The Carnival is really crowded today. But then, it’s October now, so it would be…
First things first: This Dark But Shining post is your one-stop-shopping destination for all the big October/Halloween blogathons that are going on around the Internet. Dark But Shining’s own 31-day “My Favorite Monsters” postfest, by DBS member Rick Geerling, begins here.
DBS also has a little contest goin’, in which those of you who are visually inclined stand to win some truly terrific horror manga. Since the only book they’re offering that I’ve already read is Junji Ito’s masterful Uzumaki, I sure do wish I knew my way around Photoshop.
Speaking of horrorblogging marathons, Steven at Corpse Eaters has kicked off his comprehensive examination of the Friday the 13th series, and even though I have yet to see a single one of those flicks, I like reading what he has to say about them so far.
And were you aware that I may have been doing some marathon horrorblogging of my own? Scroll down this very site and see!
Jason at Infocult links to another hilariously reimagined film trailer–from the series that brought you The Shining as a feel-good comedy and West Side Story as a fast-zombie flick comes Titanic as an American J-horror riff. Fricking great.
The other day I mentioned that I was fixing to do a series of “meet the horror blogosphere” posts stemming from some of the sites I’ve discovered in my quest for fresh links to feed into Where the Monsters Go. I don’t think I’ve got the time to do dedicated posts to that effect, but let’s throw a few into the mix right now, shall we?
Fearfodder is a horror news blog with a clean, non-“ooh how scary” look, equally clean grammar and spelling, and a whole lotta opinionated news links. Here, Fearfodder blogger Matt links to an article in Scotland on Sunday in which Wicker Man director Robyn Hardy expresses his dismay with Neil LaBute’s upcoming American remake. Among the bits of news I’d not heard anywhere else are that 1) The new version will involve killer bees in some fashion; 2) the pagan community (now run by Ellen Burstyn) will be matriarchal; 3) Hardy and original Wicker Man villain Christopher Lee are planning a new film about Scottish paganism called May Day. Hmm.
Also on Fearfodder, a title too good not to pass along: From Ringwraiths to Cenobites. It’s from a post about the upcoming documentary Ringers, about the fan culture surrounding The Lord of the Rings, which apparently features your friend and mine Mr. Clive Barker. Considering how influential the look of the Cenobites has been on everything from Dark City to Darth Maul, and how influential the look of the Ringwraiths is becoming (we all love Dave McKean, but if he sincerely the Dementors in the last Harry Potter movie are derived from his designs, he’s got another think coming), the confluence was a welcome one.
Continuing our blogospheric tour, welcome to The Black Lagoon, a beautifully designed blogspot site (!) featuring lengthy and considered reviews of tons of horror classics. If you can forgive them for perpetuating the inexplicable hardcore-horror-fan CW that the Dawn of the Dead remake was soulless Hollywood action-horror hackwork, there’s much to be read and admired there.
Bill Sherman continues his series of posts on how the networks have all been saying “Let’s get Lost” this season with a review of Invasion. Along similar lines, Kevin Melrose at Dark But Shining tries to figure out what exactly is so fishy about the underwater-monster series Surface.
This is not horror-related at all, really, and I’m breaking my embargo to do this, but I don’t think anyone will care. People, DO WHAT ERIC REYNOLDS SAYS and order Michael Kupperman’s absolutely hysterical Tales Designed to Thrizzle. This humor comic is an absolute classic in the making, I’m telling you. I mean, look at this cover:
That’s comedy!
Finally, this is why I love the Internet: This morning I open my inbox and I find an email linking to a ton of downloadable, Halloween-themed mp3s. The source? Sub Rosa, an invite-only, clothing-optional, underground stoneworking studio-slash-slow-food restaurant in Dundee, Oregon. Ladies and gentlemen, is the world not a pretty fine place? (Thanks to Sub Rosa proprietors Mike and Linda for the link!)