140 pages, Spectral Press
Interview by Hereward L.M. Proops
Halloween 1992 was, without a doubt, the
scariest Halloween on record in Britain. That night, the BBC broadcast
“Ghostwatch” and effectively traumatised my whole generation. It was a
ninety-minute film that purported to be a live television broadcast from a
haunted house in London. Starring familiar television presenters instead of
actors, it was easy to believe that it was real life and not a scripted drama.
It was absolutely terrifying and the BBC was flooded with complaints (an
estimated 30,000 in the space of an hour). The tabloid newspapers went to town,
questions were raised in parliament and the BBC imposed a decade-long broadcast
ban on the show. The British Medical Journal recorded a number of cases of
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in young boys who watched the show. To date,
“Ghostwatch” has never been been repeated on British television. For those of
us who were lucky enough to see this wonderful piece of TV history, it is so
indelibly stamped in our minds and whenever the radiators start making a funny
noise, we soil ourselves and hide under the covers.
When I heard that Stephen Volk, the writer
of “Ghostwatch”, was releasing a novella, I was definitely interested. When I
learned that the novella was about Peter Cushing, one of my all-time favourite
actors, I was so excited that I did a little dance before going online and
pre-ordering a copy. When two horror heavy-weights come together in this way,
it's a big deal. The fact that one of them has been dead for nineteen years
makes this all the more exciting.
"Whitstable" is set in 1971, shortly after the
death of Cushing's wife, Helen. The grieving widower is approached by a young
boy who believes that the old man is Professor Van Helsing, the vampire hunter
he has seen on the cinema screen. Young Carl asks his hero to help him by
destroying his step-father who he believes is a vampire. He's not, of course. Carl's
step-father is a very different kind of monster, one who is all-too real.
You might have guessed that this is not a
traditional horror story. It would have been easy for Volk to construct a
semi-serious romp with Cushing battling supernatural fiends in the vein of Joe
R. Lansdale's Elvis in “Bubba Ho-tep”. Though it would have undoubtedly been
fun, it would not have done justice to the thoroughly committed actor Cushing.
Whatever role he was playing, regardless of the clunky dialogue or ridiculous
situations he was placed in, Cushing always played it straight-laced and with
utmost sincerity. This was his gift as an actor. He could bring gravity and
poise to the silliest of films. Volk has captured this aspect of Cushing's
character and exercises admirable restraint in telling his story. “Whitstable”
is about Peter Cushing the man, not Peter Cushing the screen icon. The author
sensitively recreates a painful period in the actor's life, using this to
springboard into a fictional story that does not require the readers to suspend
their disbelief.
Stephen Volk has clearly done his
research. His character of Peter Cushing is never less than totally believable.
Softly-spoken, charming and impeccably well-mannered, Volk's Cushing feels like
the genuine article. Cushing was very much a product of a bygone-era and Volk's
protagonist reacts as such when faced with the real-life cruelty and depravity
of Carl's step-father. This is, perhaps, the most interesting aspect of the
novella. At the time the story was set, the decline of Hammer studios had begun
and the lurid thrills of such old-school horror movies were about to be swept
away by the new-wave of horror with films such as “The Exorcist” and “The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre”. By setting his rigidly old-school protagonist against a
very modern kind of monster, Volk defies the expectations of the readers whilst
highlighting the changing face of horror. Beasties with fangs and men in rubber
suits just don't cut the mustard any more. One only has to glance at the
tabloid newspapers to see what really scares people these days... the
paedophile.
Volk's sinister step-father is a very
realistic and chillingly convincing villain. His denial of his terrible crimes
seems to echo the protestations of innocence that we hear from convicted
paedophiles on the news. His domineering, physical presence contrasts
wonderfully with the elderly, frail Cushing. There are a number of extremely
well-written exchanges between the protagonist and antagonist. This verbal sparring
is as exciting and dynamic as any scene from Cushing's younger days on the
silver screen. Indeed, the whole novel is so well-paced that it never feels
laboured, despite the elderly hero and the lack of traditional “action”.
“Whitstable” is a fantastic little book.
Intelligent and unsettling, touching and provocative, the novella manages to be
a very effective horror story without resorting to any hoary old clichés.
Written with genuine respect for his subject, Volk's novella will captivate
Cushing's fans. It is a million miles away from the bold shocks of “Ghostwatch”
but no less disturbing. Highly recommended.
“Whitstable” can be bought from Spectral
Press here: http://spectralpress.wordpress.com/
Stephen Volk's own website can be found
here: www.stephenvolk.net
Read the author interview here.
Hereward L.M. Proops
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