Z is for Żuławski in my #folkhorroralphabet the Polish director of Diabeł (The Devil) a 1972 historical horror. And yes I did struggle to think of a Z… The Stranger is a character that represents the Devil/evil while the nun represents good.
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Illustrated linocut plate inspired by the odd creatures of Japanese folklore in Yokai Monsters.
Y is for Yokai Monsters in my #folkhorroralphabet inspired by the trilogy of Japanese folklore themed films of the late 1960s.
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Illustrated linocut print inspired by the X Files episode ‘Home’. An old farm dwelling sits in a field of wheat on top of a gigantic baby’s skull.
And the lino plate inspired by the X Files episode ‘Home’. An old farm dwelling sits in a field of wheat on top of a gigantic baby’s skull.
X is for X Files in my #folkhorroralphabet specifically the episode ‘Home’.
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V is for VIY in my #folkhorroralphabet inspired by the book by Nikolai Gogol and the 1967 Soviet film by Konstantin Yershov and Georgi Kropachyov. There’s also a great Ukrainian animation of the story from the 1990s. Seek them out you ghouls!
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U is for the Unquiet Grave in my #folkhorroralphabet inspired by the traditional folk ballad.
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T is for Transformations in my linocut #folkhorroralphabet inspired by the short film ‘Transformations’ (1972) directed by Barbara Hirschfield. The film follows a coven of Vermont witches as they prepare for a ritual of white magic.
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S is for Starve Acre in my #folkhorroralphabet a linocut series inspired by folk horror tinged books, films and music. The novel was a reading highlight of last year, a chilling story of grief and desperation in a rural setting.
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An illustrated linocut print and plate inspired by the folk horror film ‘Robin Redbreast’.
R is for a Robin Redbreast from my #folkhorroralphabet inspired by the 1970 Play for Today short film. It manages to fuse rural isolation, Pagan ritual and feminism in a taut seventy minutes with a slow-build ominous creeping dread.
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An illustrated linocut block and print of a young woman with long hair in chunky knitwear holding her open hands up to her face. The palms have owl eye patterns on them.
O is for Owl Service from my linocut #folkhorroralphabet inspired by the 1967 novel by Alan Garner which he adapted from Welsh folklore. There’s a television series from 1969 which holds up surprisingly well.
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An illustrated linocut print and plate of a mermaid in a tattoo style with a banner that reads ‘Mora Forever’.
N is for Night Tide (1961) from my linocut #folkhorroralphabet an early Dennis Hopper film directed by Curtis Harrington about a woman called Mora who might be a mermaid. The film has an eerie carnival/boardwalk setting and atmosphere to match.
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In the excitement of setting up an exhibition I accidentally went from M to P in my #folkhorroralphabet
I will backtrack to N…
An illustrated linocut block and print of a woman stood in front of a strange bird man creature with a gothic looking castle in the background.
P is for Panna a Netvor in my linocut #folkhorroralphabet a Czechoslovak adaptation of the Beauty and the Beast story from 1978. It’s a dark foreboding gothic interpretation with the beast portrayed as a tortured humanoid bird creature.
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An illustrated linocut print inspired by the folk horror film Midsommar next to the block.
M is for Midsommar in my #folkhorroralphabet
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L is for Lankum in my #folkhorroralphabet and this linocut illustration takes inspiration from the haunting video for ‘Go Dig My Grave’.
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Illustrated linocut block and print of a long haired skeleton looming over the entrance to a dilapidated portal where a disgraced Japanese swordsman stands.
K is for Kwaidan in my #folkhorroralphabet the Japanese anthology of ghostly folklore from 1964. The illustration is based on the story ‘The Black Hair’ about an impoverished swordsman who abandons his wife then attempts to reconcile with her…
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An illustrated linocut print and block of studious author M R James working by candlelight while an ominous portent of death* looms over him. *SURE, A SKELETON. 💀
J is for M.R James in my #folkhorroralphabet the author and medievalist scholar responsible for ghost stories such as ‘Lost Hearts’, ‘A Warning to the Curious’ and ‘Casting the Runes’ which was adapted for cinema as ‘Night of the Demon’.
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An illustrated linocut block of an Incubus, a folkloric monstrous demon that preys on unsuspecting women. Ye olde incel.
I is for ‘Incubus’ in my #folkhorroralphabet a 1966 film starring a young William Shatner. A slow-build horror set on a seemingly idyllic island inhabited by demons that prey on the vain and self-centred. They’d have a field day on social media.
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H is for ‘Hear the Children Sing’ in my #folkhorroralphabet a Lungfish cover by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Nathan Salsburg and Tyler Trotter. It’s a haunting creeping mantra, working its spidery fingers into our wretched souls.
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A linocut illustrated block of a horned woman in profile with a strange Pagan letters at the base of the composition and a stark woodland background.
G is for ‘The Great God Pan’ in my #folkhorroralphabet published in 1894 by Welsh writer Arthur Machen. The story is complex but I’ve focused on the character Helen Vaughan; a woodland dwelling deviant and daughter of the mythological God Pan.
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Linocut illustrations inspired by folk horror themed film, television and music.
The #folkhorroralphabet A - F.
A is for Arcadia
B is for Blood Tea and Red String
C is for Carnival of Souls
D is for Dæmons
E is for Enys Men
F is for First Utterance
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F is for ‘First Utterance’ in my #folkhorroralphabet the acid folk album by Comus released 1971. I have a lot of unsettling records but this one is wildly unhinged to the point of disturbing and more than befitting of the folk horror label.
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A linocut print and block inspired by the film ‘Enys Men’ featuring a standing stone, two folkloric Cornish figures and odd flowers in the foreground.
E is for ‘Enys Men’ in my #folkhorroralphabet originally released in 2022. The cinematic equivalent of a Broadcast album. That good.
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D is for ‘Dr Who: The Daemons’ in my #folkhorroralphabet originally screened in 1971. The episodes feature demons, morris dancers, witches and a maypole; a whole host of folk horror elements to gorge upon.
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C is for ‘Carnival of Souls’ in my #folkhorroralphabet released in 1962 and directed by Herk Harvey. It’s a low budget cult classic, unsettling period Americana that inspired directors like David Lynch and George Romero.
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Next in my linocut #folkhorroralphabet B is for ‘Blood Tea and Red String’ a bewitching stop-motion macabre folktale created by Christiane Cegavske.
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A linocut illustration inspired by the documentary 'Arcadia' featuring women dancing around a fire. A scythe and skull stand above them denoting a doomed harvest.
A is for ‘Arcadia’ a documentary by Paul Wright, an unnerving ramble through Britain’s seasons and customs by way of the BFI Archive. The OST fuses foreboding synths, electronica and choral elements with traditional folk songs.
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#folkhorroralphabet
Linocut illustration of a figure from a Polish political horror film from the seventies.
Printing in the studio with a pair of devils…
#folkhorroralphabet
Linocut plate of an illustrated character in profile from a Polish historical horror film. He has dishevelled long hair, a beard and wears a black hat.
A year later than planned I’ve finally finished carving my #folkhorroralphabet 🌾💀🌞
Linocut plate and print of ghost story writer M R James working by candlelight as a giant skeleton looms over him.
J is for M R James from my #folkhorroralphabet series.
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#BLOCTOBER2
‘L is for Lankum’ from my #folkhorroralphabet
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#BLOCTOBER2
