Quite in the gothic manner.
583802
Very different plot.  Slightly other worldly in some respects.  Enjoyed it but some parts were a little weird, but someone with a slightly offbeat slant  will find it entertaining.
1586651
Despite having read the liner notes, I thought from the publicity artwork that WINTERSET would be something gothic.  It is gothic, in its bleakness, but is squarely centered in the Depression era of the United States.  It was completely of it's time, and considering that the film was adapted from the Broadway play, it must have been daring, with sub themes of socialism and police corruption.  (The play was by Maxwell Anderson, who wrote KEY LARGO and THE BAD SEED.)  Perhaps that contributed to the film receiving two Academy Award nominations.

This is the story of Mio (Bartholomio - a young, dewy Burgess Merideth) trying to clear his father's name.  In the first scenes, his namesake Father, played with riveting stillness by the painfully thin John Carradine, was accused of murder he did not commit, given no defense, and put to death.  Years later, his son goes to the slums of New York to try to find out the truth.

I had to remind myself that this was made in 1936, so it is still very early in the talkies.  The sets are a wonderful blend of realism and expressionism (similar to the famous stage sets of Arthur Miller's A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE), giving this a gothic noir flavor.  Rain is often used as a "purifier" in stage and film, but here it is effectively used to create an oppressive humidity, a torrent of sludge.  It is clear that film noir, Orson Wells, and THE THIRD MAN's Director Carol Reed all owe a debt to early films like this.  The set elements are all here in tight proximity, the stone, the shadowed doorways, the waterways.

In fact, one irony is that one of the lead actors does look very much like Orson Wells.  He plays the brother of Mariama (played by Margot, who is probably best known as the duplicitous woman in Capra's LOST HORIZON).  Margot's transition to film is not as ideal as Merideth's, her style is more of the old school careful vocal production that may be the product of overcoming an accent.  But she looks luminous and innocent, and fills the screen with a simple hopefulness at odds with the dark surroundings.  The villain of the piece is simply fantastic... completely believably sociopathic without any extravagant ticks or frothing at the mouth.

This is pre-method-acting, but that spare realism is all here, especially in the performances of Carradine and Merideth.  This entire film holds up as a moment of history - of social themes and thought of that day that still resonate.  The Broadway cast seems to have been lifted intact (which should be a lesson to modern filmmakers to use stage actors instead of vice-verse).  There are one or two flowery monologues, but for the most part, the transition from stage to film goes very well, and the story and script are spare and universal enough to stand the test of time well.  This is a fascinating moment of film history which has -luckily - made its way to DVD.
508729
This mid-19th century "Gothic"-type story portrays a repressed young woman who falls victim to a group of thieves planning to cheat her out of her inheritance, with one posing as her maid and another posing as her erstwhile lover; there is even a bit of homoeroticism thrown in for good measure. The film seemingly plods along for almost the entire first half, when suddenly at the end of part one the story takes on such an unexpected development that it turns everything we've seen before upside down, inside out, and topsy turvy. Part two is one unexpected revelation after another, and the whole thing is enormously entertaining and satisfying
1043284
This new look at gothic romance comic books from Bedside Press meets all the expectations of a modern horror fan and more! The 22 stories fill a full 200 color pages, meaning it allows for multiple reading sessions, unlike most graphic novels that the average reader completes in an hour. The wonderfully conceived cover spotlights a black woman running in her night shirt as though straight from a 1970s gothic paperback, (oddly lacking the mansion with a single light on in the upstairs window and the water crashing on the rocks below, but the inclusion of some exciting pin-ups is a delicious addition!)

This is an adult comic, no doubt. It portrays adult situations and shows its share of bloody revenge. What makes it special is its diverse representation of characters and sexuality that has been lacking in the graphic novel industry since forever. It is a multicultural take on illustrated horror stories that are as diverse in the sexuality of their romance as in the artistic styles represented on their pages.

The forward discusses the history of romance comics, the gothic genre specifically, and is well researched. The writing is original and gripping. I wish many of the stories were longer, but the format is a collection of many short tales by many different voices, (since there is so much missing history to cover.) Because the genre is taken in a slightly new direction, the twists are unexpected and quite successful. Some leave you warm and wanting a cup of tea while you read, others leave you with a chill deep in your spine.

This reboot of the traditional formulaic genre is long overdue. Its impossible to find the old gothic paperbacks at the thrift store because the covers themselves are now being recognized as an art form. As the wave of Supernatural Romance spawned by <em>Twilight</em> has finally crumbled to a dry, welcome death, the market is ripe for grimly romantic ghostly tales with a more contemporary outlook. The governess may not be white, and he may not be heterosexual. The castle may not be on the New England coast, but the feeling of loneliness and heartache echoing through hollow hallways is timeless.
2522988
This is a very beautiful work of art. I'm a guy that loves the female Gothic image and I can't take my eyes off of this one. She's a beauty.
4443033
This novel is an exquisite headtrip into dark gothic beauty. The set-up of the haunted asylum is a classic from horror literature, just as the murder mystery around which events unfold feels like something lifted from Edgar Allan Poes fevered imagination. The tortured protagonist, Phineas Soul, also feels as unsettling, uneasy and as unreliable a narrator as one might expect to find wandering the halls of the House of Usher with the Red Death at his heels. The prose that draws us in is poetic and lush in a way thats not as in fashion in most horror fiction today as it once was, but if you have a taste for it, whilst sitting atop the mound of a premature burial with a cask of Amontillado at your side, then you will find much to enjoy here. One of my favourite things about this novel is the contrast between the dream-like atmosphere of life in the asylum and the portrayal of the more drab and mundane characters that intrude upon it  in the same way that reality can puncture a dream (or nightmare)  and how it is kept ambiguous whether one world or the other is preferable, and which is the more disturbing to inhabit.
Recommended for lovers of Baltimores Bard and the Old Gent of Providence by two Mistresses of the Morbid  long may they reign!
2413261
Gothic romances were all the rage in the late 1700s and early 1800s -- and rather than the usual straight comedies of manners, Jane Austen once wrote a mellow satire of the very mockable genre. "Northanger Abbey" is a clever and slightly tongue-in-cheek little novel about a girl who needs to learn the difference between fantasy and reality... and yes, there's some love tangles and deceptions too.

Catherine Morland is an innocent young country girl with a love of gothic romances, and has lives an unremarkably life in a country parish. But then the wealthy Allens invite her to Bath during their vacation there, and of course she accepts -- and through balls and old acquaintances, she becomes friends with two pairs of siblings. One is the Thorpes, the uncouth dandy John and his manipulative sister Isabella, and the more mysterious Tilneys, the charming Henry and sweet Eleanor.

When the Tilneys decide to leave Bath, Catherine is invited with them, to the vast stone manorhouse of Northanger Abbey -- which is as gloomy, eerie and remote as her gothic-loving heart could wish for. What's more, she believes that there are dangerous secrets in Northanger Abbey, related to the suspicious death of the late Mrs. Tilney. But Catherine has some lessons to learn about reality and fantasy: that everyday world is not nearly as melodramatic and twisted as her novels, and that it has its own dangers and deceptions.

Unlike all the other books Austen wrote, "Northanger Abbey" is a careful balance of two different styles -- a parody of all the lurid excesses of classic gothic novels (she even lists a bunch of real-life gothic novels!), and it's a subtle coming-of-age tale about a young girl who needs to figure out the difference between reality and fantasy. There's big spooky manors, sinister noblemen, mysterious deaths... you do the math.

And Austen clearly had a lot of fun with this book, enhancing her usual formal style with a bit of satirical melodrama ("A thousand alarming presentiments of evil to her beloved Catherine from this terrific separation must oppress her heart with sadness"). And while the plot is sprinkled with sinister pseudo-gothic hints, Austen also takes the time to sketch out some romantic deceptions and tangles, as well as some deliciously arch dialogue ("I was not thinking of anything." "That is artful and deep, to be sure...").

The only part that falls short is the climactic encounter between Henry and Catherine... which is completely skimmed over, and related only in a distant vague style. "I leave it to my reader's sagacity" is not a satisfying way to handle that sort of romantically-charged scene.

Austen also has fun with Catherine as the unlikely heroine of the piece, especially since she makes it clear that Catherine comes from a very mundane, undramatic background. She's sweet, naive, wide-eyed and essentially good-hearted, but she has a lot to learn about reality (especially about the golddigging family that befriends her). And Henry is an oddity among Austen's heroes, being a clever silver-tongued charmer with a heart of gold who likes to gently tease Catherine.

Quick, light and full of teasing humor, "Northanger Abbey" is an oddity in Jane Austen's string of brilliant novels -- but being a clever, well-plotted spoof doesn't make it any less charming. A delight.
4408844
There is nothing like a good Gothic story on a dark and rainy night. It is nice to have a collection to read from when we are settled and want to avoid the noise box (TV). This is a great collection of tales. I am very please. Oxford collections are reliable.
539485
A wonderful gothic read. Set in the 1960's and today. The unraveling at the end gets a little bogged down but well worth hanging on until the last chapters. Author gives reader very much a sense of place and of the emotions encumbant on family ties.
59671
Well-written, and a great homage to the Gothic novel.  Interesting characters and plausible storyline.  A most enjoyable read, and kept me wanting to read more.
4126634
Romantic Times Review -- 4 STARS
I am thrilled to see a revival of the gothic romance. Not only does it have effective gothic elements but also flashbacks to the earlier time made it seem as if I were reading two different stories that paralleled each other. Kathy Boswell
2792100
An innocent baby is given by its dying mother to a childless couple in a dark wood. A gothic horror tale set in a universe where magic is acknowledged, although not part of daily life, The Flowers of St. Aloysius is cinematic in its visuals.

Brys Lajoie and Laurent Veilleux are betrothed by their families to right an ancient wrong, and to forge a political alliance between two aristocratic bloodlines. They are living in France sometime in the age of Balzac and Flaubert, but the idea of two men marrying seems less startling than the idea of a man being faithful to his wife. The fact that Thorne makes so little of the acceptance of same-sex marriages in her fictive historical setting seemed a little too casual to me. Also, Brys came off to me like a female character with a literary sex change. There were no defining characteristics that established Brys as a man other than the authors say-so. His chief physical attributes are beauty, grace and elegance, along with his love of gardening. The point is that, while a gay couple is at the center of the story, their being gay was all but irrelevant. There seemed to be no particular reason for them to be two men, except to satisfy someones fantasy.

That complaint lodged, Thornes consciously stilted language and the carefully crafted rambling narrative are very effective at setting mood and place. At first the story seems to be about an arranged marriage evolving into a genuine relationship, and all the sweet things that such a plot arc can offer. This lulls the reader into forgetting the dark prologue of the book, and only when things begin to get more and more frightening, does the story of Bryss birth reappear. The last third of the book becomes increasingly nightmarish and desperate, fulfilling the promise of the opening scenes darkness.

The Flowers of St. Aloysius is part of a series set in the same world, but in different areas and with different characters, making each book a stand-alone romance.
4832479
Overlooking a few grammatical errors this book has a taste of Gothic mysteries of yesteryear, but is lighter than slogging through Dickens or Dostoevsky which I have done too many times before.  This story has surprises and was a pleasant lighter read.  I enjoyed her writing and will read Ms. Higgins again.  I will make note of at least three grammatical errors that were a surprise and discombobulating.  I can't believe that even in our lax non-educating system that "me and ".... is allowed, but alas I am seeing it more and more.  I am dating myself, but surely if a good book is to stand the test of time the authors want to have proper grammar and spelling.  Never the less, this is a book that was fun and happily ever after is within reach.
4188307
This book brings Gothic back for a modern audience. From the Savannah setting to the haunted heroine to the mysterious guys she's choosing between, it's dripping with eerieness and swooningly romantic. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.
1798357
I loved this. Great gothic stuff. Sadly there's not much of a commercial market for this kind of literature these days because the publishing world isn't willing to take on something different. Fools! But who needs an middleman when you can buy direct from the artists? Three dollars is an absurdly low price for something this good!
768161
The gothic cover gives a thrill, and as you read this tome, the richness of the language and storytelling really bring out the goosebumps.
2914701
This is a pretty neat read. It's not  packed to the rafters with technique but you'll come away with some away with a few new tricks up your sleeve when it comes to going about a Gothic inspired project or just in general. The book itself is very well laid out, with a good pace and not bogged down with text. The book is book, nice paper as well as color. I am a bit frugal so I's say it's worth the original price tag but I would certainly get it at a lower price.