From the Scaretube Editorial Staff:
We’re saddened by the recent passing of David J. Skal, researcher, and writer of numerous books on horror films from a critical, historical, and cultural standpoint. His book MONSTER SHOW: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF HORROR (1993 and revised in 2001) is a sacred text among buffs young and old. It’s still available on Amazon for the curious. He also provided commentaries on DVD titles beloved by we gorehounds. Skal impacted a generation of fans and future scribes. We’re sharing some personal memories of the man and his work starting with a frequent Scaretube writer.
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I was privileged to meet David Skal in 1999, when my then-writing partner Ken Shiffrin arranged a deal for producers Jonathan Elias and Robert Downey, Jr. (pre-IRON-MAN) to option the film rights to the Tod Browning biography DARK CARNIVAL (co-authored by Skal and Elias Savada) and hire Kenny and me to write a screenplay adaptation. We crafted, essentially, a “making of the movie FREAKS” narrative and consulted with Skal upon the completion of our initial draft.
This was a dream project for Kenny and myself. And meeting with David, during the period of the project’s undertaking, was ever-fruitful. He was a marvelous historian, of course, always keen on crediting his co-writer Savada’s legendary 1973 PHOTON magazine article on Browning for being the impetus for DARK CARNIVAL. Moreover, David’s scholarly perspective never failed to color the nuances of our screenplay, providing us with pivotal details and suggestions for what to emphasize (and de-emphasize) with regard to Browning’s background, career, and inner psychology.
What I remember most vividly about David was one “script meeting” (that took place at my house), circa Spring 2000, wherein he weighed in on the first draft of our screenplay. His reaction was highly positive and glass-half-full optimistic, being both complimentary on the “dramatic license” inventions that we came up with and gratified that we included so many intriguing facts-of-the-matter facets of Browning’s life. While our DARK CARNIVAL screenplay was never ultimately produced, its writing remains one of the most resonant and satisfying experiences of my career, and I will always remember David Skal for his intelligence, generosity of spirit, and positive-energy vibe. R.I.P. David Skal.
– Tom Lavagnino, playwright, television producer and golfer (18 handicap)
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I first met David J. Skal about 20 years ago in Ronald V. Borst’s Hollywood Movie Posters store on Hollywood Boulevard.
David walked into the shop and, already a big fan of his books, I immediately recognized him. I told him I had a contract for a companion book about Dracula and, true to his incredibly generous nature, he offered, on the spot, his help and guidance. And did he ever deliver in so many ways. It was the first of many wonderful conversations about vampires, Bram Stoker, and Dracula. So this is how I’ll remember David: Such a gifted writer, such a passionate researcher, such an enthusiastic fan, such a generous friend and, yes, one of the truly all-world nice guys.
– Mark Dawidziak, author A MYSTERY OF MYSTERIES: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EDGAR ALLAN POE; THE KOLCHAK PAPERS: THE GRAVE MYSTERIES
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I know of David J. Skal through his impressive and entertaining book HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC: THE TANGLED WEB OF DRACULA FROM NOVEL TO STAGE TO SCREEN. His comprehensive research covers the Dracula phenomenon from the 1400s’ Vlad Tepes all the way up to the 2003 VAN HELSING flick. HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC reads fluidly, like an historical novel. Not only does Skal inform you about the writers and artists involved
with vampire lore, he details the times and people surrounding them. Probably the most fascinating part of Skal’s book is the story behind the 1931 Universal classic film. Skal’s thorough coverage of early ‘30s Hollywood is just one reason why HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC belongs in every film scholar’s library.
– Ann Meyer, Author, Film Historian
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In the 1990s I was still new to Los Angeles, and hosting a Horror Literature reading group. I was already a big fan of THE MONSTER SHOW, so I was surprised when David joined the group for our reading of THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY. He was already a published and acclaimed horror scholar, so it was incredibly generous of him to share his time and insights with a bunch of kids.
His knowledge was far beyond anyone else in the group, and yet he treated us all as colleagues. He was always a courteous gentleman and witty commentator. His comments on J.G. Ballard’s CRASH were a big influence on my script for LOVE OBJECT. David liked my screenplay for CHROME GOTHIC, so I worked on an adaptation of his sci-fi novel SCAVENGERS.
I will greatly miss running into David at horror events, or finding another one of his commentaries on Blu-ray, or seeing that he has another book signing. The work he leaves behind remains an invaluable guide through horror’s dark carnival.
– Robert Parigi, writer/director of LOVE OBJECT
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I first met the voice of film historian David J Skal in the extras on the UNIVERSAL MONSTERS classic DVD sets where he narrated documentary and commentary back in the late 1990s/early 2000s. I met the man himself at a convention about a decade ago where he talked to me (I was just one of countless fans) like I was a long lost friend. He possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of the monsters and a quick wit that made you want to listen and listen. A stellar guy who appreciated his fellow “monster kids” like an older brother. I miss him as the friend he sure made me feel like. I’ll always remember him forever as one of the Sons of Shock!
– Ken Knight, Horror Critic
