Making Friends with Monsters

Hello, Weirdlings,

Welcome to this week's assemblage of horror and the weird. I hope you enjoy diving into the depths.

Movies

Model Fiends: Our Friendship with Monsters (Shudder)

"Monster movies speak to those of us who can’t seem to find our place in the world," writes Matt Konopka. "As a kid, I was bullied, mocked, and beaten up. But I found solace in creature features because I saw myself in the hideous ghouls that other characters wanted to be rid of."

An Interview With the Guy Who Yells “Mortal Kombat” in the Theme for Mortal Kombat (Slate)

Kyle Wyatt shares his experience of being the guy who yells "Mortal Kombat!"

Games

Portal 2: A Tale of Two Female Icons (Techraptor)

"Portal 2 really captured players with its unique titular gameplay and even more intriguing characters," explains Mary Gushie. "These characters happen to be perfect examples of how to portray women as fully realized characters in both the hero and villain roles in a video game."

Life & Lore

The Deep Sea (Neal.fun)

This scrolling webpage reveals the secrets hidden in the depths of the sea. The deeper you go, the stranger and more unsettling the experience becomes.  

Dark Matter: What is it, how do we know it's there and will we find it? (New Atlas)

Our universe is filled with a strange, virtually invisible material. This article looks into what dark matter is and how scientists study it.

Literature

9 of the Best Horror Short Story Collections to Keep You Up at Night (Book Riot)

As Nusrah Javed notes, "The season for horror stories is never over." She provides a list of some excellent story collections to whet your appetite for scares.

Short of the Week

In "The Surrogate," directed and animated by Stas Santimov, a man destroys the nest of an unknown creepy creature — but it's not the most horrible creature he will meet tonight. Animation has the power to create a profoundly surreal and creepy atmosphere, and Santimov uses this to excellent effect.