Behind the Couch

Today is the last day to enter a competition to win a copy of my Devil's Advocates book on The Company of Wolves . Simply head over to FolkloreThursday.com and subscribe to their lovely (and completely free) newsletter (just underneath my article on the evolution of the tale of Red Riding Hood) for the chance to win a copy (valid August 2017; UK & ROI only). There are other folksy goodies to be won, including beautiful Wicker Man tea-towels designed by Hare & Tabor , and a copy of Kevan Manwaring's new book Ballad Tales: An Anthology of British Ballads Retold.  

First Wes, then George. Now Tobe. I thought it might be appropriate to share a few words I wrote about Tobe, who passed away yesterday at the age of 74, for issue 20 of Diabolique back 2014… Tobe Hooper is a name seared onto the landscape of horror cinema. [F]rom classics like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (a scathing deconstruction of post Watergate/post Vietnam American culture and politics, and a nightmarish study of the breakdown of the family unit), Poltergeist, Salem’s Lot and the underrated slasher flick The Funhouse , to bargain-basement fodder such as Crocodile, The Mangler and Night Terrors – not to mention his plethora of TV work, including I’m Dangerous Tonight and episodes of Dark Skies – [his is] a fascinating, chaotic and unrestrained body of work, throughout which floats a dark, primordial anxiety. When he is on top form, few can muster a sense of stifling, claustrophobic dread better than Hooper; all sense of logic is dispelled and the viewer is plunged int...

Le Petit Chaperon Rouge by Paul Merwart Of all the folk and fairy tales known to us, the tale of Little Red Riding Hood is perhaps one of the most enduring and provocative. In its most basic form it is a tale of good vs. evil, and it is generally regarded as one of the most effective expressions of sexual curiosity and the ultimate loss of innocence. I recently wrote an article exploring the evolution of the tale and how its meaning changed throughout the years - from its supposed origins as an oral folktale warning girls of the dangers of predators, to Charles Perrault's literary fairy tale adaptation warning young women against exploring their sexual desires. Head over to Folklore Thursday to read the article, and for the chance to win thyself a copy of my Devil's Advocates book on The Company of Wolves (Neil Jordan's Gothic fantasy film based on Angela Carter's feminist reworking of Red Riding Hood). After you’ve read the article, simply subscribe to F...