Monster Class

To fulfill my options requirement for popular literature this semester, I am taking a class entitled "The Monster Show" taught by visiting lecturer and well-known film historian David J. Skal.  We are learning quite a lot about the first horror films that terrified audiences: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, Dracula, Frankenstein, etc. The class itself is fantastic, but it's all very intellectual; with the textual analysis and the comparison to the films, there's not a lot of time to squeeze in humorous interpretations.  So, our "Monster Class" decided to take matters into our own hands and to host our own screenings of films a little more light-hearted.  With Halloween coming up, it wasn't difficult to get our hands on a copy of Mel Brooks's "Young Frankenstein," and, as one of our classmates has an HD television, we determined to have a class (plus spouses) get-together / viewing.

The evening also turned into a sort of cultural exchange, as we all brought snack food to share.  We "foreigners" brought some of our American / Canadian food (microwave popcorn, pumpkin bread, Cheetoes) and the European students brought Irish / British food we can't get back home (a sort of raw veggie dip similar to ranch, various European chocolates, etc.)  In the upcoming weeks - time permitting - we hope to make the "fun" film screenings a regular thing.  Perhaps Rocky Horror or some of the more campy horror films will be added to the list.

On a side note, our class also decided to celebrate the lecture before Halloween by wearing plastic fangs to class.  Since Skal is most well known for his research on Dracula films we thought he would feel right at home.