Tony
asked
Alan Moore:
Solitude and isolation is often considered the scariest situation for people, but is it possible to transmute void and stasis into a compelling story?
Alan Moore
With enough energy and ingenuity a writer can do almost anything. If you want to see a brilliant example of a drama involving a single individual isolated in a single room, then I strongly suggest you watch Robert Altman’s stunning film Secret Honor, starring the uncanny Phillip Baker Hall as disgraced former president Richard M. Nixon in his post-Watergate retreat at (I believe) San Clemente, sitting in a heavily-guarded room and speaking his awful truths obsessively into a tape-recorder. If you ever see a more accomplished or more disturbing Gothic drama, I’d be very surprised: at the end of the film the viewer is absolutely desperate to get out of this cramped little room full to bursting with evil history, and at the same time is aware that the central character never can. I can even imagine a good enough writer being able to craft a compelling narrative about an empty room with absolutely nobody in it...but probably best not to try this at home.
More Answered Questions
Sam
asked
Alan Moore:
Recently, I discovered your documentary on Northampton, 'Don't Let Me Die in Black and White' on the dark recesses of the internet, and as with much of your work, was struck by just how much you allow a sense and understanding of place to inform a story. How do you think that understanding of a place's history can be mined, exploited, or drawn upon to create a sense of horror and fear?
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