Charles Perrault, Fairy Tales And And How We Still Tell The Same Ugly Stories

Today’s google doodle is Charles Perrault. Well done Charles, you’ve made it! Fairy tale fascination is nothing new, children watch the Disney versions over and over, but as I grew older I realised there was something else to them, something…untamed.

A Jim Henson television programme from the late 80s told me that yes, there was something to that theory. Based on folk tales from the past they were often more unpleasant than the Disney versions – don’t let yourself be led astray, or such and such will happen.

Jim Henson’s Storyteller, Sapsorrow, an early version of Cinderella where she has to marry her father

That’s the gist of many of them: dark predictions if you don’t heed your guardian’s warnings. Little Red Riding Hood was much more The Company of Wolves than a story about a little girl avoiding a scary animal. In truth she was on the brink of sexuality and told not to talk to strangers on the way to her grandma’s lest they be an evil seducer.

But that’s not all they are. The listener no doubt felt a thrill of fear and disgust and the teller would delight in their reaction. They’re projections of worst case scenarios told safely indoors, the Urban Legends of their time. I got the same excitement and revulsion when I first discovered the Snopes website and saw society’s basest worries right there on the screen. There’s no PC filters here, everybody fits a stereotype and everyone wants to secretly maim you or put gerbils up you (neither sounds good).

Don’t blame me

Just like the Prince’s mother from Charles Perrault’s Sleeping Beauty plans to eat his daughter, stories are whispered of meth taking baby-sitters mistaking children for meatloaf and putting them in ovens. A still earlier version of Sleeping Beauty has the Prince impregnating the Princess IN HER SLEEP, while other versions have the mother-in-law not only eating her son’s first daughter but secretly, apparently for a laugh, feeding her to the King. All of which sound a little like the tales passed between lips of scary foreigners and drug addicts.

So next time you listen to a biased and poorly researched story told to you by the bloke in the office who heard it from Fred just imagine: One day there might be a cartoon version where they get married at the end.

Interview With Mr Wicker Author Maria Alexander

Merry New Year! And what a wonderful New Year it is! Not only did I get my first royalty check for The Filing Cabinet of Doom, also my interview with gothic scribe lady Maria Alexander went up on Dirge Magazine. Have a read!

4 modern films made in a vintage fashion

Everybody loved The Artist, it was sweet and entertaining, but there are a few more films invoking earlier cinematic styles that I’ve enjoyed just as much if not more. Let’s have a peek at these morsels of delight (I don’t know, it’s the meds).

1. The Saddest Music in the World. Guy Maddin tends to give all his films the look of the twenties or thirties, focusing particularly on German Expressionism. This is probably my favourite though because it’s very silly (intentionally) and Isabella Rossellini looks like she’s having a lot of fun.

It’s prohibition in America but Canada doesn’t need to worry about that (Guy Maddin is an enthusiastic Canadian). To advertise her company beer baron Isabella Rossellini decides to hold a contest to see which nation can play the saddest music in the world. An American takes part and proceeds to fill his songs with crass schmaltz and showy dances.

As a friend of mine said, it has all the enchantment of early cinema with modern daft humour, which is probably my favourite mix.

2. La Antena. An Argentinian film by Esteban Sapir, this heavily invokes directors like Fritz Lang and Luis Bunuel. It’s visually beautiful and enjoyable to watch, and is an interesting take on the subject of Fascism. An entire city has lost it’s voice, save for one woman and her son who she tries to keep a secret.

Apologies, couldn’t find a trailer with English subtitles:

3. Careful. Another offering from Guy Maddin, this is a little darker (though still silly of course) and tells the story of an Alpine village who must keep quiet to avoid the murderous and frequent avalanches.

This is two stories in one telling how isolation can lead to odd and incestuous thoughts. In the first it’s a son in love with his mother and the second a daughter with her father, although he appears to favour her sister. There are some very pretty touches, such as the coal miner’s candle helmet.

4. The Forbidden Zone. It’s probably the most out-there of all these offerings and is definitely not for children. There are one or two horrifically offensive things in it which I didn’t feel needed to be in there at all, but I’m not the film maker so what do I know eh?

However, this is essentially a live action Max Fleischer cartoon (of Betty Boop fame) and the songs are quite catchy, and the whole thing is so bizarre and odd and juvenile that you probably just need to let it wash over you. Directed by Richard Elfman, his brother Danny (you might know him) and his band Oingo Boingo did the music and pop up as the devil and his minions singing Minnie the Moocher. I think it’s at least entertainingly weird, and that’s probably all that matters.

The very colourful and surreal art of Rachel Maclean

I finished writing my book today, what joy! Perhaps I will start a cult and murder my followers as celebration. Or convince them to insert bread rolls somewhere unpleasant.

Anyway…I would like to share this post of art by Scottish lady Rachel Maclean. I watched her short films and there is something revoltingly wonderful about the phantasmagoria. Enjoy!

14 Science-Fiction Fashions That Are Now Reality

Have a look at these futuristic designs which are available right now, from a dress that comes from a spray can to outfits that charge your phone.  

Now have a peek at this clip from the 30s predicting what we might be wearing in the year 2000. Ooh, swish!

Paying Fantasy short story markets

Upon my search today for a home for one of my stories I happened upon this article. If you write fantasy, magic realism, urban fantasy or any other variation this should be rather useful, have a look.

Toodlipipski!