Fine Stories and Other Wordy Tidbits
Let's start by establishing one thing right off the bat: no, this is not The Wolf Man. That comes later. And it's definitely not that other werewolf movie with "London" in the title. That comes way later and would also probably be five minutes long by Hays Code standards. If it somehow didn't make the … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: "Werewolf of London" (1935)
Today on Project Gutenberg we have... The Checquers by James Runciman The full title of this book is The Chequers, being the Natural History of a Public House set forth in a Loafer's Diary. I'm going to cut right to the chase and refer to it as "Drinking Sucks And So Does Being Poor." It's … Continue reading Today on Project Gutenberg #18
Today on Project Gutenberg we have... From Paper-mill to Pressroom by William Bond Wheelwright What are all the things you never knew about paper-making and didn't really care to know? Well, obviously you couldn't answer that. You don't know. But this book is here to fix that! Published in 1920, the premise of this non-fiction … Continue reading Today on Project Gutenberg #17
"To a new world of gods and monsters!" By 1935, Universal had been making horror films for about ten years. Their world of gods and monsters wasn't terribly new in that respect. What was new, however, was the experiment they were about to undertake. Up to this point, Universal's horror films had all been standalone … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935)
Today on Project Gutenberg, we have... The Pioneers by Katharine Susannah Prichard So far, the historical fiction we've found here on PG has ranged from in-depth informational texts to Hans of Iceland punching wolves and bears. With a title like The Pioneers, it could go either way. But this book, upon some examination, manages to … Continue reading Today on Project Gutenberg #16
Today on Project Gutenberg, we have... Shapes of Greek Vases by the Metropolitan Museum of Art "Ah, now this takes me back to my days as an art history student," I say, as if those days were carefree in any way and also more than two or three years ago. But seriously, one of the … Continue reading Today on Project Gutenberg #15
Imagine there's a person sitting right behind you, watching your every move, that you can't see. You might not be able to prove it to a third party, or even to yourself. But you know that person is there, and that person knows that you know and is relishing every moment of your discomfort. They … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “The Invisible Man” (1933)
Today on Project Gutenberg, we have... Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXXIV, No. 2 by various authors A magazine! Have we done a magazine before? I don't think so. These are cool because you get a wider sampling of writing styles and topics to look at. And this particular magazine I've found here seems to be quite … Continue reading Today on Project Gutenberg #14
This article, like today's movie itself, is going to be a little...complicated. I've seen this movie before, and when I decided to begin this series, I knew what I wanted to talk about when I got to The Mummy. Then I actually rewatched it. And while I believe the points I originally wanted to make … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “The Mummy” (1932)
Our last installment of this series was a big one: we covered Universal's first proper horror film and met the first of our Canonical Six, as well as the first of the great actors made famous by Universal Horror. Now it's time to meet both another great actor and another member of the Six. Possibly … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “Frankenstein” (1931)
