The Gothic is often typified by a propensity to look back and consider the influence of the past on the present, whether this takes the form of secrets long dead buried, hereditary curses, or revenants come back to haunt the living. But a question rarely considered is how far back to look? This is what …
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Book Review: The Sleep Room by F.R. Tallis
“The Sleep Room is a psychological ghost story that is heavy on the psychiatry but light on scares.” The Sleep Room is the story of James Richardson, a promising young psychiatrist who is singled out by the enigmatic yet controversial Dr. Hugh Maitland to aid his research at the Wyldehope Hall mental institution in Suffolk. …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/book-review-sleep-room-fr-tallis/
Book review: Anatomy of Death: In Five Sleazy Pieces (Edited by Mark West)
“Five incredible stories!” Back in the 1970s, thanks to Hammer, Amicus, NEL, Futura et al, the horror genre evolved into something altogether more exploitative and sleazy. Book covers were filled with lurid and often gory images, and movie posters contained visuals that would give the BBFC dreadful nightmares. The films themselves contained more breasts than …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/anatomy-death-sleazy-pieces-edited-mark-west/
Video Game Review: The Last of Us
“Taken on its own merits it’s difficult to fault!” Who would have thought that one of the most eagerly anticipated console releases of 2013 would be in the survival horror genre? With its big franchises, Resident Evil and Silent Hill, either morphing into steroid-infused blast-fests or being passed from developer to developer in an effort …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/videogame-review/
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Book Review: Every Shallow Cut by Tom Piccirilli
“The prose is sparse, the narrative voice is dark, and the journey is without remorse.” Noir fiction is, according to Wiki, a literary genre closely tied to hardboiled fiction, with the main difference being the protagonist is not a detective, but a victim, a suspect, or, more commonly, a perpetrator or criminal. Tom Piccirilli’s Every …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/book-review-shallow-cut-tom-piccirilli/
TIH 010: Stephen McGeagh on Habit, Manchester and Creative Writing
In this podcast we interview Stephen McGeagh, the author of Habit, a brand new horror novel from Salt Publishing. Topics [3:02] The genesis of Habit [5:00] Working with Nicholas Royle [5:44] Sense of place and Manchester in Habit [7:20] Critical response and praise from contemporaries [9:19] Twisted Tales event [11:20] The blurring of genres within Habit …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/horror-podcast-episode-010-stephen-mcgeagh-interview/
Getting Ready for Frightfest 2013
It’s that time again. The sleepy queue has been duly survived, the festival passes have been purchased, and the free film viewed. This year it was James Wan’s paranormal investigator thriller The Conjuring, due out in UK cinemas in August. The movie has had good reviews stateside but I have to say that while it …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/ready-frightfest-2013/
News Round-up Week Ending 26 July
Escape lands on DVD Escape, starring Ingrid Bolsø Berdal (Cold Prey 1 & 2), is released on DVD on 29 July. Set in a world ravaged by the plague, a poor family try to find a new home whilst being tracked by a group of ruthless killers. Escape is available on DVD and as a download …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/news-roundup-week-26-july/
Film Review: Twixt (2011)
Like Tim Burton’s recent reworking of that cult afternoon television soap Dark Shadows, Twixt appears to exist purely for the amusement of its director. Unlike Burton’s folly, it hasn’t got Johnny Depp heading up a raft of big names that seems to guarantee a return at the box office these days. It’s difficult to fathom …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/film-review-twixt-2011/