Marksman by R J Dent

 

 

Here is a psychological urban horror story I’ve written, entitled Marksman.

 

I wrote Marksman because I wanted to examine the role of the psychoanalyst in the 21st Century – and to juxtapose it with the role of the 19th Century sin-eater.

 

I hope you enjoy reading Marksman. I certainly enjoyed writing it.

 

If you enjoyed reading Marksman, then several more of my short stories are available to read at: http://www.rjdent.com/shortstories.htm

 

Marksman

(c) R J Dent (2011)

 

Website: http://www.rjdent.com/

Blog: http://rjdent.wordpress.com/

twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RJDent

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/R-J-Dent/344369095423?v=wall

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/rjdent69?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/CmnYHWJqQK4

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/R.-J.-Dent/e/B0034Q3RD4/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_nty_author_2gf4mb19VD5NN

 

 

 

 

Headstone by R J Dent

 

Headstone by R J Dent

 

Here is Headstone – a short psychological horror story I have written.

 

 

The first part of the story is based on several real childhood events, but the second part of the story is pure fiction.

 

 

If you enjoy(ed) Headstone you can find some more of my short stories at http://www.rjdent.com/shortstories.htm

 

 

Details of my novels, translations, poetry, stories and essays are at www.rjdent.com

 

 

Headstone

© R J Dent (2010)

 

website: www.rjdent.com

twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RJDent

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/R-J-Dent/344369095423?v=wall

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/rjdent69?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/CmnYHWJqQK4

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/R.-J.-Dent/e/B0034Q3RD4/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_nty_author_2gf4mb19VD5NN

 

 

David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™

 

One of the great films/movies of 1999 is David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™, starring Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Eccleston, Ian Holm, and Sarah Polley.

 

 

Here’s a plot summary: Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is the designer of eXistenZ ™, a new game system so advanced it uses biology to transport players into gaming experiences beyond virtual reality. Allegra is a star – worshipped, cosseted and constantly under threat from fanatics and rival game companies alike. It is up to Ted Pikul (Jude Law) to protect her.

 

 

When a terrorist attack disrupts the first ever demonstration of eXistenZ ™, Geller and Pikul find themselves on the run in a strange and dangerous world where reality and fantasy merge and in which Geller and Pikul discover they can trust no one – perhaps least of all each other… for who can really tell where real life ends and the game begins?

 

Frighteningly vivid and tense, David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™ is a terrifying journey through betrayal, death, and the seductive world of game playing. It tackles notions of identity, art, creativity, the dangers of fiction, the reality/cyberspace dichotomy, and Martin Heidegger’s notion of ‘being’.

 

 

There is, of course, a soundtrack album for David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™. The film/movie is scored by long-time Cronenberg collaborator, Howard Shore. The album is worth owning, as it is very rich, melodic and atmospheric. Here’s a sound-bite:

 

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David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™ has been turned into a fast-paced and very well-written novel by Christopher Priest (writing as John Luther Novak).

 

 

  

Priest follows Croneberg’s plot precisely, but has added extra detail to round out the characters and the situations.

 

There is also a graphic novel, David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™, with illustrations by Sean Schoffield.

 

 

The 110 page graphic novel, published by Key Porter Books, contains set of a cast pictures, a glossary of technical terms, the graphic novel itself, and an interview with David Conenberg talking about the pre-production, the filming and the aftermath of eXistenZ ™.

 

Each of the different versions of eXistenZ ™ is worth a look. Watch the film/movie, read the novel, listen to the music, or enjoy the graphic novel – they’re all worth spending time on. David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ ™ is a razor-sharp science fiction thriller – with an intriguing plot and some great acting from Law and Leigh.

 

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Try David Croonenberg’s eXistenZ ™ – you might enjoy it.

  

www.rjdent.com

 

 

Myth by R J Dent

‘A cross between An American Werewolf in London and Clive Barker’s Nightbreed’ (Amazon)

This is R J Dent’s novel Myth,  a dark, erotic fantasy set on a Greek island.

It tells the story of a couple (James and Penny) who hear about the chimera, a strange mythical creature that lives in the hills. They, of course, are sceptical, but also curious. Eventually, curiosity wins out and they set off with a guide, up into the hills to see the chimera for themselves.

Obviously things aren’t as they seem and the couple end up trapped in the hills. The man, James Barrett, defends himself against an attacker, but becomes susceptible to the suggestion that he is now the mythical beast, having defeated the one that attacked him.

He rejects this idea and instead focuses on caring for Penny, who has been injured. James then tries to get back to the village, only to realise that the whole village have duped him. He then opts for revenge against the village and goes on the rampage, destroying everyone he comes into contact with. He becomes monstrous.

R J Dent says: ‘I wrote Myth because I was interested in the way people change when they’re in exotic locations – if they’re not xenophobic they either go native, become very nationalistic, or else become a wistful hybrid of the two. That was my starting point. I then simply added a Greek myth scenario, using the chimera as the indigenous antagonist.’

‘The Greek myth element decided the location, and the rest was simply charting what happened to the couple. I used Pavese’s idea that ‘travelling is a brutality’ – and that was it; I had my novel. All that was needed was an ending – which was made clear to me after I read Robert Graves’ comment that every Greek myth had a regional variation. With that in mind, I gave Myth seven very different regional variations.’

‘Writing Myth was a very good experience. I used a great deal of my familiarity with, and love of, various Greek islands, to inform my novel. I used locations, characters, names, etc, that I know well. For the last five years I’ve steeped myself in Greek culture. Some of that is reflected in Myth.’

Myth is ‘a cross between An American Werewolf in London and Clive Barker’s Nightbreed.’ (Amazon review)

You can buy Myth from Amazon.com at:

http://www.amazon.com/R.-J.-Dent/e/B0034Q3RD4/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1289859314&sr=8-1

or from Amazon.co.uk at:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/R.-J.-Dent/e/B0034Q3RD4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Details of my other works (books, stories, poems, essays) are available on:

www.rjdent.com

The Joke

The Joke by R J Dent

Here’s a short story I’ve written entitled The Joke.

I wrote it because I wanted to examine the ways in which brutality engenders humour and the way that humour can – out of necessity – come out of brutality.

I was also interested in writing a prison-camp murder story.

Finally, I wanted to write about jokes – and some of their unfunny manifestations.

If you enjoy(ed)  The Joke, then there are more of my stories at: http://www.rjdent.com/shortstories.htm

Details of my novels, novellas, short stories, translations, essays, poetry and blogs can be found at: www.rjdent.com

The Joke

© R J Dent (2010)

www.rjdent.com

http://rjdent.wordpress.com/

Beneath the Surface

Beneath the Surface by R J Dent

 

 

Here’s a short story I’ve written entitled Beneath the Surface.

I wrote it because I wanted to examine the ways in which perception can falsify truth.

I was also interested in writing an underwater murder story.

Finally, I wanted to write about attraction and repulsion – and some of its manifestations.

If you enjoy(ed) Beneath the Surface, then there are more of my stories at: http://www.rjdent.com/shortstories.htm

Details of my latest novels, novellas, short stories, translations, essays, poetry and blogs can be found at: www.rjdent.com

Beneath the Surface

© R J Dent (2010)

www.rjdent.com

http://rjdent.wordpress.com/

 

More to the Picture by R J Dent

 

More to the Picture by R J Dent

 

 

If you click More to the Picture you will be able to read More to the Picture, an urban horror story I have written. First published in Writer’s Muse, More to the Picture is based on a real event and real people, although the names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

 

Several of the short stories I’ve written and published over the last few years are now available and can be read at www.rjdent.com/shortstories.

 

 

Details of all of my published books, including my novels, stories, translations, essays and poetry collections can be found at www.rjdent.com.

 

  

More to the Picture

© R J Dent (2011)

 

www.rjdent.com

 

The Day Mr Green Died

The Day Mr Green Died is a short urban horror story written in February 2009.

It is a story in which identity, fidelity, deceit, perversion, appearances and lies collide, resulting in death and dishonour.

The story was first published in Writer’s Muse. WARNING: This story is not for the faint-hearted or anyone easily offended.

If you think you’d like to read The Day Mr Green Died then please click on the link below:

http://authspot.com/short-stories/the-day-mr-green-died/

Other examples of R J Dent’s short stories can be read at:

http://www.rjdent.com/shortstories.htm

Enjoy.

www.rjdent.com

Clive Barker

Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his works of metaphysical fantasy and horror fiction.

Clive Barker

Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with The Books of Blood, a 6-volume series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer. He has since written many novels and other works, and his fiction has been adapted into motion pictures, notably the Hellraiser and Candyman series.

When The Books of Blood were first published in the United States in paperback, Stephen King was quoted on the book covers: ‘I have seen the future of horror, his name is Clive Barker.’

Barker is one of the leading authors of contemporary horror/fantasy, writing in the horror genre early in his career.

Barker’s distinctive style is characterized by the notion of hidden fantastical worlds coexisting with our own, the role of sexuality in the supernatural and the construction of coherent, complex and detailed universes. Barker has referred to this style as ‘dark fantasy’ or the ‘fantastique’. His stories are notable for a deliberate blurring of the distinction between binary opposites such as hell and heaven, love and hate, pleasure and pain.

Clive Barker has said, ‘I want to be remembered as an imaginer, someone who used his imagination as a way to journey beyond the limits of self, beyond the limits of flesh and blood, beyond the limits of even perhaps life itself, in order to discover some sense of order in what appears to be a disordered universe. I’m using my imagination to find meaning, both for myself and, I hope, for my readers.’

Barker is also involved in movie production, although his films have received mixed receptions. He wrote the screenplays for Underworld (1985) and Rawhead Rex (1986), both directed by George Pavlou. They garnered little critical success. Displeased with the way his material was handled, Barker moved to directing with Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. After his film Nightbreed (based on his novel, Cabal), was widely considered to be a flop (although it is now a much-valued cult classic), Barker wrote and directed Lord of Illusions. Barker was also an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which received major critical acclaim. A short story titled ‘The Forbidden’, from Barker’s Books of Blood, provided the basis for the film Candyman and its two sequels.

Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura directed Midnight Meat Train from Jeff Buhler’s screenplay, which was based on Barker’s short story of the same name. Barker will write and produce the upcoming films Born, and The Thief of Always.

Bibliography:

The Books of Blood – Volumes 1-6 (1984-5)

The Damnation Game (1985)

The Hellbound Heart (1986)

Weaveworld (1987)

Cabal (1988)

The Great and Secret Show (1989)

Imajica (1991)

The Thief of Always (1992)

Everville (1994)

Sacrament (1996)

Galilee (1998)

Coldheart Canyon: A Hollywood Ghost Story (2001)

Tortured Souls (2001)

Abarat (2002)

Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War (2004)

Mister B. Gone (2007)

Absolute Midnight (2009)

The Scarlet Gospel (forthcoming)

Clive Barker is a writer, film-maker and artist of prodigious talent – he has a vast imagination and is able to impart some very important messages and interesting ideas in his fiction, be it in book, film or visual art form. He is worth listening to and worth reading. Have a look at his paintings, or watch one of his films, in particular Hellraiser and/or Nightbreed, or read one of his books, in particular Cabal, Weaveworld or Imajica.

Here’s a link to Clive Barker’s website:

http://www.clivebarker.info/

I hope you enjoy Clive Barker’s work as much as I do.

http://www.rjdent.com/

George A. Romero’s ‘Dead’ films

George A. Romero

George A Romero has become known throughout the world as the creator, writer and director of the ground-breaking, seminal horror film, Night of the Living Dead. He is also the creator, writer and director of the four (to date) subsequent …of the Dead films. His …of the Dead films are, in chronological order:

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Day of the Dead (1985)

Land of the Dead (2005)

Diary of the Dead (2007)

Survival of the Dead (2010)

The first of the series, Night of the Living Dead is now recognised as a film classic.

Filmed in black and white in 1968, it has a documentary feel that makes the zombie horrors look very real and very horrifying. Here’s the trailer:

The sequel was Dawn of the Dead.

Dawn of the Dead was filmed in 1978 in a Pittsburg shopping mall and is now seen (quite rightly) as a satire on consumerism.  Here’s the trailer:

The next film (in what was becoming a series) was Day of the Dead, which was filmed in 1985.

In many ways, Day of the Dead is the goriest and most violent of the …of the Dead films. It was another critique, this time of the conflict between science and the military. Joseph Pilato’s portrayal of Captain Rhodes is an incredible acting performance. Here’s the trailer:

The next in the series was Land of the Dead.

Fans of the …of the Dead series had to wait until 2005 for its release. Because of its storyline involving class struggle, Land of the Dead is an interesting addition to the …of the Dead canon, although it’s probably the weakest film in the collection. Here’s the trailer:

A recent offering from Romero is the highly-charged, hyper-driven gore-fest, Diary of the Dead.

Diary of the Dead (2007) is billed as a reboot – or a retelling – of Night of the Living Dead. It’s more a side story, but it’s still a powerful and scary film with some very good ideas in it. Students making a horror film encounter the far more horrific zombies, and have to fend for themselves. It contains a number of very wonderful scenes. Here’s the trailer:

Survival of the Dead is the latest in the ...of the Dead series. Rather than provide a plot summery, here’s the trailer:

There is also a very good remake of Night of the Living Dead, scripted by Romero and directed by Tom Savini.

Here’s the trailer:

A lot of people ignore George A Romero’s work because he makes zombie films. However, as with every other film in the world, the characters in the film represent something else; something universal. Romero’s zombies are metaphors – very powerful metaphors. Try watching Dawn of the Dead or Diary of the Dead and you’ll see what I mean.

© R J Dent (2010)

www.rjdent.com