Sidney Williams's Blog, page 6
March 14, 2013
Silent Night, Bloody Night - Seminal Slasher Fluid
A prototype
If you look in the right places, you find footnotes which observe Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972) seems to be the earliest incarnation of the slasher film as we know it today.
There are other influences, to be certain, dating back to the Grand Guignol, but take a gander at the flick, and you'll see it certainly looks like the cookie cutter that shaped many films to follow.
Penned in part by Jeffrey Konvitz who'd go on to write the post-Exorcist demonic thriller The Sentinel, the film seems to be on the crest of a cultural wave. Unlike other films that quickly followed, including Black Christmas (1974), it's about adults and not teens, but otherwise the familiar ingredients are present.
Since it wasn't released until 1974 and probably not widely seen in its day, it's fun to speculate on whether it was directly influential or if it just somehow detected the same cultural elements and tributaries from earlier cinema that flowed forward to films like Halloween. (More)
If you look in the right places, you find footnotes which observe Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972) seems to be the earliest incarnation of the slasher film as we know it today.
There are other influences, to be certain, dating back to the Grand Guignol, but take a gander at the flick, and you'll see it certainly looks like the cookie cutter that shaped many films to follow.
Penned in part by Jeffrey Konvitz who'd go on to write the post-Exorcist demonic thriller The Sentinel, the film seems to be on the crest of a cultural wave. Unlike other films that quickly followed, including Black Christmas (1974), it's about adults and not teens, but otherwise the familiar ingredients are present.
Since it wasn't released until 1974 and probably not widely seen in its day, it's fun to speculate on whether it was directly influential or if it just somehow detected the same cultural elements and tributaries from earlier cinema that flowed forward to films like Halloween. (More)
February 9, 2013
Louisiana Thriller Midnight Eyes - Audiobook Now Available
I was pleased to learn this week that the audiobook for my Louisiana-based thriller Midnight Eyes is now available.
It's narrated by A.C. Fellner, and you can get a great sample listen via the Amazon listing.
If you're not an Audible subscriber, you could actually get it free with their 30-day-trial offer, which you already know about if you've ever listened to a podcast.
This book began as a dream I had once upon a time. In the dream, I imagined an FBI profiler walking down a hillside in his hometown to view a brutal crime scene. It was actually a nightmare I guess. More
It's narrated by A.C. Fellner, and you can get a great sample listen via the Amazon listing.
If you're not an Audible subscriber, you could actually get it free with their 30-day-trial offer, which you already know about if you've ever listened to a podcast.
This book began as a dream I had once upon a time. In the dream, I imagined an FBI profiler walking down a hillside in his hometown to view a brutal crime scene. It was actually a nightmare I guess. More
January 6, 2013
For 2013: I Want to be Scared
I hear this a lot: "That didn't scare me, and besides, I don't believe in ghosts (or fill in the blank), so this couldn't happen anyway."
I find that a little perplexing.
We react vicariously to fictional situations all the time. We laugh and weep at romances that are imaginary. We grip our chair arms as heroes scale great heights or battle impossible odds. We turn pages to find out if fictional defendants will be acquitted. That's entertainment. Read more...
I find that a little perplexing.
We react vicariously to fictional situations all the time. We laugh and weep at romances that are imaginary. We grip our chair arms as heroes scale great heights or battle impossible odds. We turn pages to find out if fictional defendants will be acquitted. That's entertainment. Read more...
October 28, 2012
Favorite Stories - The Emissary by Ray Bradbury
In an essay from J.N. Williamson's How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction," Ray Bradbury discussed the writing of many of his chilling stories collected in Dark Carnival from Arkham House, his first book.
In that piece, "Run Fast, Stand Still, Or The Thing at the Top of the Stairs, or New Ghosts from Old Minds," Bradbury wrote that he developed a list of nouns in his early writing life and set out to pen a story for each of those. "The Dwarf," "The Crowd," "The Jar" and many others followed. Read more...
In that piece, "Run Fast, Stand Still, Or The Thing at the Top of the Stairs, or New Ghosts from Old Minds," Bradbury wrote that he developed a list of nouns in his early writing life and set out to pen a story for each of those. "The Dwarf," "The Crowd," "The Jar" and many others followed. Read more...
January 24, 2012
A Writing Prompt - The Mardi Gras Mask
(Since festival time is approaching in Louisiana, this seemed like it might be a fun prompt.)
The local museum is offering an exhibit of Mardi Gras art. It's a stunning display of those familiar festival hues -- purples, greens, golds. Posters, feathers, costumes and, of course, beads, are spotlighted in glass cases.
You stroll amid the displays, bolstered by the carnival spirit the artifacts suggest. You can almost hear jazz tunes and the shouts from the crowd.
Then you come upon a showcase with a full-head mask, displayed on a mannequin bust. It's a full face and skull of silver beads so shiny they seem to send back flares from the spotlight.
Read more
The local museum is offering an exhibit of Mardi Gras art. It's a stunning display of those familiar festival hues -- purples, greens, golds. Posters, feathers, costumes and, of course, beads, are spotlighted in glass cases.
You stroll amid the displays, bolstered by the carnival spirit the artifacts suggest. You can almost hear jazz tunes and the shouts from the crowd.
Then you come upon a showcase with a full-head mask, displayed on a mannequin bust. It's a full face and skull of silver beads so shiny they seem to send back flares from the spotlight.
Read more
January 15, 2012
What's on the Kindle?: Fer-de-Lance - A Brief Appreciation of a Mystery Classic
I probably read about Nero Wolfe and his leg man Archie Goodwin long before I ever read a Wolfe story. Sherlock Holmes was plentiful in school libraries when I was a kid, but, despite creator Rex Stout's output, the Wolfe titles weren't as accessible.
Ironically, in the first story I encountered--a reprint in an issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine--Archie became embroiled in a case and actually convinced Wolfe to leave their Brownstone. Threw the whole armchair detective business into question for me.
Wolfe's rigid schedule and other eccentrics are entact in Fer-de-Lance, the first novel in the series from 1934. I read it recently on my Kindle, having purchased it a few months back. (At the moment it seems to be unavailable, not sure what that's about.)
Pricing on the Wolfe novels is unfortunately a little high for e-books, especially since the paperback editions can be had much cheaper, but I'm glad I bought the first title. Read More
Ironically, in the first story I encountered--a reprint in an issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine--Archie became embroiled in a case and actually convinced Wolfe to leave their Brownstone. Threw the whole armchair detective business into question for me.
Wolfe's rigid schedule and other eccentrics are entact in Fer-de-Lance, the first novel in the series from 1934. I read it recently on my Kindle, having purchased it a few months back. (At the moment it seems to be unavailable, not sure what that's about.)
Pricing on the Wolfe novels is unfortunately a little high for e-books, especially since the paperback editions can be had much cheaper, but I'm glad I bought the first title. Read More
January 1, 2012
& Points for Keeping Backside in the Chair
With the burgeoning number of self-published success stories, and the discovery of new writers going full force in traditional and indy publishing, it's clear the world is filled with people with the discipline to put in the time at the keyboard required for producing finished work.
Yet "Backside in Chair" is always the challenge for writers. The allure of not writing is fierce.
I do pretty good in getting myself to the keyboard at a fixed time every day, but making things meaningful is still a challenge. I thought some techniques and thoughts I've picked up from a variety of sources might be useful as everyone is setting goals for 2012.
Read More
Yet "Backside in Chair" is always the challenge for writers. The allure of not writing is fierce.
I do pretty good in getting myself to the keyboard at a fixed time every day, but making things meaningful is still a challenge. I thought some techniques and thoughts I've picked up from a variety of sources might be useful as everyone is setting goals for 2012.
Read More
December 11, 2011
Holiday Blog Tour: Credible Threat - A Christmas Stor
Welcome to my dark little stop on the Holiday Blog Tour.
I love the holiday season and all its trappings, so I was happy to receive the invitation to participate from Icess Fernandez of Writing to Insanity.
As soon as she contacted me, I knew I wanted to offer up a story as a holiday gift.
Jump to my full blog to read my tale of Christmas in our times.
I love the holiday season and all its trappings, so I was happy to receive the invitation to participate from Icess Fernandez of Writing to Insanity.
As soon as she contacted me, I knew I wanted to offer up a story as a holiday gift.
Jump to my full blog to read my tale of Christmas in our times.
November 3, 2011
Signing Az
As mentioned in my previous post, Azarius, my first novel, is rolling out in a new e-book edition from Crossroad Press. As one buddy once put it, it's the tale of an arch-demon menacing a small Southern town. I like the way that sums it up.
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September 9, 2011
Friday Flash: Come Sunday - Rural Noir
(I wrote this as an entry for a small-town noir contest. They apparently had a lot of entries, so I thought I'd share it here. They offered a photo as a story prompt, a '30s-era mug shot of a female inmate. I've done a few pieces of flash, and I've been interested in experimenting more with affecting tales in very brief form, so I decided to give it a try.)
Come Sunday
I don’t think they got my good side when they snapped the photographs. The cop at the camera didn’t have a lot of patience. Neither did the detectives.
Maybe the photographers from newspapers and magazines will do better. I’m going to be in there some day. Wait and see. Won’t just be some sob sister write up. I’m no Bonnie Parker, and small town girls who kill their drunkard husbands aren’t that rare. Tough times we live in, but this is not all there is to me, locked up here in this little cell while they try to decide what to do with me. More
Come Sunday
I don’t think they got my good side when they snapped the photographs. The cop at the camera didn’t have a lot of patience. Neither did the detectives.
Maybe the photographers from newspapers and magazines will do better. I’m going to be in there some day. Wait and see. Won’t just be some sob sister write up. I’m no Bonnie Parker, and small town girls who kill their drunkard husbands aren’t that rare. Tough times we live in, but this is not all there is to me, locked up here in this little cell while they try to decide what to do with me. More
