TheoFantastique Podcast 2.1 on The Rite
TheoFantastique Podcast, Vol. 2, no. 1 is now available. It involves a discussion on The Rite with past guests and contributors, including Douglas Cowan, author of a number of books including Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen; Paul Meehan, also the author of a number of books including Horror Noir: Where Cinema’s […]
Call for Manuscripts: “Where Horror Dwells”
“Where Horror Dwells: Locating Horror across Media Landscapes” Editors: Drew Beard and Patricia Oman, University of Oregon Psychoanalysis and gender have dominated scholarship on the horror film for several decades, but they are by no means the only lenses through which horror can be viewed. The fields of ecocriticism, urban studies, transnationalism, and globalization provide […]
Cinefantastique Online – The RITE: Satan, Possession, and Unlikely Sources of Faith
My latest contribution to Cinefantastique Online is now available, an essay titled “THE RITE: Satan, Possession, and Unlikely Sources of Faith.” From the introduction: The Devil and the related phenomenon of demonic possession, have been the source of several horror films for the years. Previous decades offered THE EXORCIST (1973), with its Roman Catholic perspective, […]
Fantastic Super Bowl Commercials
The Super Bowl for 2011 included a few good commercials. Two of them were fantastic, and by that I refer to the fact that they drew upon the genres of the fantastic, in these instances from fantasy. Here are the two standouts for TheoFantastique. First was a commercial for the Volkswagen Passat that featured a […]
Guillermo del Toro and Auteur Metaphysics
For a long time I have been interested in the influences on those who make great films and television, and how these influences are reflected in the art they produce. This is especially the case with those artists who embody their art, their art coming out as a result of the creative passions they live […]
Stephen T. Asma – On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears
Quite some time ago I promoted a forthcoming interview with Stephen Asma regarding his book On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears (Oxford University Press, 2009). As I worked my way through my growing collection of books for research, review, and interviews, On Monsters finally crawled to the top, and I am pleased […]
Wayne Kinsey on Hammer Films: The Unsung Heroes
The horror of Hammer has been extremely influential in my life, starting as a child and later as a teenager as I watched the Technicolor blood drip on screen as the stories of monsters like Frankenstein’s creature, Dracula, and the mummy played out in front of me on the television screen. In fact, it was […]
News of the Fantastic – January 29, 1011
Here are various news items related to the fantastic in popular culture for the preceding couple of weeks. News items of significance are shared daily as they become available via my Facebook profile and Twitter account. The right-wing agenda of the exorcism movie “The Rite” is the latest film in a genre with a surprisingly […]
Steven Moffat’s Jekyll: Cinefantastique Podcast Online
The Cinefantastique Podcast discussing the 2007 BBC production of Jekyll by Steven Moffat is now available. From CFQ’s website: And the dream comes true for one young, idealistic podcast host. After months of campaigning, Dan finally gets a chance to bring Steven Moffat’s (DOCTOR WHO) BBC series, JEKYLL, to the table for an extended discussion. […]
Bader, Mencken and Baker: Paranormal America
A visit to most bookstores, particularly large chain bookstores, will reveal a large collection of books that explore various facets of the paranormal. These phenomena and experiences are found throughout popular culture, and are frequently depicted in popular television programs and films. Recently, three scholars conducted sociological research that looked at those involved in the […]
