Behind the Couch

Established in 2010, Belfast’s Wireless Mystery Theatre is an audio theatre company devoted to invoking the spirit of vintage radio suspense plays. Comprised of a small troupe of actors, writers and musicians, their productions incorporate live music and imaginative sound effects with players frequently multi-tasking and acting out different roles. Their most recent production, An Evening of Irish Horror , was a suitably spooky double-bill featuring adaptations of Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic ghost story ‘Green Tea’ - which tells of a timid clergyman who is hounded by a demonic spectral monkey - and Bram Stoker’s short story, ‘Dracula’s Guest’ - an excised segment from Dracula which documents a creepy encounter between Jonathan Harker and Count Dracula by the grave of the undead Countess Dolingen of Gratz... Head over to Exquisite Terror to read my full review .

Exquisite Terror is an independently produced periodical, the intention of which is to take a more academic, analytical approach to the genre of horror. Exquisite Terror 4  has been quite a while in the making, thanks mainly to the burglars who broke into our editor’s home and, amongst other things, made off with the laptop that contained a pretty much ready-to-go issue 4. This meant that the issue had to be completely started from scratch. A true labour of love, indeed. The saying that all good things come to those who wait must be true, because lo, Exquisite Terror 4 is finally in the bag and available to pre-order. And it’s really been worth the wait… Now featuring even more content than before, inside you'll find in-depth essays and articles on the likes of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , Jim Van Bebber, Berlin’s newest horror production outfit, an examination of The Silence of the Lambs from page to screen, my own essay on the folkloric, literary, and cinematic repre...

1958 Dir. Terence Fisher Perfectly epitomising the brand of lurid horror Hammer is now famed for, Dracula is one of the most important titles in the history of British horror cinema. Despite its low budget, it boasts a rich gothic atmosphere, impressive production design and iconic performances from Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Jimmy Sangster’s screenplay, coupled with Fisher’s agile direction, not only streamlines Bram Stoker’s original novel, but accentuates the underlying sexual themes evident within it. Lee’s incarnation of Dracula emerges as a sexual predator, stealthily corrupting the morals of those he encounters. With feral ferocity he pierces the heart of polite Victorian society, unveiling repressed desires and creating lustful, hideously grinning she-demons in his wake... This new cut of the film includes previously excised moments such as Dracula’s bloody seduction of Mina and his decomposition in a shaft of sunlight at the film’s riveting denouement. Hea...

Asia bares her fangs... Dario Argento is currently ensconced in shooting his adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire novel, 'Dracula'. Filming began in Hungary (where Argento previously filmed Phantom of the Opera and produced Michele Soavi's The Church ) in June and the film stars Rutger Hauer (as Van Helsing), Thomas Kretschmann (as Dracula), Marta Gastini (as Mina) and Asia Argento (as Lucy). A few on-set photos have found their way online courtesy of Asia Argento…  According to Alan Jones’s on-set reports , filming has gone well thus far and the shoot has proved something of an Argento ‘family’ reunion. Working with him again are the likes of special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti (who has worked on the majority of Argento's films since Phenomena in 1985), cinematographer Luciano Tovoli (who also lensed Argento’s gothic masterpiece Suspiria and edgily reflexive giallo Tenebrae ), production designer Massimo Antonello Geleng ( The Stendhal Syndrome,...

Last night in Belfast, the Ulster Hall hosted a very special screening of FW Murnau’s undisputed classic of German Expressionist cinema, Nosferatu . The film was accompanied by an improvised score courtesy of renowned organist, Martin Baker, who has, since 2000, been the Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral. Baker was granted the rare honour of being allowed to play the world famous Mulholland Grand Organ, one of the oldest examples of a functioning classic English pipe organ. The organ is named after former Lord Mayor of Belfast, Andrew Mulholland, who donated it to the hall in the 1860s. Patrons of the sold-out event were encouraged to dress in typical 1920s garb and though many didn’t, this writer was impressed by those who did; particularly an enthusiastic couple dressed as the undead. Before the screening, there was an insightful introduction by local film historian, opera fanatic and all round film buff, George Fleeton, who lovingly dissected the historical significa...

Bram Stoker In light of the fact that Dracula is this year's Dublin: One City, One Book's selected text, I thought it appropriate to delve into the background of the novel's author: Bram Stoker. Born in Dublin in November 1847, Stoker was a sickly child and bedridden for much of his formative years. As a young man he attended Trinity College in Dublin and excelled in athletics as well as academic studies and was friends with Oscar Wilde. He graduated in 1868 with a degree in mathematics and began working as a civil servant in Dublin Castle. This experience inspired him to write his first book, the rather riveting sounding Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland . This thrilling epic took the form of a handbook of legal administration and was published in 1878. At this stage, Dracula was but a mere twinkle in Stoker’s eye, and the budding writer busied himself with some freelance journalism and theatre criticism. Stoker eventually met and married Florence Bal...

Now in its fourth year, Dublin: One City, One Book is a project set up to encourage the population of Dublin to read the same book during the month of April each year. The project was instigated to help promote awareness of great home-grown literature and make it more accessible, in a city that has spawned one of the greatest literary heritages in the world. This year’s selected text is Bram Stoker’s full blooded Gothic horror classic Dracula , a book that has seized the imagination of countless readers in a vice-like grip throughout the decades, and been adapted for cinema, stage and television more times than Count Dracula has supped blood. All manner of fiendish Dracula -inspired events will be taking place throughout Dublin city during the month. If you find yourself in the vicinity and feel so inclined - why not check out a few... Click here for more information.