Das Gruselkabinett
(The Chamber of Horrors)
In his Dreams of a Spirit-Seer, the philosopher Kant called the shadow realm a paradise for phantasists, an infinite country that can be extended ad infinitum. Hypochondriac fantasies, old wives' tales and religious miracles provide plenty of building materials. Lessing wondered who said that we no longer believe in ghosts, and what that meant. Does it mean something like: We have finally come so far with our insights that we can prove the impossibility of their existence? That we can mock the spirit world in the light of day, and tell each other gruesome stories about it in the dark of night? On the one hand, there are the ghosts and spirits of the hereafter, and on the other, horrible creatures that are decidedly earthbound whose terribleness does not lie in their transcendental nature.
The 'infernal trio' that is the Thalbach clan – mother, daughter, granddaughter – is the perfect line-up for this exploration of all kinds of ghost and horror stories: Fearless, courageous and at times comical, they face whatever comes their way without batting so much as an eyelid. Infected by Dracula's bite, they perform as undead versions of themselves until, at the end of the witching hour, they transform back into their very much alive selves to take their bow.
