Gauthier's Dracula Never Dies volume 2 scores another Rondo award

 

It was no surprise that Christopher R. Gauthier's second volume of the planned Dracula Never Dies: The Revenge of Bela Vorlock, earned another Rondo award for the author. Just as it will be no surprise in the future, -- Gauthier completes the final volume of the trilogy -- when he wins another Rondo.

Here is our Plan 9 Crunch blog  review of Gauthier's Volume 1 of the trilogy.

Here is our Plan9Crunch YouTube interview with Gauthier after Volume 2 was released.

The strength with any Gauthier art creation is the prose ... and the passion. I described Volume 1 as a "primal scream." Both books are a tale of a proud, talented actor, who has survived a lot, maintaining his dignity and honor despite cruel brickbats from fellow actors, smarmy film executives, arrogant critics, and a rather fickle public.

And actor Bela Vorlock eventually gets -- as the title says -- his revenge. In Volume 2 he even acquires a servant/accomplice, a sort of Renfield.

I wrote the following blurb for Dracula Never Dies: The Revenge of Bela Vorlock Volume 2:

"Savage, dark poetry defines the prose of Christopher R. Gauthier. Volume 2 continues the righteous revenge of a proud star against tormentors. You'll be under Gauthier's spell, reading long into the dawn. One sequence I particularly enjoy features Vorlock carefully preparing revenge for an evil critic who has slandered him for decades. It's brutal and savage, but justified. In Troyman, Gauthier has created a character as evil as Ellsworth M. Toohey from The Fountainhead.”

And I penned this review: 

"Volume 2 of The Dracula Never Dies planned trilogy ups the horror from author Christopher Gauthier's tale of brilliant horror actor Bela Vorlock. On the streets of Los Angeles our protagonist takes revenge on the cruel establishment that persecutes him, including an arrogant, cruel critic.

Gauthier introduces a servant to Vorlock, who helps with his quest for accountability and dignity.

As with the first Volume, the book's prose is its signature strength. Gauthier is unmastered in presenting passion, anguish and retribution on pages."

Readers, this a darker, gothic tale in Volume 2. It exceeds the haunting darkness of Volume 1. However, the tone is very appropriate. Gauthier's talents with plot and dialogue make the events seem natural -- and even just.

The author has experienced a very challenging life. He is, as mentioned, a survivor. He battles adversity in the past and today, taking it one day at a time. The passion in the Dracula Never Dies series is as much as emotional response to life itself as much as the action within the pages.

This trilogy is wonderful tribute to Bela Lugosi. Dracula Never Dies: The Revenge of Bela Vorlock Volume 2, Arcane Shadows Press, 2025, will provide hours of dark, delicious horror for gothic lovers.

-- Doug Gibson

House of Ygor novel keeps that Universal horrors feel within its pages

 

Review by Doug Gibson

The actor Bela Lugosi created the iconic character, Ygor, in the Universal horror film "Son of Frankenstein." Lugosi's creation -- who hadn't even been in the two previous Frankenstein films -- upstaged Boris Karloff's monster in the 1939 film. The devious, grotesquely-bent-at-the-neck survivor of a hanging produced dread, fear and pathos for audiences. Ygor was in "The Ghost of Frankenstein" and then his brain was in the monster's body in "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman." In that film Lugosi portrayed the monster.

But if Ygor fails to appear in the Frankenstein saga until film number three, it's fair to wonder where this deviously charismatic fiend came from. Author Brad Braddock, who penned an entertaining prequel to another iconic Lugosi film, "White Zombie," has provided genre readers, as well as fans of gothic horror, an explanation as to what exactly Ygor was doing prior to his activities in "Son of Frankenstein." 

In "House of Ygor,"' Arcane Shadows Press, 2022, Ygor is a shepherd, living a hermit-like life outside the village of Frankenstein, trying to live down his past adventures with Doctor Frankenstein. Unfortunately, someone is stealing bodies, and the one-armed Inspector Krogh, who retains some sympathy for Ygor, warns him he is considered a suspect.

Ygor is discovered hiding by two villagers. They try to kill him and he kills one to escape. He heads to the ruined castle where monsters were created and makes a surprising discovery. He is then captured and eventually tried and hanged. Just before slipping into unconsciousness, Ygor sees his beloved sheep slaughtered by the village elders. Inspector Krogh is sickened and disgusted with the savagery of his fellow townsman.

I will not mention more of the plot because I don't want to deprive readers of enjoying the overall tale. This is a thoroughly first-rate Universal horror "variation" (to use the new preferred term for sequels and prequels of classic works). Braddock is a talented storyteller. He possesses a scholar's knowledge of the Universal horrors, the characters, the monsters, the locations, the lands, the traditions. He comprehends the overwhelming guilt, despair, malice, cruelty, fear, terror and injustice that creates such horrors.

"House of Ygor" may be a deliberate title because like those two lean Universal films, "House of Frankenstein" and "House of Dracula," there are multiple monsters, and -- like "House of Frankenstein" -- divergent plot lines, though in "House of Ygor" both occur at the same time. There is another iconic Universal monster who appears in the book, and his search for relief is related. And even more genre characters greet readers.

Braddock's novel is fast-paced, with 36 generally short chapters spread over almost 200 pages. This is a plus as it keeps the narrative moving quickly, which is essential to maintain suspense. Often the chapters move from the Ygor narrative to the other tale. Besides the village of Frankenstein and the desolate castle, passages take readers through deep caves, gypsy camps, a boat on the sea, dark streets in London, and the decayed Castle Carew in England, which really exists.

The terror of the village elders who are picked off one by one for death delight the hardened, unfeeling Ygor, who is obsessed with revenge. Braddock also conveys well his friendship with the Frankenstein monster, which often is displayed more through eye contact and hand signals than spoken word.

An appropriate quick summary of "House of Ygor" is that besides being a good read, it keeps that familiar vintage Universal horrors feel within its pages. There is one more additional treat: an introduction by genre writer Frank Dello Stritto, which is filled with indispensible observations on the Universal films.

Dracula Never Dies a passionate, eloquent read, provides unique assessments of Bela Lugosi, Hollywood

Review by Doug Gibson

Picture this passage from author Christopher R. Gauthier's new novel, Dracula Never Dies: The Revenge of Bela Vorlock," (Arcane Shadows Press, 2021): 

Our protagonist, Vorlock, one-time horror film star, reduced to poverty row through two decades of abuse and betrayal by fellow actors, family members and media hacks -- who rival Ayn Rand's "Ellsworth M. Toohey" in evil -- believes he is to receive a peer appreciation award for his decades as "Dracula" and other roles.

It turns out to be an elaborate, cruel joke. At that last minute the award is snatched away and instead given to a well-fed, successful acting rival, one who has abused Vorlock, and his immediate family, personally. With much laughing and sniggering, the Toohey-like MC thrusts a jester's cap on Vorlock's head.

It is an indignity gone too far. But I don't want to give away too much of Gauthier's excellent novel, part one of a planned trilogy). 

---

I have a blurb on this edition's back cover, and I have read earlier versions of Chris' draft that total several hundred pages. Dracula Never Dies is nearly 300 pages. An appropriate one-sentence summary of the novel is an elegant primal scream of abuse, survival, more abuse, justice, and revenge. 

There are no chapter breaks once Dracula Never Dies gets going. The narrator describes a life -- with prose -- that moves from passion to emotion to anguish to anger to regret to survival to despair to grief to irony to love to hate to gothic horror to revenge to resignation, and to perhaps 20 other emotions.

In an Amazon review, Robert Cremer, biographer of Bela Lugosi (Lugosi: The Man Behind the Cape), notes how Hollywood, its dreams and schemes that can destroy dreams, contributes to the gothic horror of the novel. (Cremer also has a blurb on the back cover.)

Cremer also notes a plus to the novel, that genre fans will recognize many references to characters, and events from the times of Bela Lugosi. 

And, of course Dracula Never Dies' protagonist Bela Vorlock is Bela Lugosi. This is an alternate biography of Bela Lugosi existing in another multiverse, with much of the plot including Lugosi's times and life in our universe.

The plot -- and I wish to reveal very little of particulars, more for the reader to enjoy -- involves Vorlock's youthful escape from patriarchal tyranny, an interlude of happiness and love, a period of success in the entertainment world, and his efforts to endure and survive while suffering personal and professional setbacks/betrayals.

Gauthier's prose is magnificent. Expression is a key strength of his writing. Although their styles are different, Gauthier's word craftmanship reminds me of the satisfaction of reading a good novel from E. Annie Proulx, author of "The Shipping News" and "Brokeback Mountain." 

Dracula Never Dies' text demands to be read carefully. If it is glossed over the reader will get lost. Careful reading will provide a rewarding long, satisfying read. 

After finishing the final two score of pages (in which a character who Ed Wood and Lugosi fans will recognize is included) I am already eager to read the next installment of Gauthier's trilogy. Alas, it may be a while. I'll be patient. Dracula Never dies is priced relatively inexpensively. I hope I can add a Kindle version to the dead tree edition I own.

Two spooky Halloween-appropriate novellas for ominous fall nights

 

This fall I probably watched about 50 Halloween-appropriate films as Oct. 31 approached.  But I also read a couple of Halloween-appropriate novellas. It’s time to share those with Plan9Crunch readers.

The Turn of the Screw

First, here’s a mini-review of Henry James’ “ The Turn of the Screw.” The tale of a governess convinced that her young, brother/sister charges are in deadly peril from two malevolent spirits has been often adapted to stage and screen. I really enjoy the 1961 adaptation, “The Innocents,” and my wife and I enjoyed Netflix’s recent mini-series adaptation, “The Haunting ofBly Manor.”

The adaptations tend to assume that there really are ghosts at Bly Manor. James’ novella, which I find refreshingly creepy, creates a tale in which all that’s going on could just be in the mind of the governess. That adds to the horror as events reach tragedy. However, James’ also offers us the possibility that the hauntings are real. I got chills reading this book as our narrator/governess would set a scenario where the “evil” man and former “governess,” both dead, would reappear, eager to enter the souls of the children.

I don't think James wanted us to know if it all was real, or not.

Memoirs of Murder: A Prequel to the 1932 Classic, White Zombie

And now, on to the next spooky novella I read this Halloween season. It’s Memoirs of Murder: A Prequel to the 1932 Classic, White Zombie.” It’s penned by a fellow I know, Brad Braddock, who runs Arcane ShadowsPress. Here is more about the film White Zombie.

Here’s my review:

It tells of the early life of Murder Legendre, the satanic, evil antagonist of the classic film, White Zombie. The novel takes an already evil man, living in Haiti, and shows how he embraces Satanism and energetically collects souls to turn into zombies to run and increase his empire.

I particularly like Braddock's dialogue. He presents Legendre speaking in a consistent matter-of-fact tone of an evil genius, justifying every evil deed as an accumulation of his earthly kingdom. It contrasts well with characters who represent good, some who know how evil he is but are simply unable to best Legendre on his own turf.

This is a dark novel. There are are scenes of torture, murder and even worse. It can be tough and at times I was wishing for some relief. However, it is a prequel to the story of a man who has accumulated an empire in White Zombie. And it's fascinating to have a novel that sets up perfectly a viewing of White Zombie. And, Braddock does make sure that Legendre learns, to his eternal disappointment, that he can't have everything he wants.

These are great, inexpensive reads. Here is a link to “The Turn of the Screw” and another to “Memoirs of Murder ….”

--- Doug Gibson

Chillers an anthology of tales based on vintage horror flicks

Review by Doug Gibson

Over the long holiday weekend I immersed myself in "Chillers," a new anthology, as the cover notes, of "tales inspired by classic horror films." They've been gathered by Brad Braddock of Arcane Shadows Press, which recently released another anthology, "Bela Lugosi: The Monogramthology," which included homage fiction on the poverty-row films Bela Lugosi made for Monogram studio in the 1940s.

Homage fiction, I prefer that term to "fan fiction," is probably a mixed bag to some. I imagine some purists avoid it. (I've had a few debates with Agatha Christie fans over the new "Poirot mysteries" from Sophie Hannah; I appreciate them and devour every one.). I enjoy the genre and am glad Braddock is helping resurrect it. Above-average homage fiction -- kept in its proper apocryphal shelf -- provides a shot of positive endorphins to readers wanting more from the art they love. Even mediocre homage fiction -- and there's been a lot of that from Jane Austen novels -- reinforces our appreciation of the original material.

The short stories in Chillers are of variant qualities, but all are well-crafted, unique efforts by serious authors, who have other accomplishments in the genre. I'll focus this review on a few I particularly enjoyed but reassure readers that there isn't a "clinker" in the collection. (I assume readers know the films that serve as foundations for the tales, and will avoid plot details; the better for readers to enjoy the stories.)

* Gregory William Mank -- who has written several excellent non-fiction genre books -- writes the short but moving "Elizabeth," a story of Dr. Frankenstein's wife at age 70, reflecting on her life with Henry, 25 years after his death, and "the Creature."

* Frank Dello Stritto, another favorite genre writer, manages to capture the spirit of fan convention events, such as Monster Bash, in "Emmy Knows Monsters." It's a tale of a very young monster movies fan who has the magical ability to see the lost, early film cuts of such classic films as "The Mummy," "Freaks," "King Kong," and more. The ending gives me the same pleasant feeling I get from the finish of one of my favorite, gentle spooky movies, "Curse of the Cat People."

* Robert Kokai Jr., also known as monster show host Drac, has an intriguing tale, "Cryptic," which explores how "Imhotep," so well portrayed by Boris Karloff in "The Mummy," manages to rejuvenate himself through his many, many centuries of existence. It's narrated through the eyes, literally, of one of his victims.

* One of my favorite young authors, Christopher R. Gauthier, whets my appetite for his upcoming novel with the short story, "Dracula Never Dies: A Dedication to Bela Lugosi." Written with lyrical, highly descriptive and emotional prose, it relates the once-famous star, now aging, "Bela Vorlock," reduced to performing spook shows before unappreciative teens. The story almost places me right in the audience of those poorly produced spook shows Lugosi endured starring in to pay the bills 70-plus years ago.

* Braddock's "The Vampire Bat Prelude," entertained me enough to re-watch the vintage classic with an all-star cast, "The Vampire Bat." The prequel sheds more light on the manipulation and destruction of loyal servant Emil Borst by the evil Doctor Von Niemann, portrayed by Lionel Atwill in the film. The exploited Herman Gleib, played by Dwight Frye, also is in the tale.

* A pithy and fascinating story from novelist Christine M. Stoltis, "Hasten: A Prelude to Haxan," pays homage to the famous silent documentary on witches by portraying a real female servant of the devil, one who has no fear of being captured and burnt by humans.

* The story, "The Open Window,' by Stefanie Kokai, also known within the genre as Carita Drac, took a page or two for me to get into but ultimately sucked me in. It's a story of a young woman slowly being dominated and turned into a vampiress by a bloodsucker. The contrast of the "count" during their late-night visits, soft words, gentle caresses, and grotesque slurping of blood, is effectively conveyed on print.

* "An Ending for Bowery at Midnight," by Todd Shiba, is, like his story in ... the Monogramthology on "Black Dragons,'" a sly, over-the-top riff satire on how to take movies that already are bizarre and make them even more bizarre. Shiba know his stuff and is always a good read, but his story seems more like something Frank Henenlotter would conceive of rather than Wallace Fox of Monogram. Perhaps that's the point.

I appreciate all those who contributed to the anthology. These are labors of love, far more than money. Hopefully, enough readers will like the efforts enough to provide a stimulus for another collection.

Bela Lugosi -- The Monogramthology, a book review

Book review by Doug Gibson

There's been a literary boom regarding the nine Monogram films of Bela Lugosi. A short while back academics Gary D. Rhodes and Robert Guffey co-authored Bela Lugosi and The Monogram 9 (BearManor Media), which analyzed and deconstructed the films, from Invisible Ghost to Return of the Ape Man. (Our review of that book is here). And ....

Late in the year 2019 arrived Bela Lugosi: The Monogramthology, (Arcane Shadows Press), an anthology of "homage fiction," nine short stories, ranging from a few pages to mini-novellas, each based on the nine Lugosi films: Invisible Ghost, Spooks Run Wild, Black Dragons, The Corpse Vanishes, Bowery After Midnight, The Ape Man, Ghosts on the Loose, Voodoo Man, and The Return of the Ape Man. Bookending the collection are a forward by Drac, Classic Horror Host, and and afterward from his companion, Carita Drac. Both touch on aspects of Bela Lugosi's career and challenges. They are entertaining reads.

When a fellow fan reviews homage fiction, and I am a big fan of the Monogram series, it's important to focus on the author's story. Is it entertaining, well constructed, or does it flow well? My personal beliefs on how the films should be massaged into prequels, sequels, production dramas ... that's really not important.

Reader, if you need to learn the plots, consult Wikipedia or some of the reviews on our blog. This review assumes readers know the plots. There are prequels, sequels and more. I find much to praise in the stories. The authors have created art that manages to capture the spirit of the iconic 9 films. In some stories, characters from distinct films manage to encounter each other. That seems appropriate to this reviewer, given the mystical world of the Monogram, with Bela Lugosi as "God" of each film.

I have minor quibbles with some stories. I have two or three favorites. To apply equal space to the nine story-tellers, each will have a capsule review that includes the name of the story, the name of the author, and a few observations. A main goal of mine is not to cheat the reader of discovering chief plot elements.

-- The Invisible Cell, by Robert J. Kokai Jr. (from Invisible Ghost) -- This sequel involves what happens soon after Charles Kessler, played by Lugosi, is taken into custody for several murders he committed in a trance after he sees his estranged, thought-dead wife. Kessler narrates an interesting tale heavy on psychology and madness, with a clever twist at the end.

--Spooks Run Wild ... Again, by Dwight Kemper (from Spooks Run Wild) -- This is a pithy, fast-moving story of a production crisis when producer Sam Katzman accuses this mischievous East Side Kids actors of stealing the film. Bela Lugosi, star of the film, uses his talents to discover the truth of the theft.

-- Black Dragons II: Count Dracula vs. a Phantom of the Opera, by Todd Shiba, (from Black Dragons) -- The author takes Black Dragons, a World War II semi-propaganda film that is easily the most convoluted of the Monogram 9 and ... creates a very long short story that manages to be even more convoluted than the movie. I'm not criticizing the author. The wild, ever-changing plot is an intentional spoof on the film. It's done well, and with humor. My only criticism is a few pages could be trimmed from the 43-page story.

-- Happy Birthday Countess, by Gregory William Mank, (from The Corpse Vanishes) -- This is my favorite story. Film scholar Mank, who knows the genre as well as anyone, crafts a short but deeply affecting prequel of how Lugosi's Dr. George Lorenz, the mad scientist of The Corpse Vanishes, met his vain, cruel, mostly unfeeling wife/countess. It's a strong tale of unrequited love turning a relationship into co-dependency, madness and depravity.

-- Bowery After Midnight, by Brian Carney, (from Bowery At Midnight) -- This sequel takes survivors from Bowery at Midnight back to the soup kitchen where Lugosi's character also ran a criminal enterprise, with many murders. It appears that restless spirits are haunting the location. There's a fake spiritualist, a taunting magician, a confused young couple (particularly the man), and a supernatural god who can open, and close horrific passages. Characters from other Monogram 9 films make appearances.

-- The Gorilla Strikes! by Kurt McCoy, (from The Ape Man) -- This 45-page sequel is jarring with its passages of violence and sadism in a carnival atmosphere where Dr. James Brewster, Bela Lugosi's Ape Man, is now living, having survived the previous film; but still needing spinal fluid to appear normal for short periods. I was initially put off by the tale, contrasting its extreme violence with the G-rated implied or mild violence in the film. A second reading, however, made me a big fan. McCoy has crafted very strong pulp fiction. It's as good, even better, than Ed Wood's' pulp fiction produced in the last decade of his life. That is a compliment, by the way.

-- The Bride of Andy Hardy Meets Dracula, by Frank J. Dello Stritto, (from Ghosts on the Loose) -- This is a favorite tale of mine as well. It stays away from the plot and instead imagines how Ava Gardner, on loan from MGM and not a star yet, may have felt while acting in this poverty-row film, her first movie where she's among the stars' names. As a still-young woman better known as Mrs. Mickey Rooney than Ava Gardner, she and Lugosi share a day on the set, and Dello Stritto also imagines how one of Lugosi's most controversial lines came to be.

-- Voodoo Man Returns, by Brad A. Braddock, (from Voodoo Man) -- Braddock, who has written a prequel novel to Lugosi's film, White Zombie, crafts an entertaining revenge tale taking place after the finish of Voodoo Man. Lugosi is resurrected via voodoo, helped by confederates played in the film by George Zucco and John Carradine. Lugosi's mad scientist Dr. Marlowe, is outraged at how his dead wife has been treated by a local judge. The 25-page story generates suspense and reads quickly.

-- The Road to Madness: A Prequel to Return of the Ape Man, by Stefanie Kokai, (from Return of the Ape Man) -- This is a love story, narrated by the woman who once had requited love with Prof. James Dexter, the obsessed scientist who tries to swap brains with a neanderthal in the film. But that's in the future. In this romantic tragedy, the narrator relates how Dexter's life was almost led astray from his obsession by a greater power, love. The story has an interesting twist, involving the narrator, that I'll let readers discover.

This anthology will attract notice from fans of the films interested in sampling the literary additions. However, those unfamiliar with the movies could also be motivated to see the films after reading these tales for a dark night in a warm easy chair or bed.

Dracula Never Dies ... a sample of Christopher R. Gauthier's signature work

Readers of our blog are familiar with narrative writer and poet Christopher R. Gauthier, who started the popular Facebook page A Celebration of the Life and Art of Bela Lugosi (here). We interviewed Chris nearly two years ago in which he talked about his admiration and love for Lugosi and we also shared some of his poetry. And, about 20 months ago, Chris joined a few other reviewers in a Lugosi post, reviewing Bride of the Monster for our readers (here).

Chris' signature work, still in progress, is an extensive novel titled "Dracula Never Dies: The Revenge of Bela Vorlock." I have read early draft versions and it's an impressive accomplishment. He has already recited excerpts of the work on radio shows. The first publication of this book is scheduled for August 16, 2020, by Arcane Shadows Press. There will be more books, all comprising the story, published in later years.

Also, an excerpt of "Dracula Never Dies ..." is published in an anthology, by Midnight Marquee Press (buy it here). Below is an excerpt from the MMP contribution. It captures Chris' unique style that blends passion, emotion, pride and enduring love of a horror icon:

Bela Vorlock obtained his flask of Hungarian plum brandy that rested alongside his sterling silver cigarette case. A short sketch of written lines rested on the dresser that he had been told to review for this evening's theatrical performance, in the defunct slum encrusted theatre. The brandy soothed his tingling throat as it swam down his parched canal, bringing him back to the almost vanished rays of peace … the deception that solitude had given him. He thought of the vivid recollection of his reality and it shook his jagged nerves that were fragile as glass. He whispered about peace, the lone true human emotion that was both an edacious need of starve and greed for his soul of crumbled blemished torment. There was a vacant dream of havened internal amity, and it was all that Bela Vorlock had longed for. To finally grasp in the cores of his mangled and tortured soul, a permanent slice of peace, which was a diminishing primeval haze of a subservient memory so utterly vague and almost forgotten to him in the final mournful days of his life.."

As a fellow Lugosi fan, and frankly fan is too small a term; I adore the iconic actor, "Dracula Never Dies ..." hits me with emotion. It places me in a location and time I have never been. Early 1951, in a shabby theater on the east coast for a midnight spook show, with Lugosi adding dignity to a tacky program, with a bad film, and poor accompanying actors, populated by unappreciative teenage fans more liable to laugh than applaud. That really happened to Lugosi, who was struggling to support a career and family. He never gave less than 100 percent. I can't locate this reference, I apologize, but I once read of Lugosi, while doing one of the above-mentioned spook shows, finally having enough of the catcalls and hooting. As I recall reading, he stopped, became silent, and coldly stared down the audience. What magnificence by a great thespian. What an appropriate rebuke to a boorish audience.

In "Dracula Never Dies ...," Chris captures the enduring dignity of a great actor. The prose speaks of a distinguished, iconic artist refusing to compromise his dignity and talent, no matter what the circumstances. There's deep passion to the prose. I suspect the author shares some of the challenges "Bela Vorlock" faces. His prose is perhaps also his response to the world he lives in, and underscores his continued devotion to a man, Bela Lugosi, that he emulates to the best of his ability. 

One more note: "Dracula Never Dies: The Revenge of Bela Vorlock," will be published as four separate, roughly 100,000-word novels, with Part 1 slated to be published by Arcane Shadows Press (Facebook page here) in October. Thanks Chris, for allowing us to share an excerpt of your work in this post.