Fine Stories and Other Wordy Tidbits
If Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was the Batman v Superman of this cinematic universe, then House of Frankenstein is its Justice League or The Avengers. Assuming, of course, that those movies had the members of the crossover turn up one at a time, never interact and made sure to kill off each character before … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “House of Frankenstein” (1944)
Today on Project Gutenberg, we have... The Story of the Alphabet by Edward Clodd We all know our ABCs, but where did they come from? The evolution of our Latin alphabet was a complicated process lasting thousands of years, and many books could be written on the subject. This is one such book. Edward Clodd … Continue reading Today on Project Gutenberg #52
I have a confession to make. Or perhaps a retraction. After completing my last review, I put off watching this movie for a couple of weeks. Why? Because I thought I knew what it was going to be. I have made no secret of how much I hated The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb. … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “The Mummy’s Ghost” (1944)
I deliberated for a while about how to begin this article. I like to open these articles by posing a question or thesis statement, or I'll just try to write something that I think is funny. But in this case, I'm hard-pressed to do either. I can't think of anything to say about this movie … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “The Invisible Man’s Revenge” (1944)
Today on Project Gutenberg, we have... London's Underworld by Thomas Holmes The Victorian era turned the subject of poverty into a veritable subgenre of literature. The most famous of these books would be Henry Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor, written throughout the 1840s and formally published in 1851. Today's book, London's Underworld, follows … Continue reading Today on Project Gutenberg #50
Today on Project Gutenberg, we have... Motor Matt Makes Good; or, Another Victory for the Motor Boys by Stanley R. Matthews Way back in the olden days of American publishing, we had these things called five-cent or ten-cent weeklies. An example of the dime novel, weeklies hit the peak of their popularity in the late … Continue reading Today on Project Gutenberg #49
Today on Project Gutenberg, we have... King Henry IV Part 2 by William Shakespeare Another Shakespeare! And one of the history plays, no less! I must sadly admit that Henry IV is where I'm somewhat lacking in knowledge of the Bard's work. I've watched performances of Richard II (a prequel to this) and Richard III, … Continue reading Today on Project Gutenberg #48
Well, if it isn't our old bloodsucking buddy back for another round! Cinema's favorite vampire has had a pretty decent track record in Universal Horror so far. The 1931 Dracula was a triumph of tension and eerie atmosphere, and the Spanish-language version built on that already-strong foundation to make something even better. Dracula's Daughter managed … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “Son of Dracula” (1943)
Apologies for the delay. Between my job and prepping to write a new novella, I've been rather busy this month. But you're going to see a little more of me before April rolls around! So today on Project Gutenberg, we have... Northern Lights by Gilbert Parker Today we're headed up to the land of mounties … Continue reading Today on Project Gutenberg #47
Today on Project Gutenberg, we have... The Master of the World by Jules Verne AW YEAH, IT'S VERNE TIME, Y'ALL. Wait, is it even legal to use "Verne" and "y'all" in the same sentence? Out of all the 19th-century authors that I enjoy, I must admit I have a soft spot for Jules Verne. Throughout … Continue reading Today on Project Gutenberg #46
