The poetry of Robert E. Howard

Yes dear readers, THE Robert E. Howard. Author, poet, and man of letters. Who deserves equal credit with J. R. R. Tolkien for bringing tales of mighty heroes and their epic adventures from the realm of mythology to the genre we know today as "heroic fantasy" and "sword and sorcery".

I'll save my well deserved contempt for the awful adaptations of Howard's creations to film for another time. Let's just say say that H'wood has done an extremely poor job with the characters of Conan, Kull, and Solomon Kane.

That being said, let us move on to why we're here today. This being the season of Halloween, I would like to share with you some of the darker poetry of R. E. H. I hope that you get as much from it as I do in the spirit of the season.



THE SONG OF THE BATS

The dusk was on the mountain
And the stars were dim and frail
When the bats came flying, flying
From the river and the vale
To wheel against the twilight
And sing their witchy tale.

"We were kings of old!" they chanted,
"Rulers of a world enchanted;
"Every nation of creation
"Owned our lordship over men.
"Diadems of power crowned us,
"Then rose Solomon to confound us,
"Flung his web of magic round us,
"In the forms of beasts he bound us,
"So our rule was broken then."

Whirling, wheeling into westward,
Fled they in their phantom flight;
Was it but a wing-beat music
Murmured through the star-gemmed night?
Or the singing of a ghost clan
Whispering of forgotten night?



MOONLIGHT ON A SKULL

Golden goats on a hillside black,
Silken gown on a wharf-side trull,
Screaming girl on a silver rack-
What are dreams in a shadowed skull?

I stood at a shrine and Chiron died,
A woman laughed from the purple roofs,
And he burned and lived and rose in his pride
And shattered the tiles with clanging hoofs.

I opened a volume dark and rare,
I lighted a candle of mystic lore-
Bare feet throbbed on the outer stair
And book and candle sank to the floor.

Ships that reel on the windy sea,
Lovers that take the world to wife,
What may the Traitress hold for me
Who scarce have lifted the veil of life?



FORBIDDEN MAGIC

There came to me a Shape one summer night
When all the world lay silent in the stars
And moonlight crossed my room with ghostly bars.
It whispered hints of weird unhallowed sight;
I followed, then in waves of spectral light
Mounted the shimmery ladders of my soul,
Where moon-pale spiders, huge as dragons stole-
Great forms like moths with wings of whispy white.

Then round the world the sighing of the loon
Shook misty lakes beneath the false dawn's gleams.
Rose-tinted shone the skyline's minaret.
I rose in fear and then with blood and sweat
Beat out the iron fabrics of my dreams
And shaped of them a web to snare the moon.

As the veil that separates this world from the next weakens, allowing the shades of those long gone to speak to us, I leave you with these verses of spectres fantastique to read by candlelight on Halloween. What was that? Oh, it's nothing, just the wind whistling through the trees. I think...

"'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world." Hamlet: Act 3, scene II. William Shakespeare

The return of what to watch for Halloween...

Did you listen to me? NO...You fools failed to ensure the monster was truly dead, and now it has returned to wreak it's vengeance! I warned you! Lock your windows and doors. Get out your pitchforks and torches. Say your prayers. Hide the women and children. Wait, what?

Oh never mind, just read on. If you dare...

1.The Devil Rides Out (1968). A classic from Hammer Films. The Duc de Richleau battles a Satanic cult led by the sinister Mocata. Based on the novel of the same title by Dennis Wheatley. You'll just have to watch it to see who prevails. As for the original novel? So horribly boring that I put it down after the first chapter and never picked it up again.

2.Horror Hotel (1960). Originally made and released in England as The City of the Dead. More Devilish goings on to give you the creeps. It opens up in Puritan New England as a witch is burned at the stake, then jumps forward to the present where such things are superstitious cruelty practiced on the innocent by the ignorant. Or is it? I remember discovering this film late at night in my youth and absolutely loving it to the point of owning it on dvd now. Low budget but effective, it has what a good gothic horror needs, mood and atmosphere.

3.The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968). Another excellent made for television film. Jack Palance straight up owns the role of the mild mannered Henry Jekyll and his alter ego, the diabolic Edward Hyde, as if the part was written just for him. This is my favorite adaptation of the novel of the same title by Robert Louis Stevenson.

4.The Night Stalker (1972).When I saw this at eight years old I was hooked. The follow up television series was one of my favorites at that age and still is, even if it got ridiculously cheesy at the end. Because Darren McGavin as the reporter turned monster hunter carries on despite the fact that no one will believe him. Based on the novel of the same title by Jeff Rice, which I have read and highly recommend.

5.High Plains Drifter (1973). Wait a minute, this is a Western shoot 'em up you say? Why yes it is, but... Watch it and pay attention to what's going on beneath the surface. It is a ghost story. A very vengeful ghost at that. The entire town was complicit in his murder and he's come back to make them all pay dearly for it.

6.Stir of Echoes (1999). Based on the novel A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson, this creepy, effective film was relatively unnoticed when it was released because The Sixth Sense hit theaters a month earlier. Your average blue collar working class guy is hypnotised for fun during a party. Then he starts seeing things that aren't there. Even his own wife starts to doubt his sanity. Hallucinations and voices in his head? Maybe...

7.The Haunting (1963). A team of paranormal investigators goes to an old mansion to attempt to dispel the stories of it being haunted. Are there ghosts? Or is the house itself the malevolent entity? Based on the novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, which I read once and found boring. To be fair I will go back and give it another try one day. This was remade in 1999 and I found that version rather forgettable because it relied on the CGI effects to carry the story.

8.Haunted (1995). I discovered this little gem of a ghost story browsing through the horror section somewhere. Professor David Ash, a debunker of "psychic" phenomena, is called to investigate and calm the fears of an old woman. What he discovers causes him to question his own sanity. Based on the novel of the same title by James Herbert, it is the first of three novels concerning David Ash which I now absolutely have to read.

9.The Skull (1965). This creepy film stars Peter Cushing as a collector of occult artifacts, who comes into possession of the skull of the infamous Marquis de Sade. Unfortunately for him the skull has a will of its own that overpowers those who possess it. Christopher Lee also appears, but only just, much to my disappointment. Lee and Cushing together are just cinematic magic to me. Based on the short story , The Skull of the Marquis de Sade, by Robert Bloch.

10.The Changeling (1980). Ah...this film is a ghost story. And what a story it tells. George C. Scott is perfect in his role as a composer and Professor of music overwhelmed at times by grief for his wife and daughter, killed in a tragic car accident. Is the ghost of his daughter attempting to communicate with him? Or is it something else entirely and what does it want? Some secrets will not stay buried...

Once again horror films with no or little blood. The actors, story, and atmosphere carry you along to tell a creepy tale best watched with the lights out. Not a complete list by any means, but a fair sample of what I consider worth watching. Far too many films rely on gore, special effects, and punch you between the eyes shock value in between predictable scenes of the unsuspecting being led to their ridiculously creative deaths.

So my dear readers, see the films for yourselves. If you dare...

"We shall see that at which dogs howl in the dark, and that at which cats prick up their ears after midnight." H. P. Lovecraft

What to watch for Halloween...

Why? Because I said so, that's why! After all, I am a cineaste. Or maybe just snobbish and opinionated. I do like using the term though because it makes me sound sophisticated. Besides, I know that you come here for my wisdom in these things dear readers.

So, here is my list of ten films that I'm sure will entertain, delight, and satisfy your need for things that go bump in the night. The season of Halloween, or if you prefer, Samhain is upon us. When the veil between this world and the next weakens and things from the other side may come through to visit. You never know...

1.The Uninvited (1944). A ghost story set on the coast of Cornwall. The first time I saw this I was alone in my darkened living room and got so creeped out I had to turn a light on.

2.The Others (2001). Again, a ghost story. I like ghost stories ever since I was a child. Creepy and effective, the tension builds and builds in this superb film. Is Nicole Kidman's character unhinged? Or is there something very, very wrong going on in this empty old house?

3.The Innocents (1961). Based on the novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. It slowly but surely builds up the atmosphere of uncertainty. Oh how cute, the children have imaginary friends...or do they?

4.Carnival of Souls (1962). A very low budget B-film when it was first released, it has become recognised as a classic of the genre. Who is that silent, white as death man? And why won't he stop following her? Yessss... another ghost story. Told you I like them didn't I?

5.Curse of the Demon (1957). The American version of the English made original, Night of the Demon. Watch the full length original as the US release was cut from 95 minutes to 83. A no nonsense man of science attempts to banish superstitious beliefs. Mere hallucinations he says. Gullible peasants and old wive's tales he says. Hypnotic suggestions implanted in weak minds he says. But he's starting to see and hear them too...

6.Dracula (1974). Yeah sure, this has been done so many times. But this version? Ah, a true delight. Directed by Dan Curtis, written by Richard Matheson, and starring Jack Palance. I found this made for television film to be quite the scary story. No sparkly teenage vampires in love here. Twilight...feh...

7.Don't Look Now (1973). Based on the short story of the same title by Daphne du Maurier, it is a ghost story. Yeah...another one. A couple move to Venice after the death of their young daughter. Who is that young child they keep seeing out of the corner of their eye? I have to give credit to my friend Adrianna for introducing me to this film for which I am grateful, otherwise I might never have discovered it.

8.Black Sunday (1960). Ah...a true masterpiece of gothic Italian horror, directed by Mario Bava and starring Barbara Steele. The atmosphere is thickly laid on with a trowel in this tale of a witch come back from the grave to wreak vengeance on the descendants of her executioners.

9.The Legend of Hell House (1973). You think Ghosthunters is scary? You'll think it's more like Scooby Doo after watching this tale of paranormal investigators who get more than they bargained for. Based on the book of the same title by Richard Matheson. I've read the book and find the film just as scary.

10.Lady in White (1988). This takes me back to the Halloweens I remember as a boy. The grey overcast sky, the smell of the leaves as they turn and fall, the much simpler things we considered scary, and the growing anticipation of trick or treating. But, there are ghosts and it's not Charlie Brown in a bedsheet either.

So, there it is. My recommendations for what I watch when I am in the mood for horror. I'm sure you've noticed a trend towards ghost stories, which I absolutely delight in. Why? For starters it was the first form of horror I remember as a child, being told around the fire on camping trips. Secondly, they are truly effective with little or no blood spilled. It is the craft of a good storyteller (or film director) to give you that mood and atmosphere without beating you over the head with it. Any jackass can splash blood and gore all over a thing, but that doesn't build a true sense of horror, it just shows their inability to craft a tale guaranteed to give you the creeps.

I hope you, my dear readers, watch one or more of these films and get as much enjoyment from them as I do. And no this is not a complete list by any means. There are many films in the genre of the fantastic to share. But that is for another time.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Hamlet: Act 1, scene V. William Shakespeare

Visions of Autumn

These are all done with a small handheld digital, not bad but I'd like to do better. Been looking at digital SLRs for awhile but they're just not in the budget for now. Especially for a mere hobby that I dabble in. Someday...

I see something and I can see in my head the image I want to capture, but it's beyond the capabilites of my current camera. A close up in detail, low light conditions, or something in motion. Even better, something in black and white. The effects of light and shadow can be amazing as I've seen in the work of friends who are far better than I am.

But for now, I leave you with these images that captured my imagination. Hope you get something from them as I did.

I'm Back...

And been away far too long. To you my dear readers I humbly offer my sincerest apologies for withholding my wit and wisdom.

Yeah right, like I'm some kind of Plato and you're my students at the Academy.

Not going to waste your time with excuses, just get to work and start posting again. It's autumn once again, my favorite season, and there are things happening out there that I would like to share with you.

I do however thank you all for your patience. It will be rewarded.