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Shirley Jackson Awards Announced

The Shirley Jackson Awards for 2011 were announced earlier this month in Burlington, Massachusetts at Readercon 23, Conference on Imaginative Literature. The awards honor outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic. There are a lot of familiar names on the list…  some of the nominees were also candidates for the 2011 Stoker Awards (“The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine” by Peter Straub, The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates, Red Gloves by Christopher Fowler, Supernatural Noir edited by Ellen Datlow, Blood and Other Cravings edited by Ellen Datlow, and Ghosts by Gaslight edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers), and there are others that we reviewed on there as well (The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities edited by Jeff and Ann VanderMeer, The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan, and Teeth edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling). I was also excited to see that Kelly Link and Kit Reed  appeared on the list.  The entire list of nominees and winners is below. Congratulations, all!

2011 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners

NOVEL

WINNER:

Witches on the Road Tonight, Sheri Holman (Grove Press)

Finalists:

  • The Devil All the Time, Donald Ray Pollock (Doubleday)
  • The Dracula Papers, Reggie Oliver (Chômu Press)
  • The Great Lover, Michael Cisco (Chômu Press)
  • Knock Knock, S. P. Miskowski (Omnium Gatherum Media)
  • The Last Werewolf, Glen Duncan (Canongate Books, Ltd.-UK / Alfred A. Knopf-US)

NOVELLA

WINNER:

“Near Zennor,” Elizabeth Hand (A Book of Horrors, Jo Fletcher Books)

Finalists:

  • “And the Dead Shall Outnumber the Living,” Deborah Biancotti (Ishtar, Gilgamesh Press)
  • “A Child’s Problem,” Reggie Oliver (A Book of Horrors, Jo Fletcher Books)
  • “Displacement,” Michael Marano (Stories from the Plague Years, Cemetery Dance Publications)
  • The Men Upstairs, Tim Waggoner (Delirium Books)
  • “Rose Street Attractors,” Lucius Shepard (Ghosts by Gaslight, Harper Voyager)

NOVELETTE

WINNER:

“The Summer People,” Kelly Link (Tin House 49/Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories, Candlewick Press)

Finalists:

  • “The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine,” Peter Straub (Conjunctions 56)
  • “Ditch Witch,” Lucius Shepard (Supernatural Noir, Dark Horse)
  • “The Last Triangle,” Jeffrey Ford (Supernatural Noir, Dark Horse)
  • “Omphalos,” Livia Llewellyn (Engines of Desire: Tales of Love & Other Horrors, Lethe Press)

SHORT FICTION

WINNER:

“The Corpse Painter’s Masterpiece,” M. Rickert (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sept/Oct, 2011)

Finalists:

  • “Absolute Zero,” Nadia Bulkin (Creatures: Thirty Years of Monsters, Prime Books)
  • “Hair,” Joan Aiken (The Monkey’s Wedding and Other Stories, Small Beer Press/ The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July/Aug, 2011)
  • “Max,” Jason Ockert (The Iowa Review 41/1)
  • “Sunbleached,” Nathan Ballingrud (Teeth, HarperCollins)
  • “Things to Know About Being Dead,” Genevieve Valentine (Teeth, HarperCollins)

SINGLE-AUTHOR COLLECTION

WINNER:

After the Apocalypse: Stories, Maureen F. McHugh (Small Beer Press)

Finalists:

  • The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares, Joyce Carol Oates (Mysterious Press)
  • Engines of Desire: Tales of Love & Other Horrors, Livia Llewellyn (Lethe Press)
  • The Janus Tree, Glen Hirshberg (Subterranean Press)
  • Red Gloves, Christopher Fowler (PS Publishing)
  • What Wolves Know, Kit Reed (PS Publishing)

EDITED ANTHOLOGY

WINNER:

Ghosts by Gaslight, edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers (Harper Voyager)

Finalists:

  • Blood and Other Cravings, edited by Ellen Datlow (Tor)
  • A Book of Horrors, edited by Stephen Jones (Jo Fletcher Books)
  • Supernatural Noir, edited by Ellen Datlow (Dark Horse)
  • Teeth, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (HarperCollins)
  • The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (Harper Voyager)

 

 

 

Posted on July 25, 2012 by , Reply

Monster Movie Month: Not So Scary Movies (and TV) for Kids

So you’re looking to share your love of monsters with your four year old? You really have to choose carefully. A lot of the movies that you and I remember as great movies that we watched as kids… well, we might have been a little older than the preschool set. Movies that terrified my kids have included The Neverending Story (I just thought he’d like the dragon), Arsenic and Old Lace (a great comedy that’s a little blacker than I remembered), and The Frog Princess (those scary voodoo shadows were too much for my princess-loving preschooler). When we asked horror lovers, their suggestions included Monster Squad and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, both movies my six year old Monster Kid watched and liked, at least with Dad… but his younger sister refused to stay in the room (Coraline was also highly recommended,  and it’s a fantastic movie, but I think the kids can wait a few more years before trying that out).  I thought I’d offer a few here, though, that didn’t make my daughter (or son) run out of the room.

 

The Addams Family (1993)

Based on the delightful television series, this movie was a winner with my four year old. I’m not sure the kids actually understood the plot, but it was really beside the point, anyway. It’s the members of the Addams family who make it both creepy and funny. Anjelica Huston makes a great Morticia, but it’s Christina Ricci as Wednesday who really steals the show.

 

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Who knew the monster in the closet was more afraid of you than you are of it? Monsters, Inc., is another gem from Pixar. This one did cause the kids to flee the room a few times and my daughter does not like the part where “the monster kidnaps the little girl” but it’s a good one to watch as a family.

 

Mad Monster Party (1967)

Mad Monster Party may look familiar to you- that’s because it’s brought to you by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, the team behind such classic Christmas specials as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town (which, by the way, terrified my kids- the Abominable Snowman and the Winter Wizard are scary)!  I’m so glad they decided to take on Halloween. Mad Monster Party is one of MY favorites. Once I found it on DVD, I watched it every year on Halloween, and now my kids love it too. It’s more funny than scary,  has some fun musical numbers, and is a nice nonthreatening introduction to the Universal movie monsters. Note, the Universal monster movies themselves are NOT appropriate for this age group.

 

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? The Complete Third Season (1978)

This television series is a favorite here. The kids request the episodes, particularly of this season, over and over. I think the animated Scooby-Doo movies (like Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island) get pretty scary for little ones, but the series is fun. And, of course, as with all Scooby-Doo shows, the monsters always turn out to be funny- and real people.  I do not recommend the live action Scooby-Doo movies for this age- well, I’m not sure I recommend them at all- but the television show has actually inspired a lot of creative storytelling in our house!

 

Spirited Away (2003)

This Japanese animated feature from Hayao Miyazaki tells the story of Chihiro, a spoiled girl who is trapped, with her parents, in a surreal world of ghosts and demons. In order to save her parents and herself, Chihiro perseveres through many challenges, learning compassion and showing bravery. It’s both beautiful and terrifying, with a strange narrative and unreal atmosphere, and is unlike any other children’s movie I have seen. It won’t be appropriate for all preschoolers, and I suggest watching this as a family, and being ready for some interesting discussions afterwards, but it’s a fantastic and very memorable movie. Howl’s Moving Castle, also by Miyazaki, is one of my favorite movies, and my kids liked that as well.

 

Ruby Gloom (2006)

It’s unfortunate that Ruby Gloom is so difficult to find on DVD, because it’s a great show(luckily, it is available on Netflix).  Yes, it’s a television show, but it’s definitely worth mentioning here. Ruby is a perky little goth girl who lives in a haunted castle with an assortment of so-called monsters, including Scaredy Bat, who’s afraid to fly; Boo-Boo, a ghost who can’t scare anyone; Misery, plagued with supernaturally bad luck;  and Iris, a cheerful Cyclops. With a catchy theme song, fun animation, and silly plots, Ruby Gloom is an enjoyable little show that, while it does have some dark moments (particularly involving Misery) does its best to live up to its theme song’s words- “look on the bright side of the dark side”.

 

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2006)

Wallace, a clueless scientist, and Gromit, his dog,  are the Claymation creations of Nick Park.  Already popular from shorts like “A Close Shave”, here Wallace and Gromit, who are running a humane pest-control service, take on a giant were-rabbit who threatens their village’s annual vegetable-growing contest. Like Mad Monster Party, it’s not really a “scary” movie, but it includes references to many of the classics, and is enjoyable for kids and adults alike.

 

Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular (2008)

This one we haven’t seen, but it’s gotten great recommendations. It’s an animated Halloween special from the Cartoon Network. I’ve been told it’s perfect for four year olds- a little scary, and very funny. Now that I know about it I’m sure we’ll be checking it out!

Next time you’re in the mood to share a monster movie with your little one, try one of these out! And if you have suggestions or opinions, I’d love to have you comment below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on July 22, 2012 by , Reply

Monster Movie Month: Frankenstein and Other Mad Scientists

Why is it that so many people are drawn to the tales of mad scientists? Their obsessions drive them beyond caring about notions of right and wrong; they go far beyond in testing the limits of what it means to create or alter life and humanity. From Victor Frankenstein to Dr. Moreau, mad scientists appear in literature and film again and again, warning us of the dangers of seeking knowledge out of selfishness and arrogance, and giving us visions of the horrors that can emerge from experiments gone awry.

The archetypal mad scientist is Frankenstein- the man, not the monster- who, once he has brought his terrifying creation, stitched together from stolen body parts, to life, abandons his responsibility to the frightened, innocent creature. The story behind the origins of the Frankenstein story is enough to capture the imagination, and since then, it has gone through many incarnations and interpretations. One of the most famous of these is the 1931 Frankenstein produced by Universal Pictures, reviewed here, but there are many more books and movies based on or inspired by Mary Shelley’s original novel. There are also many other resources on Mary Shelley and Frankenstein available.

But Frankenstein is hardly the only mad scientist in the movies. During the same time period that Universal produced Frankenstein, it also released Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man, and The Island of Lost Souls. Since then, audiences and readers have been treated to a variety of mad scientists in both movies and books, and as long as science has the potential to lead to disaster for humanity, that trend seems certain to continue.

For a list of Frankenstein-inspired movies, check out this page from Wikipedia.

For a list of “mad scientist” movies of varying kinds visit this page from Wikpedia

Here’s an entertaining entry on the Mad Scientist trope from TVtropes.com, and here’s a more thoughtful piece from Strange Magazine.

 

For watch-alikes and read-alikes to three great mad scientist movies released by Universal Studios, look below. And note, this is a great way to get someone hooked on the classics, on the screen and on the page.

Frankenstein(1931)

Watch-alikes: Bride of Frankenstein(1935), Son of Frankenstein(1939), The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Read-alikes: Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, His Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppell (young adult), Angelmonster (young adult) by Veronica Bennett, The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein (nonfiction)

 

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)

Watch alikes: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941),  Mary Reilly(1996), The Invisible Man (1933)

Read-alikes: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin, The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

 

Island of Lost Souls (1933)

Watch-alikes:  The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), The Fly (1986), Jurassic Park (1991)

Read-alikes: The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells, Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

 

Enjoy your visit, but don’t stay too long… you might not escape!

 

Posted on July 19, 2012 by , Reply
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