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Musings: Doing What You Love with Someone You Love, by Kirsten and Miles Kowalewski

 

 
This entry was written at the request of my son Miles, previously referred to here as the Monster Kid for privacy reasons (Miles is just a few months older than Monster Librarian, and inspired our Monster Movie Month project in July 2012. A  little kid doesn’t need his name out there on the Internet) There are some really cool blog posts in the July 2012 archives for this blog) At 20, he is no longer a kid and while he’s home from college he wanted to share how important it is to him that the two of us share the experience of watching and talking about horror movies together. We’ve each written a little about it here, first from my point of view and then from his. Mine is a bit wordy, but make sure to read what he has to say. It’s so cool to see what he thinks about the time we spend together sharing this interest! If you’ve ever wondered how horror-loving kids turn out, mine is kind, curious, loving, generous, and enthusiastic about his interests.

 

Kirsten: 

I am more of a horror reader than a horror movie watcher. Being married to a horror movie lover made movie nights challenging, to say the least. But my son has not just followed in Dylan’s fandom footsteps but has even gone further, majoring in media production and screenwriting, and working on short films for Radiance, Ball State University’s immersive learning experience in filmmaking. Since Miles was a kid, he has had an interest in monsters and scary movies– in fact, one year, Dylan helped him shoot a short monster movie during his birthday party. As a teenager Miles read about and took classes in screenwriting for horror movies, learned to write film criticism, connected with people online, and even to conventions.

 

I have learned that if you want your kids to spend time with you, it makes a difference if you take time to share their interests, so I watch and talk about horror movies with Miles. I love getting to share the experience with him, and because it’s interesting to him, he makes it interesting, and even exciting, to get into it with him. I probably text him now with more horror movie related content than I do cat videos (college students apparently need a steady diet of cat videos). I owe many thanks to James A. Janisse of the Kill Count, who has made it possible for me to talk about movies intelligently with him even when I haven’t watched them through.

 

Almost all of the movies I’ve seen in theaters in the past year have been with Miles, and this actually was a great year for watching horror movies in a theater. I’m probably not representative of the general moviegoing population, but in addition to Sinners, four of the five movies I saw in theaters were horror movies, and worth the ticket price (28 Years Later, Weapons, The Long Walk, and Frankenstein). I really think that they are a lifeline for movie theaters. I saw the first three with my son, and watching a movie on the big screen in a movie theater is a great experience to share with someone who really is interested in being there and enjoying it.  I love Guillermo del Toro and everything Frankenstein, and although Miles was at school, I could go back and forth with him about cinematography, directorial choices, special effects, storytelling, and all the other things I’ve learned from him about filmmaking, especially horror, even though we weren’t able to see it together.  I saw del Toro’s Frankenstein with my mom, who loves the book but doesn’t like violence or horror, and there is a world of difference in the discourse when you are sharing the experience with someone who isn’t open to it.

 

Since Miles is in college now, we mainly watch movies when he’s home on break, and this year we’ve watched It Follows (a favorite of his), Pearl, Get Out, Psycho, Cure, and Black Christmas together.  We also watched Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead again, because we learned that the Monroeville Mall, where parts of Dawn of the Dead were filmed, will be demolished later this year. We actually intended to visit this weekend while he is on spring break, but then I discovered there’s actually going to be a final farewell there in June, with original cast members in attendance, so I think we’re going to wait for that!  I watched them casually in the past, but now horror movies mean more, because they’re something Miles and I share.

 

 

Miles: To me, this whole experience has been getting to do something that I love with a person that is into and enjoys the same genre as I do. We both have different specialties in regards to the horror genres, across multiple mediums. I enjoy movies more then I do books and for Mom, it is vice versa.

 

I specifically enjoy watching horror movies with my Mom because I have always been fascinated with movies as medium and horror as a genre ever since I was incredibly young. Plus I also think that it may help that it is something we do together, to varying degrees of enjoyment.

 

I find that with these movies we watch, it helps us bond and grow closer together. I don’t think Mom would have willingly watched any of the movies that we did with anyone else (maybe except for Daddy, but he was into some pretty intense stuff). And given how unique and special my mom can be with these kinds of things, it is always a treat to do.

 

In summary, you can dice it many different ways. It could be family bonding, the continuation of legacy, film analysis, criticism and appreciation, or maybe just laughing and screaming at whatever is on our screen for the night (most likely all of the above). But at the end of the day, it is something that I always have found brings me a sense of warmth and comfort in a world that always seems to be getting darker and colder.

 

 

Posted on March 4, 2026 by , Reply

Book Review: Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke, illustrated by Allen Williams

Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke, illustrated by Allen Williams.

Katherine Tegen Books, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-0062414465

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

 

 

Who better to take Pan’s Labyrinth, Spanish filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s critically acclaimed dark, surrealist fairytale of a film and translate it into a children’s book than German children’s fantasy author Cornelia Funke? Ofelia isn’t your ordinary princess in a tower with a life under the control of a vicious, dictatorial stepfather: she is a child caught in the middle of a revolution in Fascist Spain, who discovers she is also the main character in a mythical story.  Although she is the protagonist, the film was not a children’s movie, and the story is framed by adults’ actions and points of view (specifically, the sadistic Captain Vidal, who is Ofelia’s stepfather, and Mercedes, their housekeeper, who is a rebel spy).

The book alternates between Ofelia’s view of the world as a magical place; the story of her family (including mother, stepfather, and new brother) and the battle between the soldiers (headed by Captain Vidal) and the rebels; and intertwined fairytales that touch on their reality. All three of these together lead Ofelia to take on a magical quest at the entrance to an ancient labyrinth on their property at the urging of the elemental, Pan, a faun who tells her that she is really a princess, the daughter of the king of the underworld.  The faun tells her she will have to undertake three tasks in order to rejoin her parents in the underworld. The obstacles presented by dinner parties, a sick mother, a baby brother, an angry stepfather, the violence of the Fascists toward the rebels, and Mercedes the housekeeper’s subterfuges, all must be navigated in order for Ofelia to sneak off and try the terrifying tasks for a faun she isn’t exactly sure she can even trust.

Cornelia Funke’s poetic and fantastical language and style of writing perfectly suits the fairytale nature of the story.  Yes, Ofelia’s story takes place in a specific historical setting, but the reader doesn’t have to know the history of the Spanish Civil War to fall in love with this tale (although I wouldn’t have been averse to a historical note). Due to its being based on a film targeted to adults, however, there are some disturbing moments of violence and implied torture and cannibalism, as well as a significant amount of bloodletting. There is plenty of foreboding and horror in play here, even presented as a children’s book.

Allen Williams’ illustrations really make the book work. Many pages are framed with bending tree branches around the text, giving the reader a feeling of really traveling through a portal into an ancient forest. The individual fairytales are printed on gray paper and have a full page black-and-white pencil illustration facing them, bringing the fantastical to life. The drawing opposite the story “When The Faun Came To Life” is strikingly similar to the creature in the film. I strongly recommend that if you choose to purchase this, you spend the extra few dollars for a hardback for the pleasure you’ll get from the combination of text with illustration.

This isn’t a simple novelization. Cornelia Funke has created something special here, making del Toro’s darkly magical film and narrative accessible to young people.  Highly recommended, especially for del Toro and Funke fans, for ages 12+.

 

Contains: violence, blood, murder, brief scenes of torture, implied torture, death in childbirth, implied cannibalism

Posted on October 17, 2019 by , Reply

You Might Be In A Horror Novel If…

The 25 Best Gothic Horror Books

You are in an abandoned mansion in the middle of nowhere.

You are a governess, left alone with oddly acting or obviously evil children.

You are isolated from the rest of the world by weather, geography, and/or another outside force beyond your control.

You do not trust the evidence of your own senses.

 

You might be in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James,

or This House Is Haunted by John Boyne

 

It is stormy, dark and gloomy.

You are the captive of a scheming and sadistic governess, teacher, caretaker, or relative.

You are trapped in the walls, a basement, a closet, or an attic.

There is a hedge maze, Escher-style stairs, or carnivorous beast on the property.

Authorities are absent or unable to help you.

 

You might be in Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews,

or Misery by Stephen King

Your house is a former asylum or school, built over a graveyard, or the site of a cold-case murder.

You have specifically been told not to open a door.

Ghosts are either menacing you, possessing you, or asking you for help.

An inanimate object starts talking to you.

Someone is leading you through dark, underground tunnels or catacombs.

Your nightmares seem very, very real.

 

You might be in Down A Dark Hall by Lois Duncan,

or the stories of Edgar Allan Poe

 

It is bright and sunny, and everyone is very, very, happy.

 

You are uneasy without obvious reason.

You are uneasy with obvious reason.

Everyone in town is related to (or at least knows) everyone else.

There is a terrible secret in your town’s past (or present).

A disturbing community ritual, probably involving demon worship, is scheduled for the near future.

You are offered a favor in exchange for your soul.

You find a book or journal that clearly will summon an ancient evil.

 

You might be in  The Thirteen  by Susie Moloney

or The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

 

A classified, experimental government program has gone awry.

An inexplicable and incurable virus has infected the majority of the population.

A malicious mythical creature attempts to eat you, assimilate you, or seduce you.

A vigilante or cult-like group is bent on destruction.

 

You might be in The Strain by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro

or The Fireman  by Joe Hill

 

Giant, mutated creatures are approaching.

Ominous, tentacled creatures appear on the scene.

The narrator or main character is showing clear evidence of insanity.

 

You might be in Maplecroft by Cherie Priest, Clickers by J.F. Gonzalez,

or the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

 

People are dying in brutal, horrifying, appalling ways.

Someone, or something, wants to eat you for dinner.

 

You might be in Succulent Prey by Wrath James White,

or Monster Island by David Wellington

 

Your perceptions are unreliable or distorted.

You can’t trust your memories.

You can’t trust the media.

You might be in A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

 

You have a feeling of bone deep terror.

That unending sense of dread just won’t go away.

You hear a loud “slam” and things go dark…

 

You’re probably trapped in a horror novel. Let’s hope that your reader decides to open up the book again, and gives you a chance to escape!

 

 

Editor’s note: not all books are appropriate for all readers.. and I wouldn’t wish any of you to be trapped in any of these! 

 

 

 

Posted on July 10, 2016 by , Reply