Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Futurism.
The Strain is an Infectious Vampire Gore Fest
For the past few years vampires have been effectively defanged. All of the initial menace from these terrifying blood suckers has been drained out. In their place we’ve seen then transformed into erotic creatures of lust and desire. Immortal beauties so far removed from their horror roots they become the erotic fixation of teenage fantasy. Stories like Twilight have served to delude and neuter vampires of their menace much to the dismay of longtime horror fans. But famed filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro has had enough of it. No more beautiful lovelorn vampire designed to be fawned over by teenage girls. With The Strain Del Toro sought to create a new kind of vampire that stripped the monster of any sense of romanticism. That was the impetus for the creation of The Strain. Originally Del Toro saw it as a tv series, but he was unable to find anyone interested in producing it amongst the major networks. He took an alternate path by collaborating with novelist Chuck Hogan to turn his idea into a trilogy of books. Ironically enough, a few years later after the runaway success of The Walking Dead, his books were optioned for a tv series so Del Toro got have his original desire of seeing The Strain turned into a TV series.
By James Sullivan10 years ago in Futurism
Philip K. Dick Book to Film Adaptations
Philip K. Dick's work has transformed the way we view science fiction, not only through literature, but through film, as well. He published 44 novels and over 100 short stories, twelve of which have been made into films. Philip K. Dick's influence extends even to present day. The best Philip K. Dick books, such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, are amongst the numerous titles that have been re-released in graphic novel form, made into movies, and inspired television series.
By James T. Whitlock10 years ago in Futurism
Mind Blowing Alternate Reality Movies
The Walter Mitty trailer confused me. I didn't understand, was it an alternate reality movie? By the time I was done with my research on the movie, it was no longer in the theaters. Once I watched it I was still not sure how to describe it, but it left me feeling pretty good. In a medium that doesn’t have many superstars, Mitty is one of the most famous short stories ever written and has been pinging around in the pop culture superconsciousness since it was published in 1939.
By Emily McCay10 years ago in Futurism
Mark Hamill Interview With Maria Shriver
In this revealing Mark Hamill interview, Maria Shriver inquires if the Star Wars icon will reappear in the franchise 20 years from then. She was off by more than a decade but it is intriguing to realize that even as early as the 1983 release of The Return of the Jedi, there were plans for this franchise to live long into the future.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Facebook Can Control Your Mind
Back when I was a smoker, there was a conversation that we smokers would have every few months. Every time they pushed us to a new and more remote shame-hole in the building and eventually outside altogether, every time the price for a pack would shoot up another half dollar, we would look at each other, light up resignedly, and say, “What are you gonna do, quit?”
By David Furgeson10 years ago in Futurism
Philip K. Dick Explains European Sci-Fi
In a rare interview, Philip K. Dick gives us a glimpse into differing perceptions of science fiction in Europe and America. A self analysis of his personal experience battling for legitimacy as a writer reveals very different attitudes toward sci-fi across the Atlantic ocean. While many decades have passed there still prevails a subtle difference between the two cultures that can be felt in the publishing industry.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
How Dinosaurs Had Sex
I remember the moment I realized, as an adult, that I didn't know how birds had sex. I was gazing out the window of the library, considering a couple of sparrows on a telephone wire outside. They were sitting side-by-side, gazing outwards, as birds sometimes do, and I found myself wondering about their courtship. First came love, I mused, then...what? What happened between easeful flitting around on telephone wires and the domestic menage of egg-and-nest? I was shocked that I'd never even considered this question before.
By Claire Evans10 years ago in Futurism
Medicinal Mushroom Magic
Medicinal mushrooms produce medically important natural metabolites or can be induced to do so with biotechnology. There is a range of medical compounds that include antibiotics, cholesterol inhibitors, anti cancer drugs, psychotropic drugs, and a few fungicides. Though early discoveries focused on basic moulds which cause spoiling of food, later work would identify helpful compounds across many types of fungi. Naturalists have preached the benefits of medicinal mushrooms for decades. They know where to find the best fungi and understand the sound scientific benefits of the specific types of mushrooms they find.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Science Fiction Author Frederik Pohl
Pohl’s early career unfolded over the background of the Great Depression and the Second World War, a climate of unimaginable fear and uncertainty. This was the so-called "Golden Age" of science fiction, the years of John W. Campbell's catalytic editorship of Astounding Science Fiction, when pulp publishing was slowly metamorphosing into a defined genre, an era when its practitioners hadn’t yet begun to comment on the gloomy aspects of progress. To Pohl’s generation, science represented the potential for escape from the disaster of economic failure and war. No one was looking for a downside; they only saw the virgin capacities of uncolonized planets, and dreamt of a people united in the betterment of the species through new technology. “In those early days,” Pohl writes in his lovely collection of short stories, The Early Pohl, “we were as innocent as physicists, popes and presidents. We saw only the promise, not the threat.”
By Claire Evans10 years ago in Futurism
I Surgically Implanted Earbuds Under My Skin
The human body doesn't do upgrades. Take poor care of your machinery, and there's no reboot, no system overhaul, no virus software that can come to your aid. In terms of the basic sensory apparatus and what it offers, you're pretty much stuck with the equipment you're born with. At least, until now.
By Claire Evans10 years ago in Futurism
Weird Scientology Facts
Leah Remini once believed in it. Tom Cruise still believes in it. The "it" would be the mysterious and sometimes devious Church of Scientology. Unless you are on the inside, the beliefs system of Scientologists is a curious matter. Try as you might to understand it, some things are better left alone. But, if you would like to broaden your horizons and learn a little something something about what all the fuss is about, take a journey into Scientology. Read on and learn 10 things you most likely did not know about the place that John Travolta calls home.
By Matthew Wilder10 years ago in Futurism