Episode 518 - The Hound of Death

I can't wait for the eventual encounter between Probably Not Steven Spielberg and Lying Vincent Price.

Ethan Cordray

I imagine it's beyond this podcast's purview, but both of the latter two volumes of Lewis's Space Trilogy contain what seem to be to be extremely specific Lovecraftian cosmic horror beats. Lewis employs these toward an "anti-Lovecraftian" effect, going to to show how cosmic horror could be integrated into an optimistic Christian cosmological view. But in the moments in which they occur, they read like things straight out of Lovecraft (particularly the subterranean ant monster in Perelandra, and the descent of Saturn in That Hideous Strength). It's made me wonder whether Lewis ever actually read HPL (I don't know how available Weird Tales was in England at the time), or whether he was just pulling from related British weird fiction writers like Machen, Blackwood, and Hodgson. Personally, I got into Lovecraft in college, at the same time that I was reading Lewis and the other Inklings in literature classes, so that connection was strong for me.

Ethan Cordray

Ten Soldiers and not Tin Soldiers? That's just the plot calling out the metal lack.

The original title of “And Then There Were None” was from the minstrel song that forms the basis for the plot. Like “Eeny Meeny Miny Moe” the words have been changed to be less offensive. The current version of the song in the book is “Ten little soldier boys.”

Ben Gilbert

When I think of Agatha Christie I don’t usually think of heavy metal That said if Blasted Heath is still playing then Hound of Death should be your next album

Excellent work managing to link Agatha Christie's work with The Manimalverse. Very appropriate for… Hawktober! No? Ah well, suit yourselves 😁

As her husband, I can attest to her non-accent accent originating from... Colorado! *gasp, lightning flash, etc.* We have also lived in Beirut for a couple years, though, so that almost certainly played into it. :)

I need to read more of Agatha Christy’s stuff! I really liked this story and questionable insanity always makes for interesting characters

Did a second listen of the episode and noticed Kayla Murphy has a melodious non-accent accent, does this have anything to do with being a international traveler?

Nomnom De Gair

Spielberg sounds kind of like Morty... maybe getting pranked Justin Roilland

Agatha is a really good movie, despite the lack of large and yet narrow-waisted flying insect

Pearce Duncan

Is Anne Struthers related to Sally Struthers?

Has anyone seen Lying Vincent Price and this Spielberg fellow in the same room at the same time?

Stewart Huntsman

This whole thing could have been a setup for Hellboy story, I had no idea Agatha Christie dabbled in weird.

This reminded me a band called The Jolts have a cool song called the Dabbler and another called Miskatonic High. Very worth a listen.

After all the fashion war jokes, you let the Affair st Styles slip by?

This story is redolent of other Metaphysical authors such as C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams. In particular Williams Many Dimensions about a magical stone, and Lewis's Space Trilogy (rather than Narnia). Both were writing modernist Christian fantasies and science fiction with a millennialist bent.

Steve

I think Suspicious Spielberg might have more to do with Lying Vincent Price than anyone else.

Steve

My last directing gig was And Then There Were None. AC can write her ass off, but that original play ending is a total cringe-fest. And let's not let Mr. Lucas get away with impersonating Steven, all right?

I wonder if Dr. Rose's name, his occult studies, and Sister Marie Angelique's statement that "he is of the Brotherhood" are clues that he's a Rosicrucian? According to Agatha Christie's Wikipedia entry, some of her earliest writing was inspired by an interest in spiritualism and the paranormal, so I'd assume she had some knowledge of the esoteric orders and secret societies that grew out of Rosicrucianism. One of them, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, was especially well known and included among its acknowledged or suspected members such luminaries as Arthur Machen, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the self-proclaimed "Wickedest Man in the World," ceremonial magician Aleister Crowley. Anyway, thanks for introducing me to this story; I'll definitely check out Christie's other forays into Weird Fiction.

What a great story! Felt like a lost Universal horror movie.

Clint Page

Loving the big budget guest guys. Very impressive. I knew this podcast was incredibly popular worldwide but I didn't realize it was Steven Spielberg popular. Congratulations, again, on the get 😉

Josh Miller

For some reason I was 'worried' you guys were going to bail on the Spielberg bit ^_^

Nomnom De Gair

Loved this story and this episode! In answer to Chad’s question, there are many films and tv shows about Christie’s disappearance. There is a film from 1979 called Agatha with Vanessa Redgrave and Dustin Hoffman. More importantly, it was the subject of an episode of Doctor Who with David Tennant called The Unicorn and the Wasp.