In late February I was invited on to the Fan2Fan Podcast to talk about peplum and 80s’ sword and sorcery films. This weekend I was invited back on to continue the dialogue, focusing on specific films. These episodes will be published later on, but in the meantime check out the Fan2Fan Podcast library for some excellent episodes (or better yet, subscribe via your podcast app of preference).
AnnRadCon 2022 In Person Programming
The StokerCon 2022 website has been updating with the conference’s in-person programming, which includes the in-person portion of the Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference. Programming can be viewed here. Of, if curious about AnnRadCon programming only to save you a click:
Thursday, May 12th
Track 1 – Film an Television – 9:00 am
Karley Pardue: “Bathing Bad: Feminine Vengeance and Masculine Vulnerability in the Showers of HorrorSmith”
Jonathan Brooks Sanford: “Between the Known and the Unknown: Stranger Things, the Signifying Body, and the Permeable Border Between the Symbolic and the Real”
Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr: “Killing It on the Field: Athletics and Sport in Horror Cinema”
Sean Woodard: “Narcissistic Love and Object A: Obsession and Desire in Fade to Black“
Track 2 – Vampires – 10:45 am
Rocky Colavito: “Kolchak at Fifty: The Night Stalker Redux, “It’s hard to believe; isn’t it?””
Margaret Yankovich: ““It’s Like I Can Feel God Move Inside Me”: The Religious Ecstasy of Sensual Vampirism in Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass“
Cassandra Yatron: “Rats and the Queer Vampire: Dracula as a Commensal Creature”
Track 3 – Literature and Nature – 12:15 pm
Gavin Hurley: “The Diabolical Dialectics of Clive Barker’s The Damnation Game“
Brenda Tolian: “Gaia Screaming”
Talmage Joseph Wise: “Anatomical Theatre: Freak Show Horrors in Jekyll and Hyde“
Charles Yost: “Crazy Cat Women: The Contemporary Rebrand of Literary Witchcraft”
Highlander Call for Papers
Michele has an active CFP on the Highlander franchise. She is looking for essays on the Highlander movies, the television show, comics, everything.
If you’re interested, check out the CFP at her website and please share with others. With a possible reboot on the horizon, this is definitely a book you want to be a part of.
Unofficial Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP
Sometime in the latter half of 2022 (after I am finished with AnnRadCon 2022) I plan on publishing an official CFP calling for essays on Emmanuelle and its sequels and spinoffs, Black Emanuelle and its sequels, and all other Emmanuelle knockoffs. I already have an interested publisher, but I want to present to them a fully laid out TOC for an ambitious collection as this.
Though my CFP will not go live until later 2022, if you have any interest in being a part of this collection, let me know! Send me an email or social media message (see my about me page for contact info) to let me know your interest. If you have an abstract already, even better.
General Neo-Peplum News
Recent Acquisitions
My Severin order for their Caligula boxset arrived.
This boxset contains two films: Caligula the Untold Story and Caligula and Messalina. I’ve seen my share of Joe D’Amato and Bruno Mattei films, but not these prono-pepla.
The original Italian cycle had long since been dead since the mid-60s. With Tinto Brass doing Caligula in the 70s, the door creaked open for imitators, which resulted in these films. Was these 80s peplum films, with wanton depravity and sexploitation that was only hinted at in the original 60s cycle be enough to resurrect the genre? No, of course not. It would have to wait almost two more decades when Ridley Scott’s Gladiator was released.
John Carter Video Game Q/A Sessions
The folks developing the John Carter video game have appeared in a few Q/As to help promote the game and answer fan questions. Episode one can be viewed here and episode two here. The Kickstarter can be found here, so consider chipping in a few dollars.
I’ve aggregated all my 2021 accomplishments on this post while also listing projects I expect to realize in this new year. I thank the folks who have supported me or provided me platforms immensely.
H. P. Lovecast Transmissions Episode
Our last episode of H. P. Lovecast Podcast for 2021 is online!
Thumbnail by Michele Brittany
This is our monthly transmissions episode where we interview a few folks. In this episode we interview Jennifer Barnes, Lee Murray, and Rena Mason about their work with Attack from the ’80s. The episode can be streamed at our Buzzsprout website or your podcast app of preference.
AnnRadCon CFP is Closed
The CFP for the 5th Annual Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference at StokerCon 2022 has now closed. Thank you to all who submitted abstracts. Michele and I will be going over them during the first two weeks of January and sending out acceptances.
Highlander CFP
When one CFP closes another one opens!
Adrian Paul has way more charisma than Christopher Lambert.
Michele has a CFP that just opened on the Highlander franchise. She is looking for essays about the Highlander movies, the television show, comics, everything. If you’re interested, check out the CFP at her website and please share with others! With a possible reboot on the horizon, this is definitely a book you want to be a part of.
Unofficial Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP
Recently I scored two Black Emanuelle vinyls from Light in the Attic records and it got me really nostalgic.
Two Black Emanuelle vinyls I procured. I just need a record player!
I grew up with the Sylvia Kristel Emmanuelle films and got into the Laura Gemser Black Emanuelle films when I started studying Italian genre films when I was working on my masters. One of my bucket list items has been to do a book on the Emmanuelle films and their various knock offs, sequels, and so on because no such book exists. I think it’s time to bite the bullet and get the process going for this project.
Sometime in the latter half of 2022 (after I am finished with AnnRadCon 2022) I’ll be publishing an official CFP for essays on Emmanuelle, Emanuelle, and the other Emmanuelles out there. I already have an interested publisher, but I want to present to them a fully laid out TOC for an ambitious collection as this.
Though my CFP will not go live until later 2022, if you have any interest in being a part of this collection, let me know! Send me an email or social media message (see my about me page for contact info) to let me know your interest. If you have an abstract already, even better!
Things in the Well Closing Shop
Small press publisher Things in the Well looks to be closing shop in a few weeks. This means two of their anthologies that I have short stories published in will be going OOP.
Amazon links to buy both books are in the links above. Thank you all who have been curious about my fiction work and who have bought these books. I’ll find a home for these short stories in the future.
General Neo-Peplum News
Bible Films Blog: Once Upon a Time in Bethlehem
Matt Page has a new review up at his Bible Films Blog.
It’s on the 2019 Italian Biblical neo-peplum film titled Once Upon a Time in Bethlehem. Page’s write up can be read at his blog.
Severin Caligula Releases
Severin Films is releasing two Italian porno-pepla in February.
The first is Joe D’Amato’s 1982 film Caligula: The Untold Story and the second is Bruno Mattei’s 1981 Caligula and Messalina. Severin is offering quote a few options on pre-ordering these films:
Yours truly, of course, has already pre-ordered these. Expect essays later on!
Born of Blood Comic
I only learned about this comic because it appeared in an update email from another peplum comic I contributed to on Kickstarter. Of course, upon discovery, it has 40 hours left of its campaign, so by the time this news post goes up it will have ended. Regardless, a newish publisher called Merc Magazine is putting out a neo-peplum comic called Born of Blood.
Sorah Suhng cover
Mike Krome virgin cover
It looks like Born of Blood was previewed in prior published comics of Merc Magazine, Miss Meow and Deathrage, so I am a bit out of the loop of plot. Looking at the cover art, I see lots of Spartan imagery, so I am definitely intrigued.
As an aside, there has been a great uptick in what I call “pandemic peplum” comics appearing on Kickstarter. I have interviewed many of those creators already at my website:
Not to mention many others I’ve Kickstarted as well that I either have not written about or haven’t received yet: Gilgamesh Eternal #1, Teoatl, and Aztlan.
Anywho, I hope once I get Born of Blood 01, maybe I can do a review or interview the team behind it. But it’s so curious that so many sword and sandal crowdfunded comics have come out since the pandemic began.
I put in monies to get two versions of the first issue: a cover by Sorah Suhng and a virgin cover by Mike Krome. As you can see above, they look really sweet!
The classic era of sword and sandal films is an unappreciated genre and nowhere is this more illustrated than its lack of representation in Criterion-esque physical releases.
Cover art of Fury of Achilles from Gold Ninja Video. Used with permission from Justin Decloux.
During the aughts and early 2010s, as the battle of between Blu-ray and HD DVD raged on, standard DVDs reigned king. It was a golden age of physical media as big studios, boutique publishers, and even low budget companies saturated the market with releases, re-releases, special editions, limited releases, and so on. This was also an era of when budget publishers, such as Mill Creek Entertainment and Brentwood Home Video, took a quantity over quality approach and flooded the market with megapack DVD boxset releases that contained a buffet of mostly public domain and low budget films. Though the overall quality was poor, American edits of sword and sandal films flourished on these releases.
Budget releases of pepla. Photo from my own collection.
Further into the 2010s, Blu-ray won the format battle, but over all lost the war to streaming services. Each year there are fewer and fewer physical film releases, though there is an uptick in boutique publishers such as Vinegar Syndrome, Severin Films, and others filling the niche market for consumers who still cherish physical releases, especially those with assorted bonus material, such as essays, deleted scenes, and commentaries.
Pepla, though considered cult cinema, has fallen through the Blu-ray cracks. Most peplum films that received the Blu-ray treatment have been American involved productions that already had high quality surviving prints that merit suchreleases. The vast majority of English-edited peplum exists as low quality, full screen, saturated colour versions that bypassed the Blu-ray format and went directly to YouTube.
Today, physical releases of old school pepla are drying up. Budget companies, such as Synergy Entertainment and Something Weird Video, that used to churn out these releases have halted the practice. Only a smattering of the more prestigious peplum are honoured with Blu-ray releases, and even those are mostly bare bones. For example, the recently released Twilight Time version of Messalina contains only a booklet. Nary a commentary track or video essay to be found (for my thoughts on Messalina, click here).
Twilight Time release of Messalina. Photo from my own private collection.
For such an important and influential genre, the lack of supplemental laden physical releases is a sad state of affairs.
Enter Justin Decloux’s Gold Ninja Video label, an independent boutique label that strives to give the Criterion treatment to forgotten, obscure, and public domain films. Per Decloux’s Indiegogo campaign:
My original intent was to release public domain films on Blu-ray, ones that are treated like crap and that you could easily find floating around in a hundred different places on the internet, with the respect they had never before received. I created lavish deluxe editions that featured commentaries, video essays, and bonus films that would provide context and a deeper appreciation of productions that most of the world had dismissed.
Justin Decloux
Gold Ninja Video has released special editions of films such as Joy N. Houck Jr.’s Creature from Black Lake (1976), Hwa I Hung’s Kung Fu Zombie (1981), and Antonio Margheriti’s And God Said to Cain (1970). Gold Ninja Video has released films encompassing a variety of niche subgenres: from spaghetti westerns to Brucesploitation films to kaiju films. While perhaps not as renown as other exploitation labels, such as the aforementioned Vinegar Syndrome and Severin Films, Decloux makes up with it with pure gusto:
I love those companies, as my sagging Blu-ray/DVD shelves indicate. Still, I can’t come close to competing with the resources they have at their disposal when it comes to finding elements and remastering films. So I try to make up for it with a sheer force of passion and the hope that a GNV disc will serve as a starting resource to explore different worlds of cinema.
Justin Decloux
Earlier in 2021 Gold Ninja Video took their first plunge into the peplum genre by releasing a supplemental-laden edition of Marino Girolami’s Fury of Achilles (1962). Contrasting against their current catalog, a mythological sword and sandal film may initially seem out of place for a Gold Ninja Video release. Decloux elaborates on the genesis of publishing Fury of Achilles:
The peplum has always been on my list for a release through Gold Ninja Video for two reasons:
1. They are almost all considered in the public domain. 2. There have been very few discs that have explored the genre in-depth.
Through GNV, I always loved to tackle genres that many people are familiar with but haven’t really sat down and considered. The opportunity to provide context to something like peplums was something that was always appealing to me, even if I was a little nervous because it wasn’t a subject I had off-the-cuff expertise about, beyond passing familiarity with films like Steve Reeve’s Hercules and Mario Bava’s Hercules in the Haunted World. The Fury of Achilles disc was probably one of the projects that took me the longest to put together because I wanted to make sure I had done enough research to talk confidently about the subject. It took me ages to pick Fury of Achilles, but I finally landed on the title because I liked the fantastic elements, its a mixture of personal and grand, and the gravelly face of Gordon Mitchell.
Justin Decloux
There’s been a few releases of Fury of Achilles prior, typically by low budget publishers such as Alpha Video, Synergy, and Inspired (whom released it as a double feature with Lion of Thebes [1964]).
Inspired’s release of Fury of Achilles. Photo from my own private collection.
While the print used in the Gold Ninja Video release of Fury of Achilles may be on par with these other editions, Decloux elevates his version with a variety of supplements:
Short introduction to the film
A black and white essay booklet spotlighting peplum directors
A commentary track with Decloux’s insights and observations
A 15 minute short feature that acts as a primer to the peplum genre
Another short feature that spotlights fantastique peplum
An extended battle sequence (see below)
And a version of Perseus Against the Monsters (1963) making this release a double feature
There’s certainly a variety of features on the Blu-ray disc. Decloux had a Herculean task ahead of him putting this edition together:
I didn’t realize until I started recording the commentary that the movie was two hours long! But I somehow got through it by breaking it down over a few days.
I tinkered with the main presentation more than I usually do. The audio had a noticeable hum to it, so I performed some noise reduction surgery, and I had to subtitle some footage that wasn’t in English.
I also noticed that one of the battle scenes had some extra violence in it not present in the primary transfer used on the disc. Unfortunately, the additional battle footage was only present in a much lesser quality copy, so I had to decide if I cut it into the main feature or not. After many sleepless nights, I decided to include it as an extra – because it felt like an entirely different version of the scene – instead of shots that were cut out.”
Justin Decloux
The disc begins with a short, introduction on why Decloux chose to release Fury of Achilles as he felt it was a good introduction to the genre. Decloux has an infectious enthusiasm that is present on all the supplements of the Blu-ray. This enthusiasm is much needed because, as stated above, there is not much love for the peplum genre, so it is a welcome sight to see excitement for sword and sandal fare. Decloux offers some insight at to why pepla isn’t as revered as other cult Euro genres:
I feel like it has a lot to do with peplums having an old-fashioned structure and execution, throwing back to a type of cinema that modern audiences only have a passing familiarity within their media diets. The Giallos and Spaghetti Westerns are twists on genres that have been burned into our cultural consciousness – the slasher and the classic American western. Those types of movies also offer direct thrills – violence and action – which resonate universally. Peplums are frankly tamer than most European exploitation cinema because of their model and the “Golden Period” of the genre was before Giallos and Spaghetti Westerns.
Justin Decloux
The most important special feature on the Blu-ray is Decloux’s “A Beginner’s Guide to Peplum: A Video Essay.” The feature is about fifteen minutes in length and begins with a brief overview of the genre. With over 300 titles in the sword and sandal canon, Decloux states that finding an entry point into the genre can be problematic. He proffers eight peplum titles and explains what makes each of them a stand out film:
Ulysses (1954)
Hercules (1958)
Hercules Conquers Atlantis (1961)
Duel of the Titans (1961)
Fury of Achilles (1962)
The Trojan Horse (1961)
Revenge of Spartacus (1964)
Giants of Rome (1964)
It must be underscored the importance of such a primer in order to regain interest and attract new fans to the genre. It is strongly recommended to watch the primer and listen to Decloux’s musings.
The next feature, “Weird Swords and Sandals: A Video Essay” has Decloux disclosing a few noteworthy peplum films that has weird or fantastique elements, such as giant monsters and magic. His list includes:
Hercules in the Haunted World (1961)
Maciste in Hell (1925)
Goliath and the Vampires (1961)
Goliath Against the Giants (1961)
Conqueror of Atlantis (1965)
The Triumph of Hercules (1964)
War of the Zombies (1964)
Hercules and the Black Pirates (1963)
The Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules (1964)
The essay inserted includes in the Blu-ray sleeve contains information on noteworthy peplum directors Gianfranco Parolini, Alberto De Martino, Mario Caiano, Michele Lupo, Giorgio Ferroni, and Vittorio Cottafavi, along with notes about the film transfer.
The last major supplement on the Fury of Achilles release is Decloux own commentary track. Decloux is up front in the various supplements that he is not an expert on the sword and sandal genre, but he doesn’t give himself enough credit as his commentary track is quite insightful. For example, early in the commentary he brings up the importance of non-Italian (mostly American) productions to the peplum canon. This is usually an overlooked facet of Italian genre filmmaking by other scholars or enthusiasts. During the prosperous years of the 1960s, Italy had a robust and prolific film industry, cranking out films from A-list directors such as Fellini, Antonioni, Visconti, and others. However, in order for Italy to financially support the risky ventures of its auteurs, it needed a foundational genre industry that churned out profitable pepla, spaghetti westerns, macaroni combat, gothic horror, gialli, Eurospy, and other genre fare. This genre industry was not restricted to national cinema as other countries (America, England, Spain, France, and so on) took advantage of the same studios, crew, and actors that made up these films. This is a key component to understanding the Italian filmmaking industry and Decloux is right in the ballpark talking about it.
Fury of Achilles is an ambitious release by a small label, but it certainly accomplishes what it sets out to do: give the film the respect it deserve via a plethora of supplemental material that underscores its importance. Since publishing Fury of Achilles, Decloux has been satisfied with how well the edition is faring:
I’ll be candid and say I’ve received very little feedback about the disc [..but..] it has surprisingly been one that has been a pretty big seller. I stock copies at a local store in Toronto called Bay Street Video, and it’s the one that regularly sells out the most.”
Justin Decloux
Photo of Justin Decloux provided by Decloux.
Fury of Achilles may currently be Gold Ninja Video’s sole peplum release, hopefully it is not the last. While Decloux has other immediate plans for his label, there is the open possibility for more sword and sandal action:
A few months ago, I did a crowdfunding campaign to scan some film prints that had come into my possession. Thanks to a surprisingly positive reaction, I received enough contributions to purchase a film scanner. So, Gold Ninja Video is moving into the world of new scans! The first release with a brand new scan will be a Taiwanese film called Thrilling Bloody Sword which is currently available for preorder at goldninjavideo.com. And if I stumble upon a 16MM or 35MM print of an intriguing peplum film that doesn’t exist in any decent home release, I can assure you I’ll jump on it!”
Justin Decloux
A sincere thank you to Justin Decloux for answering these interview questions. Please see the links below to find out more about Gold Ninja Video:
Messalina is a 1960 Italian toga and sandal film, directed by Vittorio Cottafavi (who directed many proto-peplum films in his career) and starring Belinda Lee as the titular character. A historic epic, Messalina tells the story of Valeria Messalina (Belinda Lee), the new wife to Roman emperor Claudius (Mino Doro), and her rise to power via her charms and schemes. The story also follows Lucius Maximus (Spiros Focas), a respected soldier who falls in love with Messalina but comes to realize her cutthroat ways. What follows are some general musings and observations about this film.
Toga and Sandal Genre Conventions
Messalina falls into sword and sandal subgenre called the “toga and sandal” film. While the “sword” in sword and sandal draws martial images and has strong connotations to combat (be it physical combat as when a strongman engages with an opponent with his fists, or when a soldier or gladiator fights melee with weapons), the “toga” in toga and sandal downplays the action aspect of these films. Instead, in a toga and sandal film, what is underscored are politics, with an emphasis on intrigue, espionage, strategy, scheming, planning, oratory and speeches. In these films, the loincloth wearing Herculean character is replaced by the well dressed solider or statesman, the gladiator replaced by the assassin, and the dangerous cavern or labyrinth replaced by the palatial court. These films also tend to be more grounded in realism and overlap with the historic epic genre.
That is not to say the toga and sandal film is completely void of martial content, it is simply not the primary focus. Messalina contains a peppering of traditional sword and sandal scenes: these include two strongmen fighting each other as part of the festivities and entertainment when Claudius officially takes over as emperor, and the ending contains a small battle of Maximus and his loyal soldiers fighting the corrupted praetorians who were sent to assassinate Claudius.
In a greater Italian cross-genre (filoni) sense, the courts of Claudius, full of food, wine, and entertainment (be it dancers,musicians, fighters, or all of the above), is akin to the bars of the spaghetti western and the nightclubs in the Eurospy film. Of note, early in Messalina, Maximus returns back from a military campaign and engages in a celebratory bar fight.
Lady Peplum
Messalina is one of the rare non-Cleopatra female-centric peplum films that came out of the golden age of historic epics and sword and sandal films. Decades later, peplum media would see a smattering of more female-led titles. Most of these were 1980s sword and sorcery flicks, such as Red Sonja (1985), Barbarian Queen (1985), Amazons (1986), and Hundra (1982), but also include the television show Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001), and the video game Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey with Kassandra as one of the two playable characters.
As a typical sword and sandal film focuses on a muscleman’s body, so too does Messalina emphasis the titular character’s body. Messalina makes use of veils to both obfuscate and draw attention to her form. Sequences of her taking a milk bath and when she disrobes, (the camera pans down her exposed legs), show no nudity, yet offer much in the way of titillation. Messalina also utilizes a great deal of seductive pinup poses: laying on her back, body stretched and tilted to showcase her lithe figure.
Messalina and the strongman both make use of their bodies as tools to overcome obstacles. While Ursus may singlehandedly lift a horse-drawn cart out of a pit, Messalina uses her body to seduce an assassin. Though her body is a great asset, Messalina also uses her intelligence, intimidation, guile, and charms to plot, scheme, and advance her agenda. In this regard, she is a multifaceted character, more than just her sex appeal.
Waterfalls of Monte Gelato
Towards the end of the film, there is an epic battle between Maximus’ men and the praetorian guards atop a waterfall. These are the Waterfalls of Monte Gelato.
Many other films have been shot in these waterfalls. Other pepla filmed here include:
Messalina straddles the line of acceptable and taboo, particularly in the representation of the sexualized Messalina (she doesn’t show nudity and there is no on screen sex, but the film comes really close to depictions of both with lots of not-so-subtle winks and nods).
During this period, Italy was under the Christian Democratic government, which held great influence over the film industry and could dictate what was able to be depicted on screen or not. Genre productions active through these decadeswere able to have their cake and eat it too by showcasing sex, (sometimes) nudity, violence, blood, and other taboo activities, so long as the film as a whole was able to affirm Christian Democratic morality: reward the righteous and punish the wicked.
For Messalina, her crimes, of course, is showing pseudo-nudity, engaging in affairs and sexual trysts, and (the greatest crime of all) being a successful woman. By the movie’s end, she is killed when stabbed through the stomach with a gladius. Her sexual proclivities are punished by death.
Maximus also must adhere to these provisions. Though he is the (male) hero of the story, he still falls for Messalina’s charms and becomes an agent of her when he forces Christians from their homes. His atonement comes with conversion: at the end of the film he takes the side of Silvia (Ida Galli) and travels with her to a new Christian land. Maximums has given up his love for Messalina, Rome and her wicked ways, and found a new (and subservient) love interest and perhaps salvation.
Miscellaneous Thoughts
History is written by the winners and it is no doubt that Messalina (the historic figure) has been portrayed in a hyper negative fashion by later, misogynistic historians, which of course has influenced her depiction in pop culture (such as this film). In the past few years, Medusa has seen a great shift in in perception and interpretation (from monster to victim), so it’s possible that Messalina will receive some reconsideration as well.
The big question that Messalina leaves viewers with is did Messalina truly love Maximus in the end? The romantic notions of the period, as depicted in other films, strongly hints that she did, for in the end, Messalina is still a love story, and in order to have a love story, there’s got to be a great love. Messalina, when she is in the embrace of other men, tilts her head away from them, so only the audience can see her facial expressions of disgust and revolt. She does not do this with Maximus, strongly suggesting that she truly loved him, but was not able to negotiate having his love and her power at the same time.
New episode of the H. P. Lovecast Podcast is online! This one is our monthly Transmissions episode, and we got three guests on this episode: G. A. Lungaro, Angela Sylvaine, and Rhonda Jackson Joseph. The episode can be streamed at our Buzzsprout website or on your podcast app of preference.
The Podcast index page has not only been updated with this episode, but descriptors for upcoming episodes. They are:
7/4 – F. Paul Wilson’s “The Barrens” and Ramsey Campbell’s “The Faces at Pine Dunes” both from Cthulhu 2000.
7/18 – Fragments episode will be on Michael Mann filmic adaptation of The Keep.
7/30 Transmissions episode will have J. H. Moncrieff and others tbd.
August is our King in Yellow month were we will be looking at the brand new anthology Under Twin Suns, interviewing some of the contributors, and also looking at a graphic novel adaption.
Scholars from the Edge of Time
Another new episode of Scholars from the Edge of Time is online! For this episode Michele and I talk about the 1960 peplum film Messalina. The episode can be streamed or downloaded at BlogTalkRadio.
General Neo-Peplum News
Final Call for Abstracts – Ancient World, Modern Music
A reminder: Dr. Swist has an open CFP called “Ancient World, Modern Music” for the Classical Association of the Middle West & South conference in March 23-26 2022 at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina:
We are seeking abstracts for a panel on the reception of antiquity in modern music. 15-minute papers on the topic may discuss any genre of modern & popular music, including folk & country, rock & metal, hip-hop & pop, and theater & soundtracks, and may focus on lyrics, album artwork, music videos, live performances, or the music itself. We are particularly interested in questions of how musicians integrate ancient culture, myth, and art into modern medium, and how they read antiquity in response to the personal, the aesthetic, and the political.
Send 300-word abstracts & questions to Jeremy Swist (jeremyswist@brandeis.edu) by 10 July 2021. Potential panelists must commit to present in person if accepted.
On Thursday Michele and I had our monthly Scholars from the Edge of Time segment on the Voice of Olympus program. In this episode Michele discussed the mummy anthology Spirits Unwrapped while I talked about the classic peplum film Ursus in the Valley of the Lions. The episode can be listened to at Blog Talk Radio.
Peplum Ponderings
I’ve started a new series here at my website called Peplum Ponderings. This is reserved for after I’ve watched a peplum film and I’ve taken notes, as a venue for me to share my informal observations about the film. My first one is online and it is for Ursus in the Valley of the Lions. Expect one later on this week for Messalina.
HWA CFP Board
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) Academics/Non-fiction board has been updated with a few new CFPs:
NEPCA – Monstrous in Disney
NEPCA – Northeast USA contribution to Monstrous canon
Call for chapters for book on horror comics
Details for these CFPs can be found on the board. If you have a CFP yourself that needs to be added, please send an email to annradcon@gmail.com .
General Neo-Peplum News
Physical Release of Ancient Greece and Rome in Videogames
The physical version of Dr. Ross Clare’s Ancient Greece and Rome in Videogames: Representation, Play, Transmedia will be published next week! The New Peplum is cited many times in this book.
The electronic version is already out while the physical version can be found at the Bloomsbury website.
Band of Warriors #2 Kickstarter News
Samuel G. London has been sending out the Kickstarter rewards for backers of Band of Warriors #1 (which you can read my interview with London here). In a news update for backers, the script for issue #2 is being worked on and the campaign to fund the issue is likely to launch in September. However, there is a cover reveal for issue #2, with art by Federico Avila Corsini:
Follow London on Twitter for more information about this comics.
New Ex Deo Album
Canadian neo-peplum band Ex Deo officially announced on their Facebook page their next album, The Thirteen Years of Nero, will be released on August 27th. They released the first video of the album, “Imperator,” on Youtube.
This past weekend was StokerCon and Michele and I were super busy co-chair the AnnRadCon panels, doing Q/A, watching presentations, and so on. I believe some of the content will be available after the con, so stay tuned either here as I learn more, or follow the various StokerCon/HWA websites/social medias.
However, we were so busy we didn’t get a chance to finish up the newest episode of HP Lovecast, which will drop next weekend.
Mark My Words
Lee Murray and Angela Yuriko Smith are publishing a new how-to book called Mark My Words: Read the Submission Guidelines and Other Self-editing Tips. The chapbook was part of one of Murray’s workshops at StokerCon, but is getting a release via Yuriko Publishing. Both Michele and I were asked to contribute advice to the book. I’ve added this book to the bibliography, but once it officially becomes available for purchase I’ll add in store links as well.
IndieWire has an article about Zack Snyder’s unmade part three to 300 that was going to focus on Alexander the Great.
Isidora #2 to Launch
Part 2 of the neo-peplum/Lovecraft comic Isidora by G. A.Lungaro is set to launch a crowdfunding campaign in June. A sign up page to be notified when the campaign goes live can be found here.
