The article linked below is probably NOT SAFE FOR WORK, as it contains a nude photo. In addition, the short story Adaptation by Tabico as discussed in the article begins with the statement “Author Note: Warning! Extreme squick! Bugs! Blood! Cruelty! Yucky & mean stuff!” and considering that this was written for people actually seeking out erotica, you should probably heed its warning.

Noah Berlatsky has been sending me links to his studies for awhile now, but his most recent project is easily his best yet. Gay Utopia is a finite forum dedicated to examining the notion of a society predicated on fluid sexuality. While not every article was to my liking, Noah’s take on what he calls “Fecund Horror” really struck a chord, and it’s obvious that it is something that he’s had brewing for quite some time. As I’ve mentioned previously, this kind of horror is one of my favourite takes on the genre, and Noah delivers. The essay tackles John Carpenter’s version of The Thing, Cronenberg’s Shivers (a favourite here at The Horror Blog) and a short story of erotic mind control by Tabico, with stops along the way for Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Alien, Frankenstein and many more. It’s a wild ride, and while I’m not sure I agree with everything Noah presents, it’s certainly a great place to start.

“For Firestone, the end result of this belief is positive — transforming pregnancy and repealing taboo results in a fluid and sunlit Eden. For the horror genre, on the other hand, transforming pregnancy and repealing taboo results in a slimy and tenebrous abyss. But the underlying economy of both is the same. Pregnancy is a central truth of our selves. It is the basis for the regulation of sexuality, of boundaries, of affection, and of love. If it is altered, identity collapses, and with it the world as we know it. The new birth is the apocalypse.”

As I said, it’s obvious Noah has been working this out for a long time now, to the point that he even provides a list of source material if you feel like pursuing this fascinating sub-genre further. I know I will.

And really, how can you resist an essay with the line “The men in the 1982 The Thing aren’t gay enough to live”?

“I’ve literally been waiting 50 years to do this. I’m excited.”

David Cronenberg’s early flirtation with literature was bookended by the two obsessions which have marked his career; science and film. Although he received a B.A. in literature from the University of Toronto, a major he took after abandoning his initial foray into science, Cronenberg soon found cinema to be more to his liking and he hasn’t looked back. Until now.

The Globe and Mail reports that Cronenberg has been offered a book deal by Penguin Canada to be publish a novel for 2010. Details on the novel are understandably scant, but the deal was finalized based on a few sample pages, and rumour has it that it will be “Cronenberg-esque”, with at least a few scenes set in Toronto.

The Toronto Star has conducted an interview with David Cronenberg in anticipation of the premiere of Eastern Promises at the Toronto International Film Festival. This time around the director takes on the recent spate of torture movies, with considerably more sense than anyone who throws around the utterly useless term “torture porn”.

“When I see what’s out there, it’s not new. It’s not new stuff to me. I alluded to it in Videodrome, which was like, 30 years ago. What is new is the Internet, where we’ve been outgored by Muslim extremists. There’s the accessibility, anytime of day or night, that you can have this, and there have been attempts to legitimize it.”

There’s more where that came from, including Cronenberg’s playful reminiscence of Rabid, the suggestion that his obsession with the body hasn’t abated despite his movement away from horror, and Viggo Mortensen’s cock and balls. Don’t ever change, David Cronenberg.

In one of the most bizarre items to cross my desk in the past few weeks, Cinematical drops the bomb that David Cronenberg, regular musical collaborator Howard Shore and world-famous tenor Placido Domingo are combining their talents to create an opera. And not just any opera, but an opera based upon Cronenberg’s version of The Fly. It looks like Cronenberg is getting nostalgic in his later years.

“It’s a magical reliving of a part of my life, this time playing a completely different role in the creation of a very different animal.”

I guess M. Butterfly wasn’t an option. The two-act adaptation will open in Paris in the summer of 2008, followed by a stop at Los Angeles in September. Apparently the Canadian Opera Company was offered the chance to stage the production but declined due to the high cost. Luckily for me, they are considering hosting The Fly in 2009. I’ll mark that down in my day planner.

Update : Looks like The Horror Blog and the always fascinating Popcorn and Sticky Floors have been pacing one another, each posting similar stories for the past couple days. Make sure you check out their take on the Fly opera, with a bonus look at other horror musical adaptations.

David Cronenberg is helping curate an exhibit on Andy Warhol at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto in a few weeks. The AGO blog has an interesting quote from the director on Warhol’s influence.

“Andy was making underground films when I was making underground films, and I was more inspired by him than by Hollywood. He created himself: He was an outsider, a Slovakian, Catholic, gay, an artist, poor; an outsider in his own family, a triple outsider like Kafka, with his nose pressed against the New York window. And, he became the ultimate insider, the center of his own world, and drew people to him. He became a huge example of the invention of an identity.”

I may be passing through Toronto around the time of Cronenberg’s lecture. It might make missing The Woods screening at Fantasia easier to take.

One remake I’m looking forward to is Douglas Buck’s version of DePalma’s Sisters. His Family Portraits trilogy is a must-see for anyone who likes their horror to be quiet yet unsettling.

Fangoria has a chat with Buck about the upcoming release, specifically concerning David Cronenberg’s near-involvement.

“As you know, David Cronenberg was originally slated to play the role. The character is Dr. Bryant, who, in a brief documentary snippet, discusses the necessity of surgically separating the mentally troubled Siamese twins—you can see why Cronenberg was initially attracted to it.”

That piece of casting would have been quite the coup. I think I enjoy Cronenberg’s acting nearly as much as his directing.