The blood elevator scene, sometimes called the ‘river of blood," from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a horrifying and disturbing image in a film full of horrifying and disturbing images. Upon watching it the scene produces in many - myself included - a feeling of dread; an uneasiness that is hard to explain. I’ve often
In the 1970s satanic cults were everywhere. Or at least that’s what popular culture would have you believe. In apartment complexes, suburban planned communities, quiet rural towns – somewhere lurking beneath the all-too-normal exterior was a sinister group ready to induct you – or worse, your child - into the worship of the devil. Typically
In 1954, at the height of McCarthyism, the comic book industry was under scrutiny for being a corrupter of youth and an inciter of crime. And according to the book Seduction of the Innocent by Fredric Werthram all of the issues of teenage delinquency could be traced back directly to the reading of comics. Senate
This image is made up of two things I really enjoy: Space stuff and psychedelic art. And not since the final section of 2001: A Space Odyssey has the two been blended so well together! In all seriousness, this is pretty clever. Some groovy artist/graphic designer/free-spirit individual not tied down by the restraints placed on
Brain Salad Surgery is the fourth studio album from prog-rock supergroup Emerson, Lake, & Palmer and is arguably their most well-known. The reason for its notoriety can be boiled down to two things: an unbelievably catchy radio hit and some stunning cover art by H.R. Giger. There’s more to the album of course, but
Do you want to hear a funny story? Not exactly but something like this. When I was a youngster way back in the 1970s my family owned a portable TV. It was bulky and kinda heavy and a little awkward to carry from place to place, but it had a handle on the
I recently re-watched Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings (and mean really recently – like 10 minutes ago) and as I sat blinking at my screen as the credits rolled I thought to myself…was that good? Seriously, I’m not sure. Is Bakshi's 1978 adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings brilliant
I work in a place that plays canned music on the loudspeaker all day. To be fair there is a decent amount of variety (although at the time I write this, in mid-December, there is nothing but Christmas music. But that’s another article) a mix of current pop songs and classic rock. But there are
In the 1970s cartoons from Japan were a relatively rare thing. It may hard to believe in this era of streaming services, internet access and a multitude of channels that anime options were few and far between in the US, but it’s true I tell ya! In fact I’m guessing that most of the
The 1970s was a time of unparalleled growth and prosperity that brought forth a cultural and artistic renaissance that still influences our society to this day. Everything I just said is verifiably untrue, a blatant lie. But that is the beauty of nostalgia, the past is made perfect not by the truth of a thing
