Halloween Countdown, Day 13

[eldritchhobbit]

* Here is a terrific publication that's free to all readers: The Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies. Each online issue includes articles, book, film and television reviews, and a special "Lost Souls" section dedicated to resurrecting the neglected and underrated personages of horror (from the 19th-century Gothic novelist Francis Lathom to 1950s "Scream Queen" Susan Cabot).

Here is a sample of some of the most recent articles:
-- "'The Great Disillusionment': H.G. Wells, Mankind, and Aliens in American Invasion Horror Films of the 1950s"
-- "¡Yo Soy Godzilla! - The Possibilities and Futilities of Cuban Horror"
-- "Helen Adam and the Feminist Gothic Imagination"




* The new trailer is out for Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and I definitely think it counts as Halloween-appropriate viewing.

"The Ghost of Alma Kelmer" (Watch on YouTube)

Spooky Text of the Day: Today's blood-curdling tale is "The Tomb of Sarah" (1890) by F.G. Loring.

Excerpt:
By half-past ten we were both getting very tired, and I began to think that perhaps after all we should see nothing that night. However, soon after eleven we observed a light mist rising from the "Sarah Tomb." It seemed to scintillate and sparkle as it rose, and curled in a sort of pillar or spiral.

I said nothing, but I heard the Rector give a sort of gasp as he clutched my arm feverishly.

"Great Heaven!" he whispered, "it is taking shape."

And, true enough, in a very few moments we saw standing erect by the tomb the ghastly figure of the Countess Sarah!

She looked thin and haggard still, and her face was deadly white; but the crimson lips looked like a hideous gash in the pale cheeks, and her eyes glared like red coals in the gloom of the church.

Read the complete story here.

Comments

[fungus-files.livejournal.com]

I've been missing your Halloween posts! *weeps* Hope to catch up with them soon. Thanks so much for the card!! Loved it. E. particularly likes the sparklies inside... :)

Can't wait to see Parnassus!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Hey, it's great to hear from you! I'm so glad you (and E.!) got the card and liked it. My Halloween posts aren't going anywhere, so please feel free to catch up whenever it's convenient!

Can't wait to see Parnassus!

Me either!

[groovekittie.livejournal.com]

Just wondering if you knew about this:

Poe gets proper send-off, 160 years on

It took 160 years, but writer Edgar Allan Poe finally got a funeral Sunday befitting a writer of his stature.

I saw it a couple of days ago, but I was busy with Thanksgiving here in Canada. :) I figured it quite apropos of your little Halloween Countdown.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I posted about the new funeral here, but hey, it never hurts to follow-up about it after the fact. Thanks so much for the link! I appreciate it. :)

[mamomo.livejournal.com]

Our local humanities museum is having Poe Mania all semester, which means they've been showing a lot of Vincent Price movies. Also, I just got an email from our university's health & safety people about how to handle bats in our offices, which included a 4-page safety brochure on bats and rabies. So that picture if very relevant to my life in weird ways.

Terry Gilliam is on my "on notice" list because of the whole Polanski thing, but I want to see Imaginarium so badly.

And thanks, Twilight, for ruining the use of the word sparkle for me forever, even when being used legitimately. I am dazzled by the description of Countess Sarah's face - super creepy.

OK. I'm gonna stop now. :P

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Poe Mania looks absolutely brilliant. I wish I could be there for all of the events!

Good grief - bats and rabies? As if you didn't have enough to deal with in your offices (like... students! LOL). *shudder* Just remember: wear turtlenecks. And a necklace of garlic. ;)

And thanks, Twilight, for ruining the use of the word sparkle for me forever, even when being used legitimately.

ROFLOL!