Culture and Horror: Valerie Wee Sui-Lin, Ringu and The Ring
The Popular Culture Association has a subset of presentations that touch on horror and science fiction in popular culture. One of the more interesting presentations presented by Valerie Wee Su-Lin of looked at differing cultural aspects of the Japanese horror film Ringu constrasted with the American film The Ring. Valerie is an assistant professor in […]
Fido: Rewarding Zombie Comedy Provides for Social and Theological Reflection
This weekend I had an opportunity to rent a few movies, and as I perused the shelves of my local video store I noticed a small number of DVD boxes that immediately caught my eye as the film Fido (Lionsgate, 2007) jumped out at me. I first heard about this interesting zombie comedy through the […]
Wired Magazine: Manga Conquers America
The current issue of Wired Magazine, issue 15:11, is no newsstands and in bookstores now. The cover features the title “Manga Conquers America,” and it is worth the reader’s time who is interested in manga, or Japanese comics, and its relationship to anime, or Japanese animation. The online edition includes several features and online extras. […]
Adam Possamai: Jediism, Matrixism and “Hyper-Real” Spiritualities
It is no surprise to readers of this blog that I have a great personal interest in the enjoyment and exploration of the fantastic in literature, film, and television, and that I believe these forms of contemporary mythos also provide us with important tools and forms for spiritual expression and exploration as well. In my […]
Jack Santino: Halloween, Folklore, and Death Festivals
Dr. Jack Santino is a professor in the Department of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH. His academic work has included an analysis of the cultural meaning of holidays and festivals. Among his many publications is the book Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life (Knoxville: University of Tennessee, […]
Reflections on a Zombie Supper
I realize that this post, well, at least the image that accompanies this post, will be off-putting if not repulsive for many evangelical Christian readers, or at least some of them, but try to withhold judgment for a few moments. I don’t know the origins of the image that is an obvious zombie reinterpretation on […]
The Truth Is Out There: Inexpensive Book Copies for Sale
My friend Kim Paffenroth who writes on science fiction and horror, and whom I met this year at Cornerstone Festival when he spoke on his book on George Romero’s zombie films, recently let me know that copies of his earlier book that he co-authored with Thomas Bertonneau, The Truth is Out There (Brazos Press, 2006), […]
James McGrath on Religion in Science Fiction
Dr. James McGrath is Assistant Professor of Religion at Butler University. Dr. McGrath not only teaches on Biblical Studies, but also on the interesting topic of science fiction in religion. This is a fascinating area of research interest for me, specifically as it connects with film and television studies, popular culture studies, and expressions of […]
BlueWater Productions Comics: Interview with Darren Davis
Comic books are big business these days, and they attract the attention of not only children, but also many adults, and they increasingly provide creative concepts and stories for Hollywood films. Readers may be familiar with large comic production companies like Marvel, DC, or Dark Horse, but there is an up and coming comic company […]
Anime and Popular Culture: Interview with Bill Ellis
Bill Ellis is Associate Professor English and American Studies at Penn State. He is well known for his contribution to folklore studies, in particular his books that include Aliens, Ghosts, and Cults: Legends We Live (University Press of Mississippi, 2003), Raising the Devil: Satanism, New Religions, and the Media (University Press of Kentucky, 2000), and […]
