An Early History of Horror-Themed Videogames: From Nostromo to Five Nights at Freddy’s

by Efram Sera-Shriar Horror-themed videogames are some of the biggest blockbusters of the industry today. Franchises like Resident Evil have sold over 150 million units worldwide. To a large extent…

From Phantasmagoria to Video Games: A Short History of Popular Occulture

Throughout the modern era there has been a popular appetite for occult-themed experiences. Think back to those wonderful phantasmagoria shows of the early nineteenth century. Phantasmagoria were magic lantern shows that projected all kinds of frightening images onto screens. It is often considered the first “horror theatre.” The earliest phantasmagoria shows began in the late 1790s, but they continued to be popular throughout the following century. Audiences attending phantasmagoria would encoun

Ectoplasm: Seances & the Rise of Spiritualism

Listen to this episode from Patented: History of Inventions on Spotify. Communicating with the dead has a long and winding history. The rise of seances and the showmanship of paranormal activity rose to prominence in the late 19th century. Spiritualism was entering a new wave, and communicating with the spirit world was now making itself physically evident through bodily manifestations of Mystics. Enter Ectoplasm. For some of us, our first introduction to Ectoplasm was seeing it on the big screen watching Bill Murray get slimed in Ghostbusters, or Regan excreting from the mouth in The Exorcists. However, Ectoplasm exists outside the silver Screen and Efram Sera-Shriar is joining us to discuss its rough and tumbling history.If you’re a sceptic, spiritualist or some in-between, there’s no denying how fascinating the topic is. Join us for the weird, wonderful and out-right disturbing history of Ectoplasm, Seances and Spiritualism. Edited by Tom Delargy, Produced by Freddy Chick & Alex Carlon. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, James Holland, Mary Beard and more.Get 50% off your first 3 months with code PATENTED. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribeYou can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gambols with the Ghosts: The Secret Catalogue for Fake Mediums

When one thinks of stage magicians during the early decades of the twentieth century, they usually think of the big names like Harry Houdini or Harry Kellar. SOURCE: Poster of Harry Kellar’s Famous Self-Decapitation Performance, circa 1880s Both of these figures were famous for their incredible physical displays, which often mirrored the kinds of performances witnessed at spiritualist events. Poster for Harry Houdini’s Famous Parody Performance of a Spiritualist Séance, 1909 Kellar’s ties to spi

The Dark Arts Research Group: Studies in Gothic, Horror and the Occult, 1750-present – University of Copenhagen

Harry Price’s Brocken Experiment: Can a Goat be Transformed into a Boy?

In 1932 the famed psychical researcher Harry Price travelled to the Harz Mountains in Germany to conduct an experiment using transfiguration magic. Could one use Early Modern witchcraft to transform a goat into a boy? SOURCE: Harry Price and his Ghost Hunting Equipment, 1947 The details of this experiment were documented in Price’s book, Confessions of a Ghost-Hunter from 1936. SOURCE: Cover to Harry Price, Confessions of a Ghost-Hunter, (Putnam & Co. Ltd., London, 1936. Price had travelled to

From museumization to decolonization: fostering critical dialogues in the history of science with a Haida eagle mask | The British Journal for the History of Science | Cambridge Core

From museumization to decolonization: fostering critical dialogues in the history of science with a Haida eagle mask

Call for Papers: Occultism and Popular Culture in Europe - CNCSI

Occultism and Popular Culture in Europe Date:  22 November to 23 November 2023 Location: Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies, University of Copenhagen   There has been a long […]