FANGORIA’s bloody tendrils have touched generations of horror-loving weirdos—and we say this lovingly. People who have either thrilled to our rag since issue #1 first appeared on stands in 1979, or taken up the torch years later, become obsessives who haunt comic shops and online auctions to complete their collectible quest. Omer Sheriff Patel (a.k.a. Snake Eyes), 35, falls somehwere in the middle. Check him out…

To start a conversation on the last 10 years of horror and also get back into the swing of blogging, I’ve rounded up what I consider to be the top ten horror films of the past decade (check out the first half here). The following are my personal top five—what I consider to be the absolute must-see flicks of the past decade. So read on fellow horror fanatics, and tell me what picks you agree with, and what you want to tear my head off for not including.

We’re halfway through the second term at Miskatonic, and I have to say it’s been great to see how the crossover between different courses is giving the students a noticeable, rounded grasp on the last century of horror history, as well as exploring concepts such as the monstrous-feminine, post-feminism, uses of internal and external space, eyewitness reliability and subjective truth—all in completely varied contexts, from the haunted-house film to the giallo.

Ever reach out  to touch the person next to you during a horror flick? Ever reached out for a complete stranger? I have. It’s a funny feeling. That need to assert reality and connect with someone else during those moments we’re most uneasy is so natural that sooner or later all of us end up with that little embarrassed smile. It’s a reasonably good segue into some thoughts on the nature of cultural community.