Final(?) H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival Begins in Portland

The 2010 H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthulhuCon is set to begin tomorrow at Portland's Hollywood Theater, its habitual rallying point for over half a decade. As reported on their website, the festival's director is stepping down after this year, meaning there's a very real possibility that another Portland event may not be held for some time. Although other festivals and Lovecraftian gatherings are sure to crop up across the United States, as is already happening with new conventions like MythosCon, a Cyclopean fissure will certainly be left by the HPL Film Festival disappearing from its home turf.

Fortunately, the screenings lined up indicate that the old ritual will make an elegant departure, if it does indeed shut down indefinitely. Old favorites like Stuart Gordon's Dagon and Pan's Labyrinth will get screen time amid an exotic plethora of new short movies, readings, and talks related to H.P. Lovecraft's life and works over the weekend. As always, a rich selection of shorts mostly produced by amateur film makers may offer the newest examples of Lovecraftian cinema. And not exclusively Lovecraftian at that, as several pictures pay tribute to Edgar Allan Poe and other weird fiction outposts.

The best Lovecraftian convention goers can hope for is that the festival's untimely demise will scatter its energies to the four winds, enlivening other celebrations of strange fiction and art far from Portland. Still, the Hollywood Theater's important legacy will not be forgotten, and the next few days should feature nothing less than a potent extravaganza that will clarify the character of a changing time in Lovecraftiana.

-Grim Blogger

Final(?) H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival Begins in Portland

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New Masque of the Red Death Trailer

A trailer for a new short film based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" has appeared on Youtube. The picture is directed by Guillaume Moiton and appears to closely follow the story's course, when a vengeful plague victim crashes a decadent refuge walled off from a dead wasteland. Judging by the trailer, this is an amateur effort, but it appears to capture the atmospheric component of antiquated decadence that Poe sought to cultivate in his tale. The masks worn by these revelers are also strangely alluring. Keep an eye out for the full short.



-Grim Blogger

New Masque of the Red Death Trailer

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Dark Regions Press Offers Two Rarities by Strantzas and Gavin

Dark Regions Press is on the march. Last month, the horror publisher began offering a reprint of Richard Gavin's Charnel Wine, and soon followed this up with a new edition of Beneath the Surface by Simon Strantzas. Both books only enjoyed limited readership in their previous incarnations, so Dark Regions has done the weird fiction community a favor by making expanded material from these rising authors available again. The books were initially released in very limited, deluxe quality hardcovers, and these are set to be followed up wider and more affordable appearances in paperback.

Strantzas and Gavin are known for artfully weaving echoes of Thomas Ligotti, Robert Aickman, and H.P. Lovecraft into tapestries dominated by their original voices. The reprinting of their earlier collections closely dovetails an expansion in popularity and critical opinion for their work. It also marks an exceptionally fast turn around for making out-of-print fiction accessible once again, a trend one hopes to see continue in the weird genre, where many years may go by with no reasonable way to acquire an author's best products.

-Grim Blogger

Dark Regions Press Offers Two Rarities by Strantzas and Gavin

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The Quietus on Edgar Allan Poe and Eminem

Lewis G. Parker at The Quietus recently wrote a strange, but unusual piece comparing the literary works of Edgar Allan Poe with rapper Eminem's violent tunes. At first glance, one may recoil in horror, depending on cultural perspectives, at a founding father of the weird being compared with a contemporary musician who has produced some exceedingly controversial lyrics. Understandable. However, it would be a mistake to let the subject's shocking audacity or one's perspective on a living rapper prevent them from reading the article. It is a well written and humorous study that draws aspects of Poe's life and artistry out into the open.

Parker's comparisons also seem truthful, in some instances, though there are others where he's clearly straining to connect Poe and Eminem. One point worth pondering is his solid evidence showing the propensity of damaged environments to generate observant wordsmiths who capably harness decay, alienation, and fear. The psychological drivers that turn a disturbed artist into a weird writer or a poison tongued singer may never be known, but Parker's article suggests they may share far more common ground than initially guessed.

-Grim Blogger

The Quietus on Edgar Allan Poe and Eminem

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Twithulhu: Avatar of Cutethulhu

 
Twithulhu, a design based off Twitter's iconic bird that's been circulating around the web since summer, is the latest symbol of Lovecraftian kitsch spawned by online culture. The Twithulhu logo, which shows a sleek and defanged Cthulhu snoring in his ethereal slumber, is now available on coffee mugs, mouse pads, shirts, and other wares. This creation is notable for being a perfect representation of the whole Cutethulhu phenomena. Cthulhu's transformation into a cuddly companion started online, so Twithulhu is an appropriate evolutionary advancement, linking Lovecraft's most famous entity with a top social networking platform.

-Grim Blogger

Twithulhu: Avatar of Cutethulhu

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Yithian Prophecy

Yithian Prophecy is an experimental musical group that seems bent on shoving H.P. Lovecraft's epic Cosmicism into intelligible waves. These sounds are certain to conjure paranoiac horror, particularly if played while absorbing a weird text. This may be the reason why they're so well suited to flowing in the background during such readings. Musicians, in my opinion, still have some way to go before translating the atmosphere of weird words to their medium, if such a thing is possible. Yet, projects like Yithian Prophecy are sufficient for catalyzing the striking emotions and ideas embedded in supernatural literature when used wisely.



-Grim Blogger

Yithian Prophecy

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Halifax Ghost Story Festival

United Kingdom readers should be advised that the Halifax Ghost Story Festival will be taking place on October 30th, 2010 at Dean Clough Galleries. Tartarus Press will be on hand, along with a Robert Aickman lecture and film screening.

Reggie Oliver is scheduled to read a new supernatural tale as well. This doesn't appear to be an extension of his "Stand Up Horror," where he dramatically recited several older stories earlier this year, but any reading by Oliver is undoubtedly excellent.

Further sideshows may follow since the festival is till roughly two months away. Visit the link for ticket and other information.

-Grim Blogger

Halifax Ghost Story Festival

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Tom Cruise or James McAvoy for del Toro's "At the Mountains of Madness"?

Collider.com has an inside story on the secretive clash over picking an actor for the lead role in Guillermo del Toro's At the Mountains of Madness. Universal Studios, the force behind the Lovecraftian saga, is reportedly zeroing in on James McAvoy as lead, while del Toro prefers Tom Cruise. Evaluating actors is not really my forte, and it definitely feels strange discussing these names in connection with H.P. Lovecraft. A better picture of the film should emerge by the end of the year.

-Grim Blogger

Tom Cruise or James McAvoy for del Toro's "At the Mountains of Madness"?

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Weird News: Ghost Train Seeker Killed By Real Train

This recent tale out of North Carolina offers more cautionary advice on the dangers of "ghost hunting." It also contains a slightly Grabinskian twist. In an age where living spirits remain interesting in certain circles, hearing about ghostly machines and inorganic things is less common. However, this tragic incident relates that the spectral object is far from dead, and may still offer doom to those who seek it out.

Amateur NC Ghost Hunter Looking for 'Ghost Train' Hit and Killed 

-Grim Blogger

Weird News: Ghost Train Seeker Killed By Real Train

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Lovecraft's Frozen Impressions of Urban Horror

An insightful post from The Dodologist blog zeroes in on one story where H.P. Lovecraft invigorated his hatred of modern urbanity like no other: "He." This tale's anti-lush descriptions capture what New York must have looked like to Lovecraft's eyes. In addition, the story reeks of disillusionment--a mood that can be hazily lost or ignored amid HPL's hostile prose and weird revelations.

Lovecraft's idyllic "Old New York" was famously crushed by his own mortified perception of immigrant scourges and decadence. Yet, if one can get past certain antiquated and bigoted views, it's almost possible to emphasize with this mental shock forever petrified in literature. "He" is a perversion of history, a colonial fantasy dear to Lovecraft's heart in slow motion annihilation.

The urban hell was potent, and it famously left its impression on HPL forever. Even his late works are packed with darkened cities whose buildings tower over insignificant men, and nameless foreigners sketched in contempt and fear. No later story, though, captures quite the same sensation of obliterated expectations as "He," conceived and written when New York's grim shadows nearly suffocated Lovecraft to death.

-Grim Blogger

Lovecraft's Frozen Impressions of Urban Horror

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Robert Aickman Portraits

Robert Aickman, with his small, but zealous following, has rarely been depicted outside of photographs. Yet, there have been a few worthy cases where Aickman portraits circulated and found their way on the internet. So, here, in all its glorious obscurity, is a brief post devoted to showcasing Aickman iconography.

The first two images are clearly generated by admirers. The one at the top depicts a rather spartan outline of Aickman, which might be mistaken for a few other writers and philosophers. But, rest assured, it appears on a page that bears his name, and acts like a ghostly distillate of his bygone essence. The second, more detailed rendition comes from Gary William Crawford's Gothic Press publication, Akin to Poetry, which is a new collection of criticism on Aickman. This is an idyllic Aickman, seen before a backdrop of monstrosities.

This final portrait is seen in its frame from afar. It seems to have been taken at a 2005 event with the Inland Waterways Association, which Robert Aickman co-founded to help preserve Britain's historic canals.

-Grim Blogger

Robert Aickman Portraits

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New Stefan Grabinski Collection Planned

After several years of inactivity on the Stefan Grabinski front, his admirers should find much cause to celebrate in the pending publication of a new short story collection, On the Hill of Roses. Grabinski's fan Facebook account reports that the book is being tuned for an independent publication sometime in the near future. It will contain six stories translated by the Polish author's longtime emissary, Miroslaw Lipinski, and presumably fabricates the content of the Polish collection by the same name, first published in 1918. It may be the tip of the spear in an effort to round out Grabinski's full oeuvre not yet brought to English.

These translations have ironically resulted in more admiration for his work in weird fiction's traditional spheres (the UK and United States) than in Poland. The Dark Domain, previously printed and reissued by Dedalus Books was the first "full" appearance of Grabinski in English. Ash-Tree Press followed up with The Motion Demon in 2005, and was said to be planning subsequent volumes of Grabinski tales, but little news about follow ups has materialized since. The latest Grabinski collection is In Sarah's House, a recent paperback by CB Editions.

-Grim Blogger

New Stefan Grabinski Collection Planned

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H.P. Lovecraft: Rational Socialist?

A provocative post by Kerry Bolton at the Counter-Currents blog spotlights H.P. Lovecraft's political leanings in the context of his times, and wisely charts his development from backward looking monarchist to reason seeking socialist-fascist. In retrospect, it's not surprising that Lovecraft came to admire the command economy and civilization building quests of the socialists and fascists. As Bolton notes, the perceived failures of democracy and capitalism loomed large in HPL's day, as did the fear of Soviet communism, and remained unresolved by his death in 1937.

As unpalatable as ideas defended by Lovecraft might be--especially in today's charged and very present day consumed discourse--pieces like these beg the question of whether or not H.P. Lovecraft should be evaluation as a serious political philosopher. Many will be quick to note, quite rightly, that his ideology did not break much new ground. He was not a Marx, Mussolini, or Keynes, but he was forced to respond to all three, as well as many other socio-economic thinkers. More than anything, it seems like Lovecraft's spin on his ideology that was new, and the passion he deployed in defending his ideals.

For Lovecraft, as much as he prided himself on rationalism, it seems passion engendered his strongest views. His juvenile support for aristocracy, legendary Anglophilia, racism, and late life authoritarian inclinations all arose from what he loved and despised most. So, while it may be a stretch to evaluate the political Lovecraft as an original philosopher, there's definitely merit in studying his evolution and arguments, for they reflect the sharpest debates of his era.

-Grim Blogger

H.P. Lovecraft: Rational Socialist?

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Edgar Allan Poe's Dorm Room

Amid statues, books, and portraits that easily fetch many thousands of dollars, there's another relic indicating the extent to which Edgar Allan Poe's presence and fame lords over weird fiction: his dorm room at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Even today, Poe's room is carefully kept neat and tidy, the continuation of a century old decree by a college administrator. Responsibility for the room falls to the University's Raven Society, a scholastic organization that splits its time between scholarships and preserving Poe's legacy. See this 2008 article for fairly recent coverage of a Raven member charged with maintaining the sacred chamber that year.

As the photos here indicate, the room is not in the immaculate condition presumably enjoyed by Poe during his year at the college. It's been given a more elegant atmosphere by adding a stuffed raven and several 19th century writer's tools. Still, the room is a great stop for Poe fans looking to make a literary pilgrimage. It's also proof of Poe's towering status in the weird field. He is perhaps the only weird fiction writer to achieve the preservation of his living spaces, but then, unlike other authors, Poe enjoys special fame in American literature and credit for influencing many genres beyond the weird.

-Grim Blogger

Edgar Allan Poe's Dorm Room

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Lecture on M.R. James and The Romance of Scholarship

A lecture given by Dr. Edward Bridle of Australia's Newcastle University has surfaced online. In it, Bridle discusses the well noted scholarly atmosphere dear to the heart of most ghost stories by M.R. James. The English weirdscribe's ominous tomes, erudite travelers, and ghastly knowledge are covered in their own right, and compared with other literary creations, in the weird and beyond. Bridle concludes by taking questions about James from the audience. Professorial talks on weird fiction are still not terribly common, despite the high reputation of writers like James, Poe, and Lovecraft, but they are a definite treat to those interested in unraveling the macabre's resonate depths.







-Grim Blogger

Lecture on M.R. James and The Romance of Scholarship

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