David J. Skal

David J. Skal’s Followers (179)

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David J. Skal


Born
in Garfield Heights, Ohio, The United States
June 21, 1952

Died
January 01, 2024

Website

Genre


David J. Skal became fascinated with monsters at the height of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when indestructible monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man provided a "nuclear security blanket" for a whole generation of youngsters.

Active as an editor and reporter on his high school newspaper, he was granted a journalism scholarship to Ohio University, Athens, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1974. His work as film critic, arts reporter, arts editor and assistant managing editor of the Ohio University Post, one of the country's leading college papers,led to his three-season appointment as publicity director of the University-operated Monomoy Theatre on Cape Cod. Following his graduation, he served as a public affairs intern
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More books by David J. Skal…
Fright Favorites: 31 Movies...
(1 book)
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4.14 avg rating — 350 ratings

Quotes by David J. Skal  (?)
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“... Bram Stoker, working in a largely intuitive manner, and no doubt propelled by more than a few personal demons, managed to tap a well of archetypal motifs so deep and persistent that they can assume the shape of almost any critical container.”
David J. Skal, Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen

“Browning cut, trimmed, ignored and generally sabotaged the screenplay's visual potentials, insisting on static camera setups, eliminating reaction shots and special effects, and generally taking the lazy way out at every opportunity.”
David J. Skal, Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen

“Her former suitor having been none other then Oscar Wilde, Florence had effectively captured the imaginations of the creators of Svengali, Dracula, and Dorian Gray. ... Rarely, if ever, has a woman been the focus of quite so much literary demonism.”
David J. Skal, Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen

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