As teens scream their way through hallways haunted by everything from demonic cheerleaders to bloodthirsty teachers, Jenni Kaye sharpens her pencils for a syllabus of high school horror where detention is deadly, prom night gets bloody and the kids are definitely not alright.

In celebration of Mother’s Day, the Letterboxd crew shares the love for our favorite movie moms, from Marmee March to murderous matriarchs and beyond.

As Lorcan Finnegan’s The Surfer puts Nicolas Cage in an existential death match against aggressive Australian locals, Jenni Kaye waxes tragic with a list of films where the sand sticks, the sun burns and the vibes are fatally off.

Long, harrowing road trips, reality competition shows, bubblegum wastelands, multiverse mayhem and the return of Matthew McConaughey are among our crew’s highlights from this year’s SXSW Film Festival.

As horror continues to shape some of Hollywood’s greatest artists, we trace the early genre roots of ten Oscar winners—from vampire Westerns to slasher sequels—and explore how scares paved the way to the golden statue.