Volume 2 Issue 2
August 1990
63 Pages
Crewcifiction:
Soft Centre – Shaun Hutson – 3 Pages
James Reece is an advertisement copywriter for the largest confectionary firm in the country. However, with just two weeks to go before Easter, a new competitor has unexpectedly shown up on the market, dominating the confectionary sells of Easter Eggs. As if from out of nowhere, Endless Eggs suddenly started springing up in all the retail shops; their soft centre chocolate eggs flying off the shelves. Their advertising shoutline “You’ll never taste anything like it again” has an unnerving truth to it. Even Reece had to admit that Endless Eggs had produced one delicious and incredibly soft-centred egg. And so he had been sent to investigate the manufacturers. However, no one seems to know where the factory is located. After snooping around in a deliveryman’s lorry, he eventually finds the location of their warehouse. But inside the bizarrely located building is a horrific secret that will send him teetering on the brink of insanity...
From the outset, Hutson weaves an intriguing and entertaining tale, mixing in an air of mystery with an underlying speculation of the obscene. Indeed, true to its form, the storyline builds up its suspense until the truly revolting unveiling of the origins of the eggs is uncovered. Not entirely unpredictable in its conclusion, Hutson still manages to pull off a well-crafted short by cranking up the repulsion factor whilst maintaining a fast-paced short that doesn’t dally-around on its way to the ultimate conclusion. Altogether a well-written and entertaining short, delivering a truly splatterpunk finale to bring a smile to any good pulp horror enthusiast’s face.
The Beast In Beauty – Nicholas Vince – 6 Pages
Mikey finds himself wandering through the moonlit woods, searching for something. His mind ponders the reality of the situation, and as it does, music seems to awaken from out of the shadows. Mikey knows that he must see for himself the creator of this enchanting sound. However, when Mikey is next seen, he is nothing more than the remains of a ferocious meal.
Sylvia Carrol is a beautiful model who is found suffering from shock in the very same woods. After some routine questioning from the police about her possible involvement with the murder of Mikey, she is allowed to go free. But she is drawn to return to the woods once again. And the music maker is waiting in the shadows...
Germany born Nicholas Vince,who incidently played the Chatterer Cenobite in Clive Barker’s classic movie ‘Hellraiser’(1987), has penned a remarkably atmospheric and enchanting tale inspired from British illustrator & artist, John Bolton’s, 1990 painting also entitled ‘The Beast In Beauty’. Vince’s prose throughout the short is poetic as well as illusive towards the actual storytelling. The beginning passage in particular is more like an elaborate poem than the introductory passage to a piece of fiction. Amongst the fluid vocabulary can be deciphered a strangely dreamlike story that bounds through the few pages with a warming touch of an age-told enchanted tale. The conclusion is as questioning as the rest of the short. Indeed, the quiet premise simply sneaks up on the reader, until it is realised and then gone. Altogether a mysterious and atmospheric tale told with the prose of an age-old poet.
Main Body:
Alien – Deadcrewcial – 1 Page
“Brian Blessed is well-known for his roles in such movies as Flash Gordon and Henty V and work in TV (The Blackadder, Z Cars, The Sweeney etc.). Here he tackles a cinematic classic, Ridley Scott’s Alien.”
Stephen Harris – A Clown Like Harris – 2 Pages
“This month, Davies Hughes’ At Home With series visits Stephen Harris, whose first novel, Adventureland, has just been published.”
James Cameron – Loving The Alien – 5 Pages
“Philip Nutman, a regular interviewer for Skeleton Crew, talked to Aliens and Abyss director James Cameron during pre-production for The Terminator 2.”
Aliens Comics – Aliens Ate My Comic – 3 Pages
“Nick Gillott has not produced a number of television series for ITV, including the TV adaptation of Stephen Gallagher’s novel Chimera. Well, Nick Gillott has, but not this Nick Gillott. He does know a bit about comics though.”
Limited Editions: A Warning – Cold Storage – 2 Pages
“Seamus A Ryan, whose photographs are scattered throughout this magazine and others on both sides of the Atlantic, takes a look at one of the most popular areas of book collecting: limited editions.”
Dicing With Death:
2: Hatching Plots – 2 Pages
“Lee Brimmicombe-Wood has never lived up to his name. Artist, writer and leading brand cough syrup, he was once described by Alan Moore as ‘that bloke over there with the funny hat’.”
Book Reviews:
Lord Horror – David Britton
Nightbreed: The Making Of The Film – Clive Barker, Mark Salisbury & John Gilbert
Goat Dance – Douglas Clegg
Skin Of The Soul – Lisa Turtle
Comic Reviews:
Hellblazer: Volume Four – Jamie Delano
V For Vendetta – Alan Moore & David Lloyd
Revolver: Issue 1 – Peter K Hogan
Film Reviews:
Robocop 2 – Directed by Irvin Kershner
Gremlins 2 – Directed by Joe Dante
Nightbreed – Directed by Clive Barker
Total Recall – Directed by Paul Verhoeven
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ VARIOUS NON-FICTION
