"The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" Animation

This creepy and stylish animation by Bahij Jaroudi brings new life to an old classic by Edgar Allan Poe. "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" is Poe's famous exploration of hideously lingering mesmerism that persists beyond the putrification of flesh and mind. Though barely two minutes long, this concise cartoon adaptation of the story does it the type of justice Poe works deserve. Jaroudi packs a wicked punch composed of loyalty to Poe's prose, dark humor, and a quasi-gothic style into the cartoon, rendering an unforgettable visual face to this work.

The uneasy and tense style used to bring Poe's tale to life is weirdly reminiscent of "Ren and Stimpy" or some other offbeat cartoon from the last couple decades. While some might not enjoy the casual look and visceral depiction toward the end, there is plenty in this cartoon to trump such concerns. The quirky animation and appropriate voice acting is certainly polished enough to make it worthy for presentation in a more deserving form like an appearance on DVD or at a film festival.



-Grim Blogger

"The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" Animation

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"Planet Lovecraft" Preview from Unfilmable

The blog "Unfilmable" has posted a number of pages from the upcoming new issue of "Planet Lovecraft." This is a compact, but appetizing preview that gives a good taste of the type of personalities and talents lurking in this newish Lovecraftian horror magazine.

"Planet Lovecraft" is a bold new art and comic magazine containing original illustrated tales often reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft's universe. It's worth mentioning, however, that several of the sample pages for the next issue depict a couple stories inspired by Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow cycle of weird fiction. It's unclear yet how purist the Chambers selections will be, but they may mark a first in adapting his works to comics, instead of being embedded in an exclusively Lovecraftian storyline. Already nearing the release of its fourth installment, "Planet Lovecraft" looks set to provide a promising new and independent outlet for publishing Lovecraftian tales and works of weird fiction in comic form.

-Grim Blogger

"Planet Lovecraft" Preview from Unfilmable

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Microscopic Squid Suckers

The image above won an honorable mention in a recent contest involving scientific photos. These magnified suction cups come from a large squid specimen. Chalk the Cthulhuvian resemblance up to something brought down from the stars in ancient times. Or perhaps just the "elegant mutations" of Thomas Ligotti in the swirling cesspool of shape-shifting organisms. In any case, the squid is a candidate for a naturally horrific aesthetic through and through--from the tentacles and slime detectable to the human eye, to the finer microscope maws that comprise its flesh.

-Grim Blogger

Microscopic Squid Suckers

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"The Call of Cthulhu" Movie to Screen at Fantastic Films

The blog "Unfilmable" reports that the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society's 2005 version of "The Call of Cthulhu" is set to air at Britain's annual Fantastic Films show next month. Yog-Sothoth.com is helping to sponsor the screening. This is quite a pleasant surprise, and will certainly generate further interest in Lovecraft and Lovecraftian films in the UK and further abroad. While HPL was an American writer, the appearance of the best movie to date based on one of his most popular creations is in many ways a sort of homecoming. Britain has long had a powerful tradition of the weird in literature and movies. What better way to once more meld the two aesthetic currents separated only by the Atlantic than by presenting Lovecraftian cinema to an audience just as enthusiastic (or potentially even moreso) than an American one? A favorable response may also help generate international attention for the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, an added impetus to support their continuing work on a cinematic version of Lovecraft's "The Whisperer in Darkness."

Two screenings of "The Call of Cthulhu" will take place at the British film festival in Bradford:

June 12, 2009 10:45 AM

June 14, 2009 12:00 PM

-Grim Blogger

"The Call of Cthulhu" Movie to Screen at Fantastic Films

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Lovecraft Game by Cactus Software

An incomplete Lovecraftian video game by Swedish developer Cactus Software was recently discussed at the "Play This Thing!" blog. It carries the simple title "The Lovecraft Game" and is an shooting adventure played from an overhead view, a production beckoning back to the days of the GameBoy and older Arcade entertainment. That said, I find myself in agreement with the verdict issued on "Play This Thing!" While the game is a little choppy and not very action packed, it does contain stylistic appeal very much modeled on old black and white films. The game itself consists of little more than running through a forest, encountering a few stereotypical mystery men lifted from Lovecraft's tales, and shooting monsters like zombies and vampire dogs. Don't expect to be astounded in any way, as even the game's creator describes it as an "awful Lovecraft game" on the Cactus website.

Though it seems unclear whether or not the program will ever be brought to completion by its creator, it isn't a total loss for the reasons above. Despite its problems and lack of depth, lovers of retro-style video games and H.P. Lovecraft completists will find a morsel or two of amusement.

-Grim Blogger

Lovecraft Game by Cactus Software

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Poe a Humbug?

I overlooked this fairly important late April piece by Jill Lepore of "The New Yorker" about Edgar Allan Poe until today. Her article "The Humbug" examines two facets of the weird writer: his alleged fictions and exaggerations about his own life, and the impact of the flagging economy on Poe's attitude and literary output. The second point is particularly fascinating. The market bubbles, recessions, and bank battles of the early 19th century that Poe witnessed firsthand are powerful and relevant: especially given our own dour world economy today. The idea that these Meltdown precursors might have influenced Poe's fiction in remarkable ways is an intriguing suggestion not previously explored to great heights in prior scholarship--casual or serious--on the author.

Unfortunately, Lepore's introduction and the article's sub-heading of "Edgar Allan Poe and the Economy of Horror" are somewhat misleading. Instead of a reflective article on Poe and the poor economy he worked in, she takes us on a tour of his lies and personal failings such as chronic alcoholism. Her guidance through the ins and outs of Poe's life is sound enough, but contains not nearly enough exploration of the economic shocks felt by Poe and expressed in his fiction. Moreover, there's a hint of slightly ridiculous hostility directed at Poe himself by the author of this piece in several confounding incidences, degrading the article's integrity even more.

It's easy to envision an appetizing item of scholarship materializing from the study of Edgar Allan Poe and the 19th century economic heart attacks that descended throughout his life. Sadly, Lepore's misguided claim at examining this relationship is overshadowed by a lengthy exploration of Poe as liar, braggart, and (gasp!) racist. Those looking for commentary on the dark side of E.A. Poe and basic facts about his life will find something of interest in "The Humbug." For the rest of us hungry for new, innovative studies into Poe and the historical circumstances surrounding him, we can only hope the tantalizing relationship of author and economy proposed in this article will compel a more skilled weird scholar to turn their lens toward a real study of this issue.

-Grim Blogger

Poe a Humbug?

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H.P. Lovecraft's "The Festival" in San Diego

It looks like San Diego's Swedenborg Hall Theater is kicking off a summer puppet and blacklight show based on H.P. Lovecraft's story "The Festival." The details, available in full at kiltcheck's livejournal, hint at a fascinating take on a haunting classic by HPL. It seems the mixture of blacklights and glowing puppets will even include the wretched bat-things witnessed at the climax of the tale. This is a bold and creative effort. According to the livejournal, the production will begin this June, running a handful of days throughout that month.

Best of all, it's cheap. "The Festival" performance will only set you back five dollars. I have reposted the showtimes below for interested parties in range of this event:

Each Day at 8:00 PM

Monday June 1
Sunday June 7
Monday June 8
Friday June 12
Monday June 22
Wednesday June 24
Thursday June 25

-Grim Blogger

H.P. Lovecraft's "The Festival" in San Diego

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"Forlorn Hope" Trailer

The trailer below is for an amateur film entitled "Forlorn Hope," which follows a small group of Swedish soldiers in the Thirty Years' War as they clash with a Lovecraftian horror. If it lives up to its description, then this will definitely be one of the most historically unique environments Lovecraftian horror has yet visited in film or elsewhere. Moreover, it's truly an idea whose time has come. War, the mournful isolation of the 17th century (at least from the modern view), and dark forests are three strong catalysts that could produce a numbingly powerful Lovecraftian elixir, when combined with HPL's breed of horror. Of course, we won't know until this movie, which is planned to be about 40 minutes long, appears in the flesh...or film, as it were. However, Lovecraftians and history buffs may wish to track this picture well ahead of its release.



-Grim Blogger

"Forlorn Hope" Trailer

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Weird News: Ghost Photographed in Old Museum?

As in all ghostly images, the most recent photograph of a purported spirit in an old English museum doesn't show great detail. However, the sincere confusion of the photographer and the vague outline of something that appears to be more than mere dust and light is enough to raise suspicions. The ghost--perhaps as a residual impression stamped into the fabric of reality itself, or as an independent consciousness inexplicably lingering on our plane of existence--often exhibits a fondness for old places. This one is no exception. The manifestation of spirits amidst antiquities was best portrayed in weird literature by M.R. James, as any devotee of the genre knows, and it's almost uncanny that this visitation has an almost Jamesian tone to it. The old scholar may have been onto more than he knew.

Mystery Figure Shocks Cameraman

-Grim Blogger

Weird News: Ghost Photographed in Old Museum?

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Matt Cardin Launches Website

Weird writer Matt Cardin has announced his intention to launch a fully functional website profiling his work by the end of this year. A preliminary page for this website is up here. Cardin is best known for his collection of short stories entitled Divinations of the Deep, a set of spiritual weird tales drawing extensively on his knowledge of religion in the academic field. The book gained a small, but dedicated following--particularly among fans of Thomas Ligotti--when it was published in 2002. Cardin is also one of the more notable names in the fledgling field of Ligotti scholarship, with essays about the writer placed in analytical publications such as The Thomas Ligotti Reader and the "Lovecraft Annual, No. 1."

A second collection of Cardin tales, Dark Awakenings, is scheduled to appear later this year. The new tome will include previously uncollected stories as well as additional essays by Cardin. The author's well established blog about philosophy, weird fiction, and other interesting subjects can be viewed here.

-Grim Blogger

Matt Cardin Launches Website

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The Cthulhu Ski Mask

Via Livejournal: The incredible originality displayed by Lovecraft fans hasn't let up yet, as new Lovecraftian creations like this Cthulhu ski mask prove. This green mask of woven tentacles is yet another way to express his presence from R'lyeh, and doubles as a warm protector for those fall and winter nights. As in the case of Cthulhuvian costumes, one has to pause and ponder the dangers of what assimilating Cthulhu's visage means. Does one begin to think like Cthulhu when masks like these are joined to the face long enough? Or, maybe the masks begin to feel a little tighter after awhile, to the point where they overpower the old face like weeds, forming the outward shell of an entirely new identity? Fortunately, such dangers, though disconcerting, aren't very likely. At least, not when the stars aren't aligned in Cthulhu's favorite bewitching way.

-Grim Blogger

The Cthulhu Ski Mask

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Creepy Images: Mystery Machines

Since the industrial age, machines have only grown more intensity and complexity in their joint history with mankind. Inevitably, the strangeness of certain machines has grown as well, to the point where their art-like qualities outweigh any useful function at all. There are scarcely imaginable devices from any category exempt from this fate. The odd looking organ above, for instance, was originally designed as a musical instrument. The large number of inputs and switches surely made it an unwieldy thing to play, but it still stands with us as a curious reminder of our most offbeat sound conjuring ambitions. Any capable operators of this device must have produced electronic cacophonies worthy of Erich Zann.


This unusual machine is the epitome of artistic value suffocating its designed purpose (if there was actually any). The machine seems so bizarre to casual viewers that its original intent is difficult to guess. A child's toy? A psychological prop of some sort? An experiment in facial robotics? The staring face peeking out above a buffet of unknown knobs is enough to prompt admiration for the mind who first envisioned this, and repulsion at the eeriness of the thing itself.


This machine is less mysterious than the above, but probably even more remarkable. It's purportedly the world's largest device made to date. Treading across Europe, this metal leviathan is a drill designed for mining work. More photos of this impressive beast can be viewed here. Somehow, the sheer scale and sharpness of the thing must summon awe at this artificial god for the rare individuals to see it with their own eyes.

-Grim Blogger

Creepy Images: Mystery Machines

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Cthulhuvian Costume in Action

The following is a short clip of a rather impressive looking Cthulhuvian costume in motion. This full sized suit--complete with drooping tentacles--looks like it would work very well in a low budget Lovecraftian film. Though H.P. Lovecraft himself never explicitly described an alien race quite like this, holding features that seem to be a slight amalgamation of the Cthulhuvian and the Yithian, its style is very appropriate to Lovecraftian horror. The costume is a product of Queue-Line Entertainment and Direct Marketing according to the video's description.



-Grim Blogger

Cthulhuvian Costume in Action

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A Shadow Over Henry

A new webcomic has been started called "A Shadow Over Henry." Though only containing a few strips at this point, it centers on the story of a young lad haunted by Lovecraftian entities. So far, it takes a strongly humorous tone and brings to mind the style of earlier popular newspaper comics like "Garfield." If you're looking to add one more lighthearted bookmark to your list of Cutethulhu type Lovecraftian creations, then "A Shadow Over Henry" is worth keeping an eye on.

-Grim Blogger

A Shadow Over Henry

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Weird News: Indiana Man Convicted on Abusive Exorcism

Ah, the exorcism. This Old World standby ritual still rears its head today, often to relatively sensationalized headlines like the one below. Though in this instance, an Indian man's attempt at incorporating physical blows into the exorcism to drive the wickedness away reads more like an inquisition than an exorcism. Moreover, the exorcism was allegedly performed in an attempt to cure perceived evil resulting from a teen's autism, a bizarre misdiagnosis right out of the middle ages. While the jury may be out on whether or not physical bodies can be possessed by malevolent entities, the dark spirits in question are difficult to identify, and may lead to painful malpractice procedures from witch doctors poorly schooled in this spiritual psychotherapy.

Indiana Man Convicted of Exorcism

-Grim Blogger

Weird News: Indiana Man Convicted on Abusive Exorcism

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The Brussels Journal on Colin Wilson

Several days ago, "The Brussels Journal" published this lengthy examination of Colin Wilson, a name hopefully familiar to those who have tread beyond H.P. Lovecraft into other writers of the Cthulhu Mythos. Wilson, a British writer who built up a career equally renowned for philosophy and fiction, published several notable pieces of Lovecraftian horror in previous decades. His books The Mind Parasites and The Return of the Lloigor won the approval of many Lovecraft readers for their originality amid the fledgling Cthulhu Mythos genre, and for their incorporation of Wilson's own philosophical notions into the stories, despite his harsh treatment of Lovecraft as a writer elsewhere.

While the piece from "The Brussels Journal" mostly concentrates on Wilson's place in philosophy, it touches on his Lovecraftian works at the end. Wilson fans will also find a great deal in the article to pacify any curiosity about Wilson's philosophical views and how they manifested in his fiction. Though his past opinions rendered him at odds with Lovecraft the writer, it's unlikely Colin Wilson himself failed to note his similar affection for crafting his stories as vehicles for expressing a very specific worldview.

-Grim Blogger

The Brussels Journal on Colin Wilson

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"Naught Thought" on Nature, Ligotti, and Lovecraft

The blog "Naught Thought" recently featured the first of what seems to be several planned entries dealing with the more mentally taxing aspects of certain weird authors. It contains several well selected quotes from Thomas Ligotti, and centers on that author's horror of Nature, as well as tangential glances at the same theme running through works by H.P. Lovecraft and William Hope Hodgson. Anyone who has read Ligotti stories like "Severini" are struck by the claustrophobic terror of the naturalistic scenes. Ligotti's descriptions of humid jungles, animals, and overwhelming greenery make what are ordinary symbols of great Terran vitality appear as monstrous obscenities.

I'm certain I'm not the only one looking forward to further comments on Ligotti from this blogger, who seems well versed in the realm of formal philosophy.

-Grim Blogger

"Naught Thought" on Nature, Ligotti, and Lovecraft

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The Cthulhu Chess Set

This thread from Thomas Ligotti Online showcases a remarkable piece of Lovecraftian ephemera that once made the rounds on E-bay. Here, we have a hand carved chess set with Lovecraftian horrors replacing the usual geometric, vaguely Medieval game pieces. Cthulhu, Dagon, and a number of other blasphemous terrors can be arrayed to do battle on a chessboard that may as well symbolize the Cosmos. Deep Ones fulfill the role of pawns in this set, while a few less identifiable entities make up the middle ranks.

According to the poster, this handsome set was sold to an eldritch connoisseur for several hundred dollars. There may also be no more than two in existence--a fact that makes this chess set exceedingly rare and very prone to totally vanishing should misfortune befall both sets. Perhaps, however, some other artists will take it upon themselves to create other sets resembling this one. Given all the other Lovecraft themed concoctions exhibited online, there's certainly a demand somewhere out there for more Lovecraftian chess pieces.

-Grim Blogger

The Cthulhu Chess Set

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"Weird Tales" Solicits New Flash Fiction, Plans Ligotti Interview

"Weird Tales" magazine has posted a new entry on its blog that discloses details of upcoming content and a few changes at the magazine. It appears they aim to expand their line of "one minute weird tales," a series of print and Youtube generated content that barely ventures above a hundred words. If anyone out there has any ideas for this type of flash fiction, this may be a good market to submit to, and a high paying one ($25 flat rate, according to their website) for so few words. Experienced writers with an inclination for the weird might also find this a good mental exercise. Personally, this type of short-short fiction strikes me as the perfect vehicle for crystallizing the fragmentary pulp of dreams into a brief story.

Also of great interest is the announcement by the magazine that interviews with Thomas Ligotti and horror artist Richard Corben will be published in their spring issue. Ligotti has to be one of the few weird writers out there whose interviews remain highly sought and always fascinating, despite the decline in his fictional output the last several years. Updates on his longstanding non-fiction work of philosophy, The Conspiracy Against the Human Race, are always welcome too. In any event, this interview with one of the luminaries of the high weird should net "Weird Tales" more readers in a few weeks and satisfy those who crave the refined, oneiric, and even experimental style of fiction created by authors like Thomas Ligotti.

-Grim Blogger

"Weird Tales" Solicits New Flash Fiction, Plans Ligotti Interview

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Computer Animated Versions of "The Terrible Old Man" and "Dagon"

A couple more computer generated adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft's stories have surfaced on Youtube as of late. Versions of "The Terrible Old Man" and "Dagon" are the latest to join the video website's vast archive of amateur Lovecraftian productions. Each one runs models from popular video games through the proper editing programs, resulting in 3-D films set to music that closely retell the events of the Lovecraft tales in question, with varying degrees of success. The "Dagon" video seems stronger, in my opinion, since the black and white color scheme almost minimizes the cartoonish aspects of this type of animation. Computer generated products continue to be a popular form for relatively easy, no budget Lovecraft adaptations. And incredibly, some are rather better than what has been heaved up by Hollywood in previous years. At least these amateur attempts try to follow Lovecraft's scripts, without introducing hackneyed elements neither Lovecraftian nor unsettling.





-Grim Blogger

Computer Animated Versions of "The Terrible Old Man" and "Dagon"

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New Work on Lovecraft's Atheism Forthcoming

Alex Smith's blog "Re-Imagine Ritual" mentions a fascinating new H.P. Lovecraft book coming later this year. Against Religion, compiled with the help of S.T. Joshi, Christopher Hitchens, and Smith himself, will examine the the philosophical H.P. Lovecraft in a more sobering way than the usual literary analyses of the ideas in his stories. The book will reportedly focus on Lovecraft's words of unbelief and his lifetime existence as an atheist in the early 20th century. For Lovecraft, a man with both feet planted squarely in scientific materialism's court, it couldn't have been easy. The fervent disbelief in anything like a God or cosmic intelligence is featured in numerous letters and essays issuing from the pen of the Providence writer through his life. Curiously, this is one of Lovecraft's facets that ought to gain more attention, since it seems so at odds with his ability to create great weird literature. It seems that the scientific and atheist Lovecraft excelled at painting stark visions of things that were so far fetched to his own mind. At the same time, his atheistic beliefs surely influenced the wider theme of Cosmicism that runs through his best tales.

As with most scholarly Lovecraft works, S.T. Joshi is just the person to tackle the assembly of this record of the author's atheist side. Besides weird literature, Joshi also has a history of dealing with other atheist works. He previously edited two other hefty collections about atheism, Atheism: A Reader and the more recent Icons of Unbelief: Atheists, Agnostics, and Secularists. So, expectations should be high for the new book on Lovecraft's atheism, a work that joyfully combines two scholarly areas Joshi has turned his talent to.

-Grim Blogger

New Work on Lovecraft's Atheism Forthcoming

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Weird News: Mapping the Roman Catacombs in 3-D

An ambitious new project is underway beneath Rome, employing advanced laser technology to disturb the slumber of the dead in a 21st century journey across the city's catacombs. It seems our increasingly well equipped hands can't be kept away from one of the world's most mysterious and macabre corners, though this is a fact that will probably cause the seeker after strangeness to rejoice. Not too fast, though: the project intends only to map a few of the wondrous passages in full 3-D, leaving the more mysterious depths to visitors willing to risk life and legal repercussions in the off limits areas. A short video of an already animated section of the catacombs can be seen at the BBC link below. Though the effort is impressive, one thing seems conspicuously absent from the product so far. Where are the heaps of bones? Hopefully, the more populous regions of the catacombs will be filled to the brim with skeletal denizens, without having corpses filtered out for any aesthetic or politically correct purpose. When it comes to the catacombs, after all, the dead are the vital force behind any aesthestic at all.

Shedding Light on the Catacombs of Rome

-Grim Blogger

Weird News: Mapping the Roman Catacombs in 3-D

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Atomic Robo: The Shadow from Beyond Time

The blog "Major Spoilers" has reviewed the first issue of "Atomic Robo: The Shadow from Beyond Time." As any H.P. Lovecraft reader might guess at the title, it has more than a little something to do with the Old Gent from Providence. The comic features a time traveling robot who happens upon Lovecraft, paranormal researcher Charles Fort, and scientist Nikola Tesla. The unlikely troupe set off across Siberia in an investigation of the early 20th century Tunguska blast. The review (with some spoilers, to be forewarned) by Stephen Schleicher reveals some uncanny plot twists that border between the humorous and the truly unusual.

Though I can't vouch for this comic without reading it myself, Schleicher's critique implies it's worth checking out for those who enjoy the adventurous use of HPL in ahistorical circumstances. Considering the real Lovecraft never ventured much further than the Eastern territories of the United States and Canada, his globe-trotting fictional alter-ego is really something else. The heroic Lovecraft continues to amaze in the large variety of settings, pairings, and entanglements he is envisioned it.

-Grim Blogger

Atomic Robo: The Shadow from Beyond Time

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Youtube: Blood Falls Redux

This Youtube snippet shows off several compelling photos of Antarctica's strange bacterial "blood falls" and provides some interesting facts known about them. A more detailed overview from CNN about the unsettling falls was originally posted on this blog here. As it's been said before, there is truly no place more otherworldly on Earth than the southernmost continent. Lovecraft, Poe, and other chroniclers of the outre did well to choose the frigid pole as an environment for some of their weirdest tales.



-Grim Blogger

Youtube: Blood Falls Redux

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Rare Lovecraft Essay Sells On Ebay

An ebay auction closed not long ago where one unknown collector must've certainly sated their thirst for rare Lovecraftiana. The item in question, which sold for more than a solid five grand, is a rare astrological treatise by H.P. Lovecraft commissioned as part of his three article Harry Houdini set written for "Weird Tales" magazine in the 1920s. A large number of other relevant correspondence written to Lovecraft and further supporting documentation was also included in the nearly fifty page file. All of the HPL authored material is handwritten, and appears to contain a quite lengthy, diagram laden article where Lovecraft refutes spiritualism, astrology, and magic.

What remains on paper, so far as anyone can tell, is a coherent rough draft or in depth outline of an as yet unpublished H.P. Lovecraft piece. This curiosity also raises the interesting question of how many unknown Lovecraft letters, essays within correspondence, and other written works might be circulating under the radar in private collectors' hands. Given the immense volume of epistles and other material Lovecraft produced for friends and acquaintances during his lifetime, it's not unreasonable to assume that there are very interesting texts out there not yet known.

While the chance of a new story or poem turning up is near impossible, the prospect of further non-fiction notes like this one surfacing is rather good. Weird fiction scholar S.T. Joshi has stated plans are underway to publish a many volumed set of H.P. Lovecraft's complete correspondence. Fortunately, as only the first couple volumes are anywhere close to publication, there's still plenty of time to incorporate any new works that may arrive over the years to come--some of which is bound to have escaped even the watchful eye of Joshi and other Lovecraft scholars.

-Grim Blogger

Rare Lovecraft Essay Sells On Ebay

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Ex Occidente Press Continues the Magic

The ever impressive Ex Occidente Press has unveiled several more forthcoming titles that should round out the 2009 lineup from this new Eastern European publisher of weird and decadent literature. They previously scored a hit earlier this year by publishing Madder Mysteries, a new collection of tales by Reggie Oliver, a well as several other appealing volumes by past and contemporary writers with definite ties to the strange and ethereal. Now, it seems the burgeoning weird outlet is looking to expand upon its early success. Two heady names in the "New Weird" circle particularly stand out in Ex Occidente's soon-to-be-published list: Mark Samuels and Quentin S. Crisp.

A slim, but promising volume from British author Mark Samuels is set to appear in June. The new collection has been given the name The Man Who Collected Machen and Other Stories. Samuels, who has been favorably compared to Thomas Ligotti and Arthur Machen, will see this fall into line as his fourth book of short fiction. The preliminary description listed by Ex Occidente, as well as Samuels' previous themes, suggests it will continue his exploration of bizarre modern horrors with distinct echoes of Lovecraft, Machen, and Ligotti. Quentin S. Crisp's All God's Angels, Beware! presses this little known, but unique author's talents into new territory as well. Crisp's voice has often been observed to be one that blends horror with beauty (a likely aspect of the Japanese literature influencing the author). And, certainly, stories with titles like "The Meat Factory," "Ynys-y-Plag," and "Mise en Abyme" can only come from the weird tradition. It is scheduled for a July shipment.


As with all of Ex Occidente's releases to date, both of these titles will be limited editions with print runs of only a few hundred copies. Luckily, the quality of the publisher's products to date and their strange contents strongly implies a bright future for Ex Occidente. Hopefully, one that may blossom into a lengthy train of releases from the rising and already brilliant stars of weird literature.

-Grim Blogger

Ex Occidente Press Continues the Magic

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