Tag: John Carpenter

Viruses, Vampires and Zombies: The Pandemic Theme in Modern Fantastic

Published on: Last updated on: Written by: Categorized into: Cinema and TV, Italian Literature

Already present in classic works such as the Iliad and the Decameron, the theme of the pandemic apocalypse has been exploited and investigated in recent centuries especially in the field of the Fantastic, in fiction as in cinema: from EA Poe to Conan Doyle, from Meyrink and Lovecraft to Richard Matheson and Stephen King; and again, on the big screen, by directors of the caliber of Bergman, Romero, Carpenter, Cronenberg and Gilliam.

Keep reading…

From "The invasion of the body snatchers" to "The Thing": infection, possession and dehumanization

Published on: Last updated on: Written by: Categorized into: Cinema and TV, Philosophy, Psychology

As superbly pointed out by Thomas Ligotti, Don Siegel's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (but even more the Philip Kaufman remake) and John Carpenter's "The Thing" bring to the big screen one of the most disturbing ghosts of our time, which we could define the triple "spectrum of dehumanization": dehumanization of the human species due to the invasive action of an alien agent; dehumanization of the human community towards one's fellow men; dehumanization of the human individual in its most intimate aspect.

Keep reading…