Movies taught me basically everything I know about being a working critic. Allison Keene, Matt Brennan, and @sinacolad.bsky.social were all incredible teachers/editors, and I was lucky enough to take over the Movies section for 4 (pretty great) years
a terrible shame, for many reasons.
and the job market is so bloated with culture reporters with no places to write
www.thewrap.com/paste-layoff...
and the job market is so bloated with culture reporters with no places to write
www.thewrap.com/paste-layoff...
November 18, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Jacob was my entry into Paste, and that gig opened up my world as a writer and critic in ways I'm still building on. I wrote a lot of stuff I'm immensely proud of because we were encouraged to dig deep, to really fine tune our arguments, to explore cinema history. It was wonderful and I'll miss it.
Reposted by 🦃 Matthew Jackson 🦃
Just recorded the Christmas Eve episode of @scaresshapedus.bsky.social.
Y'all might want to watch/rewatch this one some time over the next five weeks. For reasons.
Y'all might want to watch/rewatch this one some time over the next five weeks. For reasons.
November 17, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Just recorded the Christmas Eve episode of @scaresshapedus.bsky.social.
Y'all might want to watch/rewatch this one some time over the next five weeks. For reasons.
Y'all might want to watch/rewatch this one some time over the next five weeks. For reasons.
Reposted by 🦃 Matthew Jackson 🦃
Christmas Crooner specials are great because they only have two speeds:
1. Festive Chill Hang
2. Batshit Fever Dream
1. Festive Chill Hang
2. Batshit Fever Dream
Found something amazing* tonight.
*A Bing Crosby Christmas special with special guest Robert Goulet.
(no YOU'RE a nerd shut up)
*A Bing Crosby Christmas special with special guest Robert Goulet.
(no YOU'RE a nerd shut up)
November 18, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Christmas Crooner specials are great because they only have two speeds:
1. Festive Chill Hang
2. Batshit Fever Dream
1. Festive Chill Hang
2. Batshit Fever Dream
Reposted by 🦃 Matthew Jackson 🦃
At @dreadcentral.bsky.social today, I reviewed THE CARPENTER'S SON, a movie that really works when it's a dark exploration of Christian mythology, but not so much when it's just about the toughest Stepdad gig in history. Overall, I dug it.
'The Carpenter's Son' Review: Nicolas Cage vs. The First Temptation of Christ
The Carpenter's Son doesn't always work as a family drama, but its focus on supernatural religious horror makes it worth watching.
www.dreadcentral.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:15 PM
At @dreadcentral.bsky.social today, I reviewed THE CARPENTER'S SON, a movie that really works when it's a dark exploration of Christian mythology, but not so much when it's just about the toughest Stepdad gig in history. Overall, I dug it.
This and the Duke's Mayo Bowl are gonna be the things that get me through the rest of the year.
They've printed the dismembered corpse of Strawberry on the current promotional product for this year's Pop-Tart Bowl. There are even hands reaching in, actively eviscerating the mascot.
We are so far down the rabbit hole and this event has only been around for two years.
We are so far down the rabbit hole and this event has only been around for two years.
November 18, 2025 at 7:50 PM
This and the Duke's Mayo Bowl are gonna be the things that get me through the rest of the year.
Reposted by 🦃 Matthew Jackson 🦃
They've printed the dismembered corpse of Strawberry on the current promotional product for this year's Pop-Tart Bowl. There are even hands reaching in, actively eviscerating the mascot.
We are so far down the rabbit hole and this event has only been around for two years.
We are so far down the rabbit hole and this event has only been around for two years.
November 18, 2025 at 7:15 PM
They've printed the dismembered corpse of Strawberry on the current promotional product for this year's Pop-Tart Bowl. There are even hands reaching in, actively eviscerating the mascot.
We are so far down the rabbit hole and this event has only been around for two years.
We are so far down the rabbit hole and this event has only been around for two years.
Congrats to @sickoscommittee.org this is their day. Nice win, everybody.
BREAKING: We’re getting six (!) edible mascots at this year’s @poptartsbowl.com!
- six edible mascots, three on Team Sprinkles and three on Team Swirls
- fans get to vote on which mascot team to sacrifice to Mouth Heaven at game’s end, the biggest edible mascot sacrifice EVER
- six edible mascots, three on Team Sprinkles and three on Team Swirls
- fans get to vote on which mascot team to sacrifice to Mouth Heaven at game’s end, the biggest edible mascot sacrifice EVER
November 18, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Congrats to @sickoscommittee.org this is their day. Nice win, everybody.
This week on HANNIBAL on @popheist.com, it's dinner party time as the Chesapeake Ripper is back in action, and Hannibal starts to make some key moves with both Will and Alana. Nothing here is vegetarian!
popheist.com/hannibal-1x0...
popheist.com/hannibal-1x0...
'Hannibal' 1x07 Recap: "Sorbet"
With this show, it is easy to believe multiple motivations for every character. That's the level of complexity laid out in this series.
popheist.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:21 PM
This week on HANNIBAL on @popheist.com, it's dinner party time as the Chesapeake Ripper is back in action, and Hannibal starts to make some key moves with both Will and Alana. Nothing here is vegetarian!
popheist.com/hannibal-1x0...
popheist.com/hannibal-1x0...
The best comic strip, just classic after classic for a solid decade.
This day, 40 years ago, Calvin and Hobbes first premiered.
November 18, 2025 at 6:51 PM
The best comic strip, just classic after classic for a solid decade.
At @dreadcentral.bsky.social today, I reviewed THE CARPENTER'S SON, a movie that really works when it's a dark exploration of Christian mythology, but not so much when it's just about the toughest Stepdad gig in history. Overall, I dug it.
'The Carpenter's Son' Review: Nicolas Cage vs. The First Temptation of Christ
The Carpenter's Son doesn't always work as a family drama, but its focus on supernatural religious horror makes it worth watching.
www.dreadcentral.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:15 PM
At @dreadcentral.bsky.social today, I reviewed THE CARPENTER'S SON, a movie that really works when it's a dark exploration of Christian mythology, but not so much when it's just about the toughest Stepdad gig in history. Overall, I dug it.
Christmas Crooner specials are great because they only have two speeds:
1. Festive Chill Hang
2. Batshit Fever Dream
1. Festive Chill Hang
2. Batshit Fever Dream
Found something amazing* tonight.
*A Bing Crosby Christmas special with special guest Robert Goulet.
(no YOU'RE a nerd shut up)
*A Bing Crosby Christmas special with special guest Robert Goulet.
(no YOU'RE a nerd shut up)
November 18, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Christmas Crooner specials are great because they only have two speeds:
1. Festive Chill Hang
2. Batshit Fever Dream
1. Festive Chill Hang
2. Batshit Fever Dream
Found something amazing* tonight.
*A Bing Crosby Christmas special with special guest Robert Goulet.
(no YOU'RE a nerd shut up)
*A Bing Crosby Christmas special with special guest Robert Goulet.
(no YOU'RE a nerd shut up)
November 18, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Found something amazing* tonight.
*A Bing Crosby Christmas special with special guest Robert Goulet.
(no YOU'RE a nerd shut up)
*A Bing Crosby Christmas special with special guest Robert Goulet.
(no YOU'RE a nerd shut up)
Reposted by 🦃 Matthew Jackson 🦃
New at @dreadcentral.bsky.social, I reviewed THE BELDHAM, a very pleasant indie surprise that's both solid parental horror and a film that sells its twist very well. I had a good time!
www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/5496...
www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/5496...
'The Beldham' Review: Surprisngly Scary Hidden Gem Tackles Parental Horror
The Beldham, starring Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond), is one of the creepiest indie horror releases of 2025. Read our review here.
www.dreadcentral.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:06 PM
New at @dreadcentral.bsky.social, I reviewed THE BELDHAM, a very pleasant indie surprise that's both solid parental horror and a film that sells its twist very well. I had a good time!
www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/5496...
www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/5496...
Reposted by 🦃 Matthew Jackson 🦃
Back at @bloody-disgusting.com today with a feature on Richard Bachman's resurgence, and specifically his place in THE END TIMES, the new @badhandbooks.bsky.social serial newspaper release from @benjaminpercy.bsky.social that's launching this week!
In a Big Year for Richard Bachman, the Legacy of Stephen King’s Pen Name Grows with ‘The End Times’
Getting several new Stephen King adaptations in a given year isn’t surprising to horror fans, but this year has an added dimension of intrigue for longtime Constant Readers. Two of the King films rele...
bloody-disgusting.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Back at @bloody-disgusting.com today with a feature on Richard Bachman's resurgence, and specifically his place in THE END TIMES, the new @badhandbooks.bsky.social serial newspaper release from @benjaminpercy.bsky.social that's launching this week!
They're writing competing breathless prose about each other now and while this bit has a hell of a stinger let me just say: RUMOURS, it ain't.
had me in the first half not gonna lie BUT IT DOMINATED THE FOURTH QUARTER www.telos.news/p/part-1-how...
Part 1: How I Found Out
Olivia had just returned from a reporting trip—at least that’s what she told me it was—and her Herschel backpack, the one with the flap that never quite closed properly, was tossed beside our bed, its...
www.telos.news
November 18, 2025 at 5:42 AM
They're writing competing breathless prose about each other now and while this bit has a hell of a stinger let me just say: RUMOURS, it ain't.
*Benoit Blanc voice*
Well, well, well, if it isn't my old adversary back to sully another Yuletide with his piddly little surveillance state.
Elf on the Shelf, more like Narc in the Dark.
Well, well, well, if it isn't my old adversary back to sully another Yuletide with his piddly little surveillance state.
Elf on the Shelf, more like Narc in the Dark.
November 18, 2025 at 5:18 AM
*Benoit Blanc voice*
Well, well, well, if it isn't my old adversary back to sully another Yuletide with his piddly little surveillance state.
Elf on the Shelf, more like Narc in the Dark.
Well, well, well, if it isn't my old adversary back to sully another Yuletide with his piddly little surveillance state.
Elf on the Shelf, more like Narc in the Dark.
WAKE UP DEAD MAN continues Rian Johnson's streak of deeply compelling handmade mysteries. Maybe my favorite Daniel Craig performance of these three, and it looks GORGEOUS. Another satisfying ensemble whodunit.
November 18, 2025 at 3:32 AM
WAKE UP DEAD MAN continues Rian Johnson's streak of deeply compelling handmade mysteries. Maybe my favorite Daniel Craig performance of these three, and it looks GORGEOUS. Another satisfying ensemble whodunit.
It's Benoit Blanc Time.
November 18, 2025 at 12:48 AM
It's Benoit Blanc Time.
Back at @bloody-disgusting.com today with a feature on Richard Bachman's resurgence, and specifically his place in THE END TIMES, the new @badhandbooks.bsky.social serial newspaper release from @benjaminpercy.bsky.social that's launching this week!
In a Big Year for Richard Bachman, the Legacy of Stephen King’s Pen Name Grows with ‘The End Times’
Getting several new Stephen King adaptations in a given year isn’t surprising to horror fans, but this year has an added dimension of intrigue for longtime Constant Readers. Two of the King films rele...
bloody-disgusting.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Back at @bloody-disgusting.com today with a feature on Richard Bachman's resurgence, and specifically his place in THE END TIMES, the new @badhandbooks.bsky.social serial newspaper release from @benjaminpercy.bsky.social that's launching this week!
New at @dreadcentral.bsky.social, I reviewed THE BELDHAM, a very pleasant indie surprise that's both solid parental horror and a film that sells its twist very well. I had a good time!
www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/5496...
www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/5496...
'The Beldham' Review: Surprisngly Scary Hidden Gem Tackles Parental Horror
The Beldham, starring Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond), is one of the creepiest indie horror releases of 2025. Read our review here.
www.dreadcentral.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:06 PM
New at @dreadcentral.bsky.social, I reviewed THE BELDHAM, a very pleasant indie surprise that's both solid parental horror and a film that sells its twist very well. I had a good time!
www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/5496...
www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/5496...
Just recorded the Christmas Eve episode of @scaresshapedus.bsky.social.
Y'all might want to watch/rewatch this one some time over the next five weeks. For reasons.
Y'all might want to watch/rewatch this one some time over the next five weeks. For reasons.
November 17, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Just recorded the Christmas Eve episode of @scaresshapedus.bsky.social.
Y'all might want to watch/rewatch this one some time over the next five weeks. For reasons.
Y'all might want to watch/rewatch this one some time over the next five weeks. For reasons.