tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post6918579336532808940..comments2024-03-29T03:50:14.118-07:00Comments on Pits Perilous: Lovecraft: Scared, Not Scary...Olde House Ruleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06672388784118015345noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-28442065391380383582020-09-28T08:54:20.202-07:002020-09-28T08:54:20.202-07:00Have you read T.E.D. Klein's "Petey"...Have you read T.E.D. Klein's "Petey" or "The Events at Poroth Farm (sp)"? The later is the short story on which Ceremonies was based, but the former was my first introduction to T.E.D. and still one of my favorite horror stories for creating a sense of impending dread.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-18288673910385441262020-04-30T15:30:01.639-07:002020-04-30T15:30:01.639-07:00And with art by Erol Otus - hurray!!!And with art by Erol Otus - hurray!!!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14322782126113868388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-55132265003417256842020-04-30T14:48:45.291-07:002020-04-30T14:48:45.291-07:00Will check him out - many thanks!Will check him out - many thanks!Joakim Waernhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17586350349478377642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-78669785146552436502020-04-30T14:36:59.233-07:002020-04-30T14:36:59.233-07:00Ia! Ia! Shub Niggurath!Ia! Ia! Shub Niggurath!Olde House Ruleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672388784118015345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-1849686600611009482020-04-30T12:51:45.553-07:002020-04-30T12:51:45.553-07:00The Cosmic Horror shall one day obliterate those o...The Cosmic Horror shall one day obliterate those only pretending to fear. For of the reader, Lovecraft asks like InXS, "are you one of my kind"? Any answer must necessarily be an individual's. No safety net. No sanity. The Cosmic Horror!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14322782126113868388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-34105379926130979082020-04-30T12:42:29.339-07:002020-04-30T12:42:29.339-07:00I recommend Dark Gods and The Ceremonies, both by ...I recommend Dark Gods and The Ceremonies, both by T.E.D. Klein (and, very sadly, his only written works)...Olde House Ruleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672388784118015345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-35841574442256628212020-04-30T09:15:16.207-07:002020-04-30T09:15:16.207-07:00If these two (or rather three if you include Pet S...If these two (or rather three if you include Pet Sematary) books represent your reading list I sure do hope you'll reveal more of it. I think you're on to something here and personally I prefer Lovecraftian/Cthulhu Mythos stories without tentacles. I've already read Revival (loved it) so I'll take a look at Harvest Home. Keep 'em coming! :)Joakim Waernhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17586350349478377642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-75041114710508991282020-04-29T15:51:58.089-07:002020-04-29T15:51:58.089-07:00I'll have to rewatch that. It was effective f...I'll have to rewatch that. It was effective for sure, and not just because of the incomparable Christopher Lee...Olde House Ruleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672388784118015345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-37755181998874111622020-04-29T14:34:34.917-07:002020-04-29T14:34:34.917-07:00Another example of something that conveys fear wit...Another example of something that conveys fear without necessarily frightening the audience is the original Wicker Man movie. For people with a certain background, it might be very scary. But for most people, the main character is a huge jerk and we half feel he deserves what he got. Talysmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02162328521343832412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-61256683157972379852020-04-29T14:30:35.735-07:002020-04-29T14:30:35.735-07:00Agreed, with a further observation: what modern re...Agreed, with a further observation: what modern readers appreciate about Lovecraft and cosmic horror is the emotion behind it, the mood it paints. Cosmic horror is all about the realization that the universe and humanity's place in it isn't as nice and tidy as we imagined, but that we are basically a cosmic accident in an uncaring and ultimately incomprehensible universe. A lot of us are OK with that concept, so it's not horrifying, but early 20th century writers and artists were finding it much harder to accept.<br /><br />Similarly, the greatness of the Browning/Legosi Dracula film for people today isn't that it scares us, but that the imagery is creepy, like the scene where Renfield is at the foot of the stairs snickering maniacally. It doesn't make our heart beat faster or give us an adrenaline rush, as it may have for people in the '30s. But the image and feeling sticks with us.Talysmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02162328521343832412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-48972569826626753872020-04-29T10:23:44.352-07:002020-04-29T10:23:44.352-07:00You're right, of course. What's frightenin...You're right, of course. What's frightening is subjective and rather personal. I'll add that movie/television adaptations are usually the worst possible way to experience a book (Pet Sematary never got it right)...Olde House Ruleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672388784118015345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-33147822950598182922020-04-29T10:21:14.959-07:002020-04-29T10:21:14.959-07:00That's very likely true...That's very likely true...Olde House Ruleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672388784118015345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-38510054429669742902020-04-29T05:54:08.329-07:002020-04-29T05:54:08.329-07:00What's scary is very individual. Lovecraft has...What's scary is very individual. Lovecraft has scared me (reading about the hills of Vermont in "The Whisperer in the Darkness" while among those same hills) and King has scared me (The Shining), but Pet Sematary didn't particularly scare me. Its probably scarier if you're a parent. I haven't read Harvest Home but I did see the miniseries they made of it decades ago. Again, not scary.Corathonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15453135801686019143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4372464286852637246.post-73278290057790063242020-04-28T20:35:04.959-07:002020-04-28T20:35:04.959-07:00I think a lot of Lovecraft worked because he was f...I think a lot of Lovecraft worked because he was first to introduce Cosmic Horror. But since we've all grown up with Cosmic Horror it really doesn't scare the way it must have back in the day. It's like the old Bela Legosi Dracula which was so scary people passed out, but now we let little kids see it because it's so tame it's hard to imagine anyone actually being truly scared.Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.com