If someone ever invents a machine to let us visit other universes, the first thing we'll do is head for the DVD section. Because the history of science fiction and fantasy is full of things that almost happened — to the point where there's test footage, screen tests, and audition tapes online. Here's some of the most…
A single image covers 67 years of Penguin science fiction book covers
Check out this weird timeline of book covers, showing which colors dominated on their Penguin book covers over the years. It looks like War of the Worlds had a long yellow period, while Journey to the Center of the Earth was cream-colored for decades. Arthur Buxton created this graphic to honor Jules Verne's 185th…
50+ Glorious Opening Voiceovers from Science Fiction Movies
Behold the wondrous opening sequence of Spielberg's War of the Worlds. Any movie that starts with Morgan Freeman's cask-aged voice, telling us we're screwed, is off to a great start. Many science-fiction movies open with voiceover narration, which prepares you for greatness... or bombards you with backstory.
The original War Of The Worlds radio broadcast is still intensely scary
On Sunday, Oct. 30th in 1938 Orson Welles broadcast a dramatization of War of The Worlds from his New York Studio. And the exceptionally realistic retelling of H.G. Wells' classic alien invasion story caused a whole nation to panic. It's strange to listen to now, especially after various false reports generated a lot…
Your Last Chance to See Some Truly Righteous Fantasy Art
This is the last weekend for an exhibit that includes some trippy art like the above "War of the Worlds" painting by José Segrelles, alongside some glorious paintings by Frank Frazetta, H.R. Giger, Boris Vallejo and more. "At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic" is ending on Sunday, at the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh…
How Science Saved a Dream That 'War of the Worlds' Ruined
War of the Worlds deserved the splash it made when it first came out, from both a dramatic and scientific point of view. It did, however, wreck my youthful ideas of space travel. Fortunately, science has recuperated them.
How a Crappy Unauthorized Sequel Created All of Science Fiction's Main…
Over at Cracked, there's a pretty fantastic rundown of all of the science fiction plot mainstays that came from one terrible book: Edison's Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Serviss. Including ray guns, a spaceship with a working airlock, spacesuits, and epic space battles.
In 1913, a Utah newspaper reported that a giant mosquito robot would…
On March 9, 1913, the still-around Salt Lake Tribune published a one Dr. Gustav Luchy's simple plan to traverse the wastes of Antarctica and extract the continent's vast mineral riches.
What was Steven Spielberg's last great genre movie?
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