Innsmouth Tourism Video

This animated video pairs odd black and white photos with a scratchy radio voice reading passages from H.P. Lovecraft's "The Shadow Over Innsmouth." It does a passable job of generating sufficiently strange atmosphere to serve as an amateur Innsmouth tourism short. Were the pictures placed chronologically with a bit more thought, it would've made a fun Innsmouth history as well. All in all, however, it's another nice Lovecraftian tribute from Youtube.



-Grim Blogger

Innsmouth Tourism Video

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Weird News: Yellowish Haze Haunts Australian Cities

Sand, haze, and other vision distorting phenomena have long been a staple of good weird fiction. It seems parts of Australia, particularly the city of Sydney, have come under the venerable, mysterious veil of a sandstorm. This has plunged residents into a surreal cityscape occupied by a yellowish haze, not unlike the one famously created by Thomas Ligotti in his story "I Have a Special Plan for This World." Though the sands may pass on whistling winds, the sense of strangeness created by these storms may not disappear so easily.

Second Dust Storm Hits Sydney, Heads North

-Grim Blogger

Weird News: Yellowish Haze Haunts Australian Cities

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Secular Right on Lovecraft the Conservative

An interesting discussion has been held at the politically conservative blog "Secular Right" this past week. It involves the ever intriguing political transition of H.P. Lovecraft, and one commentator very effectively shoots for an understanding of HPL's views on government, culture, and art. Examining these components seems to be the most efficient means for arriving at any conclusions about Lovecraft's political beliefs. A more general difficulty haunting Lovecraft scholars has been the shifting nature of Lovecraft's political affinities, ambling across the modern spectrum from monarchism, to American conservatism, to fascism, and Rooseveltian socialism.

"Secular Right" is an eye raising production in that it espouses views close to Lovecraft's own for much of his life, so their commentary is an unexpected, but welcome contribution. One commentator even successfully digs into the transparent root of Lovecraft's alternating, but somewhat similar ideological views: "...Lovecraft was a pessimist and a conservative of a certain sort."

This is an important distinction that was true throughout Lovecraft's entire life. As the same commentator notes, Lovecraft's admiration of fascism nearly coincided with his support of enlightened socialism, as the Providence author dreamed of an idealistic hybrid between the two
ideas. What does this mean when one links it back to his earlier liking of monarchism, aristocracy, and the early days of the American Republic? It seemingly expresses a yearning by Lovecraft for a sense of order, stability, and even predictability in the world. This appears to be the thrust of much of Lovecraft's political thought and activity.

As a firm materialist and lover of science, as well as traditional art forms whose beauty lay in their ordered styles, Lovecraft was naturally bent toward different types of conservatism that prided themselves on bringing order to a chaotic world. The backward glances to colonial America and old Europe provided one model for Lovecraft. Once he realized how permanently extinguished the old hierarchies of Western society had become, he naturally latched onto certain promises by Mussolini and Marx that sought to bring back stability in a time of economic upheaval.

The positives and benefits for the inner mind and persona of Lovecraft, as well as Lovecraft the social entity, can be gauged by focusing on some of the prejudices and unrealistic expectations the writer harbored throughout his life. Here, "Secular Right" has done a thorough job too. It's refreshing to see a discussion of Lovecraft--and a political one, no less--thoughtfully carried on without the usual intrusions of modern political/cultural bias. Definitely read their full posting if you're looking for a unique take on H.P. Lovecraft as political creature.

-Grim Blogger

Secular Right on Lovecraft the Conservative

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KGB Fantastic Fiction Reading: Cisco and Langan

Two authors with more than a small tie to weird fiction are scheduled to read from their literary offerings at New York City's KGB Fantastic Fiction. The event will be held at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, October 21, 2009. The writers in question are Michael Cisco and John Langan, both of whom have acquired scrutiny as rising stars of supernatural literature in recent years, from the informal blogosphere to the professional pen of S.T. Joshi.


Cisco has often been favorably compared with Thomas Ligotti. His novels and short stories definitely add to the dark, surreal tapestry detailed by Ligotti and their mutual predecessor H.P. Lovecraft. Langan's work, on the other hand, seems to draw more from the ghostly and strange stories pioneered by M.R. James and Robert Aickman, best exhibited in his recent collection Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters. Like any notables in the weird realm, both men stamp their writing with an originality that somehow modernizes their subject matter while curling the familiar atmosphere of the bizarre into new mysterious forms.


New Yorkers and others in the area should definitely make time for this reading, if at all possible. I'm not sure if KGB Fantastic Fiction intentionally lined up two admirable gentleman from the weird niche, but by fluke or design, it's an incredible (and possibly historic) opportunity to breathe in the outre in a manner rarely seen outside themed conventions these days.

-Grim Blogger

KGB Fantastic Fiction Reading: Cisco and Langan

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Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown on DVD

The newly acclaimed video documentary on H.P. Lovecraft's influence, "Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown," is slated for DVD release on October 19, 2009. This production by Wyrd Studios has been sliding through the hands of reviewers and film festivals for the past year. As the trailer below attests, the film explains the significance of Lovecraft in literature, film, and beyond through a series of interviews with the most eminent authors and experts in Lovecraft's orbit. This is sure to be an important source of information about his life and legacy for both longtime admirers and newcomers as it enters the hall of public consumption.



-Grim Blogger

Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown on DVD

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New Ligottian Art in 2009

The re-publication of Thomas Ligotti's Teatro Grottesco and My Work Is Not Yet Done in cheap paperback has surely exposed his work to a wider audience. In what may be the first faint glimmers of evidence, a small, but noticeable increase in Ligottian fan art has touched the web in recent months. It's entirely possible that images like the following may have been created by long time Ligotti readers. However, it's less likely, as almost all of them are inspired by the tales that comprise the reissued paperbacks.


Not surprisingly, many of these images come from deviantart.com, the web's enduring hub for all manner of amateur fan art. "The Visitation" is a short comic by robinboywonder. Clearly inspired by Ligotti's tale "The Clown Puppet," it gives a fairly lighthearted and original interpretation of the eponymous entity responsible for the narrator's "visitations." The swirling seen through the window seemingly represents a Ligottian void of chaos, but is also reminiscent of the mystery outside Erich Zann's apartment in H.P. Lovecraft's "The Music of Erich Zann."


Tobythulhu has put his digital skills to good use in this illustration of Frank Dominio, the tormented hero of Ligotti's novella My Work Is Not Yet Done. This stylish impression is definitely a look at Dominio after he has taken on the supernatural and spectral powers of retribution granted to him by forces he only comes to understand later. Tobythulhu must be applauded for his faithful depiction of Ligotti's character--right down to the amber tinted glasses and dark suit. The artist's digital manipulation is also vaguely similar to the illustrations Harry O. Morris did for Ligotti early in his literary career.


Crescent23's gallery includes a few photographs of desolate architecture underscored by quotes from "This Degenerate Little Town." As imaged photos of Ligotti's metaphysical dreamscape,
they are quite effective. Several other pictures of mouldering ruins from the degenerate little town, along with other bleak sights apparently captured in Eastern Europe, are posted at the gallery.


Okay, these last two aren't really fan art in the same sense as the previous works. They are illustrations of Thomas Ligotti's story "Nethescurial," graciously provided by the artist Markku Metso on his Drawer blog. The story appears to have been translated and reprinted in a February, 2009, issue of the Finnish speculative fiction journal "Tahtivaeltaja." It nearly goes without saying that these beautiful drawings wonderfully capture the themes of this Ligotti story.

-Grim Blogger

New Ligottian Art in 2009

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Article Submissions Guidelines

I am pleased to extend an offer to writers to submit guest articles for publication on a platform that reaches thousands of readers every month. Your piece should be between 500-3000 words and relate to weird fiction, film, or art. Submissions should be sent via Word document to grimblogger at Gmail dot com.

Please ensure that spelling and grammar are up to professional standards, though I may proofread and offer very minor changes in some cases. Grim Reviews only accepts scholarship, editorials, and reviews about weird horror. Please be familiar with what that genre actually is before submitting. I do not accept fiction.

Grim Reviews' Visitor Data from Dec. 2009-Dec. 2010

Reprints of previously published articles may be accepted if your work has appeared in a very limited venue or in print (offline).At the present time, Grim Reviews offers exposure only for your article, but at one of the highest readership levels among weird fiction sites.

-Grim Blogger

Article Submissions Guidelines

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Review Copy Submissions

Review submissions are indefinitely closed. Probably until 2012.

I would like to invite authors and publishers of weird fiction to submit review copies here. Books, magazines, journals, music, and films are welcome. If your work carries the weird label in the tradition of the greats--or pioneers new bizarre territory--then I want to see it. I am particularly interested in receiving newly published work from weird fiction writers by the small presses--the prime mill for much of weird fiction these days, and arguably the most promising for unmasking talent.

WHY SUBMIT TO GRIM REVIEWS?

Snapshot of Grim Reviews' Pageviews from Dec. 2009-Dec. 2010. Wow!

If selected, your work will be exposed to thousands of potential viewers on one of weird fiction's premier platforms. From late 2009 to 2010, Grim Reviews had over 85,000 visitors (probably more, since Google Analytics is unable to measure every single visitor). There are plenty of other quality blogs and niche websites about the weird, but few have the net presence this site does.

Due to personal preferences, I prefer physical copies above all else, especially for written works. I will consider electronic submissions if your work is short, say fifty pages or so.

Submissions are exclusively oriented to weird fiction at this time. Please make sure you know what this is before you inquire. I will not review science fiction, fantasy, or mainstream/psychological horror unless it has a definite overlap with weird fiction. Note that some reviews may take several months to appear, if my inventory of review copies is already high.

HOW TO SUBMIT

You may inquire about submitting review material by e-mailing me: grimblogger at G mail dot com (formatted to deter spammers).

-Grim Blogger

Review Copy Submissions

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Weird News: Mutant Monster Emerges from Panama Lake

Forget the fabled horrors of Loch Ness. A stranger beast has purportedly surfaced from a lake in Panama. Hairless and gaunt, this pale horror must have went about its last moments with the same pain it inflicted on human viewers of its nightmare form. I personally find the creature to have a style like something out of a David Lynch film. Specifically, the freakishly deformed baby that startled audiences out of their seats when his movie, Eraserhead, first appeared. Hoax or not, it definitely generates some chills to think that a freak of nature or human meddling can emerge seemingly at random.

'Gollum-like' Monster Emerges from Lake

-Grim Blogger

Weird News: Mutant Monster Emerges from Panama Lake

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SF Gospel: Thomas Ligotti's Dark Buddhism

Besides being its own self-contained review of Thomas Ligotti's recently re-released paperback, My Work Is Not Yet Done, Gabriel McKee's article at "SF Gospel" is an insightful little piece on the author's worldview. Ligotti's attention to the overwhelmingly negative features of physical, conscious existence have become legendary, and have served as a focus for analyzing his work in a moderate handful of essays. However, the depths of the Buddhist or Eastern philosophical connections to Ligotti's fiction are often just grazed.

McKee's review/commentary doesn't tear into the depths of this fascinating entrapment of ideas, but it is a well said summary of Ligotti's affair with Buddhism. McKee does as fine a job noting the similarities as the differences: especially Ligotti's unshakable conviction that there is no liberation save death (and even that's questionable) from a nightmare universe.

-Grim Blogger

SF Gospel: Thomas Ligotti's Dark Buddhism

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W.H. Pugmire: New Blog, New Book

Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire, a longtime literary fixture of the Cthulhu Mythos, has proven quite busy lately. In the past few months, he has launched a new blog, Youtube channel, and completed publication of a new book. All of which is excellent news for the Lovecraftian community. Now, it's easier than ever to get a strong dose of Pugmire's Lovecraftian prose and fascinating wit.

Weird Inhabitants of Sesqua Valley, the author's latest Mythos collection, has just been released by Terradan Works. The title (as well as the contents, apparently) recalls Pugmire's earlier collection, Sesqua Valley and Other Haunts. The mythical Sesqua Valley has won the admiration of many Lovecraft fans since its inception, as Pugmire's treatment of it has been far more delicate and original than the average Arkham knockoff in Lovecraftian fiction. In fact, Pugmire's valley exhibits such bizarre figures and features that it resonates the atmosphere of H.P. Lovecraft. Thus, his latest collection ought to be a well sought one, especially in an age where Cthulhu Mythos fans have come to expect more from their Lovecraftian horrors.

In an effort to broaden his presence, it seems Pugmire has launched several new internet locations as well. His "Lovecraftian Horror" blog, which serves as an outlet for personal and authorial news, is perhaps the most important. Pugmire's MrWilum Youtube channel is another nexus established by the writer to provide original commentary on weird fiction and his related pursuits. As anyone acquainted with him might guess, his unique persona makes his videos as entertaining as they are informative.

-Grim Blogger

W.H. Pugmire: New Blog, New Book

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Animated H.P. Lovecraft Readings

Jim Clark, the Youtube creator of animated poets from bygone days reading their work, among them Edgar Allan Poe, has now turned his talents to resurrecting H.P. Lovecraft. As there are no known video or sound recordings of the Providence writer, this is probably the closest we'll ever get to an authentic Lovecraft reading. Two different animations are below, and a lot more are available at Clark's Youtube account here.






-Grim Blogger

Animated H.P. Lovecraft Readings

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"Whisperer" Movie Begins Filming

According to the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society's page for their movie based on "The Whisperer in Darkness," the production is about to begin in earnest this fall as actors, crews, and props make their way to New England. The long awaited film is another black and white Lovecraftian adventure from the same folks who brought us "The Call of Cthulhu" in 2005. Curiously, the "Whisperer" picture was originally thought to be much further along than it currently is.

Almost two years ago, HPLHS released a trailer that garnered much attention online. However, the group later said the trailer was virtually the only part of this movie filmed. While this disappointed some Lovecraft fans, as a means of raising interest and funds for the movie, it was a brilliant move. Though the final product will serve as the last judgment, it's hard to argue with the success of HPLHS now that they are on a full production footing.

Even with their resources now devoted to making the film, it seems unlikely it will rush to DVD. Unlike their previous Cthulhu film, "The Whisperer in the Darkness" is not a silent motion picture. It includes a full screenplay of the dialogue that made Lovecraft's tale so eerie. Check out the "Whisperer" page at HPLHS for a full chronology of the movie's progress.

-Grim Blogger

"Whisperer" Movie Begins Filming

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Weird News: Canadian Woman Dies While Ghost Hunting

Here's another article on the more dangerous aspects of ghost hunting. This incident just proves how easy it is to find the spirit world--permanently--should you choose to seek out the supernatural in shoddy places or with poor technique. It's even more bizarre to think that this woman's unintended sacrifice will probably enhance the mythical quality of the haunted site further.

Ghost Hunting Woman Falls to Death at "Spooky" University Building

-Grim Blogger

Weird News: Canadian Woman Dies While Ghost Hunting

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Cthulhu Doodle's Lovecraft Maps

The blog "Cthulhu Doodle" has posted a nice lineup of maps created off descriptions of H.P. Lovecraft's fictional worlds. There are several depictions of the town of Arkham exhibited, the odd near-neighbor Kingsport, as well as Lovecraft's "Kadath" inspired Dreamworld. The blogger states the maps were taken from a combination of Role Playing Game books and the inside covers of various Lovecraft story collections. Visit "Cthulhu Doodle" for a full gallery of more like the single sample above.

-Grim Blogger

Cthulhu Doodle's Lovecraft Maps

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Edgar Allan Poe Digital Collection from UT: Austin

The University of Texas at Austin has made available a huge digital collection of Edgar Allan Poe materials. Here, you'll find manuscripts and letters by Poe, original editions of his works, photos of his various possessions, and a whole lot of Poe related ephemera from the 19th and 20th centuries. This will definitely be an invaluable resource for serious researchers or mere admirers of his work looking to gain a deeper insight into the man through documents closer to his own time. However, it's unclear whether this digital archive will be posted indefinitely, or just through 2009 as part of the bicentennial commemorations. Don't hesitate to visit this wonderful Poe collection while it's there.

A personal favorite of mine is the section cataloging his portraits. Viewing these pieces, it becomes rapidly obvious that the mustached and somewhat haggard looking visage of Poe we carry today did not cement itself immediately. In fact, the early and foreign sketches of the writer show him in a more youthful and happier light. The portraits lifted from life in Poe's younger years also provide us with a different glimpse of this mind's talented, but frustrating existence.

This is just one observation that can be made from taking in this exhibition. View and bookmark today for a slice of literary history few have had the ease of peering into. An article which gives further background on the archive from UT's Harry Ransom Center can be read here.

-Grim Blogger

Edgar Allan Poe Digital Collection from UT: Austin

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Dirt Dauber Trailer

An eerie looking new production from Steve Daniels, "Dirt Dauber," is scheduled to take its place among other fine Lovecraftian short films in the near future. Daniels is previously known for his work on the excellent film "The Gibbering Horror of Howard Ghormley." The new movie looks like it will carry his Lovecraftian film making one step further: this time into a mountainous region plagued by Shub-Niggurath and her Thousand Young. Or, as the description provided with this preview puts it:

In this disturbing Lovecraftian fairytale, a man awakes naked and confused in an isolated mountainous region. He soon encounters a strange local who offers to help him. The stranger recounts local folklore that speaks of a murderous religious cult, and an insect-like fertility god that is said to dwell deep within the mountain. The two men go underground in search of the truth and soon find themselves in a stygian black temple of horror.

Keep an eye out for "Dirt Dauber" at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival this fall, where there ought to be much word of mouth about it, if not a full blown premier.

-Grim Blogger

Dirt Dauber Trailer

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A Concise Guide to H.P. Lovecraft First Editions

Larry Latham of Suite101.com has published an excellent overview of the market for Arkham House first editions of H.P. Lovecraft's story collections. In "A Guide to H.P. Lovecraft First Editions," you'll learn the books' features, history, and contemporary trends factoring into the monumental prices some early Lovecraft books can command at auctions. The ultra-rare single story hardcover containing HPL's "The Shunned House" is noted as a precursor to Arkham's endeavors. Also, the expansion of Lovecraft's weird tales as literary enterprise under Derleth's guidance/exploitation is mentioned, as is the significant decline in market value for Lovecraftian "collaborations."

The posthumous publication of Lovecraft's work, as well as Arkham House in general, is also a prototype for the deluxe small presses seen today as distributors of most weird fiction. Indeed, some of the weird's most highly sought collections by individuals and businesses like Robert Aickman, Mythos Books, Thomas Ligotti, Centipede Press, Reggie Oliver, and Tartarus Press have a faint reflection in the bygone days of Lovecraft's Arkham House debut. It was Arkham that unintentionally spearheaded the creation of the fabulously collectible (and valuable) book of strange stories.

Though Arkham House cannot be entirely held responsible for this phenomenon, they are a definite point of examination in efforts to pinpoint the emergence of the current small press business model in supernatural literature. Many in weird fiction have admired the output of the small presses: their devotion to putting out authors who otherwise might not be read at all, often in high quality volumes. Yet, others have experienced mild frustration--or even worse tempests--over the limited print runs and rapid inflation that often befalls cult writers in this genre. Understanding the evolution of this state of affairs is crucial to easing its handicaps. Fortunately, the relatively clear history of early Lovecraft books by Arkham House is a great place to start.

-Grim Blogger

A Concise Guide to H.P. Lovecraft First Editions

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Weird News: Strange Jellyfish in Icy Waters

The BBC's "Earth News" recently published a freakishly delightful gallery and written expose on mysterious species of jellyfish discovered in the Arctic. Few other monstrosities on Earth can summon equal measures of revulsion and awe. Then again, the inhospitable environment the more fantastic breeds dwell in raises the persistent question of whether or not we are venturing too far off our placid islands of ignorance into the "black seas of infinity," as Lovecraft put it. However, Lovecraft--along with many others--believed man would not suffer a total psychotic meltdown resulting from Faustian knowledge until we are one day far in the depths of space. With oddities like these jellyfish, which may yet be only a small hint of what awaits us in the most frigid and black waters, one wonders if we will meet our strange match on our own world rather than abroad in the cosmos...

Strange Jellies of the Icy Depths

-Grim Blogger

Weird News: Strange Jellyfish in Icy Waters

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Lovecraft and Archeology Lecture at Treadwell's in London

An interesting lecture on Lovecraft and archeology, "The Lair of Cthulhu," is scheduled for the evening of October 15, at London's bookstore Treadwell's. It will be delivered by James Holloway, an English Lovecraftian and archeology PhD. Further details from the Treadwell's website:

The Lairs of Cthulhu
Archaeology, Myth and Mystery in the work of HP Lovecraft
James Holloway (Cambridge)
£5.00
7.15 for 7.30 start

For many, the name HP Lovecraft conjures images of strange pre-human ruins. In fact, Lovecraft was keenly interested in archaeology and ancient history, and used archaeological theory to create specific dramatic effects in his work. This talk explores Lovecraft's relationship to archaeology, its use in his fiction, the adoption of this imagery by the Lovecraftian fan community, and the ways in which Lovecraft's work anticipates modern debates in the field. This is a night for all who have been moved by the landscapes he conjured, the deeps he evoked: the lairs of Cthulhu.

James Holloway has a PhD in archaeology from Cambridge, focusing on funerary archaeology in the Anglo-Saxon period. He has a lifelong interest in Lovecraft, and originally began to look into this subject as part of a 2007 conference session on 'the archaeology of imaginary civilizations.'

The innovative theme of this lecture promises to make it one of the more engaging Lovecraftian events anywhere in the near future. Focusing on archaeological aspects in HPL's work is not a common subject of weird literary scholarship, giving this particular lecture originality and importance. British readers, check it out.

-Grim Blogger

Lovecraft and Archeology Lecture at Treadwell's in London

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China Mieville on "The Horror at Red Hook"

This brief clip has China Mieville, one of the world's preeminent authors of politicized weird fiction and fantasy, discussing one of his favorite New York based stories: H.P. Lovecraft's "The Horror at Red Hook." Mieville is well known as a writer who approaches weird fiction and life from a left-wing vantage point. Though many have condemned the more obvious racist elements of Lovecraft at their strongest in tales like "Red Hook," far fewer have approached the question from the precise worldview Mieville espouses.



Agree or disagree, it's always notable when one weird writer discusses another's work--even if the writers in this instance happen to be separated by a couple generations.

-Grim Blogger

China Mieville on "The Horror at Red Hook"

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HUGE Library of Lovecraft Centennial Uploaded

A titanic digital archive of over 800 photos from the 1990 H.P. Lovecraft centennial celebration has been uploaded to Flickr by photographer Wil Hart. The photography documents Hart's entire trip to Providence to celebrate one hundred years of Lovecraft, and features images of conferences, commemorations, and heaps of historic sights frequented by HPL in his beloved Providence. During his stay, the chronicler hit damned near every Lovecraftian site in Rhode Island. He captured incredible treasures of literary significance, including a large public exhibition of Lovecraft's manuscripts, as well as important places like the no longer existent Baptist Church that inspired the infamous Church of Starry Wisdom (not to mention the pic of the rather retro looking S.T. Joshi above) in Lovecraft's fiction.

This Flickr archive is an inimitable file of frozen glimpses from a milestone in Lovecraftian literary history. It's incredible to see this many photos of the event in stellar condition. Needless to say, a big thank you to Mr. Hart for preserving a bit of Lovecraftian history many would've assumed gone without much recognition, rather than captured in such striking detail.

-Grim Blogger

HUGE Library of Lovecraft Centennial Uploaded

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