WHITECHAPEL'S 'AUTUMN OF FEAR'

On the morning of August 31, 1888, the body of a woman, Marie "Polly" Nichols was found murdered in the streets of London's Whitechapel neighborhood. Her throat had been slashed and her abdomen cut open. After 3 November of that year, when the body of Mary Jane Kelley had been discovered inhumanly mutilated and slashed to pieces, the brutal murders suddenly stopped. The killer, dubbed "Jack the Ripper" by the press to this day has never been found.

The Jack the Ripper murders are at the top of the list as the most famous unsolved criminal acts in true crime history. There are a long line of suspects, but all conclusions so far have been based on circumstantial evidence, assumption, and six-degrees of separation. The murders have been the subject of countless books, movies and documentaries.

It's difficult to imagine the horrifying nature of these crimes. But, true they were, and photographic evidence exists that shows to what depths the human monster can fall.

This article is from NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HISTORY's September/October 2018 issue and recounts the events, and discusses the victims and the suspects.

THE REAL HELLRAISER

From a blue, haloed "bearer of light" named Lucifer, to Satan, "Lord of the Flies", the image and collective persona known as "The Devil" was radically changed from the times of the Old Testament to the New.

This article written by Marina Montesano for the September/October 2018 issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HISTORY (yes, even National Geographic can make it on the blog roll of MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD!) traces the earliest origins of Satan to the Last Judgment, even challenging some of the assumptions about this most wicked of entities. For example, the serpent in the Garden of Eden, while commonly considered to be an embodiment of Satan, may not have originally been intended to be so and was only associated with him because of his evil nature in later beliefs.

In Old Testament scripture, Satan is mentioned sparingly and is identified as being God's adversary. In the New Testament, Satan has been transformed into the demonic opponent of God. Just goes to show you what a few ecumenical councils will do for you. No matter which side of the fence you're on religion-wise, however, the information in this article is very informative and... enlightening.

WHAT DO CUTE VERSIONS OF MONSTERS TELL US ABOUT HORROR?

Popular culture has the natural and unflagging ability to constantly reinvent itself. Its chameleon-like nature is well suited to absorb the slightest influence which will, in turn, provide it the instinctual response to morph into something completely different (i.e. marketable) at a moment’s notice. Some would call this being fickle. On the other hand, industrious entrepreneurs find it to be a never-ending fount of opportunity. Resultingly, pop culture literally gives birth to a panoply of products; all geared to catch the eye of someone interested enough to spend a few bucks. Others take this pursuit seriously enough to call it “collecting”. Either way, it’s a vital economic thread in the fabric of the modern social structure and we are unlikely to ever see it disappear any time soon. Even in times of economic stress, pop culture offers the succor of entertainment as surcease to an otherwise unsure and sometimes depressing state of mind.

Horror films and monster movies are one element of pop culture whose genius loci can be found in the very beginnings of cinema history. Pioneers of the industry did not take long to make use of the fantastic and supernatural in their work. With recurring and iconic themes and images, filmmakers and auteurs made them indelible in the mind of the public as well as assure them and their creations a firm place in the annals of cinema history.

Not surprisingly, movie patrons have flocked to the theatres during nearly every period of horror cinema history, cementing a niche relationship between popular culture and society as a whole. It was only a matter of time until these films designed to frighten were utilized for laughs . . .

So, what about “cute” versions of monsters, and what do they tell us about horror? The answer, while obscured by the veneer of consumerism and the capitalist initiative, is not hard to see. But, then again, it is not so simple to explain. The question goes deeper, much deeper, actually, than just the Pixar films and toys that are so ubiquitous.

It may come as no surprise, but we humans have an intrinsic need to understand our environment, indeed, our relation to the cosmos and our very reason for existence. As a consequence, we fear that which we do not understand. We are uncomfortable, even frightened of the unknown. This forces us to not only come to an understanding about the things we are afraid of, but also cultivates an unerring need to conquer them. Vanquishment, then, seems to be another weapon in the arsenal called the human condition. Either that or we flee like frightened rabbits -- "fight or flight" as we have been told.

You have no doubt heard of the various psychological terms and tropes that abound in the discussion of horror, and horror films in particular. One of the more common explanations is that the viewer undergoes a catharsis, or cleansing process, while watching a horror movie. This can be accomplished with or without the suspension of disbelief. An observed horrific event followed by laughter is the healing balm against anxiety. It is, indeed, a medicine for melancholy. Relief can also be gained when there is a reconciliation of a natural event that has masqueraded as a supernatural one. For example, this effect was put to good use by the so-called “shudder pulps” of the 30’s and 40’s. Suddenly, we feel better when the bogey man turns out to be Uncle Harry in a monster suit.

This condition can be exponentiated to include what is termed “cute”. Probably the most glaring example of our need for the mentioned emotional reconciliation is the current (and ludicrous) propensity to humanize non-human objects. The proliferating belief of the transference of humanity to animals comes immediately to mind, and science continues to battle over the dichotomy of “feelings” and “impulse”. For instance, studies have shown that large eyes, such as those of harp seals, evoke a sympathetic response in humans. The word “nurturing” would not be lost here. A more extreme example is a story that was seen in 2008 in The Weekly Standard entitled, “The Silent Scream of the Asparagus”, that talked about a Swiss ethics panel arguing for the “dignity” of plants. This dizzying new relativist paradigm could then give new veracity to the phrase: “Don’t step on that spider, it might be Lon Chaney”!

By relegating monsters to “cute” status, are we applying our need for this intrinsic emotional reconciliation? Or, to put it differently, are we finding a way to sympathize with a freak of nature or a thing-that-goes-bump-in-the-night? Maybe we are only simply trying to reduce our fears with the vanquishing of the element that makes the monster fearful, leaving nothing more than a sanitized version, a parody to laugh at and cuddle.

It would be cavalier, perhaps even irresponsible to ignore the deeper context of this question. There are, of course, a myriad of superficial discussions that could be exchanged for each serious one proposed. But, all one has to do is to take a look at any toy counter these days – you won’t find it hard to find the monster Little Big Heads, the Cookie Monster cookie jars, the plush Cthulhus, hard evidence of the patina of pop culture blinding us to the deeper complexities of their true purpose.

One thing is for certain: popular culture has commercialized our fears and turned them into one horrifying monster that every consumer can identify with -- the Cash Cow! Ultimately, I don't believe that cute versions of monsters really tell us anything about horror, per se. In actuality, they tell us everything about ourselves.

A NOTE TO MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD READERS: This post is intended as a part of a "round table discussion" with other bloggers who are members of the LEAGUE OF TANA TEA DRINKERS. It is a part of a networked discussion. Other contributions to this topic can be viewed at the blogspots listed below. As always, please feel free to comment as you like.

LINKS TO MORE ON THIS TOPIC:

http://www.theofantastique.com/2011/02/22/lottd-reflections-cute-monsters-and-horror/

http://www.cinema-suicide.com/2011/02/23/tea-drinkers-roundtable-by-the-pricking-of-my-thumbs-something-adorable-this-way-comes/

http://classic-horror.com/newsreel/the_haunted_mansion_keeping_the_faith

http://drgangrene.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-do-cute-versions-of-monsters-tell.html

http://thevaultofhorror.blogspot.com/2011/02/monster-cereals-eating-what-scares-us.html

http://groovyageofhorror.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-do-cute-versions-of-monsters-tell.html

http://www.strangekidsclub.com/?p=4180

http://drunkenseveredhead.blogspot.com/2011/02/nightmarish-neoteny.html

http://www.zomboscloset.com/zombos_closet_of_horror_b/2011/03/cute-monsters-and-identification-with-the-terror.html

GREAT MOMENTS IN HORROR HISTORY

Good evening. This one's for all you horror history buffs. On this date in 1845, Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" was first published in The New York Evening Mirror.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door —

Only this, and nothing more."

[The Raven by E.A. Poe. First Stanza]

MONSTER MAIL ORDER: BEFORE CAPTAIN COMPANY (PART 3)

In FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #4, the now-regularly appearing MONSTER MAIL ORDER department expanded to include more full page spreads, as well as two quater page ads, all shipped from the Philadelphia address. The products varied from the usual rubber masks and bats fare to more "sophisticated" (and more expensive) items, such as instruction manuals on hypnosis and the ever-present "he-man" full page ad that promised to turn excess flab into hardened fighting muscle. One could also acquire such useful implements as a "Mad Doctor Hypodermic Needle" and a "U.S. Army Type Time Bomb". The selection of 3D comics also expanded from one to three.

But wait! That's not all! Now you could get your very own film projector through  MONSTER MAIL ORDER, GENERAL PROMOTION CO., or as the coupon said for these, just plain FAMOUS MONSTERS. The choice of Lon Chaney as THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA film was in 50 or 100 foot reels in either 8mm or 16mm stock. Initially, you could only buy an 8mm projector through the magazine. In any event, now it was possible to watch the famous unmasking scene that we had all viewed numerous times as stills in FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND whenever and however many times we wanted ... all for a measly 12 bucks ... for both projector and film!

Also of note, appearing for the first time in FAMOUS MONSTERS was a new rubber monster mask. But this wasn't just any ol' rubber monster mask -- it was the SHOCK MONSTER mask! Made by the legendary Topstone Rubber Toys Co. Inc. in Bethel, Connecticut, it was listed as the HORROR MONSTER in their catalogue, but Warren's soon-to-become CAPTAIN COMPANY, as usual, pulled out all the stops on the hype, and elevated it to future cult status as the SHOCK MONSTER!

LOOK OUT! IT'S MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD'S 100TH POST!

MONSTER MAIL ORDER: BEFORE CAPTAIN COMPANY (PART 2)

In the last MONSTER MAIL ORDER POST post we saw how publisher James Warren didn't waste any time jumping on the Wolf-Man's Wagon of opportunity to cash in on the burgeoning monster craze. Kids, and yes, even adults, were crazy for creatures, rabid for anything and everything monster. And, like all great pop-culture phenomena, monsters were quite easy to incorporate successfully into all sorts of products.

In issue #3 of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, the product line first sold under the name, MONSTER MAIL ORDER, expanded from two to four pages. In addition, another company name was used in addition to the the original MONSTER MAIL ORDER name, this time called GENERAL PROMOTIONS CO. Now you could not only get the rubber masks and bats, but you coult purchase stationary to write to your favorite monster magazine! Note the "Hollywood Werewolf" autographed picture for sale. This was the image that was shown on the front cover of FAMOUS MONSTERS #2 (anybody have one of these?). Everything was shipped out of Philadelphia, the headquarters of Warren Publishing.

MONSTER MAIL ORDER: BEFORE CAPTAIN COMPANY (PART 1)

It didn't take long after the first issue of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND was published for James Warren to capitalize even more on what would soon be known as the "monster craze". If the magazine didn't have enough monsters in it to satiate the rabid fans, why not also use it as a sort of catalogue and sell monster sidelines as well?

Novelty items were a rather big business in the 50s through the 60s. Magic tricks, shrunken heads, "3D" glasses, and many other "gag" gifts were sold ubitquitously in comic books, so why wouldn't it work on the same demographic in FAMOUS MONSTERS, thought the always shrewd James Warren? As early as the second issue of FM, the faint beginnings of what was to become Jim Warren's mail order monster, CAPTAIN COMPANY began to show.

But it wasn't always known as that. In issue #2 there were two pages of ads for monster sideline products, such as masks, rubber bats, and, yes, shrunken heads! They were introduced by a blurb at the top of the page that made it sound like kids were already clamoring for this stuff, and so it turns out, indeed they were . . .

"In answer to the thousands of readers who would like to have their own monster masks and other monster items, FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND has created a mail order department -- featuring exciting  items for all monster-lovers, at low cost."

And so, MONSTER MAIL ORDER, which was later to be named CAPTAIN COMPANY, was born!

LET'S MAKE MONSTER MODELS!

Last time I talked about the great Aurora monster model contests of the 1960s, I included an image of a store banner (see again below) that could be seen, taped up in the window of hobby shops all over the United States promoting participation in the contest. Its success spawned other contests that were organized during the 60s and the 70s. Along with print ads in FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, Aurora Plastics, never missing an opportunity to market their wares, provided retailers with these window banners announcing the latest in the now-legendary line of monster model kits. The banners ranged in size, but were generally around 12 inches wide and up to 30 inches wide.

Now, thanks to the folks at MONSTERS IN MOTION (see the "Monster Model Korner" links on the sidebar to the right of this blogroll) and other retailers, you can have your very own, (almost) exact reproduction of six of the window banners that Aurora used in the 60s and 70s. The banners are photo repro'ed, photo enhanced, and printed on acid free poster stock.