Archive for the ‘Featured Columns’ Category
Posted by Peter Schwotzer in Books, Reviews, Terror Tales with Peter D. Schwotzer on March 8th, 2010
“Theatre director Beth Ortiz is the newest resident of The Castle, an exclusive Los Angeles artists’ community. Anxious actors aren’t all Beth has to worry about in her new space, however, for The Castle has a secret history of madness and murder, and a celebrity artist who develops a strange fixation on Beth.
And The Castle also happens to be haunted.
By some particularly uneasy spirits.”
Lisa Morton is probably best known for her short fiction (she won the Bram Stoker Award for short fiction in 2006) and for her non-fiction (she won the Bram Stoker Award for Non-Fiction in 2008 for A Hallowe’en Anthology: Literary and Historical Writings Over the Centuries). She is also a screenwriter and was editor for the anthology Midnight Walk which I reviewed at the link.
Castle of Los Angeles is a genuinely creepy story about The Castle, an artist’s community and theater in LA. Beth Ortiz moves into to take over the theater company and soon finds out that it is supposedly haunted.
Lisa fills her story with diverse characters; a genius artist that dabbles in the occult, prostitutes that are steadily disappearing one by one and other artists and talent behind the scenes of a theater company. I found the characters wonderfully written and believable, I could make an emotional connection with them and that is what always makes a great book as far as I am concerned.
The story also has a few nice twists and turns that will pleasantly surprise you. No spoilers from me though, buy the book.
My favorite part of the story besides the chills it provided was the detail she provides on the behind the scenes working of a play. I have been to a few plays in my life and never really thought about all the work that is needed behind the scenes to successfully pull it off.
Haunted places and ghost stories are some of my most favorite reads and Castle of Los Angeles ranks up with there with some of my all time favorites like Ghost Story and The Shining.
If you are looking for a well written, page turner of a ghost story you would be hard pressed to find anything published in the last few years as good as this.
Visit Lisa at her website www.lisamorton.com.
You can purchase the book at Gray Friar Press or at Amazon.com
Posted by Movies Unlimited in Featured Columns, Latest News, Movies, Movies Unlimited on March 8th, 2010
“Ghouly Irv” is back, asking you, his best fiends, to lend him your ears–don’t worry, he’ll give them back! In this installment of MovieFrightFare, your chummy chiller expert selects another decade to study and find some unusual facts about your favorite fear flicks:
Posted by Jesse in OBITS by Harris Lentz, III on March 5th, 2010
Nan Martin was a leading character actress on stage, screen and television for over fifty years. She may be best remembered by horror fans for her role as Amanda Krueger (aka Sister Mary Helena), the mother of supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger, in 1987’s A Nightmare in Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, with Robert Englund as Freddy.
Martin was born in Decatur, Illinois, on July 15, 1927, and was raised in Santa Monica, California. She began performing on stage while attending UCLA, and worked as a fashion model in the late 1940s. She subsequently moved to New York, where she made her Broadway debut in 1950. She appeared in several other Broadway productions, and continued to perform on stage throughout her career.
She also appeared frequently on television from the mid-1950s, with roles in such series as The Twilight Zone as Laura Ford in the 1963 episode “The Incredible World of Horace Ford”, The Invaders, Mission: Impossible, Bewitched, The Sixth Sense, Ellery Queen, the new Twilight Zone as Margaret’s mother in the 1986 episode of “A Saucer of Loneliness”, Star Trek: The Next Generation as Victoria Miller in the 1987 “Haven” episode, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. as Lil Swill in the episode “Mail Order Brides” in 1993, The Invisible Man, The Agency, Six Feet Under, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigations. She was featured as Mrs. Louder, the ruthless CEO of the company that owns the Winfred-Lauder department store in the sit-com The Drew Carey Show from 1995 to 1999.
Martin was also seen in over two dozen films during her long career including Doctor Detroit (1983) with Dan Aykroyd, the 1984 fantasy All of Me with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin, and Shallow Hal (2001) with Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Martin died of complications from emphysema at her home in Malibu, California, on March 4, 2010, at the age of 82. Her survivors include her son, actor Zen Gesner, who starred in the 1996 television series The Adventures of Sinbad.
Posted by Natasia in Arts, Latest News, Movies, OBITS by Harris Lentz, III on March 5th, 2010
The fantasy community has lost a great artist.
Pierre Vinet, the still photographer for the Lord of the Rings trilogy and other recent fantasy films has died, according to the Tolkien fan site, TheOneRing.net.
Vinet has been an active still photographer for motion pictures since the late 70’s.
His relationship with the LOTR Director, Peter Jackson, goes back to 1992, when he was a still photographer for Jackson’s horror flick Braindead.
Vinet’s photos from the LOTR trilogy, including iconic photos of the film’s characters, were some of the first images released from the production, and have gone to represent the films in print publications, products and promotions throughout the world.
Vinet has also worked on numerous fantasy and horror films, including The Water Horse, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, King Kong and Battlefield Earth.
Our condolences go out to his friends and family.
Posted by Movies Unlimited in Featured Columns, Home Page Top Story, Latest News, Movies, Movies Unlimited on March 1st, 2010
By George D. Allen
Recently, I wrote an article for the Movies Unlimited home blog, MovieFanFare, offering my quickly selected picks for 10 “desert island” movies, those films which, were I forced to choose, I felt (in those moments writing the article, anyway) I would be carting along with me to enjoy during my eternal vacation/banishment on said remote locale.
Now, monsterfans, wipe those memories of Stephen King’s gruesome short story “Survivor Type” from your mind and assume all of your other creature comforts are as normal as they could possibly be (so that you don’t have to worry about minor concerns like hacking off your own body parts for food!), and pick those 10 masterworks of the horror genre you’re going to be forced to live with for the rest of your days. I completed my own “Rorschach test” in this regard below. It was tough. I’ll probably change my mind on a few of these tomorrow. Maybe even five minutes from now. In fact, I just erased one and substituted another. I’ve got to stop!
Here are my selections, in alphabetical order:
The Black Cat (1934) How to choose from among the numerous classic chillers starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi? I clearly will need to have some Boris and some Bela on the island…so, as painful as it might be to leave behind the Browning Dracula, the Whale Frankensteins, the Freund Mummy, and other memorable shockers where the terror titans enjoyed solo starring status, why not pick their first (and in my opinion, their finest) onscreen collaboration? This decadent thriller helmed by B-movie auteur Edgar G. Ulmer (Detour) follows the nightmarish encounter between a honeymooning couple (David Manners, Julie Bishop) and the brooding Dr. Vitus Werdegast (Lugosi), who meet onboard a train traveling through Hungary. An accident forces the couple to accompany Werdegast to the home of architect/Satanist Hjalmar Poelzig (Karloff), the man he intends to revenge himself upon for dark and mysterious reasons. Soon, it becomes apparent that Poelzig and Werdegast share a disturbing past relationship, and the innocent newlyweds quickly find themselves caught in the creepy crossfire. The film has precious, precious little to do with the Edgar Allan Poe story from which it takes its title, but the atmosphere is rich with unsettling dread that’s very much in the Poe style. Lugosi is at his finest here, given a meaty role affording him some very touching moments along with his usual gestures of exotic menace, and Karloff likewise shines in a role thick with sadistic pleasures. Their final showdown is an unforgettable slice of Grand Guignol greatness.
Dracula (1979) I’d already seen the Lugosi and Lee classics on television, but Universal’s 1979 remake of their vampiric chestnut was the first I’d seen on the big screen (and, if I’m not mistaken, the first R-rated movie I was brought to the theater to watch). It’s only natural, therefore, that I’d have a special affection for this adaptation of the Stoker tale starring Frank Langella as the seductive and sinister Count. Langella delivers a performance that—while literally lacking the teeth that would mark him as a member of the bloodsucking undead—brims with romantic intensity and the underlying capacity for shocking violence. Somewhat stylized to echo artist Edward Gorey’s contributions to the Broadway revival that preceded it (which also starred Langella), the film is lavishly produced and contains one of composer John Williams’ finest film scores. Langella’s talents are matched onscreen by solid supporting turns from Donald Pleasance as Dr. Seward, Kate Nelligan as Lucy (or “Mina,” and you Dracula purists know what I mean by that), and Laurence Olivier as Abraham Van Helsing. Trevor Eve makes for a sturdy (and unsurprisingly impotent) Harker, while Tony Haygarth delivers a subtly satisfying interpretation of the insect-munching madman, Renfield. There’s a genuine departure from Stoker during the climax that I, as a young viewer, had not seen coming at all, and it provided a genuine shock that I remember to this day.
The Exorcist (1973) The last time I watched William Friedkin’s terrifying film, I was sitting in a movie theater for the re-issue dubbed “The Version You’ve Never Seen.” There was a lot of laughing with—or at—the movie done by the audience, and by the time it was over, I felt like calling it The Version I Wish I’d Never Seen. I suppose it’s fair to say that, during these decades subsequent to its original release, that because this film’s most well-known moments have passed into the popular consciousness and are endlessly revisited, ripped off, and ridiculed, the film’s ultimate power has somewhat diminished for today’s audiences. Perhaps its most shocking material is simply no longer shocking. Perhaps an increasingly “rational” public (that is, a public devoted less and less to the mysteries of the religious and the supernatural) finds little to fear from the film’s brutally realized account of a young girl’s demonic possession. Still, I’ve been devoted to the original cut of the film ever since it first creeped me out, and it remains, I think, the finest “serious” horror movie ever made–the best chiller that comes along with pretensions of making some manner of commentary on issues of fear and faith. Linda Blair’s performance is still quite heroic; Ellen Burstyn’s work is a portrait of rage and suffering that brings to mind the work of Ingmar Bergman; and the long, exhausting climax that shows the holy dynamic duo of Max von Sydow (in the title role) and Jason Miller (at his brooding, burning best) battling to force the demon from Blair’s body is yet unrivaled in its sheer audacity.
The Fly (1986) When’s the last time you cried at the end of a horror movie? David Cronenberg’s remake of the 1958 thriller starring Vincent Price really got to me. I saw this one multiple times in the theater, perhaps because it was so riveting to see such bizarre subject matter treated with such an emotional punch. People were actively discussing whether or not Jeff Goldblum would follow in the footsteps of Fredric March and receive an Oscar (as March did for 1931’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) for his charismatic and sensitive performance as the scientist who accidentally blends his genetic material with that of a common housefly. Goldblum wasn’t even nominated, unfortunately, but the film did receive the Academy Award for the incredible makeup work by Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis, which dramatized Goldblum’s gradual disfigurement with a sense of genuinely upsetting realism. The picture’s effectiveness was also greatly enhanced by a grandly tragic score from Cronenberg’s go-to musical wizard, Howard Shore.
The Invisible Man (1933) In Bill Condon’s cheeky and enjoyable James Whale biopic Gods and Monsters, Whale (Ian McKellen) at one point offers up a relatively low opinion of his own horror films to an interviewer probing the gay auteur for some inside information. That may certainly have been an accurate representation of how Whale felt, but he remains best known for his classic shockers, and few filmmakers have ever crafted works of the uncanny as clever or enduring. Whale’s determination was always to mix his chills with some chuckles, the better to take his viewers along on an emotional rollercoaster and keep them decidedly off-balance. He masterfully achieved this mix in The Old Dark House and The Bride of Frankenstein, and this adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel (which arrived in between those two) likewise comes with a fair share of laughs to warm you up after getting the shivers. Perhaps the film’s grandest gamble was placing so much responsibility for the film’s success on the shoulders of neophyte leading man Claude Rains, whose face remains hidden in bandages (or completely unseen when he strips them off) until the film’s final few seconds. Rains’ vocal and physical performance remains a marvel; the effects are still—still!—a sight to behold; and renowned screen “biddy” Una O’Connor has an unforgettable showcase for her shrill gifts during the film’s suspenseful opening sequences.
Jaws (1975) Whenever I go back to rework my “Top 10 Favorite Movies of All Time” lists, Steven Spielberg’s timeless thriller always—always—comes out on top. My parents liked to remind me that they took me (quite a youngster at the time) to see the film first at a drive-in, where I promptly fell asleep. Back we went to see it inside a proper movie theater (some sadistic folks, my mom and dad!), where they waved their hands in front of my bulging eyeballs and got no reaction from me whatsoever. Forget about being afraid to go in the ocean: I was afraid to go in the swimming pool after seeing Jaws. A superb, virile adventure film on top of being one of the just-plain-scariest movies of all time, the picture boasts the terrific trio of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss, playing the men mad enough to take to unfriendly waters off the shores of the fictitious summer resort island community of Amity in search of a man-and-woman-eating Carcharodon carcharias. John Williams’ title theme for the film has passed into cinematic legend, and in spite of its usage in many parodies (“Land Shark!”), that propulsive two-note motif still manages to conjure up shivers.
Nosferatu, Phantom der Nacht (1979) As a monsterfan quite partial to the Dracula legend (so much so I wrote and directed an original musical adaptation of it…quite a while back), I feel the thirst to keep a second film relating the strange saga of the world’s most famous vampire in rotation at my desert island cinematheque, especially when that second selection is visionary director Werner Herzog’s remake of the 1922 silent shocker. Uniquely channeling the charisma of frequent collaborator Klaus Kinski in the title role (properly called Dracula here and not Count Orlok), Herzog offers up a sinister stew of dread, giving viewers both a detailed and loving homage to the F.W. Murnau classic and a full-on parade of staple Herzog conceits: A doomed protagonist seeking that which is ultimately elusive; nature working monstrous and foul wonders, here in the form of rats carrying the plague; and dark humor pervading an atmosphere of unease. Bruno Ganz and Isabelle Adjani make for a potent Harker and Lucy, while Roland Topor delivers a deliciously batty performance as Renfield. The musical score by Popol Vuh is superbly haunting, while the cinematography by Jorg-Schmidt-Reitwein ( also responsible for the moody appeal of Herzog films Heart of Glass and Woyzeck, among others) casts a palpable gloom over the effectively (un)natural locations.
Phantom of the Paradise (1974) What list of desert island monster movies could be complete without a little night music from the Phantom of the Opera…uh, that is, the Paradise? And who better to provide it than songwriter Paul Williams? The diminutive Williams–who went on to compose the score for the junior gangster saga Bugsy Malone as well as The Muppet Movie–also enjoys the honor of portraying the Faustian “benefactor” of Winslow Leach (William Finley), the deformed composer obsessed with a pretty vocalist (Jessica Harper) he wants to see play the starring role in his new rock opera. What sets this “Phantom” adaptation apart is the wildly effective blend of homage, parody, and sincere reinvention that works to perfection here for writer/director Brian De Palma, I’d argue more so than in his many Hitchcock-inspired thrillers. Williams’ original score bristles with black humor, sass, and authentic poignancy. And then, there’s the campy lunacy Gerrit Graham brings to the role of Beef, the lisping egomaniac brought on to star opposite the Phantom’s beautiful muse, unveiled in a humorous nod to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. “I give you…Beef!,” indeed. There’s plenty for fright fans to chew on in this oft-neglected movie.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) It happens for each and every generation of horror fans—there comes a popular film that breaks all the unspoken “rules” and is severely castigated for being so horrific the experience of watching it becomes too unpleasant and offensive, perhaps even torturous, for viewers to endure. Raising the hackles of critics and moviegoers raised on more “innocent” or “morally upright” fare, these films achieve a kind of instant infamy. The critics forget, of course, that many of their best beloved classics were, in their day, also seen as insults to the public good (just ask James Whale). In the ‘70s, what film better represents that outrage than Tobe Hooper’s reinterpretation of the lurid saga of serial killer Ed Gein, the Wisconsin-born madman whose crimes similarly inspired the earlier, then-controversial 1960 release of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho? After multiple viewings, I still find this film’s visceral power undiminished. The murderous man-child Leatherface remains one of scare cinema’s most disturbing grotesques, and while barely a drop of blood is actually spilled onscreen—contrary to the impression of many reviewers at the time who mistook the picture’s seedy, overwhelming intensity for the actual presence of blood and gore—the experience of viewing the film continues to provide uncanny impressions of spectacular butchery. Other films including Deranged, The Silence of the Lambs, and American Psycho all have their uniquely unsettling charms, but no film yet has truly supplanted Hooper’s gritty chronicle in the annals of unhinged sadism. Why bring it to the desert island? Less out of “enjoyment,” certainly, than out of pure admiration for the craft.
Sure, it’s cheating to pick an 11th, but I’m going for broke anyway:
Isle of the Dead (1945) I add it just as a cautionary note about the terrible things that can happen to you if you get stuck on an island while Boris Karloff goes frighteningly bonkers. I blogged in much more detail about this Val Lewton-produced classic during the Boris Karloff Blog-a-Thon, and you can find my thoughts about this still-relevant chiller here.
I know, I know. No haunted house movies. Two vampire flicks and no mummies, wolfmen, or creatures from black lagoons? No Carpenters or Cormans? No Michael, Jason, or Freddy? No Hammer Films??? Hey, this isn’t easy! Please share your own choices, monster-lover-to-monster lover.
George D. Allen performs directing and postproduction duties on “Ghouly Irv” Slifkin’s MovieFrightFare videos, as well as regular podcasts on the Movies Unlimited blog, MovieFanFare, and is currently shooting the scare-packed short Night of the Moonbats.
Posted by Steve in Books, Events, Home Page Top Story, Latest News, The Magic Lantern - Steve Weintz on February 25th, 2010
Once again, the Mystery & Imagination Bookshop in Glendale, CA, was the place to be for genre gold, this time for the launch party and signing for the new horror anthology, The Bleeding Edge. Published by Cycatrix Press, this collection of 19 tales by modern masters of the macabre, edited by Jason V Brock and William F. Nolan, received a lavish send-off by a host of its contributors. The book itself is a handsomely mounted volume, printed in a limited edition of 400 and an extremely limited deluxe signed edition of 75.
As usual, hosts and proprietors Malcolm and Christine Bell managed the moiling mobs of fans with courtesy and aplomb, showing how one should run the last standing brick-and-mortar genre bookstore in America’s second-largest city.
Jason Brock took a moment from the busy event to speak with FM.
Earl Hamner, Jr., Jason Brock and William Nolan
“I was annoyed with the current crop of horror authors and magazines and thought them too cliquish. James Beach and I publish Dark Discoveries magazine, and I told James I wanted to do a real book; James is a brand-new father and with that on his mind, pointed out that a book would be a BIG project. That didn’t deter me; I’ve worked on many graphic novels and my wife Sunni and I have already made two documentary films. One’s about the great Twilight Zone writer Charles Beaumont and the other is about Forry Ackerman. That’s how I met many of these people.
Ray Bradbury, William Nolan, Norman Corwin
“Now, William Nolan and I had worked together on the new graphic novel adaptation of Logan’s Run, and he’s been a mentor to me in so many ways. We agreed to collaborate on an anthology of short stories and between us we assembled a stellar group of contributors. Bill had lots of connections with other writers, and I had many contacts as a result of the documentaries. We worked out what material was available, and insisted that all stories be new or unpublished, and editable.
Ray Bradbury, Norman Corwin, George Clayton Johnson, John Shirley, Jason Brock
“Out of 70 stories we accepted only 22, and the open call for submissions placed only 2 stories in the final collection. We started getting the shape of the book as the stories came in, and its shape was dark and edgy. The first story we bought was that of James Robert Smith; we said to each other, ‘If every story is as good as this one, we’re gold!’ It was a very short development cycle — we sent out our first feelers in December 2008, and it was sent to the printers December 2009. We didn’t let anyone see the thing until publication.
Ray Bradbury and Norman Corwin
“We knew right away we wanted the book to be a hardcover edition, artistically striking and full of remarkable fonts (I admit it — I’m a fonthound). We worked hard to lay out the material in ways that evoked their original contexts: pulp-magazine columns, screenplay formatting, quick drafts. We also wanted to break up the layout with sketches, photos and border artwork. The very talented Kris Kuksi did the cover art and it turned out really well. Each individual story also received its own signature page for the author. That’s a printing feature that’s rarely been done.”
Norman Corwin, George Clayton Johnson, John Shirley
Paul Salamoff and Bill Nolan
The Bleeding Edge
Edited by William F. Nolan and Jason V Brock.
Signed by 23 contributors. Separate signature page for each author.
Handcrafted Deluxe Hardcover with dust jacket; cover and interior art by Kris Kuksi.
Foreword by S. T. Joshi.
A landmark anthology; contains original, never before published works by:
Ray Bradbury, Gary A. Braunbeck, Jason V Brock, Christopher Conlon, Norman Corwin, Cody Goodfellow, Earl Hamner, George Clayton Johnson, Nancy Kilpatrick, Joe R. Lansdale, Richard Matheson, Richard Christian Matheson, Lisa Morton, Kurt Newton, William F. Nolan, Dan O’Bannon, Frank M. Robinson, John Shirley, James Robert Smith, Steve Rasnic Tem, and John Tomerlin.
Both editions feature opaque vellum pages, printed with 100% vegetable inks using windpower; printed and bound in the USA.
Trade Hardcover: 400 copies
Deluxe Hardcover: 75 numbered copies
Posted by Peter Schwotzer in Books, Reviews, Terror Tales with Peter D. Schwotzer on February 23rd, 2010
“Gavin Meadows gives guided tours of Liverpool. Some of his stories are based on history and some on local legends. As a summer of rainstorms and redevelopment overtakes the city, his research starts to disinter the true nature of the place. What originally brought settlers to the Pool? What used to take place in the cellars of Liverpool’s Whitechapel? Why did Joseph Williamson, the Mole of Edge Hill, construct a maze of underground tunnels only to brick them up? What drove Virginia Woolf’s uncle mad in Liverpool as he summed up a prosecution for murder? As Gavin and his partner Lucinda delve deeper they’re confronted by the truth behind the legends and encounter what has always lived under the city. At the end, what will come up from the dark?”
Ramsey Campbell’s latest novel is an enjoyable romp through the streets of Liverpool. Mr. Campbell’s attention to detail and his use of historical information added a lot of depth to the book. Though I have never been to Liverpool I can safely say that I have a good understanding of what it is like after reading this book.
For me the book started off a little slow but once well into the book you can understand why there is so much detail. The mystery and suspense are built up slowly and meticulously.
This book is told in first person which with the atmosphere Mr. Campbell injects into his prose can be a bit unsettling as you are not sure if what Gavin is experiencing is real or not. I really loved that aspect of this book. The twists and turns are many and varied. The characters are well thought out and fully realized.
I would have to say my favorite part of the book was the atmosphere Mr. Campbell creates in his version of Liverpool. It was almost like it was a character itself.
I highly recommend this for someone who likes their fiction challenging and detailed with loads of atmosphere.
Posted by Earl Roesel in A Walk Through the Forrest with Earl Roesel, Books, Home Page Top Story, Latest News on February 23rd, 2010
It’s easy to forget that Forry’s unique influence went far beyond the parameters of science fiction and horror. He crossed paths with any number of noted thinkers and artists during his life, including the legendary Henry Miller. FJA relates that particular story below…
Forry inscribes a book for one of his fans during a convention appearance. In our time together, I noted how generous he was in giving autographs to whomever wanted them.
There was a time when Henry Miller was known for his highly sexy novels Tropic of Capricorn and another called Tropic of Cancer; I believe one or both of them were filmed with Marlon Brando. Somewhere along the line I was invited to meet Henry Miller and I was astonished to see he had a Chinese wife. She, like me, could also speak Esperanto! I remember asking Henry if he’d ever read any science fiction and he just dismissed it saying, “Oh, that’s just childish Buck Rogers stuff, isn’t it?” I said, “Oh, no! There’s a lot of deep thinking and important work by H. G. Wells, Olaf Stapledon and others. I’ll tell you what I’ll do, I’ll send you about half a dozen of the really important novels of science fiction.”
I did so and sometime later I ran across him in an auditorium where both he and I had been listening to some important speaker. He came up to me, shook my hand and said, “You are certainly right about science fiction.”
I don’t suppose I converted him to being a rabid fan like myself but at least I changed his opinion of science fiction.
Posted by Peter Schwotzer in Books, Reviews, Terror Tales with Peter D. Schwotzer on February 22nd, 2010
“The world of Colonial America comes vibrantly to life in this masterful new historical thriller by Robert McCammon. The latest entry in the popular Matthew Corbett series, which began with Speaks the Nightbird and continued in The Queen of Bedlam, Mister Slaughter opens in the emerging metropolis of New York City in 1702, and proceeds to take both Matthew and the reader on an unforgettable journey of horror, violence, and personal discovery.
The journey begins when Matthew, now an apprentice “problem solver” for the London-based Herrald Agency, accepts an unusual and hazardous commission. Together with his colleague, Hudson Greathouse, he agrees to escort the notorious mass murderer Tyranthus Slaughter from an asylum outside Philadelphia to the docks of New York. Along the way, Slaughter makes his captors a surprising–and extremely tempting–offer. Their response to this offer will alter the course of the novel, setting in motion a series of astonishing, ultimately catastrophic events.
Mister Slaughter is at once a classic portrait of an archetypal serial killer and an exquisitely detailed account of a fledgling nation still in the process of inventing itself. Suspenseful, illuminating, never less than compulsively readable, it is, by any measure, an extraordinary achievement, the largest accomplishment to date from one of our most gifted–and necessary–writers.” (Above text courtesy of Subterranean Press)
Robert McCammon is simply one of the best authors of our time. You might say I am a little biased as Mr. McCammon has been one of my favorite writers since his early horror days. But then again there are not too many that read Mr. McCammon’s work that would disagree with me.
Mister Slaughter is a masterful book in so many ways. It continues the tale of Matthew Corbett “Problem Solver” that we have come to know so well from Speaks The Nightbird and The Queen Of Bedlam. This just might be the best book of the series so far.
The story is riveting, fast paced and filled with characters that are absolutely fabulous. Be warned, once you start you will not be able to put this down.
While this can’t be called a horror novel it certainly contains horrific themes and characters. Tyranthus Slaughter, aka Mister Slaughter, is one of the most vile villains to be put to the printed page in a while. He is decadently evil, twisted and I thoroughly enjoyed him. Mr. McCammon also introduces us to a few of Mister Slaughter’s associates that are just as, if not more, twisted than he is.
This is Mr. McCammons darkest and most violent book in some time and he seems to revel in this time period. He brings our still infant country to life with a flair for the dramatic and sublime with characters and settings with a three dimensional quality that allows you to live in this time period, if only for a brief moment.
He also deepens the mystery of Professor Fell, the reclusive and still yet unknown behind an ever growing crime syndicate on both sides of the ocean who has Matthew Corbett right in his cross-hairs. Mr. McCammon weaves in numerous subplots and characters from the first two books.
Fiction does not get any better than this my friends and I urge you to start with Speaks The Nightbird and don’t stop until you reach the last page of Mister Slaughter. You are in for one hell of a ride by one of the best there is.
Posted by Earl Roesel in A Walk Through the Forrest with Earl Roesel on February 18th, 2010
When young Forry moved to San Francisco with his parents, he did not enjoy a warm welcome from the neighborhood by any means. In the following extract, he details an encounter with a local gang of street toughs and its surprising outcome. Additionally, we hear of FJA’s boyhood friendship with James H. Nichlolson, later co-head of American International Pictures. This contact would serve Forry well in the years to come, as Nicholson would offer Famous Monsters of Filmland pre-release coverage of his studio’s forthcoming terror tales.
A youthful Forry surveys his collection of pulp magazines. These were briefly sold to a neighbor boy before an agonized FJA asked for them back!
“When I first moved to San Francisco with my parents, the first time I went onto the street a gang of about half a dozen boys grabbed hold of me and took me to the last house on the block and to its back yard. One of the gang then welcomed me to the neighborhood. It was explained to me that he was the leader of the gang and I would have to fight him for leadership. That didn’t appeal to me at all, but I was forced to fight and I knocked him down and stood towering over him. The others went, ‘Hooray, hooray for our new leader!’ I never took any advantage of it.
“In those days I was going to high school and to get there I would first walk along the sidewalk of the house in which I lived, at 530 Staples Avenue. At the bottom of the descent I became acquainted with one of the fellows I was going to school with, Frank Sipos. We accompanied each other to school each day. I found that he was very interested in science fiction. I created what was called the Boys’ Scientifiction Club. Girls were not even mentioned because in the early days there were no girls who were interested.
“In high school I met up with another boy who was interested. His name was James Nicholson. He wasn’t a particularly good student. While I, in the fourth and last year when I graduated, got a straight A in every one of my courses. But James Nicholson eventually rose considerably over me in the eyes of society when he became president of a movie corporation called American International Pictures.”
Posted by Steve in Events, Home Page Top Story, Latest News, The Magic Lantern - Steve Weintz on February 18th, 2010
Like Stanley G. Weinbaum, Henry Kuttner, Stan Winston and Dave Allen, Dan O’Bannon left our planet much too soon, leaving behind a world of saddened friends and fans. The sadness doesn’t linger, though, for Dan was a very funny man, and much beloved by those who knew him.
On February 9th, 2010, the New Beverly Cinema hosted the Grindhouse Film Fest’s tribute to Dan 
O’Bannon, with a double feature screening of “Lifeforce” and “Return of the Living Dead.” To experience Dan’s authentic adaptation of Colin Wilson’s seminal novel “The Space Vampires”, and his loopy, dead-on riff on zombie movies, in a Hollywood revival theater full of rabid fans, is to know what imaginative entertainment is all about.
In addition to such on-screen delights as an unveiled Matilda May, and demented lines such as “Send more cops!”, an informal RotLD cast reunion occurred.
Clu Galagher, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Matthews, Beverly Randolph and others shared stories and reminiscences.
Artist William Stout, whose first credit as Production Designer came on RotLD, made a last-minute appearance and explained Dan’s key place in film and comic history.
Kudos to Grindhouse Film Fest and Dan’s many friends for putting on this event! Dan’s memory will also be part of the book launch party for “The Bleeding Edge Anthology” at Mystery & Imagination Bookshop in Glendale, CA, this Saturday, Feb. 20, starting at 3:00pm.
Posted by Peter Schwotzer in Books, Reviews, Terror Tales with Peter D. Schwotzer on February 18th, 2010
“One morning the residents of Walden, Virginia, woke up to find that the rest of the world was gone. Just…gone. Surrounding their town was a wall of inky darkness, casting Walden into permanent night. Nothing can get in, no light, no people, not even electricity or radio or TV signals. And no one can get out. No one who dared to penetrate the mysterious barrier has ever been seen again. Only their screams were heard. But for some of the residents-turned-prisoners of Walden, even the fear of that unseen death can’t keep them from trying to escape this living purgatory. “
Brian Keene’s books continue to amaze me. Darkness On The Edge Of Town is his latest novel and it is exceptional.
Something is keeping Walden, Virginia trapped in a cloak of darkness. No power, no cell phones and no internet. That in itself is probably frightening to the majority of the United States population. Throw in some good old fashioned scares and you have a tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
It seems with each book Brian’s characters just keep getting better. The characters he populates this tale with are eminently recognizable as someone you know. And that my friends is what makes for a great story. I can relate to these people and what they are going through and they go through a lot.
Take away people’s toys and gadgets, cut them off from the rest of the world and it doesn’t take long for mob rules to go into effect. Throw a religious nut into the midst and you have a total breakdown and that is when the story starts getting fun.
Brian Keene to me never fails to deliver and with Darkness On The Edge Of Town he shows us that monsters can exist in our neighborhoods and cities and it is us…and that is scary.
If you already are a Brian Keene fan you will want to add this to your collection, if you’re not a Brian Keene fan what the hell are you waiting for.
A special thanks to Dorchester Publishing for supplying the book cover and synopsis.
