Dr. Frank's What's-it

H. P. Lovecraft, known to aficionados of the occult, demonology, witchcraft as a master storyteller, is responsible for our first selection in this museum of the frequently morbid. To you connoisseurs of the black arts, you will probably recognize it…

Well, as a connoisseur of the black arts, I sure did: it's "Pickman's Model" on Rod Serling's Night Gallery, all three seasons of which are on hulu. And here's "Cool Air," as well, adapted by Serling himself.

Night Gallery is fairly high on the list of things that warped me beyond repair in my formative years -- most were TV shows, of course. It used to scare me quite a bit. Sadly, as so often, it can no longer quite perform that feat. But the regressing picture frame intro, the music, and even the cheesy thing where clips of the guest stars are shown framed in an eyeball still do, all too briefly, turn me into a wide-eyed eight-year-old. Emotions are funny.

(As an aside, I know it's the term they use, but I feel awfully silly referring to a year's series of a television program as a "season." I never quite got used to that. It's like how they want you to walk up to the counter and ask for a "whopper." I got over that one, though, I suppose.)

(As another aside, speaking of the occult demonology witchcraft, the paperback Andromeda Klein is out on December 14 and you can pre-order here or here or here. The hardcover is still available but I don't know for how long it will be, so if you like it, now would maybe be the time.)

Posted by Dr. Frank at December 3, 2010 05:30 PM | TrackBack