Yes, I know this isn't a very Christmas-y topic, but maybe tis the season that makes it so. Don't get me wrong - I do love the glittery lights in the night, and all the sweet scents and sweets in general. But it's also the time when we're supposed to feel happy and upbeat, regardless of anything else, and that expectation we all feel can lead to the reverse - a "bah-humbug" attitude towards all the glitz, cheer, and forced shopping and spending. I've had a nice enough holiday so far (as I hope you have too), but after all the presents have been opened and the candles expired, then falls the shadow and I do love the hysterical and bizarre ones of this years' newest and darkest TV show - American Horror Story on FX.
Yes, I have always loved good horror - films, stories, etc. My Top Ten films include the original The Haunting (1962), Carnival of Souls (also 1962), The Innocents (1961), The Shining (1980) - well, you probably get the idea. Yes, I'm partial to ghosts and psychological horror. American Horror Story, which just finished its fall season and will continue in February, offers a bountiful dose of creepy, over-the-top, all-of-the-above and then some horror. As an avid viewer of the show, I've been finding dark elements creeping into my work even more than usual - mouldering abandoned buildings, lurking hooded figures, desolate landscapes, ravens, oddly disturbing characters, etc - all there. The courtly dreamers have been making themselves scarce for now. though they'll be back I'm sure. But for now the darkness with its perversely shining power is getting my attention. Watch for it in my latest work-in-progress, The Magus, which should be completed within a month.
So, enjoy the rest of your holidays, and if you want a break from all the cheery frenzy, check out the American Horror Story web site and maybe catch one of the past shows. It's definitely something different
Yes, I have always loved good horror - films, stories, etc. My Top Ten films include the original The Haunting (1962), Carnival of Souls (also 1962), The Innocents (1961), The Shining (1980) - well, you probably get the idea. Yes, I'm partial to ghosts and psychological horror. American Horror Story, which just finished its fall season and will continue in February, offers a bountiful dose of creepy, over-the-top, all-of-the-above and then some horror. As an avid viewer of the show, I've been finding dark elements creeping into my work even more than usual - mouldering abandoned buildings, lurking hooded figures, desolate landscapes, ravens, oddly disturbing characters, etc - all there. The courtly dreamers have been making themselves scarce for now. though they'll be back I'm sure. But for now the darkness with its perversely shining power is getting my attention. Watch for it in my latest work-in-progress, The Magus, which should be completed within a month.
So, enjoy the rest of your holidays, and if you want a break from all the cheery frenzy, check out the American Horror Story web site and maybe catch one of the past shows. It's definitely something different