S.P. Oldham's Blog, page 40
February 4, 2019
Women in Horror Month on So Lost in Words
February 3, 2019
50 by 50 - My Goal!
Honest reviews are so hard to come by. If you like the look of the book, please consider reviewing after purchasing and reading. It doesn't have to be much, a word or two, or as much detail as you like. Up to you. Thank you for considering leaving a review.
January 25, 2019
Featured Author - Shh, I Am Reading
Privileged to be the Featured Author on Shh, I Am Reading! Thank you so much Leticia. Follow the link to read the interview and to take a look at Leticia's site. Thank you.
https://shhiamreading.weebly.com/…/featured-author-s-p-oldh…
January 16, 2019
Extract - Hag's Breath
A short, bloody extract from 'Hag's Breath: A Collection of Witchcraft and Wickedness.'
"Not your ordinary witches..."
January 13, 2019
Sleep, Think, Die Blurb
An extract of the blurb for Sleep, Think, Die
January 11, 2019
The Dragon Has Wings
This is VERY early on in terms of the writing, but I am too excited to keep it to myself any longer! Two things - firstly, I am having a go at the Grimdark genre (I love fantasy and dark fiction and so find myself naturally drawn to having a go at this, since in my view, Grimdark is a combination of the two) AND secondly, my wonderful sons Christopher and Rhys bought me my newest book cover as a Christmas present! What a great idea for a gift to any indie author!
The artist is Viergacht and it was purchased it from https://selfpubbookcovers.com/ Thank you Christopher and Rhys - never been a better incentive for getting on with a story!
To those readers who continue to support and encourage me, watch this space for more info and with all of my heart, thank you xxx
December 31, 2018
December 17, 2018
Merry Christmas
A message to all my readers - past, present and yet to come!
December 10, 2018
Film Review - Psycho - 1960
I just watched another of the films listed in Wednesday Lee Friday’s ’15 Black and White Horror Movies That Are Scary as Hell,’ posted on ScreenRant on 2oth August 2016. Find it here: https://screenrant.com/scariest-black-and-white-horror-movies-ever-all-time/
SPOILER ALERT
I have just watched Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ – starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. This is the last film on Wednesday Lee Friday’s list. It is ranked at Number 1 and quite right too!
It is hard to believe that there is anyone out there who has not heard of this film, even if they haven’t seen it. It is an enduring classic, the infamous ‘shower scene’ parodied, replicated and referred to on countless occasions by numerous people over the years. But just in case you haven’t seen it, haven’t seen all of it before (like me, until last night) or watched it so long ago you have forgotten it, I include this spoiler alert. If you genuinely don’t know the plot-line or the twist then stop reading right here and go watch the film!
In my humble opinion, this film is the best on this list by a country mile. The acting is great, the dialogue natural and realistic. As has been said many times before, by people far more qualified than me, Anthony Perkins is perfect for the part of Norman Bates. He is very likeable, with an innocent quality to him when playing the role of the beleaguered son.
I like that young secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) has a change of heart after stealing $40,000 from a client of her boss and going on the run. She decides to go home, face the music and put things right. I like that she spent some of the money on a car, checking into Bates Motel before experiencing this change of heart, and is faced with the challenge of paying back the deficit, writing down the finances on a piece of paper. I also like that it was due to a seemingly innocuous conversation she had with Norman, of all people, that this epiphany takes place. All of this, to me, is realistic, things a ‘real’ person might do. A pity, of course, that she doesn’t make it out of the hotel alive.
The way the private investigator gently interrogates Norman, not really believing him, is also done well, in my view. Nothing heavy, nothing stereotyped about his approach, all perfectly feasible. I suppose what I am trying to say is I respect the fact that this film was extremely well done, making it all the more watchable and absorbing,
There are no annoying loose ends either. Everything comes together nicely, the penultimate scene in which the psychiatrist explains the mentality of Norman Bates being perhaps an obvious device, but nonetheless it works. At the time, the workings of such twisted minds were not as well known nor as understood as they are today, so I understood the need to explain explicitly in that scene.
I am really glad that the last word was given to Norman Bates – except of course he is not Norman Bates by the end of the film. His dead mother being the dominant personality, it is his mother’s thoughts we hear right at the end, her reasoning and defiance. Again, extremely well done.
This film is more a thriller than a horror, but the true story on which it is based is real-life horror in the extreme.
The character Norman Bates is based upon Ed Gein. This extremely disturbed individual made clothing, household items and accessories out of the body parts of dead people. Some of these body parts were from graverobbing, but Gein also committed at least two murders, and was suspected of killing his own brother.
He was raised in a radically repressive household, his father an alcoholic, his mother the dominant parent (just like Mrs Bates.) was a puritan with extreme views on lust and desire, amongst other things
For all that the reality was twisted and horrific, it is also fascinating. There is a wealth of information about Ed Gein online, but for starters, try this: https://www.biography.com/people/ed-gein-11291338
All in all, this film deserves the number one spot on this list. There is a reason why it is a classic movie. If you haven’t seen it, make sure you do, and if you have seen it, watch it again – it is well worth it.
S P Oldham
December 7, 2018
The Thief in the Wreath
The Thief in the Wreath
There’s a thief in the wreath, all dark and devious
Hiding behind the berries and holly
If caught, he’ll pretend he’s something mischievous
But he is not merry, he is not jolly
He’s sly of nature, his purpose all lowly
With always an eye on the treasures around
Impish of features, he’s something unholy
Just waiting to confuse, connive and confound
When all is quiet, all is peaceful and calm
Stealthy, he creeps from his hiding place
Uncaring of whether he does any harm
His greed and his wickedness clear in his face
He takes what he fancies; those bracelets, that penny
That watch, a gift this past Christmas Day
As for shame, this Thief doesn’t have any
He grabs all his loot, and stuffs it away
Then, pockets bulging, he starts on the liquor
Swigging and gulping, with a belch here and there
Until appetite sated, he leaves with a snicker
To burrow back into his prickly lair
So, this year, before you shout for your earrings
Before you accuse others in mistaken belief
Listen out for laughter, just beyond hearing
Look, without seeing, for the Thief in the Wreath…
S P Oldham
Thank you to my son Rhys Oldham for the great title, sorry it took me two years plus to do something with it!
