Barry Falls Jr

Barry was the managing editor of his university newspaper before contributing as a freelance content creator for Yahoo News and Esquire. He founded Horror Theory in 2014 to analyze horror films through a sociological lens.
143 Posts

Don’t Breathe (2016): The Urban Decay of Deindustrialized Detroit and United State’s Neglect of Veterans

2016 was a big year for horror films featuring home invasions. Hush showcased Oculus director Mike Flanagan’s exhilarating twist with a hearing-impaired...

Green Room (2015): The Festering Ultra-Violent Rage of ‘Angry White Males’ in Pre-Tr*mp America

It probably is not a coincidence that, in 2016, A24 released their horror-thriller masterpiece Green Room the same month that Republican presidential...

The Invitation (2015): The Spiritual Philosophy of Bereavement and the Cult of Social Civility

Tonight is the night our faith becomes real, reads the tagline for The Invitation, the psychological horror thriller that chronicles the dinner...

We Are Still Here (2015): The Supernatural Dread of Denial, Grief, and Rural Isolationism

There’s a reason why haunted-house films are such a welcomed mainstay in the horror genre. The house as a safe space and...

The Witch (2015): The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Puritan Moral Panic and Patriarchal Family Dynamics

The 2010s marked a notable resurgence of religious themes and imagery in horror film. Perhaps most faithful to theological folklore was 2015’s...

It Follows (2014): Sex, Nostalgia, and The Existential Dread of Emerging Adulthood

Sex and horror have been tethered together in film since the genre's beginnings. Horror cinema remains one of the sharpest means for...

Creep (2014): The Nature of Creepiness, Exploited Loneliness, and Fabricated Victimhood

If ever there were an accolade for the most aptly-title horror film, it should undoubtedly go to 2014's Creep, which embodies its...

Goodnight Mommy (2014): A Tale of Two Brothers— And Their Coping Mechanisms for Bereavement

When Goodnight Mommy finally received a limited theatrical release in September 2015, it had already developed a reputation on the festival circuit...

What We Do in The Shadows (2014): Vampires as a Metaphor for Immigrants and the Culturally Marginalized

Before Taika Waititi was entrusted with refreshing the stale Thor film franchise with Thor: Ragnarok, he was proving himself as the co-writer...

The Babadook (2014): A Parable of Motherhood and the Changing Shapes of Repressed Grief

Following its 2014 premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, The Babadook was quickly recognized as one of the finest horror films ever...

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014): Feminist Vampires In The City

A girl walks home alone at night. What kind of imagery and emotions does that sentence conjure? Whatever they are, chances are...

Oculus (2013): A Mirror Reflection of Childhood Trauma and False Memories

Like many of its Blumhouse peers released around the same time (such as Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and Sinister), Oculus feels like another...

Latest articles

Don’t Breathe (2016): The Urban Decay of Deindustrialized Detroit and United State’s Neglect of Veterans

2016 was a big year for horror films featuring home invasions. Hush showcased Oculus director Mike Flanagan’s exhilarating twist with a hearing-impaired...

Green Room (2015): The Festering Ultra-Violent Rage of ‘Angry White Males’ in Pre-Tr*mp America

It probably is not a coincidence that, in 2016, A24 released their horror-thriller masterpiece Green Room the same month that Republican presidential...

The Invitation (2015): The Spiritual Philosophy of Bereavement and the Cult of Social Civility

Tonight is the night our faith becomes real, reads the tagline for The Invitation, the psychological horror thriller that chronicles the dinner...

We Are Still Here (2015): The Supernatural Dread of Denial, Grief, and Rural Isolationism

There’s a reason why haunted-house films are such a welcomed mainstay in the horror genre. The house as a safe space and...