My favorite picture of the lot is this one (above), of a mildew ridden old shop that sells used masks as well as new ones. What a rational idea! Gee, seeing this reminds me of beloved old used book stores that were everywhere only a short time ago. Store like that were usually run by retired eccentrics who had difficulty counting the change, but who somehow managed to get books that no one else did.
Above, the classic Jack Davis Frankenstein.
Two of my favorite Halloween movies are out of print now: "Burn Witch Burn," and a Stephen King adaptation for TV called, "The Langoliers." Burn Witch is based on a novel by Fritz Leiber called "Conjure Wife," which I highly recommend.
For me surrealism (above) has always been a comfortable fit with Halloween. Maybe that's because some of the scariest dreams are ones have to do with dislocation and disorientation. Somehow a feeling of dread arises from situations like that. They're the stuff of nightmares, but with humor added.
Here's a nice shot of what in my fantasy I imagine to be an abandoned Victorian mental institution. Wow, if only the walls could talk!
Above, a scary Aztec. It makes sense. Aztecs really were scary.
My hometown library had a framed copy of this picture (above) hanging in the kids section. Putting it there was a great idea. It made me associate reading with high adventure.
Here (above) is the very essence of a scare: something jumps out at you from the shadows with the intention of killing you. Real life is sometimes like that. No one gets through life without being irrationally and unexpectedly attacked.
Geez, that feeling of dislocation again.Water (above) isn't supposed to flow through streets like that. Seeing things the way they're not supposed to be can make you feel violated.
How would you like to have this bust (above) in your living room?
Above, my guess is that this is from a recent East European version of "Nosferatu."
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ReplyDeleteI love Fritz Leiber but I haven’t been able to find a copy of Conjure Wife. It’s frustrating when a great and influential author’s work goes out of print, though I guess it helps you value the work more when you manage to find it in a second hand book store or op shop.
ReplyDeleteOn another note what movie is that last clip from?
Joshua: Thanks for the link! It's a flawed film, and the flaws are magnified when it's viewed small, but seen at the right size it still packs a punch.
ReplyDeleteThe explanation for why the Lanoliers descend from the hills and eat everything is one of the most imaginative things King ever wrote.
Jules: Don't worry, you'll find it sooner or later. The screenplay is surprisingly literate. I wonder who wrote it?
ReplyDeleteWhat film did the bust of Rondo Hatten appear in? I wish I knew.
"The Creeper" 1947
ReplyDeleteCheck this out: http://www.rondoaward.com/rondo/rondos.html
Sorry, I meant "The House of Horrors"
ReplyDeleteEddie, your posts jog so many memories. Rondo Hatten, a frail horror mask in my uncle's room (hadn't thought of that in 40 years nearly), a stranger in a bus in NYC, circa 1978, who looked at this Dali skull image (when I showed it to him as a kid tourist) and he said "I must be getting old, I saw the skull first!"
ReplyDeleteAll this from your one post.
What! a new Nosferatu from Eastern Europe! Not only do you jog memories, but keep me current.
What I love about the first picture is that the proprietor of the shop looks like one of his masks.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised you like Leiber, Eddie. Someone said of him that he wrote the best prose of any American science fiction writer, including Bradbury. I'd agree. Have you read 'The Big Time'?
Stephen: A leiber story called The Big Time!? Thanks, I'll look it up!
ReplyDeleteJoel: Thanks for identifying The House of Horrors!
Hey, I almost reused the baby in the pumpkin picture that you and your friend did. That's one of the best Halloweem pictures ever! I hope you managed to make some money from it!