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Post by Majere on Sept 11, 2023 18:22:10 GMT -5
The entire sword and sorcery genre owes its existence to Howard. Other than Doyle, I can’t think really think of another author that almost single-handedly created an genre of fiction (though technically Poe pioneered the modern detective story, Doyle is really the one that made a career out of it.)
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Post by Von K on Sept 12, 2023 13:10:18 GMT -5
Maybe this isn't the right thread for this, by it here's something that pops up in my mind from time to time: From Xuthal of the Dusk: From the black shadows came sounds, incomprehensible and blood-freezing. She heard Thalis's voice pleading frenziedly, but no voice answered. There was no sound except the Stygian's panting voice, which suddenly rose to screams of agony, and then broke in hysterical laughter, mingled with sobs. This dwindled to a convulsive panting, and presently this too ceased, and a silence more terrible hovered over the secret corridor. This sounds similar to what Ripley hears over the intercom while Lambert is being killed by the Xenomorph in Alien. Could be an inspiration, Alien screenwriter Dan O'Bannon was a big Lovecraft fan so he could have read some REH in those days. It's a an effective scene for sure in both Xuthal and Alien, maybe some future film adaptation of Conan will include some focus on the horror elements of the Hyborian Age. I had also thought there was some inspiration from REH's Tower of the Elephant in the scene where they encounter the Navigator in Alien. For some reason my mind compares this to the scene where Conan encounters Yag Kosha.
Whilst I think the biggest influence on Alien comes from Clark Ashton Smith's Vaults of Yoh Vombis (face huggers etc) - and Vombis is cited by REH fan and poet Donald Sidney Fryer in this context - there is probably a case to be made for some potential influence from REH in addition to CAS and HPL, imho.
I know we've discussed some of this before in other threads. You have previously mentioned the influence of CAS mars on the Doom PC games for instance.
It can be tricky to trace more subtle influences. But I think you could both be right in that there does seem to be some Howardian DNA in the early Alien movies. Less overt and definable than that of CAS and HPL yet nevertheless present.
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