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The Tangled Leaves of Anniseed

The Tangled Leaves of Anniseed

Tag Archives: Horror

Unnatural Creatures – stories chosen by Neil Gaiman

03 Monday Feb 2014

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Fantasy, Horror, Monsters, Short stories

Neil Gaiman can do no wrong in my opinion, and this anthology of beastly stories chosen by him is a real treat. The theme is encounters with creatures beyond reality, and is a varied mix of the humorous, the scary and the literary. It introduces us to manticores, cockatoucans, griffins and mermaids galore, in a rich tapestry of imagination from the finest short story writers.  It includes favourites such as Diana Wynne Jones and E. Nesbit alongside those who will be new to many readers, including Gahan Wilson and Nnedi Okorafor, who I’m definitely going to look out for. My favourite stories in this collection was the (unnamed) story by Wilson, in which a black blob moves around a stately home, gaining in size and menace; Sunbird by Neil himself, in which a group of gastronomic adventurers bite off more than they can chew; The Compleat Werewolf by Anthony Boucher, originally published in 1942 and still a powerful exploration of lycanthropy; and Come Lady Death by Peter S. Beagle, in which vain Lady Neville rashly invites Death to one of her society balls. It’s a strong collection of tales which will reward the reader who returns time and time again to dip into the magical world of these miraculous beasts, and is definitely a keeper on my bookshelves! Rating: ****

Bloomsbury, 2014, ISBN 9781408845462 (out in paperback on February 13th)

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review

Ghost Stories for Christmas

23 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by Anniseed in DVD Review

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DVD, Ghosts, Horror, Supernatural

Here’s a treat – a boxset of chilling tales, perfect for dark and stormy nights….

I’m cheekily regarding this as research for the ghost story I’m currently attempting to write, rather than an indulgent curl up on the sofa with a glass of wine luxury… But it has been both a delight and a lesson in how to terrify, so both will do. This is the 6-disc set of the classic tales which were a bit of a Christmas tradition, and as Mark Gatiss is resurrecting that tradition on Christmas Day this year with an adaptation of The Tractate Middoth, I’m doubly thrilled.

This collection contains both the 1969 and 2010 versions of Whistle and I’ll Come To You, one of the most unsettling of M. R. James’s supernatural tales. This is a study in the uncanny, and the sense of isolation and unease that permeates this simple story is unparalleled. Both Michael Hordern and John Hurt in the role of the haunted man give magnificently understated performances and this is rightly a classic. There are five further tales from M.R. James adapted in the 1970s – The Stalls of Barchester, A Warning to the Curious, Lost Hearts, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas and The Ash Tree. My favourite is Lost Hearts, a vampiric tale which is properly disturbing, although the baby-faced spiders from The Ash Tree give it a run for its money. There’s also an adaption of Dickens’s The Signalman, which is far more of a conventional tale but the figure haunting poor Denholm Elliott is very, very creepy.

Two more 1970s stories, Stigma and The Ice House, have modern settings so strike a different note. Stigma is possibly the story that has stayed with me the most – a family are moving some standing stones in order to create a new garden, but the wife suddenly starts bleeding with no apparent wound. This was a wonderfully atmospheric and dark story, all the more so for being in the light of normal modern-day life. The slightly ambiguous ending with the daughter freaked me out! The Ice House is the weirdest tale in the collection; an intriguing story, but the dialogue and delivery was very stylised, which struck a wrong note with me – I’m undecided about this one.

The stories of M.R. James were resurrected in 2005 and 2006 with A View from a Hill and Number 13 respectively. The former is a brilliant idea and the ending is chilling; Number 13 is a traditional tale but very effective.

If you like ghost stories, this is a must-have collection. There are also lots of extras to enjoy with Christopher Lee and Robert Powell re-telling the tales. Now if only I could write like M.R. James….

 

House of Small Shadows by Adam Nevill

12 Thursday Dec 2013

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Dolls, Horror, Paranormal, Supernatural

Two things that completely freak me out – dolls and taxidermy! Yuk! And this book has both, in abundance!

I saw a review of this in the Metro and so decided to give it a try – I hadn’t heard of Adam Nevill before, and comparisons to Stephen King of course got my attention. And I was really pleased that I enjoyed this story so much; I read it in one sitting, staying up till way past my bedtime!

The story follows Catherine, an antiques expert who has mysteriously disgraced herself and been forced to flee the limelight, and has found a mediocre post working for a small town valuer. The opportunity to redeem herself comes when an eccentric old lady, Edith Mason, hires the firm to value her uncle’s collection of taxidermy. M.H. Mason was a legend in his field, and the collection is priceless – not only that, it’s been hidden away for decades. The catch is that Catherine, who is in a highly fragile mental state following a relationship breakdown, will have to live at the Red House, Edith’s home, in order to value and catalogue the collection. And the Red House is too close to the area where she grew up – a childhood she doesn’t want to think about, scarred as it is by the mysterious disappearance of her best friend Alice when they were young. The Red House is dark, claustrophobic, and full of nightmarish tableaux of war in animal form; Edith is clearly unhinged; and there are strange noises at night, like children playing…. This is not a recipe for sanity. As Catherine delves deeper into the truth behind the collection, her past returns to haunt her, and her grip on reality starts to slide…

This is really compelling read which creates a very claustrophobic, creepy world. The reasons why Catherine doesn’t simply pack her bags and leave – as I was screaming at her to do – are worked out logically and as events flow through to their conclusion, the result is a startling and satisfying finale. Catherine is a believable heroine and the horror is contained as psychological right until the end, when the true nature of the evil that stalks the Red House is revealed with shocking brutality. I felt that this was a very original and powerful horror story with many memorable moments. I’ll definitely be seeking out more by Adam Nevill, and I think he’s one to watch. ****

Pan, 2013, ISBN 9780330544245

Let The Old Dreams Die by John Ajvide Lindqvist

09 Monday Dec 2013

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Horror, Monsters, Short stories, Supernatural, Vampires, Zombies

As the nights close in, I’m inevitably drawn to the darker side of nature again…

Let the Old Dreams Die is a collection of short stories by the author of Let the Right One In, and here Lindqvist shows himself to be master of the form. From trolls to vampires, he weaves terrifying tales of horror. The title story picks up the pieces from his celebrated vampire novel, and The Final Processing follows the events after his unusual zombie novel Handling the Undead; both of which are very satisfying if you’re a fan of his books, but they stand alone perfectly well. But he also explores new territory – in Border, a customs officer stops a mysterious traveller only to discover that she herself is not quite human. Village on the Hill includes some startling imagery which will make you nervous of tower blocks and toilets, and the secret of defying death extracts a terrible price in Eternal / Love. But my favourite is the short Paper Walls, which captures perfectly the imagination and terror of childhood.

Lindqvist is definitely my favourite horror writer; his prose is beautiful, which makes the gruesomeness of his tales more shocking, but never gratuitous. He has the ability to make his worlds absolutely real, so the most bizarre events feel plausible, and even his most depraved characters inspire sympathy in the reader. His is real literary horror, and the comparisons with Stephen King which litter covers and reviews don’t do him justice – he’s a far more skillful writer, and there is a sense of something much deeper in his characters and worlds. Thoughtful, intelligent horror indeed, and thoroughly recommended. *****

Quercus, 2013, ISBN 9780857385512

The Orphan Choir by Sophie Hannah

11 Monday Nov 2013

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Ghosts, Hammer, Horror, Paranormal, Supernatural

This is the second Hammer novel I’ve encountered and is a vast improvement on Jeanette Winterson’s The Daylight Gate, which is an immense relief, and means that I’ll be actively seeking out more Hammer tales. Sophie Hannah writes very tense psychological thrillers based firmly in real life, so it was interesting to read a spooky twist on her normal genre. The story is told by Louise, who is in a not particularly happy marriage, and is missing her young son, who has been packed off to a boarding school on the basis that he’s a talented member of its prestigious choir. Louise is stressed out and a nuisance neighbour – nicknamed Mr Fahrenheit after his choice of song – is driving her crazy with his loud music. No one is prepared to help her, and in desperation she decides to leave her house and rent a property in a quiet, communal private estate. But the music follows her – and what seemed like a particularly vicious torment from her neighbour, the sound of young boys singing choral songs – takes on a sinister new resonance. As Louise starts to lose her grip, it seems that her son is in danger, and only she can save him. Is she crazy, or is there really a ghost calling out a warning?

This was a gripping read and very effective in getting inside Louise’s head and showing the effects of sleep deprivation and depression. Louise isn’t always a likeable character, but this worked well for me in keeping me invested in her story – I wanted to know if she was telling the truth or not. The storyline is taut and the twist in the tale genuinely shocking; both attributes of Hannah’s writing which translate well to the horror genre. The length is just about right too – any more would have been stretching credulity, but it’s easy to read in one sitting to get the full creepy effect. It’s definitely a good Hammer ghost story, and a good modern gothic tale. Rating: ***

Hammer, 2013, ISBN 9780099580027

Terror Scribes edited by Adam Lowe and Chris Kelso

31 Thursday Oct 2013

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Horror, Monsters, Short stories, Supernatural

Merry Samhain!

In the spirit of the eve here’s an excellent collection of horror stories to thrill you. It’s a wonderfully diverse collection, with something to suit all tastes; I’ve been dipping into it for a while and some of tales within have genuinely disturbed me. There’s everything creepy within these pages, showing just how the imagination can conjure horror from the most ordinary aspects of life to the most bizarre and fantastical. Welcome to the jungle by John Palisano is true monster gore – a crazy tale, but one that leaves you chilled; Scarred by Deb Hoag is a human horror, in which the will to survive unimaginable evil is turned into good; Hairy palms by A.J Kirby is a great twist on a werewolf tale; Play time by Marie O’Regan is a ghostly tale with such a sad ending; and Life-like by Paul Kane mixes horror and sci-fi to creepy effect. Each story takes a very different aspect of the weird and grotesque, and each has its own distinct style. Twenty-four tales which will delight and devour you indeed!

Available from http://www.doghornpublishing.com/wordpress/, ISBN 9781907133343

Life’s a Scream: The Autobiography of Ingrid Pitt

31 Friday May 2013

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Acting, Autobiography, Film, Holocaust, Horror, Movies

Once, a long time ago, I encountered Ingrid Pitt down a dark alleyway. It was a most surreal experience and one I recount regularly in games of “famous people I’ve met” with friends. Some people don’t know who I’m talking about, while others go all reverent and misty-eyed (many of these people are men of a certain age), but the encounter left me with an indelible fondness for this actress and writer, so I was delighted to come across her autobiography.

Known mostly for her roles as vampires in several Hammer Horror films, Ingrid became a cult figure in the 1970s. Her striking looks and exotic accent made her stand out in an era of starlets, and indeed as her autobiography attests, she was far more than just a blonde bombshell. Born in 1937 in Poland, her father was a scientist who defied the Nazi war machine, and as a consequence Ingrid’s family were imprisoned in a concentration camp. Ingrid’s recollections of these early years are absolutely horrific, yet told with a matter-of-fact air that very effectively communicates the trauma these experiences had on a small child. Her mother bravely battled to keep Ingrid alive, and was clearly an incredible woman of great strength and determination. Their story fortunately had a happier outcome than most, as they survived the camp and were eventually reunited with Ingrid’s father.

As a teenager living in Berlin Ingrid was determined to become an actress, and had many misadventures with the communist regime in her efforts to do so. Eventually escaping Germany through her marriage to an American GI, she gave birth to a daughter, but when her husband left to go to war in Vietnam, Ingrid went travelling in the hopes of fulfilling her dream. More crazy adventures ensued as she lived mostly on her wits, with no money and a baby in tow, but she made her dream come true, starring alongside A-listers such as Clint Eastwood, John Mills, and Richard Burton. Her second marriage to an industry fixer, was one of convenience but backfired disastrously and she was effectively outcast, fleeing with her lover Tonio (later to become her third husband) to South America. But she fought back again to resurrect her career, becoming a writer as well as an actress.

Ingrid’s story is one worthy of a film in itself. It is a tragic yet funny tale, of a life full of bizarre occurrences, bite and resilience. She took the horror of the Holocaust and embraced the horror of gothic stories to counteract it; she lived a nomad’s life, refusing to be imprisoned by anyone. She comes across as a fighter, a risk-taker, and someone who knows the fundamental value of life and the importance of living it to the full. Her recollections on the movie industry are hilarious (such as a her spat with Elizabeth Taylor) and shocking (being assaulted by Orson Welles) and shine a very honest light on the misogyny of the time and culture. Ingrid has a distinct voice – not only in terms of her legendary accent, but in her casual, up-front way of speaking. I could imagine, reading her book, that she was sat right next to me on the sofa, telling me her tales with a glass of wine in one hand. She flits from one anecdote to another, mixing humour with righteous anger, and taking no sh*t from anyone. Ultimately her life story has inspired me – this little girl who witnessed so much atrocity, who survived, who stood tall, and fought back, really is an icon, and her name deserves to far more widely known. I feel honoured to have met her, however briefly. Rating: ****

Ingrid passed away in 2010, but her work continues. Several of her fictional works are due to be published, and a short animated film of her childhood experiences has been created.

 

Life’s a Scream: Heinemann, 1999, ISBN 9780434007622 (An expanded and updated version is available, published by Midnight Marquee Press, 2008, ISBN 9781887664547)

The Falcons of Fire and Ice by Karen Maitland

28 Tuesday May 2013

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Adventure, Fantasy, Historical, Horror

Reproduced with kind permission of Penguin Books

Karen Maitland is fast becoming one of my must-read writers. Her historical potboilers are full of addictively gruesome details, supernatural mayhem, characters so vibrant they slap you in the face, and a sense of tension that is sometimes unbearable. In all, rollicking good reads! The Falcons of Fire and Ice is superb, and like her previous stories, it will remain in my collection to be re-read and savoured all over again.

This is the story of innocent Isabela, whose father is the Court Falconer in Portugal, in the year 1564. But when the falcons are found murdered, the Inquisition take him in for “questioning” – and their methods of interrogation are not for the faint-hearted. The boy King however has no stomach for the Inquisition’s excesses and in what seems like a futile attempt to save his Falconer’s life, suggests that a full pardon would be offered if the white falcons are replaced within a year. An offer that Isabela immediately grasps, despite knowing that the falcons are extremely rare and their only natural habitat is Iceland – a wild and unknown country of ice and terror. The brave girl sets off on her quest, unwittingly followed by agents of the Inquisition who are determined to stop her, and mysteriously aided by the Icelandic mystic Eydris, who herself is being tormented by a draugr (a revenant spirit).

This is a fast-paced story with a large cast of characters (some of whom have aliases!) so take your time and read carefully. It really does have two very different settings with the scorching torture of the Inquisition’s flames and the bitter harshness of the Icelandic wild, and this gives the story contrast from Maitland’s other works which are firmly set in Britain, allowing her to explore different mythologies and to experiment with the supernatural element more fully. The character of Eydris in particular is fascinating and her journey has several powerful reveals. As always Maitland revels in the graphic descriptions of gore and nastiness but this is skilfully handled, providing real meat on the bones of the tale rather than being off-putting. She succeeds in bringing the period to life in a visceral and sensuous way, and that’s what makes her stand out as an historical novelist – through her descriptions you can taste, touch and smell the world she’s invoking, empathise with the desperation and terror of her characters, and fully inhabit the fantasy she’s creating. If you read predominantly fantasy or horror you would be as drawn to her stories as fans of the historical novel, yet her research into the history is thorough, and the supernatural elements woven in perfectly naturally to the social reality of the time. I loved it. Rating: ****

Penguin Books, 2013, ISBN 9780141047454

Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough

28 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by Anniseed in Young Adult Fiction Review

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Ghosts, Horror, Supernatural, Young Adult Fiction

Another lovely creepy tale! This genuinely scary story for teenagers is set in 1958. Cora and her little sister Mimi are packed off to stay with Auntie Ida in the country by their feckless father, who doesn’t want to look after them. Ida doesn’t want the children either but for very different reasons – there’s a horrible history of harm that comes to children at Guerdon Hall, and she’s desperate to stop it happening again; but lumbered with the children she is paralysed by fear and unable to prevent the supernatural stirrings of an ancient evil… Before long Cora is aware of a ghostly presence in the house, and as she and her new friends Roger and Pete explore the local church they encounter more terrifying spectres. As the vengeful spirit of Long Lankin sets his sights on innocent Mimi, can Cora stop him and save her sister?

I loved the story’s multiple narrative voices, particularly that of Roger, who wonderfully captures the spirit of a free-range 1950’s childhood. There’s a genuine sense of supernatural menace in this story and a dark, brooding presence in the murky landscape, mirrored in the everyday world by the inability of the adults to recognise and respond to danger, or the childrens’ fears. Only Ida understands and she is so afraid she cannot act, unlike feisty Cora. The conclusion is meaty and tense, providing a satisfying resolution to the creepy unease that has been deftly built throughout the story. A good read for teenagers and adults alike. Rating: ***

Corgi Books, 2011, ISBN 9780552563215

Beasts by Nigel Kneale

23 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by Anniseed in DVD Review

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DVD, Horror, Relationships, Supernatural

Another digression into a DVD review tonight, to follow The Stone Tape; again this is a Nigel Kneale masterpiece which has had me riveted to the sofa for the past week. Beasts is a series of six hour-length self-contained dramas which was originally broadcast in 1976. Kneale is a fantastic storyteller and I thoroughly recommend his work to any writer – his sense of structure and pace, character and his ability to create atmosphere are unsurpassed. The linking theme of these disparate tales is that of “civilised Man in conflict with the primal, animal side of existence” (from the accompanying booklet by Andy Murray). To me however there’s a deeper theme that really struck me on first viewing – that of the fragile relationship between men and women.

In Baby, a young couple have moved to the countryside and are renovating an old cottage, ready for the imminent arrival of their new baby. Having previously miscarried, the wife is highly anxious. When they discover the mummified remains of a strange creature inside one of the cottage walls, her anxiety escalatates and she starts to hear strange noises. Her brutish husband disregards her fears, shouting at her constantly and putting his own needs first, and leaves her to face her fear alone. Is she imagining things or has something malevolent awoken? The creepy ending leaves no doubt that this marriage is well and truly over.

Buddyboy is the weirdest tale and possibly my favourite. A pornographer wishes to buy a disused dolphinarium to turn into a seedy cinema. The owner is keen to sell, and be rid of the memory of Buddyboy, one particular dolphin whose death may have been no accident. When the porn baron finds a girl squatting in the building, who’s obsessed with Buddyboy, it seems that the dead dolphin is haunting people – a fact he may be able to turn to his advantage…. The clear parallels between the exploitation of animals and the exploitation of women are hard to miss in this unusual tale, and the girl’s final choice paints a bleak picture of how women can wrestle back control of their lives. Again, the men in this tale are depicted as cruel, unable to comprehend women, and finally outwitted by them.

The Dummy is a Hammer spoof in which the collapse of a marriage, and a man’s sanity, is twisted by the power of a mask. The actor behind the Dummy is riled by his director into acts of appalling violence – here men abdicate most clearly their control over their own actions. It’s a tragic tale indeed and you do have sympathy for the man behind the Dummy, as his inability to connect with the women most important to him has driven him out of his own mind.

Special Offer is a more traditional tale of a useless shopgirl in love with her bullying boss, whose frustration takes the form of a poltergeist that causes havoc in the supermarket aisles. It’s hard to feel sympathy for her horrible boss, but the poignancy of the last scene hints at how women, even when gaining power, delude themselves into loving unworthy men, leaving an unsettling feeling that this is just the beginning…

What Big Eyes is a bizarre story of a scientist who is attempting to discover the secret of lycanthropy, with the help of his daughter. When an RSPCA inspector intervenes in the scientist’s experiments, his folly is revealed, and his abused daughter rages at how he has controlled and destroyed her life – a realisation that has come far too late.

During Barty’s Party is a brilliant piece of horror in which a couple are beseiged by a swarm of rats in their home. As the scratching gets louder and louder, the domineering husband starts to disintegrate, while the timid wife bravely battles to save their lives. Wonderfully claustrophobic and horrific without ever showing anything – it’s all in their fear – this is The Birds on a tiny budget and a fantastic study in character in which the true foundations of a marriage are laid brutally bare, bringing us full circle back to Baby.

An extra episode which was not part of the series is included as a bonus – Murrain. This is a tale of simple country folk and their superstitious fear that an old woman is laying curses on them. The local vet tries to protect her and dispel their murderous superstitions, but is she really what she seems?

In every episode the female characters are strong and subversive, even if the realisation of their strength comes too late to save them from male aggression and stupidity. It’s certainly a conflict between the primal side of nature, which is personified as much in the women as the “beasts” (real or imagined) of the title. Each man fails spectacularly by not listening, not connecting, not empathising with women. They are consumed with their concerns and follies, which lead them to death, madness, and loneliness. The women by contrast often turn the tables on their menfolk, although sometimes it’s a Pyrrhic victory. The deranged scientist in What Big Eyes had it exactly right – in the folktale of Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf does not eat Grandma, the wolf IS Grandma. And that little bit of insight makes all the difference, to the women and men who realise it.

Rating:*****

 

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