Category Archives: Critical thoughts

Britain’s Medieval Vampires – Review

Posted on 4th November 2015 by firekrank

Last night I caught up with ‘Britain’s Medieval Vampires’ on Channel 4. The programme looked at a number of ‘deviant’ burials which had occurred in the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain and related them to a 12th-century text, the ‘Life and … Continue reading →

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The Man Who Brought Zombies to America

Posted on 3rd November 2015 by firekrank

Following on from the article ‘The Tragic, Forgotten History of Zombies’, there is this thoughtful biography of William Seabrook by Roger Luckhurst. Seabrook helped introduce the figure of the zombie into Western popular culture following his travels to Haiti where … Continue reading →

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Lesbian Vampires in the Movies

Posted on 3rd November 2015 by firekrank

I admit that I watched the appalling Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009) and was suitably disappointed. (And I unashamedly like terribly, B-Movie style films). Though I suspect it meant to be an ironic homage to early lesbian vampire movies, it ventured too far into … Continue reading →

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A Compendium of Monsters

Posted on 3rd November 2015 by firekrank

Over the Halloween period, the Wellcome Collection have put together an online compendium of monsters including the witch, zombie, werewolf, vampire and ghost. Though it’s quite tongue-in-cheek, I always think it is interesting to note what constitutes the stereotype of … Continue reading →

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I Saw Three Witches

Posted on 31st October 2015 by Sam George

I saw three witches Asleep in a valley, Their heads in a row, like stones in a flood. Till the moon, creeping upward, Looked white through the valley, And turned them to bushes in bright scarlet bud. (From Walter de … Continue reading →

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Witches, Gothic Novels, and Cosmic Horror

Posted on 30th October 2015 by William the Bloody

I’ve been a bit lax on posting to the blog; I’ve found lots of interesting and useful material lately but haven’t had time to blog them–they’re usually on our Facebook group, though, and Kaja has been reposting some of these … Continue reading →

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Some aural and visual delights to feed your Gothic needs …

Posted on 30th October 2015 by firekrank

Quite a few excellent sources have recently been posted on the OGOM Facebook page. For those of you who are not Facebookers, I thought I would collect them together for your delight, delectation, and education. Firstly there is this useful … Continue reading →

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The Tragic, Forgotten History of Zombies

Posted on 30th October 2015 by firekrank

The Atlantic has published this is an incredibly thoughtful and interested article about the history of zombies, ‘The Tragic, Forgotten History of Zombies’. It’s well researched and effectively argued covering the relationship between George A. Romero’s undead films and the … Continue reading →

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How Did I Choose Me My Witchcraft Kin? My Past and Future in Witches

Posted on 28th October 2015 by Sam George

‘My Nannie says I’m a child of sin. How did I choose me my witchcraft kin?’ (Waterhouse, ‘The Magic Circle’, 1886, thanks to Janette for this) I found myself in the north of England at the weekend for the Gothic … Continue reading →

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Real-Life Vampires

Posted on 28th October 2015 by firekrank

In the run-up to Halloween there have been quite a few articles published on the subject of things that go bump in the night. This includes quite a few on the subject of real-life vampires: to be clear, these are … Continue reading →

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