The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies Los Angeles and New York City both have two very intriguing events going on this week. Miskatonic LA welcomes writer John Skipp tomorrow, March 14th, for a look at splatterpunk. Also in today's Highlights: Miskatonic NYC's Enchanting Technology event details and Ghost Bait's revival on the Travel Channel.
The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies - LA's Splatterpunk Event Details: "The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies - LA Presents: IN YOUR FACE TILL YOUR FACE COMES OFF: JOHN SKIPP ON THE HISTORY OF SPLATTERPUNK, AND THE TRIUMPH OF THE OVERT at the Philosophical Research Society March 14th!
In the 1980s, a handful of writers — Clive Barker, David J. Schow, Joe R. Lansdale, and John Skipp & Craig Spector — inadvertently kicked off a seismic shift in literary horror. Less a conscious revolution than a spontaneous eruption of the arts, these restless artists bucked against the constraints of conventional horror, serving up whopping doses of wildly explicit sex, visionary violence, and really loud rock ‘n’ roll, underlying an even more subversive layer of fierce cultural critique.
At the time, it was accused of “coarsening the genre”. And when the 80s horror boom crashed and burned in the 90s, there were those who held splatterpunk responsible. In the years that followed, “extreme horror” fiction paved the way to cinematic “torture porn”. And even network cop shows started showing more graphic onscreen violence that would have gotten an “R” rating a mere fifteen years before.
Best-selling novelist, award-winning book editor, and filmmaker John Skipp conducts a crazy three-hour tour through a history of horror’s most hilariously-named subgenre. The forces that shaped it. And the forces it has shaped, as we enter the fresh horrors of the 21st century.
About the Instructor:
John Skipp is a Saturn Award-winning filmmaker (TALES OF HALLOWEEN), Stoker Award-winning anthologist (DEMONS, MONDO ZOMBIE), and New York Times bestselling author (THE LIGHT AT THE END, THE SCREAM) whose books have sold millions of copies in a dozen languages worldwide. His first anthology, BOOK OF THE DEAD, laid the foundation in 1989 for modern zombie literature. He’s also editor-in-chief of Fungasm Press, championing genre-melting authors like Laura Lee Bahr, Autumn Christian, Danger Slater, Cody Goodfellow, and Devora Gray From splatterpunk founding father to bizarro elder statesman, Skipp has influenced a generation of horror and counterculture artists around the world. His latest book is THE ART OF HORRIBLE PEOPLE.
Date: Marc 14th, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Venue: Philosophical Research Society
Address: 3910 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Prices: $12 advance ($40 with book) / $15 door
About the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies:
Named for the fictional university in H.P. Lovecraft’s literary mythos, the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies is an international organization that offers university-level history, theory and production-based masterclasses for people of all ages, founded by film writer and programmer Kier-La Janisse in March 2010, with regular branches in London, New York and L.A. as well as presenting special events worldwide.
For more updates sign up for the Miskatonic Newsletter HERE!"
---------
The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies - NYC's Enchanting Technology Event Details: "The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies - NYC Presents: ENCHANTING TECHNOLOGY: MAKING, HACKING, AND THE OCCULT IMAGINATION at Film Noir Cinema March 19th!
Magic and technology share a deeply intimate relationship to the human experience as they are both methods that use tools to gain control over nature and ourselves. The magician and the inventor both attempt to break open conventional ways of working with the forces that shape our lives. Magic is, indeed, a kind of spiritual hacking: They are opening the machine of the universe to understand how it works and bend it towards a new purpose. And when magicians and artists use technology to explore the occult imagination they reveal new ways of enchanting our lives.
Based on the research from Peter Bebergal’s Strange Frequencies, this multi-media presentation will take participants through the history of how human beings have attempted to interact with the otherworldly using technology. John Dee’s shew stones, spirit photography, and ghost radios are all examples of our capacity to re-engineer our spiritual lives. These and other kinds of occult practices require experimentation, breaking boundaries, and using devices in ways they might not be originally intended for. This desire to restore some inner agency to our own lives is also apparent recent popularity of DIY and maker culture. We are seeking enchantment and wonder in new ways and are coming to see it means pushing up against spiritual and material restrictions.
Peter will stage the fantastic with film clips, photographs, and sound recordings. Topics include The legend of the golem; automata and the uncanny valley; magic lanterns and natural magic; spirit photography; electronic voice phenomena; and the dream machine.
The course will propose that belief in the supernatural is not required to be enchanted. Technology provides means through which we can activate that part of our imagination. Hacking is a state of mind.
About the instructor:
Peter Bebergal writes widely on the speculative and slightly fringe. His essays and reviews have appeared in NewYorker.com, The Times Literary Supplement, Boing Boing, The Believer, and The Quietus. He is the author of Strange Frequencies: The Extraordinary Story of the Technological Quest for the Supernatural; Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll; Too Much to Dream: A Psychedelic American Boyhood, and The Faith Between Us: A Jew and a Catholic Search for the Meaning of God (with Scott Korb). Bebergal studied religion and culture at Harvard Divinity School. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Date: March 19th, 2019
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Venue: Film Noir Cinema
Address: 122 Meserole, Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Prices: $12 advance / $15 on the door / $50 Full semester pass
About the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies:
Named for the fictional university in H.P. Lovecraft’s literary mythos, the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies is an international organization that offers university-level history, theory and production-based masterclasses for people of all ages, founded by film writer and programmer Kier-La Janisse in March 2010, with regular branches in London, New York and L.A. as well as presenting special events worldwide. The New York branch is co-run by Joe Yanick of Yellow Veil Pictures and filmmaker Jacqueline Castel.
For more updates sign up for the Miskatonic Newsletter HERE!"
---------
Travel Channel's Ghost Bait Revival Details: "Paranormal pioneer Bob Magill and empathic investigator Tina Storer take on frightening, personal hauntings in America in the cult classic “Ghost Bait,” lured back to television and premiering on Travel Channel on Thursday, April 4 at 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT with 12 half-hour episodes. Using a shocking but effective method of isolation combined with sensory deprivation, the duo helps people overcome their fear of intense paranormal activity. After conducting their own paranormal investigation, Magill and Storer use their findings to elevate a client’s fear level and then use that terror as bait to draw out the entity and force a confrontation. By facing their worst fears head-on, Magill and Storer believe the living can overpower the negative forces around them to reclaim their sense of peace and control.
“Bob and Tina are two of the most dedicated paranormal investigators out there, and the unique way they conduct their investigations will keep you on the edge of your seat. And fans can’t help but root for the haunting victims as they’re forced to face their worst fears,” said Jane Latman, general manager, Travel Channel.
In the premiere episode, Magill and Storer travel to the historic Brookdale Lodge in Santa Cruz, California, to investigate claims of an evil spirit bullying an employee named Agnes. The paranormal investigators discover the once famed hotel has a dark history filled with mysterious deaths and corruption. Agnes must overcome her deepest fears and challenge the oppressive entity plaguing her in order to continue her livelihood at the hotel. Isolated in the pool room, an area known for frightening activity, Agnes confronts the entity – alone. In the second episode of the night, Magill and Storer head to Monongahela, Pennsylvania, to investigate claims of paranormal activity terrorizing a young couple in their new home. During a chilling late-night investigation, the duo comes face to face with a mysterious presence in the woods and capture a terrifying voice inside the house that repeats the phrase, “in a portal.” As a last resort, homeowners, Jason and Nina, are forced to confront their fear of the evil demon in order to reclaim their house.
Check out “Ghost Bait” on TravelChannel.com for behind-the-scenes videos, photos and more from the all-new series. Follow @TravelChannel and #GhostBait for more exclusive content and updates.
“Ghost Bait” is produced by Indigo Films for Travel Channel. For Indigo Films, the executive producers are David M. Frank, Keith Guinto, and Bob Magill. For Travel Channel, the executive producer is Christine Shuler, Jane Latman is general manager and Henry Schleiff is group president of Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, American Heroes Channel, and Destination America.
ABOUT BOB MAGILL
Bob Magill developed his interest in the unknown at a young age after his first paranormal experience. As he grew older, he obtained his Master of Social Sciences focused on psychology, anthropology, and sociology and became a licensed therapist. Determined to interweave his love of helping people and his obsession with the paranormal, Magill decided to create the web series “Ghost Bait,” in 2011. Combining state-of-the-art technology with his therapeutic background, he helped genuinely terrified people who were experiencing intense paranormal activity in their lives. Magill believes he is fulfilling a calling to help others who are experiencing the phenomenon he did as a child.
ABOUT TINA STORER
Ever since her first ghostly encounter at the age of 14, Tina Storer has been fascinated with the paranormal. Although she’s known from early on that she was in tune with the other side, she was deathly afraid of the unknown. It wasn’t until she immersed herself in the world of ghosts and entities that she was able to overcome her fears. Storer has been investigating the paranormal for over 10 years and has made it her mission to help others also overcome their biggest fears by facing them head-on.
ABOUT TRAVEL CHANNEL
For the bold, daring and spontaneous; those adventurers who embrace the thrill of the unexpected; those risk-takers who aren’t afraid of a little mystery; if you’re up for anything, down for whatever, and above all, love great stories, journey on to Travel Channel. We’re more than you expect and everything you didn’t know you were looking for. Reaching more than 82 million U.S. cable homes, Travel Channel is the world’s leading travel media brand. Fans also can visit Travel Channel for more information or interact with other fans through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Travel Channel is owned by Discovery, Inc., a global leader in real life entertainment spanning 220 countries and territories, whose portfolio also includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network."
Tamika hails from North Beach, Maryland, a tiny town inches from the Chesapeake Bay.She knew she wanted to be an actor after reciting a soliloquy by Sojourner Truth in front of her entire fifth grade class. Since then, she's appeared in over 20 film and television projects. In addition to acting, Tamika is the Indie Spotlight manager for Daily Dead, where she brings readers news on independent horror projects every weekend.
The first horror film Tamika watched was Child's Play. Being eight years old at the time, she remembers being so scared when Chucky came to life that she projectile vomited. It's tough for her to choose only one movie as her favorite horror film, so she picked two: Nosferatu and The Stepford Wives (1975).
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
