Issue 13 (January 1990)
82 Pages in total
Fear Fiction:
The Decoy – Guy N Smith – 3 Pages
The death toll at the Marine Parade had run into the dozens. The terror-stricken holidaymakers making an easy meal for the advancing army of giant crustaceans. After the crabs had left, the army had erected barricades along the shoreline. A token force of military personnel attempting to pacify public hysteria. Although in no way could this platoon of soldiers stand up against the crabs should they emerge once again. Dugan knew this. But here he was now, skulking in the shadows, staying out of sight from the military presence nearby. The military didn’t know how to take these crabs out. They’d been firing from an elevated position. Their bullets merely ricocheting off the crabs’ shells. But Dugan knew better. He had his trusty double-barrelled sixteen gauge ‘drilling’. A weapon that Dugan was confident would bring down one of the giant crabs when fired under the shell. That was his plan. Tonight, under the silvery moon, he’d take one down. And it looked like luck was already on Dugan’s side. Upon arriving at the shadowy shoreline he’d stumbled across the corpse of a young woman floating in the water. A sad sight to see, especially one so young. But Dugan knew the girl would be perfect for his plan. He’d lure a lone crab in with the promise of human flesh and then blow the beast to hell. He was confident his plan would work. After all, now he had the perfect decoy…
This is a good ‘un. It’s only short, but nevertheless Smith crams in everything we love about his Crabs stories. The setting is just post ‘Night Of The Crabs’ (1976), with the military still reeling from the crabs’ onslaught at Barmouth. The perfect setting for a hunter-cum-vigilante, wanting his own revenge on the crabs (along with a trophy). Smith sets the backdrop perfectly. The Barmouth shoreline feels instantly intimidating under the darkened night sky. The atmosphere is thick with suspense. As I said, it’s absolute textbook Smith. Of course it doesn’t all go to plan for Dugan. I’m not going to ruin the story for you, but suffice to say, Smith’s got a damn fine twist up his sleeve. Altogether, a thoroughly entertaining read.
Carlisle Hunter – Nicola Germain – 3 Pages
[DLS Review to come]
State Of The Art – Ian Harding – 10 Pages
[DLS Review to come]
Simulator – Paul Dennis – 4 Pages
[DLS Review to come]
Coup De Grace – Kirk S King – 2 Pages
[DLS Review to come]
One Of The Gang – Paul Mills – 2 Pages
[DLS Review to come]
The Iron Ground – James M Anderton – 4 Pages
[DLS Review to come]
Clancy – Martin Cook – 2 Pages
[DLS Review to come]
Pro-Files:
Robert Bloch – Bloch Of Prose – 3 Pages
“Splatterpunk and slasher films debase the art of true horror, says Robert Bloch, author of the classic Psycho. He talks to FEAR’s Stanley Wiater.”
Richard P Rubinstein – The Stand...At Last? – 4 Pages
“The novels of Stephen King have not always translated happily to the big screen. However, Richard P Rubinstein, President of US film production company Laurel Entertainment, is determined to make chart-topping films out of King novels. And, as he tells John Gilbert, commercial success need not necessarily entail a betrayal of the source material.”
Mark Morris – L’Enfant Terrible – 1 Page
“Still in his early twenties, Mark Morris is Britain’s youngest horror novelist. Despite several years on the dole, with little outside aid or money, he managed to sell his second novel, Toady to a hardback publisher and clinch a deal. Naturally, John Gilbert wanted to know how he did it.”
Amanda Donohoe - My Wicked Ways – 1 Page
“Whether she’s playing a castaway on a desert island, an erotic teacher of young girls or an ageless snake priestess, Amanda Donohoe has to know what she’ll get out of a role. On a brief respite from the fun of filming, she tells John Gilbert why she starred in Lair of the White Worm when, under other circumstances, she would not have touched the role of vampiric aristo Lady Sylvia with a barge-pole.”
The Fear Factor:
The Nightmare That Never Was – 1 Page
“As England awaits the release of A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Craig Spector tells Mark Salisbury about the script collaboration that was fated never to make it.”
Straight For The Jugular: Part Two – 2 Pages
“Just how do you transfer a film to comic book or vice versa? As Clive Barker tells FEAR’s Brigid Cherry in the concluding part of our foray into his comic book worlds – it ain’t easy.”
Move Mainline:
Nightbreed - Drawing On The Dark – 3 Pages
“The Nightbreed portfolio by Ralph McQuarrie.”
The Guardian - Roots – 3 Pages
“Matthew Costello reports on The Guardian, William Friedkin’s latest horror movie, in which a tree has landed a starring role.”
Book Reviews:
Cloudrock – Garry Kilworth
The Abandonati – Garry Kilworth
The Hollow Of The Deep-Sea Wave – Garry Kilworth
The Child Garden – Geoff Ryman
Nemesis – Isaac Asimov
Frontiers Of Reality – Hilary Evan
Legendary Britain – Bob Stewart & John Matthews
The Demon Lover – Dion Fortune
The Sea Priestess – Dion Fortune
The Slime Beast – Guy N Smith
The Pillars Of Eternity, The Garments Of Caen – Barrington J Bayley
Wild Cards Volumes One And Two – George R R Martin
The Camp – Guy N Smith
The Long Habit Of Living – Joe Haldeman
Mission Earth 4: An Alien Affair – L Ron Hubbard
Golem 100 – Alfred Bester
Weapon – Robert Mason
Childe Rolande – Samantha Lee
Steel Ghost – Chris Hockley
The Face Of Fear – Dean R Koontz
The Tales Of Alvin Maker 3: Prentice Alvin - Orson Scott Card
The Heirs Of St Camber 1: The Harrowing Of Gwynedd – Katherine Kurtz
Out Of This World: Mysteries Of Mind, Space And Time – Peter Brookesmith
Film Reviews:
Phantom Of The Opera - Directed by Dwight H Little
Shocker - Directed by Wes Craven
Regenerator - Directed by G L Eastman
The Stick - Directed by Darrell Roodt
The Edge Of Terror - Directed by Nico Mastorakis
Amsterdamned - Directed by Dick Maas
Hellgate - Directed by William A Levy
The House Of Usher - Directed by Alan Birkinshaw
Buried Alive - Directed by Gerard Kikoine
The Masque Of The Red Death - Directed by Alan Birkinshaw
