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...
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311: RPGs and Fiction, with Evan Dorkin
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
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310: Something Wicked This Way Comes, with Cuppycup
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
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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...
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308: The Appeal of Vampires, With Josephine McAdam
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
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307: Horror For the Nervous, with Josephine McAdam
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re hiding behind the sofa. Sure, the monsters, masked killers, and mutants can probably find us back here, but it still feels safer for some reason. Fear is rarely a rational thing, so why should our response to it be? Main Topic: Horror For the Nervous This episode came about when Scott was playing The Between with Josephine McAdam over on and she mentioned that she rarely watches or reads horror media because she finds it upsetting. Given how many horror projects Josephine has been involved with, this seemed like something worth exploring, so we...
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306: Quatermass and the Pit
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re digging up the past. Some of this excavation is purely physical, burrowing into the clay under London in search of the usual skulls and spaceships. The rest, however, is more atavistic in nature, uncovering the strange, alien memories buried within our minds. On reflection, we probably shouldn’t have used pickaxes for both jobs. Main Topic: Quatermass and the Pit This episode is our long-overdue exploration of the strange world of Professor Bernard Quatermass, and especially the 1967 film adaptation of Quatermass and the Pit. While we’ve mentioned Nigel...
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305: How to be an Investigator
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re blundering. That’s not to say that we don’t have a clue, but we’re not quite sure what to do with the handful we’ve managed to find. We’ve tried pinning them to a board and running strings between them, but the result is more abstract art than anything functional. Maybe we’ll just keep punching NPCs until one of them finally tells us what’s going on. Main Topic: How to be an Investigator This episode is our attempt to sharpen our own skills as investigators, or at least hope that others can learn from our mistakes. Scott and guest host Seth Skorkowsky...
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304: Haunted Landscapes
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re digging deep. While you might expect to find ghosts in these haunted landscapes, mostly we’re unearthing history. Oh, and carcinogens. On balance, ghosts seem like the healthier option. Main Topic: Haunted Landscapes Building on last episode’s discussion of Lovecraftian horror and detective fiction explored in Heather Miller’s , we’re delving into another part of the book, which lays out the idea of haunted landscapes. The landscapes in question are haunted by the past rather than ghosts, with layers of history transforming their geography and meaning. We...
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303: Call of Cthulhu and Detective Fiction
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re sifting through evidence. Being a good detective requires a keen eye for detail, an analytical mind, and a thorough knowledge of the genre. But that happens when you find yourself in a different genre than you were expecting? Is your uncanny ability to piece together disparate clues really an asset when it leads you to horrifying revelations? Maybe this new dark age thing we’ve heard about isn’t so bad after all. Main Topic: Call of Cthulhu and Detective Fiction This episode delves into the complex relationship between detective fiction and Lovecraftian horror....
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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?
