hamlet

Madame is the greatest star of them all.

Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach (1851–1913) - Isle of the dead, 1905

Dave McKean (b. 1963) - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 2009

Stuart Gordon: submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the castle freak King: is this a freak who lives in a castle or someone who's a freak for castles? Gordon: Gordon: what do you think steve King: probably the first thing? Gordon: obviously

Gordon: so this castle freak Barker: wait i also have a question Barker: a question about the castle freak Gordon: what do you want to know about the castle freak? Poe: can you all stop saying castle freak Barker: no

Barker: what kind of freak is this castle freak? Barker: is it, like, someone who, say, has a whole room full of stale candy? Barker: or a four foot fence? Gordon: no it's the good kind of freak Gordon: like a mutant Barker: now we're talkin!

Gordon: so this american family inherits an italian castle Gordon: but what they don't know Gordon: is that this castle comes with a freaky little surprise Barker: is the surprise a castle freak? Gordon: Gordon: yes but Gordon: don't give it away

Gordon: don't give away the ending! Barker: feel like the title already gave it away Gordon: what? Gordon: how does the title give away that there's a freak in the castle? Barker: the title is "castle freak" Gordon: Gordon: that's a typo

Gordon: so this american family now owns a castle with a castle freak Gordon: grit eatin' freak Gordon: scum suckin', pea head with a lousy physique Gordon: he's a one man, no gut, losing streak Gordon: nothin' but a castle freak

Gordon: then a prostitute mysteriously disappears from the neighboring town Gordon: and the cops are really intent on finding her Barker: phhbt i could buy a castle freak Barker: but this is getting kinda unrealistic

Charles Daubigny (1817–1878) - Gibet de Montfaucon

illustration from Victor Hugo's novel ‘Notre-Dame de Paris’, édition Perrotin, 1844

engraved by Adèle Laisné