Elder Sign
A reader sent me this hilarious spoof of those insufferable drug commercials that infest the airwaves which has a Lovecraftian twist. The production values are surprisingly good and the writing is better than anything on television these days. Enjoy:
Alice Cooper-Vengeance is Mine
Alice Cooper was one of several artists who released albums last year that were not given the attention they deserve. His most recent album Along Came a Spider is conceptually reminiscent of his 70s work while keeping the best of his 80s glam sound.
Slick, gritty and campy the title track,which features Slash on guitar, proves Alice hasn’t lost a step while out on the golf course. Enjoy:
Like any good celebrity Alice has a MySpace page where you can keep up with him and he has a YouTube channel. What more can you ask for?
I mean besides his radio program and the fact he’s going to be touring this summer.
Conviction
Fewdio has done it again with this deceptively simple horror short wherein a young college co-ed sanctimoniously lectures an unseen friend on the telephone on the foolishness of faith and the meaninglessness universe unaware that her nihilism is about to be put to the ultimate test. As a metaphor for Lovecraft and his personal philosophy the movie captures the horror of a random cosmos in which humanity is a pretentious and insignificant beast preyed upon by entities devoid of morality.
As a comment on the faddish humanism that permeates higher education the piece works even better, exposing post-modern intellectualism for the egotistical conceit that it is. Enjoy:
Creepy Cute Cthulhu, Nosferatu, and Death
Apparently fiendish little toys don’t just make themselves. Luckily Christen Haden, a.k.a. NeedleNoodles, has written an instructional guide called Creepy Cute Crochet. From the back cover:
Creepy Cute Crochet features more than 20 unique patterns for totally loveable zombies, ninjas, Vikings, vampires, aliens, robots, and even Death himself. Each easy-to-follow pattern is presented with step-by-step diagrams, hilarious commentary, and full-color photographs of the bloodcurdlingly sweet creatures in their natural environments.
There are also instructions for crocheting Nosferatu, Cthulhu, a devil, and a skeleton bride and groom. You can view photos of completed dolls in the Creepy Cute Crochet Flickr pool. They’re way better than crocheted puppies and bunnies!
If you aren’t the crafty type, finished dolls are available at the NeedleNoodles Etsy shop. No crocheting required.
The Recently Deflowered Girl with Illustrations by Edward Gorey
Do you know the right thing to say when you’ve been deflowered by the elevator operator? What if said deflowering is at the hands of a mustachioed marimba player, a Chinese detective, or a perfect stranger? Miss Hyacinthe Phypps, maven of feminine etiquette, has the most practical of advice in her 1965 guide, The Recently Deflowered Girl: The Right Thing to Say on Every Dubious Occasion.
Illustrations by Edward Gorey are paired with text by Mel Juffe in this simultaneously innocent and hedonistic volume attributed to the delightful Miss Hyacinthe Phypps. Her “simple rules of propriety and common sense have helped a generation of girls over the threshold to womanhood.”
The book is out of print, but a complete set of scans may be viewed on Joey deVilla’s blog. Copies are occasionally available on Amazon and at other online used booksellers.
One final thought: it seems like the text of this book was heavily influenced by the wit and whimsical humor I associate with Edward Gorey. I wonder whether Gorey’s involvement extended beyond illustrating The Recently Deflowered Girl.
Found via The Presurfer
Zombie Dogs Created-in Pittsburgh
Scientists have created eerie zombie dogs, reanimating the canines after several hours of clinical death in attempts to develop suspended animation for humans.
US scientists have succeeded in reviving the dogs after three hours of clinical death, paving the way for trials on humans within years.Pittsburgh’s Safar Centre for Resuscitation Research has developed a technique in which subject’s veins are drained of blood and filled with an ice-cold salt solution.
The animals are considered scientifically dead, as they stop breathing and have no heartbeat or brain activity. But three hours later, their blood is replaced and the zombie dogs are brought back to life with an electric shock.
Plans to test the technique on humans should be realised within a year, according to the Safar Centre.
Sounds like a great idea.