Dug this out to revisit Charles' interview with Ian C. Strachan, found myself sticking around. stone me - where did that four years go? viewed from a distance,
Filthy Creations #2 looks like what it is, a publication still finding its way and not making too bad a fist of it. The debut, edited by Steve Goodwin, was all story bar some (very entertaining) author biographies, cursory introduction and a short appraisal of the content by Michel Parry (we were floored that he gave us the time of day). The thinking behind it was Pan horror revival, or at least that's how i understood it. if i had any reservations about
# 1 - and shame on me for not piping up at the time - it was the cover which, to my mind, was all wrong for the nasty-minded material on offer. With #, Rog Pile went for more of a magazine feel, the short sharp shock horror stories offset with poetry and articles, the best by far being the aforementioned interview, although the three-page showcase for
The Faceless was tidy enough. No disrespect to them, but i never did figure what Dutch Goth rockers Asrai were doing in there, nor why the same feature/ advertisement should resurface in #3. Be that as it may, as with the debut, the all important fiction content has a decided
Black Book Of Horror Companion feel to it, hardly surprising when you consider Steve Goodwin, Rog Pile, Franklin Marsh and more recently, James Stanger have all contributed to Dr. Terror's blood-curdling series!
James Stanger - Pith: A claw-shaped length of pith from a mouldy satsuma strikes horror to the heart of the Peddler family on Christmas Eve. Good thing baby Gemma is asleep in her cot - if she witnessed the ever-growing, animated monster munching its way through her brother she'd be traumatised for life! You just ignore the screams,and dream your sweet dreams, little one!
An EC comic strip minus the pesky moral compass. those of you who are still in counselling won't need reminding that James is the fiend responsible for the revolting
Bernie Bought The Farm in last years
7th Black Book Of Horror. to read
Pith is to realise he always had it in him.
Peter Coady - Twisted: misanthropic artist Blackland is delighted with his latest creation, a portrait in oils of man unknown, face contorted into a leer of such malevolence, he wonders how he found it in him to paint such a thing? Temporarily setting aside his aversion to all things human race, Blackland agrees to meet with collector Stephen Cusp who is anxious to purchase the ghastly masterpiece. On the gloomy staircase of Cusp's hideous flat, Blackland finds himself staring into a face he has come to know too well ....
Victoria Dixon - Visionary: "A strange study in manipulation" is how Rog describes this in his commentary and he's not wrong. Victoria's
Martyr's Window was arguably the standout story in a strong debut issue, but i struggle to make sense of this one. The gist seems to be that affluent men of jaded tastes will part with large sums of money to witness a young woman suffer if the torments she endures have a novelty value about them. Marriner's chemical expertise and Standhahl's appalling subservience to 'the President' - he's prepared to feed wife Jane to these sharks without complaint - ensures the gloating spectators go home satisfied. It's the last line that bamboozles me.
Steve Goodwin & Rog Pile - Kindness: When he was sixteen, Anthony plied Mr. Peach with alcohol, staked him out with tent pegs and did him a serious mischief. finding Anthony resolutely uncommunicative, the psychiatrist gave up on him: Mr. Peach was only a household cat, and she sees no sign of the crazy mixed-up kid re-offending. Some years later, when their parents are no longer around, Anthony explains to his doting sister why he did what he did. Not only does she understand, she's relieved that, far from being a monster, her little brother had acted out of kindness toward his beloved pet! Shortly afterward, Anthony goes missing. Police launch a nationwide hunt when they realise his friends are being systematically bumped off, method of murder, much the same as that which did for Mr. Peach. Kindness. There's a lot of it about ....
Rog Pile - Under the Streetlight: A borderline Jack the Ripper slasher to end on. Anna, a student in Medieval English Literature, takes a poky room above a shop. The previous tenant left owing rent and the room is crammed with his curious book collection, leaving Anna little space to herself. She works pressed up against the window, noting with amusement that a young couple have taken to meeting beneath the streetlight directly opposite. It seems that they are going through a rocky patch in their relationship and Anna can sympathise: she's torn between on-off boyfriend Jonathan and quiet, sensitive Andrew, who has plucked up courage to invited her to Sal's fancy dress party.
The soap-opera under the streetlight continues. Another night, another argument, only this time the young man storms off. A second man emerges from the shadows. The girl evidently know him as soon she's in his arms. When Anna next looks up from her papers, the girl's bloodied corpse is strewn across the pavement.
Deciding she's either studying too hard or the butt of a seriously sick prank, Anna tells nobody what she's seen. What she needs is a good night out, one last chance for Jonathan to win her over ...
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what a trip down memory lane that was! the poetry i'll leave to someone who understands/ appreciates the form and the terrifying Gregory Pendennis adventure,
The Horror Of Dreadstone Moor, while its episodic nature suits serialisation, ideally warrants a thread to itself. we'll see ..
