David Moody's Blog, page 53

Maggie

When I heard that Arnold Schwarzenegger was starring in a zombie movie, I wasn’t interested. For me, the best zombie stories are about the surviving characters and how they deal with the dead, and by deal with the dead, I mean how they fight to stay safe and alive, not how many corpses they can kill and how big the guns and bombs they use are.

I’ve never been the biggest Schwarzenegger fan. Sure, I’ll happily watch the first two (maybe three) Terminator movies again and again, Total Recall is superb, and the first Predator movie is an eighties classic, but Arnie’s never been a personal favourite, and the thought of the ageing all-action, ex-bodybuilding, ex-politician rampaging through hordes of the living dead just didn’t appeal. When I heard more about the project – MAGGIE – I became more interested. And when I got around to watching the movie, I realised my preconceptions were misplaced. MAGGIE’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a damn good little movie (yes, little movie), and Schwarzenegger is a revelation.

As a viral pandemic spreads across America, Wade Vogel (Arnold Schwarzenegger) searches for his runaway daughter Maggie (Abigail Breslin) and finds her in the quarantine wing of a hospital. Wade brings his daughter back home to his family for the short time before the teenager begins a painful metamorphosis.

Determined to hold onto his precious daughter as long as he can and refusing to hand her over to the local police Wade edges ever closer to a time where he will have to take matters into his own hands.

I think of MAGGIE as a movie about redefining relationships, and with that in mind, Schwarzenegger’s casting here is inspired. I guess a sizeable proportion of the film’s audience will go into it expecting the same kind of thing I did: Arnie being Arnie and saving the day and beating the bad guy as only Arnie can. But that’s not what happens. Arnie can’t save the bad guy, because the bad guy also happens to be his daughter and all he wants is to protect her, no matter what the cost. In the same way, what we’re expecting from our knowledge of Schwarzenegger’s back catalogue makes the faults and frailties of the character he’s playing all the more affecting.

As I said earlier, this isn’t a perfect movie. First time British directed cultivates a lovely tone of grim hopelessness, and knowing that Maggie herself is walking a thin line between being a helpless kid and a cannibalistic killer (and she can’t control which side of that line she’s on, no matter how hard she tries), gives whole story an uncomfortable sense of unease. For all Arnie’s efforts here (and I think he’s really, really good), the real revelation is Abigail Breslin as Maggie. Helpless and heartbroken, you can’t help but connect with her.

All said, MAGGIE is definitely worth an hour and a half of your time. Such a shame it had a very limited theatrical release, particularly when you think how many people turned out to see Terminator: Genysis. On the strength of this film, I’m not particularly interested in seeing Schwarzenegger return to his old roles. I’d much rather seem him tread new ground as he does here.

MAGGIE is available now on Bluray and DVD.

Maggie is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Black Christmas

Okay, so we’re cynically jumping on the bandwagon here, but why not? All we’re trying to do is spread a little doom and gloom this coming holiday season… Not content with Black Friday, we’re having a whole Black Christmas!

Loads of signed books, plenty of discounts. Free shipping in the UK. The sale also includes Wayne Simmons and Andre Duza’s recently released VOODOO CHILD, which Starburst Magazine gave a superb 8/10 to in their review this week.

Stocks are limited, so please head over to Infected Books now.

Black Christmas is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

An update

I thought it was about time I posted a quick writing update. I’m balancing a number of projects at the moment that I hope will come to fruition in the near future. It’s been a busy twelve months and I’ve had to shelve or delay some projects to focus on others. Here’s a quick summary:

ONE OF US WILL BE DEAD BY MORNING

Is the first book in the second HATER trilogy, and I’m well into writing it. I’m scheduled to be done by April 2016, and I hope to be able to announce some exciting news about publication plans for the new series once negotiations are complete.

THE HATER MOVIE

Producer Ed Barratt is currently talking to a number of potentially interested partners about the movie. The script is in cracking shape. More news as soon as I can announce it.

THE FRONT

My book in this World War II zombie series is due out in early 2016. Timothy Long’s first volume will be hitting the shelves shortly, with Craig DiLouie’s book following mine. Very exciting.

TOP SECRET MULTI-AUTHOR INFECTED BOOKS ZOMBIE PROJECT

I’m just tormenting you! Watch for an announcement about something special coming next week.

THE SPACES BETWEEN

Is proving to be a real bugger to write. I’ve spoken about this science-fiction/ horror series on numerous occasions previously (and I’ve a host of competition winners lined up to appear as characters). Thing is, it’s such a huge project set in a really expansive world, that I can’t quite settle on the format and structure. Right now it looks like it’s going to be six volumes long (I’d previously said four): OCTOBER 12, THE COLLECTOR, ELYSIAN FIELDS, MESSIANIC, THE LOW PLACES and ASCENSION DAY. This one will definitely be worth the wait… I’m just sorry that the wait’s proving to be so long.

More soon.

An update is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Remember that time I said I was finished with zombies (and I was very wrong)

Hate to keep teasing announcements, but as well as THE FRONT (coming soon from me, Craig DiLouie and Tim Long), we’re getting ready to announce a MASSIVE Infected Books zombie event for 2016.

By the way, I’ve been beavering away behind the scenes here, and I missed an anniversary. It’s five years last month since Thomas Dunne Books released AUTUMN. The picture above was taken by me in Barnes & Noble on E 17th Street, New York, on the day of release back in 2010. I still find it hard to believe that my little zombie story – which started out as a free pdf I used to email to folks in the pre-ebook days of the turn of the century – turned into such a monster. Five novels, a short story collection, a movie, a radio adaptation… there’s clearly still a lot of love for the undead.

So let’s have some more.

Remember that time I said I was finished with zombies (and I was very wrong) is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Scream Magazine – issue 33 now out

As usual the latest issue of SCREAM MAGAZINE strikes an excellent balance between looking back at horror classics and looking forward to what’s new in the genre. This month there are retrospective looks at Coppola’s DRACULA and Hitchcock’s PSYCHO, as well as features on new movies including BITE, THE HALLOW, TREMORS 5, and VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN.

Highly recommended as always. To get your hands on a copy of SCREAM, visit www.screamhorrormag.com. You can also pick up the magazine from any branch of HMV, Forbidden Planet, or any of the newsagents listed here. SCREAM is also available digitally as iSCREAM.

Follow SCREAM on Facebook and Twitter @ScreamHorrorMag.

Scream Magazine – issue 33 now out is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Moody zombie goodness for your listening/ reading pleasure

Very pleased to announce that BOOKTRACK have released soundtracks to ISOLATION, THE COST OF LIVING and STRANGERS. If you’ve never listened to/read a booktrack before, you’re in for a treat. You get the entire ebook which is synchronised to a soundtrack of music and effects designed to enhance the reading experience. And believe me, it really does.

To celebrate the launch of these three titles, I’ve written a guest blog over at the Booktrack site in which I talk about how music affects my writing. And I’ve even shared the writing playlist I use which has grown organically over many years. I hope you enjoy the booktracks. Please let me know what you think.

 

Moody zombie goodness for your listening/ reading pleasure is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Voodoo Child by Wayne Simmons and Andre Duza – out now from Infected Books

It’s a retro-inspired pulp horror classic in the making! Available now. Grab a signed copy from Infected Books (click here) and get a complementary ebook version.

With back-cover blurbs from Steve Johnson (SFX genius who worked on Ghostbusters, Big Trouble in Little China, An American Werewolf in London) and Harry Manfredini (who wrote the iconic score for Friday 13th), this blood-soaked beauty of a book comes very highly recommended.

Voodoo Child is also available from Amazon and other online retailers.

Voodoo Child by Wayne Simmons and Andre Duza – out now from Infected Books is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

What We Do in the Shadows

It’s been a while since I’ve recommended a movie, and what better day to put that right than today. I don’t know what it’s like elsewhere but, here in the UK, Halloween is increasingly over-commercialised and family friendly. It’s about sweets and toys and parties now, with the true horror of the season and its dark origins long-forgotten.

Today I present for you a no-holds-barred, warts-and-all documentary about that most revered and reviled of monsters, the vampire. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS is a chilling and revealing peek into the dark, depraved and sordid lives of the undead. Actually it’s not. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS is, in fact, that rare movie beast: a horror comedy that works. It’s bloody hilarious, actually, and I don’t hesitate to recommend it for your Halloween evening viewing pleasure.

Follow the lives of Viago (), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), and Vladislav () – three flatmates who are just trying to get by and overcome life’s obstacles – like being immortal vampires who must feast on human blood. Hundreds of years old, the vampires are finding that beyond sunlight catastrophes, hitting the main artery, and not being able to get a sense of their wardrobe without a reflection – modern society has them struggling with the mundane like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.

Coming from the creators of FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS and BOY, you know WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS should be good, but it’s just how good it is that really took me by surprise. This is a superbly paced, brilliantly performed, non-stop funny movie which I genuinely adored. The mockumentary is a difficult movie form to get right, but the film-makers involved here have experience and it shows. Chief Conchord Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi co-write and co-direct as well as playing two of the main bickering flatmates/ immortals, and they strike just the right balance between subtlety and out-and-out stupidity. The movie takes its ridiculous premise and exploits it to the full (plenty of crucifix and daylight-avoiding jokes) whilst somehow incredibly also managing to show restraint. There are plenty of visual effects on display, for example, but they’re never the sole focus of the scene. This is a film about idiots who happen to be vampires, not vampires who happen to be idiots, if that makes any sense.

Stealing the show for me, though, is as Anton, leader of a pack of local werewolves with impeccable manners (‘we’re werewolves, not swearwolves’ he tells one of the pack who dares to curse).

Again, WHAT WE DID IN THE SHADOWS took me completely by surprise, but it’s no surprise to hear there’s a sequel on the way (focusing on the werewolves, no less). The film’s available on Netflix here in the UK and I’ll repeat what I said earlier: if you’re looking for a movie to watch this Halloween, I thoroughly recommend it.

What We Do in the Shadows is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

It’s Horror Week on Goodreads…

…and I’m one of the authors answering questions. Alan Moore, Clive Barker, Justin Cronin, Brian Keene, Scott Sigler – click here to see the list of horror authors taking part.

The HATER movie, the new HATER books, AUTUMN, STRANGERS, THE SPACES BETWEEN – this is your chance to ask me anything (within reason). Click here and ask away. I’ll be answering throughout the week.

It’s Horror Week on Goodreads… is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Halloween event at Waterstones Birmingham – this Friday!

Just a few days now before our huge Halloween event at Waterstones, Birmingham New Street. We’ve got loads planned for the evening including exclusive readings and announcements, special guests and more. You can win stuff by liking and sharing this Facebook post. Click the image below to find out more. Remember – the event is free admission, but we recommend you tweet @WstonesNewSt to reserve your place. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Halloween event at Waterstones Birmingham – this Friday! is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER