A Fond Welcome

A clown is funny in the circus ring. But what would be the normal reaction to opening a door at midnight, and finding the same clown standing there in the moonlight?

The above quote is attributed to the great silent film actor Lon Chaney, the Man of a Thousand Faces. Although Chaney was hardly limited to the horror genre during his career, he is best remembered for his title role in what remains my favorite horror film to this very day, the original PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. For me, Chaney's iconic "clown at midnight" quote is as perfect a definition of true fear as we are likely to find.

Scary things have appealed to me throughout my life. As far back as I can remember in my 39 years of life, I have always enjoyed the feeling of fear, the delicious sensation of being truly frightened. The intent of this blog is to chronicle my ongoing exploration through the darker, shadow-filled side of culture.

Obviously, this will include (but not be limited to) the horror genre. Although I find myself aging out of the target audience for many, if not most, of today's scary movies, I still feel compelled to see the majority of such films released, and I will share my feelings and opinions of those experiences. But there are also hundreds of old movies to explore (and re-explore). I will also be following horror's footprints through television, literature, comic books, and even music.

But this blog will also explore other dark areas dear to my heart as well, such as true crime, dark fantasy, and (allegedly) true accounts of paranormal activity, in all the same media mentioned above. I hope to average a minimum of one or two posts per week, but we'll see how it goes. It's a vast world of dark dreams and shadows out there, and it will be a lot more fun if you join me!