Monthly Archives: August 2014

Open Graves, Open Minds update

Previously TheoFantastique has noted the conference and publishing work of Open Graves, Open Minds. This post shares a recent update received on their work, including a book and conference. OPEN GRAVES, OPEN MINDS relates the Undead in literature and other media to questions concerning genre, technology, consumption and social change. It features original research by leading […]

Call for Submissions – “Paranormal Pop: Religion, Pop Culture, and the Supernatural”

Call for Submissions ROTHCO Press is accepting proposals for essays for an edited volume tentatively titled Paranormal Pop: Religion, Pop Culture, and the Supernatural, to be published in Summer 2015. Academic writers and independent scholars are invited to submit proposals spanning the wide range of topics on pop culture and the paranormal, and their connection […]

Automata

The trailer for Automata looks intriguing. Hopefully it will be a thoughtful expression of science fiction. In a future where Earth’s ecosystem verges on collapse, man-made robots roam the cities to protect dwindling human life. When a robot overrides a key protocol put in place to protect human life, ROC Robotics insurance agent Jacq Vaucan […]

In Memory of Bela Lugosi

A nice looking colorized photo from Dracula, and a video tribute in memory of Bela Lugosi who passed away August 16, 1956.

Conference on ‘Folk Horror’ at Queen’s University in Belfast

A Friend in the Furrows: Perspectives on ‘Folk Horror’ in Literature, Film and Music 19-21 September, 2014 Queen’s University Belfast ‘A Fiend in the Furrows’ is a three-day conference in association with the School of English and the Institute for Collaborative Research in the Humanities at Queen’s University Belfast, exploring ‘folk horror’ in British and […]

Titles of Interest – “Guillermo del Toro: Film as Alchemic Art”

Guillermo del Toro: Film as Alchemic Art, Keith McDonald and Roger Clark (Bloomsbury, 2014) A critical exploration of one of the most exciting, original and influential figures to emerge in contemporary film, Guillermo del Toro: Film as Alchemic Art is a major contribution to the analysis of Guillermo del Toro’s cinematic output. It offers an […]

“Nova Religio” Focus on the Paranormal

Joseph Laycock has announced the publication of a special edition of a journal that focuses on the paranormal where he served as guest editor.     Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, Vol. 18, No. 1, August 2014 http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/nr.2014.18.issue-1 Table of Contents Approaching the Paranormal JOSEPH P. LAYCOCK Abstract: This issue of […]

Fandom and Religion Conference at University of Leicester

Fandom and Religion: An international, inter-disciplinary conference University of Leicester (UK) · 28th – 30th July 2015 A conference exploring interactions between religion and popular culture. How does fandom work? Has fandom replaced or become a form of religion? This event will provide opportunity for participants to explore these and other questions about popular culture […]

Titles of Interest – “The Vampire in Science Fiction Film and Literature”

Paul Meehan is a friend of TheoFantastique who has been interviewed and contributed guest essays here previously. I am currently reading his latest book for a review in the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts. The book is The Vampire in Science Fiction Film and Literature (McFarland, 2014). Vampires have been a popular subject […]

Contagious Vampires and Impotent Religion in “The Strain”

I finally had a chance to watch the first three episodes of The Strain after recording them. I am a big fan of Guillermo del Toro, including the material he produces. The television series is, of course, based on the 2009 novel by del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It incorporates  some of the vampire conceptions […]

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