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By Scott A. Cupp, on February 2nd, 2012 FORGOTTEN BOOK: TO WALK THE NIGHT by William Sloane, 1937
This is the 85th in my series of Forgotten Books.
 This is a classic horror novel that I first read in 1967. I remember reading it quite well because the cover was very evocative. It featured a very pale, vampirish looking woman, very pale with straight eyebrows and striking looks, kind of like Lilly Munster on steroids after a makeover. I enjoyed the book then and have read it a couple of times since. William Sloane wrote two novels, both classics – this one and Boris Karloff back in 1941.
The novel is somewhat unconventional. It is the story of Jerry Lister and his brother in everything but name Berkeley, known as Bark. At the beginning of the novel, Jerry is dead, having committed suicide a month earlier with Bark present. Bark is explaining the story to Dr. Lister, Jerry’s (and for all practical purposes) Bark’s father. Bark even addresses him as “Dad” throughout the narrative. He is trying to explain to Dad and himself what really happened.
Jerry and Bark are a couple of years out of college when they return for a homecoming football game against State. The game goes their way and while in town they decide to visit Professor LeNormand, a physicist for whom Jerry had done work while in college. As they arrive at his lab, they discover the professor slumped over his work and he is on fire. They attempt to put out the fire but they are too late and the professor is burned to death.
The two notify the University President who comes over and investigates. He then calls the police. The fire seems to be of an unknown origin and unexplainable. It had apparently just started when the boys arrived but they saw no one else entering or leaving. They spend the night at their former frat house and the next day talk to the police again and the President. They discover Professor LeNormand had recently gotten married under unusual circumstances and the new widow wants to meet with them. The President describes her as “the most beautiful woman in the world”.
Continue reading FORGOTTEN BOOK: TO WALK THE NIGHT by William Sloane, 1937 »
By Scott A. Cupp, on January 31st, 2012 Forgotten Films: Monsters (2010)
This is the 51st in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films
 This is one of the best SF Horror related films of the last few years! Period! It is a very small budget film (IMDB estimates it at $800,000) and it packs a great impact.
At the beginning of the film, it has been six years since a NASA probe has brought back something from out there. Now portions of the US and Mexico are occupied by the monsters. Disaffected journalist/photographer Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) is in Mexico and has been instructed to insure that his publisher’s daughter Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able). The best way to accomplish this to get her on the ferry. He pays big money to do this but, unfortunately, he hooks up with a local and finds the next morning that her ticket and passport have been stolen from him. The only way home now is to follow a path through the Infected Zone.
At this point the film resembles a documentary of human smuggling as they travel through wasted areas on air boats, trying to not capture the attention of authorities or monsters. They meet interesting families along the way and eventually make their way to THE WALL (the caps are deliberate here). This is what Governor Perry and others would really like to have built for the problem of illegals in Texas and Arizona. THE WALL is massive and impressive!
The monsters themselves do show up a little (this is a low budget film, remember) and they are passable. But they are not the story. The story is Andrew and Samantha trying to get back, Andrew trying to get in with the publishing firm by getting this done, and the growing attraction between the pair. The monsters are just a bonus.
Continue reading FORGOTTEN FILM: MONSTERS (2010) »
By Scott A. Cupp, on January 19th, 2012 FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE COACHMAN RAT by David Henry Wilson, 1989
This is the 84th in my series of Forgotten Books.
 I must confess that I have had this book for more than 20 years and never quite got around to reading it though I had heard great things about it. Seems that is frequently the case when you have thousands of books and your “To Be Read” stack fills more than one bookcase.
But I am glad that I finally got around to this one. I was looking for something to read for this week’s column and this one literally fell off the shelf and landed at my feet. And, since my forgotten film this week featured a character named Mouse, it is only fitting that the forgotten book should feature a rat.
This is a retelling of multiple fairy tales, the most prominent being that of Cinderella. Robert, our hero, is a rat roaming around an unnamed town who finds himself fascinated by Man and his traps. He learns how to avoid the traps until he is ready to study them. He finds himself at the home of Amadea, a beautiful young serving girl and he decides she would not hurt him and allows himself to be trapped.
That evening, she is visited by the “Woman of Light” who turns him into a coachman while six white mice become horses and a pumpkin is turned into a golden coach. He is given intelligence and finds himself talking with the footmen while Amadea is dancing and enjoying the party. Suddenly the clock strikes midnight and he finds himself changing back into a rat, the coach becomes a pumpkin and the horses return to their mousey forms.
The pumpkin is smashed and the white mice are killed, but Robert manages to escape. He returns home but finds that his family no longer accepts him. He thinks like a man and he speaks like a man. He eventually makes his way back to Amadea’s house but she is no longer there. He hears her step-sisters talking about how if they had only cut off their toes the slipper might have fit and they would be with the prince rather than her.
Continue reading FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE COACHMAN RAT by David Henry Wilson, 1989 »
By Scott A. Cupp, on January 17th, 2012  Forgotten Films: Ladyhawke (1985)
This is the 50th in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films
I am not sure how forgotten this film is these days. I certainly have never forgotten it but when I mentioned it to a few folks the other day, they were like “Oh, yeah! I sorta remember that one.” And that convinced me I was on the right track.
While far from perfect, this remains a pretty fine fantasy film. It is set in some medieval land where Phillipe “Mouse” Gaston (Matthew Broderick) is a thief and pickpocket who has escaped from the dungeons of Aquila, something no one has ever done. As he is fleeing the country, he encounters a roaming knight, Captain Etienne Navarre, formerly of Aquila’s guard. He rides a huge horse and swings a mean sword. He is accompanied by a hawk on which he dotes. Phillipe is rescued from the pursuing guards by Etienne and rides with him. At night, Phillipe stays indoors while Etienne remains outside. On one of the nights, Phillipe meets a beautiful young woman, Isabeau d’Anjou (Michelle Pfeiffer). He speaks to her and in the morning she is gone. One night as he is out, he encounters a giant wolf from which he barely escapes.
Phillipe and Etienne make their way to the home of a drunken priest, Father Imperius (Leo McKern). Here Phillipe hears the tale of the knight and his love, Etienne and Isabeau, and the Bishop (John Wood) who loved Isabeau and of the priest who mistakenly betrayed the true love and the curse laid upon them. Etienne is cursed to be a wolf at night and Isabeau remains a hawk during daylight. Always together and always apart.
Continue reading FORGOTTEN FILM: LADYHAWKE (1985) »
By Scott A. Cupp, on January 12th, 2012 FORGOTTEN BOOK: ABADAZAD: THE ROAD TO INCONCEIVABLE by J. M. DeMatteis and Mike Ploog, 2006
This is the 83rd in my series of Forgotten Books.
 I first became aware of JM DeMatteis and Mike Ploog through their work in comics. DeMatteis was a writer of most DC and Marvel titles. I became aware of Mike Ploog through his excellent art on MONSTER OF FRANKENSTEIN and WEREWOLF BY NIGHT. Of the two, I followed Ploog’s career more closely and generally bought anything he illustrated.
So when I found this title at the bookstore a few weeks ago, it was a foregone conclusion that I was buying it and its sequel without hesitation.
As I was doing the final research on this review, I discovered that this title had its origin in a CrossGen comic entitled ABADAZAD, which I totally missed which was not hard. I will have to hunt those up now.
This was fun little book about a young woman named Kate who is nine when we first meet her and 14 later in the tale. She lives in Brooklyn with her mother Frantic Frances and her brother Matt. Their father Herbert has abandoned them and they are trying to get by. Matt and Kate have a special bond that really connects them. They have a love of the books of Franklin O. Davies featuring the land of Abadazad. The first book LITTLE MARTHA IN ABADAZAD is a particular favorite and Kate reads it aloud to Matt every day.
Then one day Matt disappears at a street fair. He is riding a ride and suddenly he is not. This upsets Kate badly and she begins to have attitude and school issues. She maintains a diary/memoir to help preserve her sanity.
Continue reading FORGOTTEN BOOK: ABADAZAD: THE ROAD TO INCONCEIVABLE by J. M. DeMatteis and Mike Ploog, 2006 »
By Scott A. Cupp, on January 10th, 2012 Forgotten Films: The Man From Planet X (1951)
This is the 49th in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films
 A B movie classic this week directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, a fairly good director known for bringing films in on time and on budget. Kind of a good Ed Wood. Ulmer directed “Detour” in 1945 one of the best American film noir classics.
The film is pretty basic. A new planet, christened Planet X for some reason, is hurtling through the solar system and is going to pass close to the Earth. Our hero, newspaperman John Lawrence (Robert Clarke) has been informed of this by his old wartime friend Professor Elliot (Raymond Bond). The professor has gone to a remote Scottish village which will be the closest point on Earth when Planet X passes by. Lawrence is there to get the scoop, though no other scientist or news service seems to know about any of this. In the village he meets up again with the professor’s daughter Enid (Margaret Field, mother of Sally Field), who has grown up into a much more interesting person than a gangly 12 year old. Also present is Dr. Mears (versatile actor William Schallert in his third credited role, though eighth overall), a not so friendly face from the past. There is bad blood here and Lawrence indicates that Mears had committed some sort of crime during the war for which he served six months in prison. Lawrence confirms that it should have been 20 years.
A spaceship has landed nearby and Enid, the Professor and Lawrence encounter the titular character, a shortish man with a big helmet and a squashed in face. The little man has some trouble with his breathing apparatus and Lawrence helps him out. They bring the alien back to the professor’s lab. Attempts to communicate prove unproductive.
Mears is fascinated by some lightweight high tensile material and sees large dollar signs for whoever controls the formula. Mears devises a plan to speak to the alien through mathematics which is described as a universal language.
When people next check in, Mears, the Professor and the alien are missing as are local townspeople. The alien has learned to “speak” and has enslaved various folks to follow his orders. Scotland Yard gets involved and the navy. Things get blown up. The Earth is saved.
Continue reading FORGOTTEN FILM: THE MAN FROM PLANET X (1951) »
By Scott A. Cupp, on January 5th, 2012 FORGOTTEN BOOK: DICKSON! by Gordon R. Dickson, 1984
This is the 82nd in my series of Forgotten Books.
 Gordon R. Dickson was one of the first SF writers that I read. I recall quite fondly the early Dorsai books SOLDIER ASK NOT! and THE TACTICS OF MISTAKE. Somehow over the years I got away from reading his work. I attempted THE DRAGON AND THE GEORGE and for whatever reason, it just did not appeal to me. I know this puts me in the minority. And I never really returned to the Dorsai books, having lost any desire to read military fiction. And, yes, I know there is more to them than that.
At the recent Reno WorldCon I found myself over at the NESFA Press table. I tend to like their books a lot. I purchased several items, enough to get a freebie off of a small shelf. What I picked out was DICKSON! This was the volume prepared for the 1984 WorldCon where Gordon R. Dickson was the Guest of Honor. Several World Cons have worked with NESFA to produce similar volumes over the years. When the North American Science Fiction convention was held in Austin in 1985 with Jack Vance as the Guest of Honor, a similar type volume was produced then.
Anyway, I had seen this book over the years and always wanted it but somehow never felt totally compelled to purchase it, so when the opportunity presented itself this year, I got it. I am glad I did.
The volume contains an introductory essay by Dickson’s longtime friend and occasional collaborator, Poul Anderson. This is followed by an essay on the CHILDE CYCLE to date (which is pre-THE FINAL ENCYCLOPEDIA, though that volume was turned in and scheduled for publication) and five pieces of short fiction from various pulps and anthologies.
The initial essay did not do much for me because of my unfamiliarity with the CHILD CYCLE since my readings were roughly 40 years ago and mostly forgotten. But, the stories … they were fun.
The first one is “The Law Twister Shorty” which is a study in alien civilization, of the type Dickson is pretty good at. Imagine contrary ten foot tall giant hillbillies wanting to fight rather than negotiate but who have to at least attempt to respect some aspects of civilization. “Shorty” is a term used to describe a non-member of the Dilbian race (they are the contrary giant hillbillies). A Dilbian woman has kidnapped three off-world tourists and adopted them, against their will. It is up to Malcolm O’Keefe to become the Law Bender and settle thee case which seems impossible without getting his head torn off, which does seem highly possible and probable. It’s a nice good twisty story.
Continue reading Forgotten Book: DICKSON! by Gordon R. Dickson, 1984 »
By Scott A. Cupp, on January 3rd, 2012  Forgotten Films: Webb Wilder, Private Eye in “The Saucer’s Reign” (1984)
This is the 48th in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films
A short short this week with a science fiction connection. My friend Mike Madonna provided me with a copy of this film more than 20 years ago. I watched it at that time and was not particularly impressed. But, today I was contemplating what film to watch and talk about and this one leaped into my hands.
Webb Wilder is a country/rock musician of some repute. I saw him at Farm Aid in 1992 and immediately went out and bought his CD “Doo Dad” which is quite fun. It features a pretty wonderful version of “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night”. The original recording by The Electric Prunes is my all time favorite rock and roll psychedelic single, so the fact that I love his version speaks well of it. I also got the albums “Hybrid Vigor” and “Town and Country”, both of which are quite fun. “Town and Country” is a cover album featuring some of the band’s favorite songs done their way, including “Talk Talk” (originally done by The Music Machine) and the “Goldfinger” theme done by Shirley Bassey and John Barry. Wonderfully eclectic stuff.
“The Saucer’s Reign” is the first of several short films featuring WW as the Private Eye/Security Guard at JC Penney. The film was written and directed by Stephen Mims who did several of the Webb Wilder films including HORROR HAYRIDE and CORN FLICKS.
Done in a film noir voiceover and grainy black and white film, WW receives a mysterious offer in the mail to come investigate the disappearance of Pristene Suggs (played by Pristene Suggs). Her husband Hiwayne Suggs (Roger Brinegar) believes she has been kidnapped by aliens. And, since he told someone on a party line, everyone seems to want to weigh in on it. The news media is everywhere and Webb must still investigate. The investigation leads him to various eccentric figures and trailer trash before he is able to solve the mystery. At 12 minutes, it is just about the proper length for the story.
Continue reading Forgotten Films: Webb Wilder, Private Eye in “The Saucer’s Reign” (1984) »
By Scott A. Cupp, on December 27th, 2011 Forgotten Films: Devil Girl From Mars (1954)
This is the 47th in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films
 One of the joys of doing this column on a regular basis is getting to watch the films. Some, like ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE are old favorites, while others, like this week’s film, are films I have never seen before or which I saw so long ago as to render any memory of them useless.
DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS was a title that always fascinated me. The shot of Nyah, the title character, shooting her ray gun has entered into popular culture through various commercials, but somehow I never actually saw the film. I got a VHS copy sometime during the 1990’s but never got around to watching it. Veteran actress Hazel Court played Ellen Prestwick in the film and when she died in 2008, I said “I need to watch this film.” Finally did that this week.
This film is interesting. It is based on a British stage play by John C. Maher and James Eastwood. Eastwood did the screenplay for the movie. The setting is a remote Scottish inn during the winter. There are several people present including an escaped convict when a spaceship lands nearby. A newspaper man and a scientist come in having lost their way to try and find a meteorite which has landed.
Enter Nyah (Patricia Laffan), the Devil Girl herself. Clad in a PVC short outfit and a long cape, she is an ice goddess. She is cold, implacable and ready to fulfill her mission which is to bring healthy Earth men back to Mars for breeding stock. She has made the trip in a nuclear powered flying saucer, accompanied by a giant robot killing machine with a nice disintegrator ray.
There is not much to choose from at this hotel. The old Scottish couple running the place, the Jamiesons (John Laurie and Sophie Stewart); their nephew Tommy (Anthony Richmond); the barmaid Doris (Adrienne Corri) and her boyfriend/escaped convict Albert Simpson (Peter Reynolds); former model Ellen Prestwick (Hazel Court) running away from a bad affair; Professor Hennessey (Joseph Tomelty); and Mike the newsman (Hugh McDermott). Mike and Albert along with Tommy are supposed to represent the potential men to help repopulate Mars. The Professor and, to some degree, Mr. Jamison are the old guard trying to protect the future of humanity. The women are there to provide tears and hysterics.
The cast (with the exception of Richmond) were all veteran actors in the British cinema and did many more films and TV shows over the year. Tomelty was even the father-in-law to Sting for a while as his daughter was the rocker’s first wife.
Continue reading Forgotten Films: Devil Girl From Mars (1954) »
By Scott A. Cupp, on December 22nd, 2011 FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE PASSIONATE WITCH by Thorne Smith and Norman Matson, 1941
This is the 81st in my series of Forgotten Books.
 About a year ago I reviewed Thorne Smith’s THE NIGHT LIFE OF THE GODS, a contemporary fantasy that I rather enjoyed. The other day I was looking to see what this week’s book might be and I chanced upon my copy of THE PASSIONATE WITCH. This was Thorne Smith’s final novel, which was incomplete when he died. His friend Norman Matson completed it and Doubleday Doran published it in 1941, seven years after Smith’s death. It was later filmed in 1942 as I MARRIED A WITCH, though with a much different story and ending.
T. Wallace Wooly is Warburton’s leading citizen, a teetotaler, businessman, volunteer fireman, and all around bore. One day as he walks by a hotel a fire breaks out and he finds himself rushing in and rescuing a lovely brunette who has apparently had all her clothing burned off by fire, though she has no scars or burns to show for it. Before long he finds himself married to the woman, Jennifer by name. She settles very quickly into a life of spending his money and causing trouble. Jennifer, it seems, is a witch and while many men think their wives to be such, in this case, it was true. Her rescue was fortuitous for her in that Wallace was starting to take an interest in Betty Jackson, his secretary, whom he had just begun to really notice.
Suddenly Wallace finds his wife climbing down sheer walls and killing chickens in her bath. This leads to a huge confrontation and Jennifer is killed. Sort of. Her body dies but her mind finds itself trapped inside the body of a broken down horse, Old Rummy. In her final act of wickedness, Jennifer has opened Wallace’s mind so that he can read the minds of everyone around him – his friends, his servants, passersby, everyone. And, like Robert Silverberg’s hero of DYING INSIDE, this is not a pleasant state. It is driving him mad until he finds that by being drunk he can turn off the voices in his head. Once he begins to sober, they start coming back so he spends much time totally schnockered.
Continue reading Forgotten Book: The Passionate Witch by Thorne Smith & Norman Matson, 1941 »
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JOHN PICACIO is a World Fantasy Award-winning and Hugo
Award-nominated illustrator of science fiction, fantasy, and horror literature.
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SANFORD ALLEN is a musician and author with more than
two dozen horror and dark fantasy stories published.
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PAUL VAUGHN is a graphic artist,
web designer, writer, consultant and all around techno-geek.
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SCOTT A. CUPP is a writer whose work has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award.
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