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AUTHOR SHOWDOWN: POE VS. LOVECRAFT
Born January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts
Died October 7. 1849 in Baltimore, Maryland
Father of detective fiction
Author, poet, editor and literary critic
Poems include:
The Raven
Eldorado
The Bells
Annabel Lee
The Conqueror Worm
Short stories:
The Black Cat
The Tell-tale Heart
The Cask of Amontillado
The Fall of the House of Usher
Influenced:
Ambrose Bierce
Agatha Christie
Clive Barker
Harlan Ellison
Stephen King
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HOWARD PHILLIPS “H.P.” LOVECRAFT
Born August 20, 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island
Died March 15, 1937 in Providence, Rhode Island
Creator of the Cthulhu Mythos
Short story writer, editor, novelist and poet
Notable stories:
At the Mountains of Madness
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The Call of Cthulhu
Herbert West-Re-Animator
Influenced:
Robert Bloch
Ramsey Campbell
Alan Moore
Neil Gaiman
Stephen King
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Here’s how it goes, folks; this is very similar to “What’s Their Best Film?”, only this time I want you to pretend you’re on a desert island with no boat, no life, no motor car and especially no Mary Ann or Ginger. Before you ended up here you only had time to grab the complete works of either Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft to take with you to pass the time while you wait to be rescued. I know, it’s far-fetched; but work with me.
Who do you choose?
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MASTERS OF HORROR SEASON ONE, EPISODE TWO: DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE
MASTERS OF HORROR SEASON ONE, EPISODE TWO: DREAMS IN THE WITCH HOUSE-United States-2005
Ezra Godden as Walter Gilman
Directed by Stuart Gordon
Teleplay by Stuart Gordon and Dennis Paoli
Based on the short story by H.P. Lovecraft
You would think that since I am such a connoisseur of all things horror that I would be familiar with the works of one Howard Philips Lovecraft. I’m not. In fact, my familiarity comes from Stuart Gordon and his adaptation of Lovecraft’s work. I have watched Re-animator countless times and I’ve seen From Beyond at least twice. I’ve also seen The Unnamable; that one’s not Gordon, but it is Lovecraft. So, I’ve seen H.P. quite a few times; but it is only recently that I have begun to read Lovecraft. So far I’ve dove into “The Beast in the Cave“; and I am now smack dab in the middle of “In the Mountains of Madness”. I know Lovecraft is regarded as one of the masters of the horror genre. So, with all that, why did I find Gordon’s adaptation of his Dreams in the Witch House a bit…underwhelming?
Is it because I’m not familiar with the work of Lovecraft? This Masters of Horror episode helmed by Gordon about a student at MIskatonic University (an H.P. staple) who moves into an apartment full of strange tenants, rats with human faces; and a witch who travels from world to world via intersections in time and space. The episode hints at Lovecraft, but it doesn’t seem to dig too deep into him or the short story it was based on. There are the Gordon trademarks; Dreams in the Witch House features a student moving into a new place the same way Herbert West did in Re-animator in 1985. Like I said before, I haven’t read a lot of Lovecraft; but I am smart enough to know when something’s missing.
Like Incident On and Off a Mountain Road in episode one, Dreams in the Witch House isn’t a bad episode of Masters of Horror; but it’s not a very good one, either. I like Gordon and I loved Re-animator; I just think that this would benefit from less Stuart and more H.P.
TRIVIA
In this movie it’s the second time Ezra Godden has a character that wears a ‘Miskatonic University’ t-shirt in a Stuart Gordon film. The first one was Dagon where they both were involved.
On the DVD commentary for another Stuart Gordon movie called From Beyond, Gordon and Brian Yuzna mention that they had planned to make an adaptation of Dreams in the Witch-House in the 1980s after the success of Re-Animator. From Beyond ended up getting made instead.
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MY 10 FAVORITE HORROR BOOKS; PERHAPS OF ALL TIME
I thought I would do something a bit more diverse this fine Sunday evening. Just to prove to everyone that I read, here is my list of my 10 favorite horror books of all time. Let’s see what we have here:
1. Ghoul by Michael Slade
Michael Slade combines horror, history, mystery and police procedural better than any author I’ve ever read. Ghoul, his second novel, combines sex, insanity, rock and roll and H.P. Lovecraft better than any other book I’ve ever read.
2 and 3. When the Autumn Moon is Bright and Heart of Scars: The Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter Books One and Two by Brian Easton
A one-two combination of the two finest werewolf novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Brian Easton’s books may be about one man. Sylvester Logan James and his lifelong vendetta against the furry beasties; but dig deeper and they’re about how hatred can consume a person until there is nothing left.
4. It by Stephen King
I used to think that clowns were nasty, evil creatures that hid their true faces behind fake smiles, rubber noses and greasepaint, Then I read Stephen King’s It and I knew that is exactly what they are. Take seven kids, all losers, and pit them against a shape-shifting clown named Pennywise that preys on children and you have King’s second masterpiece. The first was of course The Stand. Coulrophobics should steer clear.
5. Survivor by J. F. Gonzalez
The Federal Bureau of Investigation states that, for the record, snuff films do not exist. If they’ve ever read J. F. Gonzalez’ novel about snuff producers and the woman who must make an ultimate and horrifying decision in order to save her own life then off the record I would say that their opinion is quite the opposite. Survivor kept me awake at night.
6. Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dracula was the first major novel I ever read and I have had a love for reading my entire life because of it. Stoker’s novel is over a hundred years old; so I’m not going to tell you what it’s about. You’ve had plenty of time to read it.
7. The Hot Blood Series; Jeff Gelb, Lonn Friend and Michael Garrett, editors
Who would have thought that sex and horror would make such lovely bedfellows? Jeff Gelb, Lonn Friend and Michael Garrett, obviously; they’ve edited 13 volumes of the erotic and the macabre that range from a Dorian Gray-esque tale updated for the age of AIDS; to a woman with way too many vaginas. Oh yeah, there’s also carnivorous shape-shifting porn stars.
8. The Stand by Stephen King
It’s the end of the world as we know it and not a damned soul feels fine in this magnum opus by Stephen King. A deadly virus leads to the ultimate battle between good and evil. The Stand should be required reading. Randall Flagg aka ‘The Dark Man’ aka ‘The Walkin’ Dude’ could be the rule by which all other villains are measured.
9. The Howling by Gary Brandner
The book and the movie have nothing in common except for werewolves and a woman named Karen stuck in the middle as their chew toy of choice. The book isn’t great by any means; but since it was the launching pad for what was the greatest werewolf movie of all time it earns a spot on this list.
10. Son of the Endless Night by John Farris
A demon- possessed man, an Irish priest turned professional wrestler, a courtroom scene straight out of hell and Zarach Bal Tagh, the entity orchestrating the whole bloody affair. What more could you ask for from the author Stephen King has said was the one he tried the hardest to emulate?
There you have it, my favorites. Maybe some of yours are on the list; or maybe not, who knows?
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THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
THE CABIN IN THE WOODS-United States-2012
Kristen Connolly as Dana
Chris Hemsworth as Curt
Anna Hutchison as Jules
Fran Kranz as Marty
Jesse Williams as Holden
Richard Jenkins as Sitterson, Amy Acker as Lin, Bradley Whitford as Hadley
Directed by Drew Goddard
Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard
The Cabin in the Woods is a highly entertaining film that pays homage to teen slasher films, the zombie genre and the works of H.P. Lovecraft and it does it all with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Kristen Connolly (The Happening, Mona Lisa Smile) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) are part of a group of teenagers on a road trip to a weekend getaway to the titular cabin. Little do they know that everything they do is a part of an elaborately controlled scenario that is itself a part of an even larger scenario. The five are the puppets and the many, led by a hilariously smart-ass Bradley Whitford (TV’s The West Wing) and a dependable as always Richard Jenkins (Let Me In, The Visitor) are the puppeteers. Think of the whole thing as a ‘choose your own adventure’ where you have no choice and that can kill you in the manner of your choosing. If it sounds confusing I can assure you that once you see the film you’ll understand.
The Cabin in the Woods is directed by Drew Goddard, who co-wrote the screenplay along with Joss Whedon. Goddard was the guy who wrote Cloverfield and some cool episodes of Lost. Whedon is the guy who gave us Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and is the screenwriter for the upcoming summer blockbuster The Avengers; which will feature Hemsworth in a reprisal of his role as Thor.
Toward the end, what impressed me the most about The Cabin in the Woods was the clear display of love that Goddard and Whedon have for the old school scary monsters. It was akin to watching two kids playing with all their super cool action figures and it left me with a smile on my face as I left the theater. You can’t ask for any better than that.
One more thing; look for an extended cameo from a very well-known star. I’ll give you a hint: she’s battled monsters many times in her day.
TRIVIA
Shot in 2009, but not released until 2012.
The film’s release date was postponed because the studio wanted to convert it to 3D, despite objections from Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard. These plans were eventually scrapped, and the film was released only in 2D.
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H.P. LOVECRAFT’S RE-ANIMATOR
Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West
Bruce Abbott as Daniel Dan Cain
Barbara Crampton as Megan Halsey
David Gale as Dr. Carl Hill
