Supernatural Tales

R(ay) B Russell is best known in the world of publishing for co-founding Tartarus Press with his wife, Rosalie Parker. Recently both Ray and Rosalie have taken to writing as well as publishing fiction. It's an interesting variation on the usual pattern, whereby the writer moves into editing because it's steadier work. So far RBR has published three books - two collections and one novella. The second collection, Literary Remains , is just out from PS Publishing. And a remarkable read it is. While I'll have a longer review in ST18, it's worth noting that the stories are not conventional horror or ghostly tales. Instead they fall into a vaguely-defined territory between the supernatural, the psychological and the downright baffling. Influences? Well, Robert Aickman is in the mix insofar as dream logic seems to be at work in stories such as 'A Revelation', in which a council housing inspector finds something strange in an attic, then concludes he must have imagi...

Now here's an oddity. A film which has an American cast, setting and 'feel' about it, but which was in part sponsored by our own dear National Lottery. I'm glad to report that the money wasn't wasted, as Triangle is one of the better supernatural thriller/horror/mysteries I've seen in a good while. The Triangle of the title is a yacht that sets sail from Miami with half a dozen youngish folk on board - three male, three female. Of the latter one, Jes, seems a bit out of it. Not quite focused on the having fun at sea experience. And then all weirdness breaks loose in the form of a sudden calm, a strange distress signal, and a menacing storm that blows up out of nowhere. The Triangle capsizes and one of the women apparently drowns. The other five hang on to the upturned hull. Things do not look good. Cue the arrival of a big ocean liner, the Aeolus. The vessel slows down so the survivors can board. But why is there no-one on deck to greet them? Indeed, why doe...

Post-war (but only just) British spooky portmanteau with ghosts aplenty. If you haven't seen it, a. where have you been? and b. prepare yourself for the grand finale. The opening sequence is so nice and sunny. Cunning deception.

As the title so cunningly suggests, Bad Cinema Diary is a web site dedicated to movies that never won critical plaudits or awards, but have sometimes won the hearts of fans. It's a labour of love, with lots of fascinating reviews of movies I'll probably never see, plus quite a few I've seen more than once. It's set out as an e-book in a series of pdf files.  Here , for instance, are the pages dedicated to Hammer's Frankenstein movies.

Having just watched this I am again impressed with how much was done in those pre-CGI days. Script, direction, lighting. Pity Dana Andrews was semi-comatose for the shooting.

I'm closing ST to submissions until the New Year. I really do have a lot of stories to get through, and feel that I shouldn't be racking up issues two or three years ahead. Sorry and all that - but other magazines are available!

Hammer Films are to make a 3D movie of Susan Hill's novel. According to the press release: The Woman in Black 3D  is produced by Simon Oakes for Exclusive's Hammer Films label and Richard Jackson at Talisman Films. Exclusive's Nigel Sinclair and East are serving as Executive Producers, along with Roy Lee for Vertigo Entertainment ( The Ring ). Jane Goldman ( Kick-Ass ) is adapting the screenplay, based on Susan Hill's best-selling novel. Production is expected to begin in the Fall of 2010. The Woman in Black  follows a young lawyer, Arthur Kipps, who is ordered to travel to a remote village and sort out a recently deceased client's papers. As he works alone in the client's isolated house, Kipps begins to uncover tragic secrets, and his unease grows when he glimpses a mysterious woman dressed only in black.