SUPERNATURAL HORROR IN LITERATURE - what HP says

Supernatural Horror in Literature by H. P. Lovecraft is a great essay on horror fiction. Here is a snippet from the introduction - the link to the full text being this 

I. INTRODUCTION

"THE OLDEST and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. These facts few psychologists will dispute, and their admitted truth must establish for all time the genuineness and dignity of the weirdly horrible tale as a literary form. Against it are discharged all the shafts of a materialistic sophistication which clings to frequently felt emotions and external events, and of a naïvely insipid idealism which deprecates the æsthetic motive and calls for a didactic literature to "uplift" the reader toward a suitable degree of smirking optimism. But in spite of all this opposition the weird tale has survived, developed, and attained remarkable heights of perfection; founded as it is on a profound and elementary principle whose appeal, if not always universal, must necessarily be poignant and permanent to minds of the requisite sensitiveness."

Supernatural Returns! Prepare for Badassery!

Yes that is a word. Shut up.

So one of my favorite spooky shows returns on September 10th on the CW, Supernatural. Pretty boys with sawed off shotguns, a bad ass car, hot demon chicks, even hotter angels, and a plot line involving the rise of Lucifer! How can you resist? Seriously though, this show delivers legit scares with great special effects and all kinds of wink winks to the hard core horror fans out there. Unlike the usual CW tripe, Supernatural has a solid cast, well-written stories, and an occasional eye gouge. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Oh and I am totally going to watch Vampire Diaries as well knowing it's going to be wretched but I am hoping for a guilty pleasure fix. I need something to replace the hole in my life left after Harper's Island was cancelled.

Episode 1: Sympathy for the Devil

Synopsis:
Picking up where the finale left off, Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) watch as the Devil (guest star Mark Pellegrino, "Lost") emerges from Hell.

The brothers and Bobby (Jim Beaver) deal with the aftermath of Lucifer rising and the stunning news from Chuck the Prophet (guest star Rob Benedict) that Castiel (Misha Collins) was blown to bits by the archangels.

Robert Singer directed the episode written by Eric Kripke.

A question about robots...

I do not mean to hijack Blood Radio from it's intended horrific course, but I need a question answered and this seems like the right place to ask it.

Is anyone watching the new Joss Whedon show Dollhouse? I know, it's not horror, unless you count Eliza Dushku's horrific acting ability...I digress...but it is sci-fi fantasy, so, it's close enough, and I am a big admirer of most of Joss Whedon's stuff, Firefly, Buffy. So far, Dollhouse is watchable, but it is not great, not like Supernatural (which had a superior episode with two quality kills last week) or heck, not even Fringe (which is growing on me) but, interesting enough. I am still watching it. I kinda have to, but that is another story...again, I digress...

Is the Rossum corporation in Dollhouse the same Rossum as the corporation from R.U.R.(Rossum's Universal Robots)? Ms. Aly Greaves, our resident expert in the Whedon-verse as well as the costume designer of Strawdog Theatre's production of R.U.R.(Rossum's Universal Robots) believes that it is definitely one in the same, that it must be.

Is it possibly a coincidence?

Supernatural returns for Season 5

It was recently announced that Supernatural, the CW TV series that resembles a cross between the Hardy Boys Mysteries, Night Gallery, and the X Files, has been renewed for a 5th season. This is wonderful news for me.

I came to the Supernatural bandwagon late, after some resistance. But, as has often happened, persistence on the part of the lovely and talented Ms. Greaves turned my head around. I am unabashedly in love with this show. There are so many things that I like about this show I do not know where to begin. Just to name a few reasons to watch, if you are not already, off the top of my head...

It delivers on it's promise. Each week you get a little monster movie. With amazing consistancy, with or without dwelling on some season long story arc, they deliver a tidy "meet demon/ghost/werewolf, chase demon/ghost/werewolf, kill demon/ghost/werewolf" scenario, from beginning to end, with just enough blood and guts to keep me satisfied. It is still TV, but in ways, that makes the body count that much more impressive. They consistently provide one genuinely creepy moment every couple episodes, another impressive feat for TV.

They know their audience. It is smartly written, with enough references for the horror buff to get them, but...they do not overplay their hand, most of the time. They walk a fine line between being clever and winking at the audience, but so far, they haven't pissed me off. I particularly liked the Hollywood episode, with the Canadian weather. And Linda Blair episode. Obvious, but...

The soundtrack. The is ridiculously fun. Yes, fun. I said it. Not one of my favorite words, but when used appropriately, a very fine word...the whole thing is right up my classic rock alley. Come on, Bad Moon Rising? Surrender? Hellhound On My Trail, Rock You Like A Hurricane? Joe Walsh, Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent, The Stooges, STYX, Guns and Roses, Jefferson Airplane?








The car. 'Nuff said.




The Crossroads Blues episode in the second season. Being a huge fan of Robert Johnson, the Blues in general, and the Crossroads mythology in particular, that was too much for me. If at any time I doubted my love for this show, from that episode on it has been appointment TV for me, and it has continually delivered smoking hot demons, gooey monsters, creepy succubi, quality kills, sweet tunes, and one badass ride. What more can a guy ask for? So, good news, they are keeping it on the air for one more season. If you haven't seen it, get the first season and check it out.

Episode #005 Dave Dorman Interview & Horror News!

Click to Listen!

In this episode: Interview with artist Dave Dorman and News from the magical land of Horror!


more extensive show notes coming at ya when I ain't so tired....

Fall 2008 Horror TV Lineup

Tis slim pickin's this fall yall...and I don't mean the actor. The writer's strike has left a veritable wasteland of crap tv options in it's wake. But, wait now...all hope it not lost. There are a handful of horror options available. Here are a few:

Newbies:

HBO's True Blood.

Based on the popular Southern Vampire Mystery Series by Charlaine Harris, the story follows a small town in Louisiana after the world's vampires have "come out of the coffin". With the creation of a synthetic blood, called True Blood, the vampires of the world no longer need to stay in hiding. They are loud, they are proud, and they want the same rights as humans. The show centers around a young barmaid named Sookie Stackhouse who has a secret of her own: she hears people's thoughts. What would seem to be an awesome gift is more of a curse actually. Besides her friend Tara, her boss Sam, her grandmother, and her brother Jason, she is mostly alone trying to keep the world out. When she meets her first vampire, a courtly handsome guy named Bill, she discovers a wonderful thing...she can't hear his thoughts. Much to the chagrin of those around her, a romance starts and Sookie gets pulled into a supernatural world much darker and larger than she ever could have imagined.

So since it's HBO...there is plenty of boobs, sex, cursing, and violence to help balance out the romance. The men are swoony...I have read all of these books and love them...and the casting is spot on in all cases. Thus far, the show is staying pretty true to the novels. Spearheaded by Six Feet Under's Alan Ball, the show is taking it's sweet time in getting to the real meat of the story, which could cost it some viewers. Like Six Feet Under, it has what I like to think of as 'surreal naturalism' about it. We see the characters in often mundane situations that do nothing to further the plot...but do help slowly fill in the blanks on who they are and how they interact with the world. The sex in the show is a bit much...but I can live with it. I hope this show lasts...I think it has great potential to be trashy good horror fun with nifty special effects, no camp, and a healthy dose of sexiness.

Go mosey around the website and it's spin-offs for some good fun. They have set up dummy sites for different elements from the show like the Fellowship of the Sun (a religious group against the vampires), a Vampire dating service, a blog, and the American Vampire League lobby group.

Fox's Fringe:
I haven't watched this yet. From what I gather, it has an X-File vibe to it and therefore, some decent spook factor. I will let you know when I get to it...it's languishing in the queue.

Returning:

CW's Supernatural: I love this one. Like a good solid little horror movie each week. Nice special effects, good characters, decent dialogue, and some fairly spooky moments.

CW's Reaper: A bit campy, but generally a fun little show...and who can resist Ray Wise as the Prince of Darkness? Not I gentle readers, not I.

Did I miss any? I am not counting lame-o faux spookiness like Ghost Whisperer or Medium. Please.