Nearly three decades ago, folklorist
Alvin Schwartz published
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, the first of three horror anthologies that would go on to become
the single most challenged book series of the 1990s. But most of the
backlash was against not the stories themselves (which were fairly tame), but rather the illustrations of artist
Stephen Gammell. His bizarre, grotesque, nightmarish black-and-white inkscapes suffused every page with an eerie, unsettling menace. Sadly, the series has since been
re-issued with
new illustrations by Brett Helquist, of
A Series of Unfortunate Events fame. Luckily for fans of Gammell's dark vision, copies of the old artwork abound online, including in these three image galleries:
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones. Interested in revisiting the stories themselves? Then don't miss
the virtual re-enactments of YouTube user MoonRaven09, or
the dramatic readings of fellow YouTuber daMeatHook.
posted by Rhaomi
on Oct 29, 2010 -
48 comments
Under appreciated, once almost-famous comedian
Chris Elliot is, in a word, odd. His
start as a runner/page on the early days of Late Night with David Letterman led to his recurring roles as "the guy under the stairs" and "
Marlon Brando". Soon after he landed a sit-com called "
Get a Life" on a fledgling Fox network, which can only be described as surreal. From there he created his first (and last) feature length star vehicle "
Cabin Boy" (which features a
hilarious cameo with Letterman in his only movie role). These days he is more known as a character actor in comedic roles. But a
few books and a look back at his work makes you wonder why he might be the only celebrity on the internet with no apparent fan site.
posted by BrodieShadeTree
on Aug 21, 2006 -
61 comments
