Dear Weirdlings,
I hope the nether realms are treating you well. This week we present an existential horror, exciting sequels and rebooks, strange folklore, reality-shattering art, and the terror of forms in triplicate.
So, kickback, relax, and enjoy this week’s roundup of the weird.
Movies
Faith, Doubt, and Existential Horror | Part 1: The Exorcist’s Father Karras (Manor Vellum)
Manor Vellum is publishing a three part series on the works of William Peter Blatty. In the first entry, Jerry Smith writes,
"Blatty was a genius at causing us, through his characters, to examine our own struggles with what we do or do not believe. It’s a common theme that runs throughout a lot of his work, but between The Exorcist, The Ninth Configuration, and The Exorcist III, those themes took center stage, impacting so much of my own life and how I still see a lot of things on the topic of faith, doubt, and of course…existential horror."
Attack the Block Sequel Coming from John Boyega and Joe Cornish (Daily Dead)
Ten years later, the indie alien invasion movie Attack the Block is getting a sequel — and I couldn't be more excited.
The Red Sonja Adaptation Has Found Its Star (Tor.com)
Hannah John-Kamen, known for her previous rolls in Killjoys and Ready Player One, is slated to star as the titular character Red Sonja in the upcoming reboot.
Games
Your Taxes: The Board Game! (McSweeney's)
Josh Freedman explains this this interactive experience: "The object of the game is to accurately determine how much money you need to pay the government in the previous tax year. The government and your employer already have most of this information, but they can’t just tell you, because then this fun board game wouldn’t exist."
Life & Lore
The Mythical Water Horse That Will Drown Your Kids (Here There Be Monsters)
Kyrie Gray shares the lore of the kelpie, a Scottish water spirit said to lure unwary to a watery doom.
Unzipping the Ordinary: Alex Chinneck on Bending Reality Through Art, Awe, and Accessible Experiences (designboom)
Artist Alex Chinneck develops exterior installations in which he presents a surreal world of "fractured façades, melted houses, knotted post boxes, and unzipped walls."
Literature
The Call is Coming from Inside the Spaceship: 6 Works of Space Horror (Book Riot)
Alex Acks journeys into the depths of space to present you with some chilling horror offerings.
Short of the Week
"Landon Dies" as a title is an apt description in itself. Staring Landon Stahmer (who is also the writer, director, composer, and monster creator), this short film features some great monster design and creative dooms.
(Discovered via Crypt TV.)
