VANCE NORRIS’S DEATH: The Subtle Horror in John Carpenter’s THE THING

VANCE NORRIS’S DEATH: The Subtle Horror in John Carpenter’s THE THING

Think About It! The truly horrific part of the famous AFib Paddles bursting through Vance’s Chest Sequence in John Carpenter’s THE THING, is NOT Vance Norris’s chest turning into a giant mouth full of jagged fangs and biting Dr. Copper’s hands off! The truly horrific part, that lingers in your mind long after seeing the…

BLOOD TEST:  Invasive Survival and Hematological Sleuthing in John Carpenter’s THE THING

BLOOD TEST: Invasive Survival and Hematological Sleuthing in John Carpenter’s THE THING

by Michael H. Hanson Over half way into John Carpenter’s 1982 horror/sci-fi motion-picture masterpiece, THE THING, near the end of the Second Act, comes a now legendary scene that film critics and fans alike have declared ‘supremely suspenseful,’ one that arguably ranks right up there with Private Pyle’s murder-suicide in Stanley Kubrick’s FULL METAL JACKET,…

Schrodinger’s Childs vs. Schrodinger’s MacReady: Quantum Superposition in John Carpenter’s THE THING

Schrodinger’s Childs vs. Schrodinger’s MacReady: Quantum Superposition in John Carpenter’s THE THING

by Michael H. Hanson Two men sit on the freezing ground of Antarctica at night, exhausted, facing each other, wary of each other, the last two survivors of a great massacre, the attack of an unrelenting, savage, merciless, shape-shifting alien life form. Welcome to the wrenching finale of director John Carpenter’s seminal sci-fi/horror motion picture…

The Lovecraftian Madness of Dr. Blair

The Lovecraftian Madness of Dr. Blair

by Michael H. Hanson To quote Claus Appel: “If you read Lovecraft, you will notice that he carefully stacks the deck against the occasional unlucky soon-to-be-psychologically-challenged protagonist. Said characters tend to be ‘educated,’ ‘isolated,’ and end up in ‘mortal danger.’ These characters experience a long string of escalating disquieting discoveries which, coupled with isolation, leaves…

Rhysling Eligible Poem

Rhysling Eligible Poem

A favorite poem of Michael H. Hanson that was published in 2018 and is eligible in the Short Poem category of the Rhysling Awards. ——–  THE SEA HORSE ISLES His father was a fishermanknown for trawling the Sea Horse isles,a stretch of brine only his clanhad dared to challenge with their wiles. They say it…

RIP Anthony Bourdain

RIP Anthony Bourdain

It’s a sad day when a beloved celebrity dies, especially one in their prime of activity, charm, and work.  For many the mere thought of depression and suicide, connected with a person so vital and outspoken, so downright successful, is hard to grasp. But reality has a way of rudely slapping us all in the…