Monthly Archives: August 2012

ParaNorman: Animated Horror for Kids with an Adult Message

August 18th, 2012 | Posted in animation, paranormal, stop-motion animation

What do you get when you mix monster kid nostalgia with an appreciation for 1980s horror, an understanding of being an ostracized kid, and the use of stop-motion animation artistry? The answer: ParaNorman, a wonderful film that opened this weekend and which, in this reviewer’s estimation, lives up to the many positive reviews it has […]

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Arlen Schumer’s ComiColumn: RIP Joe Kubert

August 17th, 2012 | Posted in Arlen Schumer, comics

Along with his contemporaries, Carmine Infantino and Gil Kane, Joe Kubert entered the comic book field in the 1940s as a teenager drawing for DC Comics, then went on to become one of the giants of the medium, an artist whose style is unmistakable – and unforgettable, the most expressive pen-and-brush comic book artist of […]

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Ray Harryhausen – Master of the Majicks, Vol. 1 available for pre-order

August 17th, 2012 | Posted in fantasy, Ray Harryhausen, stop-motion animation

Ray Harryhausen – Master of the Majicks, Vol. 1 is now available for pre-order. If I could afford it, these volumes would be in my library, and should be in those of every serious Harryhausen, stop-motion animation, and fantasy fan. Ray Harryhausen – Master of the Majicks Volume 1: Beginnings and Endings by Mike Hankin […]

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Forthcoming Dungeons & Dragons Documentary

August 15th, 2012 | Posted in Dungeons & Dragons, fan cultures, fantasy, fantasy role playing games, geek cultures

Dungeons and Dragons is one of the most influential, and controversial games of the 20th century. A forthcoming film aims to tell the story in Dungeons & Dragons: A Documentary, produced by Andrew Pascal, Anthony Savini, and James Sprattley. See the story on the film and some background on D&D in an essay in WIRED […]

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Call for Papers: Special issue of Horror Studies

August 14th, 2012 | Posted in call for papers, horror studies, paranormal

Call for Papers: Special issue of Horror Studies “Paranormal TV” Helen Wheatley, in Gothic Television, argues that beginning in the early 1990s, gothic texts became particularly visible in television; like the gothic, paranormal-themed television became especially prevalent beginning in the 1990s and, again like the gothic, paranormal television has cut across genres, with particular visibility […]

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Call for Papers on Paranormal Media

August 14th, 2012 | Posted in call for papers, paranormal

Call for Papers for Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) Annual Conference, 2013 (Chicago) Paranormal Media Annette Hill, in Paranormal Media: Audiences, Spirits and Magic in Popular Culture, observes that in recent years, paranormal beliefs have entered the mainstream. Although the paranormal had a presence in popular culture and various media forms for centuries, […]

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The Skeleton Dance T-Shirt

August 13th, 2012 | Posted in 1920s, animation, Disney

Already the hint of Autumn and Halloween are in the air, and with that comes the opportunity to enjoy the artistic and the macabre. A perfect way to do this comes in a new t-shirt line, the Disney Artist Collection, one of which features The Skeleton Dance animated short film from 1929. This was one […]

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Projected Fears: The Thing From Another World as Gothic Horror

August 12th, 2012 | Posted in 1930s, 1950s, horror, science fiction

I am currently reading and enjoying Kendall R. Phillips’ book Projected Fears: Horror Films and American Culture (Praeger, 2005). The book is similar to David Skal’s The Monster Show in that it connects horror films to their context in American culture. Phillips’ book is a little different in that it selects certain films which the […]

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Total Recall (2012): A Pleasant Cinematic Surprise

August 7th, 2012 | Posted in science fiction

This last weekend saw the debut of Total Recall, the “remake” or revisioning of the 1990 film of the same name starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone. Both films are loosely based upon the short story “We Can Remember it for you Wholesale?” by Philip K. Dick. But whereas the 1990 film involves a significant […]

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Cover for The Undead and Theology

August 6th, 2012 | Posted in Kim Paffenroth, The Undead and Theology, theology

My co-editor, Kim Paffenroth and I have approved the cover art for The Undead and Theology through Wipf & Stock. We are finalizing the manuscript and will discuss marketing considerations soon. Release date information to come in the near future. Back cover blurbs: “Both theologians and fans should appreciate this collection that explores the spiritual […]

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