MALEFICIUM
An oddity from Quebec that warrants a recommendation, if for no other reason than the fact that it’s so insanely inventive
TEN NIGHTS OF DREAMS: From Text to Film
The 2007 Nikkatsu production TEN NIGHTS OF DREAMS (YUME JU-YA) is a monument in Japanese genre filmmaking.
A DREAM LIKE MINE
The issue of Native American exploitation is given an alternately gritty and hallucinatory airing in this novel, a starkly violent thriller with a mystical edge. The setting is an Indian reservation in Ontario, Canada, where an unnamed white male reporter is thrust into an intense drama.
THE DEEP SEA DIVER’S SYNDROME
The traveling-into-dreams trope has long been a prominent, and problematic, staple of horror and science fiction. This French novel, originally published in 1992, is a stellar example of the format–and, I feel, an overall standout in the field of imaginative fiction. Kudos to Melville House, and translator Edward Gauvin, for putting out this better-late-than-never English language version.
BONES OF THE MOON
This is one of the Jonathan Carroll’s loopiest novels, and believe me: that’s saying a lot.
The CREMASTER Cycle
From Adam I'm finally getting around to it. Whether you're a long-time reader or new to the site, you'll probably like my monthly newsletter. You'll get stuff before it's posted and occasional subscriber-only extras. Nothing stupid. No spam. Subscribers get my...THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI
Often cited as the world’s first true horror film, this German classic from 1920 has taken on near-legendary status among cultists, and retains a loopy aura that has yet to be matched
WARNING SHADOWS
There are no textual intertitles in this 1923 silent classic from Germany, which relates its psychologically grounded narrative entirely through shadowy and expressionistic visuals
VERA
This “transcendental journey of the soul” mixes Mayan mysticism with CGI and elegantly lensed live action into a head-scratching whole that must be counted as one of the most profoundly bizarre Mexican films since the heyday of Alejandro Jodorowsky
VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS (Film)
Fascinating Czech surrealism from the seventies. Beautifully filmed, affectionately macabre and totally unique, it’s precisely the type of film They Just Don’t Make Anymore.