Yes, you read that right. Japanese horror author Koji Suzuki is printing his new novella on toilet paper (taking a stab at potty horror, following in the footsteps of Stephen King’s Dreamcatcher).
Suzuki’s new story is aptly titled Drop, and has the evil spirits inhabiting the…toilet. This bit from the Telegraph.co.uk:
(Suzuki’s) latest work is set in a public toilet and plays on Japanese superstitions that ghosts and evil spirits inhabit the smallest room in the house, which is why they were traditionally relegated to the most distant part of the home. Parents still tell naughty children that a hairy hand will seize them when they have their pants around their ankles if they misbehave and drag them down into the dark water below.
Ewww…
Suzuki’s other novels include Dark Water and Spiral.
So the question remains: on what kind of toilet paper will the story be printed? The same company who once printed TP with information on what to do in the event of a natural disaster — the Hayashi Paper Corporation. This time, in blue with the occasional bloody splatter.
I’ve been stupid busy with the new manuscript, so I apologize for being absent from the blog for too long. Still, that’s a good thing — seeing how much progress I’ve made over the last two weeks. But enough about my work.
I received an e-mail from one of my many mailing groups, that I thought worth passing on. A chance to get a signed copy from Borderland Press of Whitley Strieber’s superb vampire novel, The Hunger. If you’ve never had a chance to read this story, you need to. Streiber’s early work is truly fabulous, both The Hunger and The Wolfen stand as two of my all time faves. In fact, The Wolfen is one of the creepiest novels around.
There are 250 copies available. They are being sold at $50 plus shipping ($45 if pre-ordered). They’ll ship in June. You can find out more by calling Borderlands Press at 1.800.528.3310 or e-mail sales@borderlandspress.com. Signed and numbered, the sale is limited to 250 copies.
I guess directing Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons’s did something to the redhead. Now, Variety is reporting that Ron Howard is eying the directing duties for the as-yet unreleased H.P. Lovecraft comic The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft. Universal and Howard’s Imagine Entertainment have reportedly picked up the film rights to the mag, due in stores April 8th (Image Comics). This from Mania.com:
Mac Carter and Jeff Blitz created the comic, which integrates biographical elements of author H.P. Lovecraft’s life with elements of his horror novels, setting up Lovecraft to battle the very demons he wrote about, which are released from a cursed book. Carter, known for directing commercials, is set to write the script. Both he and Blitz will be executive producers. Howard and his Imagine partner Brian Grazer are producing. David Bernardi and Chris Wade are co-producing.
As you’ll read in any copy-and-pasted run through of this story, Lovecraft died in 1937 and is considered one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th century. Still, with all props to Howard it’s difficult to imagine Lovecraft getting the right treatment from the director. If the project goes through, here’s to hoping they get Lovecraft right.
You just have to love that headline from the Thursday edition of the Evening Bulletin, eh? Lol. Go read the book, you’ll understand what I mean. Yes, Lovecraft was the man of making things go bump in the night. Now is that the sounds of rats coming from my walls?
Following Stephen King, another Horror writer is skipping print and going Kindle only. At least as a short-story primer for a novel. In a nice bit of promotion, author Tom Upton is releasing a four-story Kindle download for under a buck, as a teaser for his upcoming horror novel. Here’s a bit on the deal, from PRlog.com:
Tom Upton, author of Just Plain Weird and Morning Doves, said there are no plans to release a hardcopy issue of “Four by Horror“. “‘Four by Horror’ is really just a sampler,” Upton explained. “I think it’s only fair to offer readers a low cost example of what I’m doing in the horror genre. As a reader, I’ve always hated paying a lot of money for a book only to discover that I didn’t particularly like the book for one reason or another.”
The idea is getting quick traction across the internet. The Kindle-only release is in advance of Upton’s new horror novel, Scarecrows, to be out in spring ‘09. According to PRlog, Four by Horror reached Amazon Kindle 17th in Short Stories sales, and 82nd in Horror.
Director Sam Raimi has been churning out great horror flicks since 1981’s Evil Dead (Did you know Raimi is buds with Ethan and Joel Coen, as well as Bruce Campbell?). After his success with Spider Man, Raimi is returning to his horror roots with the flick, Drag Me to Hell. Here’s the trailer:
Give the curse away? Kinda of like Stephen King’s (a.k.a Richard Bachman) Thinner, hmmm? Here’s a synopsis, from IGN.com.
Director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man trilogy, Evil Dead series) returns to the horror genre with Drag Me To Hell, an original tale of a young woman’s desperate quest to break an evil curse. Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, professor Clay Dalton (Justin Long). Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) arrives at the bank to beg for an extension on her home loan. Should Christine follow her instincts and give the old woman a break? Or should she deny the extension to impress her boss, Mr. Jacks (David Paymer), and get a leg-up on a promotion? Christine fatefully chooses the latter, shaming Mrs. Ganush and dispossessing her of her home. In retaliation, the old woman places the powerful curse of the Lamia on Christine, transforming her life into a living hell. Haunted by an evil spirit and misunderstood by a skeptical boyfriend, she seeks the aid of seer Rham Jas (Dileep Rao) to save her soul from eternal damnation. To help the shattered Christine return her life to normal, the psychic sets her on a frantic course to reverse the spell. As evil forces close in, Christine must face the unthinkable: how far will she go to break free of the curse?
Oh well, at one point in the trailer the Gypsy woman looks an awful lot like the bloated hag in Evil Dead 2. If you want more, here’s one review. Drag Me to Hell opens in theaters on May 29. Ropeofsilicon.com has photos here.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button had nine total nods, Iron Man had eight, Valkyrie seven and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as well as Changeling each had six nominations.
Up for Best Horror Film? The Happening, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Quarantine, Splinter and The Strangers. I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to imagine The Happening or The Mummy getting the nod (I must go rent Quarantine this weekend…).
Mind you, The Day The Earth Stood Still is up for Best Sci Fi flick.
The awards show will take place on June 25, at a site to be announced. You can read more about the awards and the Academy here.
The list could save you some time blind searching for horror, fantasy and scif fi twitters. John Joseph Adams is there, Cory Doctorow, as well as editors, columnists and the like. Even a few publishers. The list is worth a few minutes of perusing, to lengthen that list of following…
In addition, you will receive a general understanding of the state of modern publishing—that is where and to whom to submit your material, the real deal on editors and agents, the characteristics of the genres, the perception of the difference between mainstream and literary fiction, and even a few words on marketing and publicity. Have your questions ready. You will learn all the basic elements of writing and the processes needed to finish your manuscript and have it ready for submission to the market place. But more importantly you will get the much needed FEEDBACK that is often the missing factor which contributes to the success (or failure) of many writers. Each instructor has a specific area they will be emphasizing. If you’ve never experienced a piece of fiction deconstructed (especially your own) and analyzed in a high-intensity workshop setting, be prepared to learn things about you, your writing, and your ability to tell a good story.
The Boot Camp with run from January 29—31, 2010 at the Marriott Burkshire Hotel in Towson, MD. You can get more information here.
And if you’re in the mood for a quick short story on this wonderfully spooky day, you can always reread The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.
Oh, and did you know? This isn’t the only Friday the 13th this year. There are two more in 2009, one in March and November. That won’t happen again until 2015.
With so much media out there, you come across things in odd ways these days. I actually came across these Fear.net webisodes (they continue the wonderfully spooky 30 Days of Night’s franchise), from Hulu.com while I was looking for Pink Panther cartoons for my kid. I’ll post the first episode below. It’s rated TVMA:
You can watch all six episodes on Hulu, or Fear.net. Here’s the link to Sony Pictures’s 30 Days of Night flick. One of my all-time favorite vampire movies.
