Hellboy: Numinous Encounters in the Dark

If you held a gun to my head and demanded that I prove my theory that pop art based in paranormal or occult themes has the power to become a form of magic itself, I would ever so gently point the gun towards the floor, amble over to my bookcase and pull out my Mike Mignola Hellboy books.

Outer Limits: Them Ol' Post-Apocalyptic Blues Again

 

Post-apocalyptic and dystopian sci-fi was all the rage when I was a kid. A lot of it was inspired by the Cold War, but it was also a natural reaction to the malaise of the early stages of American de-industrialization.

2012 Olympics: London Mascots

Reader Brooke brought these to my attention- the new mascots for the London Olympics. And what a surprise- more aliens. These are faintly reminiscent of the Teletubbies, though the cyclops look is a bit disconcerting. The levitation bit is a nice touch, no?

For casual readers not familiar with the repeating alien motifs attached to the Olympic Games, here's a nice primer from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles...

Sunday Matinee: God Told Me To

 

Seeing as how we seem to be stuck in an endless tapeloop of the 1970s, today's feature presentation is more timely than ever. Larry Cohen's God Told Me To is one of the great grindhouse/drive-in classics that seems to know a lot more than it's saying out loud. 

Rent "The Box" this weekend. Seriously.

Once in a very great while, an artist comes out of nowhere and channels the most ineffably unconscious currents of an age into pop culture artifacts. Often it seems as if these artists are only half-aware of what it is they are channeling. Richard Kelly is one of these.

 

Psilocybin-Fueled Sci-Fi

A children's book from 1954. Note classic "Grey"-type bodies and heads in aliens, Amanita color scheme

Wyrd New Jersey: The Necropolis, or Ritual Done Right

The thing about New Jersey is that you never know what you might find hiding in plain sight. The place is so littered with arcane symbolism it's easy to take for granted. For instance, this cemetery in the rolling hills at the foot of the Skylands caught the attention of even a jaded symbol-junkie like myself. 

That strange obelisk sans capstone is particularly interesting in and of itself, given that it's oriented to the cardinal points. Even more so when placed in context with some of the other items around it.

 

A Sirius Crisis in Greece?

By now you've all heard about the financial crisis in Greece, which is threatening the entire economy of Europe. But there's apparently a greater risk to the world economy, for reasons as arcane to me as any Medieval grimoire.

Inanna Montana, Revisited

"I'm not a mistake, I'm not a fake, 

It's set in my DNA"

Reader レベッカ brought this to my attention- Miley Cyrus' Lady GorGon move for her new video, "Can't Be Tamed." On the surface it's the same old Marilyn Manson rehash meant to gee up the same old outrage, but this time someone's come up with a quite a juicy (and timely) new twist.

Secret Sun Picture Parade: Snapshots from the Apocalypse

What does it all mean? I was hoping you could tell me.

Secret Sunday: Beltane Edition

 

Well, Saturday was May Day and there was chaos and confusion all across the globe, including an alleged failed IED in Times Square. There were also several protests over the new Arizona immigration law. But you can read about all of that on any old website: let's go to Edinburgh for the yearly Beltane Fire Festival, which drew 12,000 people this year. 

A goodly number of them were nude and smeared in red body paint, I might add.