Adam L.G. Nevill's Blog, page 14

WYRD REVIEWED AT PUZZLEBOX HORROR

From Ben Long at Puzzlebox Horror, on Wyrd and Other Derelictions:

"the wordsmith and the horror lover in me absolutely enjoyed what Nevill is trying to accomplish here, and I think he manages to knock it out of the park. The collection is a mashup of cult/alien/creature stories, all very strange and eerie in their telling. Though they follow a similar narrative style, they are all different enough to stand on their own. Each has at least one scene (usually the ending) that will haunt me for a long time. The writing is wonderfully descriptive and engaging; a vivid prose style that carries the brunt of the ploy and does it well, even without characters and even without dialogue.

All the stories were gems in my opinion, and I loved them all for different reasons. To rank them would be to degrade them, but there are some that stand out particularly to me are. “Hippocampus” is the story of cargo freight adrift in the stormy sea; the crew are in various states of dismemberment and something squirmy is lurking below deck. In “Monument” an ancient burial chamber is unearthed and something is building pyres in the backyards of a suburban neighborhood. And finally, “Enlivened” depicts a ghastly scene of ritual mutilation followed by the exploration of a house, where something skitters and thumps amongst the dead."

Full review here.

HORROR WRITERS FOR CLIMATE ACTION - REVELATIONS

A real pleasure and honour to have contributed a story (reprint of my long Lovecraftian story, 'Call the Name') to this collection that addresses the most important issue facing every living thing on the planet.Salute to Seán O'Connor for enduring droughts, pestilences, storms, famines and near extinction to create a book that really matters.Making books is hard and fraught but take a look at the contributors he's drawn in. Respect.#revelations #climateaction #seanoconnor #horror #horrorcollection #climatehorror #adamnevill #stygianskymedia #stygiansky #horrorwritersforclimateaction

TOM ADAMS REVIEWS CUNNING FOLK

"Just when you think you have discovered the final rotting onion of dread in Cunning Folk, Nevill pulls away another layer to show there is no end to the cosmic horror he has created. The conclusion to the story is both inevitable yet nonetheless astonishing.This is a story of obsession, control, and that typical human territoriality that poisons relationships the world over. It is also a tale of parenthood, responsibility and sacrificial love."Naked but daubed in ash, we dance around the barrow of the Sow widdershins, to cleanse writer & reviewer Tom Adams of maleficium.He's written another detailed and interesting essay on one of my books. Thank you, sir. Your time & thoughts are, as ever, much appreciated.Full review here.

MY FAVOURITE HORROR FILMS AND TV SHOWS OF 2021

At the cinema and from the streamers, I've enjoyed a tremendous year of horror cinema and I was absorbed by the following films & shows (where possible I've included my streamer source but this, as you know, often changes, and they're listed in no particular order of preference):

Saint Maud: madness and dread - Shudder

Impetigore: ghastly, atmospheric folk horror from Indonesia - Shudder

Anything for Jackson - infernal chaos - Shudder

The Wolf of Snow Hollow - comic and quirky - Shudder

La Llorona - eerie and poignant from Guatamala - Shudder

Host - innovative and chilling Zoom horror - Shudder

The Mortuary Collection - beautifully made and grimly funny - Shudder

Belzebuth - Mexican occult horror. Gruesome and containing a scene worthy of W.P.Blatty - Shudder

32 Malsana - atmospheric Spanish haunting - Shudder

The Dark and the Wicked - enigmatic and chilling regional possession story. Really affecting. Shudder

The Queen of Black Magic - good Indonesian Folk Horror (script by Joko Anwar - anything horror he's involved in is a must see) - Shudder

She Dies Tomorrow - wonderful and weird psychological drama that lingered in my mind - Netflix

In the Earth - I think those who enjoyed Doctor Who in the 70s and Nigel Kneale's work will also relish this film - Cinema

Caveat - Bold and bizarre - Shudder

Sator - much like two of my favourite horror films of the last 15 years - Lake Mungo & Absentia - the dread and unease in this film arises from a strange "credibility" that I would need to ponder further to explain myself. Sinister - Shudder

Them - Too disturbing & upsetting to be pure entertainment. Timely. Engrossing. Great drama. Mad Men stylish. Brilliant performances. I never stop feeling tense & uncomfortable & can only do one episode per night. Essential - Prime

Honeydew - Don't eat a big greasy meal before watching Honeydew. From the same regional abattoir as 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' sans power tools. Dark. Grotesque. Bouts of utter hideousness. Good eatin' for horror eyes! - Prime

Come True: Affecting Canadian sci fi horror about sleep experimentation. Reminded me of Nigel Kneale & Cronenberg. Recommended - Prime

The Block Island Sound: most imaginative coastal horror I've seen in a while. Intriguing enigma. Tendrils of cosmic dread - Netflix

The Night House - Eerie, disturbing & surprising. A genuinely compelling mystery with so many great ideas - cinema

The Night Eats the World - overcame my zombie fatigue  - Shudder

The Empty Man - brilliant Ligottian/Lovecraftian cult horror - Disney

Coming Home in the Dark - Netflix

Violation - Shudder - ooh, it made me uncomfortable.

Books of Blood - Disney - much better than you have been told.

The Trip - Netflix - hilarious, slapstick

Malignant - Cinema - last third is visionary

VHS 94 - Shudder - couple of these short films are outstanding.

Amulet (US only right now but superb) - I saw a "screener" but it's superb

Brand New Cherry Flavour - Netflix

Without Name - folk horror - Prime

Room - Bradbury-esque - Shudder

Strings - lo fi Canadian coastal horror about a musician beside a frozen sea. Jamesian.

Beyond Horror, I loved: The Last Duel -  Disney +; Dune - cinema; To the Lake - engaging Russian pandemic thriller. Well made, brutal with a credible angle on human nature - Netflix; Boss Level - Prime; Captive State. Great cast. Ambitious alien invasion story. Found it scrolling. Noir-murky & much going on. Don't watch while half in the bag. You gotta stay alert! - Prime; Free Guy - Prime; Green King - Prime. Succession S3 - Sky Atlantic.

That'll keep you going until 2023.

CUNNING FOLK IN HORROR DNA'S TOP 10 FOR 2021

Delighted to see the Sow's face on here (Cunning Folk). And a huge salute to Tony Jones & Horror DNA!

 

MY FAVOURITE READS OF 2021

After consulting my reading diary I can see that I read fewer books in 2021 that any other since 2009. 62. Available slots to slope away with a book in late afternoon, first thing in the morning, or after dinner were most often swamped with work.I had a dry start too; two months of reading books that I admired while feeling disengaged from them. Rereading a few old favourites unlocked my receptivity. Since then I've read a lot of transporting stories, engaging ideas and some great writing. So my picks across various fields and streams are stacked below.On trends, I read more science fiction than usual, seeking stories that "interface" with horror and a confrontation of the inexplicable. I read Annihilation when the film was released (since watched it several times) but finished the super trilogy this year. I know how difficult it is to develop a screenplay and completing the trilogy made me realise what a good adaptation the film is.I didn't read any non-fiction history, which is unusual for me. And I returned to a couple of literary fiction authors who used to make me want to write, a long time ago. They still do.To my taste, Stefan Spjut and Martin MacInnes were my biggest discoveries this year; each found on the same day, in the same vast and empty bookshop (Waterstones Piccadilly) while browsing, two days after the UK reopened. I'm already looking forward to rereading them too.All of these come highly recommended.

CEMETERY DANCE - NEW AUTHOR INTERVIEW. THE BOOKS, THE FILMS, WRITING, MONSTERS

I have a really good chew here, with Janine Pipe, about my films, success and failure as a writer, writing NOGOA & Cunning Folk, Sam Araya's art, the creatures in the films and which one would win in a fight! And so much more! We get through bone and deep into the marrow.

"Like everyone in creative industries, we’re all walking along one of those thin, wooden suspension bridges, supported by old fraying rope, above a rocky gorge. The view below is sickening. The slender chance of getting across to the other side tantalizes but is almost illusory. At times you get a few firm planks and you think “I’m gonna make it!”… and then one of your feet crashes through a rotten board and you start inching backwards again. I’m always waiting for my own ropes to snap. Even now they could go at any time."

The Cemetery Dance Interview: Adam Nevill

https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/...

#cemeterydance #janinepipe #noonegetsoutalivefilm #theritual #adamnevill #noonegetsoutalive #noonegetsoutalivefilm #cunningfolk #horrorfilms

CEMETERY DANCE REVIEWS CUNNING FOLK

"Just wait until you get to the chainsaw scene."

I'm not known for writing power tool scenes but this one was derived from two true stories recounted to me.

Full review from Hayley Newlin here:

LAST DAYS ESSAY AT SCARY STUDIES

The "old friends" continue to find readers and encourage discussion. Interesting "scary study" by Connor McAleese.

Full article here:

CUNNING FOLK REVIEWED AT 'GET ON MY DAMN LEVEL'

"In the aftermath of just one of the increasingly terrible encounters with his neighbors, Tom is despondent:“In the silence of his old house, Tom sinks to the floor and sits still.”That’s the point you’ve come to as a reader, right there beside Tom on a dusty floor knowing there isn’t an answer. You’re just fucked, plain and simple."Bowing my horned head in thanks to Stuart Monroe @ Get On My Damn Level.Full review here: