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Post by dem bones on May 15, 2021 20:28:22 GMT
Arrived today, along with The Fifth BHF Book of Horror Stories (and it seems they've two more in the pipe-line toward the end of the year!). Darrell Buxton [ed.] - Fourth BHF Book of Horror Stories (BHF, 2021) Darrell Buxton - Introduction
Sam Dawson - Night Thoughts Samantha Jayne Crosby - Carrion Screaming Darrell Buxton - Hard Core Ken Shinn - Starr Student Franklin Marsh - The Night Bus Tony Earnshaw - Protein Ken Shinn - The Phoenix for the Flame Simon J. Ballard - Vultura is Dead ... and Well, and Living in London Ian Taylor - Paging Dr. Death Jez Conolly - Tea with Mrs. Hindley Adam J. Marsh - Good Boy Tony Earnshaw - By Dawn's Early Light Hannah Kate - Delivery Sam Dawson - Gentry in the Country Ken Shinn - The Little Red-Haired Girl Paul Newman - The Endless Depths Above Us Simon J. Ballard - The Making of Lord Courtley Simon J. Ballard - The Making of Johnny Alucard Wayne Mook - Frankenstein's Tortoise Martin Parsons - Calhoun Despairs Ken Shinn - Glad It's All Over Selene Paxton-Brooks - Tansy's Poppets Jason D. Brawn - The Interview Darrell Buxton - Luxuriate Effervescently James Stanger - Just A Click and the Agony Ken Shinn - A Bloody Nuisance Ian Taylor - A Voodoo Flavour Lawrence-Gordon Clark - Telling Stories
Contributors
Interior illustrations: Jez Connelly, Sam Dawson, Simon J. Ballard, Selene Paxton-Brooks, Mark Hetherington, Wayne Mook,
Blurb: The moon is full ... the witching hour approaches ... time to devour sacrificial offerings anew!
Drug-induced paranoia brings familiar television figures to sinister life ... Something nasty dwells beneath the floorboards of a country cottage, awaiting the new tenants... An unexpected postal delivery leads to the uncovering of an ancient vampire‘s legacy ... Strange surgical practices are employed to remove a deadly tumour - with post-op consequences ...
Traumatizing new tales of terror emerge from the tomb! The weird world of British horror cinema inspires this latest collection of devilish and disturbing fiction, putting fresh spins on a cornucopia of chilling characters last glimpsed through the haze of late-night television or encountered at a menacing midnight movie marathon. Dare you venture beyond the silver screen, into a nightmarish new dimension bringing all your frightening favourites to the printed page?
Be brave, be bold ... or be buried!Godawful "commentary" to begin shortly .... Later Should have mentioned that, far as I'm aware, these are only available direct from lulu. Here are the UK links. Will try find out if they're available rest of world. Fourth BHF Book of Horror StoriesFifth BHF Book of Horror Stories
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Post by dem bones on May 16, 2021 10:37:57 GMT
I'm not much cop on films/ TV, horror or otherwise, so commentary likely to be even more hideously error strewn than usual. Corrections welcome as ever. Four stories in, and happily it is very much a case of picking up where last year's super Third BHF book .... left off. Sam Dawson - Night Thoughts: A stoned hippie staggers home anxious and disorientated, arriving just in time to catch a string of the day's terrifying public information films. Mindful of disturbing mother, he leaves off the light and sits watching the box until close down. As the national anthem builds to a final flourish, our friend has the uneasy feeling that he is not alone. Samantha Jayne Crosby - Carrion Screaming: Gory festive Carry on up your Frightmare (?) chuckles as Valerie plans a Christmas treat for herself and Sockett the dog. But before that, a trip to the DIY shop to stock up on candles, rope, gaffa tape ... Darrell Buxton - Hard Core: A world-wide ecological - political conspiracy thriller with *ahem* "erotic" interludes. 1972. Nixon in the White House, Britain on the verge of joining the Common Market, Prog rock in the ascendancy. Dr. Del Shaw of the Dept. for the Observation and Measurement of Scientific work (a.k.a. Doom Watch) swaps Balfe ("bloody hell, those poor bastards on the island all looked like something out of an old 1940s horror movie") for Summerisle to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Sergeant Howie ... The busiest of plots, lashings of gore, and festooned with movie culture references I can't even pretend to understand. Ken Shinn - Starr Student: Doctors Starr and Byron perform intricate life-saving surgery on Lynch to remove a brain tumour. Unfortunately, the operation is not entirely successful, but come now, Mr. Lynch, there is no need for rudeness! Four hits out of four so far, and coming soon; a nerve-shredding ride aboard The Late Bus ...
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Post by dem bones on May 17, 2021 17:51:41 GMT
Today's batch.
Franklin Marsh - the Late Bus: Vault co-founder does the Amicus portmanteau movie a serious mischief. Includes tear-jerking tribute to James Manfred, OBE. Must have read this one half a dozen times by now and it still cheers me up.
Tony Earnshaw - Protein: Brighouse, Yorks, 22 November 1963. A peaceful Friday afternoon's fishing on the River Calder with grandad - until Painter Tom, maggot-munching rag n' bone man and unconventional angler, performs his party piece. Commendably revolting. Inspired by the mysterious goings-on in Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World.
Ken Shinn - The Phoenix for the Flame: John Morlar - he cursed/ blessed of the Medusa Touch - and ministry defector Joseph Pennington enter unlikely alliance to take down Stratton-Villiers of MI5 (aka Fremont, head of British intelligence: they are one and the same evil entity) and those evil bastards, The New Avengers.
Simon J. Ballard - Vultura is Dead ... and Well, and Living in London: It's only the surprise box office success of risible comedy has kept the studio afloat, but one one man's personal tragedy spells brilliant news for Fortress films, whose horror hits dried up with a disastrous attempt to jump the Kung-fu bandwagon. Christopher Pellow, star of the phenomenally popular Vultura movies has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Can they wring one last performance out of the old lovey and milk public sympathy for all it's worth?
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Post by dem bones on May 18, 2021 18:39:10 GMT
An exploding pet, a cursed horror paperback, and - it's been such a long time - sex with dead people. We're on a roll.
Ian Taylor - Paging Dr. Death: A Film fair at Manchester Piccadilly. Incongruous among the stall holders, a frail old-timer in cloth cap and beige overalls; calls his one man operation 'Temptations Ltd'; doesn't appear to have anything even slightly movie-related for sale. Pete, bolshy through lack of drink, asks the dopey sod why he's come to the wrong fair, but turns out that Mr. Temptation's stock does include something suited to Pete's taste after all. A so rare nobody knew it existed copy of Herbert Flay's novelisation, The New Adventures of Dr. Death, featuring Paul Toombs of Madhouse/ Devil Day/ To Play the Devil infamy. £150 to you, young fellow and don't try to cheat me because, rest assured, "I do always obtain my payment, you know." Fortunately for us, Pete has already made up his mind to short-change Mr. T. After all, it's not like Gramps can do much about it!
Jez Conolly - Tea with Mrs. Hindley: Derek, pushing 65, works mornings at the crematorium; he oh so selflessly devotes the rest of his day to caring for 'Auntie Barbara' in ways unlikely to meet with the approval of social services ...
Adam J. Marsh - Good Boy: Tough case for Alphonso Martins, pet detective, requires he and new apprentice, Sasha Lidvig, 19, to leave Derby for the Angeles National Park to do battle with a celebrity canine. Highlight include the spectacular termination of a cricket match, and the glamorous client's shrewd appraisal of modern day wannabe Van Helsings. "I have consulted with the best Vampire Hunters in the world. I have met them and quite frankly they are all, to coin an English expression, wankers."
That's me had my money's worth and we've still over half a book to go.
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iant
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 59
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Post by iant on May 19, 2021 9:09:09 GMT
So glad that you seem to be enjoying this volume as much as you did Volume 3... and hopefully as much as you will enjoy Volume 5 as well. And beyond... They have been a pleasure to contribute to. Your coverage of it drew me to the site and I have enjoyed perusing the pages. Thought I might stick around for a while...
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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on May 19, 2021 10:25:01 GMT
So glad that you seem to be enjoying this volume as much as you did Volume 3... and hopefully as much as you will enjoy Volume 5 as well. And beyond... They have been a pleasure to contribute to. Your coverage of it drew me to the site and I have enjoyed perusing the pages. Thought I might stick around for a while... Hi
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Post by helrunar on May 19, 2021 12:55:38 GMT
Hi Ian, welcome to the Vault! Good to see you here.
cheers, Hel (Steve S.)
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Post by Swampirella on May 19, 2021 14:59:49 GMT
A welcome from me too, Ian! Hope you enjoy lurking around these environs....
Swampi
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iant
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 59
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Post by iant on May 19, 2021 15:57:45 GMT
A welcome from me too, Ian! Hope you enjoy lurking around these environs....
Swampi
Cheers, folks.
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Post by dem bones on May 19, 2021 18:28:55 GMT
So glad that you seem to be enjoying this volume as much as you did Volume 3... and hopefully as much as you will enjoy Volume 5 as well. And beyond... They have been a pleasure to contribute to. Your coverage of it drew me to the site and I have enjoyed perusing the pages. Thought I might stick around for a while... Thanks for registering, Ian, and I hope you enjoy your time here. Vol 5 is glaring at me kind of funny as I type, but it will have to wait its turn. Am now thirteen stories into 4, having a merry old time with it. Clearly much thought went into the running order, so am glad to have resisted usual jump-in-where-the-mood-takes-me approach. Are you doing one for the 'When Animals attack' offering? Tony Earnshaw - By Dawn's Early Light: A jarring change of mood. Poignant account of two brothers' reunion at their old den post-Zombie Apocalypse. Hannah Kate - Delivery: Found this one very appealing. East Proctor, Yorkshire. Paddy the postman conceals a terrible secret from wife, Maggie. Once every month without fail he stays the night at a pub on the Moors - there is no domestic crisis emergency enough to break his selfish routine. Maggie, pregnant with their first child, suspects he is carrying on with another woman, but the regulars at The Slaughtered Lamb know different.
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iant
Crab On The Rampage
Posts: 59
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Post by iant on May 19, 2021 18:59:46 GMT
I'll be contributing to both the 666 and animals Attack volumes. The cogs are already whirring!
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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on May 19, 2021 19:22:29 GMT
I'll be contributing to both the 666 and animals Attack volumes. The cogs are already whirring! I saw the trailer once of the film Slugs.
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Post by dem bones on May 20, 2021 19:21:22 GMT
Sam Dawson - Gentry in the Country: Meet Stan Cuckford, "1972 personified." A philandering Poly lecturer, trendy champagne socialist, vision in cheesecloth and denim loon pants, etc. Stan and monied wife Angela have recently acquired a labourers cottage in the countryside. The locals don't like it - bloody rich townies, taking our homes! - but shrewd Stan reasons that, once the thick yokel bastards realise how strongly he identifies with the worker struggle, they'll welcome him as one of their own. Of more pressing concern, Wendy, his current bit-on-the-side, is pregnant with his child. Stan strongly advises an abortion - she is, he assures, graduate-with-honours material and a child now may handicap a stellar career.
The Cuckfords and workmen are readying their new home. Mr. Biddick and assistant Arthur remove two damp floorboards to find a strange treasure beneath the threshold. Arthur identifies it as a witch bottle, and suggests they put it back where it came from. The locals are resistant to change, so best not do anything that might be mistaken for interference with the smooth-running of village affairs, what with them being bloody townies 'n all.
Fortunately for us, Stan knows best and is already agitating the rural folk before he's even moved in. Wendy, too, is determined to make life difficult, set him up for a showdown with Angela.
Have no idea of the source movie (it gave me Straw Dogs vibes, but I doubt that's the one), not that it matters as Gentry in the Country is perhaps my pick of a consistently strong batch to date.
Ken Shinn - The Little Red-Haired Girl: A quiet interlude. The Red Death handpicks a new little helper from among the less enthused participants in Prospero's marathon orgy.
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Post by Dr Strange on May 20, 2021 19:39:54 GMT
Sam Dawson - Gentry in the Country: Meet Stan Cuckford, "1972 personified." A philandering Poly lecturer, trendy champagne socialist, vision in cheesecloth and denim loon pants, etc. Stan and monied wife Angela have recently acquired a labourers cottage in the countryside. The locals don't like it - bloody rich townies, taking our homes! - but shrewd Stan reasons that, once the thick yokel bastards realise how strongly he identifies with the worker struggle, they'll welcome him as one of their own. Of more pressing concern, Wendy, his current bit-on-the-side, is pregnant with his child. Stan strongly advises an abortion - she is, he assures, graduate-with-honours material and a child now may handicap a stellar career. The Cuckfords and workmen are readying their new home. Mr. Biddick and assistant Arthur remove two damp floorboards to find a strange treasure beneath the threshold. Arthur identifies it as a witch bottle, and suggests they put it back where it came from. The locals are resistant to change, so best not do anything that might be mistaken for interference with the smooth-running of village affairs, what with them being bloody townies 'n all. Fortunately for us, Stan knows best and is already agitating the rural folk before he's even moved in. Wendy, too, is determined to make life difficult, set him up for a showdown with Angela. Have no idea of the source movie (it gave me Straw Dogs vibes, but I doubt that's the one), not that it matters as Gentry in the Country is perhaps my pick of a consistently strong batch to date. Your summary puts me in mind of Nigel Kneale's "Baby" from the Beasts TV series.
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Post by dem bones on May 20, 2021 19:46:04 GMT
Your summary puts me in mind of Nigel Kneale's "Baby" from the Beasts TV series. ... and sure enough, "Beasts, 'Baby,' (1976, TV)" features on the source list at back of book. In my defence, I've never seen it.
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