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Post by dem bones on Sept 19, 2015 20:06:00 GMT
Kowlongo Plaything, Mr. Temperley's contribution to the previous volume is among the top five most disgusting, sadistic, brilliant horror stories I've read, but it's this sick novella seems to have achieved enduring notoriety. Can it possibly live up/ down to its rep?
Alan Temperley - Love On The Farm: Myra Thomson is a widow, just turned forty, big boned, and the object of cruel taunts on account of the livid birthmark covering one side of her face. Duggie Wayman is a horny, good looking nineteen-year-old biker, helps out with the pigs and farm maintenance, suffers himself to sleep with his employer in return for a wage, free board and expensive gifts. It'll do for the time being.
They're making quite a go of it until Myra catches him in bed with secret girlfriend.
Myra has been suffering one of her periodic depressions, and the prospect of losing her lover to this beautiful creature is too much to bear. She takes the rifle, shoots her dead and clubs Duggie unconscious. Before chopping Jacquie into pieces. Before going at Duggie's lips with shears. The pigs make short work of all that meat and gristle.
That would be job done for many an author, but Mr. Temperley is only warming up. As unlikely as it seems, after a five week separation - during which time Duggie loses a hand, a knee-cap and the best part of an ear in a motorcycle accident - the odd couple patch up their differences and settle into something approaching their old routine. But Duggie's a changed man. He's taken to the drink. A disfigured face means he's no longer the babe-magnet of old, so he embarks on a new career as serial rapist, murderer, necrophiliac (admittedly, he didn't realise she was dead) and one-man crime wave. When Myra breaks it to him that she's pregnant with their child, all his hatred for what she did to his face erupts into homicidal fury .....
You might think you know what's coming, but, trust me, there's still room for more twists and turns.
Perhaps it's reasonable to speculate that Mr. Temperley's mood at time of penning these stories was pessimistic, and once HVT had accepted Kowlongo Plaything it was a case of "He wants over the top? I'll give him f**k**g over the top!"?
File under vile.
But it's not a patch on Kowlongo Plaything.
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Post by dem bones on Sept 21, 2015 17:43:46 GMT
From Vault Mk I dem wrote (Dec 8, 2005) Dr. Terror wrote (Dec 8/ Dec 9, 2005): Alan Temperley - The Gypsy Candle: Autumn, 1862. John Honeyman, farm labourer, treats wife Mary and the little kids Abbie and Dod to a day out at the annual Goose fair. Abbie is transfixed by the performance of a huge, red-eyed dancing bear which, despite the curses of its keeper, strolls off-stage to size her up before returning to continue the act. As a souvenir of the lovely day out, Abbie buys a fine China candle-holder from a gypsy women for a derisory 4 pennies. The suspiciously generous trader even throws in a candle, gratis. Fly, the docile family doggie, doesn't like the little girl's new acquistion and won't go near it, even biting his master's hand when John tries make him do so. That night, screams from Abbie's room. The evil bear has manifested at her bedside intent on eating her alive ... Again and again, Mr. Temperley returns to the theme of man's cruelty toward the animal kingdom, particularly livestock, and dispenses bloody retribution in kind to an often innocent party. It might also be relevant that, even in the otherwise unremittingly revolting Love On The Farm, Myra risks her own life to rescue the pigs from the conflagration. Tom Cunniff - Twisted Ash: A sombre note to end on. John Beaumont inherits his Aunt Sarah's country cottage on the strict proviso that he on no account fells the ugly, ancient ash tree in the garden, no matter that it blocks the sunlight. This being a horror story, John disregards her instruction, unleashing the vengeful spirit of a Seventeenth Century witch.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2015 18:25:52 GMT
Was Alan Temperley a chum of David Cameron's?
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Post by dem bones on Sept 21, 2015 19:24:06 GMT
Was Alan Temperley a chum of David Cameron's? Bad enough the poor pig's head should suffer such an abominable slur on its character, no need to drag the excellent Mr. Temperley into it. #piggate It's weird how this should all blow up while we have that slimy glans thread on the go ....
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Post by Swampirella on Dec 13, 2016 17:48:55 GMT
Seven years later .... Herbert Van Thal (ed.) – 24th Pan Book Of Horror Stories (1983) Photo: Peter Geissier Ken Alden – The Moment of Death Miranda Seymour – Obsession Alan Temperley – Gypsy Candle Patricia Highsmith – Woodrow Wilson’s Neck-tie Philip Sidney Jennings – The Golden Teddy Bear Roald Dahl – The Landlady Alan Temperley – Love on the Farm Tom Cunniff – Twisted AshKen Alden – The Moment of Death: On the eve of his execution by Guillotine, the murderer Lanover is approached in his cell by Professor Fegree with a proposition. If the condemned man will agree to participate in a little experiment, Fegree will arrange for his three soon-to-be orphans adoption by a good family. The most unnerving passages concern factual (?) cases of premature burial, otherwise it reads like an amped-up version of 'Dick Donovan's Some Experiments With A Head. A decent start! Philip Sidney Jennings – The Golden Teddy Bear: Sorrel, the new employee at Tomorrow's Antiques, is too industrious and super-efficient for our half-cracked narrator's liking. As title suggests, contains scenes of extreme teddy abuse, which is a definite no-no in my book. Don't you people realise they're alive? Roald Dahl - The Landlady: Young Billy Weaver has cause to regret his choice of West Country boarding house. The Landlady is insane and the clientèle just sit there like stuffed dummies. A lazy selection on HVT's part, having already included the story in 1973's The Bedside Book Of Horror. My copy just arrived; huzzah! Will have to wait until I finish "Phone Calls from the Dead" (excellent) and The Second Black Book of Horror (undoubtedly excellent too).
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Post by Swampirella on Dec 15, 2016 21:12:34 GMT
I have had so much fun reading all of the posts for the individual Pan anthologies - most of which have been covered by demonik in his own inimitable style with comments by others. Having made the decision to re-read them all, but not in any order, my first random pick is volume 24 which I don't think I have re read since I first bought it and read it back in 1983. The reason I have put this thread up is to ask whether there is an old thread from demonik and others for number 24 in the archive and if so how can I find it? I am sure it must have been discussed at some stage, as there are various comments about whether or not 'Love On The Farm' out-grosses 'Kowlongo Plaything' etc etc I used to read the stories in a Pan collection at random, often picking the shortest ones first, but this time I'm going cover to cover. I dont' recall this one (24) being particularly brilliant first time round (although I was 19 by then and far less easy to scare!) and so far I have to say it's a bit of a low key start. I have tried but couldn't get close to matching demonik's great skill of the short plot summary, so it's just my dull opinions I'm afraid............ The Moment of Death by Ken Alden has great subject matter (decapitation and premature burial), but the pay off is predictable and a bit of an anti climax Obsession by Miranda Seymour keeps you guessing, has great characters and builds up a spooky 'other wordly' atmosphere, but again the climax is a bit lame, and there are loose ends untied or unexplained. Being honest, maybe I didn't get it (loved the product placement for Southern Comfort though!) I'm still very NEW around here - so I hope nobody minds my starting a new thread for vol 24! It would be great to hear your thoughts, and I would love to read the old thread - if there was one. I'll add some more as I get a few more stories read..... currently on 'Gypsy Candle'.............. I agree completely with your comments on Dem's great short plot summaries, The Moment of Death and Obsession. I enjoyed Gypsy Candle quite a lot. To me, "Kowlongo Plaything" seriously outgrosses "Love On The Farm" ....
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Post by Swampirella on Dec 15, 2016 21:17:27 GMT
Mmmmmmmm - Jaegermeister - delicious and excellent for the digestion! (Not sure if I could do 11 of them though....) My plod through Vol 24 continues with 'Woodrow Wilson's Necktie' by Patricia Highsmith Now this is a little more like it - unhinged loner, spends loads of time at the local 'Waxwork Horrors' (brings to mind the Peter Cushing story in 'The House That Dripped Blood') spends a sneaky night there, then decides to 'modify' some of the displays by bumping off the Waxworks staff! - needless to say he goes more and more nuts as the tale progresses......... Four stories in, and by now a bit of Norman Kaufman-esque nastiness would be positively welcomed. I remember now why I thought the standard of a lot of the PBOHS stories tamed so much in the 1980s - sod this so called 'implied' horror. Where's a good old henpecked or cuckolded husband exacting a graphic and grisly vengeance when you really need one? Personally, I didn't see the point of Woodrow Wilson's Necktie.....
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Post by Swampirella on Dec 15, 2016 21:18:47 GMT
From Vault Mk I dem wrote (Dec 8, 2005) Dr. Terror wrote (Dec 8/ Dec 9, 2005): Alan Temperley - The Gypsy Candle: Autumn, 1862. John Honeyman, farm labourer, treats wife Mary and the little kids Abbie and Dod to a day out at the annual Goose fair. Abbie is transfixed by the performance of a huge, red-eyed dancing bear which, despite the curses of its keeper, strolls off-stage to size her up before returning to continue the act. As a souvenir of the lovely day out, Abbie buys a fine China candle-holder from a gypsy women for a derisory 4 pennies. The suspiciously generous trader even throws in a candle, gratis. Fly, the docile family doggie, doesn't like the little girl's new acquistion and won't go near it, even biting his master's hand when John tries make him do so. That night, screams from Abbie's room. The evil bear has manifested at her bedside intent on eating her alive ... Again and again, Mr. Temperley returns to the theme of man's cruelty toward the animal kingdom, particularly livestock, and dispenses bloody retribution in kind to an often innocent party. It might also be relevant that, even in the otherwise unremittingly revolting Love On The Farm, Myra risks her own life to rescue the pigs from the conflagration. Tom Cunniff - Twisted Ash: A sombre note to end on. John Beaumont inherits his Aunt Sarah's country cottage on the strict proviso that he on no account fells the ugly, ancient ash tree in the garden, no matter that it blocks the sunlight. This being a horror story, John disregards her instruction, unleashing the vengeful spirit of a Seventeenth Century witch. Twisted Ash was one of the better ones in this short volume; I certainly wasn't expecting the ending although perhaps I should have been.
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Post by dem bones on Dec 15, 2016 22:44:18 GMT
To me, "Kowlongo Plaything" seriously outgrosses "Love On The Farm" .... We are in 100% agreement on that one, Scarlett. It might well be the most extreme story Van Snarl published. I hope to God the events described have no basis in reality, but suspect they may well have. Love On The Farm just doesn't affect me the same way, it's like Mr. T. was trying too hard to offend on that occasion.
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Post by Swampirella on Dec 15, 2016 22:51:46 GMT
To me, "Kowlongo Plaything" seriously outgrosses "Love On The Farm" .... We are in 100% agreement on that one, Scarlett. It might well be the most extreme story Van Snarl published. I hope to God the events described have no basis in reality, but suspect they may well have. Love On The Farm just doesn't affect me the same way, it's like Mr. T. was trying too hard to offend on that occasion. Well put!
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