Cult of Monster started as a fan site for genre cinema in Australia, and that’s what it still is. No studio behind it, no marketing budget, just a small group of people who grew up sneaking horror films past their parents and never quite grew out of it.
Who we are
We’re Melbourne-based, though we spend a suspicious amount of time in Sydney cinemas too. Between us we’ve worked in film distribution, festival programming, video stores (remember those) and community television, and we have strong opinions about aspect ratios. What we share is a belief that genre cinema, and horror in particular, is where a lot of the most interesting filmmaking happens, and that it rarely gets the critical attention it deserves.
The name is a nod to the community that grew up around Australia’s genre film scene in the 2010s: the festival crowds, the midnight screenings, the people who’d drive across town to see a 35mm print of something nobody else had heard of. That community is still out there. This site is for them.
What we cover
- Horror and cult cinema from any era and any country, with a soft spot for Australian and New Zealand productions.
- Repertory and festival screenings in Melbourne and Sydney, and occasionally further afield.
- Physical media and boutique labels, because the restoration boom of the last decade has been the best thing to happen to film history in a generation.
- The people who make this stuff: the directors, effects artists, composers and programmers who keep genre cinema alive.
How we work
We write about what we like. We don’t run advertising, we don’t publish press releases, and we don’t accept payment for coverage. If we recommend a cinema, a label or a film, it’s because we’ve been there, bought it or sat through it, sometimes more than once.
Where we mention other sites, shops or services, it’s because we think they’re useful to people who like the same things we do. We try to keep those recommendations current, so if you find a dead link or a cinema that’s changed hands, let us know.
Get in touch
Tips, corrections, screening announcements and arguments about whether the remake is better than the original are all welcome. Email us at hello@cultofmonster.com.au. We read everything, though we can’t promise to reply to everything.