The stench from the chimney at night was something most foul, and people—those who surely would not to be missed—began disappearing into the dark without a trace. In 1846, the story of a barber who gruesomely murdered his customers was released in the popular British fiction publication, The Penny Dreadful, by Thomas Peckett Priest, author of many grim Penny Dreadful stories. Penny Dreadfuls were often written casually, and contained themes of gore and violence; The String of Pearls was no different. Its style of writing makes it a perfect example of a sensational, violent subject matter that plays off of the deepest fears of the human race. The success of the stories lies in the wild reaction people give it. Themes like murder and cannibalism equally scare and attract people, leading to the success of the stories. …show more content…
Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou played the lively and oddly lovable duo of murderers who brought the production to life with theatrical voices, captivating artistic energy, and impeccable stage presence. The play is often noted for its rapid patter songs with awkward musical intervals, and its odd, yet appropriate mixture of comedy and tragedy. Captivated by the darkness of the production, Tim Burton directed his own rendition in 2007, starring Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd and Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett; both appropriately eccentric actors for such eccentric characters. The film version was limited by the confines of the screen, but used special effects of the film industry to its advantage, giving Victorian London a Burton makeover, making it more fitting to the morbid nature of the
Shakespeare is one of the smartest and most influential authors in the world of literature. A lot of modern writers have based their literary products off of the brilliant works that Shakespeare created and brought to life. A specific example of this is the musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Stephen Sondheim and the 2007 Tim Burton film of the same name. These works have similar parallels with Shakespeare's Hamlet. Both of these works incorporate themes such as appearance vs. reality and revenge for past deeds. Additionally, the main characters in the pieces of literature have peculiarities that make them easy to compare and differentiate.
The Winchester brothers dealt with angels and demons in “Supernatural” Season 9, Episode 21 titled “King of the Damned.” However, the main focus of the episode is the issue of control over Hell between demons Crowley (Mark Sheppard) and Abaddon (Alaina Huffman).
“‘Sinister Children’” was the title psychologist Theodore Blau gave to left-handed children in the late seventies, due to their over abundance “among the academically and behaviorally challenged” and their greater vulnerability to obtaining mental diseases later in life (1). This condescending view on the left-handed population has existed for centuries. The word sinister itself comes from the Latin word sinistra, meaning left hand. In the article “Sinister Minds: Are Left-Handed People Smarter?,” written by Maria Konnikova, a psychologist from Columbia University, she explains how these outdated theories about the intellect of the left-handed community are wrong. In fact, the author elaborates how left-handed people may have higher brain abilities compared to the general population due to the
These two scenarios from Anglo-Saxon and modern times are similar, as well. They are similar because of the continuity of “monsters” terrorizing a society being a great influence among audiences of the past and present. The two works of both eras demonstrate the continual interest in defeating villains and “feeding” it’s listeners with tales such as these.
Edgar Allan Poe was an excellent horror, suspense, and mystery writer of the eighteenth century. His use of literary devices and different literary techniques makes this writer important to American literature. This paper will show how Edgar Allan Poe has made an impact on Society and American literature as well as how Edgar Allan Poe developed the short story. I will also discuss and analyze some of his works and techniques he uses in his short stories and poems.
R.L. Stine is best recognized as one of the finest writers of horror fiction, an achievement he reached using vivid imagination and creativity, despite having very little horrifying life experiences. Throughout his lifetime, Stine has won many awards for all of his popular horror fiction series. Stine has never really faced hardships that have allowed him to write his horror novels, he bases his work on realistic possibilities. Somehow, R.L. Stine still seems to keep his readers on the edge of their seat, grasping their spine, at all times.
Edgar Allan Poe has been debated to be the author of the most dark and horrific pieces of literature. He was favored by many for his complex pieces of literature that have ultimately impacted the world of literature today. However, Poe’s pieces of work did receive harsh criticism before and after his death. Because Poe was generally known for his thought-provoking short stories, his short stories often received mixed reviews. One of Poe’s most arguable short stories is “The Fall of the House of Usher”. This short story was “regarded as an early and supreme example of the Gothic horror story” (Plot Summary: "The Fall of the House of Usher"). Poe himself described this piece as “arabesque” due to its ornate prose (Plot Summary: "The Fall of the House of Usher"). However, many critics disagreed with each other on their views of “The Fall of the House of Usher”.
Disgust is something that all humans go through. It starts at the beginning when a child is born and continues to form as the child grows up. Disgust can, if not be, one of the most dangerous reactions or behaviors that humans have. Disgust is an interesting emotion in the sense that a good bit of the time, humans do not even realize they are invoking their disgust response. In Richard Beck’s book “Unclean” he quotes Paul Rozin who groups disgust into three segments. The first being core disgust which is generally disgust towards food. This is generally towards foods we do not like or have never had before. The next grouping is sociomoral disgust, this is against other groups of people that are different than us. Lastly, is the grouping of
the feeble cry, 'The horror! The horror!' and the man of vision, of poetry, the
The University of Georgia’s theatre adaptation of the penny dreadful story, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, was very similar, design wise, to Tim Burton’s 2007 film of the same name. While the two were very comparable, they did differ in many design elements which include, lighting, costumes, color, and key structural set-ups.
The genre of horror when associated to film, it reflects on a vast variety of issues but when examined for the cultural significance it is narrower to what the aim is. This review surveys multiple scholarly sources from different aspects of the purpose of horror films. This literature review justifies that horror is derived from the fear and guilt within our psychological minds. I will argue that the cultural significance of this genre relates back to the emotional appeals that are conjured up when viewing these films.
How do the authors of The Tell-Tale Heart and The Monkey’s Paw achieve the criteria to be categorized in the horror genre? The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar A. Poe is concerning a man that has an altercation with the old man’s eye which led to a distinguished death. The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs concerns a family and a magical incantation paw. Both short stories--The Tell-Tale Heart and The Monkey’s Paw-- achieved the criteria to be categorized in the horror genre because they contain mystery, suspense, and fear.
The reading by Barbara Creed titled “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection”, is an in-depth examination on the role of women in horror films. Creed challenges the commanding patriarchal view, which frequently puts the woman in the position of the helpless victim. She argues that when the feminine is constructed as monstrous, it is frequently done in conjunction with its mothering role and function. Creed’s main thesis supports that the prototype of all cinematic definitions of monstrosity related to the feminine is linked to the woman’s reproductive body. Creed elects to use the term “monstrous feminine” instead of female monster, because for Creed it is the “femininity itself that is monstrous” (41). It has been unfairly
The main recurring theme in Flannery O’Connor’s stories is the use of violence towards characters in order to give them an eye-opening moment in which they finally realize their true self in relation to the rest of society and openly accept insight into how they should act or think. This theme of violence can clearly be seen in three works by Flannery O’Connor: A Good Man is Hard to Find, Good Country People, and Everything That Rises Must Converge.
William Golding, the author of the novel Lord of the Flies, used symbolism and amplified surroundings around the characters adroitly. It leads the novel to be successful to epitomize the human society. Golding also exposes human natures and savagery through the character developments.