David John Skal (June 21, 1952 – January 1, 2024) was an American cultural historian, critic, writer, and on-camera commentator known for his research and analysis of horror films, horror history and horror culture.

Early life

David John Skal was born in Garfield Heights, Ohio, on June 21, 1952. He studied journalism at

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

, where he worked as a film critic and assistant editor for the college's newspaper. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1974. After graduation, he interned with the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

and became the publicity director for the

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

Stage Company. Skal later held positions with the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and the

Theatre Communications Group Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is a non-profit service organization headquartered in New York City that promotes professional non-profit theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, us ...

of New York. During the 1980s, Skal completed three science fiction novels: ''Scavengers'' (1980), ''When We Were Good'' (1981), and ''Antibodies'' (1988)."David J. Skal". ''Contemporary Authors Online''. Gale. September 27, 2005. Retrieved from GaleNet on October 25, 2008.

Non-fiction writing

Skal authored and edited various books, mostly on cult film history, and contributed forewords and essays to many others. His first non-fiction work was 1990's ''Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen''. This book discusses the various adaptations of

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...

's 1897 novel ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

'', and the role of the

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

archetype in popular culture. A large portion of the book describes the efforts of Stoker's widow

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

to protect the rights to her husband's work. The book also contains the first in-depth study of a Spanish-language Dracula film produced in 1931. Kathleen Quinn of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' praised ''Hollywood Gothic'', writing, "Skal tracks Transylvania's most popular vampire with dry wit and the skills of a fine detective." Kenneth Turan of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' called it "witty and comprehensive", and quipped that it was "something to gnaw on long after those trick-or-treaters are gone". Writing in 2004, David Colton of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' noted that the book had "become one of the field's essential reads" and had " aisedthe standards for horror researchers". In 1993, Skal released his second non-fiction book, titled ''The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror''. In this book, Skal analyzes the history of horror films, drawing parallels between those films and the cultural crises of their times, such as

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is an oral administered medication used to treat a number of cancers (e.g., multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and many skin disorders (e.g., complication ...

controversies, and the

AIDS epidemic The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...

. M.L. Lyke of the ''

Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. Th ...

'' called ''The Monster Show'' "the perfect intellectual primer for a Halloween weekend". Stefan Dziemianowicz of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' argued that some of Skal's arguments were "pretty far-fetched", but added that, as a whole, the book "offers persuasive evidence that in order to understand a culture, you must know what it fears". Skal collaborated with Elias Savada to produce 1995's ''Dark Carnival: The Secret World of

Tod Browning Tod Browning (born Charles Albert Browning Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American film director, film actor, screenwriter, vaudeville performer, and carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He directed a number of films of var ...

, Hollywood's Master of the Macabre''. ''Dark Carnival'' was the first book-length biography of Tod Browning, best known for directing '' Freaks'' and the 1931 version of ''

''. Writing in the '' Journal of Popular Film and Television'', Martin F. Norden described it as "a compelling, in-depth examination of one of America's first

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

directors". Steven E. Alford of the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

'' remarked, "''Dark Carnival'' succeeds in resurrecting the reputation of one of Hollywood's long-buried eccentrics." Skal's other major publications include ''V Is for Vampire: The A to Z Guide to Everything Undead'' (1996), ''Screams of Reason: Mad Science and Modern Culture'' (1998), '' Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween'' (2002), and ''

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Supp ...

: An Actor's Voice'' (2008). Skal also co-edited the 1997 Norton Critical Edition of Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' and compiled the 2001 anthology ''Vampires: Encounters with the Undead''. His biography of Bram Stoker, ''Something in the Blood'', was published in October 2016. Skal regularly contributed film reviews to '' The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction''.

Bibliography

* ''Scavengers'' (1980) * ''When We Were Good'' (1981) * ''Graphic Communications for the Performing Arts'' (1981) * ''Theatre Profiles 4'' (1981) editor * ''Antibodies'' (1988) * ''Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of

from Novel to Stage to Screen'' (1990) * ''

: The Ultimate, Illustrated Edition of the World-Famous Vampire Play'' (1993) editor * ''The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror'' (1993) * ''Dark Carnival: The Secret World of

'' (1995) with Elias Savada * ''V is for

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

: The A-Z Guide to Everything Undead'' (1996) * ''Screams of Reason: Mad Science in Modern Culture'' (1998) * ''Vampires: Encounters With the Undead'' (2001) * ''Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

'' (2002) * ''Romancing the Vampire: Collectors Vault'' (2009) * ''Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of

, the Man Who Wrote Dracula'' (2016) * ''Halloween: The History of America’s Darkest Holiday'' (2016) * ''

: An Actor's Voice'' (2020) with Jessica Rains * ''Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond'' (2020)

Documentaries

Skal made numerous appearances in theatrical, televised and home video documentaries, such as '' The 100 Scariest Movie Moments'' and ''The Perfect Scary Movie''. He wrote, produced and directed DVD supplemental documentaries and/or audio commentaries for a number of films, including ''Dracula'' (1931), ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

'' (1931), ''Freaks'' (1932), '' The Mummy'' (1932), ''

The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is an 1897 science fiction novel by British writer H. G. Wells. Originally serialised in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a s ...

'' (1933), ''

Bride of Frankenstein ''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American Gothic science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring ...

'' (1935), '' The Wolf Man'' (1941), ''

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein ''Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'' is a 1948 American horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton (director), Charles Barton. The film features Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi), who has partnered with Dr. Sandra Mornay (Lenore Aubert) in or ...

'' (1948), '' Creature from the Black Lagoon'' (1954), and '' Gods and Monsters'' (1998). Skal appeared in '' Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon'' (2008) in which he discusses, as a gay

cultural critic A cultural critic is a critic of a given culture, usually as a whole. Cultural criticism has significant overlap with social and cultural theory. While such criticism is simply part of the self-consciousness of the culture, the social positions o ...

, the cultural impact of iconic gay pornographic film star Jack Wrangler.

Audio commentaries

* '' The Mystic'' (1925) * '' The Unknown'' (1927) * ''

'' (1931) * '' Freaks'' (1932)

Personal life and death

Skal lived in Los Angeles, and was in a long term relationship with Robert Postawko. On January 1, 2024, Skal and Postawko were involved in a traffic collision in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

, when a vehicle crossed into their lane and struck their car head-on. Skal died in the crash at the age of 71, while Postawko initially survived but eventually died from his injuries on February 6.

References

External links

*
Official website
(archived) *
David J. Skal
at

Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and readi ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Skal, David 1952 births 2024 deaths 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American biographers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American LGBTQ people American LGBTQ novelists American film historians American gay writers American male biographers American male novelists American science fiction writers Filmed deaths in the United States LGBTQ people from Ohio People from Garfield Heights, Ohio The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction people Road incident deaths in California