Cecilia Abate and Horror Scholar Journal Vol 2.: Hannibal

Cecilia Abate AKA Horror Scholar created a brand and magazine to make horror academia accessible, fun, and engaging. On her Facebook group, her values/methods are:

1) Media does not exist in a void.

2) Horror deserves scholarship.

3) Critical analysis is not censorship, not is it inherently negative.

4) Creators and consumers strengthen the genre through examination and discussion.

5) Horror is a community that should support and protect its own and strive for progress in terms of diversity, awareness, and inclusion

6) Both horror and scholarship are for everyone. Gatekeeping hurts the community.

Abate commits to inclusivity on all levels and opens up horror scholarship with paid work for writers and an always free magazine for readers. The magazine is an indie production completely designed and created by her. 

The first edition focused on American Horror Story and the second focused on Hannibal, which she generously offered to me in advance for review. The Hannibal magazine features 6 in-depth articles on aspects of the books, movies, and TV shows of Thomas Harris' stories (Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, etc.). All of them brought unique perspectives to each media. 

Queerness and the Supernatural in Hannibal by Sasha Rivera focuses on the wendigo and stag figures as well as the relationship between Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham in the show Hannibal and compares them to Carmilla and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Gender and Adaptation by Mason Hawthorne tackles characters outside of gender norms in Harris' work and how they adapted in different media. While I thought they brought up valid points in terms of the portrayal of Margot Verger in Hannibal and Jame Gumb in the film Silence of the Lambs, I thought their assessment of Clarice in the latter movie reduced Jodie Foster's work and focused on one aspect of it (her physical difference to men in her field) rather than the strength and success she had. 

Abigail Hobbes and Fan Reproduction of the Victim/Survivor/Perpetratory Trichotomy by Lorraine Rumson shows how fans focus on Abigail role as victim and survivor rather than her less palatable, more complex role as both alongside perpetrator of violence. This was my favorite of the articles because women are complex and don't always fit in the boxes they are shoved into. One status doesn't cancel the others out and it's disengenuous to chalk up all of her actions to being "brainwashed by Hannibal." Abigail is one of my favorite characters and this article truly articulated why she is much more complex than most give her credit for. 

Clothing Symbolism in Hannibal by Megan McAllister focuses on Hannibal's literal tailored suits, their colors, and possible meanings as well as his person suit to put people at ease and escape notice. Gourmet Cannibalism: The Appeal of Hannibal Lecter by Ciara Ruane discusses the change of cannibalism from something base and savage (as portrayed historically, particularly towards indigenous people) to something bourgeois and motivated by his unique code of ethics where rudeness is deserving of death. Jonathan Demme's Use of Music in The Silence of the Lambs by Eric J. Lawrence was another article I loved. It analyzes not only Howard Shore's Score, but the incidental music, sounds, and silence in the film. 

The journal as a whole is amazing with a sleek design, informative articles, and a glossary in the back to define terms. Cecilia Abate truly makes these articles accessible to all and I look forward to more issues of the magazine. 

Hannibal: Music

My love for the Hannibal TV show can't be contained in only one post. I love the use of music in the show and inspired by the show.

1) the official soundtrack



The official soundtrack supports and enhances the show well. In the first season, it's more ambient and blends in. It mixes conventional instruments with digital manipulation and sounds. In the second season, the soundtrack is much more obtrusive, using loud unpitched percussion. Although it can be a little overwhelming, I think it reflects the mood of the show well. I'm sad there's no official soundtrack on sale.

2) the classical music



You can't have a show with Hannibal Lecter and not feature classical music in just about every episode. This helpful Tumblr compiled all the music featured on each episode complete with links to listen. Classical music accompanies banal scenes and horrific scenes alike and gives a sense of class and sophistication or enhances the disturbing scenes by pairing it with something beautiful. My personal favorite piece featured is Debussy's La cathedrale engloutie.

3) Fan made music



Lots of Fannibals have made music, but my very favorite compose is Halia Meguid, who was also a featured singer on the the sixth season of Doctor Who. Her song Ravenstag was featured by NBC and they created a wonderful lyric video with clips from the show. I wish they would just use this for the theme song at the beginning of the show because it captures Hannibal, Will Graham, and their relationship so well.



The other of her songs I love is called Daughter. It is from the point of view of Abigail Hobbs from the first season whose father killed and ate young girls who looked like her. I love how Halia takes plot points and then describes them poetically and less directly. I'm obsessed with this song from the style to her voice. I just wish the recording were a bit better.

Hannibal

Hannibal is one of my very favorite TV shows on right now, next to RuPaul's Drag Race and Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, it's the only one of the shows I enjoy watching that is in danger of being cancelled. It's one of the most simultaneously beautiful and horrific shows I've ever scene. The attention to detail, cinematography, acting, and plot are at a level I didn't think possible for a network TV show.

Hannibal Lecter is an iconic movie villain, originating (in a visual medium) in the film The Silence of the Lambs where his intense presence and penchant for human flesh and manipulation made him stand out despite his time on screen only being 16 minutes. The show Hannibal explores the time when no one was aware he was a cannibal killer and he worked closely with the FBI, feeding them people without their knowledge and manipulating the investigations to his satisfaction. Mads Mikkelsen plays Hannibal and makes the character his own. Where Anthony Hopkins is overtly creepy and aggressively makes people uncomfortable, Mikkelsen is very reserved, stoic, and calculating with an undercurrent of malice. The manipulative aspect is definitely present, just much more subtle to suit his current needs. He can change that peaceful exterior in a second and savagely attack his victims. The cultured side of him that enjoys classical music, cooking gourmet meals, and creating art is explored more since it's hard to do so in a jail cell. His modus operandi is to kill people who are rude or those to close to figuring out his true nature. His kills are very artistic and are often ironic. For example, a man guilty of paving over an endangered owls habitat is infused in a tree with his organs replaced by poisonous flowers with a nest on his head. A truly free Hannibal is something we've never seen before and it's been a wonderful way to further explore the character.

The other characters have been changed and portrayed differently than expected based on the books and movies. Will Graham is much more messed up than previously portrayed. He has the ability to empathize with serial killers and see from their mindset when he analyzes crime scenes. This involves visualizing himself committing the murders to understand the killers. Unfortunately, he's not a sociopath and his mental and emotional health suffers because of it, but he finds it worth it to save lives. Freddy Lounds is cast as a woman and it transforms the character. She is still the obtrusive, rude, and unapologetic tabloid reporter, but her drive to not let anything get in her way and her sly intelligence makes her slightly endearing. I love to hate her because of her horrible smugness and how she has to be loudest in the room. Frederick Chilton has the most shocking change in the show. In the first season and the movies, he is horrible: often wrong about things, but unable to see beyond his gigantic ego to see or admit it and primarily out to make himself look good. In the second season, he transforms into a snarky and sassy person. He figures out Hannibal's secret and makes the most hilarious one liners and observations. He's also been accused of Hannibal's crimes and he may be annoying, but he doesn't deserve to rot in jail or be executed for something he didn't even do. Even though his ego is still huge, they've made Chilton someone I don't want to die. Other characters are changed: Jack Crawford is played by Laurence Fishburne and Alan Bloom is now Alana Bloom. The show nonchalantly racebends and genderbends the cast to create a much more diverse array of people without stereotypically portraying them or marginalizing them.

I love watching the show, knowing how it's supposed to end up (if the writers choose to follow the books or films) and wondering how it's supposed to get there. I have no idea how Hannibal will be caught because he seems to weasel and manipulate everything perfectly. Every episode has twists and turns that are quite shocking. Some suspension of disbelief has to be employed, but the show is so well written, acted, and put together that it's quite easy to believe that you can't walk two feet without running into a serial killer or that Hannibal has infinite amounts of time to murder people, make elaborate tableaux with their bodies, cook, hold dinner parties, work with the FBI, write music for the harpsichord, and still have time to do his real job as a psychiatrist. This is really the only complaint I have about the show and it doesn't even bother me.

Hannibal is a wonderful show with dynamic characters, beautiful yet disturbing visuals, and twisty plot. I highly recommend this show and I would really love it if it escaped the Bryan Fuller 2 season curse. If it sounds even remotely interesting, please give it a watch on Hulu or Amazon, or NBC.com.