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Post by cauldronbrewer on Dec 5, 2012 15:10:01 GMT
I do not know what to say about this one, really. It was actually published in a book, you say? After reading it, I checked independent sources to verify that it was not a crude hoax. Wakefield's Ghost Hunt is a strange little tale as well. I love the idea for this story, though Wakefield's execution could have been stronger. I think it was ahead of its time--it's sort of a conceptual forerunner of The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, and the like. |
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Post by billdemo2 on Dec 5, 2012 16:23:00 GMT
I'm pretty sure E.C. Comics ripped off Wakefield's Ghost Hunt for a story in "Haunt of Fear" called "Television Terror!" They just changed the protagonist to a TV presenter and the method of suicide to hanging... It's worth checking out.
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Post by dem on Dec 6, 2012 9:10:58 GMT
Jojo, i might get a bit "creative" with photoshop sometimes, but i would never hoax a story's provenance. Helping Mummy is no worse than much of the material included in Birkin's Creeps series or the earliest Weird Tales/ Not At Nights. Today, one of ' Sapper's supernatural mysteries. For those who've not yet had the dubious pleasure, meet The Black Monk .... Attachments:
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Dec 6, 2012 9:59:24 GMT
Jojo, i might get a bit "creative" with photoshop sometimes, but i would never hoax a story's provenance. I never suggested such a thing! It was the other guy! "Helping Mummy" is indeed like Birkin---stripped of all his redeeming features, such as elegant prose and, dare I say it, commitment to a philosophical world-view. I suppose it serves to put his art in perspective. |
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Dec 6, 2012 13:53:23 GMT
I never suggested such a thing! It was the other guy! True, though I did say it wasn't one. Helping Mummy is no worse than much of the material included in Biirkin's Creeps series or the earliest Weird Tales/ Not At Nights. No argument here on the latter, having read such Weird Tales wonders as Elwood F. Pierce's "The Dream of Death." I can't say much about the comparison to Birkin's work given that I've never been into conte cruels, whether they're as elegant as Maurice Level's or as inelegant as "Helping Mummy." I prefer my horror to be supernatural or, failing that, to at least have a supernatural facade (as with most shudder pulp stories). Not an artistic judgment, just a personal taste. |
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Dec 6, 2012 18:39:12 GMT
Jojo, i might get a bit "creative" with photoshop sometimes, but i would never hoax a story's provenance. Helping Mummy is no worse than much of the material included in Biirkin's Creeps series or the earliest Weird Tales/ Not At Nights. Today, one of ' Sapper's supernatural mysteries. For those who've not yet had the dubious pleasure, meet The Black Monk .... Good old Sapper. What is it about these stories. As soon as the mention of a bad sportsman comes into play the red flag is raised. Sapper would have probably died of apoplexy if he saw a game of footie today... |
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Dec 7, 2012 2:30:19 GMT
I've never been into conte cruels, whether they're as elegant as Maurice Level's or as inelegant as "Helping Mummy." I prefer my horror to be supernatural Thinking back over this, I've probably overstated my preference--there are many non-supernatural horror stories that I've enjoyed, from Bierce to Bloch. And maybe it's "contes cruels"? |
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Post by dem on Dec 7, 2012 9:00:44 GMT
Apologies for current complete uselessness, been struck down with chronic dose of man-flu all week. Normal service will be resumed, etc, etc.., and here's another hoary pre-WWII Weird Tale: Pearl Norton Swet wishes to show off her stylish new footwear, The Medici Boots. Dead handy for kicking in those deluxe kitchen units .... Attachments:
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Dec 7, 2012 11:49:16 GMT
Apologies for current complete uselessness, been struck down with chronic dose of man-flu all week. Normal service will be resumed, etc, etc.., and here's another hoary pre-WWII Weird Tale: Pearl Norton Swet wishes to show off her stylish new footwear, The Medici Boots. Dead handy for kicking in those deluxe kitchen units .... Pearl Norton Swet deserves a big round of applause. Really loved this story - stylishly written and the hero even saved everyone 'with a bound'. |
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Post by dem on Dec 8, 2012 10:02:36 GMT
Those rhubarbing Transylvanian "peasants" with their garlic bulbs and makeshift crosses! Where would horror fiction be without them? From the golden age of Weird Tales, J. Wesley Rosenquest's sad, sad story of Herr Feldenpflanz's Return To Death .... Attachments:
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Post by ramseycampbell on Dec 8, 2012 12:11:03 GMT
And maybe it's "contes cruels"? Mais bien sûr, mon ami! C'est évident! |
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Dec 8, 2012 13:49:34 GMT
Another goodie.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Dec 8, 2012 17:29:18 GMT
Pearl Norton Swet deserves a big round of applause. Really loved this story - stylishly written and the hero even saved everyone 'with a bound'. I second that. Fine old school pulp. |
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Post by dem on Dec 9, 2012 6:50:11 GMT
Popular Publications Dime Mystery Magazine is that rarest of beasts, a shudder pulp which survived through and beyond WWII, eventually bowing out in 1950. John Bender's Nightmare Island (Dec. 1948) may lack the "it was the mayor dressed up in an octopus costume all along" aspect, but it's short, punchy and fans of Tales Of The Crypt can add their own snow and Santa suit. Attachments:
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Dec 9, 2012 9:34:05 GMT
fans of Tales Of The Crypt can add their own snow and Santa suit. Indeed; we are dealing with one of the ur-stories here. |
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