Jillian G. Keifer

Clive Barker’s Cabal deals with the archetype of the outcast and the nature of what people consider taboo. Aaron Boone, Dr. Decker, and Lori all dwell within societal expectations, but wear individual masks to cope with their feelings of isolation and abandonment. Boone tries to hide his mental illness. Dr. Decker hides his sadistic alter ego. Lori hides her dependency on others. The Nightbreed, on the other hand, choose to live within a community where they don’t have to hide themselves. Granted, they had to form the community to escape persecution from the outside world, but Midian is its own society based on the acceptance of each individual’s unique form. The only things the Nightbreed have to worry about are outsiders and getting caught in the sun.  Barker revels in the strange throughout the novella. Whether it’s Narcisse shedding his skin, Midian as a whole, or Lori sleeping with a reformed Boone, Barker takes the reader on a journey exploring the human side of th...

      Uzumaki by Junji Ito remains one of the best works exploring what it means to be completely at the whims of something far more powerful than the individual. Throughout each volume, Ito's unnerving illustrations and increasingly horrifying scenarios work to create this ever present sense of dread.       This dread never feels as though it's overstayed its welcome, however. It feels earned. There are several moments within each volume where there's a slim chance that Kirie and Shuicihi might be able to escape or survive the spiral, but that hope for a happy ending is crushed each time. It's too late to get Shuichi's father the help he needs, his mother succumbs to the spiral, Kirie refuses to run away, and the rescue teams sent in are either killed or forever trapped with everyone else in Kurozu-cho. I find it interesting that within both volumes people have the opportunity to stick together and help each other overcome the spiral, but actively cho...

  Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice was a study in pretty boys, morality, and what it means to be a monster. Louis and Lestat are two sides of a spectrum. Louis holds on to the last remnants of his humanity with everything he has, while Lestat is a hedonist who lashes out , manipulates, and gorges himself with the pleasures of monsterhood. Reading this after watching the movie years prior was a rewarding experience. I found the back and forth between the two main leads engaging and provocative, with the side characters additions to the main argument insightful.  Lestat stands out among the cast as the obvious bad boy. He’s a terrible person we love. He’s rude, narcissistic, and uncaring, but has enough wit about him to be somewhat endearing despite Louis’ best attempts to convince the interviewer that he’s the actual worst. Lestat stands out to me as the archetype of the tyrannical patriarch. Interview , despite it’s modern bells and whistles, remains a gothic story. ...

     Northanger Abbey was a pleasant surprise from start to finish. From it's charming, albeit naive protagonist to it's many moments of humor, Northanger Abbey pokes fun at the Gothic genre without ever condemning it. Austen understood what this genre meant to it's readers, specifically the women, and refuses to talk down to them - even going so far as to make those who do within the novel look like total jerks. The many aspects of the Gothic genre are present throughout the novel, but never cross over into making what Catherine would truly expect from one of her books.      The book fulfills several genre requirements, setting events up to meet Catherine's expectations before  allowing reality to seep in. The characters surrounding Catherine fit into the predetermined roles of the Gothic novel. Catherine is our pure heroine. Henry is our hero while the General and James Thorpe act as the tyrannical patriarchs. Isabella, Catherine's "best frien...