In an interview with Time this week, popular novelist Tom Wolfe draws a parallel between Twain and another brilliant eccentric of more recent decades, Hunter S. Thompson: "[Thompson] was the great comic writer of the 20th century. I really do consider Hunter as being in the tradition of Mark Twain. Gonzo journalism, as he called it, is exactly what Twain did in things like The Innocents Abroad. You do some reporting of what's actually there, but you also let your imagination free. You're not... Read Full Story

By Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn 1944 A heartbreaking expression of unrequited love, this song was introduced by Frank Sinatra in the classic MGM musical Anchors Aweigh, in which he sings at the piano in a deserted Hollywood Bowl. Sinatra had personally requested that Styne & Cahn write the songs for the film. The duo would team up for another big hit for the Chairman, "Time After Time". Cahn later was the lyricist for Sinatra standards like "Come Fly With Me" and "In the Wee Small Hours... Read Full Story

While this is far from official at the moment, word on the street is that Platinum Dunes--the production company run by Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form--has blown its window of opportunity for remaking A Nightmare on Elm Street. Fans will recall that Platinum Dunes was brought on board by Warner Bros. back in January to reboot the franchise, owing to its rep for doing the same for other properties like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th. Last month, they even hired a... Read Full Story

By Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields 1930 The Busby Berkely Broadway production International Revue produced this standard, as well as "On the Sunny Side of the Street". Harry Richman and Gertrude Lawrence (pictured) introduced the light and infectious number, buoyed by Fields excellent-as-always lyric. The song might have slipped into obscurity were it not for a jazzy version recorded six years later by the Benny Goodman Trio, with Lionel Hampton on vocal. Lyrics: I know why I've waited, Know... Read Full Story

As was already discussed at length in The Vault of Horror's history of horror movies, the early 1970s was a time of great change in the entertainment industry. In film, the death of the studio system and the fall of the Hays Code meant less restriction on filmmakers than ever before, as could be seen most clearly in the horror genre. This was a problem for television. Because although social mores were adjusting and heretofore taboo themes were starting to be addressed on the small screen... Read Full Story

By George & Ira Gershwin 1933 If you ever need proof that popular songs were once written for sophisticated grown-ups, ask yourself when was the last time you heard one that referenced German poetry and philosophy. This brilliant melody and lyric was composed by the Gershwins for the obscure Broadway production Pardon My English, which ran for all of 43 performances. The tune was introduced in the show by George Givot and Josephine Huston. Lyrics: Why did I wander, Here and there and... Read Full Story

An Indian moviegoer by the name of Pavin Ponanna apparently took Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma at his word when Varma declared his new horror film Phoonk was so terrifying that no one could get through it alone. According to entertainment website BuzzSugar, no sooner had Varma made the hyperbolic claim than Ponanna, obviously a man of some means, went out and spent a whopping 47,000 rupees (that's roughly $1,160) to buy all the seats for a matinée showing of Phoonk. After watching the... Read Full Story

By Richard Whiting & Johnny Mercer 1936 Praised often for its sophisticated synchronization of melody and lyrics, this song was composed for the 1937 Warner Bros. musical Ready, Willing and Able, in which it was introduced by Ross Alexander (pictured), who sadly committed suicide before the film was released. The tune was used again ten years later in the Bogey/Bacall flick Dark Passage, in which it was sung by Jo Stafford. Mercer claimed to have been lyrically influenced by Ira Gershwin on... Read Full Story

I've never been one to shy away from encouraging a little healthy competition here at The Vault of Horror, especially when that "competition" comes in the form a loyal reader. In this case, the loyal reader is one Wes Fierce, and his hideously enjoyable new website is HorrorFilmMagazine.com. Did you know that there is a horror icons fighting game floating around the net, in which you can battle as the likes of Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, et al? And that it's free? I didn't either, until... Read Full Story

Harold Schechter's new volume, Murder Ink: A Killer Collection, is a "celebration" of 350 years worth of true-crime writing. It's one of non-fiction's most popular genres, and one that wasn't left untouched by Twain. That is why Schechter has included an excerpt from the author's famous travel tome, Roughing It. In particular, the editor has selected Twain's description of the frontier violence in the Wild West that he encountered while traveling to Nevada with his brother. Specifically, the... Read Full Story