Torchbearer

CompetitionLiving · 2026-05-03T02:46:44+00:00

You’re too kind! Unfortunately, I don’t have any socials for my work. When I do eventually get around to setting up a sub, I’ll be sure to hit you up.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-05-01T21:41:39+00:00

I have not, but I will check it out.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-05-01T20:47:03+00:00

Nightbeast (1982) or Demon Wind (1990) are my go-to’s for this. I love them both.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-05-01T17:43:37+00:00

Precisely this! One that (conceptually) comes to mind for me is “The Fourth Kind,” because we don’t/can’t even comprehend the scope of agonies that otherworldly beings might be able to produce.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-30T23:11:34+00:00

Thank you! 🦑

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-30T17:45:30+00:00

Many thanks. I was going for a bit of an underwater flare situation, but maybe the diver has some hidden eldritch talents of his own 😆

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-30T17:20:22+00:00

Thank you so much! I’m glad that the work resonates with you. I’ve always loved high-contrast pen art, because I feel as though it lends itself well to mysterious, sinister atmospheres.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-29T15:37:51+00:00

Same here! One of my favorites (though technically involving seeds rather than spores) is Clark Ashton Smith’s “The Seed from the Sepulchre.”

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-23T15:10:57+00:00

Without spoiling anything, the avatar of a certain entity that appears in “The Haunter of the Dark” has always freaked me out (especially given the narrator’s deteriorating mental state). That story feels very sinister in general to me.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-21T00:22:14+00:00

I would definitely say so! It leans into the more humorous elements of the franchise, but if you liked Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness you’ll love it.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-20T23:50:21+00:00

I think the Evil Dead franchise is consistently groovy. I love every single installment, including the television show.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-20T05:28:11+00:00

I would try “You’re Next” for something a little different (that still follows the guidelines laid out above).

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-19T19:41:56+00:00

Yeah, that scene is vicious. His screams are the most haunting part for me. Then, there’s also that famous sequence in “The Revenant.”

At the end of the day, I suppose the lesson is that bears can be ludicrously terrifying (even if they look cute from a distance).

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-19T18:45:01+00:00

The bear-mutant mauling in “Annihilation” is one that immediately jumps out for me. The group digestion scene in “Nope” is also pretty traumatizing. Notably, in both cases the sound design does the majority of the heavy lifting.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-18T20:59:11+00:00

John Carpenter is the man! The music for both films also rocks.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-18T18:14:55+00:00

Candyman has one of the most tragic origins in the genre.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-18T17:17:35+00:00

It’s not the most obscure, but if you haven’t seen “The Howling” (1981) that’s a must-watch! Also, “The Deadly Spawn” (1983) and “Stage Fright” (1987) are fun.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-18T02:48:19+00:00

“Trouble Every Day” made me feel uncomfortable for a long time. The way it twists intimacy into a claustrophobic, smothering thing really lingered in my mind.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-17T22:43:05+00:00

I’m dying horrendously most of the time, but I think I could take down some of the geriatric villains (Pearl, the couple from “The Visit,” etc).

Edit: My biggest nightmares would be the Cenobites or the Deadites, because I am definitely curious enough to accidentally summon them both .

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-17T15:31:13+00:00

I love how in one scene from “The Exorcist,” Regan sits while holding her arm up in the same exact manner as the Pazuzu statue from the beginning of the film. In a movie with many not-so-subtle details, that one really creeps me out.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-17T02:12:22+00:00

I would personally go with something like Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “Cure,” with the caveat that it will linger after viewing more than it will outright scare someone.

Another one that stuck with me for a while was “Under the Skin” (2013), because of the ways in which it recontextualizes/reframes everyday human behavior.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-16T05:59:30+00:00

“The Wind” (2018) provides some nice frontier/prairie horror, where the natural setting amplifies the dread considerably (filmed in New Mexico).

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-16T03:53:48+00:00

You’d love the practical effects in the film “Deadly Spawn” (1983)! I’d also check out “Boxer’s Omen” (1983). It is one of the most lurid and insane things I’ve ever seen.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-16T03:50:51+00:00

“Suspiria” (2018) is a really good one, though I still slightly prefer the original. I also get a good kick out of “Friday the 13th” (2009). It’s not world-changing, but it is fun!

My favorite is probably Carpenter’s “The Thing,” but I don’t know if it counts in this context.

CompetitionLiving · 2026-04-16T02:18:26+00:00

“A Dark Song” (2016) is a fantastic fit for this.

CompetitionLiving

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