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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Category Archives: Horror
Graham Masterton’s The Manitou
I was digging through my collection of horror novels and came across an excellent but mostly forgotten classic: Graham Masterton’s The Manitou. The 1975 book was Masterton’s first novel, and launched a prolific and ongoing career in horror writing. Nowadays, … Continue reading
Ghost cat!
Can I combine catblogging and horror blogging? I’m going to try! The past couple of nights, I’ve sensed a restless presence in my home. I’ve heard strange sounds and seen motion out of the corner of my eye. At last, … Continue reading
Richard Matheson: The horrors next door
On December 15, a new action/horror film starring Will Smith will hit theatres: I Am Legend. The movie is based on a novella of the same name, written by the most famous horror author you’ve never heard of. This ‘Masters … Continue reading
Subtle, unsettling horror: Picnic at Hanging Rock (updated)
I’m constantly amazed at how many really good films exist, even in a relatively narrow genre like horror, that I’m completely unaware of. A few months ago I stumbled across a description of Peter Weir’s 1975 film Picnic at Hanging … Continue reading
Some Halloween Treats…
Through Pharyngula, I found a link to The Little Professor, a blogger of Victorian stuff, who linked through a lovely website to some of her favorite ghost stories. (Following me so far?) This seemed like a good idea, so I … Continue reading
Unwanted love: An underused horror theme?
H.P. Lovecraft, in his essay Supernatural Horror in Literature, remarked that, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” He was, in my opinion, completely correct. … Continue reading
Ramsey Campbell: The Nightmare Man
I thought I’d start my discussion of ‘Masters of Horror’ by talking about my favorite horror author of all time, and perhaps one of the most unappreciated horror authors ever. The shelves of your local bookstores, which no doubt carry … Continue reading
The more things change…
Most people are hopefully aware of the very strong religious right movement to incorporate creationism (the belief that God created the world and everything in it in its present form) in science classes as valid topic of study alongside evolution … Continue reading
Horror Masters: “Themes” of horror fiction writers
I’m planning to write little posts highlighting the works of a lot of the true masters of horror fiction, including a bit about them and what I consider to be their most enjoyable yarns. One aspect that I will address … Continue reading
An interesting intersection of Lovecraft and relativity theory
My thesis advisor has often lamented the rise of email in society, mainly because the electronic correspondence isn’t as permanent as the written letter, and lots of interesting historical anecdotes can get lost. I delved into one of these recently … Continue reading
Skulls in the Stars 