Fall Speed Ahead
Issue 05: Horror Masters, The Sandman and Battle of the Bands
Fall Speed Ahead. Well, it’s the start of another Creativity Season and here’s a list of cool stuff to help you get going.
1. We need some music for the soundtrack of the month so check out Alan Miller’s Youtube channel full of high quality horror OSTs. Zoltan Tombs of the Blind Dead is my current favorite. Or if you need a new soundscape for an old classic, try Graham Plowman’s channel, Cthulhu Mythos Music for Lovecraftian Miskatonic mayhem. And if you’re a vinyl fiend, take a look at Cadabra Records, a rad niche LP publisher of public domain spoken word, repackaged with great covers and design.
2. Currently Reading: Rosemary’s Baby | Ira Levin | Random House, 1967. So far, it’s more disturbing than I thought it would be. ( Roofied demon sex ) I’ve known about the 1968 Roman Polanski directed movie adaptation starring Mia Farrow since I was a kid, but never watched it. Maybe this year?
One of Levin’s contemporaries, Peter Straub, passed away last month which reminded me I wanted to try one of his novels. Ghost Story is next in my seasonal reading queue. His daughter, Emma, posted a great list of ten reasons why “He Was The Fucking Best.” (Emma’s Substack)
3. While reading her post, I imagined him the way he was in the excellent group interview Dick Cavett did in 1980 with the Masters of Horror: Stephen King, (The Shining, 1977) George A. Romero, (Dawn of The Dead, 1978) Ira Levin, (Rosemary's Baby, 1967) and Peter Straub (Ghost Story). I watch it every year in October to usher in the Fall Season just as the witches of the first coven intended centuries ago.
4. Horror mascot Battle of the Bands mystery that has haunted me for years. Dude, tell me these two don’t sound alike: Wasted Years by Iron Maiden and the Halloween OST by John Carpenter.
5. Watched The Sandman: Doll’s House episode on Kayfabe this morning. The nostalgia was crushing– but in a good way. Gonna reread the entire series this winter.
6. The haunting illustrations of Ben Stahl are so damn good! They’re rough but refined, creepy cool. He illustrated an edition of Shirley Jackson’s novel, Haunting of Hill House that looks great. The excellent blog, Today’s Inspiration has some great images.
7. Every Fall I revisit the classic, Kolchak: The Night Stalker. If you’re looking for a fun thrill this month, give it a watch for free on Youtube. Great TV show in the vein of X-Files from 1974 on ABC.
The series followed newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) who investigates mysterious crimes with unlikely causes, particularly those involving the supernatural, science fiction and fantastic creatures. The series was preceded by the two television movies, The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973). Bonus interview with Darren McGavin about the show.
That's it for today– thanks for reading. If you like this newsletter, you can help keep it alive by forwarding it to someone who’d like it, watch my art vids on Youtube, join me on Patreon or follow along on your favorite social media.
Stay Rad,
Harper
