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Book Review: We Don’t Go Back: A Watcher’s Guide to Folk Horror by Howard David Ingham, illustrated by Steven Horry

We Don’t Go Back: A Watcher’s Guide to Folk Horror by Howard David Ingham, illustrated by Steven Horry

Room 207 Press, 2018

ISBN: 9781722748814

Available: Kindle, paperback

Full disclosure: We Don’t Go Back: A Watcher’s Guide to Folk Horror is Ingham’s authoritative (although he would probably cringe at me using that term) look at folk horror. Pagan conspiracies, witchfinders, dark fairy tales, and cult activity are only a few of the themes of the movies he presents.

Ingham lays out some guidelines to how he wrote this book. Entries are arranged by theme and not chronologically. He states that this is not meant to be used as a reference book, and there are plenty of spoilers throughout. The author uses various icons, designed and illustrated by Steven Horry, to indicate specific information for readers (a bony thumbs up indicates he enjoyed the film, a bloody knife indicates gore, a stop sign warns readers of more sensitive material such as rape, abuse, etc.). Ingham specifies that he makes use of content warnings as a means to inform the viewer and help them make an informed decision before they watch a film. The author also provides a synopsis of each film with autobiographical information, as a means to break down the piece at hand. Similar to Kier-La Janisse’s autobiographical topography, House of Psychotic Women, Ingham includes personal information in each section. So much content blended with the autobiographical information makes for a very long read, but also an interesting one. While he states in his introduction that his purpose is not to review the films, he does provide many of his personal opinions of the works discussed.

There are 16 total chapters in this book. Ingham covers folk horror from the Silent Era to modern film, and has an international scope. I won’t go into every chapter in this review, as it would be a weighty endeavor on both myself and the reader to parse out. However, I do have some favorite chapters. Ingham begins with what he calls “The Unholy Trinity (Plus One)”, which includes Curse of the Demon (based on an absolutely beautiful tale by M.R. James, whom the author discusses in multiple chapters), Witchfinder General (a favorite of mine, given that I adore Vincent Price), and The Wicker Man (starring another favourite of mine, Christopher Lee). The “plus one” Ingham includes in the chapter is Blood on Satan’s Claw, another film based on the work of M.R. James. In the second chapter, Ingham discusses folk horror on British television from the 1970s, such as Against the Crowd, selections from the Play for Today series (Robin Redbreast, Penda’s Fen, A Photograph, and Red Shift), Ghost Stories for Christmas, The Stone Tapes, and others. Particularly interesting in this chapter is the discussion of his own experience with class hierarchy and how he felt like an outsider.

For those of us who like our horror comedies (especially of the British variety), the author presents solid reasoning as to why shows like Dr. Terrible’s House of Horrible, The League of Gentlemen, Look Around You, and Detectorists belong firmly in the folk horror genre. If you haven’t seen Inside No. 9, developed by the creative team behind The League of Gentlemen, go check it out. You won’t be disappointed. The last chapter, “The Revived”, discusses films such as The Wicker Tree, Kill List, Sightseers, A Field in England, The Witch: A New England Folk Tale, and others that have been created in the last decade.

The author includes an extensive index of films referred to in the text, which makes my horror film must-see list much longer. If you are new to folk horror, or just want to brush up on your favorite horror subgenre, I recommend picking this book up. I think the major criticism I have with this book is (and again, I read the advanced readers’ copy so some of this may have been picked up upon final edits), there is an excessive use of “and” at the beginning of many sentences, and a few sections could use a tighter edit. Otherwise I think this is a solid addition to a horror film collection. Recommended.

Contains: a lot of spoilers

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Editor’s note: We Don’t Go Back: A Watcher’s Guide to Folk Horror is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction.

Posted on May 4, 2019 by , 1 comment

Graphic Novel Review: Abbott by Saladin Ahmed, art by Sami Kivela

Abbott by Saladin Ahmed, art by Sami Kivelä

BOOM! Studios, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1684152452

Available:  Paperback, Kindle, comiXology

Hugo Award-nominated novelist Saladin Ahmed gives us the story of journalist Elena Abbott, who is investigating police brutality and corruption in 1972 Detroit. There are crimes being committed by the very people sworn to protect and serve. Elena doesn’t shy away from controversy, and isn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers. One of her recent reports, however, has received the attention of some racist white men who own the paper, and she’s been ordered to work on other, less interesting, cases. Instead, she discovers supernatural forces controlled by a secret society made up of the city’s elite. However, these forces are not unknown to her. After all, her husband was taken by the shadowy Umbra. When she’s chased down by masked men and creatures that are stitched together from remains of animals and Black citizens, things get messier for our intrepid reporter.

Abbott doesn’t just face the Umbra (the raised and stitched creatures), and the dark society that cultivates them, but also racism, sexism, and, to some degree, homophobia, in this dark tale. Looking at other reviewers’ words to describe Abbott, one rings out clear: badass. She really is. She is the only Black reporter on staff at her paper, she loves her brandy, and smokes incessantly. While she exhibits a healthy fear of the shadows closing in on her, she never backs down in moments of stress, especially when it comes to her convictions. The social and historical commentary is important for us to read today. For the other strong readers out there, do yourself a favour and pick up Abbott. Ahmed pens an excellent story, and artist Sami Kivelä provides incredible illustrations. They make an excellent team for this book. I need to search out other work both of them have created. Highly recommended.

Contains: blood, gore, misogyny, police brutality, racism

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Editor’s note: Abbott is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel. 

Posted on May 2, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: The Moore House by Tony Tremblay

The Moore House by Tony Tremblay

Twisted Publishing, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1949140996

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

 

The haunted house tale is a tough one to take on as a writer. Not much can measure up to Shirley Jackson and Richard Matheson, although Mark C. Danielewski’s House of Leaves  had an original spin. In The Moore House, Tony Tremblay accomplishes the task of breathing new life into the trope, by doing what so many others fail to do: create memorable characters that rise above the expected to become something special.

Tremblay’s characters include three nuns and a priest, all of whom have taints on their persons that color them in multiple dimensions. The nuns have all been excommunicated and the priest battles his own demons. The four have been tasked with working in a paranormal investigative group that’s part of the Catholic Church as they hope to reconcile their sins.

The four have been assigned to check out The Moore House, a structure with a murderous past. The town of Goffstown, New Hampshire has been plagued by strange occurrences around this dwelling. They are instructed not to go inside, as their empath skills can be easily employed outside the walls, but the house has other plans.

What ensues is different than most haunted house novels. Like Hill House, the Moore House becomes a central character. To explain how would spoil the fun but the comparisons to The Exorcist are not far off here. The stories are not similar, but the ingredients will resonate with those fans of the great novels that preceded this one.

The bottom line is that The Moore House actually does terrify. Tremblay’s writing is unobtrusive and lean, allowing the characters and plot to breathe, move, and lull the reader into a sense of comfort, before crushing it. Recommended reading and well-deserving of its place on the final ballot for this year’s Stoker Awards.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Editor’s note: The Moore House is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Award in the category Superior Achievement in a First Novel. 

Posted on May 1, 2019 by , Reply
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