Interview with Eric S. Brown By David Kempf

Eric S. Brown is the author of numerous books including the Bigfoot War series, the "A Pack of Wolves" series, War of the Worlds Plus Blood Guts and Zombies, Season of Rot, and far too many more to list here. He has also done novelizations of films like Boggy Creek: The Legend is True and The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot. He lives in North Carolina with his family where he continues to write tales of blazing guns, the hungry dead, and the things that lurk in the woods. We want to thank Eric for taking the time out of his busy schedule to talk to Masters of Horror U.K. And we want to congratulate him on the Bigfoot Wars movie based upon his book.


Interview with Eric S. Brown By David Kempf

Tell us why you became so interested in the Bigfoot legend?

ESB:  I had written zombie fiction for years and had a lot of success with books like Season of Rot (Permuted Press) and War of the Worlds Plus Blood Guts and Zombies (Simon and Schuster).  Truth be told, I had become burnt out on zombies back then and wanted to do a new kind of apocalypse book.  Having grown up in rural North Carolina, Bigfoot had terrified me as a child and as a horror fan, I had always wanted to see a Bigfoot book/film that featured more than just one or two monsters.  I was under contract to do three zombie books for a publisher at that point so I pitched them the concept of the “Sasquatch Apocalypse” instead.  Surprisingly, they decided to take a chance on it.  The original Bigfoot War book was so insanely successful for a small press book that it not only became a series with nine books to date but it also recently became a feature film from Origin Releasing (staring C. Thomas Howell and Judd Nelson) that is set for a 2014 release.


How did you become interested horror?

ESB: I pretty much came out of the womb a comic book geek.  As I, literally, went to the comic shop every day of the week (except Sunday because they were closed), I discovered Fangoria and was reading it too by the time I started school.  That really freaked my teachers out as you can imagine. I started watching horror films  not long thereafter.  Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, from the very first time I saw them, cemented my lifelong relationship with the horror genre.  I fell in love with the apocalypse and have been in love with it ever since.


How many Bigfoot books have you written and which one are you most proud of?

ESB:  A lot.  I am most proud of the original Bigfoot War book because it was a rather unique concept at the time it came out.  That said, Planet Sasquatch: Retaliation, one of the later Bigfoot War books in the series, was the most fun to write.  It blends my love of Military SF with Bigfoot horror as an entire battlegroup of Colonial Marines find themselves engaged against a planet full killer Sasquatch.  


How does writing about Bigfoot compare to creating zombie and werewolf characters in your other books?

ESB:  My werewolves are actually heroes.  My “A Pack of Wolves” trilogy features them as Old West gunfighters and mercs who just happen to be werewolves as well.  Those books are like a little bit of the X-men, The Young Guns, and Dog Soldiers all tossed together to make for a very different horror read.  My zombies are all over the place from traditional ones like those in War of the World Plus Blood Guts and Zombies to the fast movers of my end of the world collection Snarlers to the intelligent, cunning flesh eaters featured in Season of Rot and its sequel books Ragnarok Island and Undead Down Under.  Bigfoot, for me, is always the same.  He/They are massive, powerful, truly scary monsters that you never, ever want to come up against.  


Tell us about how the film adaptation of your Bigfoot books is coming along. 

ESB:  The Bigfoot War film was shot in the fall of 2013.  C. Thomas Howell, Judd Nelson, Holt Boggs, and too many others to name breathed life into my book.  It's in post-production now according to Origin Releasing and should be out sometime in 2014.  Needless to say, I am greatly looking forward to it.


Tell us about your earliest inspirations.

ESB:  Really the main inspiration for my whole career as a writer comes from my favorite author David Drake.  I learned to write from reading his Hammer's Slammers series.  Even today, every time I got back and read his early horror from before he was the king of Military SF, I learn something.  I have a massive collection of his work including numerous personally signed to me books.  This year I even tracked down a copy of Dave's first ever published story in a hardcover anthology and got him to sign it for me.  There are really no words to express how awesome it is to grow up to have your childhood hero not only talk with you as a peer but also blurbed your first ever Military SF novel's cover.  That novel is called Homeworld for those interested and my agent is shopping around its sequel (The Hand of God) as I type this.


Do you see a conflict between writing horror fiction and your own religious beliefs?

ESB:  It's true, I am a Christian.  For me, there is not really a conflict however.  My work doesn't have curse words flying all over the place, the Lord's name in vain, or over the top sex scenes anymore but it's still packed with gore, action, and fun.  I put fun above all else.  If you're looking to escape into some intense survival horror and lose yourself in the apocalypse for a while then odds are you will enjoy my work.


What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as a writer so far?

ESB:  That's a tough one.  Having Simon and Schuster come to me and asked for the reprints to War of the Worlds Plus Blood Guts and Zombies was huge.  I actually had to get an agent to handle the deal as I didn't have one at that time.  But then selling the film rights to Bigfoot War was huge too.  Personally though, my childhood hero David Drake signing off on Homeworld as a good book with a blurb of praise for its cover might be the greatest thing to happen to me yet as a writer.


Name some of your favorite horror books. 

ESB:  I don't actually read a lot of horror these days.  I am more of a Military SF/Comic book geek.  As a kid though, the works of H.P. Lovecraft, The Keep by F. Paul Wilson, and Dead in the West by Joe R. Lansdale were likely my favorites.


Name some of your favorite horror films. 

ESB:  Now that's an easy one.  Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead (both versions) are way up there for me.  I am also a fan of films like Dog Soldiers, Phantasm, and C.H.U.D.  I'd love to see a well done, over the top, modern remake of C.H.U.D. Someday.


Why do you think horror movies and books remain popular?

ESB: Folks like to be scared.  That's the simple answer.  One could also add that apocalytic fiction in terms of zombies and such is a great escape from the real apocalytic type news that's on TV every evening.  Zombies are much more fun and more easier to deal with.


What are your latest projects?

ESB:  Currently, I just finished a Yeti book (in conjunction with Great Lake Films) and am at work on a new zombie novella that I aim to be my best since The Weaponer was released.  Great Old Ones' Publishing is also in the process of re-releasing my World War II zombie apocalypse/superhero novel- World War of the Dead.


What advice can you give to new writers seeking publication? 

ESB: Write something everyday even if you end up throwing it away.  Don't let friends, writers' groups, etc read it.  Send it to folks who can actually publish it when you're done.  And above all, if you really want to be a writer, don't give up.  Writing is a long, hard road and determination is as important as talent and luck.


Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work.

ESB:  I am a lifelong comic book geek.  I can talk your ears off about The Flash, Wonder Woman, The Fantastic Four, The Micronauts, or just about any other comic book you're willing to listen to me rave about.  I actually own an eighteen inch Gipsy Danger figure from Pacific Rim and love that movie.  I love Star Trek and science.  My library is full of Military SF and horror books.  As to my work, I put fun first and foremost in everything I do.  If I don't have fun writing it, odds are you won't have fun reading it.  I strive for high octane action mixed with gore and “never see it coming” twists.



Bigfoot War: Movie Edition Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Bigfoot-War-Eric-S-Brown/dp/1925047458

Other Books by Eric S. Brown
http://www.amazon.com/Eric-S.-Brown/e/B004G6XP7E/

Other Links
http://www.horror-movies.ca/2014/03/official-teaser-trailer-poster-bigfoot-wars/

Full Movie (USA Only) - The Phantom Speaks (1945) - From The Paramount Vault

The killer is dead, but definitely not gone…

The spirit of an executed murderer enters the body of a physician, and forces him to do its bidding--namely, murder.

TV News: Pan’s Labyrinth receives Horror Channel premiere

Sat 19 April @ 21:00 – PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006) *Network Premiere

Set in 1944, at the end of the Spanish Civil War, Carmen (Ariadna Gil) moves with her young daughter Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) into the country after remarrying brutal Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Finding her harsh new life hard to bear, Ofelia seeks refuge in a mysterious maze next to the house. There a magical faun (Hellboy’s Doug Jones) reveals she is the long lost princess of an enchanted kingdom and to discover the truth about herself she must accomplish three perilous tasks nothing has prepared her to face. These mirror her soul-destroying existence helping her cope with the perversions of innocence Fascism represents in this ravishingly presented pitch-black fable for adults.

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138

www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

TV News: Tom Baker welcomes Doctor Who on Horror Channel - #WHOonHorror

Tom Baker says he’s thrilled that the classic Doctor Who series is to be screened on the Horror Channel.

“Horror is my very favourite genre,” he said today, “so I am thrilled the classic Doctor Who series have been picked up by the Horror Channel.
There was clearly a darker edge to my storylines, which I think brought a new dimension to the series.  I remember hearing of the series scaring children – I wonder how the audience will react to the series today, all grown up.

He added: “The Horror of Fang Rock’ is one of my favourite stories so I’m looking forward to that one!"

Horror Channel has completed a deal with BBC Worldwide to broadcast 30 stories from the Classic series which ran 1963 to 1989 featuring the first seven Doctors, starting with William Hartnell and concluding with Sylvester McCoy.

Launching on Fri 18 April (Good Friday) the season begins with the very first story ‘An Unearthly Child’, and then leads into a special WHO ON HORROR weekend - a classic marathon featuring one story from each of the Doctors across the Easter weekend.  There will then be weekday double-bills in daytime and evening slots with stories shown in chronological order starting on Easter Mon 21 April.


www.horrorchannel.co.uk  | twitter.com/horror_channel | #WHOonHorror

Interview with Leslie S. Klinger by David Kempf

Bio: Leslie S. Klinger is considered to be one of the world’s foremost authorities on those twin icons of the Victorian era, Sherlock Holmes and Dracula. He is the editor of the three-volume collection of the short stories and novels, The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, published by W. W. Norton in 2004 and 2005, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Critical/Biographical Work and nominated for every other major award in the mystery genre. He is also the editor of The New Annotated Dracula (W.W. Norton 2008), which possesses a similar in-depth examination of Bram Stoker’s haunting classic and its historical context. When I was a student at Millersville University, I won an award for my paper on Dracula at The Student Research Conference. Years later, I never dreamed there could be such a definitive addition of the text of what is arguably the world's greatest horror novel. Leslie Klinger has given this to the world. We thank him for that and Masters of Horror U.K. thanks him for the time he took for this interview.

Interview by David Kempf

Tell us why you became so interested in Sherlock Holmes and Dracula.

When I was in law school, I received a gift of “The Annotated Sherlock Holmes” by William S. Baring-Gould. I was hooked! I was fascinated by the footnotes—by the discovery that there was a community of scholars interested in the Victorian age and Holmes in particular. Earlier, in college, I had read “Dracula” and loved it, but it didn’t really connect until I read Leonard Wolf’s “Annotated Dracula” in the 1970’s. These two editors showed me how much depth there was to be plumbed in these classic works.


How did you become interested in the scholarly side of gothic horror literature?

I always fantasized that someday, I might be the one who would update Baring-Gould’s work. I began to play around with it in the mid-1990’s, and after a year or two, I was mesmerized by the wealth of material to be explored. The 19th century is now so remote from us that it requires explanation. Detective and horror fiction of that time accurately mirrors the age, and so it is worth studying in detail.


Are you satisfied with the amount of literary academic research you have done?

There’s never enough time to do as much research as one would like. “Research rapture” is a common ailment of scholars. At some point, you have to stop the research and begin the communicating. Satisfied? Never!


Have you ever written any original short stories or fiction novels of your own?

I have one short story (Sherlockian) published; I tried my hand at a novel (hard-core s-f meets Victorian flavor), but it needs a lot of editing to be marketable. Fiction is hard work!


Tell us about your earliest inspirations.

Baring-Gould and Wolf have already been mentioned. Another important influence is my “day job”—as a lawyer, I’m always marshalling the “evidence” to buttress my analysis of the “facts.” My best training for being a lawyer was my degree in English literature (which taught me to look for underlying themes and to write about them). My best training for being an annotator was my law degree, which taught me to observe very carefully and examine every aspect of the material.


What is it like to be a technical advisor on both Sherlock Holmes movies?

.As a technical advisor, you win some and lose some. Sometimes, the purity of the text needs to yield to what’s entertaining and, of course, to the producer’s vision of the film. I had plenty of victories, where I was able to convince the producers to hew closer to the original material, and the losses were all in the interest of enthralling the audience! One of my biggest thrills was to be allowed to write Holmes’s epitaph (for “Game of Shadows”): “He played the game for the game’s own sake.” It’s right there on the screen!


Were you disappointed in Holmes surviving what should have been a last fatal encounter with Processor Moriarty in the sequel?

It was no spoiler to discover that Holmes survived; anyone who had read “The Adventure of the Empty House” knew that. I thought that the film should have left Holmes’s survival ambiguous (though readers knew he was alive), rather than make it explicit, but this was an artistic judgment that was ultimately up to the producer and director. Holmes never died and so will never die!


Do you consider yourself a mentor to other artists or academics?
Tell us about your daily (or nightly) working routine.

I lecture frequently on Holmes and Dracula, to readers and writers alike. My mentoring efforts have been primarily to share my legal knowledge with other creators—to educate them about contracts and copyrights. My principal mantra as a teacher is “Find what you’re passionate about and write about it!”


What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as a writer so far?

I was deeply honored to receive the Edgar® for my New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories. I always explain, however, that I stood on the shoulders of Baring-Gould’s work. I had three great advantages over Baring-Gould: (1) The Internet and its amazing depth of Victorian works (in GoogleBooks and elsewhere); (2) the Ronald B. De Waal bibliography of all things Sherlock Holmes (over 25,000 entries), published after Baring-Gould’s death; and (c) I got to start with the work of Baring-Gould! I spent 37 years reading about Holmes, and it was an incredible opportunity to be allowed to distill that reading into 3,000 footnotes! I’m immensely proud of every one of my books. A great highlight of my writing career was the amazing opportunity to study the manuscript of Dracula, owned by Paul Allen and seen (by 2007) by only one other scholar, who wrote nothing about it.


Name some of your favorite horror books.

Obviously, Dracula, Frankenstein, the work of H. G. Wells, the work of E. A. Poe, and especially the work of Kafka and E.T.A. Hoffmann.


Name some of your favorite horror films. 

Dracula: Dead and Loving It; Young Frankenstein. Seriously, the scariest movie I ever saw? John Frankenheimer’s Seconds, starring Rock Hudson.


Why do you think horror movies and books remain popular?

Reading and seeing horror stories gives us a chance to practice dealing with the horrors of daily life and exercise our control. With books and films, we can always shut the covers, close our eyes. We’d like to do that in real life too—that’s why films and books are so appealing!


Why do you think Shelley’s Frankenstein and Stoker’s Dracula have influenced society and writers so much?

The answer is obvious: Science fiction and horror fiction would not exist without those predecessors. They created the molds for virtually everything that followed. The mad scientist, science gone wrong, the invasion of the unknown, the plight of the innocent unaware of the strengths of their enemies—all of these are tropes from those brilliant books.


How did you feel when you won the Edgar Award?

I knew that the Sherlockian community would embrace the New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, but it was a shock and delight to learn that the mystery genre in general respected the material and my work. When I walked up on the stage to accept the award, all I could think was, “My god! That’s Lawrence Bloch handing me the award!” I was and still am deeply deeply honored to be part of the tradition of winners of the Edgars®.


What are your latest projects?

Neil Gaiman and I are finishing up Annotated Sandman (vols. 3 and 4 will be out soon); New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft  will be out from Liveright in October 2014, and there’s proofing the galleys to be done. Laurie R. King and I are finishing up In the Company of Sherlock Holmes, another anthology of amazing stories by major writers not normally associated with Holmes. And I’ve just started working on my next book for Liveright, The New Annotated Frankenstein, to be published in Oct. 2017, just in time for the 200th anniversary of the book.


What advice can you give to new writers seeking publication? 

Figure out what you’re passionate about and stick to it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t write. All they can really tell you is that they don’t like your writing or they don’t want to publish it. If you’re doing your best—really, your best—then stick to it.


Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work.

I’m a lawyer by day who found that he was passionate about writing. The skills came from the day job, but the passion came from my outside interests. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have a totally supportive wife and family, and I’m lucky enough to have the economic freedom to write about what I care about, not what will sell well. Of course, publishers always want books that the public will buy, and that’s not so bad. I keep wondering whether I’ll live long enough to write all the books that I want to write—probably not, but I have no problem that when the Reaper comes a-calling, I’ll be saying, “Wait, I just need a little more time to finish my next few books!”

You can check out Leslie's website at
http://lesliesklinger.com

The Walking Dead 4x12 Promo "Still" (HD)

The Walking Dead 4x12 "Still" - An enlightened mission springs from a request from one of the group members.

The Walking Dead 4x11 Promo "Claimed" (HD)

The Walking Dead 4x11 "Claimed" - A number of immediate threats plague Rick. Group members deal with their past.

TV News (UK): Horror Channel strikes blow with more Hammer double-bills

Plus Adam Green’s HATCHET 2 makes Network premiere cut

Voluptuous vampire vixens, undead slaves, cobra-women, grisly murders and creepy aliens.  Yes, Hammer heaven continues throughout March as the UK’s number one TV destination for all things horror brings you five more Hammer horror double-bills, which broadcast from Sat Mar 1 – Sat Mar 29 from 9.00pm.

Sat 1 March @ 21:00 – THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES (1966)

Directed by John Gilling, this is Hammer’s sole foray into the Zombie genre and centres on a mad Cornish squire who solves a labour crisis in his tin mines by turning local villagers into voodoo-controlled zombies. Dr. Thompson (Brook Williams) and his daughter Alice (Jacqueline Pearce) soon discover the unpleasant nocturnal habits of the shambling undead slaves, and Sir James Forbes (André Morell) arrives to investigate.

Sat 1 March  @  22:45 – CAPTAIN KRONOS – VAMPIRE HUNTER (1974)

Considered one of the last great Hammer films, this swash-buckling vampire yarn, features a master swordsman, a former soldier and his hunchbacked assistant who hunt vampires, became a cult classic. Written and directed by Brian Clemens, it stars Horst Janson in the title role, along with John Carson, Shane Briant and Caroline Munro. It was originally the pilot for a planned television series.

Sat 8 March @ 21.00 – THE REPTILE (1966)

Directed by John Gilling. the story centres on the hostile Dr. Franklin (Noel Willman), who hides in a mansion in Cornwall with his frightened daughter Anna (Jacqueline Pearce). Unknown to his neighbours, Franklin had been investigating a secret tribe of snake-people on his last trip to Borneo, and they reacted to his intrusion by making Anna one of them. As a result, she turns into a hideous cobra-woman every winter
.

Sat 8 March @ 22.45 – QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1967)

Based on the BBC serial of the same name, and directed by  Roy Ward Baker, this science-fiction horror stars Andrew Keir as Professor Bernard Quatermass, who discovers an ancient Martian spacecraft in the London Underground.  The spacecraft has an intelligence of its own and once uncovered begins to exert a malign influence on the human psyche. Mayhem breaks out on the streets of London as the alien force grows in strength

Sat 15 March @21:00 – THE WITCHES (1966)

A schoolteacher, Gwen Mayfield, (Joan Fontaine) has a nervous breakdown after being exposed to witchcraft while teaching as a missionary in Africa. In an effort to recover, she becomes head teacher of a small private school in a rural English village. But Gwen soon detects a sinister undercurrent beneath the pleasantries of village life and discovers an active voodoo cult preying on a 14 year-old girl…

Sat 15 March @  22:45 – DEMONS OF THE MIND (1972)

Baron Zorn (Robert Hardy) keeps his two incestuous grown-up children locked up and separated, afraid that they will go mad – a fate that beset his deceased wife. He invites a doctor of dubious reputation (Patrick Magee) to supervise his son and daughter’s mental health. Meanwhile, in the vicinity of the house, grisly murders are happening...Directed by Peter Sykes, the film is based on the life of Franz Mesmer.

Sat 22 Feb @ 21:00 – DR. JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE (1971)

Dr Martine Beswick brings a chilling conviction to the spidery Sister Hyde. Directed by Roy Ward Baker and co-starring Ralph Bates, the film is seen as Hammer’s most successful attempt to combine gore and eroticism, taking advantage of the newly allowed freedom by censors. Beswick was a favourite of the film director Terence Young who cast her in two Bond films. A remake of the film is reportedly under consideration.


Sat 22 March @ 22:55 – LUST FOR A VAMPIRE (1971)

Yutte Stensgaard only appeared in one Hammer film but made quite an impression with male viewers as the predatory Mircalla who, as a member of the Karnstein Vampire Dynasty, bites her way through the pupils of a ladies finishing school. Directed by Jimmy Sangier and also starring Ralph Bates, Barbara Jefford and Suzanne Leigh, the film has developed a huge cult following around the world.

Sat 29 March @ 21.00 – THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN (1970)

Academically gifted but arrogant and amoral, Victor Frankenstein (Ralph Bates) will stop at nothing, not even patricide, to achieve his goal of recreating human life. He builds a man monster (played by David Browse) made up of a collection of spare body parts but when his handiwork turns out to have homicidal tendencies, he is happy to use this to his own ends rather than realise he has gone too far.

Sat 29 March @ 22:50 – RASPUTIN: THE MAD MONK (1966)

Thrown out of his monastery for licentious and drunken behaviour, Rasputin (played by Christopher Lee), travels to St Petersburg to try his luck. Through a dalliance with one of the czarina's ladies in waiting he soon gains influence at court with his powers of healing and of hypnotism. But he also makes enemies who wish to see him dead. Directed by Don Sharp, the film is only loosely based on historical fact. .


OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Fri 28 March @ 22:50 – HATCHET 2 (2010) – Network Premiere

Adam Green’s sequel picks up right where the splatter-tastic original ended, Marybeth (Danielle Harris) escapes the clutches of the deformed, swamp-dwelling iconic killer Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder). After learning the truth about her family’s connection to the hatchet-wielding madman, Marybeth returns to the Louisiana swamps along with an army of hunters to recover the bodies of her family and exact the bloodiest revenge against the bayou butcher. Also stars Tony Todd and Tom Holland.


TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

Machete Kills Trailer and Information

In MACHETE KILLS, Danny Trejo returns as ex-Federale agent MACHETE, who is recruited by the President of the United States for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man - he must take down a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war and anarchy across the planet.

The Walking Dead - Season 4 Unanswered Questions

Spoiler Alert! Chris and Roth talk about the lingering questions heading into Walking Dead's Season 4 return. Warning! Comics are discussed!