Blood moon: the December update
Love, hate and lycanthropy, plus other culture commentary from thehaughtyculturist
Well, like me, the December newsletter is short ‘n’ sweet - but there’s still plenty to savour. This month that includes the fairy tale subversions of An American Werewolf in London and cult classic The Night of the Hunter. Let’s jingle!
Spotlight » The ghost, the devil and Mrs Danvers: looking for Hitchcock’s Rebecca
What’s new
1. The Night of the Hunter (1955): love, hate & the lonely hearts killer | Analysis
The storytelling symbolism and true crime of noir fairy tale thriller The Night of the Hunter - incidentally one of the best-looking films I’ve ever seen. This YouTube clip showcases the stunning visuals (content warning: dead body).
“The Night of the Hunter is itself a contradiction: a parable of horror, a beautiful nightmare. Unpicking the narrative reveals a Russian doll interior, a host of parallel possibilities”
2. An American Werewolf in London (1981): the blame game | Analysis
It’s creepy and it’s kooky – but is An American Werewolf in London also hyper judgemental?
“If werewolf lore and fairy tales add or reveal meaning in An American Werewolf, so does the figure of Dracula”
3. Columbo: A Matter of Honor (S5, Ep 4) | Spoiler central
What a foreign holiday reveals about Columbo, honour and storytelling.
“aside from the novelty factor, geographic shifts are also cultural shifts: they introduce means, motives and beliefs that don’t exist back home”
Dark tales
More to read if twisted fairy tales are your bag.
The Watchers | Book review
Making sense of The Mothman Prophecies | Film analysis
The rise of the vampire in film and fiction | Deep dive
Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula | Sexy vampires
Stephen King’s The Shining | Hotel horror & Bluebeard
Finally, in case you missed it, the site now has an AI policy that explains why you won’t find chatgpt content at thehaughtycultyurist: now you know.
So anyway, have yourself a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, or whatever makes you glad to be alive in your part of the world. Let’s meet back here in a month, yes? See you then.
Ruth / The HC
Pic credit: Griffin Wooldridge via Unsplash
» thehaughtyculturist.com: culture commentary & story deconstruction