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Alex Ludwig

@celexo.bsky.social
327 followers 235 following 725 posts

“Dies Irae Guru” • Liberal Arts @BerkleeCollege • Author, "Hearing Death at the Movies” link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-… Co-editor, “Woodstock Then & Now” libraries.clemson.edu/press/books/w…

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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
It was really cool to sneak a peak up at the (new) old VistaVision projector in the booth. Check out their socials for more on the projector! @thecoolidge.bsky.social
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Today’s viewing: “Digger” in VistaVision!
A shot of a film screen showing Tom Cruise in the film “Digger,” with beautiful gold reliefs on the wall above the screen
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
October is really just an excuse for me to re-kindle my inner set crew kid
Part of my haunted yard, including a giant sign over my driveway with the words "Mount Macabre Cemetery"a vignette with a 12-foot skeleton in the background with a smaller skeleton roasting over a fire pitMy homemade Beetlejuice sign attached to the chimney along with another skeleton on the roof.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Opening this bad boy again after a few years off — and I’m hearing strains of “the holy hand grenade” in my head.
A photo of the Stephen King book “IT,” looking old and well used.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Consider me officially hyped for “Behemoth!” It’s directed by Tony Scott; it stars Pedro Pascal as a cellist working in Hollywood on a scouring stage; and it includes film music from 9 (!) different composers!
List of nine composers who composed music for the film “Behemoth!”, comprised of MICHAEL ABELS, EMILY BEAR, LUKAS FRANK, MICHAEL GIACCHINO, JAMES NEWTON HOWARD, HENRY JACKMAN, NAMI MELUMAD, BRANDON ROBERTS, and ALAN SILVESTRI
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Dating back to July 15th, my scary movie viewing has sampled some franchises (Evil Dead, Resident Evil, and Saw — still in progress), and a bunch of old black and white classics. The standouts for me? A Korean filmmaker named Na Hong-jin (“Hope,” “The Wailing”) and the Zach Creggor “Resident Evil.”
16 horror film posters, mostly from the Evil Dead and Resident Evil franchises 16 horror film posters, including Jane Schonbrun’s “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miamsa,” and Na Ming-jin’s “Hope.”16 horror film posters, including “the old dark house,” starring a young Boris Karloff, and “Dracula’s Daughter.”
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
BREAKING: Marvin Berry and the Starlighters will not be opening for Ed Sheeran
Marvin Berry and the Starlighters, fronted by Marty from “Back to the Future”
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Sally the Skelly is up and ready for a new haunted season…is it still August? Yes, but only for a few more days…and I have to start teaching soon, so here we go!
12-foot tall skeleton standing in a yard 
Two skeletons are posed in the foreground on the front steps of a house while a larger skeleton looms in the background.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Back in my spooky season frame of mind as I prep for the start of the school year
List of scary films seen in the last week, including a bunch of shark movies ( Jaws, the Meg, In the Devils Mouth), s as well as Hellraiser 2, the final Resident Evil, and two sci-fi classics from the 1950s: It! The Terror from Beyond Space and The Quartermass XperimentScreen shot of twelve film posters, including the entire Evil Dead franchise and most of the Resident Evil franchiseScreenshot of 12 film posters, including the remainder of the Resident Evil franchise
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I regret to inform you that the infamous Raven’s Nest outcropping in Acadia (on the Schoodic side) is just as gorgeous as all the social media influencers want you to believe.
A rocky outcropping on the shores of Schoodic Peninsula in Maine. 
Me standing on Raven’s Nest
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
We’ve been dog sitting a 1.5 yr old pittie and my dog is 7+. I’ve been trying to wear the pittie out with tons of walks and it seems to be working!
Two dogs sleeping 
Two dogs sleeping more!
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Woke up and realized I have started my annual Halloween tradition a little early! All of the Evil Dead franchise and I'll finish the Resident Evils today.
Screenshot of 15 film posters, including the Evil Dead franchise and almost all of the Resident Evil films, along with The Omen III, Her Private Hell, and Bay of Blood.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Haha…worlds colliding.
Two of my favorite social media follows with almost identical opinions
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
It’s been a week
Screenshot showing The Odyssey, Evil Dead, Omen 3, Minions and Monsters
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Celebrating today the only way I know how!
Richard Lee, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adam’s from the film version of 1776
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Current status: Prepping for a two-day road trip back home to visit my parents with the 13-year old for company.
Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear, in a still from The Muppet Movie.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
24 films seen in a theater in 2026…mostly winners, but with summer blockbuster season upon us who knows what will come up next.
Screenshot of 12 movies posters, including “We Bury the Dead,” “Primate,” “28 Years Later: the Bone Temple,” “Send Help,” “Scream 7,” “Nirvanna the Band the Show the movie,” “Sweet Charity,” “The Bride,” “Undertone,” “Ready or Not: Here they come,” “Hail Mary,” “Forbidden Fruits”Screenshot of 12 films: “Exit 8,” “Super Mario Galaxy,” “Mother Mary,” “Speed Racer,” “Mortal Kombat 2,” “Hokum,” “Devil Wears Prada 2,” “Obsession,” “Mandolorian and Grogu,” “Sheep Detectives,” “Backrooms, and “Master of the Universe”
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
This is Sofi…she’s smiling in her sleep, dreaming about chasing after bunnies and squirrels.
My dog Sofi, sleeping with a smile on her face.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
current status: watching Brian Da Palma's "Sisters" and Herrmann's score is just pecking around the edges of so many different versions of a Dies Irae, but never enough conclusively.
a standard meme format showing a smiling face on the left (with the text "When I hear the start of a Dies Irae") and a frowning face on the right ("When I realize it's not a Dies Irae")
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Arsenal are champions again! (Love Mark Burren’s St Totteringham’s Poster in the background!)
A happy family all cheering on the Arsenal!
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Wore my Arsenal scarf in the neighborhood post-thunderstorm for the evening dog walk…wore my Arsenal scarf to my son’s trumpet lesson…thinking about wearing it to bed tonight. #arsenal
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
This... score? Oh...ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do w/you. You go to the record player & you select, oh I don't know, the soundtrack to "The White Lotus," for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put in your ears.
Picture of Anne Hathaway's character in "The Devil Wears Prada," in which she's wearing the infamous 'cerulean'-colored sweater that Meryl Streep's character ruthlessly historicizes. Picture of the book cover of "Hearing Death at the Movies: Film Music and the Long History of the Dies Irae"
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Any interest in reading about a melody that's been around for nearly a millenium (falcon) and appears in each Star Wars film? Then I've got a book for you! #diesirae #starwars #maythe4thbewithyou
Screenshot of the Table of Contents listing a subchapter on the Dies Irae in Star WarsScreenshot of the opening graphs of the subchapter on the Dies Irae in Star WarsPicture of the cover of my book titled "Hearing Death at the Movies," with a skull seen in partial profile against a black page.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
“Halfway to Halloween” leading into May the 4th always makes my @letterboxd.social diary a bit funny.
Screenshot of my four recent watches: “Lizard in a Woman’s Skin” plus the Star Wars Prequel films.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Movies are magic, and it's been a "perfect" month for me...one a day (at least) for every day of April. All the "Alien" movies (for Alien month), and a few "Predators" too...supplemented with a bunch of Peter Weir, as I follow along with my favorite podcast @blankcheck.bsky.social
a screenshot of 31 movie posters, including the entire "Alien" franchise as well as a few "Predator" films and films directed by Peter Weir.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
I hope you can find someone that loves you as much as the director David Lowry loves putting crowns on his actor's heads. #mothermary #greenknight
Anne Hathaway in "Mother Mary" wearing an elaborate crown. Dev Patel, in "The Green Knight," wearing an elaborate crown.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
I believe movies are magic, despite their subject matter or quality -- mostly.
Screenshot showing my four previously watched films: "Predator" (1987), "Merrily We Roll Along" (2025), "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" (2026), and "Alien 3" (1992).
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Did you see me? I'll give you hint: you really only see my left hand, shaking away.
The author's left hand, playing cello, circled in red.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Packed with stars, this made-for-TV movie followed multiple generations of a family with women that just happened to witness, or take part in, important moments of women's liberation (Forest Gump style). I was hired to play cello in a wedding scene, and for one brief glorious shot you can see me.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Tomorrow's lecture on "Back to the Future" gives me the very thin opportunity to tell my students about how I was a cello-playing extra on the set of the Lea Thompson-starring period film called "A Will of Their Own" (1998).
A poster for the film "A Will of Their Own," showing four prominent faces and listing their stars (Lea Thompson, Ellen Burstyn, Faye Dunaway, and Thomas Gibson). The author (c. 1998) wearing a tuxedo and standing next to a cello case.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Probably the most disturbing song in the film? It's heads and tails the villain singing "Mean Mr. Mustard."
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
In addition to being my birthday, today (March 24th) saw those kids from "The Breakfast Club" go to detention on a Saturday; and Don Lockwood, Kathy Selden, and Cosmo Brown from "Singin' in the Rain" decide that the "Dueling Cavalier" would be a musical...what a momentous day!
Screenshot of a frame from the movie "The Breakfast Club," with the text quoting the voice over saying, "Saturday, March 24, 1984."Screenshot of a frame from the film "Singin' in the Rain," in which Cosmo Brown (played by Donald O'Connor) throws a calendar showing the date of March 24th.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
David Fincher has a credit on this film (as a matte photography assistant at ILM), at the age of 22 !!
List of credits for "NeverEnding Story" including for David Fincher!
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Movies I'm excited to see soon in Boston: 1. "The Passion of Joan of Arc," Brattle (Sun., 5:30pm) 2. "The Seventh Seal," Brattle (Tues., 6pm) 3. "Sweet Charity," Alamo (Mar 5, 7:00pm) 4. "Planet of the Apes," Brattle (Mar 10., 6pm) @brattletheatre.bsky.social @alamodrafthouse.bsky.social
Poster for Dreyer's "Passion of Joan of Arc"Poster for Bergman's "The Seventh Seal," showing a black-robed figure staring ahead and a solitary face looking downward in profile. Poster for Fosse's "Sweet Charity"Poster for 1968's "Planet of the Apes"
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
"Garden of Delights" ("Il giardino delle delizie") released in 1967 score by Ennio Morricone
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
anyone else watching "Industry"?? Wow, what a fantastic episode last night...keeps getting better each season, each episode!
a shot from behind of the actor Ken Leung walking down a suburban street, in a still taken from the HBO show "Industry" S4E6.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
If you wanted to hear a nerd talk about nerdy things & drink a beer at the same time, listen up. I am returning to @lecturesontap.bsky.social to give a talk on the music of Star Wars -- yes, we'll delve a little into the Dies Irae, too. Boston folks, check it out! DM me for a pre-sale link.
Poster advertising a "Lectures on Tap" talk titled "The Music of Star Wars: John Williams's Space Opera" taking place on February 10, 2026Flyer for "Lectures on Tap"
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Taking my 13-yr old to see Monty Python & the Holy Grail (his favorite film by far) projected; hearing a live organist accompany The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks; and finally, seeing I Confess, a Hitchcock thriller full of Dies Irae quotations at the Paris Theater in NYC.
A screen showing an advertisement for the film Monty Python and the Holy GrailA poster for the film The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks. A screen showing an advertisement for the film I Confess
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Movies are magic and I had a wonderful year watching them. Highlights include watching Re-Animator (at The Brattle) with Barbara Crampton doing a Q&A in person; The Brutalist in 70 mm at The Coolidge; Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair at the Alamo here in Boston; and The Shining in IMAX;
Poster of the film Re-AnimatorShot of a movie screen showing an advertisement for The Brutalist. The ceiling of the theater is also shown, with fascinating Art Deco images in gold and a vivid geometric patternPoster for Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody AffairPoster for the shining in IMAX
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
Our son got sick a few days ago, so Xmas plans were thwarted. We were supposed to bring a cheese board for 20 people, but that didn’t happen (obviously). On the bright side, I made everyone individual cheese boards today for lunch (and probably dinner too).
Two small cheese boards, both of which have some cheddar, Gouda, and blue along with salami and prosciutto; one board has pomegranate seeds and the other has honey.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
When I was researching the book, I visited the Frank Capra archives (located at Wesleyan University), looking for information on Dmitri Tiomkin's score the "It's a Wonderful Life." I didn't find anything much on Tiomkin, but I did find how much it would cost to rent "Tea for Two" in 1946
Collection of archive boxes at the Frank Capra Collection at Wesleyan. Photograph showing a letter to Frank Capra with information on how much it would cost to rent the songs in "It's a Wonderful Life," including $1500 each for the Charleston and "Tea for Two."
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
The hallway to the bathroom in the restaurant included a poster of Jack Nicholson's face ("Here's Johnny"), and the boy was too scared to use that bathroom. He had to ask his mother to accompany him to the bathroom in the lobby of the hotel.
Jack Nicholson's face from the Shining bathroom scene.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
During the summer of 2022, my wife's family visited her aunt who lives in Estes Park, CO. The Stanley Hotel is also there; this hotel was Stephen King's inspiration for the haunted hotel story that eventually became The Shining. He stayed in room #217, which he claimed was haunted (not #237).
Exterior of the Stanley Hotel, in Estes Park, CO (the original inspiration for the Shining)The doorway of room #217, in the Stanley Hotel, where Stephen King was haunted and then inspired to write the Shining.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Today I get to watch "The Shining" in IMAX -- a first for me. Obviously, Wendy Carlos's #DiesIrae is a touchstone for many, & I couldn't pass up this opportunity to view the film on the big screen. But it reminds me about how I emotionally scarred my young cousin telling him the story of this film.
Poster for Stanley Kubrick's film "The Shining," showing an ax with a bloody handle.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
I am at the intermission of the most demented double feature ever seen…ironically a good night for Dies Irae quotes because Kill Bill includes a really interesting variation (the Nora Orlandi intrigues me).
Poster for Zootopia 2Poster for Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
Did I get the Midsommar tree topper for my new fake tree downstairs? Yes…yes I did, and I love it.
Midsommar tree topper
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Gooey Butter Cake is a St Louis tradition and absolutely unheard of anywhere else.
A picture of gooey butter cake, a St. Louis delicacy.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
As I spell out in the 1st chapter of my book, Kubrick asked for music about "graves, death and ghosts," & Carlos suggested the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique...although she appears to have had it on her mind too. A handful of tracks exists that quote the Dies Irae, none of which appear in the film.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Sad to miss AMS/SMT this year, but hope that you all swing by the Palgrave table to thumb through my book "Hearing Death at the Movies"!
Book promotion poster with a 20% discount code included.
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Alex Ludwig @celexo.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Will the decorations survive the 40mph gusts tonight? We shall see.
Homemade sign above my driveway that says “Mount Macabre Cemetery: Our guests are dying to enter”Homemade Betelgeuse sign next to a skeleton on a swingSkeleton on the chimneyFoggy shot of the tombstones
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