Babel Clash

Hello all!

I love horror. No apologies, no excuses. I’ve loved the genre since I was only enough to have fun being scared (and I think I was still in Underoos at the time). I love when horror is get-the-defibrillator scary and I love horror when it’s bust-your-gut funny. I love it in print, I love it on the silver screen. I love it on TV, in comics, and just about any other way I can get it.

There are some works of horror that I return to over and over again. Like buying another ticket for that same rickety, scary, wonderful roller-coaster every summer. I wanted to share some of those with you. Landmark works of horror that left their claw-marks on me. Here are a few of my must-have horror books (with some comments on the movie adaptations). Read the list, and tell me what you think. If I missed one of your favorites, tell me about it so I can go check it out.

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson: This was the first truly frightening novel I read, and the original BW movie is still my pick for the scariest horror film ever made. It’s all about the suspense, not about what jumps out at you. The remake is to be avoided at all costs.

THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE by Richard Matheson: This was an attempt to modernize the Shirley Jackson model, and Matheson nails it. The novel is scary as hell, tapping into the early 1970s vibe still humming from ROSEMARY’S BABY, THE EXORCIST and THE AMITYVILLE HORROR. The movie is a wonderful adaptation of the novel and holds up pretty well all these years later.

THE MANITOU by Graham Masterton. Though a little dated (and very often copied) nowadays, this was a deeply disturbing novel with an unexpected theme. It has one of the most frightening descriptions of evil that I’ve ever read, and that has not diminished one bit. The movie is fun; the book is far superior. I also recommend DEVILS OF D-DAY and THE WELLS OF HELL.

GHOST STORY by Peter Straub. A true American gothic novel. This should be taught in creative writing and American literature programs. Lush, rococo, and finely crafted; with a killer opening line, a terrific set of villains, and overall superb character development. And though the movie changed several essential plot points, it is a nail-biter of a classic. Scary and sexy.

‘SALEM’S LOT by Stephen King. For me this is a perfect horror novel; superior in my view to THE SHINING. It has some of the most terrifying images—seen and alluded to, and King’s most powerful and effective descriptive language. The first TV miniseries adaptation was terrifying and, though dated, is definitely worth watching. This is one novel I return to every few years.

THE MIST by Stephen King. Though technically a blend of science fiction and Cthulhu-style fantasy, it is one of King’s masterpieces. My only complaints are that it was too short for my tastes, and he never wrote a sequel. Damn it. The movie was really good and had an even more powerful ending –one of which I thoroughly approve.

I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson: The first true blending of horror with science fiction, and a marvelous piece of social commentary. The essence of the novel’s plot —especially the biting ending—has yet to be translated into film. The Vincent Price version, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, took a stab at it, but the movie is stultifyingly boring. The Charlton Heston version, THE OMEGA MAN, is cheesy popcorn fun without depth; and though the first half of the Will Smith version had real promise, it veered away from Matheson’s key themes at the end. Oh, and Matheson gave me a signed copy of the book when I was fourteen.

THE RATS, LAIR and DOMAIN by James Herbert. I love this series so much Simple concept: very large, very cranky swarms of genetically modified rats. What’s not to like? Absolutely great storytelling with lean prose and a lightning pace. And…ewwww!

RATMAN’S NOTEBOOKS by Stephen Gilbert. This was the basis for the movie WILLARD (the original was pretty good) and BEN (don’t bother). It’s a psychological thriller about a disintegrating mind that is every bit as chilling as PSYCHO.

PSYCHO by Robert Bloch. Speaking of PSYCHO, the Robert Bloch novel is a lost classic. It informed a generation of slasher and serial killer novels by creating tropes which made other, lesser writers more famous. Bloch wrote it first and best…and he never strayed into cheap shots. The suspense is scream-inducing and the payoff is brilliant. Without this book we would never have had SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I had to slip this in because it is also an often-copied model in that it is a straight mystery told in the form of a horror novel. Often filmed to varying degrees of success, but always moody and interesting. My personal favorite is the Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee version, but there are many good ones. Read the book first.

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury. Before there was even a Young Adult genre in fiction, Bradbury crafted a perfect horror-fantasy in which an evil circus (Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show) comes to town. The same year Matheson gave me a copy of I AM LEGEND, Bradbury gave me a copy of this. I read a copy of this book every year on Halloween.

PHANTOMS by Dean R. Koontz. This is a science fiction novel written as a horror novel. Koontz was never better and few other writers are anywhere near as scary. This is a truly disturbing nail-biter of a read. The movie was okay, but this really needs a miniseries to explore its nuances.

MYSTERY WALK by Robert McCammon. This early novel of McCammon’s has gorgeous and unexpected imagery, including a description of the sound a haunted buzz-saw makes that will definitely stay with you. I came back to this after twenty years and it was every bit as good.

Those are a few of my must-haves.

So…what scares you?

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Jonathan Maberry is a NY Times bestselling author, multiple Bram Stoker Award winner, and Marvel Comics writer. His novels include the Pine Deep Trilogy –Ghost Road Blues, Dead Man’s Song and Bad Moon Rising; the Joe Ledger thriller series –Patient Zero, The Dragon Factory, The King of Plagues, and Assassin’s Code; the Benny Imura Young Adult dystopian series -Rot & Ruin, Dust & Decay, and Flesh & Bone; the film adaptation of The Wolfman and the standalone horror thriller –Dead of Night. His nonfiction books include the international bestseller Zombie CSU, The Cryptopedia, They Bite, Vampire Universe and Wanted Undead of Alive. He has sold over 1200 feature articles, thousands of columns, two plays, greeting cards, technical manuals, how-to books, and many short stories. His comics for Marvel include Marvel Universe vs the Wolverine, Marvel Universe vs the Punisher, DoomWar, Black Panther and Captain America: Hail Hydra. He is the founder of the Writers Coffeehouse and co-founder of The Liars Club; and is a frequent keynote speaker and guest of honor at conferences including BackSpace, Dragon*Con, ZombCon, PennWriters, The Write Stuff, Central Coast Writers, Necon, Killer Con, Liberty States, and many others. In 2004 Jonathan was inducted into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame, due in part to his extensive writing on martial arts and self-defense. Visit him online at www.jonathanmaberry.com, www.twitter.com/jonathanmaberry and www.facebook.com/jonathanmaberry

Based on what little of the new Holmes movie that we’ve seen in the trailer, it appears as if the supernatural plays some part.  Now, that may all turn out to be smoke & mirrors, but it does look to involve the occult in some way.  So, what’s your preference on the good doctor and the supernatural?  Do you prefer a game committed to deductive reasoning and cold, hard logic. or does a healthy dose of mysticism pose a suitable challenge for the genius detective?

John, after reading and editing so many Holmes stories, will you approach the movie with a different set of expectations?

Also, to all, feel free to jump over to the Borders Ink Facebook page and weigh in on which big December film you’re more excited to watch:  Sherlock Holmes or Avatar.

Here’s the link: Sherlock Holmes vs. Avatar on Facebook

Professor Moriarty

How quickly you’ve unveiled my master plan.  Little did you know that “Morgan” was a carefully crafted moniker to hide my true identity, that of Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmses’ arch-nemesis.  OK, I’ll cut the megalomaniacal laughter now.

Have you written any comic book anthologies?  I was very tempted to ask who’s the greatest of detectives, Sherlock Holmes or Batman?

So tell me more about these anthologies.  You assemble quite the rogue’s gallery for each one.  How do you pull together such a notable gang of contributors?

OK, so Sherlock Holmes has outwitted Gandalf.  Score one for the master detective.

Now he’s met his match.  For round 2:  “Who has more luck with the ladies, Sherlock Holmes or Captain Kirk?”

Welcome to John Joseph Adams.

In honor of his anthology, the Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and the new Holmes film opening Christmas Day, Babel Clash asks the hard questions.  We’ll begin with a real puzzler:  “Who’s smarter, Sherlock Holmes or Gandalf?”