Earlier today I escaped the confines of the Horror Reanimated dungeons – nice though the new décor is – and went topside to talk to the editors of the brand new genre imprint, Angry Robot.
I say topside; the meeting actually took place with the three of us – Marc Gascoigne, Lee Harris and me – strapped top-to-tail along the nearside rail of the Central Line. Crotch first into the oncoming tube-trains, waiting to be riven from bollocks to brains if we didn’t conclude the interview within the allotted time.
I just love a thrill, don’t you?
Angry Robot is an imprint of the massive mainstream publishing house Harper Collins.
Here’s what the lads, soon to be ladies if they weren’t succinct, had to say for themselves. Amazing, really, how fast a person can speak when time is a factor…
THE REAL AR: Just to let the readers know, the evil clowns who run this debacle had filled in some answers already, way before we got to see this. The cheeky little scamps. In the interests of full transparency, kids, we have no option but to heckle them, and ourselves I guess, via an alternative tag. Beware all imitations, kids!
Joseph D’Lacey: Hi, gentlemen. I’m delighted you could join me for a quick chat about what promises to be a great leap forward for genre fiction. (more…)
June 30th, 2009
Back in August 2008 I managed to get in to the UK premiere of Johnny Kevorkian’s excellent and chilling urban ghost story The Disappeared at the Frightfest in London. (Review here and film website here - from whence I purloined all these images). The film went down a treat and was a highlight of the festival, IMHO.
A few weeks later I managed to catch a busy, somewhat relieved and very amiable Mr. Kevorkian, (no relation), for a coffee and a chat to discuss this very British film, which is currently enjoying a well-deserved run at the ICA cinema throughout June and July.
MFR: Where did the seed of the idea for The Disappeared originate?
(more…)
June 24th, 2009
Six month’s after his brother Tom’s disappearance, Matthew Ryan is released from the care home his father placed him in to recover. But life is no easier for Matthew now he’s back in the family council flat on a grey South London estate. His father, Jake, silently seethes, a violent man staying just this side of violence, blaming his oldest so for the loss of his youngest. Matthew was partying whilst his brother wandered off. The local paper’s reporter is trying to dig up some dirt on the unsolved case; the social worker and local vicar are putting in the tuppence-worth, and all Matthew wants to do is to be left alone to do… well, what does one do when you don’t know if your brother’s alive or dead, and you know you were to blame?
The Disappeared captures the grim reality that, for some, is life on a London council estate, with its peer pressures, gangs and neighbours too close for comfort, stained concrete and shadowed passageways, killing time and hope for all but the most determined. And Matthew is determined. Harry Treadaway’s portrayal of a guilt-ridden, scared and lonely teenager, but one with a backbone of decency and sympathy is outstanding and vital. His relationship with Jake, his dad, verges on the unbearable as the viewer just wants them to communicate with each other, just talk why don’t you? But Jake is in a far darker place than his son, a place for adults only. The filmmakers’ collective vision of the Ryans’ flat is soul-destroying in itself, a set of bleak, stained rooms with paper-thin walls, effectively dampening the trapped emotions of father and son.
(more…)
June 20th, 2009
I know nothing about Conrad Williams and I knew nothing about his latest novel ONE until I started reading it – coming to a book cold is the best way, I find. At its core, ONE is a story about the nature of hope and it got right under my skin. It moved me. It also scared me. That doesn’t happen very often and ONE has become my favourite book of the year.
So, it was with a good deal of pleasurable excitement that I wrote my questions for Conrad…
Joseph D’Lacey: When I was halfway through ONE, I knew we had to have you on Horror Reanimated so I’m delighted to be talking to you. What aspect of you was it that brought forth this novel – if that isn’t too odd a question? Was it something you’d planned over some time or did the story simply demand to be told? Perhaps all your tales come in the same way – could you tell us a little about what happens to you when you’re working?
(more…)
June 17th, 2009
Based on the Imperium comic book series and including a nice little colour mini-comic of its own, Trailer Park of Terror’s redneck horrors have sneaked into the UK shops unannounced much like The Dark Hour, albeit less successfully, and with a completely different vibe.
Initially Trailer Park of Terror follows a bog-standard template: a bus load of delinquent teens with attitudinal problems and their group leader are stranded as said bus crashes in a massive rainstorm. The argumentative bunch find themselves in Trucker’s Triangle, a haunted patch of dusty land that the Devil himself (in a suitably black Cowboy outfit) has frequented, doing all manner of deals with the locals over the years, especially pretty lil’ Norma, the cursed, and now very dead owner of the abandoned Trailer Park.
The kids argue, muck around and are just plain irritating (thus allowing us to dislike them enormously and increase our hopes for swift and bloody retribution) and inevitably attract the attention of the luscious make-up coated Norma and other returned resident rednecks who made Norma’s life a misery all those years ago, until the aforementioned Devil gave her a big gun and she took appropriate revenge. These white-trash characters include a colourful guitar-wielding ghoul, a monstrously fat cannibal, and a jerky obsessed butcher (and it’s not beef), all of whom take great glee in torturing and killing the deserving teens in fashions relevant to their previous lives, whilst cracking tasteless jokes of questionable redneck wisdom as the gore flows.
Via convincing fx and EC-inspired creatures, decent directing and a fun spiky country soundtrack Trailer Park of Terror almost manages to tap into the same vein of humour as can be found in The Evil Dead, and Roach the rockabilly ghoul is as strong and fun a demon as Ash was a flawed hero. But it cannot be denied that Trailer Park of Terror is a very basic story trying too hard to be truly scary through gruesome set-pieces. There are no surprises and not much inventiveness, but then it never promised any I guess, so it sits uneasily on my DVD shelves, possibly never to be watched again.
Reviewed by Mathew F. Riley
[This review was originally published in the Easter 09 edition of Prism, the Newsletter of the British Fantasy Society]
June 15th, 2009
I doubt there’s anything a writer enjoys more than talking about himself and his work at great length…
That’s exactly what I did on the Dread Media Podcast when asked about my early influences, eco-horror, what’s next for me and a plethora of other subjects. Desmond Reddick and I spoke in-depth about Garbage Man and MEAT too.
Last weekend I also talked to John S. Drew for a spotlight episode of The Chronic Rift podcast. Last Year on The Chronic Rift we discussed the development of the Horror Genre but this time it was all about yours truly…
Altogether almost an hour and a half of me contradicting myself!
June 12th, 2009
Welcome to the Dark Playground…
When did you last stumble across something that was a complete surprise, something that you immediately knew, by instinct as much as through a quick once-over, was destined to be incredibly influential and almost perfect for you at a particular time of life? A something that you didn’t really know you needed until it showed itself to you?
Well, this happened to me in the Summer of 1988 as I came across the first issue of Fear magazine. Oliver Fry’s cover art was all I needed to find myself lost: a grinning skull with the dark side of the moon for an eye, a tongue of seemingly naked screaming people in a sausage-skin hell morphing into an old crone’s hand with faces where joints should be, and a pair of deep red lips, the hint of a tongue, growing from the palm. This was dark, and it was sexy. Inside I was presented with a combination of news, reviews and professional, horrific short fiction. At the time there was nothing else like it. This was ‘The World of Fantasy and Horror’ as compiled by John Gilbert, published by Newsfield Publications, ( a Ludlow-based publisher of games magazines), initially on a bi-monthly basis, and it simply shouted out at me: I am yours. And it certainly knew what it was talking about - this was MY magazine.
I grew up in Devon and nobody I knew obsessed about the horror genre in all its forms like I did. Films, music and books weren’t as important to them as they were to me. A mate would nip over to watch a video of Mausoleum when my parents were out, but that was about it. So when Fear appeared, it felt like a little vindication: I was reading these authors already, and now other people cared enough to share their obsessions and interests, producing a magazine that’s become an important artifact from that time in my life.
And 21 years on, Fear is still MY magazine. I have every issue of Fear in pretty good condition. I have the three issues of the short-lived fiction offshoot, Frighteners. They take pride of place on my shelves. Cumulatively, Fear showcased a stunning amount of high quality genre fiction - and if anyone wants to publish a Fear and Frighteners anthology I’m sure there would be takers.
Over the last few months I’ve been searching the internet for mentions of the magazine, and apart from a couple of forum discussions on the wonderful Vault of Evil, two entries on Bear Alley, a few cover shots on Flickr, a table of contents listing over at Locus, and a Wickipedia entry for the publisher, plus a liquidator’s report, there’s nothing comprehensive to be found. Which suprises me, given the value I place upon it, and the contributors who made it what it is.
So, as we thirty and forty somethings wallow in a pleasant wave of nostalgia, mostly enabled by the internet, I thought I’d do the same, and run a little series on Fear and Frighteners, showcasing some of Oliver Fry’s awesome exterior and interior artwork (much of which was based on the short fiction featured in that particluar issue); John Gilbert’s ground-breaking editorial direction, a few scans of author shots and interviews from days gone by, and possibly tracing where these creators are today. I’ll detail the books, videos and films reviewed, quoting a pertinent sentence or two; and with hindsight we’ll be able to see if those opinions have been deemed accurate.
A particularly interesting aspect of these articles, (at least for me), is how we’ll be able to track how a ground-breaking magazine - its attitude, contents, emphasis, contributors, frequency and format evolved - during its 34 issue run across just over three years. (I’d actually sold an article on industrial music and horror to John Gilbert for issue 35, so maybe it’s my fault it folded at that point). Hopefully these posts will build up to give you a flavour of Fear, a magazine I am sure will still be of much interest to genre fans, young and old, well-read and new to the scene. And if you’ve never come across Fear, you could do worse than tracking down issues on Ebay or via specialist booksellers as copies are still relatively easy to come by, at prices below the cover price of £2.50…
Stanley Wiater, who interviewed Peter Straub for the first issue, now an award-winning author, consultant and creator of the Dark Dreamers television series (and available to watch on You Tube) was kind enough to say of his involvement with Fear: “…it was a wonderful, groundbreaking publication that tried to do it all - articles, overviews, interviews, short fiction, book reviews, film reviews, genre events - and more often than not, completely succeeded in its capacity of being a dark rainbow over it all. I was honored to be part of it.”
So what was in that seminal first issue?
In Dark Playground John Gilbert introduced the magazine and some of its many contributors, who were to come and go across the years - names some of you will recognise, I’m sure: Kim Newman, Stan Nicholls, Stanley Wiater, Philip Nutman, Di and Mike Wathen (both were part of the British Fantasy Society’s governing body at the time), amongst others. (Geeks will note that the above image is from the second issue, but it’s a better picture of John Gilbert).
Other articles were collected under the Phenomena heading, (rather than the regular set of fiction, interviews and the like), and include John Gilbert’s article on making movies - Tales of the Busy Auteur, David Keep asks the BBFC about their approach to censorship - Censorship or Classification?; and in The Unblinking Eye, Mike Wathen outlines fear and horror’s function within that emotion:
…”I don’t want to know - but I have to. I don’t want to look, but I must.” The reader comes to the horror story with an awareness that the rules which govern our societies and our standards of behaviour are not all that strong, and can crack and come unglued under the slightest stress. It is the task of the writer of horror fiction to try and widen those cracks, to break down the wall and provide at least a glimpse of that which lies behind and beyond. The reader brings the desire to see beyond the wall, not glancing away, however much he or she may want to. To gaze with unblinking eyes at what is revealed…
Fear Fiction: Fear’s amazing collection of short stories kicked off with:
- The Prize, by Shaun Hutson - ‘a morbid newspaper-chain-tail’
- Eye of Childhood, by Ramsey Campbell - ‘children can be cruel’
- The Dandelion Woman, by Nicholas Royle - ‘the tick-tock clock’ (Oliver Fry’s accompanying illustration above)
Interviews and features were in the Pro-Files and Location Reports sections:
- John Carpenter talks about my favourite of his films, The Prince of Darkness and the upcoming They Live: “I’ve made a bunch of Westerns, I just don’t put Cowboy hats on ‘em. Instead of cowboys, you have physicists.”
- The ‘founders’ of splatterpunk John Skipp and Craig Spector talk about their novel The Scream as it was about to be published in the UK via Bantam: “Splatterpunk is an angle of attack, a way of life, and just a phase we’re going through.”
- Film director Neil Jordan discusses his new movie High Spirits and other work such as The Company of Wolves in the first of a two parter: “I think every novelist wants to direct films…”
- Peter Straub is interviewed about Koko (Oliver Fry’s accompanying illustration above): “I’m trying to explore what surrounds horror - what kind of feeling is fear really about? How does it work in normal life?”
- Ramsey Campbell examined his writing influences in the run-up to his newie, Ancient Images - even back then he was being referred to as ‘the greatest living influence in horror fiction’: “-the principle I tend to use is you show enough to suggest more.”
- Stephen Gallagher reveals how he researches locations for his novels (Article image below): “Making everything possible can drain a lot of interest and intricacy out of a story.”
Fan-File featured details of British-based fanzines and societies including notes on the ‘fast-growing British Fantasy Society’, and the Science Fiction Foundation, as well as descriptions of the latest issues of Dagon edited by Carl T. Ford, the awesome Samhain edited by John Gullidge, and Six of One (a fanzine centred around The Prisoner television series).
Genre reviews were within the Revenants section, with a place for all media…
Film reviews were in the Movie Mainline section:
- Beetle Juice, directed by Tim Burton …I cannot stress too strongly how much of a mistake it would be to miss this movie.
- The Unholy, directed by Camilo Howard …starts off with a punchy, stylish opening but soon loses its focus…is proud to wear its horror colours on its chest, and is unashamedly gross in parts.
- The Monster Squad, directed by Fred Dekker …Dekker…has the Universal gruesome chewsome off pat…will appeal to anyone who’s ever watched a black and white monster B-movie…
- The Hidden, directed by Jack Shoulder …simply the most enjoyable crowd pleaser since Robocop…a near perfect mix of amped up action and pulp science fiction silliness.
- Bad Dreams, directed by Andrew Flemming …a horror movie that wants to be something else…is worth watching, alebit as an interesting failure…
Video reviews in Video Vibes:
- Retribution, directed by Guy Magar … John Gilbert only comments on the plot and does not actually review the film.
- Werewolf, directed by David Hemmings …Watch it if you see nothing else.
- Creepozoids, dircected by David DeCocteau …there’s bad and there’s bad, but this is worse…avoid like the plague.
- Masters of the Universe, directed by Gary Godard …Fast, fanciful, and fun.
- Dead of Night, directed by Deryn Warren …as the old saying goes, if you want gore you certainly won’t want more.
Off the Shelf covered book reviews, divided by format, and with an introductory article about the history and trends in fantasy literature, including horror), from Di Wathen:
- Lightning, by Dean Koontz; Headline HB …You’ll go through a whole alphabet of mini-climax as you notch your way up to the biggie - and it’s special…
- 1998, by Richard Turner and William Osborne; Sphere HB …it left me as lightly as a dandelion seed, wishing for something of more substance.
- The Awakeners, by Sheri S. Tepper; Bantam Press HB …There’s something of the child in her latest novel, though it comes from a dark wonder within the story, rather than any immaturity in style…
- Swansong, by Robert R. McCammon; Sphere HB …as broad as its characters and you’ll find enough images to keep you thinking about it for weeks after its conclusion.
- Oktober, by Stephen Gallagher; Hodder & Stoughton HB …shows why Hodder and Stoughton is one of the biggest British publishers. It keeps picking winners.
- The Scream, by John Skipp and Craig Spector; Bantam HB …You want to rock? This is the book to give you the roll. And then some.
- The Influence, by Ramsey Campbell; Century HB …It is the sort of supernatural ending you could attach to Miss Haversham’s life in Charles Dicken’s Great Expectations…
- Sepulchre, by James Herbert; New English Library HB …to be read with relish - as red as you can get.
- Fiend, by Guy N. Smith; Sphere PB …the storyline is unusual enough to make you pluck it off the bookshelf…
- Spellbinder, by Colin Wilcox; WH Allen PB …shows how brittle human reason can be and how it can reverse into forms of perverted logic. Brilliant.
- The Wrym, by Stephen Laws; Souvenir Press PB …an excellent, breathtaking, morbid read…
- Tread Softly, by Richard Kelly; WH Allen PB …does nothing for the horror genre…
- Valley of Lights, by Stephen Gallagher; New English Library PB …The moment you get serious with this book you’ll be hooked into a compulsive read…
- Watchers, by Dean R. Koontz; Headline PB …As excellently crafted as all Koontz’s books, the story is long, involved and chillingly possible in today’s scientific climate.
- Deliver Us From Evil, by Allen Lee Harris; Bantam PB …a book of character rather a slasher’s party… Keep an eye on this man.
A truly stellar line-up of repsected creators, most of whom are still producing amazing work today. From this issue I tracked down Swansong, The Influence, The Wyrm, Watchers and Tread Softly (not sure why, on re-reading the review). I’ve still got them on my bookshelves today, (as I have all my titles from the later 80s and early 90s). As a result of the film reviews I watched Creepozoids (although the review was negative the monster looked great), The Hidden and The Monster Squad on video, and avoided Masters of the Universe at all costs, and have continued to do so.
And that was Fear Issue 1, dated July / August, 1988. 76 glossy pages. The beginning of a wonderful period of dark enlightenment.
Mathew F. Riley
[This article originally appeared on mathewfriley.com in May 2009]
June 9th, 2009
I picked the claustrophobic The Dark Hour up from a bargain bin in HMV, based on user comments on the Quiet Earth website - a wonderful source of all things apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic - comments suggesting it was an undiscovered gem from Spain, a country that’s been at the forefront of fantastic films over the last few years. How right those comments are.
Nine survivors of what might have been a biological and/or nuclear holocaust are locked up inside the ruined planet. Their lives run like clockwork, ruled by restricted movement, rationing of food, power, and hope. Hazardous missions to forage for new supplies of food and medication form part of the survivalist routine. Outside the sealed sanctuary toxic ghouls (possibly zombies and referred to as Strangers) roam myriad corridors dripping in filth and disease. But there’s more to the subterranean inhabitants than slow decaying remnants of society – for one hour every day, ‘the cold hour’, the Invisibles roam the shadowy environment. Freezing air, wood and metal as they travel the length and breadth of the sanctuary, the survivors lock themselves into their rooms for fear of encountering these ethereal predators.
Terrorised by two types of evil and imprisoned beneath the surface by the fallout, the nine survivors convincingly play out strained relationships, their quirks and bigotries manifesting in treachery and a desperate fight for survival. The youngest survivor, a boy named Jesus records a video diary showing us a child’s fears of this awful world he has been born into, and through this young voice, debut director Quiroga manages to successfully create, maintain and manipulate a tense atmosphere of dread and anticipation, of love and hate, innocence and strength that is gripping from the first minute to the last.
And that last scene! A truly surprise ending, and you can’t say that of many a film. Maybe you’ll love it or hate it. I thought it was perfect. Either way, this single awesome scene provides answers to what’s gone before and takes the story into new realms even as it ends. An emotional, savage, and wholly original sf/horror hybrid, The Dark Hour is recommended without reservation.
Reviewed by Mathew F. Riley
[This review was originally published in the Winter 08/09 edition of Prism, the Newsletter of the British Fantasy Society]
June 6th, 2009
Following our enforced ‘holiday’ on the shores of Lake Hades, Bill, Mathew and I returned to Horror Reanimated to discover the refurbishments unfinished. In an attempt to save money, Bloody Books had hired a firm of zombie builders to do the work. One might say they aren’t the sharpest tools in the box…
So, for our chat with the classic British horror author Ramsey Campbell, we once again found ourselves off the premises. Mr. Campbell suggested we meet in an old Liverpool theatre. On arrival we discovered the venue to be not only deserted but also in a state of decay. The lights didn’t work and by the time we’d found the entrance to the stalls, our torches had grown dim. Snow fell through the holes in the ceiling high above. Many of the seats appeared to be occupied by silent, unmoving figures whose bodies were lumpy and white under the failing torch beams.
We found Mr. Campbell in a front row seat looking quite at home and sipping Chardonnay… (more…)
May 20th, 2009
Just a reminder that the Horror Reanimated Tour starts this week!
If you’re in and around London this Wednesday and Thursday (6th & 7th May) you can catch us (Bill Hussey, Joseph D’Lacey and Mathew F. Riley) at:
The Big Green Bookshop (Weds from 6.30pm) - there is a map and directions at the site.
Borders, Oxford Street (Thurs 6.45 pm) - again, map and directions at the site.
Then, after the Borders event, join us for drinks at…
The White Horse, Newburgh Street - map and details here
We’ll be reading extracts from The Absence, Garbage Man and from Horror Reanimated’s brand new chapbook, Echoes. Numbers permitting, those attending the London venues will receive a FREE copy of Echoes! There will be a bit of horror writing chat and a Q & A at each venue.
Further tour itinerary is as follows:
8 May: 1 - 2 p.m. Waterstones, Colchester - The Old Library, 16 Culver Square - Colchester CO1 1JQ
9 May: 12 - 2 p.m. Waterstones, Swindon - 25/26 Brunel Plaza, Brunel Shopping Centre - Swindon SN1 1ND
9 May: (Time TBC) Waterstones, Gloucester - 13-15 Eastgate Street, Gloucester GL1 1NS
9 May: 7 p.m. Waterstones, Chippenham - 29 The Borough Parade
GB - Chippenham SN15 3WL
12 May: 7.30 p.m. Sandwell Library, West Bromwich - details here
16 May: 1 - 2.30 p.m. Waterstones, Boston - 18 Pescod Square
Wide Bargate - Boston PE21 6QX
17 May: 12 & 2 p.m. Lincoln Book Festival - details here
19 May: 7 p.m. Waterstones, Nottingham - 1/5 Bridlesmith Gate
GB - Nottingham NG1 2GR
22 May: 7 p.m. Whitby Bookshop, Whitby - details here
23 May: 6.30 p.m. Borders, York - 28-29 High Ousegate - York YO1 8RX
Looking forward to seeing you on the road!
May 4th, 2009
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