Editorials
Dark Fantasy: The Horror History of ‘Dungeons & Dragons’
With the rise of the internet culture and positive exposure in shows like Stranger Things, Role-Playing Games have acquired a reputation as a fun hobby that virtually anyone can enjoy. Of course, it wasn’t always this way. There was a time when weekend warriors and wizards were frowned upon by society, with these innocent gamers becoming associated with crime and the occult during the infamous “Satanic Panic” – “Stranger Things 4” touched upon this very thing.
Believing that young gamers are secretly devil worshippers simply because they enjoy getting together to collectively tell fantasy stories about slaying monsters in faraway lands is obviously ridiculous, but old-school Dungeons & Dragons did in fact have plenty of horrific inspirations behind the game. That’s why it makes sense that some sensitive teachers and parents might have been scared off by the manual’s allusions to the horror genre.
And with Hollywood once again attempting to bring the game to the big screen with Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s upcoming D&D: Honor Among Thieves, which promises to be a much more faithful take on the IP than the 2000 iteration (and its direct-to-video sequels), we thought that this might be a good time to look back on the horrific history of Dungeons & Dragons.
Originally created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson way back in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons began life as a wargaming supplement before becoming the interactive story generator that we know and love. Obviously inspired by the works of fantasy authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, the creators set out to gamify the mythic hero’s journey in a faraway land. However, despite what some critics claim, Tolkien’s Middle Earth was only one small part of what informed the creation of D&D.
It’s actually quite difficult to point out a single source of inspiration for the game, but it’s clear that Gygax and Arneson’s work was almost exclusively informed by the popular dark fantasy narratives of their time, with the duo forgoing the genre’s traditionally bucolic elements in favor of hellish monsters and supernatural terror. Borrowing from decidedly gloomy stories like Michael Moorcock’s Elric books (which popularized future RPG staples like cursed weapons and magic potions), the game wasn’t exactly “child-friendly” at launch.
In fact, Dungeons & Dragons owes a lot more to Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian than anything else, with Howard’s thrilling yarns about warriors facing eldritch abominations and embarking on perilous quests in a long-forgotten land feeling a lot more in line with the modern tabletop RPG experience than Tolkien’s idyllic version of Europe. Not only that, but Howard was also a close friend to H.P. Lovecraft, with the two exchanging plenty of notes on their respective mythos and even writing stories set in each others’ weird worlds.
This cosmic horror influence inevitably made it into D&D, with the game always having featured thinly veiled versions of Lovecraftian monsters (Gibbering Mouthers are clearly Shoggoths and the Kuo-Toa are obviously the Deep Ones). The Cthulhu Mythos would also inspire the vast pantheon of ancient gods in the Forgotten Realms setting, and it’s no coincidence that the success of D&D soon led to the creation of the other immensely popular role-playing series, Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu. Directly gamifying Lovecraft’s troubled protagonists and madness-inducing gods while still featuring pulpy dungeon crawls and slayable monsters, Chaosium’s game was a gruesome alternative for players who were interested in pure horror.
That being said, if you look at some of the older D&D adventures, you’ll find countless examples of adventurers being forced to face traditionally horrific monsters and locations, from the Lovecraftian Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh to the infamous Tomb of Horrors. Even the archetypal concept of an adventuring party exploring a dark dungeon filled with deadly traps and unnameable creatures borrows heavily from gothic horror, and that’s why plenty of old adventures are inspired by the stories of writers like Edgar Allan Poe and even Bram Stoker. After all, there’s a reason why undead beings like zombies, ghouls and vampires are some of the most common adventurer fodder ever since the very first RPG campaigns.
Beyond the world of literature, many of the game’s monsters also drew inspiration from real world mythology and even cryptozoology, with the monster manual featuring everything from the legendary yeti to the Germanic Kobold, as well as the Jewish Golem!
Some of the game’s original creations are quite terrifying as well, with the many-eyed beholder having its origins in a literal nightmare and the gelatinous cube tapping into the same otherworldly horror as The Blob. It’s actually said that Gygax took inspiration from a bag of bootleg plastic toys when coming up with the original monster manual back in the 70s, leading to some downright bizarre designs. Coupled with the lovably strange artwork, this explains the sheer weirdness behind many of the game’s man-eating beasts.
Obviously, none of this “spookiness” justifies a country-wide panic associating D&D with satanism and murderous cults. Despite what religious propaganda and fear-mongering media (like the early Tom Hanks movie Mazes and Monsters) would have you believe, role-playing was never a gateway to criminal or even occult activities; it just so happened that these games had the same target audience as other stigmatized media of the time, such as heavy metal and horror fiction.
Even back in the 80s, TSR representatives explained that the game was never meant to glorify its “scary” or “occult” elements, going so far as to point out that the player characters were technically forces for good. However, as internet culture continues to exemplify, it’s really hard to rationalize complex issues when faced with a paranoid mob, especially when subversive media is involved.
At the end of the day, the horror genre has always walked hand-in-hand with dark fantasy storytelling, and that’s why RPG-influenced media has a habit of also featuring horrific elements (like the aforementioned Stranger Things or even films like Joe Lynch’s horror comedy Knights of Badassdom). However, much like the fantasy stories that inspired it, Dungeons & Dragons remains a fun form of escapism where heroes triumph over the terrifying forces of evil. While the monsters and demons aren’t necessarily the focus of the experience, these spooky elements are definitely a big part of what makes role-playing so much fun, and I hope to see some of that in the upcoming adaptation.
D&D: Honor Among Thieves releases in theaters on March 31, 2023.
Editorials
‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel
The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.
The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.
Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.
With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).
It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.
The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.
The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.
Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.
Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.
Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.
The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.
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