Science and Theological Imagination in Science Fiction
My daily search for all things fantastic in popular culture resulted in my stumbling upon an announcement for an intriguing conference on Science and Theological Imagination in Science Fiction: Science fiction is a twentieth-century invention. In it writers and readers try to imagine life in a context wider than our present — perhaps requiring as […]
Cinefantastique Online DVD Review of THE BOOK OF ELI
My review of the recent release of The Book of Eli on DVD is now available at Cinefantastique Online. From the introduction: The recent release of THE BOOK OF ELI (2010) on DVD provides an opportunity for a reassessment of important elements within its story. Viewers with religious convictions have interpreted it in strongly positive […]
Amityville Horror Home and the Paranormal Entrepreneurial Mind
A few weeks ago it was announced that the house where the Amityville Horror events took place was up for sale. In 1977 Jay Anson wrote The Amityville Horror: A True Story which told the story of the Lutz family living in the home in Long Island, New York which was reportedly plagued by paranormal […]
Do the Wrong Kind of People Like SPLICE?
While I haven’t been able to catch a showing of Splice yet in theaters, I have kept up with the reviews and commentary. There have been a few exceptions, but most of the commentary has been very positive. This is especially the case with Steve Biodrowski’s review at Cinefantastique Online, a reviewer and website with […]
Keep Watching the Skies! American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties: The 21st Century Edition
Over time I have built up my Amazon.com wish list of various items knowing that I will never be able to afford or have room for most of what I’ve listed. Even so, there are several items that are a priority for me in adding to my collection, and for some time I have been […]
Gary Varner: Creatures in the Mist and Comparative Mythology
Mythologist and folklorist Gary Varner was a recent guest here answering questions about the origins, history, and expressions of gargoyles and grotesques. He has researched a variety of subjects and is the author of Creatures in the Mist: Little People, Wild Men and Spirit Beings around the World: A Study of Comparative Mythology (Algora Publishing, […]
LEGION Review at Cinefantastique Online
My review of LEGION is now available online at Cinefantastique Online. The title is “”Action-Horror Meets Postmodern Angelic Apocalyptic.” Here is an excerpt: As might be expected in a film that draws upon characters taken from a religious tradition, in this case Judeo-Christianity, there are plenty of religious elements here for reflection beyond the obvious […]
Italian Zombie Cinema and the Subversion of Catholicism
I recently became aware of a post that my fellow LOTTD member, B-Sol of The Vault of Horror did last month. It is titled “‘Take This, All of You, and Eat It’: The Subversion of Catholicism in Italian Zombie Cinema.” As the title indicates, this post suggests that in Italy, one of the most Roman […]
Butcher Knives & Body Counts: Cover and Projected October 2010 Publication
I recently received an update on the book Butcher Knives & Body Counts: Essays on the Formula, Frights and Fun of the Slasher Film edited by Vince Liaguno and a publication of Dark Scribe Press. The publisher is hopeful that the multi-contributor volume will ready for publication this October, and this post includes a copy […]
Teen Werewolves: From the Silver Screen to America’s Schools
I came across an interesting item at the science fiction website io9 with a post titled “Teens pretending to be werewolves.” You will see the news report out of San Antonio, Texas accompanying this post that describes a group of teens who identify with werewolves and gather in groups they call packs. When I came […]
