"A Movie That Happens Everywhere Matters Nowhere." - Alfred Hitchcock ("Blackmail" (1929); "Murder!"

Frans Francken the Younger’s "Chamber of Art and Antiquities" (1636). 

A painting depicting a 17th century cabinet of curiosities made up of art, collectibles, and oddities from the natural world.

"Chained" ("Conan the Usurper") by Frank Frazetta.

"Conan the Barbarian" by Frank Frazetta.

Fun Fact:

As much as I admire the legends of merfolk and swan maidens, we ought to give some spotlight to the selkies.

Selkie folk, also known as "seal folk", come from Norse and Celtic folklore. They're what's known as "therianthropes", meaning they can transform from human to animal at will. In the case of the selkie, this is done by shedding their seal skin. When in their human form, selkies are super attractive. Both males and females have humans chasing after them, if they're lucky enough to see them naked on the beach.

The stories about male selkies are pretty hilarious and usually entail them being the object of desire for bored housewives (they were essentially medieval pool boys), but the female selkies always had it rougher. Men would steal their seal skin so they couldn't change back to their natural form, then coerce them into marriage. And what's really tragic is that even if the selkie does marry the thief, falls in love with him and has his children, the moment that she rediscovers her hidden selkie skin, she abandons her family and makes her escape back to the ocean, because that is where she's truly meant to be.

Created by a Greek god, Talos was a metallic giant that guarded the island of Crete. Greek myths say that this beast broke huge chunks of rock off the cliffs to throw at approaching ships and burned men on his blazing bronze skin, which was nearly as hot as the sun. The giant's brute strength could wipe out an invading army.

Talos was said to be a metallic giant made entirely out of bronze, and stood about 30 feet tall. This beast was crafted atop Mt. Olympus by Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths, and sent by Zeus to guard the shores of the island of Crete.

This legendary giant was given life by a fluid called ichor, which was the blood of the gods. Ichor ran through a single vein that stretched from Talos' neck to his heel. A nail was used as a plug in the giant's foot to keep the fluid from running out.

His name comes from the Latin word "talus," which means "enduring".

Plus, fun fact, Hephaestus, the god that created Talos, also made metallic dancing women and fire-breathing bulls.

Superman: The Movie, to me, remains one of the supreme comic book to film adaptations of all time.

Did you know that in Southeast Asian folklore there's a flying bat monkey hybrid that abducts children?

It's called the "Orang Bati" and it's described as being four to five feet tall with reddish skin, large black leathery wings and a long leathery tail. Said to inhabit the island of Seram in Indonesia, the Orang Bati is a nocturnal creature with a diet that mostly consists of small, adorable children who are easy to pick up and fly away with. It's raids take place in the darkness of night and before descending into the villages and cities that border it's territory, the airborne attacker will emit a shrill wail that warns any child who hears it that it's already too late to escape. The residents of Seram insist that the creature is a flying monkey, while outsiders have suggested it's more than likely a giant bat. However, some researchers have stated that physical descriptions (including the shrill wail it lets out before a hunt) match pterosaur physiology.

Fun Fact:

This scene from the 1992 film, Bram Stoker's Dracula adapts a real legend regarding the first wife of Vlad Ţepeş, the Wallachian Voivode also called "Dracula".

According to this legend, while Vlad was away from his fortress (Poenari Castle), an arrow message was shot into the chamber of the princess with news of the Ottoman army's attack on the castle the following morning. Rather than risking capture, the princess jumped from the castle tower into the river below. In the film however, she jumps after hearing false news of Dracula's death.

The river in this legend was later named "Râul Doamnei", meaning "The Lady's River". In a later scene in the film, Dracula names the river "Argeș, River Princess". But Argeș is actually the larger river that Râul Doamnei connects to.

Evil Dead II (or Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn) by Sam Raimi.

A masterpiece of a film.

Paprika (パプリカ) by Satoshi Kon.

Based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Japanese author Yasutaka Tsutsui.

At once playful and nightmarish. Incredibly prophetic. Prefigures our modern virtual world.

A feast for the eyes.