Ashley Lister’s A-Z of Horror: Z is for Zippy

Since I started writing this feature, I’ve been expecting to look at zombies for this instalment. However, the more I think about it, the more I realise that Zippy from Rainbow represents a far greater horror than any of the undead.   For those of you unaware of Zippy, he’s a puppet who appeared on … Read more

Ashley Lister’s A-Z of Horror: W is for Witches

 Witches come across as a type of woman who is mightily pissed off. There is good reason for this. According to writer and historian Ellen Castelow, “Witchcraft was made a capital offence in Britain in 1563, although it was deemed heresy and denounced as such by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484. From 1484 until around … Read more

Ashley Lister’s A-Z of Horror: V is for Video Nasties

I grew up when video nasties were a real thing. Nowadays they’re a chapter in the history books akin to superstition: something close to the idea of burning witches or knocking on wood for good luck.   To contextualise this, VCRs (Video Cassette Recorders) were first made commercially available in 1976. Prior to this, if … Read more

Ashley Lister’s A-Z of Horror: T is for Torture

 nounthe action or practice of inflicting severe pain or suffering on someone as a punishment or in order to force them to do or say something. verbinflict severe pain or suffering on. In the real world torture should not exist and is indicative of a warped society. In fiction, particularly horror fiction, torture is a wonderful … Read more