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Aaron Dries: New Master of Horror

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If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for the next big voice in horror books.  Books have their own special power where horror is concerned.  Where a movie’s job is to show you, in graphic detail, the monster/killer that is after you.  With a book, the only limitation is your imagination, and the horror novelists job is to kick that imagination into high gear so that you are consumed with the world they have created.  I was recently introduced to the novels of Aaron Dries, and I tell you, this man is a master of that.

His novels are gritty, visceral experiences designed to prey on real world fears.  The only ghosts haunting his prose are those that haunt the memories of his characters.  The only demons are the ones embodied in the hatred and conniving of his antagonists.  I had the opportunity to chat with Aaron this week and our full interview is included below.  If you’ve never read his fiction before, I encourage you to take full advantage of the announcement at the end of the interview to get a jump start on experiencing his intense, claustrophobic trove of horrors.

Waylon @ iHorror:  I was first introduced to your work by Lisa Morton, President of the Horror Writers Association. A fellow writer and I approached her about finding some of the up and coming voices in horror and we are both interested in LGBT voices, as well. She immediately hit upon you. She told us about a panel she’d shared with you where you talked about some of your homophobic hate mail you had received due to some of your gay characters.  Is this something that happens often?

Aaron Dries:  It’s only ever happened in regards to one book, my first. House of Sighs. But interestingly, I received multiple pieces of hate mail in regards to it. It caught me extremely off guard. And the whole hate mail thing is weird, to me at least, simply because there’s no gay sex scenes in the book at all, which is something I would maybe understand prickling the skins of some. No. It was just really angry subtext. I think that made them even more angry. Also more so because the true nature of the book, which I guess does have an agenda (an anti-homophobia message, among other things) doesn’t emerge until later in the novel. So I kind of hoodwinked them, I guess.

Waylon:  I can’t imagine getting that kind of response to a debut novel. I suppose in one respect, you’ve hit a nerve and people are talking about your writing, but did it make you step back before beginning your next novel?

Aaron:  It didn’t make me step back. It just surprised me, and I guess in some way, kind of pleasantly. If I wanted to make people feel all nice and fuzzy, I’d write something else. But it was an angry book. All my stuff is. And I was angry about a couple of issues that were important to me. That a handful of people had their feathers ruffled over House of Sighs means the book worked — and they were just unfortunate casualties along the way, I’m sorry to say. And the only people who I can imagine who’d be upset over the anti-homophobia vibe of the book would be homophobes. And based on the content of their mail (and yes, they were men), they were homophobes. I guess it’s not terribly pleasant having someone shit over your own beliefs in popular culture, and to some degree, the book is prejudiced — in that I don’t suffer bigots lightly. Either in life, or on the page.  The book is about a lot of things, homophobia being only one element.  It’s also about masculinity. I think that made their hatred burn brighter, honestly.

Waylon:  I love that response! House of Sighs was amazing. It…I don’t know, possessed me as I read it. The characters were so very real and the situation was absolutely terrifying.

Aaron:  That’s so damn awesome to hear.

Waylon:  Where did the idea of number the chapters backward in House of Sighs come from?

Aaron:  The shower. Isn’t that where everyone’s ideas come from?

Waylon:  Well, all the best ones.

Aaron:  I don’t know. I was just showering and BANG the idea came to me. I’d been really toying around with the idea of dread. House of Sighs is a very visceral novel, a real pedal to the metal kind of story. And nothing kills dread quicker than action, I think. And I wanted the story to be about inevitability, which is in and of itself, dread infused. So I needed a technique, or a literary ploy, to counteract the action. And then BANG. There it came to me in the shower. Tell the story from A to B, but number the chapters backwards – like a countdown to disaster.

Waylon:  More like a countdown to Hell, and I have told everyone that who I’ve recommended the book to since I read it.  Dread is a word I have also used a lot in discussion of the book.

Aaron:  That’s exactly what the countdown is. Everyone has their own personal hells, their own house of sighs. The book is about being dragged into someone else’s countdown, against your will, and about how you would react. For better, or worse.  I’m glad ‘dread’ springs to mind. It’s very hard to pull off. Certain books do. The Shining springs to mind. But like I mentioned, action can really break that mood. You need something unifying, some leaden anvil forming above the reader’s head that’s always there to keep the tension alive. And dread is a great anvil.

Waylon:  You had a dynamic cast of characters in House of Sighs. From Liz and her dysfunctional family to the passengers she captures on her bus, but you took all of those relationships and turned them on their heads, never letting the reader feel assured of any alliance. You’re a bit of a sadist, Mr. Dries.

Aaron:  (laughing)  I wish I could deny it.  But it’s true. On paper, yes.

Waylon:  And then came The Fallen Boys.

Aaron:  To some degree, I set out to hurt the reader. And The Fallen Boys, I hope, does that.

Waylon:  If you’ll accept the comparison, your descriptions in The Fallen Boys might be described as Barker-esque.  There is sexuality and sadism in some of those passages without ever being completely overt.

Aaron:  I can search my soul to find a way of accepting that comparison!  Barker is a genius!  The Barker allusion is interesting. There’s something that I learned from Barker, and it wasn’t necessarily about how to be disturbing. It’s that language, prose that is, can be cloying. I think that’s inherently advantageous to claustrophobic horror stories. That’s what I’ve learned from Barker, and which is on display in my work.

Waylon:  Once again, there is dread here, but it takes such a sadistic and manic tone in places.

Aaron:  Very much so. And that’s very deliberate. But I think the sadism and manic tone only comes off as striking because of the delicate contrasts established. A lot of stories forget about that balance.

Continued on Next Page–>

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Childhood Memories Collide in New Horror Film ‘Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble’

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It looks like ITN Studious and Jagged Edge Productions are going the Avengers: Infinity War route with their upcoming film Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. From the deranged mind of Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey) comes this belligerent mash up of beloved childhood icons.

According to an article out of Variety today, Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble will consist of Winnie the Pooh, Bambi, Tinkerbell, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Tigger, Piglet, The Mad Hatter, and Sleeping Beauty. All of these iconic figured will be warped into nightmarish versions of their former selves. Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble is set to be released upon the world sometime in 2025.

Poohniverse

Actor-producer Scott Chambers (Malevolent) had the following to say about Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. “As horror fans, we would love an Avengers that is all villains. It’d have Freddy Krueger, Jason, ‘Halloween,’ ‘Scream,’ all of those. Obviously that will never happen, but we can make it happen in our own little way, and that’s where this film has been born.”

Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble will be a part of The Twisted Childhood Universe. Just like the MCU, each character will first get a standalone film. After introductions are made, they will be reunited in an Avengers style film. Although they will be killing off the survivors from the previous films, they won’t be working together.

Chambers describes this as an “epic sequences of monster vs. monster.” And I don’t know what more fans could ask of the studio. This fantastical idea is a huge risk but Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble sounds amazing.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Check back here for more updates on Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. If you haven’t already, check out the trailer for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 below.

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Blumhouse’s ‘The Wolf Man’ Reboot Kicks Off Production with Leigh Whannell at the Helm

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Blumhouse Productions has officially commenced filming its reboot of the Universal Monsters legend, “Wolf Man”. Under the direction of Leigh Whannell, known for his acclaimed work on “The Invisible Man” (2020), the project promises to breathe new life into the iconic tale. The film is slated for a theatrical release on October 25th, marking a new chapter in the storied franchise.

Wolf Man

The journey of a “Wolf Man” reboot began in 2020 when actor Ryan Gosling presented a fresh take on the classic story to Universal. This concept quickly evolved into a screenplay crafted by the talented duo Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who are known for their work on “Orange Is the New Black,” alongside contributions from Whannell and Corbett Tuck. The narrative is set in contemporary times, drawing inspiration from the atmospheric tension of Jake Gyllenhaal’s “Nightcrawler,” albeit with a distinct supernatural twist.

The film has seen its share of directorial and casting shifts, with Whannell initially signing on to direct in 2020, only to step away and then return to the project after Ryan Gosling and director Derek Cianfrance exited. The lead roles have been filled by Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, both of whom bring significant talent to the screen. Abbott portrays a man whose family faces the terror of a lethal predator, with Garner likely playing his wife, sharing in the familial peril. The storyline also hints at a daughter named Ginger, adding a layer of depth to the family’s harrowing experience.

Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott

This reboot represents a collaboration between Blumhouse and Motel Movies, with Jason Blum producing. Ryan Gosling remains involved as an executive producer, alongside Ken Kao, Bea Sequeira, Mel Turner, and Whannell himself. The announcement of the film’s production start was made by Jason Blum, who shared an exciting glimpse of Whannell on set, signaling the beginning of what is hoped to be a memorable addition to the horror genre.

As the “Wolf Man” reboot moves forward, fans and newcomers alike are eager to see how this modern interpretation will pay homage to its roots while offering a fresh and thrilling experience. With a talented cast and crew at the helm, the film is poised to reintroduce the timeless tale of transformation and terror to a new generation.

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‘Immaculate’ Stars Reveal Which Horror Villains They Would “F, Marry, Kill”

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Sydney Sweeney is just coming off the success of her rom-com Anyone But You, but she’s ditching the love story for a horror story in her latest film Immaculate.

Sweeney is taking Hollywood by storm, portraying everything from a love-lusting teenager in Euphoria to an accidental superhero in Madame Web. Although the latter got a lot of hate among theater-goers, Immaculate is getting the polar opposite.

The film was screened at SXSW this past week and was well-received. It also gained a reputation for being extremely gory. Derek Smith of Slant says the, “final act contains some of the most twisted, gory violence this particular subgenre of horror has seen in years…”

Thankfully curious horror movie fans won’t have to wait long to see for themselves what Smith is talking about as Immaculate will hit theaters across the United States on March, 22.

Bloody Disgusting says that the movie’s distributor NEON, in a bit of marketing smarts, had stars Sydney Sweeney and Simona Tabasco play a game of “F, Marry, Kill” in which all their choices had to be horror movie villains.

It’s an interesting question, and you might be surprised at their answers. So colorful are their responses that YouTube slapped an age-restricted rating on the video.

Immaculate is a religious horror movie that NEON says stars Sweeney, “as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia’s warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.”

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