The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories, Volume Two
Fifteen more chilling tales of Yuletide terror, collected from rare Victorian periodicals
Following the popularity of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (1843), Victorian newspapers and magazines frequently featured ghost stories at Christmas time, and reading them by candlelight or the fireside became an annual tradition. This second volume of Victorian Christmas ghost stories contains fifteen tales, most of which have never been reprinted. They represent a mix of the diverse styles and themes common to Victorian ghost fiction and include works by once-popular authors like Grant Allen and Eliza Lynn Linton as well as contributions from anonymous or wholly forgotten writers. This volume also features a new introduction by Prof. Allen Grove.
Yuletide Terror: Christmas Horror on Film and Television will be released just in time for Christmas! You can pre-order the book from Canadian micro-publisher Spectacular Optical for $24.95.
Edited by Paul Corupe and Kier-La Janisse, Yuletide Terror offers an in-depth exploration of the history of Chistmas horror films and TV shows. It collects over 20 essays and interviews, plus a compendium of nearly 200 Christmas horror reviews
Contributing authors include Stephen Thrower (Nightmare USA), Kim Newman (Nightmare Movies), Caelum Vatnsdal (They Came From Within: A History Of Canadian Horror Cinema), Michael Gingold (Fangoria), Andrea Subissati (Rue Morgue), Eric Zaldivar (Django Lives), Leslie Hatton (Popshifter), Chris Hallock (Diabolique), Ariel Fisher (Rue Morgue), and more.
To celebrate the book launch, We Always Find Ourselves in the Sea - a new Christmas horror horror short written and directed by Sean Hogan - will be released on Christmas Eve.
Watch the book trailer below, where you'll also find the table of contents.
Table of contents:
Terror and Transformation: The Enduring Legacy of A Christmas Carol
By Leslie Hatton
Ringing The Changes: Bob Clark's Black Christmas
By Stephen Thrower
Christmas Shocking: The Silent Night, Deadly Night Controversy
By Michael Gingold
“Protecting (Not Punishing) Billy”: Gilmer McCormick on Silent Night, Deadly Night
By Lee Gambin
An interview with Christmas Evil director Lewis Jackson
By Amanda Reyes
“They’re Not Working For Santa Anymore”: An interview with Elves director Jeff Mandel
By Zach Clark
Christmas Campout: a Q&A with Campfire Tales co-director Paul Talbot
By Eric Zaldivar
It’s The Most Cynical Time of the Year: Christmastime in Horror Anthology Television
By Amanda Reyes
An interview with Fred Dekker on Tales From the Crypt's "And All Through the House"
By Kier-La Janisse
Why the Ghost Story at Christmas?
By Derek Johnston
Warnings to the Curious: The BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas
By Kier-La Janisse
Robin Redbreast and BBC's Play for Today: 1970s Folk Horror for Christmas
By Diane A. Rogers
A Hammer Film for Christmas: Cash on Demand
By Kim Newman
“Hello, Dave!”: The Joyful Misanthropy of The League Of Gentlemen Christmas Special
By Owen Williams
Our Best Tree Ever: When Experimentalists Tackle Yuletide Terror
By Caelum Vatnsdal
Santa Brought a Syringe: Robert Morin’s Petit Pow! Pow! Noël
By Ralph Elawani
All I Want for Christmas is You: Franck Khalfoun’s P2
By Alexandra West
Won't Someone Think of The Children?
By Andrea Subissati
Santa Vs. Satan: How Santa Conquered Hell and Mars to Create Holiday Horror
By Zack Carlson
Stolen Voices and Kooky Carols: Yvonne Mackay’s The Monster's Christmas
By Kier-La Janisse
An Interview with Alain Lalanne, the child hero of René Manzor's 3615: Code Pere Noël
By Federico Caddeo (translated by Lee Paula Springer)
Surviving the Yuletide Season: Alcohol, Physical Affliction and Murder Down Under in The Evil Touch
By Andrew Nette
Apocalypse Sinterklaas: Santa Claus’ Horror Roots in European Folklore
By David Bertrand
Horns for the Holidays: The Krampus Conquers North American Horror Films
By Paul Corupe
Compendium
Featuring nearly 200 Christmas horror film and television reviews
Christmas at the Asylumafforded another opportunity to visit All Saints Lunatic Asylum, which we think of as “the little haunt that could, because it looks like an inauspicious little mom-and-pop attraction from outside but turns out to be quite wonderful inside. Taking place on December 13 and 14, the Christmas-themed event added a seasonal overlay to the haunted house’s familiar scenes: Krampus…
