tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84876856703036570822024-03-13T07:31:00.517-07:00Space Horror FilmsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474055283166372186noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487685670303657082.post-83178207970572157412015-09-06T23:17:00.002-07:002015-09-06T23:17:46.622-07:00SHF.2015.09.06.5 Dark Star
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SPOILERS BELOW</div>
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I received my copy of John Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon’s
space story <i>Dark Star</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1974) from Amazon
today, so it was movie night. John Carpenter and Dan O’Bannon worked together
on this satirical science fiction film that originated from a student short
film at USC. Producer of The Blob, Jack H. Harris, had seen the project and
obtained the theatrical rights and he added additional footage in order to
bring </span><i>Dark Star</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> to feature
length. </span></div>
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The film begins with an epistolary entry from Earth to the
crew of Dark Star. We learn that the crew has been in space for 20 years, their
commander has been killed from an on-board accident during hyperdrive and the
crew’s request for additional equipment is denied due to budgetary constraints.
The crew’s directive is to destroy unstable planets by releasing bombs and then
using warp drive to get away from the planet as quickly as possible. </div>
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When the crew is not cooped up in their control room, which
does have a vague similarity to one of <i>Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space
Odyssey</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> sets, they are sitting around in
their makeshift bunkroom, bored to tears. Each tries to find some way to pass
the time: Boiler (Cal Kuniholm) pulls out a switchblade and I kid you not, he
clears space on the table in front of him and he sprays out his hand against
the surface and then stabs down at the space between his fingers. Hmmm, where
did that get replicated? Doolittle (Brian Narelle) plays a bottle organ that he
has constructed while Pinback (O’Bannan) plays sight gags with props, records a
video diary, and has an alien (a huge beach ball with claw feet). Talby (Dre
Pahich) remains for the majority of the film, in the observation bubble located
on top of the ship. And, Commander Powell (Joe Saunders) is held in a cryogenic
tank, but can still dole out expert advice when pressed. </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ViuzeDVZhe8/Ve0rDFq7FWI/AAAAAAAAAE4/RHDRle13ZxA/s1600/09-06_3%2BDark%2BStar%2BCrew%2BBW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ViuzeDVZhe8/Ve0rDFq7FWI/AAAAAAAAAE4/RHDRle13ZxA/s400/09-06_3%2BDark%2BStar%2BCrew%2BBW.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Through a chain reaction of events, Bomb #20 receives some
damage. When pressed to engage its release mechanism, it refuses and instead is
planning to detonate still attached to the ship. Bomb #20 refuses to listen to
Pinback, but Powell advises Doolittle to teach the bomb phenomenology. Teaching
the bomb to become sentient works and Bomb #20 returns to the holding bay of
the ship. However, Doolittle has taught the bomb to be skeptical of its own
beliefs. As a consequence, when Pinback tries to get Bomb #20 to respond, it
begins making biblical references and ultimately, comes full circle and brings
light into the darkness by exploding. Pinback and Boiler are instantly killed;
Doolittle and Talby are sent adrift in opposite directions, each headed to
their own destinies. </div>
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Although <i>Dark Star</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is
not a space horror in the traditional sense, it is important to consider the
film in understanding the career of filmmaker John Carpenter, who went on to
make three space horror films and writer Dan O’Bannon who went on to do </span><i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. There are a couple of other points of interest in
this film. For example, although a small aspect at the climatic moments of the
film, the idea of a sentient artificial life is intriguing and has been
explored previously in </span><i>2001: A Space Odyssey</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and many after it. While satirical, the film does
touch on the impact of space exploration and isolation on astronauts. This
point has been made in </span><i>Europa Report</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
for example. </span></div>
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My Blu-ray version also had a supplemental interview with
author Alan Dean Foster regarding Dark Star, he mentioned he had to add so much
material to the novelization of the film. He padded his story by focusing on
character development. When asked about the beach ball alien, he said that he
finally had to accept that it was a beach ball. He decided to let readers to
fill in the details. He felt it was already funny, so he did not want to add to
it. </div>
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Other supplements included an interview with actor Brian
Narelle and documentary on John Carpenter. Sadly, Carpenter himself did not
appear in the documentary, but rather a pre-recorded interview that was spliced
interviews with other stars and crew from <i>Dark Star</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. </span></div>
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If you want to be a completionist of Carpenter, O’Bannon and/or
watch a space film that touches on space horror concepts, then watch this film.
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474055283166372186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487685670303657082.post-70540164102267462242015-08-30T20:18:00.000-07:002015-08-30T20:18:42.007-07:00SHF.2015.08.30.4 Abstract Update
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The deadline for abstracts closed this past Tuesday and as
expected, procrastination was alive and well! In the couple of days leading up
to the deadline, I received the same amount of abstracts that I had received in
the almost three months leading up to the deadline! Given that most people are
making the most of summer, I was blown away by the overwhelming response to my call for abstracts.</div>
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The abstracts were diverse in their frameworks and the movies they represented. I was pleased by the variety, however it has made my review
challenging. Because I can only accept a certain number, around 15, I had to
cut pitches that I would have liked to keep. I easily could have put a second
book together. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rdzLbCJgWcU/VePHB5oqhMI/AAAAAAAAAEM/OlWSRmkWZqE/s1600/Hellraiser_bloodlines_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rdzLbCJgWcU/VePHB5oqhMI/AAAAAAAAAEM/OlWSRmkWZqE/s640/Hellraiser_bloodlines_cover.jpg" width="409" /></a></div>
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I’ll be finishing my deliberations tonight and tomorrow I will
be making some people happy and some others disappointed. It’s the worst part of the
editing process because I wish I could give everyone a slot. That said, my nebulous idea is now developing a structure that in my humble opinion will
result in a cohesive group of essays that explore and analyze the genre, giving
space horror a tread within the scholastic dialogue of science fiction and
horror. </div>
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More updates to follow in the coming months. In the
meantime, I’ll be posting articles (weekly is my plan) and I hope to post articles by guest writers
too! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474055283166372186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487685670303657082.post-6413481268174696722015-08-17T22:14:00.001-07:002015-08-17T22:14:49.372-07:00SHF.2015.08.17.3 Reminder: Abstracts Due August 25, 2015
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RZ-0ECT6kj8/VdK9m1tCOSI/AAAAAAAAADg/Gr3KoecI0tE/s1600/it_conquered_the_world_xlg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RZ-0ECT6kj8/VdK9m1tCOSI/AAAAAAAAADg/Gr3KoecI0tE/s320/it_conquered_the_world_xlg.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">I wanted
to post a reminder that the deadline for sending in abstract submission for my
forthcoming anthology tentatively titled <i>Essays on Space Horror in Films,
1950s – 2000s</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> is
quickly approaching with just over a week remaining. If you have an interest
and an idea percolating, please try to submit. In the meantime, here are some
questions you may be thinking about:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>Who
can contribute to this anthology?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">I hope
you! If you can write a structured essay that has sound analysis supported by
well researched reference materials and is engaging for the reader then
consider submitting an abstract approximately 300 – 500 words, a one-page CV,
and a brief preliminary draft bibliography so I can see what direction you are
going with your literature review. These are due by <b>August 25</b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> to <a href="mailto:spacehorrorfilms@gmail.com">spacehorrorfilms@gmail.com</a>. You
can also direct any questions to that email address as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Successful
contributors will receive a complimentary copy of the book after the book has
been released. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciz-z-sxm8w/VdK9wd2XcaI/AAAAAAAAADo/Loq4p1-1H5g/s1600/Planet%2Bof%2Bthe%2BVampires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciz-z-sxm8w/VdK9wd2XcaI/AAAAAAAAADo/Loq4p1-1H5g/s400/Planet%2Bof%2Bthe%2BVampires.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px;"><b>What
is the anthology going to be about?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
anthology will include a collection of essays that will deconstruct and analyze
the space horror genre by utilizing a theoretical framework of the author’s
choosing. The data set should include a space horror film or collection of
space horror films ranging anywhere from the 1950s when the genre really took
off to present-day films. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">I kept to
films since that is where the genre has been most fruitful. Films from anywhere
are acceptable, as long as they can be identified and categorized as space
horror. Unfortunately, I will have to reject any abstracts focused on any other
mediums. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px;"><b>What
are typical themes for this genre?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">There is
not a predefined set of theoretical frameworks to be utilized when defining,
exploring and analyzing space horror. There are so many to choose from; I want
writers to select the theoretical lens they feel will best work with their
chosen data set. Here’s a brief list of themes: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yIOqgu9POZw/VdK96OjWdxI/AAAAAAAAAD0/-y6UMGG-hzc/s1600/Lifeforce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Claustrophobia, Outer Space
fears (<i>Pandorum, Dark Star, Europa Report, The Black Hole</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">The influence of slasher
films (<i>Alien, Event Horizon, Jason X, Sunshine, Leprechaun 4: In Space</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Psychological (<i>2001: A
Space Odyssey, Solaris, Sunshine, Moon</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">) <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Body Horror and/or
transformation (<i>Supernova, Event Horizon, Hellraiser: Bloodline,
Slither</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Final girl (<i>Alien,
Prometheus, Dead Space: Downfall</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Paranormal/Occult (<i>Event
Horizon, Hellraiser: Bloodline, Dracula 3000, Ghosts of Mars</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Cold War fears (most invasion
films of the 1950s – 1970s)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Doppelganger (<i>Event
Horizon, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, Moon</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Compare/Contrast maleficent
vs. animal “aliens” (Xenomorphs in <i>Alien</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> franchise vs. alien species
encountered in <i>Pitch Black, Apollo 18, Europa Report </i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">for example) <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Alien abduction (<i>Communion,
Fire In The Sky, Extraterrestrial</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Found footage (<i>Europa
Report, Apollo 18</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Sacrifice of self and/or
self-destruct sequence (<i>Alien</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> franchise, <i>Event Horizon, Critters 4, The Last
Days on Mars</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Role of AI, robotics and/or
the concept of “uncanny valley” (<i>Alien</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> franchise, <i>2001: A Space
Odyssey, Prometheus, Dracula 3000</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Bram Stoker and Space
Vampires (<i>Dracula 3000, Planet of the Vampires, Lifeforce</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Exploring Literary roots such
as H.P. Lovecraft, H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray
Bradbury, etc.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yIOqgu9POZw/VdK96OjWdxI/AAAAAAAAAD0/-y6UMGG-hzc/s1600/Lifeforce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yIOqgu9POZw/VdK96OjWdxI/AAAAAAAAAD0/-y6UMGG-hzc/s400/Lifeforce.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px;"><b>Why
put this anthology together?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Although
there has been a plethora of space horror films and much has been written about
science fiction, horror or on individual films (mostly the <i>Alien</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> franchise), I found a gap in
analysis when it comes to the space horror genre in cinema. Hence, through my
selection, it is my goal that the essays included in this anthology will
represent an in depth exploration of the genre as well as bridge the gap of critical
analysis that currently exists between science fiction and the horror genres. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>Who is
the intended audience? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">An
independent popular culture publisher will publish the anthology and readers
are expected to include individuals studying and/or curious to increase their
understanding of science fiction, horror and of course, space horror. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>When
will this anthology be available to purchase? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">I wish it
was tomorrow, however editing does take time. By September 1, I will respond to
all submissions with either an acceptance or decline email. For those accepted,
they will receive a detailed style sheet to format their essay that they will
have five months to write. Essayists are expected to submit an essay of 5,000 –
8,000 words by January 31, 2016. Of course, early submissions are most
appreciated and allow me to get a head start on the editing process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Essays
will be returned for correction and the final copy is expected no later than
April 20, 2016. Delivery of the manuscript to the publisher has been promised
no later than June 1, 2016 and I hope that the book will release by the end of
the year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">If you
have questions that I haven’t answered, please feel free to email me at <a href="mailto:spacehorrorfilms@gmail.com">spacehorrorfilms@gmail.com</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474055283166372186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487685670303657082.post-79079267775090867092015-07-29T19:46:00.000-07:002015-07-29T19:46:26.534-07:00Status Update: New Post Coming Soon! Hello All!<br />
<br />
Michele here. After reporting on two cons back-to-back early this month, I found I needed a bit more time to recharge my creative batteries. I sincerely appreciate your patience and I will be back with a brand new post this Sunday, August 2nd.<br />
<br />
Please stop back by!<br />
<br />
~ Michele<br />
<br />
<i>Post Script: I'm still looking for submissions for my upcoming anthology </i>Essays on Space Horror in Films, 1950s - 2000s<i>. Submit your abstract, a draft working bibliography and a brief (one-page ideally) C.V. to spacehorrorfilms@gmail.com no later than August 25. Thanks! </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474055283166372186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487685670303657082.post-81481844851134696212015-07-07T19:50:00.001-07:002015-07-07T19:50:47.249-07:00San Diego International Comic ConHello all! The first two weeks of July is jammed packed with attending not one, but two huge events in Southern California.<br />
<br />
Last weekend I attended the 24th annual Anime Expo held at the Los Angeles Convention Center and which is North America's largest anime and manga event at over 90K attendees this year. Tomorrow through Sunday, I will be in further south at the annual San Diego International Comic Con, the grand-daddy of all cons!<br />
<br />
While I'm gone, my weekly posts are on hiatus - I really hate to do it since I'm just getting this site started - but I promise, I will be back on Sunday, July 19.<br />
<br />
Please bookmark this site and do come back by for lots of upcoming discussions and reviews regarding space horror in films!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474055283166372186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487685670303657082.post-61727189995590882172015-06-29T12:15:00.001-07:002015-06-29T12:15:42.634-07:00SHF.2015.06.28.2 INTRODUCTION TO THE SPACE HORROR GENRE, PART II
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
As I
mentioned in Part I last week, after my anthology was released late last year
from McFarland & Company (<i>James Bond and Popular Culture: Essays on the
Influence of the Fictional Superspy</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, 2014),
I spent the next few months weighing several ideas and completing cursory
research on my shortlist of ideas that I felt had the most promise for a second
book. By the beginning of this year, there was one idea that sifted to the top
of my list and that was space horror, in part because I was preparing a
presentation on a comic book series, </span><i>Caliban</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, by Garth Ennis (Avatar Press), which was a space
horror story about the human crew aboard the Caliban and the events that unfold
after their ship literally crashed into an alien spacecraft. I presented that
paper at Wondercon in early April. Afterwards, I spent another month preparing
my pitch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I pitched my
proposal for a collection of essays exploring space horror in films last month.
By that time, I had probably watched about 20 – 25 films. Some films I had seen
before such as <i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1979), </span><i>Event
Horizon</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1997) and </span><i>Pitch Black </i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(2000),
but there were some I had not seen before, such as </span><i>Pandorum </i><span style="font-style: normal;">(2009), </span><i>Planet of the Vampires</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1965) and </span><i>The Last Days on Mars</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2013). From my viewings, I noticed certain
recurring settings, alien manifestations and interactions, and tropes that were
repeated often enough that they are worth mentioning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iZKPJ77qq0s/VZGVE3U1hiI/AAAAAAAAACA/zfnGrHK_99I/s1600/Event%2BHorizon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iZKPJ77qq0s/VZGVE3U1hiI/AAAAAAAAACA/zfnGrHK_99I/s400/Event%2BHorizon.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Event Horizon</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>SPACE
HORROR SETTING<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I found four
central settings or mise-en-scenes that became visible from my research and the
settings were used either separately or in combination with each other. The
labels I use are based on scientific (astronomy) terms and are bolded below.
The first setting takes place entirely or almost exclusively in outer space on
a spacecraft or on a space station. Examples would include <i>Event Horizon</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and </span><i>Dracula 3000</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2004) because in both of these films, the action
takes place entirely on a spacecraft(s). To me, these are ‘pure outer space’
space horror films. The second setting for a space horror story takes place on
a planet or moon outside of our solar system. This setting is categorized as <b>Extrasolar</b></span>
and would include <i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and </span><i>Pandorum</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. The third setting refers to a story set within our
solar system, but not on Earth. These would be known as <b>Extraterrestrial</b></span>
and would include <i>Apollo 18</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2011) and </span><i>Europa
Report</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2013) for example. The last setting
refers to stories set on Earth and are known as <b>Terrestrial</b></span>. They
are often called “invasion films” and would include <i>Invasion of the Body
Snatchers</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1956) and </span><i>The Blob</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1958). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
As mentioned
at the start of this section, I found there was crossover between each film’s
setting such as <i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, which took place
on a planet outside of our solar system (Extrasolar) briefly, but was for the
most of the film, set on a spacecraft. What was interesting is that a majority
of the earliest identified space horror films that started appearing in the
1950s - </span><i>The Thing from Another World</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
(1951), </span><i>The Day the Earth Stood Still </i><span style="font-style: normal;">(1951), </span><i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, </span><i>The Blob</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
and believe it or not, Ed Wood’s </span><i>Plan 9 from Outer Space</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1959) – were terrestrial. However, over the
intervening decades since these movies premiered, space horror films have
diversified from its roots, expanding to all four settings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qJOsHgIuEhg/VZGVbB7P0HI/AAAAAAAAACI/ULTVHt1mv6c/s1600/The%2BBlob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qJOsHgIuEhg/VZGVbB7P0HI/AAAAAAAAACI/ULTVHt1mv6c/s400/The%2BBlob.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Blob</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <b>SPACE
HORROR NEMESIS</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Every good
story has an antagonist. Of space horror films I have watched, most often the
nemesis is an alien life form and will usually represent one of three broad
categories. The first type of alien is a physical entity unto itself and does
not need to inhabit a host. Examples include the alien hunter in the <i>Predator</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> franchise, the alien creatures or bioraptors in </span><i>Pitch
Black</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, and the watery tentacle creature in </span><i>Europa
Report</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second type of alien uses a human as a host, physically
or psychologically, and morphs the host so that it is readily apparent to
others and at other times, the change is subtle enough to fool the people
around them. These aliens are typically some sort of organism or parasite that
penetrates the host in a violent way. <i>Doom </i><span style="font-style: normal;">(2005),
</span><i>The Last Days on Mars</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2013) and </span><i>The
Thing</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1982) are good examples here. A
psychological ‘parasite’ is more difficult to uncover. </span><i>Solaris</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1972) and </span><i>Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2007) had apparitions that took up physical space
and multiple people could see and interact with them. In each film, individuals
were changed psychologically. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last type of alien transcends the physical plane and is
considered paranormal, usually appearing as apparitions or occasionally seeming
to take up physical space. In <i>Event Horizon</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
each crewmember of the </span><i>Lewis and Clark</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> experience apparitions of individuals from their pasts that only they
can see. In the case of Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill), he becomes possessed by
the spirit aboard the ship and he self-inflicts bodily harm to himself,
physically changing his appearance to match the horror and chaos of the
alternate dimension the prior crew encountered during their gravity drive
experiment. This category also includes the occult oriented aliens, so here’s
where those interplanetary vampires and the Cenobites that astronauts sometimes
encounter would fit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is one other aspect of the alien that needs to be
considered: to be or not be a sentient alien. There are aliens that are interpreted
as hostile, but in fact, are only driven by the instinct to survive. The
bioraptors in <i>Pitch Black</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> are not
sentient beings but are an alien species led by their instinct for survival.
They are led by the most fundamental need to exist – hence, they have not
evolved. On the other hand, one sentient alien being would include the hunter
from the </span><i>Predator</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> franchise. The
hunter’s actions are thoughtful and with intent. They have advanced themselves
through the development of clothing, armor and technology for example, which
they use for the purpose of hunting others. In the former example, the
horrifying nature of the film’s aliens boil down to a “survival of the fittest”
mentality, while for the latter film, the motivation is more devious and
intentional. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-slKP80bJs8E/VZGVvd6vluI/AAAAAAAAACQ/KuTT409p37U/s1600/Bioraptor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-slKP80bJs8E/VZGVvd6vluI/AAAAAAAAACQ/KuTT409p37U/s400/Bioraptor.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bioraptor from <i>Pitch Black</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>SPACE HORROR TROPES</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Below, I
have identified a number of recurring tropes during my film watching. I am
starting out with the stereotypes that had the strongest validity within the
space horror genre, then I will follow up with the remaining tropes that I feel
will need more time and analysis. However, I felt they still have importance in
this dialogue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u>Sense of Isolation<o:p></o:p></u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A sea of black with twinkling stars and glowing planets may
provide wonder and awe, but after traveling in space – days, weeks, months,
years – isolation sets in and takes a physical and emotional toll on each
person. We have seen this countless times – <i>Event Horizon</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and </span><i>Europa Report</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> – where bodily fatigue, depression, and an
anxiousness to get home to Earth are prevalent. Additionally, space represents
danger to humans because there are deadly hazards to space travel: the threat
to the air supply if the ship is damaged and the adverse impact of gravity and
radiation to the human body. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If a crew finds themselves in trouble, they know they are
alone. And if any space horror has taught us, any help will be too far away
(months or even years) to be of any assistance because the alien or aliens are
faster at annihilation. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-huAtBbJMg7g/VZGXmR3QG5I/AAAAAAAAACw/vU9ea8KYLhg/s1600/Doom%2BSquad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-huAtBbJMg7g/VZGXmR3QG5I/AAAAAAAAACw/vU9ea8KYLhg/s400/Doom%2BSquad.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elite squad from <i>Doom</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u>Military and/or Corporate Presence</u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In many of the space horror films, there is either a
military component such as the special elite squad in <i>Doom</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> or the marines in </span><i>Aliens</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1986) for example – or a corporation presence such
as Weyland-Yutani throughout the </span><i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> franchise. Eventually, the crew discovers they are expendable in the
eyes of the corporation, or alternatively, the military. The crew, or the
remains of it, may also identify there is a “turncoat” in the group. An
individual will turn, either intentionally or not, against their fellow
crewmembers because they are following their corporation’s directive and/or
trying save their own skin. This person is a walking dead man. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Returning to <i>Aliens</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
as an example, Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) is a company man and he creates a
situation, which Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and Newt (Carrie Henn) should be
impregnated by an alien. He does this with the intention of smuggling an alien
embryo back through intergalactic customs. However, that tactic was foiled.
Later, when the aliens are storming the base, Burke becomes scared and tries to
save himself, to the detriment of the others. He uses the intended escape route
and locks the door so the remaining survivors cannot use that route, but he
comes face to face with an alien and his own demise. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u>High Fatality<o:p></o:p></u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In many of the films set in space, there is a limited number
of crew, usually ranging between 7 or 8, which is probably the tipping point
for the film to have just enough time to introduce and develop each character
for the audience to identify with and keep track of during the movie. <i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> had seven crewmembers as did </span><i>Dracula 3000</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, while </span><i>Sunshine, Event Horizon, Last Days
on Mars</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, and </span><i>Doom</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (the marines) had eight. Some of the outliers
included </span><i>Europa Report</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> with 6, </span><i>Pandorum</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> with 5, </span><i>Stranded</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2013) with 4, and </span><i>Apollo 18</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> with 3, while </span><i>Pitch Black, Aliens</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and </span><i>The Thing</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> had over 8. As a trope device, it is about the right count of deaths
for the purpose of pacing tension and suspense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultimately though, the presence of aliens are seriously bad
for a human’s longevity and with crews typically averaging around 7 or 8, it
doesn’t take long for an alien to get to…..</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HgmAvzVHTdo/VZGZBED6_pI/AAAAAAAAAC8/CyHlt_CUEHc/s1600/Ripley%2Bfrom%2BAlien.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HgmAvzVHTdo/VZGZBED6_pI/AAAAAAAAAC8/CyHlt_CUEHc/s400/Ripley%2Bfrom%2BAlien.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ripley from <i>Alien</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u>Sole Survivor</u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
….the sole survivor: This person defies Darwin’s law and
either defeats the alien in a climatic battle or is able to escape, until the
sequel – think, Ripley from the <i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
franchise. In some stories, the last survivor has to complete their task, which
will cause their death yet will be for the greater good, such as in </span><i>Sunshine,
Last Days on Mars</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and </span><i>Europa
Report</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. We often see this trope utilized in
the slasher films where the last survivor is the ‘final girl’ and while that is
the case in a few of the space horror films I have watched so far, I think it
is the exception rather than the norm. More often, either the entire crew dies
or there will be a small number of survivors, usually two or three, such as in </span><i>Event
Horizon, Pitch Black</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and </span><i>Pandorum</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u>‘Uncanny Valley’ or the Evil Android<o:p></o:p></u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I noticed that if there is an android or a central computer
present in the story, then they usually turn out to have questionable intentions
that may or may not lead to the termination of human life. Such is the case
with Ash (Ian Holm) in <i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, David
(Michael Fassbender) in </span><i>Prometheus </i><span style="font-style: normal;">(2012),
and Bishop (Lance Henriksen) in </span><i>Aliens</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, which were androids made to pass as human and do so for a time during
their respective films. Occasionally, instead of an android, there may be a
central computer, often referred to as ‘Mother’ and controlled by the military
and/or corporate entity within the film. Two examples of this can be found with
</span><i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and with the Japanese anime
</span><i>Lily C.A.T.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1987), which was
directly influenced by </span><i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. I
think it is a fascinating concept that I would like to spend more time
researching and expanding on in a future blog, especially in light of Isaac
Asimov’s laws regarding robotics – robots should not injure humans – and the
concept of ‘uncanny valley’ whereas there is an adverse reaction and/or
discomfort in humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p5XlyEP01cI/VZGV-2FSeRI/AAAAAAAAACY/aChxOcTONcA/s1600/Forshadowing%2BExample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p5XlyEP01cI/VZGV-2FSeRI/AAAAAAAAACY/aChxOcTONcA/s400/Forshadowing%2BExample.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Foreshadowing" target="_blank">foreshadowing</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u>Foreshadowing Events via the Ship’s Name</u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Foreshadowing, the use of a clue in the narrative that eludes
to or predicts an event later in the film, is an intriguing concept that has
not had much discussion from what I have found thus far. In particular, I think
there is a need to mediate the literature, mythology, and real events to their
filmic references. For example, Joseph Conrad’s novel <i>Nostromo: A Tale of
the Seaboard</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1904) for the </span><i>Nostromo</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> ship in </span><i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and the fictional town </span><i>Sulaco</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> lends its name to the ship in </span><i>Aliens</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, while William Shakespeare’s </span><i>The Tempest</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1610-11) is referenced in </span><i>Forbidden Planet</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1956). The </span><i>Icarus I</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and </span><i>Icarus II</i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ships in </span><i>Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> reference Greek mythology, while the </span><i>Lewis
and Clark</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> is the rescue ship in </span><i>Event
Horizon</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and references the early American
explorers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rnSotMq8sis/VZGWkKF4H5I/AAAAAAAAACo/UUjdyyiSQVk/s1600/Icarus%2BPainting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rnSotMq8sis/VZGWkKF4H5I/AAAAAAAAACo/UUjdyyiSQVk/s400/Icarus%2BPainting.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Icarus" by <a href="http://russianhistoryblog.org/2012/01/hot-tub-diplomacy-and-star-wars/icarus-painting-by-astronaut-vladimir-dzhanibekov/" target="_blank">Cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Below, I have briefly described a handful of tropes that I
am still conceptualizing and will be explored in future blog posts. However,
initially I think they are valid points that are worth pointing out, with their
significance pending further investigation. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u>Kafka’s Metamorphosis</u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Metamorphosis</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
(1915) written by Franz Kafka is a novella about Gregor Samsa, who wakes up to
find himself mysteriously transformed into a large beetle-like insect. Kafka
explores Gregor’s adjustment and his family’s response to his transformation.
Many of the space horror films involve a transformation of one or more
individuals who have been invested with an alien being. The majority of the
time in these films, the point of view is from the uninfected humans, but
sometimes there are breakout performances: Dr. Weir in </span><i>Event Horizon</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, Goat (Ben Daniels) in </span><i>Doom</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and Wikus Van De Merwe (Sharlto Copley) in </span><i>District
9</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2009).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u>Symbolism & Semiotics</u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The religious references in <i>Event Horizon</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, the concept of mother/motherhood in </span><i>Aliens</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and the copulating facehuggers of the </span><i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> franchise are just a few of the many examples that
could use some semiotic analysis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u>Humor</u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I noted several instances of humor, particularly in the
first and second films of the <i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
franchise. Humor provides a break in the tension of fear and can result some
fantastic memorable lines in the heat of the action. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_9X6AKx3lrw/VZGWU5l1oLI/AAAAAAAAACg/wsBR509wmUE/s1600/Alien%2BDinner%2BTable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_9X6AKx3lrw/VZGWU5l1oLI/AAAAAAAAACg/wsBR509wmUE/s400/Alien%2BDinner%2BTable.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner table scene from <i>Alien</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u>Gather Around the Table</u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is an interesting one because it employs tradition of
family and friends breaking bread together. In the films, it becomes a vehicle
to gather all of the characters for the purpose of introducing them, revealing
the group’s dynamics and relationships, and setting up the story that will
unfold. There are meal scenes in the Alien franchise, with the first film
having the most famous, but I noticed there are similar scenes in <i>Sunshine,
Event Horizon</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and </span><i>Europa Report</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><u>Element of Romance</u></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although one would think that the crew is too busy trying to
stay alive in a space horror, there are references to either an established
relationship between two of the crewmembers such as Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and
Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) in <i>Prometheus</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, or the potential for a relationship to be hinted at, such as Ripley
and Hicks (Michael Biehn) in </span><i>Aliens</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
and Carolyn (Radha Mitchell) and Riddick (Vin Diesel) in </span><i>Pitch Black</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. In </span><i>Doom</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
an interracial relationship is brewing between Samantha Grimm (Rosamund Pike)
and Duke (Razaaq Adoti) and Aurora Ash (Erika Eleniak) and Humvee (Tommy ‘Tiny’
Lister) explore a human and android romance in </span><i>Dracula 3000</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. However, I have yet to come across same sex
relationships, except in the comic book series, </span><i>Caliban</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Check back next week where I will begin exploring the themes
I listed on my call for papers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><i>© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2015. All rights
reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International
Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated,
hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.</i></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474055283166372186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487685670303657082.post-49052368029440836112015-06-21T19:43:00.000-07:002015-06-21T19:43:18.546-07:00SHF.2015.06.21.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE SPACE HORROR GENRE, PART I
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After
finishing up my first book, <i>James Bond and Popular Culture: Essays on the
Influence of the Fictional Superspy</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2014,
McFarland & Company), I spent some months trying to decide the next subject
I wanted to explore in an anthology format. I mulled over several ideas, but
finally narrowed my scope to two themes and then proposed one, the space horror
genre in films. While the theme came quickly, writing the proposal took some
time because I needed to revisit some of the seminal films such as </span><i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1979) and </span><i>Event Horizon</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1997) as well as several newer films that I hadn’t
seen, for example </span><i>Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2007)
and </span><i>Pandorum</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2009). Since the
beginning of the year I have watched approximately 20 – 25 films, which is a
drop in the bucket for the number of space horror films made, but they revealed
a number of commonalities between them regarding setting, aliens, and tropes of
the genre, which I will discuss in Part II. Below, I begin by talking about the
beginnings of the genre as well as provide my data set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>A BRIEF
HISTORY OF SPACE HORROR<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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According to
an IMDB search of the Sci-Fi horror list, some of the earliest identifiable
space horror films that could be identified as a trend in films offered to
audience-goers were in the 1950s. Movies like <i>The Thing From Another World</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1951), </span><i>The Day the Earth Stood Still</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1951), </span><i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1956), </span><i>The Blob</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1958), and believe it or not, Ed Wood’s </span><i>Plan
9 from Outer Space</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1959) introduced fears
of invasion and hostile aliens and were allegories of the real threat of
nuclear bombs, Communism, and the rising Cold War threat that pervaded society,
such as the Civil Defense Films that used Bert the Turtle to teach Americans to
duck and cover in case a nuclear bomb was dropped.</span></div>
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The seeds of
the genre were planted decades earlier, around the turn of the 20<sup>th</sup>
century, in literature. H.G. Wells and Jules Verne stories of alien invasion
inspired the roots of the spy/espionage genre, but it also inspired horror from
space. When the concept of moving pictures gained traction within the public
psyche and filmmakers were looking for subjects to explore in their films, two films
stand out. The first, <i>A Trip to the Moon</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
(1902), by Georges Melies is the story of a group of men that visit the moon
via a rocket ship and Melies’ slight of camera lens. Audiences that saw the
film were astounded and amazed because the stories up to that point had
centered on portraying real life events. Melies’ film sparked imitators.
However, it was Ashley Miller’s </span><i>A Trip to Mars</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1910) in which a scientist discovers a powder that
causes reversed gravity. The scientist floats to Mars and explores the red
planet, which is inhabited by a strange and frightening alien race that look an
awfully lot like evil clowns. </span></div>
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After a
brief cinematic foray into space exploration and the potential horrors glimpsed
in 1910, it appears that the filmmakers moved onto other topics of interest,
but that is unverifiable because the majority of early films have been lost or
have decayed beyond restoration. To examine how the genre developed and evolved
would require referencing back into the literary output. H.P. Lovecraft’s <i>The
Color of Outer Space</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1927) followed later
by writers Edgar Rice Burroughs and Ray Bradbury with stories like </span><i>The
Martian Chronicles</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1950) for example added
breath and depth to the genre. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
As the 1950s
began, so too did the interest in science and space, in a post-World War
environment that had been rocked by the development and use of atomic warfare.
The Cold War was warming up and the spirit of competition in all arenas became
of importance to the USSR and US. It should come as no surprise that cinema,
established as a influencing media conduit to society, perpetuated the tension
and fears of the decade as mentioned at the beginning of this section. The
decade provided space horror in the guise of alien invasions, either out in the
open as in <i>War of the Worlds</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> or more
covert and sinister, as in </span><i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and </span><i>The Blog</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. While small town America was being inundated with little green men,
interest in what life was like on other planets were being conceptualized, such
as Altair IV in </span><i>Forbidden Planet</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1956)
and Metaluna in </span><i>This Island Earth</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
(1955), but were minimal in comparison to the multitude of invasions that
ravaged Earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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The 1950s
were the heyday of the invasion films, but interest waned in the 1960s for
spies and cowboys and to the crime/vengeance and slasher films of the 1970s. However,
the space in ‘space horror’ would be resoundingly added into the term with
Ridley Scott’s 1979 <i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, which follows
the story of the Nostromo crew as they explore the mysterious abandoned ship on
LV-426 and encounter a new and hostile alien species. The idea of being in
space, far from home with limited precious resources (eg. oxygen) struck fear
into the crew and the audience. Scott’s film was one of the first movies to
successfully combine science fiction and horror in an interstellar setting and
spawned several inferior imitations in the 1980s. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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As the <i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> franchise continued to churn out sequels further
exploring Ripley’s relationship with the Xenomorphs, by the mid 1990s, formerly
successful earth-bound franchises were turning to space in an effort to
revitalize their films, such as </span><i>Hellraiser: Bloodline</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1996)</span><i> </i><span style="font-style: normal;">and
</span><i>Leprechaun 4: In Space</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1997). It
was with </span><i>Event Horizon</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1997),
which embodied a complex story of religious symbolism and paranormal within the
familiar slasher and haunted house tropes that rejuvenated the genre and
further defined it.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
In the 21<sup>st</sup>
century, space horror films are still finding an audience, but not necessarily
the financial backing of mainstream dramas, superheroes and romantic comedies.
That said, in the last few years, there have been some fascinating films that
has continued to explore and jeopardize our existence: <i>Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> in 2007, </span><i>Moon</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> and </span><i>Pandorum</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> in 2009,
and </span><i>Europa Report</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> in 2013. </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
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There are
outliers, as in any genre. One is the psychological space horror that began
with Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Andre Tarkovsky’s <i>Solaris</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1972), which was recently remade in 2002. Another
group are the alien abduction films – </span><i>Communion</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1989), </span><i>Fire In the Sky</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1993) – and the concept of the “uncanny valley”
were explored between Ripley and Bishop in the </span><i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> franchise and with David in </span><i>Prometheus</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2012). There are others and those will be discussed
further in the section on space horror tropes. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P7ct3rCdrmk/VYdz-rzqkpI/AAAAAAAAABk/khOQ2kALI9A/s1600/2001%2BA%2BSpace%2BOdyssey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P7ct3rCdrmk/VYdz-rzqkpI/AAAAAAAAABk/khOQ2kALI9A/s640/2001%2BA%2BSpace%2BOdyssey.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.blastr.com/2014-12-16/details-lost-prologue-kubricks-sci-fi-classic-2001-space-odyssey" target="_blank">2001: A Space Odyssey</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>DATA
SAMPLE SET<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
As mentioned
earlier, I watched and revisited some of the space horror genre films I have in
my collection already or was able to stream on Netflix in alphabetical order. I
included their year of release and director details: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>2001: A
Space Odyssey</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1968, Stanley Kubrick)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Alien</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1979, Ridley Scott)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Dead
Space: Downfall</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2008, Chuck Patton)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Doom</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2005, Andrzej Bartkowiak)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Dracula
3000</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2004, Darrell Roodt)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Europa
Report </i><span style="font-style: normal;">(2013, Sebastian Cordero)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Event
Horizon</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1997, Paul W.S. Anderson)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Extraterrestrial</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2014, Colin Minihan)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Ghosts of
Mars</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2001, John Carpenter)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Hellraiser
IV: Bloodline</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1996, Kevin Yagher & Joe
Chappelle)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Lily
C.A.T.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1987, Hisayuki Toriumi)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Pandorum</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2009, Christian Alvart)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Pitch
Black</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2000, David Twohy)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Plan 9
from Outer Space</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1959, Ed Wood)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Planet of
the Vampires</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1965, Mario Bava)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Prometheus
</i><span style="font-style: normal;">(2012, Ridley Scott)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Slither</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2006, James Gunn)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Snow
Devils</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1967, Antonio Margheriti)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Solaris</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1972, Andrei Tarkovsky)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Stranded</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2013, Roger Christian)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Sunshine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (2007, Danny Boyle)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>The Blob</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1958, Irvin Yeahworth)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>The Last
Days on Mars </i><span style="font-style: normal;">(2013, Ruairi Robinson)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>The
Monolith Monsters</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1957, John Sherwood)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>This
Island Earth</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1955, Joseph M. Newman &
Jack Arnold)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And here is
a short list of additional films that I have watched, although not recently: </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Beware!
The Blob</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1972, Larry Hagman)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Communion</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1989 Philippe Mora)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Fire in
the Sky</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1993 Robert Lieberman)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Forbidden
Planet</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1956, Fred M. Wilcox)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Invaders
from Mars</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1953, Cameron Menzies)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Invasion
of the Body Snatchers</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1956, Don Siegel)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Invasion
of the Body Snatchers</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1978, Philip
Kaufman)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Night of
the Creeps</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1986, Fred Dekker)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Species</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1995, Roger Donaldson)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>The Day
the Earth Stood Still</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1951, Robert Wise)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>The Quatermass
Experiment</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1953, Val Guest)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>The Thing</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1982, John Carpenter)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>They Live</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1988, John Carpenter)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>War of
the Worlds</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (1953, Bryon Haskin)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Check back
next week for the second part of this introduction where I will discuss space
horror settings, aliens and tropes. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><i>© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2015. All rights
reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International
Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated,
hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PjMUoe9JgOw/VYd0ThqSmZI/AAAAAAAAABs/dupJ2QJxxeA/s1600/The%2BQuatermass%2BXperiment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PjMUoe9JgOw/VYd0ThqSmZI/AAAAAAAAABs/dupJ2QJxxeA/s640/The%2BQuatermass%2BXperiment.jpg" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com/2009/10/hammerin-fears-quatermass-xperiment.html" target="_blank">Poster art from Francesco Francavilla</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-style: normal;"></span><br /><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474055283166372186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487685670303657082.post-87684874891823602272015-06-07T21:28:00.005-07:002015-06-07T21:28:55.948-07:00Call for Papers: Essays on Space Horror in Film, 1950s - 2000s
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<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>Call for Papers<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>Essays on Space Horror in Film,
1950s – 2000s<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>Abstract Submission Deadline:
August 25, 2015<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">In 1979, the word A L I E N was spelled out across the top
of an ominous movie poster, conveying a sense of foreboding of something
unknown. An eerie yellow light seeped out of the egg-shaped space pod with the
tagline: <i>In space no one hears you scream</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">. Audiences were drawn along with the <i>Nostromo</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> crew as they explored the
mysterious abandoned ship on LV-426 and encountered a new and hostile alien species.
It was one of the first movies to successfully combine science fiction and
horror in an interstellar setting, spawning several inferior imitations in the
1980s while also inspiring standout films that furthered the genre, such as <i>Event
Horizon</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> (1997), <i>Pitch
Black</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> (2000), <i>Sunshine
</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">(2007), and <i>Europa
Report</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> (2013).
While it may have seemed like space horror was a new genre after the release of
Ridley Scott’s film, the genre has a rich history that took hold of movie
audience-goers almost thirty years prior with the space horror films that could
best be classified as invasion films. With a plethora of films, much has been
written about science fiction, horror or on individual films (mostly the <i>Alien</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> franchise), yet surprisingly,
little analysis can be found on space horror as its own genre in cinema. Essays
for this anthology will seek to deconstruct and analyze the genre via the films
from 1950s through the present offerings with the goal of exploring and
bridging the gap of critical analysis that currently exists between science
fiction and the horror genres. The intended audience is expected to include
individuals studying and/or curious to increase their understanding of science
fiction, horror and of course, space horror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">There are several themes worth exploring when analyzing
space horror, utilizing any number of theoretical framework of your choosing.
Here is a brief list of ideas, which is by no means exhaustive: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Claustrophobia, Outer Space
fears (<i>Pandorum, Dark Star, Europa Report, The Black Hole</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">The influence of slasher
films (<i>Alien, Event Horizon, Jason X, Sunshine, Leprechaun 4: In Space</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Psychological (<i>2001: A
Space Odyssey, Solaris, Sunshine, Moon</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">) <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Body Horror and/or
transformation (<i>Supernova, Event Horizon, Hellraiser: Bloodline,
Slither</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Final girl (<i>Alien,
Prometheus, Dead Space: Downfall</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Paranormal/Occult (<i>Event
Horizon, Hellraiser: Bloodline, Dracula 3000, Ghosts of Mars</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Cold War fears (most invasion
films of the 1950s – 1970s)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Doppelganger (<i>Event
Horizon, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, Moon</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Compare/Contrast maleficent
vs. animal “aliens” (Xenomorphs in <i>Alien</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> franchise vs. alien species
encountered in <i>Pitch Black, Apollo 18, Europa Report </i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">for example) <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Alien abduction (<i>Communion,
Fire In The Sky, Extraterrestrial</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Found footage (<i>Europa
Report, Apollo 18</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Sacrifice of self and/or
self-destruct sequence (<i>Alien</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> franchise, <i>Event Horizon, Critters 4, The Last
Days on Mars</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Role of AI, robotics and/or
the concept of “uncanny valley” (<i>Alien</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> franchise, <i>2001: A Space
Odyssey, Prometheus, Dracula 3000</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Bram Stoker and Space
Vampires (<i>Dracula 3000, Planet of the Vampires, Lifeforce</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Exploring Literary roots such
as H.P. Lovecraft, H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray
Bradbury, etc.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">I am accepting up to two abstracts in order to assemble
the most cohesive arrangement of essays that will provide a well-rounded
exploration and representation of this little discussed genre. The deadlines
are as follows: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>August 25, 2015</b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">: Abstract of 300-500 words,
1 page CV, preliminary draft bibliography<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>September 1, 2015</b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">: Notification of
acceptance/rejection (editor will send comprehensive style sheet) <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>January 31, 2016</b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">: Essays due of 5,000-8,000
words in length (earlier submissions welcomed and encouraged)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>February 1 </b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">- <b>April 20, 2016</b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">: Essays will be edited and
returned to the author for review and revision. The final version of the
essay, author’s release and a brief contributor’s bio is due to the editor
by April 20, 2016<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"><b>June 1, 2016</b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">: Manuscript is received by
the publisher<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px;">Accepted
essays received on or before January 31<sup>st</sup> will continue through the
editing process. The editor will utilize Microsoft Word’s tracking function to
record all edits and return the edited version back to the author for final
correction.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">The final
manuscript will be delivered to the publisher June 1, 2016. Contributors will
receive a complimentary book copy when published, which is anticipated for late
2016.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Please
direct all correspondence to: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Michele
Brittany, Editor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Email:
SpaceHorrorFilms@gmail.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Blog:
http://spacehorrorfilms.blogspot.com <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Website: www.spacehorrorfilms.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;">Michele
Brittany is an independent popular culture scholar residing in Southern
California and is the editor of <i>James Bond and Popular Culture: Essays on
the Influence of the Fictional Superspy</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> (2014, McFarland & Company). She is the James Bond,
Espionage and Eurospy Area Chair for the Southwest Popular/American Culture
Association’s annual conference. She is a West Coast Correspondent for <i>Bleeding
Cool</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"> and writes
daily on all things spy related at her blog, Spy-Fi & Superspies. She
annually presents at the SWPACA and has presented at Wondercon Anaheim as part
of the Comic Arts Conference series. She is also an academic member of the
Horror Writer’s Association in Los Angeles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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