Wednesday, October 23, 2013 Occult Detectives: Carnacki the Ghost-Finder

Today's subject is one of the most enduring Occult Detectives, William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki the Ghost-Finder.

Thomas Carnacki was a true detective.  Unlike other occult investigators, he would systematically eliminate every possible mundane explanation before exploring a supernatural solution to a case.  And while Dr. Hessilius may have been the first to enlist the scientific method in the battle against the supernatural, Carnacki was the first to incorporate technology.  In addition to the hoary tomes and rites used by other ghostbusters, Carnacki employed then-modern tools such as photography and electricity (the "nanotech" of his age).  His most famous device was the electric pentacle, a souped-up version of the traditional occult symbol that was proper steampunk.

It's this techno angle that's led Carnacki to enjoy a mild resurgence in recent years, but it's the stories themselves that are key to the character's longevity.  Hodgson is one of the key figures in horror literature, and his Carnacki stories are imaginative and tense.  While the lead character is rather sketchily drawn, the fact that Carnacki is fallible and often overcome by fear himself help make him a ghostbreaker readers can identify with.

Despite the character's influence - and public domain status - there have been almost no attempts to bring Carnacki to the screen.  The sole exception is an episode of the classic ITV series, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, that adapts Hodgson's "The Horse of the Invisible".  Donald Pleasence plays Carnacki as a boffin, an engineer rather than a scholar, who consults ancient texts and historical records as if they were instruction manuals. It's a great portrayal and I wish Pleasence had gone on to a Carnacki series. 

"The Horse of the Invisible" is available on DVD as part of the first Rivals of Sherlock Holmes collection.  (The whole series is well worth your time.)  And the episode is also available on YouTube, at least for now.  Watch it while you can!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013 Halloween Countdown: Doctor Hesselius

He was the first of the Occult Detectives and set the template for many that followed.  Yet he appears in only one short story and hovers in the background of a mere four more.

Doctor Martin Hesselius was the creation of Irish author, Sheridan Le Fanu. Hesselius, a physician and spiritualist, takes a naturalist's view towards the paranormal.  He sees the supernatural as simply an extension of nature and not an intrusive outside force.  Creatures such as vampires and ghosts are akin to sharks or man-eating tigers; exotic and dangerous, to be sure, but subject to logical rules and easily dealt with by the proper methods.

Hesselius was more of an archivist than a man of action.  He is an active participant in just one story, "Green Tea", and even then his role is more that of consulting physician than stalwart ghostbuster.  Hesselius merely provides commentary on the other four tales associated with him, which were culled from his collection of nearly 250 such reports by his unnamed assistant and executor, as the good doctor has passed on (under non-specified circumstances) before his works were published. 

The most famous tale collected by Doctor Hesselius is "Carmilla", the Le Fanu classic that has influenced all vampire tales that followed.  Today's Halloween Treat is the 2003 BBC Radio adaptation of "Carmilla" starring Anne-Marie Duff, Brana Bajic, David Warner, and Jacqueline Pearce.  You can stream the play via the embedded player below.

Carmilla - BBC 2003

I'm also re-upping "The Shadow People", a 1953 Hall of Fantasy episode featuring Doctor Hesselius (or at least someone with the same name) as a supporting character. It's a great, creepy tale and perfect Halloween listening!

Hall of Fantasy - "The Shadow People"

Monday, October 21, 2013 Halloween Countdown: John Silence Threedux

Looks like we're going with an "occult detective" theme this year at the Sanctum, so to kick thing's off here are four radio plays featuring Algernon Blackwood's spectral sleuth, John Silence.

I provided some background on Silence when I previously posted links to direct downloads of these BBC adaptations.  Things being what they are on the internet, all of those links are have gone invalid.  Let's see how long these streaming versions stick around.

John Silence - The Camp of the Dog

John Silence - The Nemesis of Fire

John Silence - Secret Worship

John Silence - The Empty Sleeve