Thrills from beyond the screen
COMMENTARY ever knock a good horror flick, but that shouldn’t be your only source of the macabre. Take theater, for instance. A number of Central Florida troupes and stages are performing plays in the ghostly vein this month, whether it be truly terrifying such as “The Birds” (Garden Theatre in Winter Garden, Oct. 12-28) or more on the silly side like “The Mystery of Irma Vep” (Orlando Shakes, Oct. 10-Nov. 18).
One such chilling theatrical offering is “Phantasmagoria IX: Homecoming” (dates and locations vary, visit phantasmagoria orlando.com for details). In its ninth year, the steampunk mix of dance, storytelling and puppetry was created by John DiDonna. “Horror plays have long been a staple,” says the director, “from the old Grand Guignol styled works to plays like ‘Dracula’ and ‘Frankenstein.’ ”
Grabbing a script and staging a reading in your home is one way to give yourself the willies. “For me I like the slow burn ones like ‘The Woman in Black’ based on the book by Susan Hill,” says DiDonna. “It is a two-person play, very Victorian and very much the old ‘secret tragedy’ style ghost play.”
For recommendations on other frightening literature, I turned to Susan Lilley, who was made poet laureate of Orlando in 2017. The Florida native says she still remembers her first encounter with Edgar Allan Poe in old library in Vermont. “They were all terrifying, but one story in particular, ‘The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar,’ sent me into a state of nauseated panic and crying for my mommy. To this day, I still cannot bring myself to read that story again.”
She also suggests the book-length poem “Deepstep Come Shining” by C.D. Wright. “I reread this book when I feel strong,” she said. “It’s worth it.”
But you have to have something creepy to listen to while you read. “I love scary music,” says Meka Nism, frontwoman of the local metal band of the same name. “It feels like permission to release trauma and acknowledge other less desirable emotions in the human psyche; anger, fear, sorrow, regret.”
Nism recommends looking beyond the well-known horror bands such as Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson. “From terrifying diva Diamanda Galas to twisted fairy tale terror of OneEyed Doll, this is definitely a category that captures my heart,” she says.
Whatever you choose, getting in touch with what scares you is important says Nism. “Being able to scream along to your favorite rock bands is the best therapy that I know,” she says. “And it can be a lot of fun.”