the words and worlds of John Robinson
Horror comes in many forms. A standard horror trope is the creeper in the dark. There’s something sinister out there and we can’t see it, but we know it’s coming closer. It’s going to get us. I’ve always found the monsters to be scarier in daylight. The scariest thing is to see what's coming at …
I seem to have a swine theme this week. Writing about Clive Barker's excellent short story, "Pig Blood Blues," put me in mind of the best, and, possibly, the first, wild boar run amok movie ever made. Released way back in the halcyon days of 1984, Razorback furthers the scientific theory that every animal, reptile, …
Sometimes, the best stories are the most difficult to explain. When you try to explain a plot line to others, they look at you funny because you’re telling them what, possibly, sounds like the stupidest, lamest thing ever to be thrust on them, the movie-going, book-reading public. For example, “Pig Blood Blues.” “Pig Blood Blues” can …
If I could stick my pen in my heart And spill it all over the stage Would it satisfy ya, would it slide on by ya Would you think the boy is strange? Ain't he strange? - "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It)," The Rolling Stones In the late summer of 2000, …
Continue reading "Movie of the Week: The Phantom of the Opera (1989)"
The room is big. It is as big as a house. It is filled with caskets. They go as far as my eyes can see. I am four years old and it is Tuesday June 9th, 1981. My dad, the deacon of Center Free Will Baptist Church, died the previous day, on June 8th (my …
Scott sat in his car in the garage. He had buckled his seatbelt out of habit. The garage door was closed and, through the little rectangular windows set into it, he watched the trees in the wind blown night. They danced violently against the sky which was illuminated red/orange by the fires that had erupted …
"The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve; Lovers, to bed, ‘tis almost fairy time.” -William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 5, Scene 1 There are certain films that only make sense in the late hours of the night. Maybe, after midnight, we don’t need A to be followed logically by B. A so-called …
I like independent film. I like big Hollywood blowouts too, don’t get me wrong, but the independents, the low budgets, have a certain charm all their own. One of the things I admire most about them is their ingenuity. Inspiration is very often spawned by desperation, and a shoestring budget. Not all independent film has …
When I was a teenager my family were members of Rosewood Independent Baptist Church (the good ol’ RIB). It was a rural church with a sizable membership. Sizable for a country chapel, anyway. My uncle, Wayne, was the pastor of the church for many years. His wife, Edith, was a Sunday school teacher. She also …
Back in the day I owned the role playing game Marvel Super Heroes. Granted, my friends and I didn't play it exactly by the rules. The rule book and judge's book were like novels and we just didn't have time to waste on all the reading. We used some of the rules and created the rest …
Curio Macabre 