(Duntroon Castle, Argyll, Scotland)
During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher. I know not how it was – but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit.
– Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher
(Chillingham Castle, Northumberland, England)
I first discovered the haunting photography of Simon Marsden when I received a calendar of his work this past Christmas as a gift from my friend Pat. As I sat down at my work desk this week I looked up and realized that I hadn’t changed the calendar. While doing so it dawned on me how thematically perfect Marsden’s work would be for this week’s Friday Favorite. Each month there is a ghostly image of a location that is purportedly haunted and there is an accompanying story describing the ghoulish details. If this is not a fitting artistic end to the first full week of the R.I.P Autumn Challenge then I do not know what is.
(Roch Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales)
And all my days are trances
And all my nightly dreams
Are where thy dark eye glances
And where thy footstep gleamsâ€â€
In what ethereal dances
By what eternal streams.
~ Edgar Allan Poe, To One in Paradise.
The foundation of every classic ghost story is an appropriately creepy haunted house. The works of Simon Marsden are not only unique in that they each have an actual supernatural story of their own but they also conjure images from ghastly tales that have possessed us since childhood. Marsden not only has an eye for great photographs, framing the image in just the right way to intensify the creepiness quotient, but his use of infrared film creates an ethereal beauty that underlies the spooky facade.
(Ecclescrieg House, Kincardineshire, Scotland)
Simon Marsden’s images literally drip with atmosphere. I could imagine each and every one of these works as the cover for some classic spectral tale. Marsden briefly discusses his influences here, one of which is the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
~Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven
(Manisternagalliaghduff or ‘Old Abbey’, County Limerick, Ireland)
I love how these archway and window pictures lead the mind to wonder what lies just beyond the border of their deteriorating frames.
(Gothic Window)
They remind me of the the town of Wall in Neil Gaiman’s Stardust and the faerie lands that lie outside the borders of the town, accessed by an opening in the wall that is guarded day and night lest someone wander through.
The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve; lovers to bed; ’tis almost fairy time.
~William Shakespeare
(Reculver Towers & Roman Fort, Kent, England)
Simon Marsden’s photographs are simply amazing. I suggest a visit to his archive site. Visit the picture library for scores of spectacularly spooky images in a variety of categories. I have only shown you a glimpse. There is so much more to see. He also has prints, posters, books and greeting cards for sale on his main site.
(Hermitage Castle, Roxburghshire, Scotland)
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream
~Edgar Allan Poe, A Dream within a Dream
These pictures haunt my dreams. I have seen them in the Edward Gorey illustrated ghost stories I read as a child and in the mountains of Transylvania as I suffered along with Jonathan Harker. I have seen them in the classic horror films of Hammer and Amicus and those starring Vincent Price. I have seen them in computer games ranging from Return to Castle Wolfenstein to Bloodrayne. And I have seen them in the lyricism of authors such as E.A. Poe.
(Littledean Hall, Gloucestershire, England)
And I will continue to imagine these ominous, stately gothic structures whenever I find myself imbibing chilling, spine-tingling tales of dread horrors and things that go bump in the night.
(Ballaghmore Castle, County Laois, Ireland)
Out–out are the lights–out all!
And, over each quivering form,
The curtain, a funeral pall,
Comes down with the rush of a storm,
And the angels, all pallid and wan,
Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”
And its hero the Conqueror Worm
~Edgar Allan Poe, The Conqueror Worm
(Tombstone, Spilsby, Lincolnshire)
Have a R.I.P.ping weekend everyone!
Great post and remarkable images. Given one of Marsden’s photographs, who could fail to conjure up a supernatural story?
i am in awe.. i absolutely love these photos!
i’ll have to check out his site later.
What amazing photographs! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so eerie and perfectly atmospheric before!
What great photos! This is getting me in just the right mood to begin my RIP book — Dracula.
WOW! I love photography. These pics are just amazing. I’ll have to check out his archives.
These look as though they were shot with infrared film. Love them.
His site is worth spending some time reviewing. I love his philosophy of why he likes taking these type of pictures and what his early influences were.
Fitting right into the theme, you should check out this link on Janet’s site for another interesting tombstone picture.
I think your enthusiasm is great, but gosh, do you ever not fall in love with someone’s work? Just once I’d love to know what you really dislike.
I’m loving the photos! How cool are those. I feel like I need to have some prints of these around me as I read my creepy R.I.P. Challenge books.
Why in the world would I post a “Friday Favorite” about something I don’t like Jay? 😉 I am a person with a myriad of likes and I have a HUGE favorites folder of artists and photographers whose work I really, really get into. Mostly I don’t post about things I don’t like. If I read books that are just ‘okay’ I really wouldn’t post a review unless it was something that everyone was reading and I wanted to rail against it. My whole point with the blog is to share things that I like. I stumble upon tons of stuff over the internet that I just don’t care for but I rarely have any passion to write about those things because they don’t ever excite any passion within me! I figure if I’m going to take time away from reading, watching movies, playing games, spending time with family or (God forbid!) work to post about something I better be passionate enough about it to put in the effort.
I have to say too that in my own narrow vision there is a certain something that links all these things together in my mind so it doesn’t seem to me that I am ever posting about anything but books, art, and films that fall into the same general categories. I don’t know how to explain that very well obviously!
Generally everything ties back to moments in my childhood and/or more recent moments when some specific thing really made an impact on me and the things I post about somehow tie into that emotionally for me. That being the case I also feel that if I am criticizing someone else’s work, etc. I am at the same time putting down the others out there that have an emotional tie to that work like I have to the stuff I enjoy.
Hmmmmm….I guess I could do this….sort of like an ‘opposite day’ kind of thing. I got it! Lots of people participate in that Thursday Thirteen thing every week. Maybe next Thursday I’ll do one and post about 13 things I dislike!
Sounds like a challenge to me! But as for the Friday Favorites I am afraid that each and every week you’re going to find me gushing about some artist of some sort. The list of one’s I want to post about grows exponentially each week and my stockpile of adjectives only goes so far! 😉
Oh wow. Love those photos soooo much. I’ve finally managed to get some R.I.P reading in. Maybe I’ll post about it later. But they are so utterly perfect for the mood. Love love love.
I love your Friday Favourites. I’ve never been much of an art person, not being open enough to the art world, I suppose. but the Friday Favourites always open so many doors for me.
Wow those pictures are amazing. Breathtaking even. Very atmospheric and haunting. I’ll have to try to track down some of his work. A calendar with those prints would look great in my house.
Wow. Those are incredible images. Thanks for sharing–if you hadn’t fallen in love with Marsden’s work and shared it here, I would probably not have learned about it.
That’s the cool thing about blogs, isn’t it? It’s like the things we’d chat about around the water cooler at work (rants, reviews, etc), or post in our cubicles (pictures, comics, etc.) if we all worked together.
I did a post related to some of my RIP reading, too, about the Phantom of the Opera, Leroux’s version compared to Webber’s.
Off to battle with my site host, which hasn’t been allowing me to receive email except on the web for 24 hours. I’m tearing my hair out. A bald Colleen will not be pretty. Trust me.
Those images are breathtaking and horrifying and amazing. Thanks for sharing them. I’m not officially participating in the RIP challenge but I might sneak one creepy, Halloweeny book in there somewhere…now it might have to be Poe
Those pictures are even better than I thought they were when I bought the calendar. They create the perfect mood for RIP. You’re such a good inflluence. I now have three going at the same time and I guess I’ll have to add The Essential Frankenstein, since it’s one of them.
I love those photos. I remember a book of his that came out some time ago that I must have seen in The Common Reader catalog! Very atmospheric. I will have to check out the link! It’s a pity we have no crumbling castles here!
Yep, Nebraska is a bit devoid of castles for some reason.
Love the photos and they so fit the mood of the RIP reading we’re all doing. In fact I finished a short story in Gene Wolfe’s Innocents Aboard tonight that I enjoyed and now I’m halfway through The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings. I pulled out all 3 of my Dark Horse Books of … today to add to my RIP reading list.
Cool pix.
I am planning to read Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” a little closer to October, as I’ve never read it but always meant to. Does that count for the RIP reading list? (And if you’ve never read Bradbury’s “The Halloween Tree,” do yourself a favor and pick it up. It’s the perfect Halloween read.)
Something Wicked is definitely R.I.P. reading and I will be checking out the Halloween Tree come October.
These are excellent. Definitely sets a certain tone, doesn’t it? Interestingly, the pic that you open with has a relative near my house. A church, high up on a hill, surrounded by old headstones that makes for an interesting view in the daylight and turns to a very chilling scene at night when they turn the ground lighting on around the perimeter of the church itself. When I drive by at night, there is nothing I’d be surprised to see there.
These are great pictures~very spooky! I am really starting to get in the mood for autumn. I saw some great gourds at the local farmers’ market yesterday! I can’t wait to start setting out the harvest veggie decorations and closer to 10/31 we will be carving the pumpkins. Hurray!
I’m happy that all the Halloween/Autumn decorations are in one box and conveniently located in our mess of a basement! 😉
That sounds like a cool place to drive by Livewire!
Very cool, very creepy! Love those photos.