318: Metafiction and Horror, with Eleanor Hingley
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re discussing metafiction and horror. More importantly, we’re getting the title of the episode in the first paragraph for SEO purposes. Main Topic: Metafiction and Horror Metafiction turns up in every genre from literary fiction to SF, breaking fourth walls, playing with storytelling conventions, and embedding fictional narratives within fictional narratives. Our focus here, however, is on the connection between metafiction and horror, whether this is self-aware slasher films or horror novelists who write about horror novelists. We look at various definitions of...
info_outline
317: Small Town Horror, with Eleanor Hingley
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re keeping to ourselves. You really can’t be too careful. The outside world is full of dangerous ideas and strange people. Some of them don’t even play Call of Cthulhu. Sure, they might find our ways odd too, especially if they hear the singing in our early episodes. Still, the real small town horror is always other people. Main Topic: Small Town Horror This is a local episode for local people. We explore small town settings and why they work so well for horror. Isolated, insular communities are a mainstay of horror, usually populated by sinister locals who shun...
info_outline
316: Art and the Cthulhu Mythos, with Kailas Elmer
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re pushing boundaries. Good taste has never come easily to us, but it’s downright impossible when talking about art that might inspire Call of Cthulhu games. From performance artists who mutilate themselves in inventive ways to photographers who raid the local morgue looking for models, it’s hard for horror writers like us to make this stuff any nastier. But still we try. Main Topic: Art and the Cthulhu Mythos This episode is the conclusion of our two-part look into the relationship between Lovecraft and art. , we looked at the artistic influences that...
info_outline
315: Lovecraft and Art, with Kailas Elmer
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re mulling over bas-reliefs again. Once you start looking into the relationship between Lovecraft and art, the damn things are everywhere. We would say that there’s no relief from them, but that would be beneath us. Main Topic: Lovecraft and Art This episode is the first of a two-part look into the relationship between Lovecraft and art, and how this shaped the Cthulhu Mythos and Call of Cthulhu. Next episode, we’ll be flipping things around and looking for inspiration from the world of art, but here we’re examining the influence it had on Lovecraft’s life...
info_outline
314: Analogue Horror, with Holly Buteau
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re twiddling the tracking knob. It’s supposed to help clear up the image on this old videocassette, but maybe that’s just missing the point. The static can be the most interesting part, filled with whispers, ghosts, and ancient secrets. Compared to such wonders, the film itself is a bit disappointing. Then again, analogue horror seems to be more of a vibe than a form of storytelling, so maybe we should just let the white noise wash over us. Main Topic: Analogue Horror This episode sees us explore analogue horror, trying to work out what exactly it is and how to bring...
info_outline
313: Horror in Space, with Holly Buteau
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re and we’re answering the call of the void. Really, it’s about the scariest call you can receive, regardless of what Cthulhu may tell you. The yawning darkness of infinity shouldn’t be as tempting as it is. For all our talk about horror in space, maybe the real horror was inside us the whole time. Main Topic: Horror in Space This episode heads into the cold and the dark, exploring just what it is that makes space so scary. We talk about some of the real challenges and dangers posed by space travel and how they can amplify horror, then move on to inspirational...
info_outline
312: Comedy Horror, with Evan Dorkin
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re and we’re putting on our ponchos. They look a bit silly, but that works for us here. The important thing is that they’ll keep some of the gore off our clothes. Comedy horror can be a messy business, especially once you bring gardening equipment into play. We’re not sure whether to laugh or cry, so we’ll probably just scream. Main Topic: Comedy Horror This episode sees us delve into the bloody world of comedy horror, trying to pin down what makes the two genres work so well together, looking at some examples from media, and trying to work out how to perform...
info_outline
311: RPGs and Fiction, with Evan Dorkin
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
info_outline
310: Something Wicked This Way Comes, with Cuppycup
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
info_outline
309: Theme Parks and Horror, with Cuppycup
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re learning about protein spills. What sounded like an innocent sexual innuendo has turned out to be more scatological than any of us would have liked. The unpleasant realities of theme parks are well hidden behind twee language and cute costumes. Happily, once we strip them away, we can find some good horror inspiration. Although we do wish it all smelled a bit better. Main Topic: Theme Parks and Horror This episode, we visit the topic of theme parks, amusement parks, funfairs and the like, looking for Call of Cthulhu inspiration. As with so many things rooted...
info_outline
We’re back and we’re digging through our family tree. Or should that be digging up our family tree? Either way, we dig it. While The Case of Charles Dexter Ward doesn’t precisely advocate for raising the dead, it doesn’t make it look wholly unappealing either. Just remember to store your essential saltes in a robust container. We don’t want to be messing around with ye liveliest awfulness again. It took ages to get the stains out of the carpet last time!
Main Topic: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward part 1
We are beginning our investigation into The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, which will run for five episodes. This is Lovecraft’s longest work, perhaps more deserving of the description of “novel” than At the Mountains of Madness or The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. Despite this, it is arguably the most overlooked of Lovecraft’s major works. A shame, as this represents Lovecraft at his most Gothic, weaving a surprisingly subtle tale of witchcraft, necromancy, and dark family secrets.
As ever, we start out by discussing the origins and influences of the tale, before picking the story itself apart in search of gaming inspiration. We plan to conclude this run of episodes with a look into the various adaptations of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.
Links
Things we mention in this episode include:
Background and Influences
- At the Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft
- The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by HP Lovecraft
- A Dreamer and a Visionary: HP Lovecraft in His Time by ST Joshi
- I Am Providence: The Life and Times of HP Lovecraft by ST Joshi
- Lord of a Visible World: An Autobiography in Letters by HP Lovecraft, ST Joshi, and David E Schultz
- Lovecraft and a World in Transition by ST Joshi
- The New Annotated HP Lovecraft, edited by Leslie Klinger
- HP Lovecraft Historical Society readings of Lovecraft
- Dark Adventure Radio Theatre
- “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” by HP Lovecraft
- “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” by Edgar Allan Poe
- The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Salem witch trials
- “The Dreams in the Witch House” by HP Lovecraft
- The Return by Walter de la Mare
- “Supernatural Horror in Literature” by HP Lovecraft
- “Count Magnus” by MR James
- The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Pierre Borel
- Eurotrash
- Cotton Mather
- Magnalia Christi Americana by Cotton Mather
- The New Annotated HP Lovecraft: Beyond Arkham, edited by Leslie Klinger
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson
- Weird Tales
- Beyond the Wall of Sleep by HP Lovecraft
- Collected Fiction, A Variorum Edition by HP Lovecraft
The Story
- “The Thing on the Doorstep” by HP Lovecraft
- “The Call of Cthulhu” by HP Lovecraft
- The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
- The Last Symbol by Dan Brown
- Medieval minuscules
- First Baptist Church in America
- Stampers Hill
- “From Beyond” by HP Lovecraft
- “The Dunwich Horror” by HP Lovecraft
- “The Rats in the Walls” by HP Lovecraft
- Qanoon-e-Islam
- The Necronomicon
- “The Festival” by HP Lovecraft
- “Herbert West–Reanimator” by HP Lovecraft
- “The Terrible Old Man” by HP Lovecraft
- “Shada”
- Dirk Gently
- Horror on the Orient Express board game
News
Full Fathom Five on Into the Darkness
Our good friends at Into the Darkness are currently running Paul’s Call of Cthulhu scenario, “Full Fathom Five”. Why not join Stefan as Keeper and the rest of the crew for some nautical terrors?
October Horror Movie Challenge
October is nearly here, which can only mean one thing: Scott is about to watch a lot of horror films. Specifically, he shall post a review here every day throughout the month as his way of taking part in the October Horror Movie Challenge. If you fancy taking part, or just talking about some of the films, why not join the discussion on The Good Friends of Jackson Elias Discord server?
