Lost Souls of Horror and the Gothic: Fifty-Four Neglected Authors, Actors, Artists and Others

by Elizabeth McCarthy (editor), Bernice M. Murphy (Editor)

Horror and Gothic in all of their various forms have penetrated the cultural mainstream in a manner unseen since the last horror boom in mid/late 1970s; even people who would never before have entertained an interest in such dark genres are now happily settling down to watch zombie- and serial killer-related TV shows after the family dinner. This unique collection of 54 short biographical essays, by scholars and experts, brings together a vast array of figures who have played a role in the ever-expanding world of Gothic and Horror. However, you won't find the usual suspects here. Names such as Bram Stoker, Vincent Price, and Stephen King are notably absent. Such titans of terror have received and continue to receive prominent attention in all manner of publications. This collection, instead, focuses on those underrated or overlooked people whom our contributors persuasively argue are deserving of acknowledgement or reappraisal. Stimulatingly eclectic, the essays muse and enthuse on figures as diverse as American singer-songwriter, Tom Waits; British occultist and author, Dion Fortune; American author and scriptwriter, Charles Beaumont; Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop, Gregory of Tours; British gothic novelist and playwright, Francis Lathom; Japanese video game designer, Shinji Mikami; English stage and film actor, Skelton Knaggs; 19th-century Irish novelist, Charlotte Riddell; and Russian-born American experimental filmmaker, Maya Deren. Informative and entertaining, these essays expand, enrich (and, at times, challenge) the boundaries of what we actually define as Gothic and Horror. They celebrate the wide variety of talented individuals whose participation in Gothic and Horror's ongoing evolution has been unjustly overlooked.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, Gothic

260 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2016

Reviews

[Berna Labourdette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro es una joya absoluta debido al espléndido criterio de selección de perfiles relacionados con el gótico: descubrí a Maya Deren, conocí al Dr. Nikola, genio del mal, creación de Guy Boothby, me enteré de datos curiosos sobre autores que pensé que ya conocía (como Dion Fortune), y por supuesto, hay muchísima bibliografía a revisar. Me demoré en terminarlo y seguro volveré a revisar a manera de consulta. Buenísimo.  

[William Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing collection of short essays on those long-forgotten or under-appreciated artists, writers, film-makers, actors, video-game creators and musicians whose work has contributed to the Gothic in the arts over the years. Included in this collection are essays on Tom Waits, Charles Fort, Dulcie Deamer, Tod Slaughter, Edogawa Rampo, Charles Beaumont, Victor Halperin, Aleister Crowley and Team Silent Hill.
Each of these essays is relatively short, and some are more convincing than others regarding the legitimacy of applying the term "Gothic" to describe their work, but I appreciated learning about so many interesting and creative personalities who each created something worthy of comment and further examination in his or her life.
I was already familiar with some of these names, but having read this book, I'll now look up many other books, movies and other creative works recommended by the authors of these essays.
I satisfying and informative read, I certainly recommend this book.