I founded Arrow in the Head in the year 2000 (this was my first review…lol), alongside my hombre JoBlo aka Berge Garabedian (thanks again for the opportunity man), when I was a young horror-loving punk and when the internet was still the Wild West. I did everything myself on the site till about 2005 when it got so big that we had to hire a staff to back me up. Up until now, I was the main “reviewer” on the site. On that, I did miss a lot of horror films last year for varied reasons, which brings me to this article: after 16 years, I am stepping down as the main theatrical/new-releases reviewer for AITH.

Although I do have mix feelings about it (it will be kind of odd and maybe refreshing to see new flicks and not HAVE TO write about them afterwards) I decided that this was the right time to do it. Throughout the years, I have balanced working on the site while pursuing my cinematic aspirations (I have been screenwriting or/and acting in films like 100 FEET, DEAD SHADOWS or AMERICAN MUSCLE). But it’s having directed my first feature THE SHELTER (coming to Redbox on February 7 BTW), which prompted me to call it a day.  I completely fell in love with the process, it invigorated me, and am now focusing my energies further on that career path. And to be honest with ya, since last year, reviewing new releases, just didn’t feel “right” anymore. When it doesn’t feel right – it’s time to call it quits.

With Derek Mears (Jason Voorhees), Nick Principe (Chromeskull) and R.A. Mihailoff (Leatherface)! 

On that, I will always be on the site behind the scenes, and in the name of keeping my voice on it, I have decided to still give out my two cents and chump change on the occasional old movie (like I recently did here). Why? To educate younger readers about cinema and maybe bring attention to fine films that some of you may have overlooked. I also may start a column down the road, I have a nifty idea (yes, it is nifty), we’ll see. And of course, when I get my next feature off the ground (I got 5 that are being looked at right now, one will set-up sooner or later), AITH will be ground zero for me to share my (mis) adventures in filmmaking.

In closing, I would like to thank all of you who have supported my ramblings on AITH for all them years – I’ve felt lots of love over time and enjoyed interacting with many of you, debating what we all worship: GENRE CINEMA.  I also want to thank the haters who were key in my evolution too, as they taught me how to handle fair/harsh/unfair criticism. A key trait to have in this biz. Ya know, I still get the random e-mail from folks saying that they “grew up with me”, or “went into the film biz because of me” or that they fell in love with horror because of my keyboard drivel. Shit, I’ve even had high profile filmmakers re-cut their films after reading my early Fest reviews. Kind of nuts when I stop and think about it. So yeah, I think in terms of this field – one that I undertook by accident (creating/running a site and reviewing films were never goals of mine, they just happened) – you can’t get any better than that. Now time to conquer other mountains! Thanks again for all the support and the positive energy over the years. Back at ya mofos and mofettes!

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