David Moody's Blog, page 17

It’s 2023, not 2003

To mark the release of AUTUMN: EXODUS and what is (probably) the end of the AUTUMN series, MICHAEL WILSON and BOB PASTORELLA, my THIS IS HORROR pals, invited me to write something for the site. That something quickly became four somethings – a series of columns looking at the past, present, and future of the living dead. Zombies get a bad deal, both in the books and films in which they feature, and also in the horror genre in general. Too many people look down their noses at horror novels, and having written in and around the genre for decades, I know that in a lot of people’s opinions, zombie stories are the lowest of the low. In these columns, I’ve argued why that’s a mistake.

You can read the first column – IT’S 2023, NOT 2003 – on the This is Horror site.

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Dreamscape

In episode seven of THE LAST OF US, Ellie had a poster for the movie INNERSCAPE on her bedroom wall. I’ve not played the games, so please tell me if there’s some connection I’m not aware of, but I thought that was a strange choice. If you don’t know INNERSPACE, it was director JOE DANTE‘s 1987 riff on that great 1966 B-movie, FANTASTIC VOYAGE. Anyway, I’m digressing wildly here… INNERSPACE starred DENNIS QUAID, who starred in another couple of genre movies around the same time which I absolutely adored – ENEMY MINE in 1985, and, just before that classic, DREAMSCAPE.

I loved DREAMSCAPE at the time, so when it popped up on AMAZON PRIME the other day, I thought I’d give it a re-watch and mention it here. As usual, here’s a synopsis and a trailer to whet your appetite.

A man who can enter and manipulate people’s dreams is recruited by a government agency to help cure the President of the United States of his nightmares about nuclear war but stumbles upon an assassination plot.

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What a cast, and what a hotchpotch concept. Alongside Quaid you’ve got KATE CAPSHAW (flying high after INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM), alongside MAX VON SYDOW, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, DAVID PATRICK KELLY, GEORGE WENDT, and EDDIE ALBERT. The mid-eighties truly was a great time for genre movies like this, and DREAMSCAPE appeared to have all the elements necessary to make it a huge success. Looking back, it seems the film dropped off the radar – overshadowed, perhaps, by other releases from around the same time: NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, NIGHT OF THE COMET… we truly were spoilt for choice back then.

I have to say, I really enjoyed re-watching DREAMSCAPE after so long, but I think that was due more to the 1980’s nostalgia than the quality of the film itself. On paper it seems like a surefire hit, but on screen it comes across as a victim of its own concept – often too many competing ideas seem to rob the story of any impact. For example, for a time we’re following Quaid’s character (and Kelly’s slimy villain) through people’s dreams. When a young boy is hounded by a snake-like monster through an abstract-looking set-piece, there are definite hints of FREDDY KRUEGER, but because we know the cause and who the perpetrator is, the sequence is robbed of any emotional heft. Then, we’re into wildly different territory inside the head of Albert’s US president and his recurring nightmares about the nuclear apocalypse. It’s all very entertaining, but it feels uneven and disjointed. We lurch from schmaltzy comedy into Armageddon, and it doesn’t quite work. The film was even marketed with a beautiful DREW STRUZAN poster which sits comfortably alongside his STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES designs and further adds to the genre confusion. Quaid is depicted in an Indiana-esque outfit and pose with a burning torch, as if he’s about to explore some long-lost temple…

I guess the real reason I’m recommending DREAMSCAPE is for the visuals and the sheer amount of imagination on show. The downside, as I’ve just said, is that the tone of the film feels confused, but you’ll not get bored watching it. If you’ve not come across the film before, I think it’s well worth a couple of hours of your time. For those of you in the UK, it’s currently streaming on AMAZON PRIME, and it’s also available on blu-ray.

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Read an eBook week 2023

No, they’re not a substitute for print books, but yes, eBooks are bloody useful and I love their portability and immediacy. I remember when I first heard about them. It was early 2000, I think, and I was driving around Hertfordshire, hopelessly lost on my way to a bank training course. I’d stopped the hire car to check my maps, when a news bulletin came on the radio. Can’t remember which station I was listening to, but the idea of books you can read on your computer was the throwaway ‘and in other news…’ story at the end of the bulletin. After the disappointment of the release of STRAIGHT TO YOU a few years earlier, I remember thinking ‘could this be my way into a writing career?’. Turns out, it was.

It’s READ AN EBOOK WEEK this week, and I’ll always support this SMASHWORDS/DRAFT2DIGITAL initiative, because apart from the convenience of eBooks, the format has transformed the publishing industry and has given a voice to many thousands of writers who might otherwise have been unable to find an audience.

Why not visit the Smashwords sale, or your eBook retailer of choice, and celebrate READ AN EBOOK WEEK by taking a chance on a new author this week.

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Film recommendation – The Stone Tape

I’m a huge admirer of the works of NIGEL KNEALE. I’ve spoken before about my love of his most famous creation – QUATERMASS – and I’ve long intended to take another look at some of his other projects. A while back a friend of mine (thanks Roy!) sent me a copy of the 1972 BBC TV play THE STONE TAPE, and I recently rewatched it. It’s horrifically dated (in more ways that one), but still packs a decent punch. I normally include the trailer for movies I recommend, but on this occasion, I might have accidentally embedded the whole film below.

A research team from an electronics company moves into an old Victorian house to start work on finding a new recording medium. When team member Jill Greeley witnesses a ghost, team director Peter Brock decides not only to analyse the apparition, which he believes is a psychic impression trapped in a stone wall (dubbed a “stone tape”), but also to exorcise it–with terrifying results.

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Along with JOHN WYNDHAM, NIGEL KNEALE occupies a special place in my heart. Both were ahead of the pack, producing genre dramas with a more intelligent, science-based focus than many other writers of the time. It’s something that’s always appealed to me – whenever I’m working on a story, I want to be able to understand the logic of why something is happening, even if that logic is as trumped up as the story itself. A case in point is the original AUTUMN novel, which was written as an attempt to apply some logic to the behaviour of the undead in the zombie apocalypse, despite the zombie apocalypse being an inherently illogical and implausible scenario. Why do the dead herd? Why are they attracted to the living? What can the survivors learn about their behaviour in order to keep themselves alive? Like the early QUATERMASS stories that preceded it, in THE STONE TAPE, KNEALE takes a similar approach towards proving the existence of ghosts.

Incidentally (and forgive me for relying on a Wikipedia article here), the idea of psychic phenomena being ‘recorded’ into stone and other materials was first mooted in the nineteenth century. Later known as ‘the Stone Tape theory’, it’s testament to the popularity (notoriety?) of Kneale’s play that this production is now more notorious and well-remembered than the concept that inspired it.

A supernatural apparition is discovered in an abandoned room in an old Victorian mansion now repurposed as a scientific research facility. That a psychic event has been witnessed is never questioned – the scientists gathered there are more interested in understanding how they’re seeing what they can see, and whether or not they can exploit the phenomenon for their own gain. He uses the characters’ preconceptions, opinions, desires, and egos to peel back layer after layer until the truth is finally revealed. The story takes place at that point where the paranormal collides with technology and reason, and what KNEALE does best is focus in on the conflict that almost always occurs whenever beliefs are challenged by evidence.

As I’ve posted the whole play here, I’ll not say too much more about THE STONE TAPE. It remains a creepy and thought-provoking drama and I hope you’ll watch and enjoy it. An important word of warning, though – the production is horrifically dated in many respects. There’s the expected tackiness of its 1970s setting – the massive computers, Day-Glo fashions, the wobbly set walls etc – but there are also more troubling holdovers of a programme made fifty years ago, namely the misogyny and racism which were acceptable at the time but which are now offensive and uncomfortable to watch.

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Film Recommendation – The Borderlands (aka Final Prayer)

Last month I recommended EXHIBIT A – an example of a found-footage film done right. In my write-up I mentioned THE BORDERLANDS (aka FINAL PRAYER) as another UK-based found-footage flick that I’d enjoyed, and I wanted to talk some more about it today. Here’s a synopsis, followed by a trailer, followed by my thoughts.

A team of Vatican investigators descend upon a church in a remote part of the UK to demystify the unusual happenings, but what they discover is more disturbing than anything they had imagined.

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As far as I’m concerned, THE BORDERLANDS is another rare example of a found-footage film done right. It has something in common with EXHIBIT A, BLAIR WITCH, and other successful movies in the genre in that there’s a reason for the characters to be filming what’s happening to them/around them. Here, a team of Vatican investigators have been dispatched to find out what’s going on in a church in the middle of the British countryside, and though the premise is a little wobbly, if you can put that to one side you’ll have no trouble accepting that the cast would be walking around with cameras strapped to their heads.

So far, so good. The main portion of the film is fairly by-the-numbers: all your typical characters are in attendance (weird priest, doubting investigator, tech nerd, devout church official, etc), the locals are suspicious and clearly have something to hide, and there are a succession of increasingly scary set-pieces and jump scares. And, for the most part, things pan out pretty much just as you’d expect.

But then, as we reach the film’s climax, things take a heck of a turn. Things go in a direction you’re not expecting, and the final section of the story is genuinely surprising and claustrophobic. It’s rewarding, compulsive viewing.

Found-footage films have a tendency to appear cheap. That’s no surprise – after all, we’re supposed to believe we’re eavesdropping on the characters’ experiences via smartphones, cheap camcorders, grainy security footage, and the like. The success of these films often hinges on the performances, and here they’re decent across the board. Particularly strong is GORDON KENNEDY (who people as old as me might remember from Channel 4’s ABSOLUTELY) as world-weary investigator Deacon.

THE BORDERLANDS is 10 years old and was produced at the height of the found-footage fad. If you go looking for it you’ll notice that it was re-released under the title FINAL PRAYER, and that’s a real shame. I understand how the re-naming of movies works (the AUTUMN movie was released around the world as THE DEAD WALKING, AUTUMN OF THE LIVING DEAD, END OF THE WORLD, THE PERFECT VIRUS, and various other titles), but this rebranding was particularly unfortunate. I deliberately posted the original trailer here, because the re-cut FINAL PRAYER trailer strips THE BORDERLANDS of any mystery. It’s longer, has a bloody terrible voiceover, and manages to ruin the film’s final act twist completely. Avoid, please.

The point of these posts is, hopefully, to draw a little attention to decent films which might have been overlooked or forgotten in the years since their original release (or re-release). THE BORDERLANDS/ FINAL PRAYER definitely fits the bill. It’s a well performed, well put-together movie that builds to a heck of a finish, and I really enjoyed it. It’s been available to stream for a while, however it appears to have temporarily disappeared here in the UK. I’m sure it will be back at some point. In the meantime, it’s available on DVD.

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12STORIES – This is That Day

I promised you something new and free to read every month, and here’s February’s offering. THIS IS THAT DAY is a typically post-apocalyptic tale and I hope you enjoy it. As always, please let me know what you think. If you like the story, I’ve suggested ways you might like to share/support/help. This one is a very Moodyesque short. Something very different coming in March…

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Can I ask a favour (or three)?

First off, thanks to everyone who shared my AUTUMN: DAWN promotion earlier this week. My expectations have been blown out of the water: more than 12,000 copies have been downloaded already with another week left to run. The book scaled heights I’ve not reached in a long time on AMAZON, and I’m very grateful. If you missed the post, please check it out here.

I alluded to the fact I was going to ask a couple more favours, so here goes.

LUCY LOGAN DIED YESTERDAY. TODAY SHE’S GOING TO FIND OUT WHY.

I’ve written a novel that I’ve not yet said anything about. I don’t know what to call it, and I don’t know what to do with it. I’m very happy with how it turned out, but I think it’s time to get feedback from some independent readers to see if it should be released or filed away in the vaults.

It’s not apocalyptic (for once). It has supernatural elements (or does it?). It’s a very small scale tale about a broken relationship, that stems from a story idea I first had more than twenty-five years ago. I’m looking for a group of beta readers, between ten and twenty initially. If you’re interested in being one of them, please contact me – use the form on this page or email david@davidmoody.net.

Finally, and I’m very aware that this is a self-indulgent request… I collect my own books. I’m missing a few elusive international editions that I’d like to try and track down, and I wondered if anyone can help? These titles are out of print. If you have a copy that you’d be happy to sell, please let me know. Again, use this form or email david@davidmoody.net. Thank you!

AUTUMN (Italian, Delos Books, 2014)

TRUST: ALIEN INVASION (German, Voodoo Press, 2016)

NENÁVISTNÍ (HATER, Czech Republic, 2010)

FURIOSII (HATER, Romania, 2011)

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The Value of Nothing

Hope you don’t mind – I need to ask for your help with a few things this week. Today, I wonder if you’d be good enough to help me spread the word about an AUTUMN: DAWN promotion.

I’m guessing most people who read this post will know how I started out. If not, here’s a very brief recap. I had a book published traditionally in 1996 – it sank without trace. When I finished my second novel – AUTUMN – I was determined not to let the same thing happen again. I decided that my mission was simply to get it in front of as many readers as possible. I gave the novel away, sharing more than half a million copies in no time at all. By chance, I managed to surf the crest of two simultaneous waves: the growing market for zombie fiction (which few other authors were writing), and the increasing interest in eBooks (particularly free eBooks, something even fewer folks were offering). It’s no exaggeration to say I owe my career to the decision to give AUTUMN away.

Fast forward twenty-plus years, and all this seems like old hat. But with the new AUTUMN trilogy complete, I decided to repeat the experiment. For the next week, AUTUMN: DAWN (HERBST: MORGENDÄMMERUNG in German) is free to download from all major eBook providers. I’m curious to see if the value of nothing is as high in 2023 as it was in 2001.

If you’ve not read the book, please help yourself to a copy. Whether you’ve read it or not, would you mind helping me share the free promotion? I’d really appreciate it if you’d share on Facebook or elsewhere, or retweet the Tweet below. Your support is very much appreciated. As I used to say in all my promo material back in 2001, please SPREAD THE INFECTION!

WELCOME TO LONDON

Population 7 million • 99.9% of them dead • the survival of the rest balanced on a knife-edge

“AUTUMN: DAWN is an unabated, unforgiving onslaught… keeps you gasping for air until the very end."-BookNest

FREE FOR A LIMITED TIMEhttps://t.co/DFmWdi0R7A pic.twitter.com/ZnPN7mzPPJ

— David Moody (@davidjmoody) February 14, 2023

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The Living Dead

I’ve come to the conclusion that my relationship with the films of GEORGE A ROMERO is a complicated one. There’s no question that his holy trinity of DEAD films – NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD, and DAY OF THE DEAD – were life- and career-changing for me. Their inspiration is writ large throughout all nine of the AUTUMN novels and many of my other books. However, with a few notable exceptions (THE CRAZIES, MARTIN, and CREEPSHOW) no matter how hard I try I find it hard to find anything positive to say about many of his other films. To my mind, LAND OF THE DEAD, DIARY OF THE DEAD, and SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD are, by and large, pants. I find it hard to believe they were the work of the same creative force. I’m planning a re-watch of all six DEAD films in the near future, because I’m open to the possibility that it’s me that’s got it wrong…

I think that’s the main reason I’d avoided reading THE LIVING DEAD for so long.

For those who aren’t aware of the book, it’s an absolute brick of a novel written by ROMERO and DANIEL KRAUS. I finally finished it this week and, for the most part, I was surprised and impressed in equal measure.

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The long author’s note from KRAUS is, to a zombie nerd like me, almost as interesting as the book itself. He describes in detail how the novel was pieced together from notes, short stories, and other scraps from the ROMERO archives. Reading the essay, it’s clear that this project was a labour of love for KRAUS and editor BRENDAN DENEEN (who I had the pleasure of working with on some of the original HATER and AUTUMN novels).

The novel is divided into several distinct sections of uneven length, each focusing on a different stage of the zombie apocalypse. We begin on day one as a medical examiner and assistant unwittingly try to carry out an autopsy on Patient Zero. The book then takes us through the early days – effectively running parallel with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and DIARY OF THE DEAD – showing the familiar societal collapse from the perspective of a number of wildly different survivors. And it’s these same characters we follow for the most part through the days, weeks, months, and years that follow.

I’ll admit, I struggled at the outset, because ROMERO and KRAUS were retelling a story we’ve all heard many times before in many different ways, but the tracking of the characters’ over the years and the way they connected (and disconnected) with each other worked well. The book rewards you more the longer you stick with it.

And it’s the final sections of the story that resonated with me most of all. Those who’ve read my books will know that I’m fascinated by the idea of the post-post apocalypse, and THE LIVING DEAD is the closest we’ll get to understanding how ROMERO saw things panning out. Much has been written about how his plans for the DEAD films were compromised because of budgetary and other studio restraints, but here we have a fascinating glimpse into his true vision of the end of days, and that alone is worth the price of admission alone.

THE LIVING DEAD is available in print and as an eBook and audiobook. Again, I’m a couple of years late to the party, but if you’re a ROMERO fan I definitely recommend picking up a copy if you haven’t already.

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HERBST: EXODUS – jetzt erhältlich

I’m happy to announce that the German language edition of AUTUMN: EXODUS is now available. HERBST: EXODUS can be picked up as an eBook and paperback from Amazon.de. Thanks as always to Jasmin and Craig for their help in producing this version of the book.

The HERBST books have been a huge success for me over the years. The original agreement with MICHAEL KRUG and OTHERWORLDVERLAG back in 2008 (I think) was my first foreign language deal and it’s fantastic that the series still has an audience. I’m pleased to have been able to complete DER LONDONER TRILOGIEN for German language readers.

LONDON IST TOT

Ein Großbrand ist durch das Herz der Stadt gefegt und hat alles, was sich ihm in den Weg stellte, zerstört. Die Lebenden, die Toten und die Untoten wurden gleichermaßen ausgelöscht. Doch im Schutz der undurchdringlichen Mauern des Tower of London haben die verbliebenen Mitglieder der Monumentgruppe es irgendwie geschafft zu überleben. Wenn sie überleben wollen, müssen sie jetzt losziehen.
Sie müssen alles daran setzen, um von hier wegzukommen, und dann noch einmal alles riskieren, um Ledsey Cross zu erreichen, einen sagenumwobenen sicheren Hafen, Hunderte von Meilen entfernt.

Jeder Schritt, den sie machen, birgt unzählige Gefahren. Es gibt keine Abkürzungen und keine einfachen Lösungen. Um überhaupt eine Chance auf eine Zukunft zu haben, muss die Gruppe im härtesten Winter durch ein Land ziehen, das von lebenden Toten beherrscht wird.

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