@jpate.bsky.social
Writer who likes cult films, noir and Gothic novels. He/him.
Watched The Occupant of the Room and really enjoyed it. I'm a big fan of Christmas season ghost stories, and this one does a great job invoking an eerie, late-night, wintery atmosphere. Written and directed by @kierlajanisse.bsky.social and based on an Algernon Blackwood story.
December 19, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Watched The Occupant of the Room and really enjoyed it. I'm a big fan of Christmas season ghost stories, and this one does a great job invoking an eerie, late-night, wintery atmosphere. Written and directed by @kierlajanisse.bsky.social and based on an Algernon Blackwood story.
Recently watched The Honeymoon Killers (1970). It's a tense, claustrophobic character study of two truly twisted individuals, based (very loosely) on the "lonely hearts killers" case. It's riveting and deeply unsettling. Scorsese was the original director before he was fired from the project.
December 16, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Recently watched The Honeymoon Killers (1970). It's a tense, claustrophobic character study of two truly twisted individuals, based (very loosely) on the "lonely hearts killers" case. It's riveting and deeply unsettling. Scorsese was the original director before he was fired from the project.
Recently read One Day, Everyone Will Have Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad, about the the horrors being carried out against Gaza. An incredibly powerful book filled with passages like this one.
June 14, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Recently read One Day, Everyone Will Have Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad, about the the horrors being carried out against Gaza. An incredibly powerful book filled with passages like this one.
Currently reading Dorothea Lasky's The Shinning. This is one of my favorite poems from the collection--"High Ceilings."
June 4, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Currently reading Dorothea Lasky's The Shinning. This is one of my favorite poems from the collection--"High Ceilings."
Recently rewatched Morgiana (1972), a Gothic/Decadent psychological melodrama directed by Juraj Herz and starring Iva Janzurova in the dual role of two sisters.
It's visually stunning, as if Aubrey Beardsley had been in charge of the set design, and has overtones of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
It's visually stunning, as if Aubrey Beardsley had been in charge of the set design, and has overtones of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
June 4, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Recently rewatched Morgiana (1972), a Gothic/Decadent psychological melodrama directed by Juraj Herz and starring Iva Janzurova in the dual role of two sisters.
It's visually stunning, as if Aubrey Beardsley had been in charge of the set design, and has overtones of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
It's visually stunning, as if Aubrey Beardsley had been in charge of the set design, and has overtones of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Watched The Loveless (1981), a laconic, highly stylized mood piece about a group of bikers visiting a small town in the 50s, and Kathryn Bigelow's directorial debut. There's definitely a Scorpio Rising influence here, and William Dafoe is great as the charming but psychotic lead. Really recommended.
May 28, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Watched The Loveless (1981), a laconic, highly stylized mood piece about a group of bikers visiting a small town in the 50s, and Kathryn Bigelow's directorial debut. There's definitely a Scorpio Rising influence here, and William Dafoe is great as the charming but psychotic lead. Really recommended.
Recently watched The Bitter Stems, an Argentinian noir film from 1956. It's one of the best crime movies I've seen in a while, exploring a man driven by political/familial demons to maybe (or maybe not) become of the villain of his own story.
May 21, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Recently watched The Bitter Stems, an Argentinian noir film from 1956. It's one of the best crime movies I've seen in a while, exploring a man driven by political/familial demons to maybe (or maybe not) become of the villain of his own story.
In the mail recently. I'm really looking forward to reading this--includes some of my favorite writers on film (Samm Deighan, Andrew Nette, Kimberly Lindbergs).
May 18, 2025 at 1:35 PM
In the mail recently. I'm really looking forward to reading this--includes some of my favorite writers on film (Samm Deighan, Andrew Nette, Kimberly Lindbergs).
Recently finished Weird Woods: Tales From the Haunted Forests of Britain. It was pretty good overall. My favorites were a story about haunted statuary ("Man-Size in Marble" by Edith Nesbit), and one about someone who takes his Pan-worship too far ("The Man Who Went Too Far," by E.F. Benson).
August 23, 2023 at 12:51 AM
Recently finished Weird Woods: Tales From the Haunted Forests of Britain. It was pretty good overall. My favorites were a story about haunted statuary ("Man-Size in Marble" by Edith Nesbit), and one about someone who takes his Pan-worship too far ("The Man Who Went Too Far," by E.F. Benson).