In memory of David J. Skal
Author, musician and occultist Anton La Vey.
The near simultaneous reissue of two cinema books, originally published about three decades ago and long out of print, arrives at the close of 2023 as a rich reading feast and a thoughtful prompt about how cinema keeps evolving. Both books reflect a shared vision: a broad, informed grasp of not only film history but the wider currents of art and culture. They view popular culture as the living pulse of an era and, in their own right, complement each other by charting different facets of the same larger story.
Two titles center this conversation: Monster Show. A cultural history of horror in Hollywood and Satan. A magical cinematic history of Jesús Palacios. The first appeared in the United States in a print edition several years after its initial release, while the second edition followed a similar path with its own expanded material. Both works had fallen out of circulation for a long period, and their rerelease is a gift to readers who value in-depth, fearless study of genre and avant-garde thought. The reissues open doors for new readers to explore the same intellectual terrain with refreshed perspectives and annotations from their editors.
magic celluloid
Turning to the second volume, Jesús Palacios emerges as a compelling guide through Hollywood’s mythic landscape. A Madrid-born critic and author, his early work captivated many who loved cinema, from classic masters to contemporary renegades. His book, subtitled downtown verve as a celebration of cinema at its most dazzling, challenged readers to rethink what constitutes the heart of film culture. It presents a tapestry of ideas, blending quotations from renowned films with original theories, across a wide range of directors, writers, and performers. Palacios writes with a playful energy that invites readers to see beyond the usual lists of great works and to notice the undercurrents of style, era, and sensibility that drive cinema forward. He highlights the interplay between celebrated names and lesser known contributors, suggesting that a complete appreciation of film requires acknowledging both ends of the spectrum. His approach binds scholarly insight with a sense of joyful exaggeration that disarms pretension and opens doors to fresh interpretations.
Soon after, the first full print of The Exorcist in Hollywood appeared, expanded and reissued to great effect. The book opens with a bold principle: this is a work of gossip, celebrated as a valuable literary form. It quotes influential voices from Capote to Vidal, Wolfe to Anger and Loos, and treats the discussion with honesty, humor, and fearless curiosity. Palacios, a daring and witty author, invites readers to follow a trail of names and ideas that challenge conventional boundaries. The text introduces readers to a spectrum of figures—from celebrated filmmakers to lesser-known visionaries—whose work reshaped cinema. The author’s method blends biography with philosophy, merging the vivid world of screen history with the more elusive terrains of belief, myth, and culture.
From that moment onward, Palacios’s writings accompanied readers through decades, continually offering new angles on familiar genres, authors, and films. His bibliography spans numerous topics, with recent works addressing Japanese horror culture, folk cinema, and esoteric film history. Notable titles include explorations of eroticism in popular culture, the roots of fantasy cinema, and the occult in screen studies. His work demonstrates a relentless curiosity and a knack for uncovering connections that others might overlook, inviting fans to see cinema as a living archive of ideas and fears.
One of Palacios’s most entertaining books, The Devil in Hollywood, traces a century of American cinema not just through its films but through the people who shape them. The narrative moves through a constellation of directors, writers, musicians, actresses, and actors whose lives intersect with mysticism, spirituality, and occult movements from early spiritualism to later subcultures. The book remains a lively tour through the industry, tracking how ideas about magic, the occult, and belief have registered in the making of movies across decades. Acknowledging the changes in cinema and society since its first publication, the author closes with a contemplative section on how Hollywood’s relationship with the mysterious has evolved. The text also nods to broader shifts in privacy, censorship, and the digital age, inviting readers to reflect on how perception of reality shifts in a world saturated with information and novelty. The edition celebrates the continuity of Palacios’s voice and its enduring relevance to readers who love to pry open the doors of film history.
News about David J. Skal’s passing in Los Angeles arrived as a shock, a reminder of the fragility of life and of the surprising ways a career can influence a culture. Skal had planned a visit to promote his renowned work, Monster Show, a cultural history of horror that continues to inspire readers and critics alike. The title has been reissued with care by a team of editors who preserved its voice while updating certain references for contemporary readers. The reprint makes Skal’s observations accessible again, inviting renewed discussion about how horror cinema reflects social fears, historical upheavals, and evolving technologies. This revival underscores the lasting power of documentary-style criticism that ties films to the era in which they were created, offering readers a bridge to the past while encouraging fresh interpretations for today.