Gothick Meditations at Midnight: Esoteric Commentaries on Classic Horror Literature and Film 1919-1975

This is a critical thematic study of classic horror and science-fiction films and the literature upon which much of it was based, looked at from the angle of cultural mythologies of the late 19th to early 20thcenturies. It is also in part a memoir of growing up as a Monster Kid during the cultural phase that came to be known as the Monster Craze 1958-1968. Special chapters are devoted to Dracula and Vampires, the Mummy-mythology, the Phantom of the Opera, the Wolf Man and Rites of Passage, Frankenstein, Lovecraft, Edgar A. Poe, Zombies, Cults and Covens, Hanns Heinz Ewers, the films of William Castle, Caligarism and the Trapezoidal Cinema, Ed Wood and finally a section devoted to the more specifically science fiction films of the period. Each section requires its own lens of interpretation based on mythological, psychological and esoteric theories and understandings. Each chapter reveals something ordinarily hidden from observations surrounding the history of this material. The text draws on concepts of folklore, mythology, and the history of religions, as well as psychology and personal experience. This is a hybrid work drawing on a spectrum of disciplines-it is all for fun but only in the most horrifying of ways. Aficionados of the occult, the esoteric, the mysteries of cultural history, and the history of uncanny film and literature will all find something to love in this book. Enter freely and of your own will through the Gothick archways to seek the mysteries within...

Review :
Stephen Flowers' approach in this seminal book reads the films and novels against the background of a mythological reflection, which recognizes far-reaching concepts in the selected examples between 1919 and 1975: he elaborates on the mythological sources of the mummy, connects transformation horror to archaic rituals, explores Lovecraft's private mythology, and interprets watching a William Castle film at the cinema in the 1960s as a rite of passage. In a narrower sense, the book can be described as a personal film-esoteric work; in a broader sense, it is an exciting contribution to media-mythological analysis. --Dr. Marcus Stiglegger, Professor of Film Studies In his exhaustive treatise into the origins of such horror icons such as Frankenstein, the Wolfman, and the cinematic zombie genre, Stephen E. Flowers manages to delve into the occult roots of his beloved subjects and their subsequent influence on pop culture itself. Creators of their own horror milieu such as H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, and even Ed Wood, Jr. are also afforded affectionate tributes and scrutiny in this penetrating and insightful Monster-Kid memoir, which details the state of horror scholarship and fandom of the pre-1975 era as well as the profound impact the subject had on modern-day occultism. Fans and aficionados alike would be well advised to include this excellent tome in the darker section of their bookshelves, to be treasured among the best of the best. Highly recommended! --Bryan Moore, artist, sculptor, and film director of Cool Air (1999) Runology scholar Stephen Flowers takes a look at his childhood and the joys of growing up as one of the "Monster Kids," the generation of boys, who, while their sisters played with Barbie dolls, were learning everything they could about monsters. Flowers looks at the importance of things such as Shock Theater, Famous Monsters of Filmland, and the wonderfully gory Hammer horror films. As one of those Monster Kids, I appreciate this book and enjoyed the look back without the usual nostalgia-pandering. --Jim Morton, film historian