The werewolf is neither man nor wolf, but a Satanic creature with the worst qualities of both.- Dr. Yogami The first mainstream Hollywood werewolf film stalked into theatres in 1935, courtesy of Universal Studios. It was another six years before they tried again. Directed by Stuart Walker, and starring Henry Hull, The Werewolf of London is, … Continue reading Death Rides the Moonbeams
Master and Apprentice
Welcome to the first instalment of my look into the Royal Occultist universe. Today we're taking a look at our main characters, Charles St. Cyprian and Ebe Gallowglass. Charles St. Cyprian is a slim man in his early thirties, with a Mediterranean complexion, an Old College Oxford intonation and an inordinate fondness for the sartorial … Continue reading Master and Apprentice
Death Comes to Dark Oaks
Alucard is not his name. You must stop him before it is too late. Stop him before death comes to Dark Oaks.- Madame Zimba Alucard is not his name. Nor, in fact, is he the son of Dracula, as the title might have you believe. Rather, Lon Chaney Jr. is playing the Count himself in … Continue reading Death Comes to Dark Oaks
Who is the Royal Occultist?
Back in 2010, I came up with a character who would prove more popular than I could have ever expected - the Royal Occultist. Standing between Great Britain and its occult enemies, be they foreign, domestic, human or demonic, the Royal Occultist is the nation's first and last line of defence against the supernatural. If … Continue reading Who is the Royal Occultist?
On Certain Prodigies
A miscellany of various dead men and devils, from my commonplace books. William of Newburgh's Historia rerum Anglicarum is a godsend for a certain sort of writer. Among other fascinating snippets of English history, it includes such accounts as: The Green Children of East Anglia. A pair of green-skinned children found during the local harvest. … Continue reading On Certain Prodigies
Restless Seas Rise
The restless seas rise, find boundaries, are contained. Now, in their warm depths, the miracle of life begins. - Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) Universal's 1954 film, Creature from the Black Lagoon, is considered by many to be the swan-song of the Universal Monsters. Debuting almost a decade after the final outings of Dracula, the Wolfman … Continue reading Restless Seas Rise
Reign Over the Earth
We may be witnesses to a Biblical prophecy come true - 'And there shall be destruction and darkness come upon creation, and the beasts shall reign over the earth.'- Dr. Harold Medford In 1954, the spectre of nuclear annihilation haunted the minds of cinema-goers. Many of the films of the period are pervaded by an … Continue reading Reign Over the Earth
A Wolf in Salem
Howard Pyle is one of my favourite artists. There's a palpable energy to his work which starts the gears to turning in my head - there's a story in every brush stroke. I first encountered his work as a kid, which probably helps explain the ever-present frisson it generates in me, but I tend to … Continue reading A Wolf in Salem
Book of Dead Names
I have beside me, as I type this, a stack of commonplace books. Well, Moleskins, but it's all zibaldone, right? Compilations of ideas, notes for stories (mostly unwritten, if we're being honest), sketches, names, song and poetry fragments, directions, maps and whatever else I thought I needed to scribble down at a given moment. I … Continue reading Book of Dead Names
Darling of Hell
These sinful rites and these her sister's songs Abhorred Erichtho, fiercest of the race, spurned for their piety, and yet viler art practised in novel form. To her no home beneath a sheltering roof her direful head thus to lay down were crime: deserted tombs her dwelling-place, from which, darling of hell, she dragged the … Continue reading Darling of Hell
