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The One About Mummies

Recently, co-editor Sean Woodard and I were guests on the Fan2Fan Podcast to discuss all things mummies and our call for proposal for a collection of essays we currently have open.

Have a listen here and if you are interested in submitting an abstract, just have a look at the CFP here on my website.

If that isn’t quite enough about mummies, here is a 5-Minute Frights – The Mummy (1932) in which I talk with co-host Bernie about the Universal Classic 1932 film that really kicked off mummies and cinema.

Have a listen here.

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News

Call for Chapters: The Mummy Edited Collection

Editors, Michele Brittany and Sean Woodard

Contact Email: mummybookproject@mcbrittany

Abstract Deadline: December 15, 2023

Chapter Drafts Deadline: June 15, 2024

The 1999 Universal reboot of The Mummy, starring the indelible duo of Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, remains a tentpole of ’90s popular culture and cinema. Not only did The Mummy launch two sequels, a spin-off series, and a reboot, but it has lived on as a cult film, loved by fans for its mixture of horror, action/adventure, and humor. The film has also developed a strong meme culture on social media — one of the most viral examples contains a photo of a car bumper sticker proclaiming: “Honk if you’d rather be watching the 1999 cinematic masterpiece ‘The Mummy’ starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz.”

While academic research has been focused on various releases of The Mummy (1932, 1959, 1999, and 2017), there has not been a singular scholarly text devoted to the film franchise. The recent “Brenaissance” in Fraser’s film career and the film’s anticipated 25th anniversary in 2024 make it an appropriate time to celebrate and re-evaluate the film.

The purpose of this edited collection is to place The Mummy into a cultural and theoretical context, as well as critically analyze the franchise, its connections to other genre films, and its continued influence.

We seek proposals for chapters that approach the subject matter with theoretical concepts that will appropriately meet the rigorous expectations of an academic work, but through a prose style that shall be accessible for both an academic audience and a general readership.  

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • Resurgent interest in Brendan Fraser/”Brenaissance”
  • Stephen Sommers as an auteur
  • Representation of Egypt in popular culture and early filmic representation
  • Eastern mythology/culture/religion
  • Exoticism of non-western cultures
  • Post/De-colonialism
  • Heroic representation
  • Body horror
  • Eco-horror/Ecocriticism
  • Gender representation
  • Toxic depictions in film
  • Queer/LGBTQ+ representation
  • Meme/GIF culture
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Generational nostalgia
  • Element of music/film scoring
  • Genre hybridity
  • Film cycles/reboots/retcons (such as The Scorpion King, The Mummy animated series, Universal Classic Monsters, Hammer Studios, Dark Universe, etc.) and related adventure/archaeological-driven films (such as Ark of the Sun God, The Sphinx, The Librarian franchise, etc.)

Please send abstracts of 300 – 500 words with a working title and five (5) keywords, accompanied by a short third-person author bio (100 words max), to mummybookproject@gmail.com as a Word document. Final essays should be 6,000 – 8,000 words in length, including endnotes and bibliography, and be formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. The collection is being considered by a leading academic press.

Proposed Timeline

  • October 1, 2023 through December 15, 2023 — Call for Papers
  • January 15, 2024 — Notification of abstract acceptances sent to authors
  • January 15, 2024 through June 15, 2024 — Book chapters drafting period
  • June 15, 2024 through July 15, 2024 — Initial editorial review of submitted chapter drafts
  • August 1, 2024 through October 1, 2024 — Double-blind peer review period
  • October 1, 2024 through November 15, 2024 — Contributor revision period
  • December 1, 2024 — Final editorial acceptance decisions
  • December 1, 2024 through January 15, 2025 — Layout design, indexing, and proofing stage
  • January 16, 2025 through February 15, 2025 — Copies of chapter proofs sent to contributors for copyediting review
  • March 1, 2025 — Final manuscript submitted in hard copy and digital formats to publisher

Editor bios:

Michele Brittany is a writer, editor, podcaster, and artist. She edited James Bond and Popular Cultureand the Bram Stoker Award-nominated Horror in Space: Critical Essays on a Film Subgenre. She co-edited Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern: Critical Essays and co-hosts H. P. Lovecast podcast with Nicholas Diak. She lives in Glendale, Arizona.

Sean Woodard (MA | MFA) is a PhD candidate in English at University of Texas at Arlington. He also serves as the Assistant Editor for Global Insight: A Journal of Critical Human Science and Cultureand the Film Editor for Drunk Monkeys. He has contributed chapters to the edited collections Journeys Into Terror: Essays from the Cinematic Intersection of Travel and Horrorand Bloodstained Narratives: The Giallo Film in Italy and Abroad. His research interests include horror cinema, the American West, psychoanalysis, fairy tales, and film scoring.

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Monday Mummies

Michele’s Musings on Mummies

Episode 1: Introduction and Where It All Began (Updated from an original post dated April 1, 2018

Ii-Wey (Welcome)! I am Michele Brittany, the creator and writer behind Michele’s Musings on Mummies. I am an independent scholar focused on horror, sci-fi/fantasy, spy, and mummy studies. In my scholastic travels thus far, I have edited James Bond and Popular Culture: Essays on the Influence of the Fictional Superspy (2014), and Horror in Space: Critical Essays on a Film Subgenre (2017), nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Nonfiction. I co-edited Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern: Critical Essays with Nicholas Diak. All three books were published by McFarland & Company, Inc.

My interest was born out of reading the Great Ages of Man series from Time Life Books that my parents collected when I was young. I remember when each new book would arrive, opening the box in excitement to see what subject/time period was featured. Being transported to another place and time was a favorite pastime. I travelled to so many places through those books, however, I would always return to the volume, Ancient Egypt. Photographs of beautiful tomb paintings, drawings of reconstructed temples, and descriptions of ancient beliefs of mystical gods and goddesses intrigued me and cultivated my imagination. 

My love for Egypt was fostered by my father; he took me to see the “Treasures of Tutankhamun” exhibit in San Francisco during its 1970s United States tour and eventually, we travelled to Egypt via a TWA tour. It was my first trip out of the country and it was an incredible experience that became indelibly woven into the tapestry of my being. Over the years, my attentiveness to Egyptology became dormant. However, my interest has been stoked again. This time though my focus will go beyond the Egyptians to include mummies from around the world, both natural and artificial. In my musings, I will share items from my research and items I come across that may prove entertaining. 

For the moment, I’m updating my original musing blogs and posting them directly to my website each Monday (#MondayMummies). As originally stated, most musings will be brief, no more than a few minutes’ read, but sometimes I may have more to say and share. As before, I hope you will come along with me as I learn more about mummies from around the world as well as their portrayal in popular culture. May you get swept up with the subject matter as I did as a child. 

Senebti (Farewell)!   

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News

It’s a Wrap

HWA NY Chapter

As reported in a recent post, I was a guest on Galactic Terrors, a monthly reading series on YouTube. Hosted by James Chambers and Carol Gyzander from the Horror Writers Association New York Chapter, I had the honor of being part of the Thursday, October 13 program that included authors Michael Arnzen and Steven Van Patten. In case you missed seeing the program live, the recording is available on YouTube: 

Galactic Terrors, Thursday, October 13, 2022

While there, consider signing up for the Galactic Terrors newsletter by 11:59 PM EST Thursday, October 20 12 PM EST Sunday, October 16 for a chance to receive a gift: (1) a signed copy of GRAVE MARKINGS or PLAY DEAD from Michael Arnzen, (2) an ebook of BROOKWATER’S CURSE from Steven Van Patten, or (3) a handmade 6” x 6” Halloween journal by me in either a retro modern or Hocus Pocus theme.  

Please note that physical gifts are only open to U.S. entrants. 

Google Images – Mutant Reviewers

If you are on the go, consider listening to Fan2Fan podcast where I was a guest with Joshua Pruett and show host Bernie to discuss the 1979 horror sci-fi classic, PHANTASM directed by Don Coscarelli.  Such a fun and in depth conversation.  I’m looking forward to future opportunities to discuss other films.  Here’s a link to that conversation: 

Fan2Fan Podcast | Phantasm 1979

Enjoy! I hope you are having a terrifying good October! 

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News

It’s a (Quick) Wrap

Happy horror month, otherwise, known as October! This month is marked by watching horror films by revisiting favorite movies and watching new and older movies not watched before. The crew over at Fan2Fan podcast asked me to rank my five favorite horror films that I would (or will) watch to commemorate October.

Have a listen to my top 5 Halloween season movies and while you are there, have a list to Nicholas Diak and Josh Pruett’s lists too!

While I was limited to my top five (or six), I had a few more that included as honorable mentions:

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, director Robert Wiene)

Carnival of Souls (1962, director Herk Harvey

Hellraiser (1987, director Clive Barker)

Freaks (1932, director Tod Browning)

The Guest (2014, director Adam Wingard)

Were any of your favorites on my list?

Enjoy October and happy watching!

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News

Guest Appearances

Fan2Fan Podcast

A while back I had the pleasure of talking with Bernie at Fan2Fan Podcast about all things James Bond including the secret agent’s history and influence in film, literature, fashion, and culture at large. We also discussed the spy’s enduring as well as evoking legacy. The discussion was posted in two parts:

James Bond Part 1

James Bond Part 2

Galactic Terrors – Thursday, October 13, 2022

The Horror Writers Association New York Chapter hosts a monthly reading series on YouTube. I’m excited to share that I’ll be a guest on their Thursday, October 13 show starting at 8 PM EST, and I will be reading an excerpt from my paper, “Beauty in the Grotesque: Bernie Wrightson’s Lifelong Obsession with Frankenstein’s Monster” which will be published in a collection of non-fiction essays in 2023. Below is a link to the YouTube channel. Please check out their archives!

Galactic Terrors YouTube

CoKoCon 2022

I would like to thank organizers, Hal C. F. Astell and Dee Astell, for inviting me to be a panelist on two panels: Horror & Sci-Fi from Pre-Code Films and Swords, Sandals, Sorcery, and Other Planets. Our conversations were insightful and hopefully entertaining; we definitely had great audience participation via their engaging questions. I haven’t attended a convention since January 2020, so I appreciated CoKoCon’s diligence to maintain a healthy environment for attendees. Additionally, I felt warmly welcomed by dealer room merchants, volunteers, and attendees who were all friendly and sincerely passionate about the sci-fi/fantasy (and horror) genres. I know this convention will be on my list to attend next year.

If you didn’t get a chance to go, here’s this year’s convention programming and guests: CoKoCon 2022.

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News

UPDATED: CFP

Call for Papers: Critical Essays on the Highlander Franchise

Abstract Submission Deadline: This is an updated call – open until filled

There Can Be Only One.  This phrase was made popular 35 years ago with the release of Highlander, a fantasy action-adventure film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Christophe Lambert, Sean Connery, and Clancy Brown.  While it did not turn a profit during its theatrical release, it did become a cult film inspiring several sequels, three television series, original novels, comic books, audio books, video games, a web series, collectibles, musical scores, and a loyal fandom who have successfully organized a number of Highlander fan conventions.  

Over the years, aspects of this franchise has become part of popular culture’s lexicon, such as the enduring Queen album, A Kind of Magic with iconic phrases (“Princes of the Universe”/“There Can Be Only One”), and dramatic imagery (electrifying beheadings and portrayals of historic events/places).  Since 2008, there have been discussions of remakes and reboots and most recently in May 2021 with Henry Cavill proposed to have a lead role.  

Interestingly, other than franchise retrospectives, soundtrack analysis, and film reviews, there are no singular books of scholarly focus.  This proposed transmedia book will seek to address this gap by collecting a series of essays that provide a focused exploration of the Highlander franchise. 

The editor seeks essays exploring any aspect of the Highlander franchise in films/television, literature, comics, video games, and any other popular culture medium such as: 

  • Films*: Highlander (1986, Russell Mulcahy); Highlander II: The Quickening (1991, Russell Mulcahy); Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1995, Andy Morahan); Highlander: Endgame (2000, Doug Aarniokoski); Highlander: The Source (2007, Brett Leonard); Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (2007, Yoshiaki Kawajiri)
  • Television series: Highlander: The Series (1992-1998); Highlander: The Animated Series (1994-1996); Highlander: The Raven (1998-1999)
  • Books:  Highlander: Die Ruckkehr des Unsterblichen (Highlander: The Return of the Immortal, 1994, Martin Eisele and Hans Sommer); Highlander: The Element of Fire (1995, Jason Henderson); Highlander: Scimitar (1996, Ashley McConnell); Highlander: Scotland the Brave (1996, Jennifer Roberson); Highlander: Measure of a Man (1997, Nancy Holder); Highlander: The Path (1997, Rebecca Neason); Highlander: Zealot (1997, Donna Lettow); Highlander: Shadow of Obsession (1998, Rebecca Neason); Highlander: The Captive Soul (1998, Josepha Sherman); Highlander: White Silence (1999, Ginjer Buchanan); Highlander: An Evening at Joe’s (2002, written by cast/crew of Highlander: The Series)
  • Comics: Highlander comic book series (Dynamite Entertainment); Highlander 3030 (Emerald Star Comics)
  • Video games: Highlander (1986, PC); Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods (1995, Atari Jaguar CD)
  • Audio*: Highlander: The Original Scores (1995); Big Finish Productions’ Highlander audio stories; Highlander: A Celtic Opera
  • Web series: The Methos Chronicles (2001)
  • Collectibles: Highlander: The Card Game (La Montagnard Inc.)
  • Fan derivative works: film, fiction, etc. 

PLEASE NOTE: I received essays on both the first film and Queen’s music, so please refrain from submitting abstracts primarily focused on those topics.  I am seeking essays that discuss the myriad of other aspects of the franchise – the sequels, television series, books, etc. 

Essays that take an interdisciplinary approach to the subject matter and/or can apply a variety of lenses and frameworks, such as, but not limited to, are encouraged: 

  • Close textual analysis
  • Comparative analysis
  • Cult/secret societies
  • Cultural and ethnic
  • Fandom and fan studies
  • Film studies
  • Folklore
  • Gender/LGBTQIA+ and identity/representation studies
  • Historic analysis
  • Literature studies
  • Media and communications
  • Media sociology
  • Mythological
  • Psychological
  • Racial studies
  • Semiotics
  • Theoretical

The editor will review multiple abstract submissions to assemble the most cohesive arrangement of entertaining/insightful essays that will provide a well-rounded exploration and representation of this popular franchise.  Additionally, the editor is seeking essays that balance an academic and armchair enthusiast tone to ensure the widest audience appeal.  

Additional notes:

*The editor will be utilizing Microsoft Word’s Track Changes function to record all edits.  It will be the writer’s responsibility to resolve each edit and submit a final clean essay. 

*Contributors will receive a complimentary book copy when published.  Postage will be paid by the editor.

*For team written essays, keep to a maximum of two co-authors. 

*The editor encourages the widest possible diverse representation to submit to this call for papers.

Please direct all correspondence to: Michele Brittany, Editor at mcbrittany@gmail.com

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News

Highlander Reference Material

A few resource books on the Highlander franchise.

With about 10 days left before my call for papers closes, I wanted to share some reference material that might be insightful for individuals who are thinking of submitting an abstract but also for people who are fans of the IP and looking for more to read and/or listen to. 

Fan2Fan (Podcast/YouTube)

Recently, I was a guest on Fan2Fan hosted by Bernie and Pete.  We had an in depth conversation about the original film and the IP which I think listeners (and viewers) will find insightful and entertaining.  Click here for the podcast and if you want to watch on YouTube, click here for a link to the show. 

A Kind of Magic: Making the Original Highlander (Book)

Written by Jonathan Melville and published by Polaris in 2020, this is an informative examination of the original Highlander film.  I found Melville’s structure – using the shooting scrip as a guide – and inclusion of many snippets of interviews from cast and crew helpful in understanding the behind-the-scenes activities that resulted in the cult 1986 film.  Melville spent chapters on the musical score, building a franchise, and creating an enduring legacy. 

The Best of Highlander (Book)

Maureen Russell’s 1999 book published by Davis-Panzer Productions, this slim tome focuses on the television series.  Russell selected a handful of episodes and then let the cast and crew discuss the episode at length.  Each chapter is accompanied by several color photographs.  

Fearful Symmetry: The Essential Guide to All Things Highlander (Book)

A JM2 Publication from 2015, author and Highlander fan John Mosby structured his journey chronologically starting with the Highlander film and finishing his examination with Highlander: The Source.  Additional chapters focused on Bill Panzer, a reunion, and the legacy of the IP.  I have been using this book as source material while watching the films and shows.  Photographs are sparse and are in black/white. 

Queen – All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track

This coffee table tome was written by Benoit Clerc, a professional musician, and published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (2020).  While this is a book for fans of the band, there are 30 pages devoted to the album, A Kind of Magic (June 1986) and Live Magic (December1986).  There’s an introduction to the album and then for each song, a section on the genesis of the song and production notes.  I purchased the book from Amazon and saved $15 off the cover price. 

Check out the individual season releases of the television series because included as extra material are electric copies of scripts for each episode.  And, there are all the films with lots of extra material.  There are also about 10 novels each penned by a different author (in most cases).  I found most of my copies at local used bookstores that I have collected over the past year.  

If you have an idea, but want to chat before submitting a formal abstract to my call, let’s chat: mcbrittany@gmail.com.   

Categories
Essays

Shudder Magazine Delivers Entertaining Horror Stories

Shudder, Issues #3 and #4

Premiering in December 2021 with a special collector’s edition, Shudder is the newest magazine from Warrant Publishing Company.  With a tag line touting itself as the world’s #1 illustrated horror magazine, this bi-monthly title channels early horror magazines such as The Vault of Horror, Creepy, and Eerie while providing fresh stories with entertaining twists by skilled writers and artists.

I took notice of Shudder about two months ago when issue three showed up on the magazine shelf at my local Barnes & Noble.  The cover featured a fantastic Jeff Jones Egyptian-themed tomb scene advertising one of the stories in the issue.  I picked up the slim magazine to read the mummy story and figured I would probably skim the rest of the stories.  After reading the ‘Tomb of the Mummy’ written by Don Glut and illustrated by Reno Maniquis – a great Hollywood set story with a macabre twist ending – I found myself going back to the beginning of the magazine and reading every story as well as all the regular columns and even the advertisements!  

The slick cover encases newspaper print pages filled with thick black ink balanced with white space which caused me to expect I would have a fine dusting of ink on my fingertips once I finished the magazine.  Also reminiscent of the early EC horror comics, a ghoulish Auntie Shudder must be related to the Crypt Keeper.  Auntie introduces each tale and typically closes out each with a pithy observation in the last panel.  Auntie also has an ongoing column, Auntie’s Fearsome Fables! located on the inside cover of each issue. The column spotlights a monster’s mythology, so in issue three, Auntie featured werewolves and issue four, mummies.  It’s a quick summary or high level overview that highlights the essence of the monster’s lore and is useful to readers who may not be familiar with a particular monster’s origins. 

As mentioned above, there are six stories in each issue.  Five are new tales, but one is a “Decrepit Classic” meaning it is a retelling of a classic horror story.  In issue three, it was M. R. James’ ‘Lost Hearts!’ and issue four it was Ambrose Bierce’s ‘The Famous Gilson Bequest’.  This is a structure that the early publications used and again, it provides new readers an introduction to classic storytellers or provides a re-visit for readers already familiar with the feature author. 

I just picked up issue four which features a brilliant Frank Frazetta cover that is highly dramatic.   Auntie showcased mummies in her fables column and all six stories were entertaining and a fun read from cover to cover.  Shudder will appeal to fans of horror comics who like Creepy and  Eerie collections but are looking for updated, fresh storytelling.  

Editor: Rich Sala

Associate Editor: Don Glut

Newsstand single issues: $5.95 (U.S.)

Annual subscription: $53.00 (U.S.)

Issues one through three are still available for mail order. 

Categories
Essays

Remembering Highlander

Happy 36th Anniversary!

To commemorate the 36th anniversary of the Highlander (Russell Mulcahy, dir.) film that premiered this day in 1986, I rewatched the original theatrical version this evening because it had been several years since I had last seen the film. 

I remembered much of the film as being entertaining and incorporating good choreographed sword fights.  The scenic vistas of Scotland were still breathtaking and I recalled how much I wanted to travel there after watching Highlander.  Queen’s music was still perfect and well placed throughout the 116 minutes, however I was surprised by the fact that only brief snippets of the songs were included.  It goes to show just how powerful and relatable Queen’s songs were at that time and over the decades since. 

I had forgotten about how much humor and sometimes biting one-liners were in the film.  For example, the hot dog vendor articulating supposedly difficult words which conveyed the ineffectiveness of the police to handle the the beheading incidents in the city.  Or, the Kurgan’s (Clancy Brown) exchange with the prostitute, Candy (Corinne Russell).  

There were several well-crafted shots and scenes.  The opening sequence that shifted between the wrestling match and a clan skirmish that would involve the Kurgan and Connor MacLeod’s (Christophe Lambert) first death was a fascinating way to edit two violent events together, leaving this viewer to wonder how far had civilization come or more appropriately, not come.  The glass windows shattering towards to the camera to reveal a panorama of the city in the background after the Kurgan loses his head is still a powerful visual.  

On the flip side, the pacing and jumps in logic weakened the narrative.  How did Brenda (Roxanne Hart) decide to investigate Russell Nash’s birth certificate, property, and probate records?  Why was Connor away that night from Heather (Beatie Edney) and Ramirez (Sean Connery)?  Where was Kastagir (Hugh Quarshie) as Connor faced his most humorous duel in 1783?  While the audience witnesses the fights, perhaps having more character development relating to the various immortals, Fasil (Peter Diamond), Kastagir, and even the Kurgan would have strengthened the story.  I read that Garry Kilworth’s novelization expands on some of the characters and events in the film.

Overall, I enjoyed the film and even though there were some shortcomings, the positives outweigh them.  I’ll definitely not wait so long between viewings and now I need to go rewatch the sequels.  

Photo credit: Original movie poster image from Art of the Movies website.