The Thing Is … Antarctica. Home to penguins, the South Pole, and one of the scariest sci-fi/horror stories ever. But what’s more effective: the page-turner or the popcorn-pleaser? And are those chills just –49˚C winds, or something nastier? Is there some Thing at the door? Zip up your parka, strap on your snow-shoes, and let’s…
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Happy Halloween! For this Halloween’s Book Versus Film, we’re visiting one of fiction’s premier haunted houses. It has stood for sixty years, and might stand for sixty more. Within, walls meet at odd angles, floors don’t lead where they should, and doors shut by themselves; and whatever walks there… well, if you’re brave enough to…
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It’s Banned Books Week Books have been seen as dangerous since we first started writing them. And in 2019, governments around the world continue to censor them. From American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (Australia) to The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa (Cuba) to all works by political activist Liu Xiaobo in China, including…
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Book Versus Film If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure to encounter one book, two films, three empty graves and foreshadowing to make you weep. Let’s bury Stephen King’s Pet Sematary in that ancient MicMac ground, and see what rises victorious. Grab your shovel, take my hand, and tread carefully: there are spoilers…
Continue ReadingSo, it’s fair to say Netflix’s Bird Box set Twitter tweeting and Facebook and instagram into meltdown! Immediately everyone started sharing opinions and Bird Box-inspired memes, plus Netflix took the step of sharing that over 45 million accounts watched the movie in its first week. Given how closely Netflix guards its viewership figures to its chest, this…
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It’s Halloween, so for this year’s horror-themed Book Vs Film we’re comparing one of the classics. It’s the book that remained on The New York Times bestseller list for over a year. It’s the film that became the first horror to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.It’s William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist! So say a…
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We all imagine the homes of our favourite characters, from ‘real world’ characters like Sherlock Holmes, through to the more horrifying like Dracula, or fantasy like The Weasley’s from Harry Potter. So when Rhian got in touch with me offering to show me the posters of literary homes her team had made, I HAD to…
Continue ReadingMy Reading Pledge 2017 This year, I set a reading pledge for myself. I decided I would read at least 5: Writers of colour Classic literary titles (or modern prize-winners, i.e. Pulitzer) Non fiction titles Fiction titles that aren’t crime, mystery or thriller (or classics, prize-winners or non-fiction!) Plus a crime fiction subgenre I’ve never tried…
Continue ReadingThere must be something about the initials S and K. Not only do they stand for one of the world’s greatest authors, they also apply to one of our finest directors. But those two letters aren’t the only thing Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick share. They have both told the same scary story, about an…
Continue Reading1) So, who are you & what have you written? Stephen Gallagher. I started out in SF and horror (Doctor Who, Chimera) and my move onto this genre was with a crime/horror fusion novel called Valley of Lights. After that I—unconsciously—refined my act toward straight crime thrillers with an edge of something brought in from…
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