Author John Skipp To Visit The L.A. Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies

March 11th 2019, 6:06am

Last Updated on October 12, 2021

The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies is presenting a thrilling class this month at their L.A. location. This Thursday, March 14th at the Philosophical Research Society, the gang behind horror's #1 educational resource are joining forces to bring us genre fans one for the books: In Your Face Till Your Face Comes Off: John Skipp on The History of Splatterpunk, and the Triumph of the Overt.

In the 1980s, a handful of writers — Clive Barker, David J. Schow, Joe R. Lansdale, and John Skipp & Craig Spector — inadvertently kicked off a seismic shift in literary horror. Less a conscious revolution than a spontaneous eruption of the arts, these restless artists bucked against the constraints of conventional horror, serving up whopping doses of wildly explicit sex, visionary violence, and really loud rock ‘n’ roll, underlying an even more subversive layer of fierce cultural critique.

Award winning author and filmmaker John Skipp guides audiences through the history of Splatterpunk as only someone from the inside could, shining light on the subgenre of literary horror known for its flamboyant disregard of convention and embrace of wild sex, visionary violence and rock 'n' roll. Looking at his own body of work alongside masters and former friends, Skipp deep dives into the sensational moment they created in the 80s that's influenced artists till this day.

Named for the fictional university in H.P. Lovecraft’s literary mythos, the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies is an international organization that offers university-level history, theory and production-based masterclasses for people of all ages. The Miskatonic is a non-profit endeavour through which established horror writers, directors, scholars and programmers/curators celebrate horror history and culture with a unique blend of enthusiasm and critical perspective.

John Skipp is a Saturn Award-winning filmmaker (TALES OF HALLOWEEN), Stoker Award-winning anthologist (DEMONS, MONDO ZOMBIE), and New York Times bestselling author (THE LIGHT AT THE END, THE SCREAM) whose books have sold millions of copies in a dozen languages worldwide. His first anthology, BOOK OF THE DEAD, laid the foundation in 1989 for modern zombie literature. He’s also editor-in-chief of Fungasm Press, championing genre-melting authors like Laura Lee Bahr, Autumn Christian, Danger Slater, Cody Goodfellow, and Devora Gray From splatterpunk founding father to bizarro elder statesman, Skipp has influenced a generation of horror and counterculture artists around the world. His latest book is THE ART OF HORRIBLE PEOPLE.

If you live in the area and you happen to be a fan of horror movies, I highly recommend attending this event. Not only are these lectures entertaining for film enthusiasts, they also happen to be highly informative and worth your time. I mean, Skipp has the story credit for A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD, and you can go listen to him speak. If you're not here on Thursday night, I don't even know what else you'd be doing.

Learn more about the event and buy tickets here!