Sonic allegories for transitions, the soundtrack to a new beginning. Music to prepare for what comes next. Songs to recall precedent. A gift for the present.
A ritual, a soundtrack, a conjuring of the forces within, bone and blood, stronger than any god, the revelation that you are the god, the seed, the spear, the arrow through generations.
More Later. If you are reading this, Welcome to 2021!
Ω
Edited to add: A little inelegant, dropping the entire tweet in there, but as long as the little gif film runs and the links work, we are happy. Bear with us as we still give the block editor and new format a shakeout drive.
Went looking to see if there was a band called SABBATUM and found these dopes. With the opening blare of the “dirty organ,” I burst out laughing, but not with displeasure! “Ok, let’s go worship at the altar of Ozzy by way of Deep Purple for 45 minutes, let’s do this.” It was nice!
Things have been crazy at The Lab. More later, maybe. Hope you are all well and tightly wrapped, my pretties.
I just added these flicks to my watchlist! Just now! Let’s see, we have: SEVEN (7) absolute comforts that can be played anytime (or be listened to, say, at The Lab) and they are Highlander, both Nosferati, Busan, Trilogy, Night, and The Church; ONE (1) Film from the 80s with a serious rep that I never bothered to see, Gods; ONE (1) that deserves a no-bullshit, all eyes front rewatch, Inception; TWO (2) stone-cold strangers that, uh, yeah sure, we’ll give them an optimistic watch! And they are Agora (maybe Rachel Weisz, as an Egyptian Princess under cruel Roman Occupation, has a really big strange cat, and Stonehearst Asylum because what the Hell, we like Kate Beckinsale. No really. And it is an asylum story! Which brings us to…
The Ninth Configuration.
So, let’s see. It’s on the SHOUT! label. Doesn’t SHOUT! cull its shit from various catalogues? So there’s a chance, unlikely, but still a very remote chance, that out of all the recuts and edits and its goddamn various incarnations as TWINKLE TWINKLE KILLER KANE, that somehow this could be a copy of the original cut.
Highly unlikely. Last we read anything on the matter, it was largely accepted that the original cut is gone forever. Thank you Mister Blatty.
Which is really too damn bad, Joe. Because I saw this movie on its original release—on a night like tonight, rain and wind, except it was day, and I was fifteen, skipping school, and my weird older sister drove us to New Hampshire in a town by the ocean, and seeing 9th was one of the greatest film experiences of my life.
But Joe, but! And this is important! Even if the original cut somehow surfaced, it would not alter the fact that for all its imagination and flair and moood, The 9th Configuration is a pretty weak movie, clumsy, at times embarrassingly inept. Which is so weird, given that super-rich and first time director Blatty had extensive prior exposure to the film industry, such as the Pink Panther movies and his involvement on The Exorcist. Obviously Blatty realized his film was flawed, and hence the endless tinkering and re-tinkering.
So there we are. A beloved imperfect final result, still a comfort.
Will report back on the newcomers. We’ll talk again soon, Joe. We’ll keep watching the screens!
Son of a bitch, it IS Lon Chaney Jr on the cover! From THE INNER SANCTUM.
Yes it’s really Fall. I have to remind myself. Because Summer roared with a vengeance and it’s still on fire, I know, but it’s October 15, the Zero Moon is nigh, and thank The Gods, VideoScope #115 is here for us to enjoy.
Joe Kane and Nancy Naglin make the glorious SCOPE happen 4 times a year. It’s all here: Horror! Sci-Fi! Action! Asian! Cult! Animation! Indies! Exploitation! 4 times a year, man! What are you waiting for? Subscribe or die, baby!
SUPERNATURAL! What a cover! The usual great shit can be found within, including a lengthy and enlightening interview w/ MOTEL HELL director Kevin Conner; the always amusing “B” Wards; Debbie Rochon’s SPIDERS BESIDE HER; Nancy Naglin’s ART HOUSE VIDEO, The Phantom’s reviews of S. Craig Zahler’s DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE, Takashi Miike’s FIRST LOVE, and Boon Joon-Ho’s PARASITE; a profile of the photogenic Jessie Graff; and a very groovy full-page inside-back for THE WORLD THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL.
Belated Birthday wishes to the ever-mighty JOE KANE, The Phantom of The Movies.
Jesus. He’s a dead ringer for Wayne Hussey of The Mission. Rock on, Joe! \m/
SUBSCRIBE OR DIE!
That is all. Carry on and be safe out there, Doomtroopers, Survivors, and Misfits.
Yesterday I learned that a lost friend passed away. We hadn’t talked for a couple of years due to bad behavior on my part. Incommunicado or not, the news of his death was nothing less than paralyzing, devastating. His life was bright and too short. Far too short.
Tom Flynn was a man who gave intense joy to all who knew him. He was the central figure to a close-knit group of friends, opening his home regularly for all-night movie fests, and more. His love of Lemmy and Motörhead was infectious, his homemade sodabread manna, his wall of hats legendary. Tom gave of himself, then gave it again. Selflessly. Heroically.
My thoughts are with those who loved him and are shattered by his loss.
The Art of the Occult is a visual feast of eclectic artwork informed and inspired by spiritual beliefs, magical techniques, mythology and otherworldly experiences.
Mystic and occult practices date back centuries, but why, after so much scientific progress, do we still chase the esoteric? Over the past two centuries, artists have been drawn to these unknown spheres and have created curious artworks that transcend time and place. From theosophy and kabbalah, to the zodiac and alchemy; spiritualism and ceremonial magic, to the elements and sacred geometry – The Art of the Occult will explore:
the symbolic and mythical images of the Pre-Raphaelites;
the automatic drawing of Hilma af Klint and Madge Gill;
Leonora Carrington‘s surrealist interpretation of myth, alchemy and kabbalah;
the theosophical practices of Mondrian and Kandinsky;
and contemporary tattoo artists inspired by sacred geometry.
Featuring prominent, marginalised and little-known artists, The Art of the Occultcrosses mystical spheres in a bid to inspire and delight. Divided into thematic chapters (The Cosmos, Higher Beings, Practitioners), the bookacts as a light introduction to the art of mysticism – with short chapter introductions examining each practice, followed by a series of carefully curated artworks, supported by explanatory captions.The art of the occult has always existed in the margins but inspired the masses, and this book will spark curiosity in all fans of magic, mysticism and the mysterious.
The author
S. Elizabeth (aka Mlle Ghoul) is a Florida-based writer and blogger specialising in art, the macabre and the supernatural. She has written for ‘Coilhouse’, ‘Dirge’ and ‘Death and the Maiden Blog’ and is now staff writer at ‘Haute Macabre’. S. Elizabeth was also the co-creator of The Occult Activity Book (vol 1 and 2) and runs two successful blogs: Ghoul Next Door (ghoulnextdoor.tumblr.com) and These Unquiet Things (unquietthings.com).
