David A. Riley's Blog, page 138

The Walking Dead

trailer

I've waited till I've managed to watch the second episode of this new TV series before commenting on it. It's all too easy to get carried away by an opening episode, only to find that was the best you're going to get.

Thankfully, The Walking Dead looks to me so far as if it's not going to be like this at all. Instead, it looks to be shaping up to being an engrossing show that could - I stress could - be one of the best to have started for the past few years. It's not up to the quality of Dexter (how many are, though?), but it has a lot going for it, not least being an interesting group of characters. The production values are high and the apocalyptic situation in which the world has fallen is credibly mirrored by the scenes, particularly those set in the city, which are every bit as good as depicted in movies such as 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, etc. And, unlike some of George Romero films, so far at least the characters don't act stupidly and do obviously stupid things - one of my main bugbears of the Romero zombie films, from Night of the Living Dead onwards. The acting is excellent too.

It will be interesting to see how this series develops. At the moment things are looking good, at least for the viewers, if not for the characters in it! I look forward to seeing episode three.

Sub Rosa by Robert Aickman

I'm currently reading the Tartarus Press edition of Sub Rosa by Robert Aickman, which I picked up at a discount at the Halifax Ghost Story Festival.
Although I have always liked a couple of Aickman's stories in the past, I don't think I have ever given him a fair crack of the whip, perhaps because I expected the wrong things from him. He is not a horror story writer, nor does he write straight ghost stories. He is definitely something unique and perhaps a classification all to himself.
I would add, also, he is not someone you can breeze through. To appreciate his stories, they have to be read slowly and carefully.
Anyway, I must admit to having enjoyed what I have read so far and will do a more detailed write-up on the book later. I have just read Never Visit Venice, which is very evocative of that strangely atmospheric, decaying city, about which several writers have written outstanding stories, including Daphne du Maurier and David Sutton. This is both, obliquely, a ghost story, with tinges of horror, but many more emotions too, including a kind of sadness.
I am just about to embark on The Cicerones. I watched a short film adapted from it at Halifax, starring Mark Gatiss and directed by Jeremy Dyson, who read one of Aickman's stories at the festival. I believe the original is much better than the film, though that had its moments.


Jeremy Dyson reading Aickman's The Inner Room, with Tartarus Press co-owner, Ray Russell, at the Halifax Ghost Story Festival.

Prism - December 2010

Finally got it sorted out with David Howe after a bit of a kafuffle, mainly over the pictures going in it. I can't say I'm still happy about having the layout taken from my hands, but I'll wait to see what the end result looks like before I comment more on that issue. The next Prism will come out as part of one hardbounmd volume along with Dark Horizons. It emains to be seen whether this proves an economic way for the BFS to do this. My main worry is the amount of dependency this new setup will place on the BFS with PS Publishing. Pete Crowther may well be an all round good guy, but I still feel wary about placing the society under too much reliance on the goodwill of any outside commercial concern. Still, if things change Prism can still be published as ity always was again at the drop of a hat. No problem so far as I'm concerned. I'm sure too the same applies to Dark Horizons, at least under its new editer, Peter Coleburn.

One or two items in the next Prism may raise a few eyebrows, but I'll say nothing more here.

Sequel to Lurkers in the Abyss

My mate Johnny Mains has asked me on several occasions if I would do a sequel to The Lurkers in the Abyss for him. I've always laughed a bit at the idea, and said I'd think about it, though I didn't really see how I could adequately do one. The original, written sometime around 1968, was always intended to be a one off. In all the years inbetween, until Johnny came up with the notion, I had never contemplated going back to it.

Suddenly, though, an idea how I could do one, set today, came to me. Whether it will work or not is something else altogether, though I'm going to give it a try. I've already done about 1,900 words. It's probably going to be longer than the original, and come from an altogether different angle, and with the kind of central character I have never attempted before. He's black, from Haitian ancestry, and an undercover cop, whose despised father was a member of the Tonton Macoute.

Prism - December Issue

Finished the next issue last night and it's off in the post today by disc to David Howe, who is arranging for it to be printed in book form along with the next issue of Dark Horizons. It will be interesting to see how this new format works out, though personally I would have preferred to have kept it as a separate publication. How successful this is, of course, will depend on the reaction of BFS members. They may well prefer to have one substantial hardcover publication rather than two soft cover ones.

There are far fewer book reviews this time simply because I haven't been sent any by the Book Reviews Editor, only by the Indie Books Reviews Editor, so the only books covered are from the small press. We have more interviews than usual, though, and a couple of extra articles, which may well make up. Hope so.

Portrait of Herbert van Thal

The always surprising Johnny Mains posted this copy of a painting created for him of the late Herbert van Thal, legendary first editor of the Pan Book of Horror series. The painting is the work of Les Edwards.

If you look closely, though, you'll see another face staring out at you.

Mr Mains himself in all his fiendish glory.

The Halifax Ghost Story Festival - 29th - 31st October 2010 - A Report

The weather was blustery by the time we arrived late on Friday afternoon at Dean Clough, which is on the edge of Halifax, and parked outside our hotel for the weekend. The Travel Lodge is at the far end of the enormous mill complex, a five minute stroll to where the festival was being held. Fortunately, overnight the weather improved to become fine and bright, if slightly cold, ideally suited for what we had come for.
Our first introduction to the weekend's events was a thirty minute ghost story, Lily Rose by Canadian playwright Aurora de Pena in the gloomily atmospheric Viaduct Theatre, which is literally inside an old, brick-built viaduct with a cobblestone floor. There then followed a kaleidoscopic series of 60-second plays pioneered by Screaming Media Productions, using minimal props and sets, enhanced by the superb choreography of the actors. Lily Rose was a chilling vignette, involving three principle actors. The 60-second plays, each following immediately after the previous one, had barely a pause in between. The overall impression was one of almost delerious horror and all credit must go the the troupe of actors who took part in it for their stamina. A good start to the weekend's events.
After this we went to the nearby Viaduct Cafe Bar, which became a kind of focal point for the festival, where we enjoyed a couple of glasses of house red before retiring for the night.
The following day (Saturday) started at 11 am with a session organised by Tartarus Press. This included a fascinating talk by Mark Valentine on the Yorkshire ghost story writer W. F. Harvey, author of The Beast with Five Fingers, and an illustrated lecture by Gail-Nina Anderson, "The Ghost in the Grave", which followed the curious links between Dante Gabriel Rosette's famous paintings of his wife and so many other well known icons. The session finished with Reggie Oliver's customarily masterful reading of one of his stories, this time Minos or Rhadamanthos, which is to be published shortly by Tartarus Press and recently appeared in The Seventh Black Book of Horror.
There followed a lunch break, after which writers Mark Morris, Nicholas Royle and Conrad Williams read one of their own ghost stories and Stephen Volk showed a clip from his ITV series, Afterlife, as well as giving a brief talk about this and the problems of getting genre fiction on screen.
Following another break, Jeremy Dyson, who has a new West End production running at the moment called "Ghost Stories", read Robert Aickman's The Inner Room, which Tartarus Press have published as a slim softcover limited edition specially for the festival. As you would expect from a professional of Jeremy Dyson's calibre, this was a brilliant experience, though how he managed this reading without pausing for a drink I don't know! There followed a discussion between him and Ray Russell about Robert Aickman, of whom they are both keen fans. After this we were entertained with a rare screening of Aickman's The Cicerones, written and directed by Jeremy Dyson and starring Mark Gatiss.  
Fortunately we had already pre-booked a meal in the cafe bar before the next event, and could barely believe how delicious the pumpkin soup, assorted breads, cheese and fruit were. A good preparation for  Spirits with the Spirits. This involved actors Fine Time Fontayne and Sandra Hunt reading five horror stories, including The Monkey's Paw, inbetween breaks for the audience to sample different drinks.
After this, at around midnight, we finally made our way once again back through the deserted mill complex to our hotel, a pleasantly eerie experience, enhanced by the lights that shone up the tall, stone-built walls.
Luckily, the clocks went back that night so we got an extra hour in bed, before having to pack our bags and dump them in our car before going to Sunday's events. These started with the Annapurna Indian Dance: After Life, which was a retelling of Hindu myths in the Viaduct Theatre. The costumes and vigour of the performances were impressive, as were the brief explanations provided of the symbolic meaning behind them.  
The main event for us on Sunday, though, was the afternoon's screenings of M. R. James' "Ghost Stories for Christmas" from the 1970s. Their director, Lawrence Gordon Clark, was there to be interviewed about them by film critic and author Tony Earnshaw.  This was definitely one of the event's highlights, as were the big screen showings of Lost Hearts, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas and A Warning to the Curious. There should also have been a screening of The Ash Tree, but unfortunately there was a fault with the copy and that had to be dropped.
And then it was over and we had to set off home. It had been a fantastic weekend, though, and one which we thoroughly enjoyed, both in the events we were able to see and in the various people we met. We would like to add that the staff at Dean Clough were exceptional and we would like to give special thanks to Terry, the front desk receptionist who went out of her way to be helpful.
We hope that another event like this will be held next year at Dean Clough. From Gail-Nina Anderson we understand there is every chance one will, though probably later in the year as a Winter Ghost Story Festival. If it is, we'll be there!


Nina-Gail Anderson delivering an illustrated talk on "The Ghost in the Grave"

Mark Morris reads one of his rare ghost stories.
Jeremy Dyson with Ray Russell
Fine Time Fontaine and Sandra Hunt during the reading of five ghost stories, including The Monkey's Paw
The Viaduct Theatre beneath Dean Clough and, literally, inside a viaduct.

Part of the Indian Hindu dance performance

The Halifax Ghost Story Festival - 29th - 31st October 2010

We arrived back home earlier tonight after one of the best weekends we've spent away for ages. The Halifax Ghost Story Festival was a tremendous success and credit must be given to those who organised and took part in it. Tomorrow Lin and I will give a report on it. In the meantime, here are a few photos:

Mark Morris, Conrad Williams, Nicholas Royle and Stephen Volk
Reggie Oliver
Jeremy Dyson reading Robert Aickman's The Inner Room
Dean Clough, site of the festival. This used to be the world's largest carpet manufacturer.
The Ten-headed King from the Annapurna Indian Dance show, After Life

TV director, Lawrence Gordon Clark (right) being interviewed inbetween screening of three of his famous "Ghost Stories for Christmas" produced for the BBC in the 1970s - Lost Hearts, The Treasure of Abbot Thomas and A Warning to the Curious. 

Alice the Musical

Here is a link to ReAct Academy to see pictures of the rehearsals for Alice the Musical.

Quiet lately

I haven't entered many new subjects this week. That's because I've been busy with other things, notably my wife's annual tax return, a VAT return on the bookshop and creating props for my daughter, Cassandra's forthcoming production at the Oswaldtwistle Arts Centre of Alice the Musical. I have been making a ridiculously large tea pot and cups out of papiermache, which, as anyone who has ever done this before will know, is a long drawn out, slow process. Still a lot to do on it, including a final sanding, then painting.