#stanley ellin

[bracketsoffear]

The Garden of Adompha (Clark Ashton Smith) "King Adompha and his equally vile court magician Dwerulas rule Sotar, which is known for Adompha's royal garden, hidden from the eyes of all but himself and Dwerulas. In truth, Adompha and Dwerulas capture or execute anyone disfavored by them in Sotar in order to butcher them and have Dwerulas fuse their remains to the plants of the garden, creating half-human, half-vegetable hybrids suspended in a strange state between life and death. Adompha orders a servant girl murdered purely for her hands, ordering the rest of her body fed to the plant her hands will grow upon, and furthermore murders Dwerulas on nothing more than an impulse. Dwerulas manages to curse Adompha in retaliation, resulting in Adompha's garden turning upon him and raking him to pieces.

Link"

The Specialty of the House (Stanley Ellin) "Link

A chilling and atmospheric tale set in a unique, old-world restaurant called Sbirro’s, which prides itself on its refusal to modernize or cater to conventional tastes. The story is narrated through the experiences of Mr. Costain, who is introduced to Sbirro’s by his colleague Laffler, a long-standing patron. Sbirro’s is depicted as a sanctuary of dignity and simplicity in a world gone mad, a place lit by gas jets, where the menu offers no choices, and the dining experience is meant to transport patrons away from the chaos of modern life. However, the restaurant harbors dark secrets, hinted at through mysterious exclusions and the anticipation of a rare dish known as “lamb Amirstan.” As Costain becomes more involved in the ritualistic dining experiences at Sbirro’s, he uncovers disturbing truths about the establishment, its owner, and the special dish that captivates its patrons."

[catschimericalcreations]

Lamb Amirstan, the very sinister signature dish from the Vincent Price OTR Show, the Price of Fear

Like what I do? Please consider supporting me with a donation at https://ko-fi.com/catschimericalcreations and you'll help me put more cursed plushies based on old time radio shows out into the world!

[cannibalguy]

SPECIALITY OF THE HOUSE (“Alfred Hitchcock Presents” - S5 E12, 1959)

We’re heading back into the early days of Cannibal Studies with this one! The TV anthology Alfred Hitchcock Presents aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. Produced and presented by the great auteur himself with a humorous introduction and postscript, the stories covered mysteries, thrillers and dramas. It remains timeless; in 2021, Rolling Stone ranked it 18th on its list of “30 Best Horror…

[spryfilm]

Blu-ray review: “House of Cards” (1968)

“House of Cards” (1968) Drama Running Time: 105 minutes Written by: Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank, Jr. Directed by: John Guillermin Featuring: George Peppard, Inger Stevens and Orson Welles Critical Commentary “House of Cards” is a thrilling adaptation of Stanley Ellin’s novel, directed by John Guillermin in 1968. Set in 1960s Paris, the film follows Reno Davis, a former boxer who…

[everythingsecondhand]

The Eighth Circle, by Stanley Ellin (Penguin, 1967).

From an antiques shop in Nottingham.

[a-life-in-books]

Stanley Ellin

"There are some sleeping dogs that should be left to lie; there are some questions that should not be asked."

The Specialty of the House and Other Stories

[ratatoskm15]

THE BIG NIGHT (1951) directed by Joseph Losey Losey’s last film before leaving the US to exile in America due to HUAC. A taut film noir based on Dreadful Summit by Stanley Ellin which I also recommend. http://thenighteditor.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-big-night-1951.html  https://bloodymurder.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/the-big-night-1951/

[mayolfederico]

sei ottobre

Meret Oppenheim, Large Cloudy Sky over Continents, 1964

  Essere abbandonato, che gran bene! Che luce immensa viene dal passato! Così dopo l’estate il freddo viene ma il sole non è mai dimenticato.

Un fiore secco, lettere d’amore, due occhi che ti arrisero una sera. Ora avanzi nel buio e nel dolore: però l’alba tu avesti a primavera.

La gioia un nuovo compito già tiene, largo e…

[inudono]

Making some Genshin NPCs into PCs.

[dirtyriver]

Stanley Ellin - The Eighth Circle, cover by Robert McGinnis 

[sylanc]

Ah, the kids are adorable. But man Timmie’s imaginary friend was outta left field and absolutely not a bird. Figured Ellin would have an adventurer or knight as an imaginary friend, but not straight up Jean. Girl definitely has some hero worship goin on. Found where Big Bro Diluc went and now I know where that gaudy vase in the Winery came from. Now to go find Jack and Stanley. Is this where it gets sad?

However why is the recommended party level 28????? Especially when the enemies are like level 58.

[bracketsoffear]

The Specialty of the House (Stanley Ellin) "Link

A chilling and atmospheric tale set in a unique, old-world restaurant called Sbirro’s, which prides itself on its refusal to modernize or cater to conventional tastes. The story is narrated through the experiences of Mr. Costain, who is introduced to Sbirro’s by his colleague Laffler, a long-standing patron. Sbirro’s is depicted as a sanctuary of dignity and simplicity in a world gone mad, a place lit by gas jets, where the menu offers no choices, and the dining experience is meant to transport patrons away from the chaos of modern life. However, the restaurant harbors dark secrets, hinted at through mysterious exclusions and the anticipation of a rare dish known as “lamb Amirstan.” As Costain becomes more involved in the ritualistic dining experiences at Sbirro’s, he uncovers disturbing truths about the establishment, its owner, and the special dish that captivates its patrons."

Survivor Type (Stephen King) "One of the few short stories that even King thinks he went a little too far on.

From Wikipedia: "Survivor Type is written as the diary of a disgraced surgeon, Richard Pine nee Pinzetti, who, while attempting to smuggle a large amount of heroin aboard a cruise ship, is forced to escape when an explosion causes the ship to sink. He relates growing up poor in an Italian-American neighborhood and playing college football (which he hated) to get into a good college and then went on to medical school and in time a successful practice until his illegal distribution of prescription medicines and blank forms led to the loss of his license. He arranged to smuggle heroin from Vietnam to make a large amount of money, which would then be distributed for bribes that would enable him to return to practicing medicine. While encountering a storm in his empty lifeboat, Pine finds himself marooned on a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean whose exact location is completely unknown to him, with very limited supplies and no food. A self-proclaimed "survivor" type, Pine bitterly whiles away the time by using a logbook as his diary, detailing his rise and fall in the medical profession and his determination to survive this ordeal, get even with the people that "screwed him over," and return to prosperity.

Over time, the diary entries become more and more disjointed and raving, revealing Pine's slow mental decay and eventual insanity caused by starvation, isolation and drug use. Determined to hold out for rescue, he goes to horrifying lengths to survive. He eats insects, kelp and seagulls. After fracturing his ankle while attempting to signal an airplane, he amputates his own foot, then realizes he has to eat it to survive. He continues to amputate his own limbs to use as a food source, ingesting the heroin as a crude anesthetic during these operations. His last few diary entries, barely comprehensible, indicate that Pine has sliced off and eaten both legs, as well as his earlobes, and drools uncontrollably as he ponders which body part to consume next. The diary entries end when he cuts off his left hand to eat it and writes "lady fingers they taste just like lady fingers.""

[mimivontease]

Here's tonight's noir, The Big Night.

Nineteen-year-old John Barrymore Jr. made an impressive starring debut in The Big Night. Barrymore plays George La Main, a young man whose father, ex-boxer Andy La Main (Preston S. Foster), is inexplicably beaten up by sportswriter Al Judge (Howard St. John). Journeying farther and farther into the nether regions of his city's "night world," George tries to find out why his dad was roughed up. Along the way, he makes the acquaintance of a variety of "fringies," played by such able performers as Howard Chamberlain, Philip Bourneuf, Joan Lorring, and, in her last film, Dorothy (Citizen Kane) Comingore. The Big Night was co-adapted by director Joseph Losey and screenwriter Stanley Ellin from Ellin's "dark" novel Dreadful Summit.

Check it out tonight on TCM @ 11PM CST or Sunday @ 9AM CST.

I couldn't find a decent trailer, but check out the club scene where Barrymore has a flashback to his father getting beaten up. I wish I knew the name of the drummer; he was FIRE!

[alanannand]

Stanley Ellin (b. October 6th): “Crime fiction offers writers infinite diversity of theme & treatment.” "The crime fiction genre offers the writer infinite diversity of theme and treatment." ~ Stanley Ellin, 6 October 1916 - 31 July 1986…

[perletwo]

'There are a lot of good jokes in the newspaper business,' Jake said. 'The best one is trying to make a living from it.'

Stanley Ellin, The Bind

[everythingsecondhand]

The Man From Nowhere, by Stanley Ellin (Penguin, 1974).

From an antiques shop in Nottingham.