Guillermo del Toro described his recent film Crimson Peak as a “classic Gothic Romance”, a subgenre that has been consigned to oblivion for nearly four decades. But what is Gothic Romance, what makes it different to horror and why did it fall into obscurity?
A journey to Crete seeking the monsters and goddesses that fed my childhood imagination.
Image: Gustave Doré, The Minotaur on the Shattered Cliff.
A tribute to Paul Naschy, the Spanish Lon Chaney, who dedicated his life to dignifying a genre vilified by Franco and his censors.
A tribute to special effects artist Ray Harryhausen, who shaped the perception of mythical creatures in popular culture.
Image from Famous Monsters #100 (1973) by Tom Simpson
The tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin is based on a tragic event that dates back to 1284. What happened in Hamelin, and who was the mysterious Pied Piper?
Image: Feans
The legend of the Holy Company, a procession of the dead, still provokes superstitious fear in rural areas in Spain. Early sources reveal its similarity to Celto-Germanic myths.
Murder, cannibalism, necrophilia. The first versions of Snow White are much darker than the recent adaptations that claim to have given the classic tale a dark edge.
Maria J. Pérez Cuervo 
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