Topic: Best Thing's Ever?  (Read 7493 times)

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Scott Allen Abfalter

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #20 on: December 04, 2003, 02:51:55 pm »
Quote:

When I was younger (and still had the time for it), I was a voracious reader.

While in the military, I would go to the bookstore, buy stacks of books, sit down and read them.  On a weekend, I might read as many as 11 books a day.  One day, one of those books happened to be an H.P. Lovecraft anthology.  I loved it, so on my next bookstore trip, I bought every Lovecraft book they had.

Starting Saturday morning, I sat down and read 7 Lovecraft books, back to back.  The last story in the last book was "The Tomb" - I still remember this after more than 20 years.

Sunday morning, I got up, gave away all the Lovecraft books, and didn't read anything for weeks.

Creepy does not begin to describe it.  




That's funny, because I had to stop myself from reading them as well.  I was getting too freaked out by them and could not sleep.  

It's a funny parallel, because in the books very often the character finds some mysterious tome and delves into forbidden knowledge and gets more and more unhinged and frantic.  As a reader, you are reading these stories and begin to get a little freaked out and unhinged, identifying with the feelings of the characters in the books.  When I realized this, I did the same thing.  I put down the one I was reading and just stopped.  

I just saw a movie version of "Dagon" a few weeks ago on TV that was actually done pretty well.  


"Can you do, that C'thuuluu, that you do...so well!"



--Scott

 

Sethan

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #21 on: December 04, 2003, 03:14:48 pm »
There were movies made of The Dunwich Horror and a few others, IIRC, though they are old, and it has been decades since I have seen any of them.

A more recent attempt was a made for HBO movie called Cast a Deadly Spell, which was loosely based on Lovecraft's works and excellent (though not creepy like Lovecraft's own stuff).

Verroc

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #22 on: December 05, 2003, 11:00:50 am »
Quote:



The Ice Cube.        

It's cold, wet, tasty, and there's not a thing in it that's bad for you.  And they come in a very convenient bite-sized package!


And I'm completely serious!  




Hmm, good one.  

DreadlordGW

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #23 on: December 05, 2003, 11:52:02 am »
THINGY!

Verroc

  • Guest
Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #24 on: December 04, 2003, 11:36:47 am »
Well i've done ships and plane, now best thing ever. Can be anything. I'll start ....

Yes Yes i know SE% is, now thats out they way.....

Best Food, Haggis
Best Band, well i got three really, no infact i got four. Queen, Led Zep, The who, The Beatles.
Best Drink, Beer.
Best Game, SFC1.
Best Football team, Glasgow Rangers, and of course Scotland!
Best Guitar, USA Strat(white with maple neck).
 

JMM

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #25 on: December 04, 2003, 11:42:36 am »
The love of a highly intelligent and beautiful Mexicana...  

I'll also add my soon to be ex as well, but I screwed that up years ago...
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 pm by JMM »

Scott Allen Abfalter

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #26 on: December 04, 2003, 12:02:10 pm »
Quote:


Best Food, Haggis
Best Band, well i got three really, no infact i got four. Queen, Led Zep, The who, The Beatles.
Best Drink, Beer.
Best Game, SFC1.
Best Football team, Glasgow Rangers, and of course Scotland!
Best Guitar, USA Strat(white with maple neck).
 




I'm voting for 'best' and not 'favorite'....

Best Food:   Chicken.   There are so many ways to prepare chicken, and all of them are great.  
Best Food:   Bread.    I could not make up my mind between this and chicken.
Best Band:   The Beatles.    Not that I like their music so much, but I acknowledge their impact and give kudos..
Best Drink:    Mountain Dew.    It's the nectre of the Gods!  
Best Game:  (Computer) Starcraft  (Board) Cosmic Encounters  (Other) D&D

I have no input on football or guitars as I have zero interest in either.  

But I'll add:

Best Fantasy Book :  The Lord of the Rings
Best SciFi Book: Neuromancer
Best Programming Language: Java
Best Simpson's Character...Ever:  The Comic Book Guy







 

Reverend

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #27 on: December 04, 2003, 12:26:17 pm »
I could add-

Best Original Horror Writer: H.P. Lovecraft
Best Living Horror Writer: Brian Lumley  

JMM

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #28 on: December 04, 2003, 12:46:35 pm »
Nightmares and Geezenstacks, man I loved that book!  The author is Fredric Brown, and that was one of those short story books you read over and over...
« Last Edit: December 04, 2003, 12:57:44 pm by JMM »

Scott Allen Abfalter

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #29 on: December 04, 2003, 12:54:42 pm »


I started reading H.P. Lovecraft in college, mostly because I was already a fan of the original Robert E. Howard "Conan" stories and Lovecraft was part of the circle of writers Howard corresponded with.

It was some of the creepiest stuff I ever read.  Not in-your-face gross or horrifying, but just genuinely creepy.  

I recall a story, offhand, where a man is riding alone in a forest of tall tree's when something bloody and wet falls down.  Shortly afterwards an impossibly long arm reaches down and starts feeling around for the dropped bit, grabs it, and retracts.  I recall being creeped out as I read that one at 2 a.m. one morning.  

There is a very good, not very well known, modern day writer who does some scifi and some horror.  His name is John Shirley.  If you like horror novels I highly recommend his work, he is a phenomenal writer.  

For example:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0843945257/qid=1070563941/sr=1-10/ref=sr_1_10/002-1949901-1968841?v=glance&s=books

Says one of the reviewers: "This isn't your namby pamby, tip toe around the details Horror. This is in your face, Oh my God I can't believe that just happened, Horror. Good Horror."

Different than Lovecraft, who only hinted at the horror after priming your imagination REALLY well.   But very good in it's own right.  

 

Sethan

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #30 on: December 04, 2003, 02:17:17 pm »
When I was younger (and still had the time for it), I was a voracious reader.

While in the military, I would go to the bookstore, buy stacks of books, sit down and read them.  On a weekend, I might read as many as 11 books a day.  One day, one of those books happened to be an H.P. Lovecraft anthology.  I loved it, so on my next bookstore trip, I bought every Lovecraft book they had.

Starting Saturday morning, I sat down and read 7 Lovecraft books, back to back.  The last story in the last book was "The Tomb" - I still remember this after more than 20 years.

Sunday morning, I got up, gave away all the Lovecraft books, and didn't read anything for weeks.

Creepy does not begin to describe it.

Barabbas

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #31 on: December 04, 2003, 02:48:10 pm »


The Ice Cube.        

It's cold, wet, tasty, and there's not a thing in it that's bad for you.  And they come in a very convenient bite-sized package!


And I'm completely serious!

Scott Allen Abfalter

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #32 on: December 04, 2003, 02:51:55 pm »
Quote:

When I was younger (and still had the time for it), I was a voracious reader.

While in the military, I would go to the bookstore, buy stacks of books, sit down and read them.  On a weekend, I might read as many as 11 books a day.  One day, one of those books happened to be an H.P. Lovecraft anthology.  I loved it, so on my next bookstore trip, I bought every Lovecraft book they had.

Starting Saturday morning, I sat down and read 7 Lovecraft books, back to back.  The last story in the last book was "The Tomb" - I still remember this after more than 20 years.

Sunday morning, I got up, gave away all the Lovecraft books, and didn't read anything for weeks.

Creepy does not begin to describe it.  




That's funny, because I had to stop myself from reading them as well.  I was getting too freaked out by them and could not sleep.  

It's a funny parallel, because in the books very often the character finds some mysterious tome and delves into forbidden knowledge and gets more and more unhinged and frantic.  As a reader, you are reading these stories and begin to get a little freaked out and unhinged, identifying with the feelings of the characters in the books.  When I realized this, I did the same thing.  I put down the one I was reading and just stopped.  

I just saw a movie version of "Dagon" a few weeks ago on TV that was actually done pretty well.  


"Can you do, that C'thuuluu, that you do...so well!"



--Scott

 

Sethan

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #33 on: December 04, 2003, 03:14:48 pm »
There were movies made of The Dunwich Horror and a few others, IIRC, though they are old, and it has been decades since I have seen any of them.

A more recent attempt was a made for HBO movie called Cast a Deadly Spell, which was loosely based on Lovecraft's works and excellent (though not creepy like Lovecraft's own stuff).

Verroc

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #34 on: December 05, 2003, 11:00:50 am »
Quote:



The Ice Cube.        

It's cold, wet, tasty, and there's not a thing in it that's bad for you.  And they come in a very convenient bite-sized package!


And I'm completely serious!  




Hmm, good one.  

DreadlordGW

  • Guest
Re: Best Thing's Ever?
« Reply #35 on: December 05, 2003, 11:52:02 am »
THINGY!