David John Skal (born June 21, 1952 in
Garfield Heights, Ohio) is an American
historian,
critic
A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...
, writer, and on-camera
commentator known for his research and analysis of horror films, horror history and horror culture.
Early life
Skal studied journalism at
Ohio University, where he worked as a film critic and assistant editor for the college's newspaper. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1974. After graduation, he
interned with the
National Endowment for the Arts and became the publicity director for the
Hartford Stage Company.
He later held positions with the
American Conservatory Theater
The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school.
History
The Ameri ...
in
San Francisco and the
Theatre Communications Group of New York. During the 1980s, Skal completed three science fiction novels: ''Scavengers'' (1980), ''When We Were Good'' (1981), and ''Antibodies'' (1988).
["David J. Skal". ''Contemporary Authors Online''. Gale. September 27, 2005. Retrieved from GaleNet on October 25, 2008.]
Non-fiction writing
Skal's first nonfiction work was 1990's ''Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen''. This book discusses the various adaptations of
Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busine ...
's 1897 novel ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'', and the role of the vampire archetype in
popular culture. A large portion of the book describes the efforts of Stoker's widow
Florence to protect the rights to her husband's work. The book also contains the first in-depth study of a
Spanish-language Dracula film produced in 1931. Kathleen Quinn of ''
The New York Times'' praised ''Hollywood Gothic'', writing, "Skal tracks Transylvania's most popular vampire with dry wit and the skills of a fine detective."
Kenneth Turan of the ''
Los Angeles Times'' called it "witty and comprehensive", and quipped that it was "something to gnaw on long after those trick-or-treaters are gone". Writing in 2004, David Colton of ''
USA Today'' noted that the book had "become one of the field's essential reads" and had "
aisedthe standards for horror researchers".
In 1993, Skal released his second non-fiction book, titled ''The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror''. In this book, Skal analyzes the history of horror films, drawing parallels between those films and the cultural crises of their times, such as
World War I,
World War II, the
thalidomide controversies, and the
AIDS epidemic
The global epidemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2021, HIV/AI ...
. M.L. Lyke of the ''
Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' called ''The Monster Show'' "the perfect intellectual primer for a Halloween weekend". Stefan Dziemianowicz of ''
The Washington Post'' argued that some of Skal's arguments were "pretty far-fetched", but added that, as a whole, the book "offers persuasive evidence that in order to understand a culture, you must know what it fears".
Skal collaborated with
Elias Savada
Elias Savada is an American film historian and critic. Since 1977, he has owned and operated the Motion Picture Information Service, which has provided customized copyright research reports to over 1,200 clients.
Biography
The son of New York rec ...
to produce 1995's ''Dark Carnival: The Secret World of
Tod Browning, Hollywood's Master of the Macabre''. ''Dark Carnival'' was the first book-length biography of Tod Browning, best known for directing ''
Freaks
Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc.
Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to:
Fictional characters
* Freak (Ima ...
'' and the 1931 version of ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
''. Writing in the ''
Journal of Popular Film and Television'', Martin F. Norden described it as "a compelling, in-depth examination of one of America's first
cult film
A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...
directors". Steven E. Alford of the ''
Houston Chronicle'' remarked, "''Dark Carnival'' succeeds in resurrecting the reputation of one of Hollywood's long-buried eccentrics."
Skal's other major publications include ''V Is for Vampire: The A to Z Guide to Everything Undead'' (1996), ''Screams of Reason: Mad Science and Modern Culture'' (1998), ''
Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween'' (2002), and ''
Claude Rains
William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. After his American film debut as Dr. Jack Griffin in ''The Invisible Man'' (1933), he appeared in such highly regarded films as '' ...
: An Actor's Voice'' (2008). Skal also co-edited the 1997
Norton Critical Edition
W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly ''The Norton An ...
of Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' and compiled the 2001 anthology ''Vampires: Encounters with the Undead''.
[ His biography of ]Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busine ...
, ''Something in the Blood'', was published in October 2016.
Skal regularly contributes film reviews to '' The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction''.
Other work
Skal has made several appearances in television specials
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
, such as '' The 100 Scariest Movie Moments'' and ''The Perfect Scary Movie''. He has produced DVD supplemental documentaries and/or audio commentaries for a number of films, including ''Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'' (1931), '' Frankenstein'' (1931), ''Freaks
Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc.
Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to:
Fictional characters
* Freak (Ima ...
'' (1932), ''The Mummy
A mummy is an unusually well preserved corpse.
Mummy or The Mummy may also refer to:
Places
*Mummy Range, a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States
*Mummy Cave, a rock shelter and archeological site in Par ...
'' (1932), '' The Invisible Man'' (1933), '' Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935), '' The Wolf Man'' (1941), '' Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'' (1948), '' Creature from the Black Lagoon'' (1954), and '' Gods and Monsters'' (1998).
Skal appears in the 2008 documentary film '' Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon'' in which he discusses, as an openly gay cultural critic, the cultural impact of iconic gay pornographic film
Gay pornography is the representation of sexual activity between males. Its primary goal is sexual arousal in its audience. Softcore gay pornography also exists; it at one time constituted the genre, and may be produced as beefcake pornogra ...
star Jack Wrangler.
Filmography
*''The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale'' (1999)
*''She's Alive! Creating the Bride of Frankenstein'' (1999)
*''Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed'' (1999)
*''Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man (1999)
*''The Road to Dracula'' (1999)
*''In Search of History: The Real Dracula'' (2000)
*''The Opera Ghost: A Phantom Unmasked'' (2000)
*''Now You See Him: The Invisible Man Revealed!'' (2000)
*''Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Monsters!'' (2000)
*''Back to the Black Lagoon: A Creature Chronicle'' (2000)
*''The Universe According to Universal'' (2002)
*''Carla Laemmle Remembers: An Interview with David J. Skal'' (2003)
*''Jules Verne & Walt Disney: Explorers of the Imagination'' (2003)
*''The Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster'' (2004)
References
External links
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Skal, David
1952 births
Living people
20th-century American biographers
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American novelists
21st-century LGBT people
American LGBT novelists
American film historians
American gay writers
American male biographers
American male novelists
American science fiction writers
LGBT people from Ohio
People from Garfield Heights, Ohio
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction people