My Favourite Horror Film: Turisas

In the fourth part of our Halloween-y series, Mathias Nygård from Turisas reveals why Lars von Trier's Antichrist is his favourite scary movie...

“I’m not very big on horror films. I don’t think anyone in the band is. I’ve seen most of the classics and can appreciate them, but often find the genre too one-dimensional for my liking. I can also enjoy the campy end of the spectre for a laugh. I don’t know if Antichrist counts as a horror film. It definitely has a lot of common elements, but for me it’s much more than a horror film. Antichrist is an art film drama with beautiful cinematography exploring the darkest recesses of humanity.

Its central themes on anxiety, cruelty, nature and sexuality combined with a constant flow of symbolism makes it an extremely thought-provoking film open to endless interpretation. The graphic violence that caused controversy at film festivals might not be that shocking to hard-boiled horror fans, but the depth of the film could easily make familiar elements present themselves in a new, even more terrifying light.”

Luke Morton joined Metal Hammer as Online Editor in 2014, having previously worked as News Editor at popular (but now sadly defunct) alternative lifestyle magazine, Front. As well as helming the Metal Hammer website for the four years that followed, Luke also helped relaunch the Metal Hammer podcast in early 2018, producing, scripting and presenting the relaunched show during its early days. He also wrote regular features for the magazine, including a 2018 cover feature for his very favourite band in the world, Slipknot, discussing their turbulent 2008 album, All Hope Is Gone.