Dan Simmon’s horror/science fiction short story, “Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell” was first published in Night Visions 5, along with stories by Stephen King and George R. R. Martin.
“Dante’s Inferno: Navigating the Complexities of Hell in As Above, So Below“
“These words scrawled across the walls beneath the Paris Catacombs mark the entrance to Hell for the characters in As Above, So Below. They herald in a nightmarish final act. The very same words that mark the gates to Hell in writer Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, the first part of his epic poem of Divine Comedy. Inferno tells of Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. Their journey begins on Good Friday, and the pair emerges from Hell early on Easter morning under a starry sky. Though As Above, So Below draws from various mythologies, it’s Dante’s Inferno and its complex rendering of Hell that most closely mirrors protagonist Scarlett Marlowe’s quest, making for an atypical found footage film that offers impressively layered world-building.
[. . .]
“The only way out is down. That they descend through a well is significant. Scarlett explains the phrase ‘as above, so below’ is the key to all magic. What happens in one reality occurs in another, presenting a bizarre mirror-like symmetry to their voyage. The group begins by climbing down a well, and they end it by going down another well. In Inferno, wells play a part in getting Dante and his guide to the eighth and ninth circles. Later, Dante and Virgil finally reach the center of Hell and begin their escape by continuing downward. Dante is convinced they’re returning to Hell, only to realize gravity has changed, and they’re climbing up to the surface. Dante, half-way through his life, begins his journey spiritually lost. More than just a guide to Hell, Virgil becomes his guide to virtue and mortal. That’s mirrored in Scarlett, reckless and reeling from the loss of her father, and George, the strict rule-abiding ethical anchor. Much of George’s fear for breaking the law stems from spending time in a Turkish prison before the events of the film, which also parallel’s Virgil in that he detailed his personal trip through Hell in his poem Aeneid.” –Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting, April 10, 2020
See our original post on As Above, So Below here.
Maru Ceballos’ #Dante2018 Illustrations
Maru Ceballos is a visual artist known for her striking, inky, horror style. During the #Dante2018 social media initiative, Ceballos created a variety of pieces based on the Divine Comedy, and her work was used as promotional art by Museo Mitre for the exhibition “Los círculos del Dante.” Pictured above are a few of her pieces from this series. Clockwise from the top right is an illustration for Paradiso, an illustration for Purgatorio, a portrait of Dante, and an illustration for Inferno.
“Maru Ceballos, autora/ilustradora de los libros Los Idiotas y Muertos de Amor y de Miedo es diseñadora gráfica y desde hace un par de años ha trabajado sobre la Divina Comedia ilustrándola. ‘Si bien lo había intentado hace mucho, no lo había leído antes,’ confiesa Maru que arrancó con una edición en verso que después perdió, pero no fue hasta hace un par de años que retomó su lectura, esta vez con una edición en prosa. ‘Fue así que agarré el libro y empecé a leer. Pero no lo hice en función de ilustrarlo. En realidad me dieron ganas de ilustrarlo cuando lo empecé a leer. Me rompió tanto la cabeza el manejo de imágenes visuales que tiene el Dante que empecé a hacer esquemas, porque la obra es larga, compleja y muy simbólica. Cuando avancé en la lectura me di cuenta que ameritaba una ilustración más conciente y empecé de cero, prestando atención a los simbolismos.'” — Interview with Barbi Couto, “La Divina Comedia, un libro para descubrir y descubrirse,” La nueva Mañana (July 3, 2018)
To view more of Maru Ceballos’ artwork, you can follow her on VSCO, Instagram, and Twitter.
Relatedly, you can read an interview with Maru Ceballos here.
See other posts related to #Dante2018 here.
Contributed by Pablo Maurette (Florida State University)
This “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” Theory Has Fans Brushing Up On Dante’s Inferno
“Fans of American Horror Story have theorized for years that each of the seasons corresponds to one of the circles of hell from Inferno, the first section of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem The Divine Comedy. But Season 8 has viewers reworking that idea to make it a bit more specific. This AHS: Apocalypse theory has fans brushing up on their Dante to see if it actually fits this season better than it does the show as a whole.
“In Inferno, Dante is guided through the nine circles of hell by the poet Virgil. Each circle is devoted to a specific sin: the first is Limbo, followed by lust, gluttony, greed, wrath, heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. Since those are common themes throughout AHS, viewers began to suspect that each season was inspired by one circle. It became so popular that creator Ryan Murphy commented on it, telling TV Guide in 2017, ‘With AHS, I do like the Dante’s Inferno theory. I’ve read a lot about it. I know what the fans think. I have a theory about the show that I’ve never told anybody and probably won’t until it’s over, but that theory is a good one.’
“The theory has evolved in the wake of Season 8’s premiere. Now some viewers have started to wonder if every episode of Apocalypse represents one of the nine circles instead.” […] –Megan Walsh, Romper, September 26, 2018
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
In John Landis’ 1981 cult classic An American Werewolf In London, at 65:30 you can see a bust of Dante Alighieri in the Doctor’s study.
You can watch the full movie on Amazon Prime, Youtube, Google Play, Vudu, and on iTunes.
