SPLICE: Genetic Science Fiction/Horror Premiers in June
Today various news outlets are reporting that a scientist and his team have created the first synthetic life form, in this instance the genome of a bacterium. Coincidentally, advertisements have begun for Splice, a film that adds to the canon of horror and science fiction dealing with genetic manipulation. The film’s website includes the following […]
1950s Horror and Rational Fears
One of the highlights of reading academic treatments of the fantastic is reviewing the bibliographies that they include. Several works almost always look intriguing, and many times a handful of titles seem to be included in each bibliography making them “must read” for those looking to probe the fantastic a little deeper. For some time […]
Stephen Hawking: Aliens May Pose Risk
Over the decades science fiction and horror have alternated in their depiction of alien visitation between concepts of invasion and attack on the one hand, and the benign or loving, at times divine sage on the other hand. Some filmmakers have even wrestled with both treatments, such as Steven Spielberg, who for many years presented […]
TheoFantastique Spotlighted at Horror Squad
Horror Squad included a blog spotlight today on TheoFantastique. My thanks goes to Brad McHargue for writing this piece. See Brad’s blog I Love Horror for further examples of his thoughts on horror.
Article at Cinefantastique: “The Changing Face of Biblical Horror and Fantasy Films”
My latest contribution to Cinefantastique Online was recently posted. Below is an excerpt: In the post-Christendom context, this situation changes dramatically. I was reminded of this recently while watching 30 DAYS OF NIGHT. As the race of vampires continues its onslaught on the Alaskan town, they use an injured woman as bait to lure any humans […]
Horror and the Connection to Wonder
I came across a couple of items recently that encapsulate the feelings I have in my experiences with the fantastic. The first is a poster ad for The HMA.net Mask-Fest 2010. It is featured with this post to the left where the reader will see a young boy putting on his Halloween costume. As he […]
TheoFantastique Interviewed at Fangoria’s “Beyond the Pale” Blog
My friend Dave Canfield is a fellow fan of horror and all things fantastic. He explores our common passion in a variety of forums, including as a Chicago film critic writing for Twitch, and as a writer for Fangoria online. His blog at Fangoria, Beyond the Pale, recently featured my thoughts on horror and spirituality […]
The Crazies: Art Imitates Life in the Fractured American Dream
The Crazies, a remake of George Romero’s 1973 horror film of the same name, is set to open February 26. The film’s website describes it as follows: A husband and wife in a small Midwestern town find themselves battling for survival as their friends and family descend into madness in The Crazies. A mysterious toxin […]
W. Scott Poole: Legion and “Mauled by an Angel”
My friend and colleague W. Scott Poole, author of Satan in America (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009), and the focus of a previous interview here, has a commentary posted in Religion Dispatches titled “Mauled by an Angel: Why Do Americans Need ‘God’s Secret Agents’?”. In this article Scott looks at the action-horror film Legion as a […]
Mark Dawidziak and Reflections on Kolchack: The Night Stalker
One of the enjoyable memories of frights for monster kids of the 1970s was Carl Kolchak who filled the role of The Night Stalker. Each week he used his journalistic skills and savvy to research the paranormal and the monstrous. I was privileged to learn more about this great series through an interview with Mark […]
