Vanessa Maki

Freelance writer

Canada

Vanessa Maki is a Black queer writer and self-proclaimed Blerd. She's been writing articles for online publications since late 2018. Her work has appeared in various publications like Dread Central, Fangoria, Daily Dead, Pop Heist, and more. She's a former contributor to the now defunct Pink Advocate, as well as The Mary Sue. Currently she's a contributor for But Why Tho? and Macabre Daily. She's also the author of "girlhouse".

https://bio.site/theblackbuffy

Portfolio

Features/Essays

Popheist
12/17/2025
Heist Guide: Holiday Horror - Pop Heist

'Tis the season to be jolly - and to watch as many holiday-themed horror movies as humanly possible. Halloween isn't the only spooky season.

Popheist
03/31/2025
Heist Guide: Saw - Pop Heist

The 'Saw' franchise is just as twisty and turny as Billy the Puppet's cheek spirals. Let this Heist Guide straighten it all out for you.

Tell-Tale TV
11/09/2024
How an Iconic Episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Explores Queer Issues

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 5 is one of the show's best seasons. The themes of chosen family, identity, and adulthood permeate throughout. In "Family," Tara's biological family and her past come into light. Naturally, as Tara is one of the few explicitly LGBTQ+ characters on the show (there are queer coded characters), there's subtext in how her family treats her.

Hear Us Scream
07/16/2024
Unfriended (2014) and Toxicity in the Digital Age - Hear Us Scream

As many of us horror fans know by now, horror is the perfect playground to explore social issues. It always has been and always will be. Even in subgenres like found footage, which isn't the most respected horror subgenre, can have something deep to offer.

Interstellar Flight Magazine
10/09/2023
Queer Representation in Supermassive Games

Discussions surrounding queerness in horror are nearly always about television or film. We endlessly discuss the complicated sapphic relationship in Jennifer's Body, the unapologetic queerness in the...

Horror Movie Blog
06/01/2023
Kudos to evil and villainous women - Horror Movie Blog

Compared to other genres, horror has always been a mecca for fantastic evil and or villainous characters that we cherish or appreciate. We hype up Michael Myers, Leatherface, Ghostface, Freddy Krueger, Chucky etc.

PUSSY MAGIC
07/27/2019
Halloween: Trauma and White Male Rage - PUSSY MAGIC

"Michael's brutality doesn't waver in this film, instead it is portrayed more vicious, nor does his obsession with killing Laurie. His eerie fixation with our Final Girl is a reminder of what she doesn't think she'll ever escape: her trauma and history."

PUSSY MAGIC
05/25/2019
Chambers Brings Something Fresh to the Table - PUSSY MAGIC

Netflix is quite notorious for introducing their "originals" that sometimes flop harder than a salmon on the shore. Sometimes we anticipate the premiere of a new show to binge watch and then end up royally disappointed. Nothing of the sort occurred when I finally started watching Chambers and thus

Dwellerforever
How the Buffy Reboot Comics Reinvented Kendra's Character

Regardless of whether you watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer as it aired in the late 90s-2003 or tuned in later in life, there's no denying it had a lot of impact on horror and pop culture. The series, which was created by Joss Whedon, was about Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a high school student who happened to be a vampire slayer.

Interview

Lists

Flickeringmyth
04/11/2026
10 Horror Films Driven by Obsession

Vanessa Maki presents ten horror films about obsession... Obsession is a perfect theme for horror, because it almost never ends well for anyone involved. Despite that, we still eat up horror movie...

Flickeringmyth
02/27/2026
10 Dystopian Horror Films for Uncertain Times

Vanessa Maki with a selection of dystopian horror movies for your watch list... It's not savory to think about in the slightest, but the fact remains that the world is a very scary place. We...

Daily Dead
12/31/2025
Vanessa Maki's Favorites of 2025 - Daily Dead

The end of the year has finally approached, and there was no shortage of horror media that knocked everyone's socks off. We saw original horror, horror sequels, the return of franchises, and more. Personally, I haven't seen everything that came out this year, nor have I seen all the popular releases.

Flickeringmyth
12/28/2025
10 Upcoming Horror Movies to Watch Out For in 2026

Vanessa Maki with ten horror movies to watch out for in 2026.... After a very long year in general and an interesting one for horror, 2026 is coming much quicker than anyone is prepared for. Thus...

Flickeringmyth
12/21/2025
10 Horror Movies That Subvert Audience Expectations

Vanessa Maki with ten horror films that subvert audience expectations... Whether you're a seasoned horror fan or not, sometimes it's cool to have your expectations shattered, rather th...

Flickeringmyth
12/14/2025
10 Upcoming Horror Movies to Watch in 2026

Vanessa Maki with ten horror movies to watch out for in 2026... After a very long year in general and an interesting one for horror, 2026 is coming much quicker than anyone is prepared for. Thus w...

Flickeringmyth
12/04/2025
10 Stylish Bubblegum Horror Movies for Your Watchlist

Vanessa Maki serves up some bubblegum horror for your watch list... When some people think about horror, they aren't always thinking about colorful atmospheres or daylight terrors. Their min...

Flickeringmyth
11/28/2025
10 Cult 70s Horror Gems You May Have Missed

Vanessa Maki presents a selection of 1970s horror gems for your watch list... The '70s was quite the time for film, especially for the horror genre. Exploitation horror was hitting the scene...

Flickeringmyth
11/22/2025
10 Extreme Horror Films You Won't Forget

Vanessa Maki with 10 extreme horror movies you won't soon forget... Stepping into the world of extreme horror isn't a wise choice for everyone. It might make you regret it if you...

Flickeringmyth
10/27/2025
10 Cult Classic Horror Films With Perfect Fall Vibes

Vanessa Maki presents a selection of horror movies perfect for Halloween season viewing... Halloween season has officially begun where pumpkins are everywhere, the leaves are crisp, and people are...

Flickeringmyth
10/27/2025
10 Essential Modern Survival Horror Films

Vanessa Maki with 10 essential survival horror movies for your watch list... The name of the game in a lot of horror films is to survive the events that are unfolding. The characters might not mak...

Flickeringmyth
10/19/2025
10 Horror Movies Ripe for a Modern Remake

Vanessa Maki with ten horror movies that could benefit from a modern remake... A topic that can spark a lot of controversial thoughts in the horror community is remakes. There are people who inher...

Vulture
10/08/2025
The 10 Best Hidden-Gem Horror Movies on Tubi

You'd be hard-pressed to find a streamer with more horror offerings than Tubi - and it's free. Check out Osgood Perkins's 'The Blackcoat's Daughter,' Nic Cage and Selma Blair as murderous parents in 'Mom and Dad,' and eight more spooky movies.

Flickering Myth
09/21/2025
10 Horror Movies Guaranteed to Make You Squirm

Vanessa Maki with ten horror movies guaranteed to make you uncomfortable... Contrary to what some might think, horror is sometimes meant to make you uncomfortable and uneasy about what's happening. We as viewers are occasionally supposed to be squirming in our seats or feeling extraordinarily nervous if we're watching these films at night.

Flickering Myth
09/13/2025
10 More International Horror Movies You Need to See

Vanessa Maki with more international horror movies for your watch list... Recently we dropped a list about international horror and now I'm back with more recommendations of the same thing. Why? Because there's a never-ending list of international horror films that need to be watched and appreciated out there.

Flickering Myth
09/08/2025
10 Psychological Horror Gems You Need To See

Vanessa Maki with ten great psychological horror movie gems for your watch list... The genuine terror that can be elicited from a good psychological horror film is top tier. Whether it be a film like The Shining (1980) where the madness builds and builds, the home invasion terror in The Strangers (2008), the psychologically grueling [...]

Flickering Myth
08/30/2025
10 Great Horror TV Shows You Need to Watch

Vanessa Maki with a selection of horror TV shows you need to watch... We talk a lot about horror movies and how much we adore them, but what about horror television? The commitment one must have for a TV show, especially if they are watching multiple shows, is often daunting.

Flickering Myth
08/24/2025
10 Great Horror Movies with Villainous Protagonists

Vanessa Maki with ten great horror movies centring on villainous protagonists... In the world of horror, typically we're meant to root for the protagonists like the final girl or boy, the character who endears us the most, and so on. Occasionally those characters aren't antagonistic or villainous, as many tropes follow particular formulas.

Flickering Myth
08/11/2025
10 International Horror Movies You Need To See

Vanessa Maki with ten international horror films for your watch list... Being a horror fan means a lot of things and occasionally that means expanding our palettes by watching something different. Expanding your viewing experience by checking out international horror is something people should try more often.

Flickering Myth
07/31/2025
10 Horror Films That Channel True Crime

Vanessa Maki with ten horror films that channel true crime... Throughout horror history, many horror films have been inspired by (loosely or otherwise) true crime cases. Whether it's the mild inspiration that was taken from Ed Gein for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Kevin Williamson being so frightened by the Gainesville Ripper's murder spree [...]

FANGORIA
05/23/2025
7 Horror Films To Watch If You Enjoy THE SHINING

45 years later and we still don't want to leave the Overlook Hotel! If you're looking for more movies to keep the fun going after you spend some quality time SHINING with the Torrance family, we've got you covered.

FANGORIA
05/19/2025
The 7 Best Deaths In The FEAR STREET Series (So Far)

As we prepare for FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN to hit Netflix May 23, we're revisiting some of the most brutal kills in the FEAR STREET films so far! (Bread slicer, anyone?) Check out the full list right here.

Daily Dead
05/13/2025
6 Recommendations for Your Springtime Horror Movie Marathon - Daily Dead

Contrary to what people might think, springtime can be very horrifying, and there are more than a few horror films that embody the season of spring. Horror doesn't always have to be focused on dark atmospheres and a lack of color to be scary. In fact, some classic horror films have daytime settings for a [...]

Daily Dead
03/12/2025
7 Underdiscussed Horror Movie Final Girls - Daily Dead

Celebrating final girls isn't uncommon practice in the horror world. In fact, if anything, we celebrate quite a number of final girls on a consistent basis, including Sally Hardesty (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the reboot), Ripley (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien: Resurrection), Nancy Thompson (A Nightmare on Elm Street 1 + 3 and [...]

Daily Dead
02/14/2025
8 Horror Films That Get Too Much Hate - Daily Dead

The one thing that remains true about horror fans is that we're incredibly passionate about the genre. We come to the defense of our favorite horror media, we anticipate new releases, and the list goes on. But what about the films that don't get nearly any appreciation or are outright hated?

Daily Dead
01/01/2025
Vanessa's Favorites of 2024 - Daily Dead

It's been quite the year for horror fans across the board, and there's been no shortage of good content. We've seen a return for beloved or forgotten franchises, original horror, and horror TV. As someone who tries their best to keep up, I've seen a decent amount this year.

Screensphere
12/15/2024
8 Holiday Horror Movies to Watch this December - Screensphere

The holidays aren't for everyone and that much continues to be true as the years go by. It's perfectly alright to not be into celebrating. However, you don't need to celebrate any particular December based holiday to enjoy holiday horror. In fact, watching horror that's set around this time

Screensphere
11/16/2024
10 Underrated Found Footage Films - Screensphere

It's true when horror fans say that found footage hasn't always been the most appreciated subgenre. More often than not found footage horror movies are seen as merely low budget...

Daily Dead
10/30/2024
11 Cat & Mouse Horror Films You Should Watch - Daily Dead

It's the official season of the macabre and the weird (let's face it, Halloween is all year round for some of us), folks. Therefore, people are scrambling to assemble their watch lists for Halloween because some people like to stay in. And sure, I think watching Halloween (1978) every year as a tradition is a [...]

PSYCHOPOMP.COM
09/12/2023
The Most Tragic Deaths in the Buffyverse - PSYCHOPOMP.COM

Fans of both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff show Angel are well-versed in the concept of tragic character death. Folks watching one or both shows live didn't have Tumblr to vent their pain, either. Both series are based in a horror/fantasy universe where almost anything is possible, including vampires, demons, and other creatures roaming around California.

Horror Movie Blog
07/24/2023
Summer Horror Franchises to Binge - Horror Movie Blog

Summertime tends to be considered the season for blockbusters, popsicles, and beach antics (if you live anywhere near one). And obviously there's nothing wrong with liking that. At the same time, horror fans often think about our favorite summer horror films and also think deeply about how close we are to the Halloween season.

PUSSY MAGIC
02/09/2019
3 Movies That Will Genuinely Scare the Hell Out of You - PUSSY MAGIC

Anyone who considers themselves a Horror fan usually has a relatively set idea of what scares them. For example, some people find movies about possession not even remotely scary but find slasher films unbelievably frightening. So it's all about the person and their fear limitations, not what's deeme

Reviews

Medium
03/20/2026
Serial Killers, Revenge, and Feminine Rage

Books Serial Killers, Revenge, and Feminine Rage Review of RED WOMB by C.M. Guidroz Content Warning: Red Womb isn't for folks who can't handle extreme horror, especially as this story contains ...

Screensphere
08/31/2024
Film Review: The Demon Disorder - Screensphere

spoilers ahead* The vast majority of the time, possession horror falls into a typical formula. Someone gets possessed, needs an exorcism, and the entity is likely vanquished after causing mayhem....

PSYCHOPOMP.COM
04/25/2024
The First Omen (2024) - PSYCHOPOMP.COM

The First Omen (2024) is the pro-choice film we need at this point in time. It's a prequel to The Omen (1976) that sheds some insight into the horrors of how Damien came to be.

PSYCHOPOMP.COM
10/27/2023
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor - PSYCHOPOMP.COM

We're back in the Hell House universe again, folks. It's been some time since the third entry in the Hell House franchise. The last time we were in the Hell House universe, people were being murdered in the Abbadon hotel as well as around the property and the very rich Russell Wynn (Gabriel Chytry) defeated demonic cult leader Andrew Tully (Brian David Tracy) in the basement, destroying the hotel in the process.

Interstellar Flight Magazine
10/25/2023
V/H/S/85 Is Gory Fun

There's a special feeling that found footage horror radiates. The scares often come across as real because the visuals aren't perfectly crafted. We watch characters struggle and are forced to...

Horror Movie Blog
06/19/2023
The Retreat // A Queer allegory - Horror Movie Blog

Slashers aren't always mindless fun featuring horrible characters, hot people, and outrageous kills. Of course those can be fun and there is nothing wrong with enjoying horror that doesn't extend beyond the surface level.

News

Rankings

PSYCHOPOMP.COM
02/29/2024
Terrifier 2 Deaths, Ranked - PSYCHOPOMP.COM

Slashers aren't everyone's cup of tea, and that's understandable in some respects. However, there's no denying how beloved the subgenre is to many horror

PSYCHOPOMP.COM
01/19/2024
Saw X Deaths Ranked - PSYCHOPOMP.COM

Returning to form is often a wise choice when you take into consideration a prequel like Saw X (2023). Instead of going back to that nasty bathroom, we focus

Horror Movie Blog
10/22/2023
V/H/S franchise films ranked, so far - Horror Movie Blog

The world of V/H/S is intense, and no, I'm not talking about VHS tapes. I'm talking about the found footage franchise that has captured many hearts. Found footage horror isn't always taken seriously, and that's a shame because there are many great films out there.

BOOKS

Payhip
girlhouse

Ash has longed for freedom for herself and the other captured girls. Fortunately, her time has come for bloody revenge and escape.Indulge in vanessa maki's debut extreme horror short story.Leave a review on Storygraph if you wish.

Animal Heart Press
01/21/2020
the chosen one (poetry chapbook)

A chapbook of poetry from Vanessa Maki Official release date January 21, 2020 In the chosen one, a Buffy The Vampire Slayer themed chapbook, Vanessa Maki unpacks her own personal experiences and uses the world of Buffy to do so.