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Post by dem bones on Aug 10, 2017 11:08:08 GMT
Available now from a House of Fanatic near you (but bloody hurry because they soon go!) Justin Marriott (ed) - Pulp Horror 6 (Summer, 2017) The Postbag Of Horror. Mark Savage, John Fennessy, Tom Tesarek, Nigel Taylor.
Justin Marriott - The Axeman Cometh: A Visual Guide To Berni Wrightson
Jim O'Brien - 1977: Year Of The Mad Dogs
Tom Tesarek - Rumour, Fear And The Madness Of Crowds: Shirley Jackson's The Haunting Of Hill House
Justin Marriott/ Kev Demant - Peter Saxon: The Disorientated Man/ A Saxon Horde
Justin Marriott -The Pack: Killer Dogs In Horror Thrillers
Andreas Decker - Wolfhart Luther and his Little Horror Empire; Dr. Morton
Justin Marriott - The Nazi Leprechauns Made me Do It. Sneak preview of Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks From Hell 120+ bound pages of the rabid, the perverse, the horrific and festering! Comments to follow ... |
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Aug 15, 2017 17:08:56 GMT
That Peter Saxon piece ends quite abruptly in the middle of a sentence.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 16, 2017 6:49:41 GMT
That Peter Saxon piece ends quite abruptly in the middle of a sentence. The poor proofreader could take no more.  Some real-life nonsense has consumed my energies since Saturday, but hope to crack on with the Pulp Horror, MOV and Nightscape reviews before the week is out. Apologies for the delay. |
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Post by dem bones on Aug 17, 2017 19:20:53 GMT
To make a start. "If rabies breaks out, any animal found will be seized, taken away, and if it is not claimed, destroyed. Rabies is a killer. We must keep rabies out." - Appropriately doom-laden voice-over accompanying Rabies Outbreak, a public information film first broadcast 1976. As mentioned, personal pick of the articles is Jim O'Brien's 1977: Year Of The Mad Dogs, chronicling the brief vogue for rabies-themed horror pulp - as exemplified by David Anne's Rabid, Jack Ramsey's The Rage and Walter Harris's Saliva - during the Queen's Silver Jubilee year (In June 1977 Manc punks Slaughter & The Dogs released debut single Cranked Up Really High on - what else - Rabid Records, although to be fair, the lyrics, while topical, had zero to do with smuggling sick household pets through customs). I particularly like the way Jim introduces public information films (see also Scarred For Life), TV dramas, comic strips, related 'When Animals Attack'/ 'Nature is Revolting' eco-horrors and non-fiction studies into the equation to emphasise just how "real" was the fear of the rabies-epidemic-that-never-came to the more xenophobic elements of a press and public opposed to Britain's recent entry into the EEC. Had no idea until reading this article that 'Jack Ramsey' was none other than Gordon McGill, author of Stallion, the Amityville 3-D novelisation, and various lesser Omens. Salivating Doberman Pincers & Co. return in Justin's self-explanatory companion piece, The Pack: Killer Dogs In Horror Thrillers which includes an enthusiastic appraisal of Robert Calder's The Dogs (UK Coronet 1979) and scathing capsule-reviews of Albert Herbert & Roger Myers' Killer Pack (Manor, 1976) and 'William Essex'/ John Tigges' The Pack (Leisure, 1987), neither of which I've read, both apparently "to be avoided at all costs." I have a soft spot for Tigges - most notably his 'nuns in peril' outing Garden Of The Incubus and the return of Countess Bathory epic Vessel ("Look out, Stephen King!") so, obviously The Pack has shot from nowhere to somewhere near top of the wants list that knows neither sanity nor shame. More tomorrow I hope ..... |
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Post by dem bones on Aug 18, 2017 9:36:36 GMT
Wolfhart Luther and his Little Horror Empire is yet another outstanding contribution from our dear friend Andreas Decker. Vault readers had a bit of a head start on this one in that Andy introduced us to Mr. Luther and the infamous Dr. Morton some time ago ( HERE), and, fair to say, his crash course met with an enthusiastic response from usual suspects. Be warned. The cover illustration reproduced above is among the more .... tasteful. It says much for the eclecticism of Pulp Horror that the exploits of a sadistic English surgeon should share an issue with an appreciation of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting Of Hill House (up next) and neither seem the least out of place.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 20, 2017 15:34:43 GMT
Rumour, Fear and the Madness Of Crowds, Tom Tesarek's excellent appraisal of three of Shirley Jackson's more overtly supernatural/ horror gems - The Haunting Of Hill House, We Have Always Lived In The Castle and The Lottery (spectacularly nasty, terrifying in its plausibility), is, as you might expect, far quieter and more reflective in tone than the above. Consider myself very lucky to have first encountered The Haunting Of Hill House during fledgling reading years, as I knew nothing of its reputation and could just take it as I found it, a brilliant depiction of psychological breakdown with "supernatural" overtones - or so it still seemed to me when last we crossed paths (mid-nineties). I liked it well enough that first time but found it "a bit slow."  Would also recommend The Summer People to those of sinister inclination. Shirley Jackson didn't do "pulp horror" which somehow makes it all the more gratifying to find a heartfelt appreciation of her work in ... Pulp Horror.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 25, 2017 17:25:05 GMT
The Peter Saxon joint effort. Can't bring myself to read the sub-filler material tagged on to the end, but was very interested to learn that Justin's preference is for 'Errol LeCale's "Specialist" series over "The Guardians" novels (although if his "Marvel comics' Dr. Strange written by H.G. Wells" was adopted as a tag-line for the latter they'd probably reach an entirely new audience). No surprise that Wilfred McNeilly's Satan's Child thrill-ride meets with his approval, although I don't remember it being especially sleazy (which is a bloody good excuse for a rematch). Then again, after the puke-provoking excesses of 'James Darke's The Witches abortions pretty much everything else pales into insignificance. Now that Vault MK I looks lost for good perhaps we should consider a retrospective ... |
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Post by andydecker on Aug 25, 2017 23:26:15 GMT
Then again, after the puke-provoking excesses of 'James Darke's The Witches abortions pretty much everything else pales into insignificance. Now that Vault MK I looks lost for good perhaps we should consider a retrospective ... I really liked the Saxon article. Very informative. As it happens I have to do an article about The Torturer and The Darkest Night so I am currently re-reading this. And it is helpful to have this on the desk.
The Witches is sitting unread for ages on my shelves. I really have to read this and not only stare uncomprehensibly at the fablulous unsuited covers.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 26, 2017 8:27:48 GMT
The Witches is sitting unread for ages on my shelves. I really have to read this and not only stare uncomprehensibly at the fablulous unsuited covers. Ah yes, The Witches! Such big print, so few pages! They really are like kids' books with horrible violence and perversion thrown in! We've a thread for Witches 5: The Meeting, but it's a mercy/such a shame {delete as applicable] our previous host, suddenlaunch, has collapsed yet again as the series featured far more prominently on Vault Mk. I. The Torturer is tame in comparison, but it's a personal all time fave, triggered an enduring fondness for 'film crew in peril' horror thrillers, which eventually led to Richard Tate's The Dead Travel Fast ... and Vault. Incidentally, it was Dr. Strange first came up with the Saxon Hoard thread title otherwise we'd have been stuck with Filthy Steve's original suggestion. Am not sure Justin would have ran with that one. Good luck with the article! |
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Post by dem bones on Aug 26, 2017 11:57:06 GMT
Seems almost blasphemous to leave the Berni Wrightson tribute to last especially as at close to fifty pages it dominates the issue. I like that Mr. Fanatic opts for a minimalist - albeit informative - commentary, allowing the man's work to speak eloquently for itself. Having only the most limited exposure to horror comics, the bulk of the illustrations were new to this reader - strongly suspect I'm in a minority of one on that score.
What else? Grady Hendrix's soon come Paperbacks From Hell sounds so must-have it hurts. The letters are - as ever - articles in themselves (believe it or not, I'm in agreement with Mark Savage), and already hoping there will be a #7 because, of all the House of Fanatic publications, Pulp Horror is already firmly established as personal absolute favourite.
And now, belatedly, on to the Men Of Violence double header.
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Post by andydecker on Aug 26, 2017 12:31:54 GMT
These covers are practically screaming 1645 |
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Post by jamesdoig on Aug 29, 2017 9:48:42 GMT
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Post by ropardoe on Aug 29, 2017 11:19:53 GMT
I've struggled through Roots of Witchcraft as best I could - talk about outdoing Margaret Murray, and that's saying something! But Vanishings looks interesting. I expect it includes all the usual suspects, but nevertheless it's a book I'm going to see if I can get cheaply as I'm always fascinated by cases of unexplained disappearances (which is why I frequent the Mysterious Universe website daily). If I get tempted (and it is tempting) into mentioning all of Harrison's most weird output, my brief article on his short stories is going to end up as something else entirely, and I don't think I (or G&S readers) want that!
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Would also recommend The Summer People to those of sinister inclination. Shirley Jackson didn't do "pulp horror" which somehow makes it all the more gratifying to find a heartfelt appreciation of her work in ... Pulp Horror.
