The expansion of The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies into Los Angeles and London gives horror fans new opportunities for expert explorations of horror sub-genres and live conversations with some of the genre's most influential figures. We have details on two upcoming October events: "I Dream of Deep Water: An Exploration of the History and Psychology of Aquatic Horror" with Rebekah McKendry in Los Angeles, and "Live from Miskatonic: Stephen Volk in Conversation with Sean Hogan" in London.
For more details on both events, visit: https://www.miskatonicinstitute.com/
The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies - LA Presents: I DREAM OF DEEP WATER: AN EXPLORATION OF THE HISTORY AND PSYCHOLOGY OF AQUATIC HORROR at the Philosophical Research Society October 24th!
The Miskatonic Institute Horror Studies - LA explores the depths of underwater horror from JAWS to Lovecraft and from the screens to the real-life seas. Miskatonic LA co-director Rebekah McKendry uses cinema, lore, visual arts and psychology to bring our fascination, and fear, with the unknown that lurks beneath the waves to the surface.
The summer of 1975 completed changed movie history. Not only did the release of JAWS set the standard for the “summer blockbuster”, it also ignited society’s communal anxiety, fear, and fascination with what could be lurking just the below the surface of the water. The success of JAWS not only led to a slate of rip-off films soon to be dubbed as “sharkploitation”, but also had real life repercussions of pure terror leading to deserted beaches and massive shark culls. However, JAWS was by no means the first or last aquatic horror media to pique our interest in the deep blue. Our fascination for monsters of the abyss goes back to the dawn of man and has traveled with us throughout time, from Jonah’s whale to ancient sea monsters depicted in early cartography to Moby Dick to the upcoming MEG film.
From unknown ghosts of the deep to sharks, mermaids, gators and the Great Old Ones of Lovecraftian lore, This lecture by Rebekah McKendry will examine not only the history of aquatic horror, focusing on film, but also touching on earlier texts and visual arts. McKendry will also explore the psychology behind our fascination with unknown fathoms, exploring the mental intersections of fear and fascination, the symbolism of submergence, and the subconscious primordial elements of the deep.
About the Instructor:
Rebekah McKendry, PhD is an award-winning film and television director with a strong focus in the horror and science fiction genres. She has a doctorate focused in Media Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, a MA in Film Studies from City University of New York, and a second MA from Virginia Tech in Media Education. Rebekah previously has worked as the Editor-in-chief at Blumhouse Productions and as the Executive Director of Marketing for Fangoria Entertainment. She is also a co-host of Blumhouse’s SHOCK WAVES podcast. Her newest feature film, ALL THE CREATURES WERE STIRRING, is a horror-comedy releasing this Fall.The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies - London Presents: LIVE FROM MISKATONIC: STEPHEN VOLK IN CONVERSATION WITH SEAN HOGAN (LONDON) at The Horse Hospital October 11th!
The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies - London welcomes celebrated screenwriter and horror author Stephen Volk to the Horse Hospital for a conversation about his career, the true stories behind his works, his views of what horror is actually 'for', and much more - moderated by UK filmmaker Sean Hogan.
Screenwriter and author Stephen Volk is perhaps best known for writing the notorious BBC Halloween hoax Ghostwatch, which spooked the nation, hit newspaper headlines and prompted questions to be asked in Parliament. However, his many other notable screenplays include those for the films Gothic (directed by Ken Russell), The Guardian (directed by William Friedkin), the BAFTA award-winning The Deadness of Dad, and The Awakening, while his other TV credits range from Afterlife to the recent Midwinter of the Spirit. In addition, he is also a renowned prose author of novellas and short fiction, winning British Fantasy Awards for his collection Monsters in the Heart and his novella “Newspaper Heart”. Arguably his most acclaimed work of fiction so far has been the 2013 novella Whitstable, a story featuring legendary horror icon Peter Cushing. He followed this in 2015 with another novella, Leytonstone, about the early life of Alfred Hitchcock, and will be completing his Dark Masters Trilogy this year with the publication of Netherwood, a fictional account of an encounter between famed black magic author Dennis Wheatley and notorious mystic Aleister Crowley.
During this exclusive event, Stephen Volk will discuss his career and work with screenwriter & filmmaker Sean Hogan. Covering both his film & TV credits as well as his prose fiction, the pair will look at the differences between writing for film and television; his contrasting screenwriting experiences in the UK and the US; the process behind writing fictionalised biographical works such as Gothic and the Dark Masters Trilogy; discuss the stories behind the creation of some of his most famous/infamous credits; examine why and how he built a successful prose career away from screenwriting; and talk more broadly about the methodology of representing the supernatural onscreen and what horror is actually ‘for’. The evening will end with a Q&A session with the audience, and should provide an invaluable insight into writing for page and screen by an acknowledged master of the forms; no aspiring writer should miss the chance to learn from Stephen Volk’s hard-earned experience across a wide range of writing disciplines.
About the Instructors:
Stephen Volk is best known as the writer of the BBC’s notorious “Hallowe’en hoax” Ghostwatch – called by some the most frightening thing ever produced on TV – and the award-winning ITV paranormal drama series Afterlife starring Andrew Lincoln and Lesley Sharp. His screenplays include 2011’s The Awakening starring Rebecca Hall and Dominic West, Ken Russell’s Gothic starring Gabriel Byrne and Natasha Richardson, The Guardian (co-written with William Friedkin), and the 3-part TV adaptation of Phil Rickman’s Midwinter of the Spirit. He won a BAFTA for The Deadness of Dad starring Rhys Ifans and wrote the play The Chapel of Unrest which was premiered at the Bush in London starring Jim Broadbent and Reece Shearsmith.
A greatly admired prose writer, his 2014 short story collection ‘Monsters In The Heart’ won a British Fantasy Award for Best Collection, while his novella ‘A Newspaper Heart’, won the 2015 Award for Best Novella.
Sean Hogan is a writer and filmmaker. His directorial credits include Lie Still and The Devil’s Business; he also produced the feature documentary Future Shock! The Story of 2000AD and has worked on the screenplays for a number of other films, most notably The Borderlands. In collaboration with Kim Newman, he was responsible for devising two multi-author anthology plays, The Hallowe’en Sessions and The Ghost Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, both of which he directed. Most recently, he wrote a metafictional book on the cult 70’s horror film Death Line, and wrote and directed a short film homage to the BBC Christmas Ghost Story tradition entitled We Always Find Ourselves in the Sea.
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