The other day I was following various research threads on the Internet and discovered the Turner Classic Movies blog titled Movie Morlochs, which classic science fiction fans will recognize as a takeoff from George Pal’s The Time Machine. Unfortunately, despite the clever name, the blog is not solely devoted to science fiction films, but it does include interactions with a variety of film genres, including science fiction and horror films. One of the contributors to the blog is Richard Harland Smith, who also writes for Video Watchdog, a publication that has won several Rondo Awards. A little more Internet research revealed an article by Smith in CINEASTE: America’s Leading Magazine on the Art and Politics of the Cinema, titled “The Battle Inside: Infection and the Modern Horror Film.” In the article Smith discusses several horror films that touch on infection and contagion in a variety of monstrous forms. He provides the following conclusion, directed specifically at Romero’s Night of the Living Dead but also in general to the films of infection that he has discussed throughout the article. It is a conclusion that dovetails with the interests of TheoFantastique:
And precisely who is infecting whom? The implication is that the sins of the living, their pettiness, and their bitterness, their rejection of spontaneity in favor of habit, have driven the deceased to an eternal, shambling unrest.
Whatever the catalyst, infection films, whether concerned with vampires or zombies, continue to fascinate both filmmakers and the civilians who flock to them. In their corruption of the Christian belief of life everlasting, these narratives offer moviegoers a choice of worse-case scenarios: to rise redefined as a malevolent night-feeder — betraying friendships, sacrificing blood ties to bloodlust, and robbing the breathing world of its precious fund of innocence — or to shuffle about mindlessly as a ghoul, feasting upon warm flesh and pulsing gizzards, dead-eyed, beyond hope, beyond caring, footloose in the embodiment of mankind’s abiding attraction to a consumption devoutly to be wish’d.
Today is the anniversary of the debut of The Outer Limits in 1963. This was part of a great collection of television programs that focused on tales of the fantastic, and although The Outer Limits did not capture my imagination with the intensity that The Twilight Zone did, I still remember getting scared to death as a kid watching the insect-like invaders attacking humans in the episode “The Zanti Misfits.” The complete original series can be ordered in a box set on DVD in the TheoFantastique store in the DVD category, as well as an MP3 of the show’s opening theme song.
In November check back at TheoFantastique for a multiple part installment that explores the fiftieth anniversary of The Twilight Zone episode “The Eye of the Beholder” through guest contributor Arlen Schumer.
I have to brag on one of my kin. I went to the bookstore today to review the September 2010 issue 104 of Rue Morgue magazine and found my brother’s comic book work featured prominently in their comic section “Blood in Four Colours.” The feature includes a full page look at Richard Moore’s Boneyard that he has been producing since 2001. The article includes an interview, and the author, Pedro Cabezuelo, writes that he considers Boneyard “one of the finest horror comics of the last decade.” It’s good to see Rick getting some well-deserved exposure in one of the finest print magazines on horror culture.
In the paper van Oort discusses panenanthropism, the radical monistic belief that the individual mind is the only reality which then projects and creates perceptions of reality beyond it, and connects it to various forms of esotericism, most recently and influentially in the “Seth material,” a collection of esoteric and metaphysical documents written by Jane Roberts said to be under the influence of a disembodied entity. Van Oort also finds the influences of panenanthropism in science fiction and fantasy, particularly in violent video games like Doom. For van Oort, when panenthropism combines in an unstable individual with repetitious play of violent science fiction and fantasy games like Doom, the individual can engage in violent acts on others. Van Oort argues that this is the case with Eric Harris and Dennis Klebold, the two infamous teenagers responsible for the Columbine High School tragedy.
In critical reflection on van Oort’s paper I would raise questions in regards to two related areas. First, van Oort argues for something of a cause and effect relationship between violent video games and violent behavior citing an academic article from 2000 as support. As far as I understand the matter, the issue is debatable in terms of whether video games contribute to or cause violent behavior, or whether violent people aside from such video games engage in violence anyway and just happen to also play violent video games as well, people should just check Dagens Dk to play the bets games. As someone who has blown up plenty of virtual enemies in a variety of gaming formats over the years I have yet to move beyond the virtual to engage in such acts in the real world, and this is true of the vast majority of game players.
Second, van Oort indicts science fiction and fantasy narratives for creating a realm of the imagination where the violent possibilities of panenanthropism can be realized, and states that young people have a difficult time in separating fantasy from reality. Thus it would seem that many science fiction and fantasy narratives must be considered potentially dangerous, at least if esotericism which incorporates panenanthropism spreads through popular culture through such venues. Certainly very young children may have trouble at times distinguishing between fantasy and reality, but even my grandson is able to tell the difference between Star Wars and Transformer villains and those in the real world. Here a little parental and grandparental guidance is needed, along with a sound mind and balanced psychological disposition from all involved. I’m also fairly certain that most game players aren’t detecting, yet alone adopting, a panenanthropic metaphysic.
I was somewhat surprised by this article in that CESNUR usually includes presenters and papers from which I find very little wiggle room for disagreement. I would have liked to have heard this paper presented, and then listened to any questions from those in the audience as well as the responses from van Oort. I leave it to my readers for further reflection on feedback as religious studies overlaps with popular culture entertainment.
There was an interview with James Cameron in August in Entertainment Weekly that just came to my attention. I found three items in the piece of interest.
First, an interesting question is asked about what may be referred to as the “cinematic canon.” The interviewer, Benjamin Svetkey, asked about the new version of Avatar with nine minutes of additional footage, and then contrasts this with the expanded and revised version of Star Wars. He wonders whether this “blurs the lines of history” and which version will be considered the “official director’s cut.” In Cameron’s response he doesn’t argue for any one official version, but instead states that differing forms of the film will be available for consumers based upon their tastes. It used to be that once a film was completed and distributed that this was the end of the story. With the growing appetite of cinema fans, the ability of directors to take advantage of DVDs with expanded footage and behind the scenes extras, and movie studios which desire to make as much revenue as possible from films through their initial release as well as the home DVD market, we will likely see the blurring of this line continuing as a trend, particularly with films of the fantastic that do well at the box office. Perhaps Cameron will now duel with Lucas as to who can release the most versions of a film narrative over time. Lucas has the advantage of an older franchise with multiple installments (of various quality to be sure), but since Cameron is talking about a sequel to Avatar perhaps he can give Lucas a run for his money. At any rate, it appears that fans and film scholars will no longer be able to refer to a single version of a film, but will have to identify particular versions of a piece within a broader canon of the narrative.
Second, Cameron was asked to comment on the allegation that some fans suffered depression as a result of their experience of Pandora in movie theaters against which their real-world experience of earth is felt to pale by comparison. The director downplays these media reports as hyperbole. This is surprising in that one of our greatest science fiction dream weavers fails to recognize the power of fantastic narratives, especially in film, for creating alternative realities and utopian possibilities. See my previous post which touched on this phenomenon.
Finally, for some reason the interviewer tries to set Cameron up with an opportunity to “dis” devoted fans of Avatar, called “Avatards” in the piece. I’ve never heard this label before and am not sure if fans use it self-referentially, but it comes across as derogatory in the way in which the interviewer asks the question. Thankfully, Cameron refers to them simply as “fans,” and refuses to distance himself from them as William Shatner did from Star Trek fans in 1986 on Saturday Night Live in a parody on Star Trek conventions and Trekker devotion, even though the interviewer invoked this incident and gave Cameron the opportunity to follow suit. Cameron recognizes who he is, who his deepest fans are, and how is bread is buttered:
That was really funny [on SNL], but no. I think you have to be respectful of fans, because, let’s face it, I’m a geek. If I’m geek enough to put all the detail in the machines and technology and ecosystems in my movies, then the people who value that are going to be just as geeky as me. I can’t dis them.
Readers will also enjoy other aspects of the interview, such as Cameron’s thoughts on the future of 3D.
Today we have the luxury of enjoying any number of big budget science fiction films. For younger fans it’s easy to take this for granted. But some of us remember when this was not the case. Along the way to our present state of science fiction and fantasy reigning at the box office, various gems served as stepping stones. One of the films that made the contemporary situation possible was 2001: A Space Odyssey which set new standards for special effects as well as the story, based on the book by Arthur C. Clarke.
i09 and Cinefantastique Online are reporting that Douglas Trumbull who supervised the special effects for 2001, is working on a documentary on the film titled 2001: Beyond the Infinite: The Making of a Masterpiece. It will include never-before-seen photographs and production drawings, and interviews with those involved with the film that will insert them into sets from the classic feature. This will be a welcome addition to documentaries on science fiction.
Various media outlets are reporting that Kevin McCarthy, the actor who starred in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) has passed away at the age of 96. As fans of the history of science fiction cinema know, Invasion of the Body Snatchers stands out as one of the classics of 1950s science fiction/horror. McCarthy’s work as the lead character, Dr. Miles Bennell, coupled with a great story and the direction of Don Siegel, made this a great piece of cinema that still holds up today. Further information on McCarthy’s career can be found at the Internet Movie Database. For an overview of his work within his obituary see the article at We Are Movie Geeks.
The Popular Culture Association has another call for papers, this one coming in the area of fairy tales. The CFP is reproduced below. Curiously, there is no mention of contemporary fairy tales as expressed through Guillermo del Toro and his masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth, or as Walter Rankin has suggested in his book Grimm Pictures (McFarland, 2007), that fairy tale archetypes surface in many contemporary horror and suspense films. See the related posts links at the conclusion of this post for further exploration of these ideas. Another interesting trajectory to explore at this conference comes from Bruno Bettelheim’s book The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (Vintage, 2010), where he mentions the inclusion of religious motifs in fairy tales, a topic I hope to post on in the future after working through Bettelheim.
The Fairy Tales Area of the Popular Culture Association invites submissions on any topic involving Fairy Tales for the 2011 Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Convention, to be held April 20 – April 23 in San Antonio.
The Fairy Tales Area covers original fairy tales, (i.e. Straparola, Perrault and Grimm, etc.), contemporary/ re-envisioned Fairy Tales (Datlow & Windling anthologies, The Fairy Tale series, etc.), and Jack Tales as well as films and TV series based on Fairy Tales or using Fairy Tales motifs. Thus, the interests are broad and inclusive; one topic always of interest is how Fairy tales work in contemporary culture.
Topics can include but are not limited to studies on the morphology of Fairy tales; presentations using Structuralist, Feminist, Marxist, Reader Response/ Reception Theory and Cultural Studies criticism; Fairy Tales as Children’s Literature; the history and evolution of Fairy Tales; the cause and effects of the “Disneyfication” of Fairy Tales; the use and value of Fairy Tales. We are interested in as wide an array of papers as possible, so please do not hesitate to send a submission on any Fairy Tale related subject.
Please send a 250-word abstract, with title and contact information included, via email to either of the addresses listed below.
Please email submissions as a Word attachment.
Linda J. Holland-Toll
Area Chair, Fairy Tales
Department of Language and Literature
Mount Olive College
919-658-7845
lholland-toll@moc.edu
Dr. Robin Gray Nicks
Area Chair, Fairy Tales
Composition
School of General Education
(865) 323-1854.
RNicks@Kaplan.edu
Linda J. Holland-Toll, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of English
Advisor, English Education
Department of Language and Literature
Mount Olive College
919-658-7845
The SyFy Channel has an interesting series that debuts this week called Beast Legends:
Beast Legends is a new six-part series that journeys around the world using scientific data to reconstruct what mythological monsters, from Krakens and Griffins to Fire Dragons, would have looked like.
In each of the hour-long episodes, Beast Legends uncovers historical and eyewitness accounts by zeroing in on archaeological and other physical evidence to assemble the most accurate picture possible of these monsters, from where they might have lived to how they would have behaved.
Beast Legends then moves to the ‘Beast Lab’ to build the creature, first as initial sculpts and wire-frame forms, before finally bringing it to life in stunning 3D CGI. The investigations are conducted by the “Beast Seekers,” an expert team of specialists that includes anthropologists, biology professors, archaeologists and adventure seekers.
From the high seas to the wilds of Vietnam to the deserts of New Mexico, Beast Legends takes viewers to the boundary where myth and reality collide, and beyond.
The program will premier this Thursday at 10/9 Central. See the program’s website for more information.
History Television will be broadcasting The Real Vampire Files on Tuesday, September 7. The website provides a description of the program:
Dracula, Nosferatu and Twilight‘s Bella are all part of cinema history and the Vampire legend, but is there any truth behind the spine-chilling fiction?
At first bite, the vampire seems to be just the product of our heated imagination, a dark fairy tale. But some folklores do hold truths, explain some fears, and satisfy some desires. Indeed, this terrifying monster’s beginnings are a lifetime away from the 21st century vampire – those real people living amongst us who drink human blood and purposely embrace the darkness.
The Real Vampire Files explores the evolution of the age-old myth that has truly become a blood-curdling reality.
The other day I was following various research threads on the Internet and discovered the Turner Classic Movies blog titled Movie Morlochs, which classic science fiction fans will recognize as a takeoff from George Pal’s The Time Machine. Unfortunately, despite the clever name, the blog is not solely devoted to science fiction films, but it does include interactions with a variety of film genres, including science fiction and horror films. One of the contributors to the blog is Richard Harland Smith, who also writes for Video Watchdog, a publication that has won several Rondo Awards. A little more Internet research revealed an article by Smith in CINEASTE: America’s Leading Magazine on the Art and Politics of the Cinema, titled “The Battle Inside: Infection and the Modern Horror Film.” In the article Smith discusses several horror films that touch on infection and contagion in a variety of monstrous forms. He provides the following conclusion, directed specifically at Romero’s Night of the Living Dead but also in general to the films of infection that he has discussed throughout the article. It is a conclusion that dovetails with the interests of TheoFantastique:
