A few years ago I made an unusual New Year’s Resolution: I will eat only good chocolate. It turned out to be one resolution I could, and did, keep. It’s extended to every year since. Even my Halloween offerings are good chocolate or not chocolate at all. Living, as I do, in an apartment building with few Trick or Treating aged kids, I hang a black, spider-web shaped basket on my doorknob and fill it with sweet treats. My neighbors and the staff in the building know where to find “the good stuff” so I have no need to advertise.
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Scary Stories
Scary stories are an important part of growing up. Monsters are pieced together out of our real fears — but unlike the monsters of real life, story Monsters are often vanquished by the hero. Little kids — like the rest of us — are afraid of being left behind, afraid of getting lost and afraid of the unknown. We may get adventurous as we grow up and court the unknown, travel where we’re likely to get lost and strike out on our own, finding that being alone is not the same as being lonely and that it can be fun.
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Mad Scientists!
Victor Frankenstein, of “Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus” by Mary Shelley, Herbert West, of “Herbert West — The Reanimator” by H.P. Lovecraft, Dr. Moreau of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” by H. G. Wells, Griffin, AKA The Stranger of “The Invisible Man”, also by H. G. Wells, and Lex Luthor of “Superman” by Jerry Siegel, are just a few of the MAD SCIENTISTS that jump to mind. Some mad scientists want to take over the world, control weather, create monstrous weapons, seek revenge or simply defy the laws of physics. When they create MONTERS things get out-of-control very quickly! Some
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Halloween is Almost Here!
When I was a child I loved Halloween costumes so much that I had costume parties for my birthday in January. That way I got to dress up twice a year! I don’t remember ever wearing a costume from a store and the few times I wore a mask I regretted it or abandoned it quickly. Even little half masks had a way of winding up stashed in a pocket early in the evening. Comfort and visual acuity always won out over the mask. Over the years I’ve been a giant spider — with black, satin evening gloves stuffed with
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Sympathy for the Monster
One of the most compelling things about Mary Shelley’s original Frankenstein is that portions of the novel are told from the MONSTER’S point of view. The guiding perspective of the narrative switches among several characters — including both the doctor and his creation — and that switch of focus gives the masterpiece its allure. Readers are drawn into the monster’s desire to be accepted into human society and, failing that, to convince — by any means necessary — the doctor to make him a mate. The tragic ending of the novel is pretty much inevitable from the start, but it’s
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Neighborhood Gargoyles
Writers always put bits and pieces of themselves into their characters. Willie, the protagonist of “Bram Stoker’s Summer Sublet” is not me. But we do have a few things in common. One is a philosophical approach to living in New York City. As Willie wanders around neighborhoods off her beaten track, it’s very easy for her to imagine she’s far away from the streets she knows — and not just a few blocks away from familiar turf. I love to walk and will sometimes take a less familiar route, or go a few blocks out of my way, simply to
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The Myth of the Lonely Monster
The MONSTERS of classic horror stories were loners. Dracula awakened each night in his isolated castle. Frankenstein, in Mary Shelley’s original, tried very hard to be accepted in human society but was rejected for his ugliness and his unnatural origins. The classic werewolf movies, starring Lon Chaney Jr., always emphasized his tortured nature. Becoming a werewolf was the result of a curse. The survivors of werewolf attacks fell victim to that curse at the rise of the next full moon. It was all very sad and very lonely. The myth of the lonely monster seems to be a thing of
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Monster Perfume
I’m reading the H.G. Wells classic “The Invisible Man” and it’s gotten me thinking about the five (or six) senses of MONSTERS. This morning, I found myself pondering the aromas of monsters. Does a werewolf, after a long run through the forest, smell like a wet dog? I’m guessing that a zombie might smell more than a little ripe — maybe even reek of rotting flesh? A ghost might waft into a room on a cloud of scent reminiscent of the person they were in life: Chanel No. 5, cigarettes and whiskey, mint Girl Scout cookies, cherries, motor oil, leather,
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Howl at the Moon
Last night was the full moon and, if it’s not too cloudy, tonight’s moon will be a lovely, howl-inspiring sight. Living in the city, the ambient light make stargazing tough but the moon — on a clear autumn night, is beautiful. It lights up the sky, stirs souls and inspires storytelling. Do violent crime statistics and emergency room visits actually spike with the full moon? A lot of people believe this to be true. But is it just an urban legend? I read an interesting, and very reasonable, explanation in an article from Scientific American. Most of the studies done
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