My Dearest Weirdlings,
Today is the anniversary of my entry into this universe. As of today, I have survived four decades upon this Earth.
It’s strange celebrating in a time when it feels as though all the apocalyptic and dystopian stories I’ve read over the years have made themselves manifest. Here I am, in a state of isolation, unable to embrace my family or friends with the screen and pixels between us.
Marking the passage of a new decade of one’s life is strange enough in itself. Departing my thirties doesn’t bother me much. My youth was rife with uncertainties that have slowly diminished over the years. I have new worries now, of course, but I also have a stronger sense of self and what I want out of life.
A feeling of transition has come upon me over the past few weeks leading up to today — a feeling tied in part to my love of horror.
Although I’ve loved the unsettling and strange since I was a little girl, the focus of my writing has often been more on fantastical than the horrific. Over the past year, I’ve brought horror to the forefront of my creative focus — and the results have been enlivening.
It’s amazing what happens when you engage with the things you’re passionate about.
Once Upon the Weird is one such creative front, something that brings me great joy to have out in the world. I’m grateful to each and every one of you for joining me on this journey.
Blessings,
Andrea Blythe
PS. If you want to provide me a small gift, I’d be chuffed if you would give Once Upon the Weird a shout out.
Movies
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory Is A Gateway Horror Movie For Kids (Screenrant)
Keith Deininger breaks down how the classic and beloved children’s story, when stripped of its veneer of bright colors and candy, “becomes a survival horror movie teetering into the realm of torture porn.”
5 Dark Fairy Tales to Stream This Week (Bloody Disgusting)
Once upon a time, fairy tales were violent and bloody before they were cleaned up first in the Victorian era and then by Disney with they’re family friendly movies. These movies call on the darker past of fairy tales to offer up five disturbing tales.
Literature
100 Best Horror Comics of All Time (Paste Magazine)
The editors at Past Magazine offer up the best in horror comics — presenting a wide variety of stories and artistic styles. I don’t know you, but my reading list grew by about fifty books.
Games
Yakuza 3 Reviewed by Actual Yakuza (Boing Boing)
In realm of meta-weird, Jake Adelstein, who spent 12 years as a crime beat reporter in Japan, calls upon some of his underworld contacts to convince some actual Yakuza to play, review, and fact-check the popular video game Yakuza 3. The results are wonderful.
Lore
Sleeping With Foot Outside the Duvet Increases Likelihood of Monsters by 75% (The Daily Shunt)
A new study recommends keeping both feet firmly under the covers in order to avoid dismemberment from late-night monsters.
Short of the Week
On the lighter side of weird, Final Offer (directed by Mark Slutsky) is a comedic scifi short about the world’s worst lawyer being drawn into an interplanetary negotiation — upon which the fate of Earth hinges. The film is snappy in its pacing and charming in the presentation its offbeat characters.
