Gothic Winter Film Reviews: Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and the Death of Subtlety

A guest post by Holly Cowan. Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel is a visual delight. The landscape is stunning, and the performances are captivating, particularly Jacob Elordi’s portrayal of the Creature. However, despite del Toro’s lifelong obsession with the novel, the themes so eloquently presented by Shelley fall flat in this adaptation, … Continue reading Gothic Winter Film Reviews: Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and the Death of Subtlety →

Gothic Winter Film Reviews: “Jane Eyre” (1943)

A guest post by Fairy Weaver. The 1943 adaptation of Jane Eyre is a gloriously Gothic, cinematic treat! The film stars Joan Fontaine (as Jane) and Orson Wells (as Mr. Rochester). Wells also worked as an uncredited executive producer on the film and apparently the cinematography owes a lot of its swirling knee-high fog to … Continue reading Gothic Winter Film Reviews: “Jane Eyre” (1943) →

Call for Papers: Dark Enchantments: Gothic Folklore and the Monstrous Fairy-Tale

‘Some of the Gothic’s best-known monsters come from folklore, such as the vampire and the werewolf, but [...] the influence of folklore on the Gothic is not unidirectional or historically limited.’ (Carina Hart, ‘Gothic Folklore and Fairytale’, p. 1). ‘If folk horror’s principal affect is a shock and repulsion based on graphic bodily violence, the … Continue reading Call for Papers: Dark Enchantments: Gothic Folklore and the Monstrous Fairy-Tale →

Gothic Winter Film Reviews: “Let the Right One In” (2008)

A guest post by Molly Leeming. When I consider what the term ‘winter gothic’ means to me, a simple image comes to my mind’s eye- the stark contrast of red blood on white snow. A film which embodies this sense of dangerous, chilly beauty is the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In. Directed … Continue reading Gothic Winter Film Reviews: “Let the Right One In” (2008) →

Reading Group: The Erl-King

One week to go until our next reading group, where we will talk about two short texts which find their inspiration in the myth of the Erlking. Carter's short story is part of her collection The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories. Goethe's poem can be found online, for example here on Wikisource. If you have … Continue reading Reading Group: The Erl-King →

Call for Blog Posts: Gothic Winter Film Reviews

Calling all Goths, Gothicists and Film Enthusiasts! We are currently organising a weekly film review series focusing on gothic and/or horrorfilms set during winter or in a cold climate. Potential examples include Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025), Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024), John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), and many other excellent options. If you are interested, … Continue reading Call for Blog Posts: Gothic Winter Film Reviews →