Category Archives: Critical thoughts

Sir Christopher Frayling and Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber

Posted on 25th March 2015 by William the Bloody

Sir Christopher Frayling has applied his immense erudition to many areas of popular culture but will be best known here, perhaps, for his pioneering study, Vampyres: Lord Byron to Count Dracula (1978), which made academic research into vampire fiction respectable. … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical thoughts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Value and Ideology in YA Fiction

Posted on 25th March 2015 by William the Bloody

When studying popular culture (that created for younger people in particular), the question of value inevitably appears. YA fiction is often seen as not worthy of serious regard, particularly if it’s ‘genre’ fiction such as paranormal romance (gritty realism is … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Feminism and the cinematic female vampire

Posted on 24th March 2015 by firekrank

A nice analysis of some of the most familiar vampiresses on the silver screen that aims to explore ‘How the vampire became film’s most feminist monster’. Great to see the inclusion of Park Chan-wook’s Stoker (2013) which is one of my favourite … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical thoughts | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Film and Fairy Tale

Posted on 23rd March 2015 by William the Bloody

The reinvention of fairy tale through literary and cinematic adaptation is a whole area of debate in itself. These three pieces look at different aspects of film versions of fairy tales: first, ‘The 25 Best Live-Action Fairy Tale Movies Ever, … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical thoughts, Resources | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prince Lestat: A New Era for the Vampire Chronicles of Anne Rice

Posted on 23rd March 2015 by William the Bloody

Leigh McLennon reviews Anne Rice’s return to The Vampire Chronicles with Prince Lestat, asking how Rice has adapted her vampires to suit the changed social conditions since the series began.

Posted in Critical thoughts | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Barry Forshaw ‘Sex and Death: Vampires from Coleridge to Hammer’

Posted on 23rd March 2015 by William the Bloody

Instructive extract from Barry Forshaw’s British Gothic Cinema on the vampire theme in Gothic fiction from Coleridge’s ‘Christabel’ through ‘Carmilla’ and dracula to its incarnation in cinema.

Posted in Critical thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How our zombie obsession explains our fear of globalisation

Posted on 19th March 2015 by William the Bloody

Jospeh Gillings in a thoughtful piece that sees the current appeal of zombie fiction in the context of the helplessness felt in the face of the lawless nature of present-day capitalism. I would want to qualify the use of ‘globalisation’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical thoughts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Phantasmagoria : The Dark Side of the Light

Posted on 19th March 2015 by William the Bloody

A fascinating short film with Mervyn Heard on the spooky spectacle of the late eighteenth-century/early nineteenth-century phantasmagoria and its uncanny foreshadowings of cinematic thrills. If this whets your appetite, come to the OGOM Company of Wolves Conference in September–we will … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical thoughts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Grandma, what a long history you have! The origins of “Little Red Riding Hood”

Posted on 19th March 2015 by William the Bloody

An interesting account by Tom Jacobs of the origins and dispersal of the Red Riding Hood tale. This is probably not such new and startling news as it proclaims, but that’s newspapers for you. And it begs a few questions … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical thoughts | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Happy 18th, Buffy!

Posted on 10th March 2015 by William the Bloody

My interest in vampire fiction and subsequent exploration of the genre of paranormal romance was initially aroused by the now-classic TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is eighteen years old today. Created by Joss Whedon and combining wit and … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical thoughts | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment