The weeks after Halloween can feel especially dark. Stores trade in their creepy displays of severed limbs and cobwebs for sparkly tree ornaments and festive lights. For fans of the macabre, it can be downright depressing! Like American Horror Story teen angst levels of depressing!
So to stave off the November doldrums, Horror Homeroom kicked it up a notch by offering an exclusive chapter from Scared Sacred, a look at how Channel Zero is remaking horror television, a reconsideration of the rape scene in Young Frankenstein, and an anniversary look at sex and sisterhood in The Slumber Party Massacre. We followed those essential reads up with a consideration of what is the real horror in It Follows, a list of five horror films set in snowy landscapes, an interview with Boston Underground Film Festival’s Director of Programming, and a must read look at Salem’s Lot and the threat of nuclear war.
That’s a lot of reading goodness and pairs especially well with another piece of pumpkin pie from the fridge. But we’re not done yet! We’re rousing ourselves from our Thanksgiving Day food comas to bring you this month’s very best horror related reads from around the interwebs! Go grab yourself a turkey leg and let’s dig in!
// If you live around NYC, you’ll definitely want to check out the Jacques Tourneur retrospective happening at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. They’ll be taking a deep dive into the celebrated filmmaker’s wide ranging body of work and we especially recommend the screening of The Comedy of Terrors (1951). The festival kicks off on December 14th and you can check out the full listing of films here.
// Our podcast recommendation of the month belongs to Cinema Shame’s excellent look at 6 overlooked Hammer horror films. They do a great job contextualizing the films and their infectious enthusiasm is bound to convince you to give these films a chance.
// Submissions are still being accepted for Not All Monsters, an intriguing speculative fiction collection edited by Sara Tantlinger and scheduled for release by Strangehouse Books in the fall of 2020. All writers who identify as women are invited to submit.
// Just in time for the holidays comes the opportunity to bid on Laura Palmer’s casket from Twin Peaks and while that’s tempting enough alone, I’m already making space on the mantle for this pig nose prop from The Twilight Zone!
// We’re not quite sure what to think about the news that Ben Wheatley is adapting the gothic masterpiece Rebecca for Netflix but if it is even half as good as The Haunting of Hill House, we’re willing to give it a try!
// Horror Studies is a new book series from the University of Wales Press that tackles horror in all its forms-fiction, cinema, music, comics and more! For more information, including where to send initial expressions of interest, check out this flyer!
// We are loving The Palgrave Handbook to Horror Literature, co-edited by one of our own guest writers, Laura Kremmel, and we highly recommend you add it to your holiday wish list! You can check out some of Laura’s great work on our site—on disability in A Quiet Place, on I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, and on Josh Malerman’s novel Bird Box, which will see a film adaptation coming to Netflix on December 21, 2018.
You can buy the Handbook here:
// Despite its clickbait title, “Are horror fans nothing more than depraved sickos?” is a fascinating consideration of how fictional horror creates space for people to deal with real life tragedy.
// This call for Theology and Horror abstracts is right up our alley! As part of the Theology and Pop Culture series by Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, this volume looks at how theology can be shaped by its interaction(s) with horror. We can’t wait to read the final product!
// This list of the 8 creepiest trees in cinema wins the award for this month’s most inventive list. And can we say that #3 still gives us the creeps? It’s way worse than those flying monkeys!
// I am loving Chauncey K. Robinson’s YouTube channel, especially her series on overhyped or right horror films. And not just because someone finally agrees with me about The Blair Witch Project!
// Deadwax, an original series from Shudder, is creepy and twisty and will have you side-eying your vinyl collection! With just eight taut installments, this one was made to be binge watched. Get 14 days of free access with the code ‘Deadwax.’
// VOX breaks down why the Victorian mansion is a horror genre icon.
// Though not specifically about horror, this graphic look at what it means to be a fan in the era of social media and marketing is relevant for reasons both positive and not so positive.
And last but not least, a shout out for the one time of the year when I actually enjoy social media! If, like me, you’re a fan of film noir’s irresistible mix of fatalism and badass babes, you’ll want to check out #Noirvember for some truly inspired film recommendations. It’s the perfect antidote to Holiday cheer!
We’ll see you kids next month. In the meantime just remember…
