THE

The menacing demogorgon stalks the upside-down. Art by Basil Allen. Spoilers for Stranger Things Season Five below. First things first: the Duffer Brothers knew we all thought Steve was gonna die. That wasn't slick. I was one of the people who thought Steve was going to be the sacrificial lamb. Back in September, I wrote an article discussing how the Stranger Things writers were refusing to kill any relevant characters, and it was coming at the cost of the tension and the p

Christmas sit-com characters having a Thanksgiving dinner. Art by Addie Martin. In the 20th and 21st centuries, holiday specials have replaced many supposed staples of Christmas iconography (what even is figgy pudding?) and cemented themselves as a part of seasonal festivities for millions of families. For decades, audiences have been able to enjoy watching their favorite characters, from “I Love Lucy’s” Lucy Ricardo, to “Parks and Rec’s” Leslie Knope, celebrate the holidays

Frankenstein's Monster reading a book. Art by Dasha Allyn. Since its original publication in 1818, Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" has maintained an enduring presence in academia and popular culture. The most recent film adaptation of the gothic science fiction novel, directed by Guillermo Del Toro, hit theaters in October of this year. Diverging from the exaggerated horror that often defines “Frankenstein” films, Del Toro successfully shifts the focus of the film onto the them