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The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of the Silver Screen
The credits have rolled, but the lights are still off. Something is lurking on the other side of the screen. There are dark secrets, starving monsters, and haunted survivors who refuse to be left on the cutting room floor. But that’s okay, right? After all, everybody loves the movies…. Here are twenty-three terrifying tales, dark reflections of the silver screen from both sides of the camera. James Dean gets a second chance at life—and death. The Wicked Witch is out of Oz and she’s made some unlucky friends. When God decides reality needs an editor, what—and who—gets cut? These award-winning, bestselling authors will take you to the darkest depths of the theater and beyond.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction by Genevieve Valentine
Preface by Ellen Datlow
"The Cutter" by Edward Bryant
"The Hanged Man of Oz" by Steve Nagy
"Deadspace" by Dennis Etchison
"Cuts" by F. Paul Wilson
"Final Girl Theory" by A. C. Wise
"Lapland, or Film Noir" by Peter Straub
"The Thousand Cuts" by Ian Watson
"Occam’s Ducks" by Howard Waldrop
"Dead Image" by David Morrell
"The Constantinople Archives" by Robert Shearman
"each thing I show you is a piece of my death" by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer
"Cinder Images" by Gary McMahon
"The Pied Piper of Hammersmith" by Nicholas Royle
"Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarraldo" by Garry Kilworth
"Onlookers" by Gary A. Braunbeck
"Recreation" by Lucy Snyder
"Bright Lights, Big Zombie" by Douglas E. Winter
"She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!" by Genevieve Valentine
"Even the Pawn" by Joel Lane
"Tenderizer" by Stephen Graham Jones
"Ardor" by Laird Barron
"Final Girl II: the Frame" by Daphne Gottlieb
"Illimitable Dominion" by Kim Newman
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction by Genevieve Valentine
Preface by Ellen Datlow
"The Cutter" by Edward Bryant
"The Hanged Man of Oz" by Steve Nagy
"Deadspace" by Dennis Etchison
"Cuts" by F. Paul Wilson
"Final Girl Theory" by A. C. Wise
"Lapland, or Film Noir" by Peter Straub
"The Thousand Cuts" by Ian Watson
"Occam’s Ducks" by Howard Waldrop
"Dead Image" by David Morrell
"The Constantinople Archives" by Robert Shearman
"each thing I show you is a piece of my death" by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer
"Cinder Images" by Gary McMahon
"The Pied Piper of Hammersmith" by Nicholas Royle
"Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarraldo" by Garry Kilworth
"Onlookers" by Gary A. Braunbeck
"Recreation" by Lucy Snyder
"Bright Lights, Big Zombie" by Douglas E. Winter
"She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!" by Genevieve Valentine
"Even the Pawn" by Joel Lane
"Tenderizer" by Stephen Graham Jones
"Ardor" by Laird Barron
"Final Girl II: the Frame" by Daphne Gottlieb
"Illimitable Dominion" by Kim Newman
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2014
34 people are currently reading
651 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Datlow
278 books1,879 followersEllen Datlow has been editing science fiction, fantasy, and horror short fiction for forty years as fiction editor of OMNI Magazine and editor of Event Horizon and SCIFICTION. She currently acquires short stories and novellas for Tor.com. In addition, she has edited about one hundred science fiction, fantasy, and horror anthologies, including the annual The Best Horror of the Year series, The Doll Collection, Mad Hatters and March Hares, The Devil and the Deep: Horror Stories of the Sea, Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, Edited By, and Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.
She's won multiple World Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, International Horror Guild Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and the 2012 Il Posto Nero Black Spot Award for Excellence as Best Foreign Editor. Datlow was named recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for "outstanding contribution to the genre," was honored with the Life Achievement Award by the Horror Writers Association, in acknowledgment of superior achievement over an entire career, and honored with the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award at the 2014 World Fantasy Convention.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
December 30, 2014
I was excited to find this anthology up for review at Net Galley. I'm still very new over there, and I figured that there couldn't possibly be a better pick for me to request. I have loved anthologies like this since I was a kid. I cut my teeth on the likes of Dennis Etchison, Graham Masterton, Harlan Ellison and Dougles E. Winter and I've read a number of anthologies edited by Ellen Datlow. Unfortunately, of the twenty three tales within, there were only 7 that rated 4 stars or above with me.
In this collection, the stories are loosely connected by film. To be clear, not all of these stories are horror or dark fiction, which was fine. It's just that a lot of them didn't resonate with me. I will briefly mention the tales that I thought worked well:
Cuts by F. Paul Wilson-Who doesn't like a fun voodoo story now and then?
each thing I show you is a piece of my death by Gemma Files and Stephen J. Barringer-A nice creepy piece about a guy showing up in films.
She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion by Genevieve Valentine-It seems that I have a thing going for stories with birds lately, and this one was super cool.
The Onlookers by Gary Braunbeck-Perceive and be perceived.
Ardor by Laird Barron-There was a dreamy feel to this Alaskan tale.
Even the Pawn by Joel Lane-I thought this story kicked ass. It was a sad one though, about sex slaves.
The Tenderizer by Stephen Graham Jones-This story was a tough one to read, but it touched me.
Overall this was a jam packed collection, but it left me slightly disappointed. Perhaps it's because I expect a lot from any anthology edited by Ellen Datlow? Perhaps I wasn't quite in the right mood for most of these tales? I don't know for sure, I can only say how this collection made me feel. While the collection was no doubt full of well written tales, most of them just didn't work for me.
I received this eARC free from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This is it!
Find this review and others like it at Horrorafterdark.com
In this collection, the stories are loosely connected by film. To be clear, not all of these stories are horror or dark fiction, which was fine. It's just that a lot of them didn't resonate with me. I will briefly mention the tales that I thought worked well:
Cuts by F. Paul Wilson-Who doesn't like a fun voodoo story now and then?
each thing I show you is a piece of my death by Gemma Files and Stephen J. Barringer-A nice creepy piece about a guy showing up in films.
She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion by Genevieve Valentine-It seems that I have a thing going for stories with birds lately, and this one was super cool.
The Onlookers by Gary Braunbeck-Perceive and be perceived.
Ardor by Laird Barron-There was a dreamy feel to this Alaskan tale.
Even the Pawn by Joel Lane-I thought this story kicked ass. It was a sad one though, about sex slaves.
The Tenderizer by Stephen Graham Jones-This story was a tough one to read, but it touched me.
Overall this was a jam packed collection, but it left me slightly disappointed. Perhaps it's because I expect a lot from any anthology edited by Ellen Datlow? Perhaps I wasn't quite in the right mood for most of these tales? I don't know for sure, I can only say how this collection made me feel. While the collection was no doubt full of well written tales, most of them just didn't work for me.
I received this eARC free from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This is it!
Find this review and others like it at Horrorafterdark.com
January 21, 2019
I enjoy dark plots about movies (especially horror movies), and this definitely scratched that itch. I didn't love every story, but loved enough of them that I can definitely say I'm glad I read this anthology and would recommend it to others. Some of my stand-outs:
Illimitable Dominion by Kim Newman: I read a novel by Newman and disliked it, but was deeply charmed by this mostly-not-horrific story about Hollywood becoming obsessed about filming Poe's stories. Poe rises! Excellent, subtle writing--I'm glad to give Newman another chance. He really impressed me here!
Final Girl Theory by A. C. Wise: I read this in another anthology and enjoyed it there too. An obsessive fan tracks down the actress in a cult horror film, but he may not enjoy the meeting.
Ardor by Laird Barron: This is classic Barron: The Alaskan setting, the character's break with reality, the cosmic horror. Loved it.
each thing I show you is a piece of my death by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer: Files is another author I enjoy, and this story--about a mysterious figure who starts appearing in the background of multiple movies--was definitely creepy.
Dead Image by David Morrell: James Dean lives again--for a while, at least--in this sad, scary story.
She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion! by Genevieve Valentine: The author describes this story as "were-shenanigans in 1930s Hollywood." Sounds cool, right? Add to that both the wonder of the writing and the unsettling tone.
Recommended for horror readers--or anyone who enjoys fiction about movies.
Illimitable Dominion by Kim Newman: I read a novel by Newman and disliked it, but was deeply charmed by this mostly-not-horrific story about Hollywood becoming obsessed about filming Poe's stories. Poe rises! Excellent, subtle writing--I'm glad to give Newman another chance. He really impressed me here!
Final Girl Theory by A. C. Wise: I read this in another anthology and enjoyed it there too. An obsessive fan tracks down the actress in a cult horror film, but he may not enjoy the meeting.
Ardor by Laird Barron: This is classic Barron: The Alaskan setting, the character's break with reality, the cosmic horror. Loved it.
each thing I show you is a piece of my death by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer: Files is another author I enjoy, and this story--about a mysterious figure who starts appearing in the background of multiple movies--was definitely creepy.
Dead Image by David Morrell: James Dean lives again--for a while, at least--in this sad, scary story.
She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion! by Genevieve Valentine: The author describes this story as "were-shenanigans in 1930s Hollywood." Sounds cool, right? Add to that both the wonder of the writing and the unsettling tone.
Recommended for horror readers--or anyone who enjoys fiction about movies.
June 1, 2015
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Cutting Room is a collection of short stories all tying in with the movie industry or films in some way. Not all the stories hit the mark and there were several that were a chore to get through. The latter half of the book was a bit more consistent for me and overall there were quite a few stories that I really enjoyed.
Here's a rundown of what is included and the stories that left a more lasting impression.
"The Cutter" by Edward Bryant - 2.5*
"The Hanged Man of Oz" by Steve Nagy - 3.5* Creepy little tale of a man who is shown a disturbing scene in The Wizard of Oz.
"Deadspace" by Dennis Etchison - 1.5*
"Cuts" by F. Paul Wilson - 4* Great voodoo story about a director who feels the wrath of a writers fury after butchering his work for the big screen. The lengths he goes to for revenge are eye watering.
"Final Girl Theory" by A. C. Wise - 2.5*
"Lapland, or Film Noir" by Peter Straub - 3* An interesting 'story' about noir thrillers that infuriatingly, on purpose, leaves part of the details out. I got the feeling there was a bigger story in there but it eluded me.
"The Thousand Cuts" by Ian Watson - 3* The world starts experiencing skips in time with the unknown time being used to resolve some big issues. In response, a tv crew, put together a comedy show about the time skips to boost peoples morale. The force doing the editing is not amongst the amused.
"Occam’s Ducks" by Howard Waldrop -1*
"Dead Image" by David Morrell -4* The story of an unknown actor who strongly resembles a deceased famous actor, James Deacon (James Dean??). As he becomes more famous it seems as though he is on the same destructive path. Great story with an ending that is heartbreaking.
"The Constantinople Archives" by Robert Shearman -1*
"each thing I show you is a piece of my death" by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer -3* Two experimental film makers are sent a clip of a man committing suicide, the man then starts showing up in other movies and is named 'Background Man'. This was quite creepy in parts although it didn't really come together as well as it could have.
"Cinder Images" by Gary McMahon -4* A man watches a screening of a war movie and finds himself in the movie. One of my favourites of the collection, a great concept and strong ending.
"The Pied Piper of Hammersmith" by Nicholas Royle -2.5*
"Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarraldo" by Garry Kilworth -3.5* Film-makers set out to capture footage of Herzog shooting Fitzcarraldo. They decide their footage is too boring and set into motion an altercation that will have fatal consequences. Interesting story that remained strong until the end where it got muddled.
"Onlookers" by Gary A. Braunbeck 3.5* A man becomes aware of someone taking pics of him, he felt this same sensation when he met a famous actor as a child. Great writing and a nice creepy little ending.
"Recreation" by Lucy Snyder -3*
"Bright Lights, Big Zombie" by Douglas E. Winter -4* The aftermath of a zombie outbreak as seen through the eyes of a man who works at a movie magazine. Interesting take on the zombie genre that got a bit confusing towards the end.
"She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!" by Genevieve Valentine -4* Opportunistic director discovers a new talent and sets out to exploit a secret to further his own career. A story that left me feeling angry at the lengths people will go to to get what they want, even if it means the potential harm of another.
"Even the Pawn" by Joel Lane -4* A cop investigates the lonely but violent demise of a young girl. A great story but a sad one.
"Tenderizer" by Stephen Graham Jones 3*
"Ardor" by Laird Barron -4* A man is being paid to track down an actor (and possible murderer), who shot a pornographic depiction of Dracula also starring the clients daughter who is now missing. A bit more straightforward than some of the other stories I've read from the author and very enjoyable.
"Final Girl II: the Frame" by Daphne Gottlieb 3.5*
"Illimitable Dominion" by Kim Newman - 3.5* A talent agent does his best to get his star performer, a monkey, back into the limelight by trying to get a Poe project greenlit. His pitch starts a new fascination with Poe. Quite enjoyable and had me laughing out loud a couple of times at the sheer desperation of the man trying to get a film made that included his ape.
A bit disappointing overall as the consistency wasn't there but it did introduce me to some new authors.
The Cutting Room is a collection of short stories all tying in with the movie industry or films in some way. Not all the stories hit the mark and there were several that were a chore to get through. The latter half of the book was a bit more consistent for me and overall there were quite a few stories that I really enjoyed.
Here's a rundown of what is included and the stories that left a more lasting impression.
"The Cutter" by Edward Bryant - 2.5*
"The Hanged Man of Oz" by Steve Nagy - 3.5* Creepy little tale of a man who is shown a disturbing scene in The Wizard of Oz.
"Deadspace" by Dennis Etchison - 1.5*
"Cuts" by F. Paul Wilson - 4* Great voodoo story about a director who feels the wrath of a writers fury after butchering his work for the big screen. The lengths he goes to for revenge are eye watering.
"Final Girl Theory" by A. C. Wise - 2.5*
"Lapland, or Film Noir" by Peter Straub - 3* An interesting 'story' about noir thrillers that infuriatingly, on purpose, leaves part of the details out. I got the feeling there was a bigger story in there but it eluded me.
"The Thousand Cuts" by Ian Watson - 3* The world starts experiencing skips in time with the unknown time being used to resolve some big issues. In response, a tv crew, put together a comedy show about the time skips to boost peoples morale. The force doing the editing is not amongst the amused.
"Occam’s Ducks" by Howard Waldrop -1*
"Dead Image" by David Morrell -4* The story of an unknown actor who strongly resembles a deceased famous actor, James Deacon (James Dean??). As he becomes more famous it seems as though he is on the same destructive path. Great story with an ending that is heartbreaking.
"The Constantinople Archives" by Robert Shearman -1*
"each thing I show you is a piece of my death" by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer -3* Two experimental film makers are sent a clip of a man committing suicide, the man then starts showing up in other movies and is named 'Background Man'. This was quite creepy in parts although it didn't really come together as well as it could have.
"Cinder Images" by Gary McMahon -4* A man watches a screening of a war movie and finds himself in the movie. One of my favourites of the collection, a great concept and strong ending.
"The Pied Piper of Hammersmith" by Nicholas Royle -2.5*
"Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarraldo" by Garry Kilworth -3.5* Film-makers set out to capture footage of Herzog shooting Fitzcarraldo. They decide their footage is too boring and set into motion an altercation that will have fatal consequences. Interesting story that remained strong until the end where it got muddled.
"Onlookers" by Gary A. Braunbeck 3.5* A man becomes aware of someone taking pics of him, he felt this same sensation when he met a famous actor as a child. Great writing and a nice creepy little ending.
"Recreation" by Lucy Snyder -3*
"Bright Lights, Big Zombie" by Douglas E. Winter -4* The aftermath of a zombie outbreak as seen through the eyes of a man who works at a movie magazine. Interesting take on the zombie genre that got a bit confusing towards the end.
"She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!" by Genevieve Valentine -4* Opportunistic director discovers a new talent and sets out to exploit a secret to further his own career. A story that left me feeling angry at the lengths people will go to to get what they want, even if it means the potential harm of another.
"Even the Pawn" by Joel Lane -4* A cop investigates the lonely but violent demise of a young girl. A great story but a sad one.
"Tenderizer" by Stephen Graham Jones 3*
"Ardor" by Laird Barron -4* A man is being paid to track down an actor (and possible murderer), who shot a pornographic depiction of Dracula also starring the clients daughter who is now missing. A bit more straightforward than some of the other stories I've read from the author and very enjoyable.
"Final Girl II: the Frame" by Daphne Gottlieb 3.5*
"Illimitable Dominion" by Kim Newman - 3.5* A talent agent does his best to get his star performer, a monkey, back into the limelight by trying to get a Poe project greenlit. His pitch starts a new fascination with Poe. Quite enjoyable and had me laughing out loud a couple of times at the sheer desperation of the man trying to get a film made that included his ape.
A bit disappointing overall as the consistency wasn't there but it did introduce me to some new authors.
October 15, 2014
Review copy
I believe it can be safely said that Ellen Datlow is one of the most well-known editors of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror working today. Her newest anthology, just released by Tachyon Publications, is The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of the Silver Screen.
Here, Datlow has gathered 23 short stories all dealing with the movie industry. A wide variety of tales featuring writers, directors, bit players, and stars; from blockbusters to porn.
A few highlights include the opening story of the collection, "The Cutter," by Edward Bryant. One of the best short stories I've read this year. It's about a movie house projectionist in a small town who edits some of the films that come to the Ramona, often making them better. He's also the cutter of his own dreams.
"Final Girl Theory," by A. C. Wise is a wildly imaginative story of a fictitious film called Kaleidoscope.
Peter Straub has a rather esoteric entry that seems to be made up of every possible film noir cliche, ever.
One the best best in this anthology is "Dead Image," about a young actor who is the spitting image of the legendary James Deacon, who is a fictionalized version of James Dean.
The always entertaining Gary A. Braunbeck has a clever tale, featuring Buster Keaton and Samuel Beckett, called "Onlookers."
There's poetry from Lucy A. Snyder and Daphne Gottlieb, a very cool zombie story from Douglas E. Winter and much, much more.
Kim Newman writes my favorite line in her very funny story of Edgar Allan Poe's influence on Hollywood, "He thinks up this scene where Chuck is possessed by his evil wizard ancestor and smashes an axe through a door to get to his terrified wife (Debra Paget) while shouting something from The Tonight Show. I know that will never work, but keep quiet."
The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of the Silver Screen is not perfect, but it was certainly an enjoyable read. All but one of the stories have been published elsewhere over the years, but I had never read any of these before.
Available now from Tachyon Publications in both print and e-book formats The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of the Silver Screen is great for film buffs and fans of dark fiction alike.
Recommended.
I believe it can be safely said that Ellen Datlow is one of the most well-known editors of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror working today. Her newest anthology, just released by Tachyon Publications, is The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of the Silver Screen.
Here, Datlow has gathered 23 short stories all dealing with the movie industry. A wide variety of tales featuring writers, directors, bit players, and stars; from blockbusters to porn.
A few highlights include the opening story of the collection, "The Cutter," by Edward Bryant. One of the best short stories I've read this year. It's about a movie house projectionist in a small town who edits some of the films that come to the Ramona, often making them better. He's also the cutter of his own dreams.
"Final Girl Theory," by A. C. Wise is a wildly imaginative story of a fictitious film called Kaleidoscope.
Peter Straub has a rather esoteric entry that seems to be made up of every possible film noir cliche, ever.
One the best best in this anthology is "Dead Image," about a young actor who is the spitting image of the legendary James Deacon, who is a fictionalized version of James Dean.
The always entertaining Gary A. Braunbeck has a clever tale, featuring Buster Keaton and Samuel Beckett, called "Onlookers."
There's poetry from Lucy A. Snyder and Daphne Gottlieb, a very cool zombie story from Douglas E. Winter and much, much more.
Kim Newman writes my favorite line in her very funny story of Edgar Allan Poe's influence on Hollywood, "He thinks up this scene where Chuck is possessed by his evil wizard ancestor and smashes an axe through a door to get to his terrified wife (Debra Paget) while shouting something from The Tonight Show. I know that will never work, but keep quiet."
The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of the Silver Screen is not perfect, but it was certainly an enjoyable read. All but one of the stories have been published elsewhere over the years, but I had never read any of these before.
Available now from Tachyon Publications in both print and e-book formats The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of the Silver Screen is great for film buffs and fans of dark fiction alike.
Recommended.
December 19, 2015
DNF! In the end, I just couldn't finish another story. This collection just didn't suit me...
“The Cutter” by Edward Bryant - 2
“The Hanged Man of Oz” by Steve Nagy - 3
“Deadspace” by Dennis Etchison - 1
“Cuts” by F. Paul Wilson - 2,5
“Final Girl Theory” by A. C. Wise - 2,5
“Lapland, or Film Noir” by Peter Straub - 1
“The Thousand Cuts” by Ian Watson - 2
“Occam’s Ducks” by Howard Waldrop - 1
“Dead Image” by David Morrell - 2,5
“The Constantinople Archives” by Robert Shearman - 1
“Each thing I show you is a piece of my death” by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer - 1
“Cinder Images” by Gary McMahon - 1
“The Pied Piper of Hammersmith” by Nicholas Royle - 1
“Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarraldo” by Garry Kilworth - 1
“Onlookers” by Gary A. Braunbeck - 2
“Recreation” by Lucy Snyder - 1
“Bright Lights, Big Zombie” by Douglas E. Winter - 1
“She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!” by Genevieve Valentine - 1
“Even the Pawn” by Joel Lane -
“Tenderizer” by Stephen Graham Jones -
“Ardor” by Laird Barron -
“Final Girl II: the Frame” by Daphne Gottlieb -
“Illimitable Dominion” by Kim Newman -
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!
“The Cutter” by Edward Bryant - 2
“The Hanged Man of Oz” by Steve Nagy - 3
“Deadspace” by Dennis Etchison - 1
“Cuts” by F. Paul Wilson - 2,5
“Final Girl Theory” by A. C. Wise - 2,5
“Lapland, or Film Noir” by Peter Straub - 1
“The Thousand Cuts” by Ian Watson - 2
“Occam’s Ducks” by Howard Waldrop - 1
“Dead Image” by David Morrell - 2,5
“The Constantinople Archives” by Robert Shearman - 1
“Each thing I show you is a piece of my death” by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer - 1
“Cinder Images” by Gary McMahon - 1
“The Pied Piper of Hammersmith” by Nicholas Royle - 1
“Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarraldo” by Garry Kilworth - 1
“Onlookers” by Gary A. Braunbeck - 2
“Recreation” by Lucy Snyder - 1
“Bright Lights, Big Zombie” by Douglas E. Winter - 1
“She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!” by Genevieve Valentine - 1
“Even the Pawn” by Joel Lane -
“Tenderizer” by Stephen Graham Jones -
“Ardor” by Laird Barron -
“Final Girl II: the Frame” by Daphne Gottlieb -
“Illimitable Dominion” by Kim Newman -
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!
October 13, 2014
First of all, as editor Ellen Datlow states in her introduction to this anthology; not all of the stories are “horror stories per se”. Each of the tales involve films or the film industry and most, if not falling directly into the horror genre, are certainly very dark. I recently read a wonderful interview with Ms. Datlow where she briefly explained her thought process when putting together an anthology. After reading the interview, I have a better understanding of why almost anything she puts her name on is consistently of such high quality. This collection is no exception. In the introduction she states that she sifted through over 115 submissions, finally whittling it down to the stories presented here. While a couple of the tales didn’t instantly reveal their secrets to me, they each left me feeling and thinking long after finishing them. Several of the authors were new to me and some were old favorites, I was especially happy to find a story by Howard Waldrop. He is a criminally uncelebrated writer and master of the short story form. Hopefully his inclusion here will lead to new readers discovering his work.
The anthology starts with Edward Bryant’s THE CUTTER, a sort of coming of age tale, with a sinister twist. It was my first time reading anything by this author, but it won’t be my last. To put it in filmic terms, if his story was an actual film, it would be directed by Rob Reiner’s evil twin.
Steve Nagy’s THE HANGED MAN OF OZ is a paranoid fever dream of a tale. You may never be able to watch The Wizard Of Oz again, without thinking of this story. I know I won’t. The film of this would be directed by Brian DePalma.
DEADSPACE by Dennis Etchison quickly made me feel as if I was watching a David Lynch movie in my mind. This tale of a doomed Hollywood producer is surreal and unforgettable.
I’m sure most anyone reading this is already familiar with the work of F. Paul Wilson. His story CUTS is nothing less than what you would expect, a horrifying voodoo tale with a deliciously satisfying ending. The film version for me, would have to be directed by Wes Craven.
FINAL GIRL THEORY by A. C. Wise is a disturbing tale that slowly creeps up on you. Your interest in finding out the truth behind the cult film described in the story, will lead to a most unhappy ending, for you and the main protagonist. For director on this one, I’d select Eduardo Sanchez (Blair Witch Project).
Next up is LAPLAND, OR FILM NOIR by Peter Straub. In all honesty, I don’t know what to make of this contribution. I’m afraid it is simply that I don’t understand the style of writing Mr. Straub uses here. It seems to be somehow breaking down film noir into its various tropes, but that’s as far as I can discern. This makes me wish that each author had included a brief introduction to their stories. I would certainly like to learn exactly what he was doing in this piece.
Ian Watson’s THE THOUSAND CUTS is a disorienting, apocalyptic tale that moves along quickly and leaves you with a haunting final image. My choice for director of the film version would be George Miller (Mad Max).
As I mentioned at the start, Howard Waldrop is an author whose work I am delighted to see here. His contribution OCCAM’S DUCKS is an off beat tale involving the early days of black cinema. Mr. Waldrop also includes a brief afterword that explains his inspirations for the story.
DEAD IMAGE by David Morrell really captivated me. His story centers around how things might play out, if a real life famous actor who tragically died young, were to somehow come back for a second chance. This is one of the stand out entries for me, I loved it. Director on this one would have to be George Romero.
THE CONSTANTINOPLE ARCHIVES by Robert Shearman is an alternate history story, that imagines a world where filmmaking began in the 1400s, during the siege of Constantinople. It’s an interesting read that ends on a beautifully hopeful note.
EACH THING I SHOW YOU IS A PIECE OF MY DEATH by Gemma Files and Stephen J. Barringer, gave me a few nightmares after finishing it just before bed. The narrative threads out in a series of journal entries, e-mails and transcripts. Since aspects of it brought to mind the film The Ring, I could see it being directed by Gore Verbinski.
CINDER IMAGES by Gary McMahon introduces you to a man who has just left the movie theater. The film he witnessed was disturbing, but has it ended simply because he left the theater? I’d pick David Fincher, to give the film version of this tale the right amount of dark claustrophobia.
In THE PIED PIPER OF HAMMERSMITH, I can only deduce that the main character is mentally ill and we are riding along for his final descent into madness. The film he’s directing in his head, will lead to disastrous consequences for his “cast”. This would be another one that lends itself to David Lynch’s style.
Gary Kilworth’s FILMING THE MAKING OF THE FILM OF THE MAKING OF FITZCARRALDO (I had to go back several times, to make sure I had that title correct!), follows along as some intrepid amateur filmmakers, attempt to surreptitiously document director Werner Herzog’s filming of Fitzcarraldo. When they decide to instigate a scene for their documentary, things go bad. I can see Francis Coppola directing this, he’s familiar with steamy jungles.
ONLOOKERS by Gary A. Braunbeck is a story I had encountered somewhere before, because it quickly came back to me as I started reading it. It’s a creepy tale involving a few icons of classic early cinema and what happens to a film student who is a bit too perceptive. If Alfred Hitchcock were alive today, I think a story like this might appeal to him. There are plenty of opportunities for great visuals and I’d enjoy seeing them translated from my mind, to the screen.
Next is a short poem by Lucy A. Snyder titled RECREATION and it seems fitting that it follows, since it is somewhat of an homage to Hitchcock.
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG ZOMBIE by Douglas E. Winter, provides a unique take on the zombie tale. We spend some time with a heartbroken Gorehound, as he tries to hold it together in a world where a zombie outbreak has actually occurred. To make matters worse, splatter films and magazines dealing with the living dead are now illegal. Let’s tap Zack Snyder to direct this one. He could blend the horror and and humorous aspects required.
SHE DRIVES MEN TO CRIMES OF PASSION by Genevieve Valentine, is a beautiful tale by yet another unfamiliar author I’ll be seeking more from. The noirish story involves a beautiful up and coming actress with an unexpected secret. An aspiring director learns her secret and wants to exploit it. The ending of this one left me sad, satisfied and swooning.
Joel Lane’s EVEN THE PAWN delivers the right cross, after the uppercut delivered by Ms. Valentine’s story. What appears to be a simple murder mystery, snakes along toward a hauntingly poetic ending.
TENDERIZER from Stephen Graham Jones, offers a disturbing look at the possible melding of reality and found footage type cinema. I almost found myself dreading each paragraph of this, as if something too horrible for me to take was going to be revealed.
Next up is ARDOR by Laird Barron. I’m a huge fan of Mr. Barron’s work and this story is a wonderful example of his writing style, for those who may be new to him. You can see that every sentence is carefully crafted, individually coming together to form a cerebral, cinematic blockbuster.
FINAL GIRL II: THE FRAME by Daphne Gottlieb is a dithyramb style poem dedicated to the female heroine. I’m not very knowledgable when it comes to poetry, so I hope I’m not far off the mark in that comment.
The anthology ends with ILLIMITABLE DOMINION by Kim Newman. This first person narrative is told by the agent of an out of work chimpanzee. His efforts to find a starring vehicle for his client, end up connecting him with Roger Corman. The poor chimp doesn’t get the part, but his agent’s paperback copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination inspires Mr. Corman and history ensues, but with a slight revisionist twist.
As I stated at the start, you can’t go wrong with anything assembled by Ellen Datlow. This collection of stories shouldn’t just appeal to fans of film, horror, or weird fiction. The tales here are simply examples of damn good writing.
The anthology starts with Edward Bryant’s THE CUTTER, a sort of coming of age tale, with a sinister twist. It was my first time reading anything by this author, but it won’t be my last. To put it in filmic terms, if his story was an actual film, it would be directed by Rob Reiner’s evil twin.
Steve Nagy’s THE HANGED MAN OF OZ is a paranoid fever dream of a tale. You may never be able to watch The Wizard Of Oz again, without thinking of this story. I know I won’t. The film of this would be directed by Brian DePalma.
DEADSPACE by Dennis Etchison quickly made me feel as if I was watching a David Lynch movie in my mind. This tale of a doomed Hollywood producer is surreal and unforgettable.
I’m sure most anyone reading this is already familiar with the work of F. Paul Wilson. His story CUTS is nothing less than what you would expect, a horrifying voodoo tale with a deliciously satisfying ending. The film version for me, would have to be directed by Wes Craven.
FINAL GIRL THEORY by A. C. Wise is a disturbing tale that slowly creeps up on you. Your interest in finding out the truth behind the cult film described in the story, will lead to a most unhappy ending, for you and the main protagonist. For director on this one, I’d select Eduardo Sanchez (Blair Witch Project).
Next up is LAPLAND, OR FILM NOIR by Peter Straub. In all honesty, I don’t know what to make of this contribution. I’m afraid it is simply that I don’t understand the style of writing Mr. Straub uses here. It seems to be somehow breaking down film noir into its various tropes, but that’s as far as I can discern. This makes me wish that each author had included a brief introduction to their stories. I would certainly like to learn exactly what he was doing in this piece.
Ian Watson’s THE THOUSAND CUTS is a disorienting, apocalyptic tale that moves along quickly and leaves you with a haunting final image. My choice for director of the film version would be George Miller (Mad Max).
As I mentioned at the start, Howard Waldrop is an author whose work I am delighted to see here. His contribution OCCAM’S DUCKS is an off beat tale involving the early days of black cinema. Mr. Waldrop also includes a brief afterword that explains his inspirations for the story.
DEAD IMAGE by David Morrell really captivated me. His story centers around how things might play out, if a real life famous actor who tragically died young, were to somehow come back for a second chance. This is one of the stand out entries for me, I loved it. Director on this one would have to be George Romero.
THE CONSTANTINOPLE ARCHIVES by Robert Shearman is an alternate history story, that imagines a world where filmmaking began in the 1400s, during the siege of Constantinople. It’s an interesting read that ends on a beautifully hopeful note.
EACH THING I SHOW YOU IS A PIECE OF MY DEATH by Gemma Files and Stephen J. Barringer, gave me a few nightmares after finishing it just before bed. The narrative threads out in a series of journal entries, e-mails and transcripts. Since aspects of it brought to mind the film The Ring, I could see it being directed by Gore Verbinski.
CINDER IMAGES by Gary McMahon introduces you to a man who has just left the movie theater. The film he witnessed was disturbing, but has it ended simply because he left the theater? I’d pick David Fincher, to give the film version of this tale the right amount of dark claustrophobia.
In THE PIED PIPER OF HAMMERSMITH, I can only deduce that the main character is mentally ill and we are riding along for his final descent into madness. The film he’s directing in his head, will lead to disastrous consequences for his “cast”. This would be another one that lends itself to David Lynch’s style.
Gary Kilworth’s FILMING THE MAKING OF THE FILM OF THE MAKING OF FITZCARRALDO (I had to go back several times, to make sure I had that title correct!), follows along as some intrepid amateur filmmakers, attempt to surreptitiously document director Werner Herzog’s filming of Fitzcarraldo. When they decide to instigate a scene for their documentary, things go bad. I can see Francis Coppola directing this, he’s familiar with steamy jungles.
ONLOOKERS by Gary A. Braunbeck is a story I had encountered somewhere before, because it quickly came back to me as I started reading it. It’s a creepy tale involving a few icons of classic early cinema and what happens to a film student who is a bit too perceptive. If Alfred Hitchcock were alive today, I think a story like this might appeal to him. There are plenty of opportunities for great visuals and I’d enjoy seeing them translated from my mind, to the screen.
Next is a short poem by Lucy A. Snyder titled RECREATION and it seems fitting that it follows, since it is somewhat of an homage to Hitchcock.
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG ZOMBIE by Douglas E. Winter, provides a unique take on the zombie tale. We spend some time with a heartbroken Gorehound, as he tries to hold it together in a world where a zombie outbreak has actually occurred. To make matters worse, splatter films and magazines dealing with the living dead are now illegal. Let’s tap Zack Snyder to direct this one. He could blend the horror and and humorous aspects required.
SHE DRIVES MEN TO CRIMES OF PASSION by Genevieve Valentine, is a beautiful tale by yet another unfamiliar author I’ll be seeking more from. The noirish story involves a beautiful up and coming actress with an unexpected secret. An aspiring director learns her secret and wants to exploit it. The ending of this one left me sad, satisfied and swooning.
Joel Lane’s EVEN THE PAWN delivers the right cross, after the uppercut delivered by Ms. Valentine’s story. What appears to be a simple murder mystery, snakes along toward a hauntingly poetic ending.
TENDERIZER from Stephen Graham Jones, offers a disturbing look at the possible melding of reality and found footage type cinema. I almost found myself dreading each paragraph of this, as if something too horrible for me to take was going to be revealed.
Next up is ARDOR by Laird Barron. I’m a huge fan of Mr. Barron’s work and this story is a wonderful example of his writing style, for those who may be new to him. You can see that every sentence is carefully crafted, individually coming together to form a cerebral, cinematic blockbuster.
FINAL GIRL II: THE FRAME by Daphne Gottlieb is a dithyramb style poem dedicated to the female heroine. I’m not very knowledgable when it comes to poetry, so I hope I’m not far off the mark in that comment.
The anthology ends with ILLIMITABLE DOMINION by Kim Newman. This first person narrative is told by the agent of an out of work chimpanzee. His efforts to find a starring vehicle for his client, end up connecting him with Roger Corman. The poor chimp doesn’t get the part, but his agent’s paperback copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination inspires Mr. Corman and history ensues, but with a slight revisionist twist.
As I stated at the start, you can’t go wrong with anything assembled by Ellen Datlow. This collection of stories shouldn’t just appeal to fans of film, horror, or weird fiction. The tales here are simply examples of damn good writing.
January 18, 2016
Received to review via Netgalley
I mostly requested The Cutting Room because I know Ellen Datlow is a majorly respected editor of anthologies, and the idea of a themed anthology based on the silver screen… well, it did appeal, even if horror isn’t really my thing. Unfortunately, that turned out to be only too true, and also I didn’t really understand the point of some of the stories. There are definitely some standouts, though, and some amazingly written ones, and clever ones which turn things around.
‘Cuts’ was pretty good, even if I kind of expected the twist at the end; ‘Onlookers’, also. Genevieve Valentine’s story is interesting, and though I thought Peter Straub’s story was too self-conscious, it was well written. ‘Tenderiser’ was tense and breathless, though I wasn’t always following the reasoning 100%.
On the other hand, ‘Ardor’ for example just read as one big mess to me. Others just cut off, or just weren’t memorable, or just went for this big gory image for kicks. Just not what I connect to or am interested in.
Still, it was interesting to explore some stories like this, and look into some new authors. I don’t think I’ll pick any of them up on the strength of these stories, but it is nice to get a bit of variety.
Originally posted here.
I mostly requested The Cutting Room because I know Ellen Datlow is a majorly respected editor of anthologies, and the idea of a themed anthology based on the silver screen… well, it did appeal, even if horror isn’t really my thing. Unfortunately, that turned out to be only too true, and also I didn’t really understand the point of some of the stories. There are definitely some standouts, though, and some amazingly written ones, and clever ones which turn things around.
‘Cuts’ was pretty good, even if I kind of expected the twist at the end; ‘Onlookers’, also. Genevieve Valentine’s story is interesting, and though I thought Peter Straub’s story was too self-conscious, it was well written. ‘Tenderiser’ was tense and breathless, though I wasn’t always following the reasoning 100%.
On the other hand, ‘Ardor’ for example just read as one big mess to me. Others just cut off, or just weren’t memorable, or just went for this big gory image for kicks. Just not what I connect to or am interested in.
Still, it was interesting to explore some stories like this, and look into some new authors. I don’t think I’ll pick any of them up on the strength of these stories, but it is nice to get a bit of variety.
Originally posted here.
June 12, 2018
Some of these were great, but some were awful. All in all a decent collection, but not my favorite.
3 stars.
3 stars.
January 13, 2015
Four stars or five? Please read the above as at least four and half stars; some stories I didn't care for, but about one third of them are amazing. Horror’s not usually my thing, usually, but Ellen Datlow anthologies are and especially ones about movies.
*“The Cutter” by Edward Bryant Mr. Carrigan owns the Ramona Theatre in a very small town in Colorado and re-edits the movies he gets into something better. “Robby,” he tells the young protagonist, “you can alter reality. If you don’t like the way things are, you can change them.” (5)
“The Hanged Man of Oz” by Steve Nagy is about a man obsessed with “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Deadspace” by Dennis Etchison The main character imagines a Hollywood hotel as limbo.
*“Cuts” by F. Paul Wilson is about a Hollywood producer who did a hatchet job on a novel—about voodoo. It’s very good.
“Final Girl Theory” by A. C. Wise I skipped when I realized it was about a snuff film.
“Lapland, Or Film Noir” by Peter Straub Like film noir, it’s all style and enjoyable, at first.
“The Thousand Cuts” by Ian Watson is about the writers of a sketch comedy show, who along with everyone else, have to get used to time skips.
In “Occam’s Ducks” by Howard Waldrop D.W. Griffith and his cast disappear on the Florida coast for five days and have disturbing dreams there, leading the steward into making successful race pictures.
*“Dead Image” by David Morell is about a writer who “discovers” a young man in the dailies, who looks just like James Dean, make him a star, but like Dean, his success only lasts for three movies.
*“The Constantinople Archives” by Robert Shearman takes the shape and style of a film historian’s journal entry to discuss Constantinople filmmaker Matthew Tozer who during the siege of 1453 helped his people with his films. “What then of that spark to create, to produce art for art’s sake, if only because it wasn’t in existence before? To take a population and not want to decimate it or enslave it, but instead to crowd it together, into one room, into the dark, and make it laugh?” (169)
*“each thing I show you is a piece of my death,” by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer is about two experimental filmmakers who decide to make a truly collaborative video. They receive from an anonymous address what appears to be a 100 year old suicide film, which then hijacks itself into other films, other people, and gets called Background Man.
“Cinder Images” by Gary McMahon a man is invited to a private showing of a war movie, then he becomes part of it, is mercifully short.
“The Pied Piper of Hammersmith” by Nicholas Royle Yuck; it’s about a serial killer who works for Hammersmith.
“Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of the Fitzcarraldo,” by Gary Kilworth I’d rather have been watching Fitzcarraldo.
*****“Onlookers” Gary A. Braunback This is the story for me, this is why I bought the book, except I didn’t know it was here. How many others could it be for— a few dozen? It’s about the making of the Buster Keaton’s and Samuel Beckett’s weird little movie Film. It’s about perception and being perceived. And Buster Keaton sounds just like Buster Keaton! Bravo Mr. Braunbeck!
“Recreation” by Lucy A. Snyder is a short poem.
“Bright Lights, Big Zombie” by Douglas E. Winter I like stories about the people who fight zombies, but I didn’t care for this.
*“She Drives Men to Crimes of Passion” by Genevieve Valentine is about a 1930’s Hollywood director who discovers his newest star is capable of real magic, not just movie magic.
“Even the Pawn” by Joel Lane I’m not sure why this story is in this collection, it’s only tangentially about film.
*“Tenderize” by Stephen Graham Jones is from the POV of a critic about a film about a school massacre.
“Ardor” by Laird Barron I’m not sure what this is about, but it’s set in Alaska and may be partially about an actor who played Renfield.
“Final Girl II: The Frame” by Daphne Gottlieb is another poem.
“Illimitable Dominion” by Kim Newman is about how Roger Corman, Vincent Price and others did all those Edgar Allen Poe- themed movies in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Bought B & N 12/26/14
*“The Cutter” by Edward Bryant Mr. Carrigan owns the Ramona Theatre in a very small town in Colorado and re-edits the movies he gets into something better. “Robby,” he tells the young protagonist, “you can alter reality. If you don’t like the way things are, you can change them.” (5)
“The Hanged Man of Oz” by Steve Nagy is about a man obsessed with “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Deadspace” by Dennis Etchison The main character imagines a Hollywood hotel as limbo.
*“Cuts” by F. Paul Wilson is about a Hollywood producer who did a hatchet job on a novel—about voodoo. It’s very good.
“Final Girl Theory” by A. C. Wise I skipped when I realized it was about a snuff film.
“Lapland, Or Film Noir” by Peter Straub Like film noir, it’s all style and enjoyable, at first.
“The Thousand Cuts” by Ian Watson is about the writers of a sketch comedy show, who along with everyone else, have to get used to time skips.
In “Occam’s Ducks” by Howard Waldrop D.W. Griffith and his cast disappear on the Florida coast for five days and have disturbing dreams there, leading the steward into making successful race pictures.
*“Dead Image” by David Morell is about a writer who “discovers” a young man in the dailies, who looks just like James Dean, make him a star, but like Dean, his success only lasts for three movies.
*“The Constantinople Archives” by Robert Shearman takes the shape and style of a film historian’s journal entry to discuss Constantinople filmmaker Matthew Tozer who during the siege of 1453 helped his people with his films. “What then of that spark to create, to produce art for art’s sake, if only because it wasn’t in existence before? To take a population and not want to decimate it or enslave it, but instead to crowd it together, into one room, into the dark, and make it laugh?” (169)
*“each thing I show you is a piece of my death,” by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer is about two experimental filmmakers who decide to make a truly collaborative video. They receive from an anonymous address what appears to be a 100 year old suicide film, which then hijacks itself into other films, other people, and gets called Background Man.
“Cinder Images” by Gary McMahon a man is invited to a private showing of a war movie, then he becomes part of it, is mercifully short.
“The Pied Piper of Hammersmith” by Nicholas Royle Yuck; it’s about a serial killer who works for Hammersmith.
“Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of the Fitzcarraldo,” by Gary Kilworth I’d rather have been watching Fitzcarraldo.
*****“Onlookers” Gary A. Braunback This is the story for me, this is why I bought the book, except I didn’t know it was here. How many others could it be for— a few dozen? It’s about the making of the Buster Keaton’s and Samuel Beckett’s weird little movie Film. It’s about perception and being perceived. And Buster Keaton sounds just like Buster Keaton! Bravo Mr. Braunbeck!
“Recreation” by Lucy A. Snyder is a short poem.
“Bright Lights, Big Zombie” by Douglas E. Winter I like stories about the people who fight zombies, but I didn’t care for this.
*“She Drives Men to Crimes of Passion” by Genevieve Valentine is about a 1930’s Hollywood director who discovers his newest star is capable of real magic, not just movie magic.
“Even the Pawn” by Joel Lane I’m not sure why this story is in this collection, it’s only tangentially about film.
*“Tenderize” by Stephen Graham Jones is from the POV of a critic about a film about a school massacre.
“Ardor” by Laird Barron I’m not sure what this is about, but it’s set in Alaska and may be partially about an actor who played Renfield.
“Final Girl II: The Frame” by Daphne Gottlieb is another poem.
“Illimitable Dominion” by Kim Newman is about how Roger Corman, Vincent Price and others did all those Edgar Allen Poe- themed movies in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Bought B & N 12/26/14
January 27, 2019
I had somehow missed the release of The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of the Silver Screen when it came out in 2014, despite its theme being very much of interest to me, so when my Goodreads friend Sheila recently announced that she was reading this Ellen Datlow anthology, I put it on my own to-read list right away. Datlow is, after all, probably speculative fiction's greatest living editor. From her extended reign as Fiction Editor for the groundbreaking Omni Magazine from 1981 through 1998, to the dozens of independent projects she's curated since then, Datlow has the chops to pull off just about any kind of fantasy, horror or science fiction anthology—and this one, carefully assembled and true to its theme while ranging widely within it, is an exemplary showcase for her editorial skills as well as for the authors she chose.
Now, I do usually prefer more... cinematic offerings in this vein—novels, that is—like Flicker by Theodore Roszak; Throat Sprockets by Tim Lucas; and Night Film by Marisha Pessl, all of which delve much more deeply into the darker side of the emulsion than the short subjects you'll find here. But this anthology is satisfyingly diverse, and in retrospect I believe I'm more impressed with Datlow's work now than I was just after I'd finished reading it.
Datlow puts twenty-one stories and two poems on display here—and I'll try to provide no more than a trailer's worth of information about each:
"The Cutter," by Edward Bryant
This story, by the late Ed Bryant (he passed away in 2017) is the first of several in The Cutting Room that take advantage of the inherently ambiguous word "cut" in one way or another. Bryant dedicated this one to Warren Zevon, perhaps because its protagonist was also something of an excitable boy.
"The Hanged Man of Oz," by Steve Nagy
Urban legends sometimes take on a life of their own...
"Deadspace," by Dennis Etchison
Trust me on this—it's never good news when the big-name actor you're hoping to sign stops answering your calls.
"Cuts," by F. Paul Wilson
"Final Girl Theory," by A. C. Wise
Despite or perhaps because this one's by a newer author, and a (relative) unknown at the time, I thought "Final Girl Theory" was one of the most gripping tales of terror in the book—Wise pulls no punches and cuts (heh—that word again) no slack while diving into the disturbing cult film Kaleidoscope and its even more disturbing fans...
"Lapland, or Film Noir," by Peter Straub
This Lapland is in Florida, which is just the first unsettling thing about this vignette (it's only about four pages long, with lots of ellipses—kinda like this review) from one of horror's modern masters.
"The Thousand Cuts," by Ian Watson
More cuts... but in this case the actors—and remember that the Bard says "all the world's a stage"—are able to tell...
"Occam’s Ducks," by Howard Waldrop
You can always count on Waldrop to deliver something that's more than a little askew, orthogonal to everything else in an anthology, and "Occam's Ducks" is Waldrop in prime form, a deep if brief dive into so-called "race pictures" (produced specifically for Black audiences in segregated theaters, in the early 20th Century). And yes, it still fits Datlow's theme.
"Dead Image," by David Morrell
We always miss the ones who died too young... but believe it or not, Morrell's story has something very much like a happy ending.
"The Constantinople Archives," by Robert Shearman
Very few of the stories in this book brought Theodore Roszak's Flicker to my mind as strongly as this scholarly piece on the 15th-century film industry that took Constantinople by storm while the city was beseiged.
"each thing I show you is a piece of my death," by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer
One of the most contemporary—and most chilling—stories here, a collection of emails and texts that hint at things which could never be tweeted.
"Cinder Images," by Gary McMahon
An iconic image—you may think you recognize it—but no,
"The Pied Piper of Hammersmith," by Nicholas Royle
You may never have noticed, but Michael has, that the flicker of windows by the train going by is something like a movie in its own right...
"Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarraldo," by Garry Kilworth
Pretty much what its title suggests—although it's a lot harder than you may think to point a camera at something and make it interesting.
"Onlookers," by Gary A. Braunbeck
Not everyone can see them—very few can, in fact—but they can see everything...
"Recreation," by Lucy A. Snyder
The first of two poems in this anthology, this one by an ingénue...
"Bright Lights, Big Zombie," by Douglas E. Winter
Sure, the undead have risen and it's the zombie apocalypse, but life goes on—even for a reviewer of horror flicks.
"She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!" by Genevieve Valentine
Another more historical take on this anthology's topic, starring another ingénue—although this one has a more exotic backstory than most. Like A.C. Wise's entry, Valentine's tale hit me more strongly than most of the other stories in The Cutting Room.
"Even the Pawn," by Joel Lane
Pawns, on both sides of the board, outnumber all the other chess pieces—are you sure you aren't just another one?
"Tenderizer," by Stephen Graham Jones
When do you cross the line between documentary and voyeurism? And, can you cross that line without ever once showing the terrible events themselves? Jones' story just softens you up for the answer...
"Ardor," by Laird Barron
A plane crash in the Arctic delivers a film crew directly into the hands of their subject. This one turns out to be something of a love story...
"Final Girl II: the Frame," by Daphne Gottlieb
The second poem in this anthology comes from the point of view of the victim.
"Illimitable Dominion," by Kim Newman
Y'know, theaters have ushers too. A good, creepy note to end on—Poe himself might well have approved.
Roll credits...
Tachyon Publications' website provided the Table of Contents information on which the above is based.
And... many thanks to Sheila, for the pointer to this book!
Now, I do usually prefer more... cinematic offerings in this vein—novels, that is—like Flicker by Theodore Roszak; Throat Sprockets by Tim Lucas; and Night Film by Marisha Pessl, all of which delve much more deeply into the darker side of the emulsion than the short subjects you'll find here. But this anthology is satisfyingly diverse, and in retrospect I believe I'm more impressed with Datlow's work now than I was just after I'd finished reading it.
Datlow puts twenty-one stories and two poems on display here—and I'll try to provide no more than a trailer's worth of information about each:
"The Cutter," by Edward Bryant
This story, by the late Ed Bryant (he passed away in 2017) is the first of several in The Cutting Room that take advantage of the inherently ambiguous word "cut" in one way or another. Bryant dedicated this one to Warren Zevon, perhaps because its protagonist was also something of an excitable boy.
"The Hanged Man of Oz," by Steve Nagy
Urban legends sometimes take on a life of their own...
"Deadspace," by Dennis Etchison
Trust me on this—it's never good news when the big-name actor you're hoping to sign stops answering your calls.
"Cuts," by F. Paul Wilson
Beware the wrath of a patient man.
—p.63
"Final Girl Theory," by A. C. Wise
Despite or perhaps because this one's by a newer author, and a (relative) unknown at the time, I thought "Final Girl Theory" was one of the most gripping tales of terror in the book—Wise pulls no punches and cuts (heh—that word again) no slack while diving into the disturbing cult film Kaleidoscope and its even more disturbing fans...
"Lapland, or Film Noir," by Peter Straub
This Lapland is in Florida, which is just the first unsettling thing about this vignette (it's only about four pages long, with lots of ellipses—kinda like this review) from one of horror's modern masters.
"The Thousand Cuts," by Ian Watson
More cuts... but in this case the actors—and remember that the Bard says "all the world's a stage"—are able to tell...
"Occam’s Ducks," by Howard Waldrop
You can always count on Waldrop to deliver something that's more than a little askew, orthogonal to everything else in an anthology, and "Occam's Ducks" is Waldrop in prime form, a deep if brief dive into so-called "race pictures" (produced specifically for Black audiences in segregated theaters, in the early 20th Century). And yes, it still fits Datlow's theme.
"Dead Image," by David Morrell
We always miss the ones who died too young... but believe it or not, Morrell's story has something very much like a happy ending.
"The Constantinople Archives," by Robert Shearman
Very few of the stories in this book brought Theodore Roszak's Flicker to my mind as strongly as this scholarly piece on the 15th-century film industry that took Constantinople by storm while the city was beseiged.
"each thing I show you is a piece of my death," by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer
One of the most contemporary—and most chilling—stories here, a collection of emails and texts that hint at things which could never be tweeted.
"Cinder Images," by Gary McMahon
An iconic image—you may think you recognize it—but no,
it is England.The kid stays in the picture...
It is now.
—p.202
"The Pied Piper of Hammersmith," by Nicholas Royle
You may never have noticed, but Michael has, that the flicker of windows by the train going by is something like a movie in its own right...
"Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarraldo," by Garry Kilworth
Pretty much what its title suggests—although it's a lot harder than you may think to point a camera at something and make it interesting.
"Onlookers," by Gary A. Braunbeck
Not everyone can see them—very few can, in fact—but they can see everything...
"Recreation," by Lucy A. Snyder
The first of two poems in this anthology, this one by an ingénue...
"Bright Lights, Big Zombie," by Douglas E. Winter
Sure, the undead have risen and it's the zombie apocalypse, but life goes on—even for a reviewer of horror flicks.
"She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!" by Genevieve Valentine
Another more historical take on this anthology's topic, starring another ingénue—although this one has a more exotic backstory than most. Like A.C. Wise's entry, Valentine's tale hit me more strongly than most of the other stories in The Cutting Room.
"Even the Pawn," by Joel Lane
Pawns, on both sides of the board, outnumber all the other chess pieces—are you sure you aren't just another one?
"Tenderizer," by Stephen Graham Jones
When do you cross the line between documentary and voyeurism? And, can you cross that line without ever once showing the terrible events themselves? Jones' story just softens you up for the answer...
"Ardor," by Laird Barron
A plane crash in the Arctic delivers a film crew directly into the hands of their subject. This one turns out to be something of a love story...
"Final Girl II: the Frame," by Daphne Gottlieb
The second poem in this anthology comes from the point of view of the victim.
"Illimitable Dominion," by Kim Newman
Y'know, theaters have ushers too. A good, creepy note to end on—Poe himself might well have approved.
Roll credits...
Tachyon Publications' website provided the Table of Contents information on which the above is based.
And... many thanks to Sheila, for the pointer to this book!
No animals were harmed in the production of this review...
August 9, 2015
I should start jotting down a brief note for each story when I read an anthology. All my reviews seem to say about the same thing. I liked some stories, I didn't like a few. This one is no exception. Datlow is always a reliable editor, selecting solid, high quality collections around unusual themes. There were only a couple of duds in this collection, "Deadspace" by Dennis Etchison being the worst with its boring narrative, empty characters, and not even an interesting idea to convey. I really liked "The Hanged Man Of Oz", which I'm pretty sure I've read before. This one was creepy as fuck, and played on the theme of someone being drawn into and trapped by mysterious events. More broadly, many of the stories dealt with the idea of the fiction of film crossing over into real life, to generally good effect.
September 6, 2014
Ellen Datlow has done a stirling job in editing The Cutting Room, collecting together a great mixture of writing from authors, some of whom I recognised others new to me. The link is movie making, movies and how the silverscreen manages to become one with us (at times).
Even though horror is at the heart of this collection, some of the pieces feel more like newspaper pieces, critiques and essays, and yet again this I think is Datlow playing with her readerships brains and emotions. I particularly enjoyed F Paul Wilson's Cut's (a tale of voodoo), however, there are some other great pieces and this makes this collection a great sit down and read in one sitting or one to pick up and dip into when you feel like a touch of horror.
Even though horror is at the heart of this collection, some of the pieces feel more like newspaper pieces, critiques and essays, and yet again this I think is Datlow playing with her readerships brains and emotions. I particularly enjoyed F Paul Wilson's Cut's (a tale of voodoo), however, there are some other great pieces and this makes this collection a great sit down and read in one sitting or one to pick up and dip into when you feel like a touch of horror.
September 2, 2019
I really enjoy stories about cult films that *probably* don’t exist. This type of story is most successful when they don’t just tell us about this movie, but also tell a story and deliver tension and unease.
“Final Girl Theory” by A. C. Wise and “Tenderizer” by Stephen Graham Jones both scratch that itch.
There’s a lot to enjoy here. “She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!” by Genevieve Valentine is a fascinating story about the male gaze of the camera lens and its impacts. “Illimitable Dominion” by Kim Newman was a fun gonzo piece about being trapped inside a cycle of Corman films.
“Final Girl Theory” by A. C. Wise and “Tenderizer” by Stephen Graham Jones both scratch that itch.
There’s a lot to enjoy here. “She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!” by Genevieve Valentine is a fascinating story about the male gaze of the camera lens and its impacts. “Illimitable Dominion” by Kim Newman was a fun gonzo piece about being trapped inside a cycle of Corman films.
May 12, 2015
Horror stories infused with elements of the supernatural and, by design, created to fill the reader with a sense of dread and foreboding, have been around for as long as people have gathered around fires in the dark. The first published horror novels date back to the 18th century, with horror becoming a true phenomenon in the 19th with the publication of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818), the works of Edgar Allan Poe (1820s-1840s), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886), The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890) and Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897).
The development of the moving picture in the late 19th century led to early experiments in moving images designed with fright in mind. Film pioneer Georges Méliès made The Haunted Castle in 1896, widely considered the first horror film, but it was certainly not the last! Putting a group of strangers together in a darkened room with their collective attention focused on “the silver screen” was, and is, a situation too good not to exploit! For more than a century, many of our favorite movie “monsters” have come from the pages of horror short stories, novellas and books.
In The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of The Silver Screen, short story collection editor extraordinaire Ellen Datlow has gathered a collection of motion picture-related horror stories that put film and the film industry center stage; shining lights into the darkened corners of studio lots and sound stages; and bringing things often best left unseen into the clear view of the reader. Of particular note are:
"The Hanged Man of Oz," by Steve Nagy: Nagy uses an urban legend about someone committing suicide on the set of The Wizard of Oz, as a jumping-off point for an incredibly creepy story.
"Cuts," by F. Paul Wilson: When a novel is adapted to film, cuts must be made. What if there were consequences?
"The Thousand Cuts," by Ian Watson: We’re used to editing in films, and are able to piece together the narrative from what’s presented on screen. What if editing began to happen in our daily lives?
"Dead Image," by David Morrell: It’s generally accepted that we only get one chance at our lives and we must live with the choices we make. What if a film icon got a second chance?
"Each Thing I Show You is a Piece of My Death," by Gemma Files and Stephen J. Barringer: It is generally accepted that images have power. If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much more powerful can a moving image be?
"Onlookers," by Gary A. Braunbeck: Movie making can be magical, and sometimes that magic can last for years and years. . .
"She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion," by Genevieve Valentine: Are stars made or born? One director is about to find out. . .
This is a must-read collection for horror fans, especially those who are film buffs, or who work in the entertainment industry! But be warned--this is a collection you’ll want to read with the lights on bright and, if possible, at least a bit before you have to go to sleep! Ellen Datlow has been editing wonderful collections of fairy tales, fantasy, horror, and science fiction short stories for more than 20 years. Other collections include Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells; Supernatural Noir; Blood and Other Cravings; Inferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural; Snow White, Blood Red, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror annual collections (LAPL owns many of these), and The Doll Collection.
Reviewed by Daryl M., Librarian, Central Library
The development of the moving picture in the late 19th century led to early experiments in moving images designed with fright in mind. Film pioneer Georges Méliès made The Haunted Castle in 1896, widely considered the first horror film, but it was certainly not the last! Putting a group of strangers together in a darkened room with their collective attention focused on “the silver screen” was, and is, a situation too good not to exploit! For more than a century, many of our favorite movie “monsters” have come from the pages of horror short stories, novellas and books.
In The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of The Silver Screen, short story collection editor extraordinaire Ellen Datlow has gathered a collection of motion picture-related horror stories that put film and the film industry center stage; shining lights into the darkened corners of studio lots and sound stages; and bringing things often best left unseen into the clear view of the reader. Of particular note are:
"The Hanged Man of Oz," by Steve Nagy: Nagy uses an urban legend about someone committing suicide on the set of The Wizard of Oz, as a jumping-off point for an incredibly creepy story.
"Cuts," by F. Paul Wilson: When a novel is adapted to film, cuts must be made. What if there were consequences?
"The Thousand Cuts," by Ian Watson: We’re used to editing in films, and are able to piece together the narrative from what’s presented on screen. What if editing began to happen in our daily lives?
"Dead Image," by David Morrell: It’s generally accepted that we only get one chance at our lives and we must live with the choices we make. What if a film icon got a second chance?
"Each Thing I Show You is a Piece of My Death," by Gemma Files and Stephen J. Barringer: It is generally accepted that images have power. If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much more powerful can a moving image be?
"Onlookers," by Gary A. Braunbeck: Movie making can be magical, and sometimes that magic can last for years and years. . .
"She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion," by Genevieve Valentine: Are stars made or born? One director is about to find out. . .
This is a must-read collection for horror fans, especially those who are film buffs, or who work in the entertainment industry! But be warned--this is a collection you’ll want to read with the lights on bright and, if possible, at least a bit before you have to go to sleep! Ellen Datlow has been editing wonderful collections of fairy tales, fantasy, horror, and science fiction short stories for more than 20 years. Other collections include Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells; Supernatural Noir; Blood and Other Cravings; Inferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural; Snow White, Blood Red, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror annual collections (LAPL owns many of these), and The Doll Collection.
Reviewed by Daryl M., Librarian, Central Library
April 14, 2020
The editor Ellen Datlow has long been an indicator that the anthology you are about to read is going to be a good one. She has been editing in the speculative fiction industry for many years. The Cutting Room is a great example of why she is so good at her job.
Not only does this book contain a great array of stories, it's the way the stories fit together that also complements the overall reading experience. I'm one of those readers who prefer to start at the beginning with an anthology or a collection and work my way through from front to back. I do this because I think there is usually some thought about which stories go in which order and I want to take advantage of the editor's thought process behind this.
The theme of The Cutting Room is film. It's a rather tenuous theme, but that's to the advantage of the book, as it means there's a variety to the stories that prevents them being too similar. This anthology contains some of my favourite writers - Dennis Etchison, Peter Straub, David Morrell, Gemma Files, Nicholas Royle, Joel Lane, Gary McMahon - so it was not likely to disappoint.
It's fair to say that there are some great tales included (not all of them horror). This is one I could recommended without a second's hesitation.
Not only does this book contain a great array of stories, it's the way the stories fit together that also complements the overall reading experience. I'm one of those readers who prefer to start at the beginning with an anthology or a collection and work my way through from front to back. I do this because I think there is usually some thought about which stories go in which order and I want to take advantage of the editor's thought process behind this.
The theme of The Cutting Room is film. It's a rather tenuous theme, but that's to the advantage of the book, as it means there's a variety to the stories that prevents them being too similar. This anthology contains some of my favourite writers - Dennis Etchison, Peter Straub, David Morrell, Gemma Files, Nicholas Royle, Joel Lane, Gary McMahon - so it was not likely to disappoint.
It's fair to say that there are some great tales included (not all of them horror). This is one I could recommended without a second's hesitation.
July 31, 2015
I'm a huge fan of Datlow's collections, ever since her time curating stories for OMNI. This is a rare occasion when I was unimpressed by the collection.
I think the specific theme focus might have been a problem. Even though the authors were very creative in their approaches, there were too many thematic similarities between the works. Or maybe it was too limiting.
Nonetheless, I felt the two outstanding pieces were "Dead Image" from David Morrell (from 1985!) and Peter Straub's "Lapland, Or Film Noir", and the rest were generally only OK. Reader beware.
I think the specific theme focus might have been a problem. Even though the authors were very creative in their approaches, there were too many thematic similarities between the works. Or maybe it was too limiting.
Nonetheless, I felt the two outstanding pieces were "Dead Image" from David Morrell (from 1985!) and Peter Straub's "Lapland, Or Film Noir", and the rest were generally only OK. Reader beware.
September 30, 2017
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/review/R3H02TW...
The theme of this horror anthology is that each of the stories has something to do with movies or the movie industry.
Some of these stories take the mission and absolutely click. My favorite story in the anthology was Kim Newman's "Illimitable Dominion." I listened to the collection as an audiobook and I found the narration to be absolutely brilliant, and the story laugh out loud funny, as the narrator explains how his world was taken over by the vengeful spirit of Edgar Allen Poe as a result of the American International Pictures ("AIP") chance discovery of The Fall of the House of Usher, directed by Roger Corman and starring the velvet-shirt clad Vinnie Price. Newman knows film history and I was surprised a how much of the silliness, such as AIP producing "Rocket Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women of Blood" and Vinnie "hawking Sears-Roebuck art selections and cookbooks on the side," is legitimate history. This story redeemed the anthology in my opinion.
There were other good stories. "each thing I show you is a piece of my death" starts slow, has an epistolary structure and ends with a maxed-out creep factor as we learn that an urban legend about a figure that keeps appearing in the background of movies, television shows, and music videos is explained in gory detail. "Occum's Ducks" by Howard Waldrop wasn't really horror or fantasy, but dealt with an interesting piece of movie history involving "race movies" and the forgotten actor Mantan Moreland. "The Constantinople Archives" was an oddball story about the film industry in Constantinople at the time of the Muslim conquest in 1452. It was weirdly aimless, but caught my love history and attention. "The Hanged Man of Oz" is another story involving a film urban legend, in this case, a brief image in the Wizard of Oz showing a hanged man. "Dead Image" - involving the possible re-incarnation of a James Dean character - was good, as was "The Thousand Cuts" which asks the question, "What if we are the movie?"
Some of the offerings were disturbing, particularly when they focus on the obsession of fans with the torture of slash film. "Final Girl Theory" is what sounds like a snuff film or slasher film, definitely a cult film, that fans obsess over, and one fan discovers the "final girl," the survivor. The story doesn't go anywhere, but the imagery is grisly. "Bright Lights, Big Zombies" pictures a Manhattan under siege from the walking dead. Horror films are censored, ownership of horror films can lead to jail time, and fans treat horror films like illegal drugs. "Tenderizer" is an odd story about an odd campaign to sell an odd film about a massacre of high school students.
In short, the stories are uneven, but overall the good outweighs the bad.
The theme of this horror anthology is that each of the stories has something to do with movies or the movie industry.
Some of these stories take the mission and absolutely click. My favorite story in the anthology was Kim Newman's "Illimitable Dominion." I listened to the collection as an audiobook and I found the narration to be absolutely brilliant, and the story laugh out loud funny, as the narrator explains how his world was taken over by the vengeful spirit of Edgar Allen Poe as a result of the American International Pictures ("AIP") chance discovery of The Fall of the House of Usher, directed by Roger Corman and starring the velvet-shirt clad Vinnie Price. Newman knows film history and I was surprised a how much of the silliness, such as AIP producing "Rocket Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women of Blood" and Vinnie "hawking Sears-Roebuck art selections and cookbooks on the side," is legitimate history. This story redeemed the anthology in my opinion.
There were other good stories. "each thing I show you is a piece of my death" starts slow, has an epistolary structure and ends with a maxed-out creep factor as we learn that an urban legend about a figure that keeps appearing in the background of movies, television shows, and music videos is explained in gory detail. "Occum's Ducks" by Howard Waldrop wasn't really horror or fantasy, but dealt with an interesting piece of movie history involving "race movies" and the forgotten actor Mantan Moreland. "The Constantinople Archives" was an oddball story about the film industry in Constantinople at the time of the Muslim conquest in 1452. It was weirdly aimless, but caught my love history and attention. "The Hanged Man of Oz" is another story involving a film urban legend, in this case, a brief image in the Wizard of Oz showing a hanged man. "Dead Image" - involving the possible re-incarnation of a James Dean character - was good, as was "The Thousand Cuts" which asks the question, "What if we are the movie?"
Some of the offerings were disturbing, particularly when they focus on the obsession of fans with the torture of slash film. "Final Girl Theory" is what sounds like a snuff film or slasher film, definitely a cult film, that fans obsess over, and one fan discovers the "final girl," the survivor. The story doesn't go anywhere, but the imagery is grisly. "Bright Lights, Big Zombies" pictures a Manhattan under siege from the walking dead. Horror films are censored, ownership of horror films can lead to jail time, and fans treat horror films like illegal drugs. "Tenderizer" is an odd story about an odd campaign to sell an odd film about a massacre of high school students.
In short, the stories are uneven, but overall the good outweighs the bad.
April 10, 2019
This was by no means a bad collection, but most of the stories I found to be just fine. Maybe I've been in Hollywood too long? And now require more from stories about Hollywood/the industry? It's definitely worth a look, just not as stand-out as some of the other collections by Ellen Datlow.
The stand-out stories, in my opinion:
every thing I show you is a piece of my death by Gemma Files & Stephen J Barringer
A haunting collection of "found objects" including video transcripts about a man whose ghost seems to be infesting films, the format made this all the more creepy and compelling. I read it in the middle of a sunny day and still felt spooked. If you're not sure if you'd like this collection, at least check this one out, because it is available for free online. If you love it, check out the entire book.
Bright Lights, Big Zombie by Douglas E. Winter. Don't let the funny name fool you. This story is as hungry for your heart as the zombies within, and does a beautiful examination of what it means to engage in subversive media and where the lines of humanity and art start to diverge. This is a zombie story for people who love zombie movies, and simultaneously a story for people who don't care about zombies at all, which is what makes it perfect in my eyes.
The stand-out stories, in my opinion:
every thing I show you is a piece of my death by Gemma Files & Stephen J Barringer
A haunting collection of "found objects" including video transcripts about a man whose ghost seems to be infesting films, the format made this all the more creepy and compelling. I read it in the middle of a sunny day and still felt spooked. If you're not sure if you'd like this collection, at least check this one out, because it is available for free online. If you love it, check out the entire book.
Bright Lights, Big Zombie by Douglas E. Winter. Don't let the funny name fool you. This story is as hungry for your heart as the zombies within, and does a beautiful examination of what it means to engage in subversive media and where the lines of humanity and art start to diverge. This is a zombie story for people who love zombie movies, and simultaneously a story for people who don't care about zombies at all, which is what makes it perfect in my eyes.
November 30, 2019
Wow. That was really bad. Ellen Datlow is an award winning anthologist, and usually when I see her name on the side of a collection I can be assured it's going to be of quality. I'm now convinced that, sadly, she has suffered a stroke. Maybe my own expectations doomed The Cutting Room? I was really expecting something along the lines of David Schow's Silver Scream-what I got was a few good stories intermingled with a lot of crap. The story by Peter Straub is awful and incomprehensible, and I never thought I would say that about anything Straub has written. There are some good tales here (Laird Barron, Kim Newman, Genevieve Valentine, Stephen Graham Jones and F Paul Wilson all turn in stellar entries) but that gold is surrounded by entirely too much dross.
February 26, 2019
SO I have a history with horror novels and stories about movies. Two stories in here I had read before; Wise's "Final Girl Theory", which might have been my first contact with the sub-sub-genre, and Files' "each thing i show you is a piece of my death", a brilliant prequel short to her wonderful novel Experimental Film.
Most of the collection is quite good, and is often more violent or gory than I anticipate from a Datlow collection. There are a couple of weak stories ("Cinder Images" was the one I liked the least--it felt like it was trying too hard without enough substance), but mostly the selections are good or better.
Most of the collection is quite good, and is often more violent or gory than I anticipate from a Datlow collection. There are a couple of weak stories ("Cinder Images" was the one I liked the least--it felt like it was trying too hard without enough substance), but mostly the selections are good or better.
October 9, 2019
As with any horror anthology, there are going to be some stories that are really good and others that aren't so great. This one was, for me, about evenly mixed. Usually, with Datlow's anthologies, I find that there are more stories that I enjoy than there are those that don't appeal to me. However, with this particular anthology, I found that there were more stories that were either unappealing or stories that I was indifferent to than there were stories that I truly enjoyed. While I'm not sorry I read it, it isn't one that I will be keeping.
November 4, 2014
The Cutting Room: Dark Reflections of the Silver Screen
Edited by Ellen Datlow
I received a copy from a First Reads giveaway.
Overlapping mediums, horror on the screen comes onto the page. Datlow’s anthology centers around film, the viewers, and the making of movies. There are 21 stories and two poems.
“The Cutter” by Edward Bryant
A man recounts his youth when he worked at a theater where his manager tries to edit his own reality. I enjoyed the theme and found this one of the strongest stories in this collection. 4/5
“The Hanged Man of Oz” by Steve Nagy
A behind the scenes look at The Wizard of Oz concerning a hanged man and haunting dreams. Although I’m not familiar with the movie, I enjoyed the originality of the concept. 4/5
“Deadspace” by Dennis Etchison
Another Etchision story where I’ll have to read it again to understand it. This one follows an aspiring producer waiting to meet with an actor, but in the meantime meets a young woman and some other interesting people at a poolside bar. 3/5
“Cuts” by F. Paul Wilson
What could happen when a film adaptation changes the novel it was based from; and also a twist on the voodoo doll idea in the end. 4/5
“Final Girl Theory” by A.C. Wise
A cult film Kaleidoscope captures the minds of many and when Jackson finds the lead actress, the final girl, he discovers the truth behind the film. I enjoyed how the film’s backstory built up the suspense and added to the horror. 4/5
“Lapland, or Film Noir” by Peter Straub
Told in article excerpts of Lapland, Florida with Noir-like events, this one I couldn’t get into or make sense of what Straub was trying to express. 1/5
“The Thousand Cuts” by Ian Watson
If the world and life existed as a bunch of cuts like a film and people would have to use media to fill them in on what they missed. This was an interesting idea which got meta when the characters started viewing their life as a film, but the story itself couldn’t back it up. 2/5
“Occam’s Ducks” by Howard Waldrop
I didn’t care much for this one which covered years of a film, though it had some social commentary on minority actors in film in the early 20th century. 1/5
“Dead Image” by David Morrell
A writer seeking to direct a film makes a deal with a kid who bears an uncanny resemblance in appearance, behavior and past to a famous actor. I enjoyed how this concept pulled me along for the predictable, and ended in a different way. 4/5
“The Constantinople Archives” by Robert Shearman
A historical account of the first filmmaker in the Byzantine Empire reads like a textbook. 1/5
“each thing I show you is a piece of my death” by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer
The Background Man appearing in film footage becomes involved in mysterious deaths. This was an interesting concept told in a series of transcripts, emails and articles which reminded me of a found footage film. 3/5
“Cinder Images” by Gary McMahon
A second person POV where you watch a film about a war zone and what happens off camera. I enjoyed the novelty. 3/5
“The Pied Piper of Hammersmith” by Nicholas Royle
This starts with a heavy amount of telling, then becomes an odd screenplay. This wasn’t for me. 1/5
“Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarraldo” by Garry Kilworth
A man presents a film of the making of a film which also has a making of film crew as well in a land of indigenous people. Add a frame story, shooting bows at natives, and incest and there’s the story. 3/5
“Onlookers” by Gary A. Braunbeck
A man recounts when he first saw the Onlookers as a child when he encountered an actor filming a movie called Film. There’s also a theme of perception which leads to a chilling ending. 4/5
“Recreation” by Lucy A. Snyder
I don’t rate poems.
“Bright Lights, Big Zombie” by Douglas E. Winter
A second person POV story where the world has seen an outbreak of the undead and you work at a film magazine, but have aspirations of making it as a director. Add in a bunch of movie references I didn’t get, and it’s interesting. 3/5
“She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!” by Genevieve Valentine
A director builds up an actress’ career, and she has a secret. This had a fantasy twist on it and I found it interesting enough. 3/5
“Even the Pawn” by Joel Lane
A crime story centering around a detective investigating the death of a woman who becomes the subject of a film. 3/5
“Tenderizer” by Stephen Graham Jones
A film buff gives their account of a movie about a school shooting. This was an interesting concept. 3/5
“Ardor” by Laird Barron
This concerns a guy tracking down an actor and murderer of a film Ardor concerning Dracula and porn. There are several jumps and odd transitions which made this a bit difficult to follow. 2/5
“Final Girl II: the Frame” by Daphne Gottlieb
A poem about the concept of a Final Girl.
“Illimitable Dominion” by Kim Newman
An agent popularizes Edgar Allan Poe’s writings for film and results in Hollywood’s milking out and butchered adaptations of literature. 3/5
This anthology started strong, but turned out to be another case of hit or miss stories I’ve encountered in other Datlow’s books. Nonetheless, for fans of both horror fiction and horror movies, a handful of stories are worth reading although the rest I didn’t find a good use of my time. I’m sure if I were a film aficionado, I might better appreciate the references in this anthology. 2.8/5
Edited by Ellen Datlow
I received a copy from a First Reads giveaway.
Overlapping mediums, horror on the screen comes onto the page. Datlow’s anthology centers around film, the viewers, and the making of movies. There are 21 stories and two poems.
“The Cutter” by Edward Bryant
A man recounts his youth when he worked at a theater where his manager tries to edit his own reality. I enjoyed the theme and found this one of the strongest stories in this collection. 4/5
“The Hanged Man of Oz” by Steve Nagy
A behind the scenes look at The Wizard of Oz concerning a hanged man and haunting dreams. Although I’m not familiar with the movie, I enjoyed the originality of the concept. 4/5
“Deadspace” by Dennis Etchison
Another Etchision story where I’ll have to read it again to understand it. This one follows an aspiring producer waiting to meet with an actor, but in the meantime meets a young woman and some other interesting people at a poolside bar. 3/5
“Cuts” by F. Paul Wilson
What could happen when a film adaptation changes the novel it was based from; and also a twist on the voodoo doll idea in the end. 4/5
“Final Girl Theory” by A.C. Wise
A cult film Kaleidoscope captures the minds of many and when Jackson finds the lead actress, the final girl, he discovers the truth behind the film. I enjoyed how the film’s backstory built up the suspense and added to the horror. 4/5
“Lapland, or Film Noir” by Peter Straub
Told in article excerpts of Lapland, Florida with Noir-like events, this one I couldn’t get into or make sense of what Straub was trying to express. 1/5
“The Thousand Cuts” by Ian Watson
If the world and life existed as a bunch of cuts like a film and people would have to use media to fill them in on what they missed. This was an interesting idea which got meta when the characters started viewing their life as a film, but the story itself couldn’t back it up. 2/5
“Occam’s Ducks” by Howard Waldrop
I didn’t care much for this one which covered years of a film, though it had some social commentary on minority actors in film in the early 20th century. 1/5
“Dead Image” by David Morrell
A writer seeking to direct a film makes a deal with a kid who bears an uncanny resemblance in appearance, behavior and past to a famous actor. I enjoyed how this concept pulled me along for the predictable, and ended in a different way. 4/5
“The Constantinople Archives” by Robert Shearman
A historical account of the first filmmaker in the Byzantine Empire reads like a textbook. 1/5
“each thing I show you is a piece of my death” by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer
The Background Man appearing in film footage becomes involved in mysterious deaths. This was an interesting concept told in a series of transcripts, emails and articles which reminded me of a found footage film. 3/5
“Cinder Images” by Gary McMahon
A second person POV where you watch a film about a war zone and what happens off camera. I enjoyed the novelty. 3/5
“The Pied Piper of Hammersmith” by Nicholas Royle
This starts with a heavy amount of telling, then becomes an odd screenplay. This wasn’t for me. 1/5
“Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarraldo” by Garry Kilworth
A man presents a film of the making of a film which also has a making of film crew as well in a land of indigenous people. Add a frame story, shooting bows at natives, and incest and there’s the story. 3/5
“Onlookers” by Gary A. Braunbeck
A man recounts when he first saw the Onlookers as a child when he encountered an actor filming a movie called Film. There’s also a theme of perception which leads to a chilling ending. 4/5
“Recreation” by Lucy A. Snyder
I don’t rate poems.
“Bright Lights, Big Zombie” by Douglas E. Winter
A second person POV story where the world has seen an outbreak of the undead and you work at a film magazine, but have aspirations of making it as a director. Add in a bunch of movie references I didn’t get, and it’s interesting. 3/5
“She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!” by Genevieve Valentine
A director builds up an actress’ career, and she has a secret. This had a fantasy twist on it and I found it interesting enough. 3/5
“Even the Pawn” by Joel Lane
A crime story centering around a detective investigating the death of a woman who becomes the subject of a film. 3/5
“Tenderizer” by Stephen Graham Jones
A film buff gives their account of a movie about a school shooting. This was an interesting concept. 3/5
“Ardor” by Laird Barron
This concerns a guy tracking down an actor and murderer of a film Ardor concerning Dracula and porn. There are several jumps and odd transitions which made this a bit difficult to follow. 2/5
“Final Girl II: the Frame” by Daphne Gottlieb
A poem about the concept of a Final Girl.
“Illimitable Dominion” by Kim Newman
An agent popularizes Edgar Allan Poe’s writings for film and results in Hollywood’s milking out and butchered adaptations of literature. 3/5
This anthology started strong, but turned out to be another case of hit or miss stories I’ve encountered in other Datlow’s books. Nonetheless, for fans of both horror fiction and horror movies, a handful of stories are worth reading although the rest I didn’t find a good use of my time. I’m sure if I were a film aficionado, I might better appreciate the references in this anthology. 2.8/5
July 18, 2022
A truly lackluster collection with repetitive themes of snuff films that are too real and desperate producers/writers/directors in old Hollywood. Stephen Graham Jones, as always, is a standout, but no one story could offset the rest of the collection.
Set your sights on Classic Monsters Unleashed or It Came from the Multiplex if you're looking for something along these lines that will be more satisfying. For a long form version, try Experimental Film by Gemma Files.
Set your sights on Classic Monsters Unleashed or It Came from the Multiplex if you're looking for something along these lines that will be more satisfying. For a long form version, try Experimental Film by Gemma Files.
May 14, 2024
Enjoyable anthology edited by Ellen Datlow of dark stories relating to the silver screen.
My favorites were “Final Girl Theory” by AC Wise, “Tenderizer” by Stephen Graham Jones, “Each Thing I Show You is a Piece of My Death” by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer, “Onlookers” by Gary A. Braunbeck and “Dead Image” by David Morrell.
The weakest pieces in my opinion were, “Deadspace by Dennis Etchinson,” “Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarroldo by Gary Kilworth and
“Illimitable Dominion by Kim Newman.”
My favorites were “Final Girl Theory” by AC Wise, “Tenderizer” by Stephen Graham Jones, “Each Thing I Show You is a Piece of My Death” by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer, “Onlookers” by Gary A. Braunbeck and “Dead Image” by David Morrell.
The weakest pieces in my opinion were, “Deadspace by Dennis Etchinson,” “Filming the Making of the Film of the Making of Fitzcarroldo by Gary Kilworth and
“Illimitable Dominion by Kim Newman.”
October 31, 2020
3.5 rounded down. a whole lot of Pretty Decent but for a short story collection that is honestly not bad!!! standouts: "Tenderizer", "each thing i show you is a piece of my death", "The Constantinople Archives" and the truly excellent "Lapland, or Film Noir". secret bonus favorite: "Final Girl Theory". happy halloween sluts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 22, 2023
Ones I enjoyed from the collection (read: not terrible)
"The Thousand Cuts" by Ian Watson
"Dead Image" by David Morrell
"The Constantinople Archives" by Robert Shearman
"each thing I show you is a piece of my death" by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer
"She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!" by Genevieve Valentine
"Tenderizer" by Stephen Graham Jones
"The Thousand Cuts" by Ian Watson
"Dead Image" by David Morrell
"The Constantinople Archives" by Robert Shearman
"each thing I show you is a piece of my death" by Gemma Files & Stephen J. Barringer
"She Drives the Men to Crimes of Passion!" by Genevieve Valentine
"Tenderizer" by Stephen Graham Jones
September 17, 2018
I enjoyed this collection as a whole but the fact that most of the stories were written by men and most of them featured violence against women... we get it, Hollywood and the world in general hate women! I'm just so tired of reading about it.
March 12, 2019
Excellent, Especially Ardor by Laird BArron.
December 3, 2021
I wanted to love this collection but while some of the stories were great, others in it really didn't do it for me.
December 17, 2025
1.75⭐
A slog to get through.
A slog to get through.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews