Nicholas Kaufmann's Journal

My latest "State of the Genre" column is up at Fear Zone. This time I throw a menorahful of spotlights on a little known subgenre near and dear to my own heart: Jewish Horror.

The Dybbuk, a demonic spirit that takes possession of the living, hasn't fared quite as well as the Golem in popular culture. Aside from the 1937 movie THE DYBBUK and a small handful of novels, this spectral fiend hasn't been given much attention at all until this year's THE UNBORN, which features a Dybbuk possessing a young Jewish woman. Though the movie contains a run-of-the-mill exorcism scene, at least it's probably the first exorcism anyone has ever seen in a horror movie that involves the blowing of the shofar-- the traditional ram's horn trumpet sounded during the Jewish New Year services!

Don't mind me, I'll just sit here in the dark while you go read. No, no, I'm fine, don't make such a fuss. I only gave birth to you after seventy hours of labor.

You may remember back on February 19th, I took part in the In the Flesh Reading Series at the Happy Ending Lounge in NYC for Susie Bright Night, in honor of the book X: The Erotic Treasury. I read some non-dirty parts from my dirty story "Comeback," which went over pretty well.

And now you can see for yourself! The readings were recorded that night, divvied up by reader, and posted individually to YouTube. You can watch me read here, if you're so inclined. Video's about five minutes long, and probably not work safe.

I can't watch it myself. I get kind of freaked out and hypercritical when I see and hear myself like that. Stupid, I know, but it's a thing. Anyway, I hope it's as much fun to watch as it was for me to read that night!