Horror films interested me infrequently while growing up. While I saw very few, it was difficult to avoid the genre altogether thanks to commercials, pop culture references, and descriptions friends. Thus, I am familiar with the doll even though I've never seen Child's Play, familiar with the iconic mask despite not seeing Scream, and aware of the superstition despite never seeing Friday the 13th.

With my disinterest (ok...fear) in scary movies, you may assume I was averse to Duskmourn's horror movie theme. While I never had interest in seeing the movies themselves, I still found appreciation for the various movie references made throughout the set's card names and artwork. The cards themselves weren't frightening, and the pop culture references were still somewhat recognizable because of the exposure I had to these films through the aforementioned influences.

Granted, some references landed better than others--I don't know every popular horror movie from the last few decades. This week I will touch on my favorite artworks from Duskmourn with respect to how they reminded me of a classic movie, whether I've seen the film or not.

Number 5: Signs (2002)

If I remember correctly, I believe I've actually seen this movie, albeit many years ago. You don't need to be familiar with the movie Signs, however, to appreciate the reference made by Etched Cornfield by Randy Gallegos.

Here we have one of the most famous extraterrestrial horror tropes: flying saucer- and UFO-shaped divots in a cornfield, indicating these creatures had recently paid a visit to our planet. These have been nicknamed "crop circles." One reason I enjoy this plot element is that it merely suggests the presence of some unknown phenomenon without mercilessly shoving aliens in your face. The subtle take implies a creepiness factor I appreciate--it is reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft's style, and it's one reason why Etched Cornfield's reference to Signs is one of my favorites from Duskmourn.

Number 4: Saw (2004)

Wizards of the Coast had a field day with this movie, as they referenced the theme on multiple cards. I see at least four, in fact: Let's Play a Game, Saw, The Lord of Pain, and Trial of Agony.

Full transparency on this one, I've never seen any of the Saw movies. Apparently there are a good ten sequels of this movie, with one in the works to be released in 2025? Despite this, I have no interest in watching any of these horror movies. They just aren't my type.

That being said, I can certainly appreciate the theme and the references made by the artists on these Magic cards. According to the fandom wiki, Saw is "A film revolving around the Jigsaw killer, who tests his victims' will to live by putting them through deadly 'games' where they must inflict great physical pain upon themselves to survive. 'I want to play a game' is one of Jigsaw's most iconic quotes."

Talk about horror, both in a physical and psychological sense. If the movie is anything like the illustrations by Riccardo Federici, Jarel Threat, Greg Staples, and Mike Sass, I have no desire to see any of these dozen or so Saw movies! I'll limit my appreciation for the franchise through these cards instead.

Number 3: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Around my freshman year in high school, I heard about a movie phenomenon that was taking the world by storm. Everyone was talking about this novel, extremely low-budget film that scared the daylights out of everyone. How budget, you ask? The film's starting budget was somewhere between $35,000 and $60,000. That number climbed as the movie started gaining tracking, when a few hundred thousand was sunk in for marketing costs. Considering the movie grossed nearly $250 million at the box office, I'd say it was a worthwhile investment!

What's the movie actually about? Honestly, I've never seen it and the concept still frightens me. I remember hearing about this movie where three kids go missing and all that's found is their film footage, where a bunch of creepy and horrifying things occur. Found footage...sound familiar?

I don't have particular interest in seeing this movie (though as an adult now, I could probably handle it fine). The concept of found footage being the only remnant left behind of some horrifying event is eye catching. Apparently The Blair Witch Project captures this concept exceptionally well, leading to the movie's breakout success. All that's left behind is Jarel Threat's artwork depicting an old VHS cassette and camcorder.

Number 2: Ghostbusters (1984)

This is one of those movies that took me way to long to see. Since it came out the year I was born, I never had the opportunity to see it in theaters. Despite its age relative to mine, I still experienced plenty of mainstream references to the movie throughout childhood. It wasn't until I was a full-grown adult, however, that I finally dedicated time to sit down and watch the movie.

While not really a horror movie in a traditional sense, it's hard to separate the genre from the movie completely given the theme: the team goes around capturing menacing ghosts using their state-of-the-art technology (as depicted in the 1980's). That's where two Duskmourn cards come in: Ghost Vacuum and Paranormal Analyst.

The former, illustrated by David Szabo, depicts a (somewhat crazed) person using a vacuum device to capture a ghost, not unlike those they use in the movie. The latter is James Ryman's take on one of the Ghostbusters team members, though this character looks cooler than Egon Spengler was in the movie. I'll grant the artist some creative license here.

Number 1: The Shining (1980)

This movie admittedly came out before I was born, but that's no excuse for being unfamiliar with the tropes portrayed in the classic film. Yet, there I was, largely unaware of the movie's plot and theme up through my mid-30's. Finally, I corrected my ways: I listened to the audiobook and watched the movie. Despite the film's age, the story still gripped my interest and the movie delivered on maximum creepy.

Two famous scenes from the movie are depicted in two different Duskmourn cards: Break Down the Door and Unsettling Twins.

Break Down the Door is a reference to Jack Torrence's crazed usage of an axe to knock down a bathroom door, behind which is hiding his partner, played by Shelly Duvall. After he breaks open a gap wide enough in the door, he peeks his head in and deliriously announces, "Here's Johnny!" This itself is a reference the character makes to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The scene is famous. Iconic. Classic. This reference alone is enough to earn number one in my book.

But that's not all! We get a two-for-one with The Shining, because another card, Unsettling Twins, also references the famous movie. The little boy in the movie is riding his toy tricycle around The Overlook's halls when he stumbles upon a pair of...unsettling twins! In their ethereal voice they greet, "Hello, Danny. Come and play with us...forever and ever and ever" Would you play with these girls if you were Danny? Probably not, especially when the scene shows half-second flashes of these same two girls brutally and bloodily killed. Thankfully Lauren K. Cannon, the card's artist, spared us of that part of the scene.

Wrapping it Up with Honorable Mentions

There are a couple dozen movies referenced throughout Duskmourn. To write in detail about them all would require another four or five articles. Therefore, it was impossible for me to give adequate coverage to all of them, and I focused on some of my personal favorites.

Before wrapping up, I did want to at least give honorable mention to a few other card-movie references in the set for readers to appreciate.

• Come Back Wrong is a commonly used trope of dead people coming back to life transformed. I like to think the card shows a creature coming back as a vampire, a la my favorite television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I can imagine Acrobatic Cheerleader also references Buffy, since there was an early episode where she tries out to be a cheerleader.
• Arabella, Abandoned Doll sounds a little like the haunted doll in the movie Annabelle. Coincidence? I think not.
• Chainsaw and Meathook Massacre II seem like direct references to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, another famous horror movie. This film sees many random references, including amusing car insurance commercials. While these cards weren't Duskmourn's most creative, they do have a pretty strong tie to the 1974 movie.
• Exorcise is nearly a verbatim reference to the 1973 film, The Exorcist. Seemed like an obvious inclusion in the set.
• The Rollercrusher Ride is a reference to the plot of Final Destination 3, a 2006 film about high schoolers who are hunted by Death after surviving a roller-coaster accident in which they had been fated to die.
• Killer's Mask looks a bit like the mask worn by the psycho killer in 1980's Friday the 13th.
• Haunted Screen and Trapped in the Screen both depict a creepy figure coming through television screen static. While the original reference of these cards likely ties to 1982's Poltergeist, I like to think they also pay creative homage to The Ring, where a creepy girl climbs out of a television set to frighten her victims to death...somehow.

As you can see, the list goes on and on! While Duskmourn's aesthetic and modern-day, mainstream references may not have thrilled everyone, I can at least appreciate it for its intent. It's not often that Wizards of the Coast gives us a (non-Universes beyond) set that so directly references pop culture. It's not something I'd want to see every time, but I enjoyed this temporary foray into the classic movie horror theme.