The Plague Behind Zombies and Vampires

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

The plague behind zombies and vampires is rabies, of course.

It’s pronounced “Eye-gor” now

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

The canonical Igor of pop-culture — Dr. Frankenstein’s hunchbacked assistant — does not exist in the original novel and isn’t named Igor in the movie.

Foseti’s Vibrant Halloween

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

I wonder if Foseti will be inviting unsuspecting bourgeois friends over for another vibrant Halloween this year.

Gremlins on a B-17 Bomber

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

Horror sci-fi classic Alien was originally going to involve gremlins on a B-17 bomber.

No child has ever been killed by poisoned candy

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

No child has ever been killed by poisoned candy — at least not yet.

The Birds

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead — but with birds instead of zombies.

Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and the Candy Witch?

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

Children believe in Santa, because they have plenty of evidence that Santa exists. They’ll also believe in the Candy Witch if she comes and replaces their candy with toys.

Calvin’s Snowman House of Horror

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

I still love Calvin’s Snowman House of Horror.

Some Words with a Mummy

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

A few years ago I read Poe’s Some Words with a Mummy for Halloween, and it turned out to make for excellent election-year reading.

Frankenstein

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

I don’t recommend Frankenstein, either the novel or the film, but do note that the two are very, very different.

The Circus of Dr. Lao

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

If you’re looking for Halloween reading, I might recommend The Circus of Dr. Lao — but pass on the movie adaptation, Seven Faces of Dr. Lao.

Collected Ghost Stories

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

If you want to read some good, classic, ghost stories — for Halloween, or for Christmas, which was the tradition when he wrote them — I recommend M.R. James’ Collected Ghost Stories.

The Castle of Otranto

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

The Castle of Otranto is arguably the first gothic novel. It is also terrible.

Lovecraft’s influence has been wide, but superficial

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

Lovecraft’s influence has been wide, but superficial. Perhaps because his works were, in some ways, reactionary.

Pigeons From Hell

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

I recommend reading Robert E. Howard’s horror classic, Pigeons From Hell — but not the updated graphic novel.