Depravity Lane News #10
New blurb, What I've been reading & watching
DEPRAVITY LANE NEWS #10
I’d like to kick off this weekend’s newsletter by sharing the latest blurb I’ve received for KILL THE HUNTER, my forthcoming novel from Grindhouse Press. This one is from Brian Asman, a talented writer of entertaining, shocking, and often hilarious tales. He’s made a big splash in the indie genre scene the last couple of years, and he was one of the first people I thought of when I started casting a net for authors and reviewers who might want to take an early look at this new book I’m so excited about.
"A fast-paced tale of fangs and family that hums along like a souped-up GTO, expertly blending crime, horror, and action. If you can picture Quentin Tarantino directing an episode of Supernatural, you're partway there, but KILL THE HUNTER is pure Bryan Smith at the top of his game. Get in and get ready for one hell of a ride."
--Brian Asman, author of MAN, F--K THIS HOUSE
I have to say Brian really nailed the vibe of this new book. Quentin Tarantino directing an episode of Supernatural is as close to the mark as anything anyone’s said yet. It’s a wild ride that never lets up, and I hope you’ll check it out when it’s released on October 1st of this year. Meanwhile, you can already preorder the Kindle version at the link below.
Preorder KILL THE HUNTER on Kindle
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In other news, I’ve added another of the popular Mega Box Bundles to my online store. Like the one offered last week, this one is a one-of-a-kind, as in there will only be one available. It’s centered around my last remaining copy of the beautiful Thunderstorm Books edition of BELETH STATION. Several other books and extras are included. All previous bundles have sold out fast, so act quickly. Check it out at the link below for more details.
And check here for other limited editions recently added to the store.
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At this point I’ll veer away from talking about my own stuff and share a couple of quick reviews of things I’ve greatly enjoyed recently.
Let’s start with DON’T FEAR THE REAPER by Stephen Graham Jones. This novel is his follow up to last year’s phenomenally great MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW, which introduced one of my favorite characters in horror fiction in recent memory. I’m referring, of course, to Jade Daniels, a young woman whose obsession with slasher films (mostly ones made long before she was born) functions as a kind of coping mechanism, a means of escape from a less than happy reality. Jade is that weird kid who doesn’t fit in, who comes from a deprived background in which the parental figures in her life leave a lot to be desired, to put it nicely, but she’s tough, smart, resourceful, and resilient.
In the first book, she’s a teenager and she’s got some self-destructiveness in her, a product of both her background and her age, but she’s not a sociopath or total misanthrope. She has a capacity for great compassion and empathy, even if early on this is a part of herself she struggles to connect with. Jade grows over the course of both books. She never sees herself as the true heroine of the tale she inhabits, this mythic “slasher cycle” that’s manifested into her reality, but in the end she’s always the one who rises to the occasion, who does the hard, terrible things that must be done to save those who can be saved. This is a slasher story, though, and as we all know, in a slasher story many cannot be saved.
It’s difficult to imagine any true devotee of 80s (and beyond) horror and slasher cinema not falling instantly in love with Jade as a character. She’s an embodiment of a part of ourselves often not understood by those immune to the things that draw us to horror entertainment, an expression of things WE understand intuitively. She gets the things we get. She’s one of us. Kindred. DON’T FEAR THE REAPER begins four years after the traumatic events of MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW. Jade thinks she has changed in fundamental ways and has moved beyond who she was as a teenager, but when another slasher cycle manifests, it again falls to her to rise to the occasion and do the things those around her are ill-equipped to do, because they don’t know the things she knows, the structure and requirements of the unfolding narrative in which they are trapped. The filmic references fly fast and furious in this book, and there are various riffs on themes in vintage slasher films and speculation on the untapped potential of some of those films. I especially enjoyed a bit on a theoretical CURTAINS sequel and franchise that never came to be. The back and forths between Jade and another character well-versed in slashers are an absolute joy.
I simply can’t recommend DON’T FEAR THE REAPER highly enough. If you’ve read it, you likely know what I mean. If you haven’t, do yourself a favor and immediately acquire a copy of both Jade Daniels books before the concluding installment in the trilogy is released next year.
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Last night I watched a rare thing–an 80s horror film I had not previously seen.
I’m talking about FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM, an anthology film from 1987 that was directed by Jeff Burr, who also made 1990’s LEATHERFACE: TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III, among others. The movie features Vincent Price in a wraparound segment that connects a quartet of interesting and frequently grisly horror stories. Under the trivia section on IMDB, it’s stated that Price did not care for this movie and believed it was misrepresented to him by his agent.
I have to say, though, the movie isn’t bad at all. It’s quite low-budget, yes, but there’s a lot that’s effective about it. I have no way of knowing this, but I suspect Price’s disdain may have something to do with how splattery the movie is in places and a certain element of sleaze that exists in spots. It’s definitely a little nastier than some of the more regal horror anthologies in which Price starred in earlier decades. All the stories kept my interest. Despite the budget constraints, they’re all staged in interesting ways. Tony Kiser, who many of you may remember from FRIDAY THE 13TH Part VII, stars in one of my favorite segments about a lowlife who escapes into a swamp after being chased by a pair of hitmen. He’s saved by a mysterious swamp dweller who is much more than he seems. In another segment, Clu Gulager gives a memorable performance as a loathsome creep with murderous proclivities. Both actors do a nice job, and the film is fun if you don’t go in with unrealistic expectations. It’s a classic “have a coupla beers and kick back for some late night entertainment” type of movie. Check it out.
