We’re halfway through the second term at Miskatonic, and I have to say it’s been great to see how the crossover between different courses is giving the students a noticeable, rounded grasp on the last century of horror history, as well as exploring concepts such as the monstrous-feminine, post-feminism, uses of internal and external space, eyewitness reliability and subjective truth—all in completely varied contexts, from the haunted-house film to the giallo.

It’s hard to believe the first semester of Miskatonic is already over and the holidays are upon us! Donato Totaro from Offscreen magazine just wrapped his Mario Bava course, which focused on the Gothic elements of the director’s work, discussing his predilection for mannequins, the uncanny, op-art and elaborate setpieces—as well as demonstrating the historical interplay between Federico Fellini and Bava—and placing them in the context of Italy’s “Terza Visione” cinema. Miskatonic student Ariel Esteban Cayer took on the task of reviewing Bava’s BLACK SABBATH, and we’ve posted it below for your enjoyment.

And just remember: If you see Santa Claus, you better run…you better run…for your life!!!

Miskatonic’s Reality Horror course has wrapped up, and it was a stirring couple of weeks, as we examined the development of the horror mock-documentary, the various subgenres of this hybrid form of horror (found footage, gothic documentary, uncanny realism, reality TV, mondo films etc), and the types of issues they address—including archival anxiety and compulsive documentation, post-9/11 anxieties, personal security issues, self-reflexivity, “virtual” reality and voyeurism.

The 2010/2011 curriculum for Montreal’s Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies for youth aged 14-29 is under way, and we’ll be posting writing/reviews from the students as the year progresses. Students can take individual courses (most comprise a trio of three-hour classes on consecutive weeks) or sign up for the full curriculum, which runs weekly through May 2011. Writing work is optional, but those who complete those assignments will get their work posted here on Fango’s Miskatonic blog—great exposure for budding horror scribes!

For a few months now, we’ve been feverishly plotting away at bringing Miskatonic’s dream of becoming a real bricks-and-mortar institution to fruition, and I’m happy to say that starting in July, that dream becomes a reality. Along with fellow Fango scribe David Bertrand, I’m opening a microcinema in Montreal, Canada called Blue Sunshine (after the Jeff Lieberman film, of course).

When I was a teenager, I had this bad habit of dropping out of school. I must have gone to six different high schools before finally graduating. So what made me finally finish? Well, it was reading H.P. Lovecraft.