David Moody's Blog, page 55

Attention Team HATER – Coming next week…

…the first of the big HATER announcements I’ve been teasing this last couple of months.

With thanks to “Team HATER” founding member and chief T-shirt designer, JulieCutie. Follow her on Instagram here.

Attention Team HATER – Coming next week… is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

War Book

If you’re a regular here you should be aware of the legend that is (birthday boy) Ryan Fleming. As well as being a key member of Moody’s Survivors, he’s also a film director (WELCOME TO ESSEX), an intrepid reporter and zombie-experience survivor, and was a featured corpse in AUTUMN: AFTERMATH.

Ryan’s also an avid collector and watcher of post-apocalyptic movies and has given me plenty of great suggestions over the years. He mentioned another movie recently – WAR BOOK – and I’m really pleased he did. It’s a gripping BBC movie which is small in focus (it takes place largely in one room with a cast of ten), but large in scope.

It was recently shown on the BBC – UK viewers, you can still catch the film on iPlayer until around 6 September.

The premise is deceptively simple: a group of civil servants are shut in a room to practice their response and decisions to a rapidly escalating international crisis, triggered when Mumbai is hit with a nuclear weapon.

Here’s the trailer. Click the link for my thoughts.

WAR BOOK transcends its confined setting to tell a frighteningly plausible story. Films like this remind us that, no matter what the size or source of problem we face, the outcome almost always rests on the actions and interactions of people. When our backs are up against the wall (as they inevitably will be at some point), will we be able to put aside our petty differences, preconceptions and personal beliefs for the sake of the common good? Is there even such a thing as the common good anymore?

Performances by the whole cast here are strong, but I’ll admit to having reservations as the film began. Some of the characters felt a little forced, particularly the public schooled-minister who was clearly bred for politics with little care or appreciation of the impact his decisions would have on hundreds of thousands of people. He felt like a discarded character from BBC’s THE THICK OF IT. And yet, as the movie developed, each character made sense. Slightly caricatured without being cartoonish, each of them effectively represented a different swathe of society.

This is the kind of film which won’t appeal to everyone, but it appealed to me. I write about ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations, and that’s what you have here on two levels. Firstly, as players in the war game exercise itself, the characters are forced to make huge decisions with incalculable consequences (and it’s sobering to think that individuals will have to make similar decisions at some point, particularly when you look at the individuals concerned…). Secondly, as people with their own lives and families and problems and conflicts, they struggle to have to put all that to one side and accept that there are more important things to consider than everything they hold dear, than everything and everyone that matters to them.

WAR BOOK reminds us that, ultimately, we’re at the mercy of the personalities we elect to represent us. And in today’s political environment, that’s a bloody terrifying thought.

I recommend this movie without hesitation. Strong work by the entire cast, and also by director Tom Harper and writer . The film hasn’t been widely distributed as yet, but as I said at the beginning, UK folks can watch it on iPlayer for the next couple of weeks. Please do.

For release updates etc. follow @Warbookfilm

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

Massive Halloween event announcement

I’m very, very, VERY excited to announce that Infected Books will be taking over the huge High Street Birmingham branch of Waterstones this Halloween (actually Halloween eve, but it’s close enough). You are cordially invited to join Wayne Simmons, myself, and other Infected Books alumni as we launch new books (Wayne and Andre Duza‘s VOODOO CHILD), read from new, as yet unannounced books, and maybe even reveal why 2016 is shaping up to be the year of Infected Books.

This is going to be an absolutely brilliant evening, so put it in your diaries and please do come along if you can (Halloween-themed fancy dress optional but strongly encouraged). Keep an eye on the Waterstones event page here. Things kick off at 7:00pm on Friday 30 October.

Wayne and I will also be appearing at the Bristol Horror Con at the Future Inn, Bristol a couple of weeks earlier on 17 October. Filling the space vacated by Wayne’s short-lived but already much-missed SCARDiff, it’s another one I’m really looking forward to. More details can be found here.

Massive Halloween event announcement is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Arm N Toof’s Dead Time Podcast

I was absolutely honoured to be interviewed by best-selling authors ARMAND ROSAMILIA and MARK TUFO recently for their ARM N TOOF’S DEAD TIME PODCAST. I had a great time talking to Armand and Mark, and you can listen to the interview now on the podcast. Click the player below.

And do yourself a favour while you’re at it… subscribe to the show because it’s excellent: iTunes / Android / RSS

Arm N Toof’s Dead Time Podcast is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Story Behind the Book

Back in November 2013 I was asked to contribute an article about the genesis of the AUTUMN series to the fine folk at upcoming4.me, a great literary site. You can read the piece I wrote at this link.

I’m pleased to advise that my article has been collected alongside numerous others and released in print form as part of THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOK VOLUME 5 which is available now. It contains essays from a large number of writers, some of whom will no doubt be familiar to you… Sarah Pinborough, Paul Kane, Stephen Volk, Charlaine Harris, and Gareth L Powell to name but five. The collection is available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

In case you were wondering (because I’m sure you were), the front cover shows a computer manipulated image of pFAK protein in RPMI-7951, taken by Ivana, one of the book’s editors.

And if you’re interested in a little more behind-the-scenes AUTUMN, check out this link to the retrospective pieces I wrote about each book in the series a few years ago.

Story Behind the Book is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Das Mädchen im Keller: Psychothriller

I’m very pleased to announce the first fruits of the Infected Books and Voodoo Press partnership… THE GIRL IN THE BASEMENT – Wayne Simmons‘ nasty little bestselling tale, is now available in German. German readers, pick up a copy of Das Mädchen im Keller: Psychothriller from iBooks or Amazon.

And there will be more Infected Books titles getting the Voodoo Press treatment in the near future. Next up is my own anti-science fiction novel, TRUST.

Das Mädchen im Keller: Psychothriller is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Night of the Living Dead (1990)

A couple of times recently I’ve talked about remakes of classic horror movies. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t. I maintain that in order for a remake to be a critical success, it has to have a point. It might be that the original fell short in some way, or that film-making technology has advanced sufficiently to benefit the telling of a particular story. Or maybe a sociological, environmental or political change or similar has given the premise a new lease of life.

Unfortunately, the George Romero scripted, has very little reason to exist. I caught the remake on it’s opening weekend twenty-five years ago (twenty-five years… how did that happen?) and I took the opportunity to watch it again recently. I really enjoyed it when I was twenty, and I wondered how it would hold up today. The short answer – it didn’t. Not particularly well, anyway.

It’s a new night for terror – and a new dawn in horror movie-making when special-effects genius Tom Savini (creator of the spectacularly gruesome make-up in FRIDAY THE 13TH and CREEPSHOW) brings modern technology to this colourful remake of ‘s 1968 cult classic. Seven strangers are trapped in an isolated farmhouse while cannibalistic zombies – awakened from death by the return of a radioactive space probe – wage a relentless attack, killing (and eating) everyone in their path. The classic for the 90s: graphic, gruesome and more terrifying than ever!

I have to admit, I was really disappointed with my recent re-watch of the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD remake. It’s taken me a few weeks to work out exactly why, and I think there are a number of reasons.

There’s still quite a bit to like here. Some good gore and make-up effects, strong performances by most of the cast (particularly apart (another film on my list to re-watch and write about), his more recent zombie movies pale into insignificance against the original NIGHT, DAWN and DAY. I don’t know if you’ve seen them? DIARY OF THE DEAD was pretty awful, and SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD was one of the worst films I’ve ever seen.

Like I said, the remake of NIGHT seems to set this descent into motion. For me, it’s where Romero stopped innovating and started mimicking – where his movies stopped setting the rules and raising the bar, and instead just followed the crowd like a lone zombie at the back of a pack of other featureless undead buggers.

This suggestion is borne out by the fact that, for the most part, this film spends its running time mimicking the original: beat for beat, moment for moment. But then, as if to check we’re still paying attention, it’ll make a subtle and often unnecessary change. Slight spoilers ahead. What looks like the first ghoul in the replay of the cemetery scene, isn’t. Barbara has a character arc which is almost diametrically opposite of the whiney, mouse-like woman from the original. And most regrettably, Ben is denied the perfect ending the character faced in the 1968 movie. That said, , the 1990 Ben, is such a strong screen presence that he’s watchable pretty much whatever he’s doing.

But do you see where I’m going here? These are just changes made for changes sake. It’s like Romero needed reasons for people to watch this remake and so set traps. In retrospect it feels cheap. It leaves a bad taste.

The timeless quality of the 1968 original is lost here, and is replaced by a full-on 1990’s vibe, a point driven home by the godawful electronic soundtrack which destroys any atmosphere the moment it starts playing.

I feel like I’m being unfair here, because this movie isn’t a total write-off. It has a lot going for it, but falls at the first hurdle because it’s a remake of a film which didn’t need to be remade. Please do check it out though if you haven’t already. It’s available on DVD and VOD from all the usual outlets including Amazon and iTunes.

But if you’ve got an hour and a half and are in the mood for a truly ground-breaking zombie movie, watch this instead:

Night of the Living Dead (1990) is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

Another sighting – HATER news imminent

I was in Greece this weekend and spotted this scrawled on a wall. Does this mean the long-teased HATER news is imminent?

Yes it is. The deal is signed and the ink is dry. An official announcement will be made here next week (I hope) and who knows – there may even be a second piece of HATER news to follow.

Thanks for your patience. More very soon. Things are about to get exciting.

Another sighting – HATER news imminent is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

An American Werewolf in London (and my regular Scream Magazine plug)

There are some films you can watch over and over and never get bored of. They’re timeless classics – as close to perfection as you can get. They’re the kind of films that make you recoil in terror whenever anyone dares mention remakes, because there’s absolutely no point. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON is one of those films.

I’m taking the opportunity to write about it now because a). it’s one of my absolute favourite movies and b). it’s heavily featured in the latest edition of SCREAM magazine. I’m sure you’ve already seen it (if not, why not?), but here’s a quick summary courtesy of IMDB and a trailer (which was produced for the bluray release a few years back, and which completely fails to capture the atmosphere of this most atmospheric film). Click the link below for my thoughts.

(By the way, check out the stunning Olly Moss poster I found online. It’s a thing of beauty.)

Two American college students are on a walking tour of Britain and are attacked by a werewolf. One is killed, the other is mauled. The werewolf is killed but reverts to its human form, and the local townspeople are unwilling to acknowledge its existence. The surviving student begins to have nightmares of hunting on four feet at first but then finds that his friend and other recent victims appear to him, demanding that he commit suicide to release them from their curse, being trapped between worlds because of their unnatural deaths.

There’s so much to love about AAWIL that I don’t know where to start. I’ll keep this recommendation brief because instead of reading this, you could watch the movie instead. If you’ve already seen it, you could watch it again. For a movie made more than thirty years ago, it’s barely aged.

I could talk about the excellent cast – , , Griffin Dunne and are all superb. I could talk about the wonderful soundtrack of moon-themed classic songs nestled against a classic score. I could talk about the black humour (because this is a very funny film in places). I could talk about the cinematography, ‘ expert direction… I could go on and on. As you can probably tell, AAWIL is one of my all-time favourites.

But no mention of the movie is complete without giving credit to make-up master , who won the first Academy Award for best make-up for his work here. In these days where CGI enhances everything, it’s hard to remember the impact of the key transformation scene on show here. Shot in full view in bright light, it’s an extraordinary achievement which truly raised the bar. I’ve embedded a clip below. Equally impressive is Griffin Dunne as Jack in various stages of decomposition.

AAWIL is required viewing for all self-respecting horror fans, and that’s all there is to it.

So now I’ve said my piece, may I respectfully draw your attention to the latest issue of SCREAM magazine? As usual, it’s full of great articles including a comprehensive 7 page retrospective on AAWIL and an interview with star David Naughton who looks back on the making of the film. There’s plenty more in this month’s issue too, including an interview with Henry Hobson, director of the film, RAVAGER.

Visit www.screamhorrormag.com, or 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!

An American Werewolf in London (and my regular Scream Magazine plug) is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

The Mammoth Book of Sherlock Holmes Abroad – out in the US tomorrow

The title of this post says it all really. This anthology, edited by the great Simon Clark, hits the shelves in the US tomorrow. Published by Running Press, it’s available from all the usual outlets including Amazon, IndieBound and Barnes and Noble. Publishers Weekly gave the collection an excellent starred review which you can read below. Click here to remind yourself of the contents and contributors.

Clark (The Night of the Triffids) has done a superior job in selecting the 15 original pastiches for this anthology, all of which remove Holmes from his Baker Street haunts to exercise his deduction skills in less familiar terrain. The standout, Paul Finch’s “The Monster of Hell’s Gate,” sends Holmes and Watson to East Africa, where the legendary Nandi bear, a creature familiar to cryptozoologists, has been decimating native workers on a new rail line. Finch blends suspense, atmosphere, and fair-play cluing so skillfully that many would welcome a longer Holmes story from his imagination. The always-reliable Denis O. Smith takes the duo to Russia in “The Adventure of the Colonel’s Daughter,” to clear a man caught literally red-handed at the scene of a murder. Clark’s own “The Climbing Man” confronts Holmes with an impossible crime in Mesopotamia. The consistent excellence makes this a better choice for Sherlockians than such similar volumes as “Sherlock Holmes in America” and “Sherlock Holmes: The American Years.”

The Mammoth Book of Sherlock Holmes Abroad – out in the US tomorrow is a post from: David Moody - author of AUTUMN and HATER

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