I was able to read the second edition that’s coming out next year. Great as a reference, especially if you consider the scores and credits sequences more interesting than most shows themselves. It’s fascinating to get an insight into the process and how it changed over time. The arrangers must have been mainlining speed in amounts rivaling the CBGB crowd.
Paul Leni’s Waxworks (1924) is a fantasy/historical anthology with horror elements. The frame tale is about a poet writing backstories for wax figures played by some major stars of the era, including Conrad Veidt and Emil Jannings. It’s said to have influenced later horror anthologies. It conjured the mood of Lotte Reiniger’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed mixed with German Expressionism.
Paul Leni’s last film. A version of the Old Dark House plot told in a theater after an actor has been killed during a performance. For those who love old mysteries.
Just as there were race records, there were race movies. “Hot Biskits” is a 1931 comedy short by Spencer Williams. The plot involves a bet over a game of miniature golf. Feels like a glimpse into an alternate reality, where we could have had Keaton, Lloyd, Chaplin, and Hot Biskits. Or something like that.
Jessica Bardsley’s 2022 short film “Life Without Dreams” uses original and stock foot to depict the blurring of consciousness that someone might have at 2 am while experiencing continual insomnia and anxiety. I don’t know much else about it, but I enjoyed it.
Any time I’ve had for new music this week has been given over to Kali Malone’s pipe organ drones and synthesized sonic worlds. I’ve spent the most time with Living Torch (2022), The Sacrificial Code (2019), and Cast of Mind (2018).
I recently reviewed Moonchild (1994) over at HorrorDNA for its new Blu-ray release.
Stephen McClurg 