Our first novel! We ARE literate! Hooray!
Benighted is the second novel by J.B. Priestly, both his first and second were published in 1927, though he didn't make it big until his third novel, The Good Companions which came out in 1929.
Benighted was released in the US as "The Old Dark House" which references how it's a deconstruction or summation of "Old Dark House" stories, a popular subgenre at the time. Similar to how Joss Whedon's CABIN IN THE WOODS was named to be the same for that particular subgenre.
Speaking of movies, Benighted is best known for its film adaptation in 1932 titled "The Old Dark House", which has been called "the apotheosis of Old Dark House chillers" by William K. Everson in his 1974 book Classics of the Horror Film. If you're in the States, the film is freely available to watch on TUBI, and I highly recommend it. Directed by James Whale who directed the OG Boris Karloff Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and Invisible Man, and starring Boris Karloff alongside James Whale regulars Ernest Thesiger, Lilian Bond, Eva Moore, and Gloria Stuart, and additional well-known actors Charles Laughton, Melvyn Douglas, Raymond Massey and a stunning physical performance by one Brember Wills in the finale.
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The Wines
DALLAS' WINE:
2018 Chateau Laubespin Le Moulin Medoc
A robust, straightforward Bordeaux, perfect for everyday drinking. It has beautiful notes of acidity, balanced with jammy red and black fruits, cedar and a hint of graphite. Enjoy on its own or with a Dark and Stormy Night.
DAVE'S NOT-WINE:
A one-of-a-kind take on coffee liqueurs. Amaro (the Italian word for "bitter") is a category of liqueur characterized by its bitter, herbal, and slightly sweet flavor which stems from the use of botanicals, herbs, and cane syrup. Rated 92 points in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge, Caffè Amaro is a collaborative effort with Kansas City-based coffee roasters, Thou Mayest, who select a single-origin coffee roast (in this case, a Summatra) to contribute to the flavors the botanicals generate.
Caffé Amaro spends a brief amount of time in a whiskey barrel resulting in a rich, bittersweet flavor that works great in cocktails or can be enjoyed by itself after a meal while sheltering in an Old Dark House.
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