"Death Under The Chapel" (Sept 9, 1938)

Hello Pulp Friends!

As promised this week we are back with the radio episodes of The Shadow. Tonight: Death Under the Chapel.

After one of his student commits suicide, Professor Kalima (a former professor of Lamont Creston) is fired by the university where he teaches. The professor suffers from some kind of disability that has shriveled his limbs, so that he needs assistance to move around. In Lamont's words, the professor was a genius but apparently, being fired turned this genius into a criminal mastermind, because Kalima now is seeking revenge. His plan is to put a bomb under the chapel during a special event and blow up the building, killing everyone inside.

Lamont will investigate the case and his alter ego, The Shadow, will battle both the criminal mind of Kalima and his right arm, a giant deaf-mute who carries Kalima around.

Hope you guys enjoy the radio episode from the Archive.org
(download here)


Cheers,
Francesco

Pulp Pinup: The Rocketeer #2

Hello Pulp Friends,

A little late this week because I was out of town to attend the wonderful Heroes Con (Thank you, Shelton, for putting this together every year :)).
The show was a BLAST: definitely the best convention of the year in my book. I got to see and meet lot of people (fans, pros, end everyone in between) and got to draw lot of pulp stuff (I wonder why ;)).

One of the first pieces done at the show is this Rocketeer knockin' some nazi robot. Hope you guys dig it and let me know if you want to see some of my other pulp con sketches :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Pulp Pinup: The Rocketeer #1

Ok, change of plans ;)
While we resume the regular transmissions, I hope you guys enjoy this piece for a brand new section: Pulp Pinup.

Pulp Pinup is dedicated to showcase commissions, pinups, or simple sketches I do every now and then, dedicated to our beloved pulp heroes.

To start: The Rocketeer. You can't go wrong with some Nazi Zeppelin-blowing action ;)

Cheers,
Francesco

"The Isle Of The Living Dead" (Oct 13, 1940)

Hello Pulp friends,

first of all please let me apologize for missing the last couple of sundays: extra projects came in and my schedule got so tight I couldn't squeeze in anything else. I had actually planned to have the today episode in one of the Sundays in May for the Voodoo month, so here's, even if May is over: hope everyone is ok with me posting it anyway ;) Actually, if you guys agree (please let me know) I might keep voodoo month going also in June as there are some more stories to tell :)

The isle of the Living Dead sounds like some movie from George Romero, but the living dead in this case are the one of the ancient Voodoo mythology we have been talking about in the previous episodes.

During a cruise to the West Indias, a storm stops the ship near the island of San Jun. Lamont and Margot decide to go to shore and visit what appears to be a beautiful, tropical island but they soon find out (from a local source) that "half island is good, but the other half belongs to the devil", more specifically to the devil lady. Apparently the devil lady uses zombies as slave labor in her sugar plantation. Lamont and Margot are not the only passengers who left the cruise ship: there is also a young woman, Betty, who is there for a specific reason - find her fiancee David disappeared on that island some time ago. Native drums start to play in the distance, providing the opening sound score for this adventure of The Shadow ;)
Scary moans from cellars, natives with the skill to imitate other people, hypnosys used to turn natives in slave labor, voodoo evil spells, poisons... just another fun, exotic adventure of our favorite pulp hero.

Hope you guys enjoy the radio episode
(download here from the Archive.org)


Cheers,
Francesco

"White Zombie" (1932)

A girl travels to Haiti to marry his fiancee, but with the help of a poisoned rose, she becomes victim of a local sugar factory owner, who uses zombies as slave labor. The necromancer takes the girl to his castle, but he will be killed by one of his zombies. A very low budget horror movie, but extraordinarily evocative, with a superb Bela Lugosi.

The term "zombie" became of common use in 1929 thanks to a book about Haiti by William B. Seabrook titled "The Magic Island". White Zombie (1932) by Victor Halperin can be considered the first authentic zombie-movie. In Haiti, between voodoo dolls and powerful black magic, Bela Lugosi is Murder Legendre, a satanic individual who enslaves zombies in his mill. When a worried John Harron asks who are these weird, cadaveric people without sign of life and personality, Lugosi answers "For you, my friend, they are simply the angels of Death!".

Excerpt from the upcoming "Schermoscuro" Vol.II
Click here for "SCHERMOSCURO" Vol. I by Francesco Francavilla

Cheers,
Francesco

"The Walking Corpse" (Mar 24, 1946)

Hello pulp-friends,

Today we continue Pulp Sunday Presents: Voodoo Month with this radio episode of the Shadow titled: "THE WALKING CORPSE"!!!

A woman asks Lamont and Margot to find her missing brother who is apparently involved in a voodoo cult. The first person on Lamont's list of people to ask for information, Lopez, is found dead, strangled by someone who was electrecuted a month earlier. A little black hand found close tot he body seems to validate the voodoo aspect of this mystery. Next on the list is Mama Segreto, who also is member of the cult. She doesn't give much information on finding the missing person but later she is strangled by the same "killer zombie" who took care of Lopez.

Has this executed strangler really returned from the grave thanks to the voodoo magic? And why he is targeting members of the voodoo cult? I will leave you to find the answers in the radio episode (see link below). I will just point out that our zombie doesn't just stop with the victims, but he takes care of their pets too (Lopez' cat and Mama Segreto's parrot): not that this has anything to do with the case, but I guess it helps to build the suspense and drama ;)

Listen this episode from the Internet Archive and look forward for more in this "VOODOO MONTH"!!!

Cheers,
Francesco

"I Walked With A Zombie" (1943)

Like other films directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton, especially “Cat People,” this one excels in great black-and-white visuals and cinematography. Tourneur uses very atmospheric techniques to give the film a dark, brooding, moody feel that enhances the story he is telling. He uses light and shadow to create an unsettling mood and sense of dread. It's amazing how something as simple as a shadow cast across a wall is used to so effectively create an atmosphere of dread. Sound and music are also used to enhance the tension—the native drums and singing really bring the world of Caribbean voodoo to life.

When most people think about zombie movies, they think of films typical of George Romero or Wes Craven. This film instead focuses more on the voodoo aspect of zombie lore. Probably the most memorable character is the native zombie Carrefour, played by Darby Jones. With his skeletal figure and protruding eyes, he is easily the creepiest looking zombie ever filmed.

Excerpt from "Schermoscuro" Vol.I
"SCHERMOSCURO" Vol. I by Francesco Francavilla

Cheers,
Francesco