| Product: |
Out Are the Lights - Richard Laymon |
| Date: |
19/02/08 (128 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great schlock horror, who lives? who dies?
Disadvantages: Very rude, short stories lack heart
The recent history of the horror film is not a pretty one and I don't mean in the sense that there is lots of ugly gore. I mean in the sense that the film makers have seemed to completely ignore any traces of storyline in preference to gratuitous images. Horror of yore also used to have gratuitous imagery, but it was good because it was placed in the concept of a story and characters we cared about. Films such as 'The Descent' have shown that good horror can still be made, but the 'torture porn' of more recent films is not for me. Then why do I enjoy Richard Laymon's novels much? Here is an author who crams his books full of over the top sex and violence with little regard to moderate sensibilities. It is his insistence about writing the absurd that makes him so good - welcome to the best schlock horror fiction around.
The local cinema has just reopened and has become a specialist in horror pictures. For the price of one ticket you get to see two horror classics. However, it's not the feature length films that are drawing the punters in, but the 15 minute short that is shown between them. Each month the star of the shorts will kill and torture someone in a different way in the most realistic fashion you have ever seen. But wait; doesn't that girl look like the flatmate you used to have at University and why does the dialogue not match up to the lip movements? The characters seem to be saying one thing but there lips are saying, "This film is real, they are killing me!"
'Out are the Lights' is a collection of stories that contains one full novel length tale, plus some added short stories. The main draw of the book is the titular 'Out are the Lights' and it is by far the most detailed of work on offer here. We follow a selection of characters as they uncover the truth behind a series of ultra realistic horror shorts. Rather than concentrate on one or two characters Laymon has several threads so that you never know who the hero is. This means that you are never guaranteed to discover who survives and who dies before it's too late. What made the book even more interesting was that a parallel storyline appeared that had no real bearing on the real horror films. A man is having an affair with mysterious a women who wants him to marry his present girlfriend so that she can be kept in wealth. Can the man hide the fact that he is no longer with his girlfriend so that he can carry on his torrid affair - is he willing to kill for this woman?
Having the two story arcs should not really work as they impact little on one another, however it does. This is because the affair story acts as a way of fleshing out the characters for the main horror sections. Too many horror books have faceless characters that die too quickly - we don't care. To be honest this is the case with many of the victims in 'Lights', but at least the core characters are developed.
The levels of violence and copious amounts of sex will be the elements that will put people of reading this book (or encourage them). To say that 'Out are the Lights' is a little filthy would be the understatement of the year as it is jam packed with OTT scenes of a sexual nature! It's a bit embarrassing to read about on the bus, but within the confines of the genre I expected little else. In fact I would have felt cheated if there had not been this level of schlock.
The violence and sex of Laymon's work manages to stay just on the right side of sleazy because he does develop characters. However, this means that the short stories on offer fail as they read like short vignettes of a disturbed mind. Over 15 pages you read about the torture and murder of a young woman, never getting to know her or the motives of the killer - this is too reminiscent of 'torture porn' for my liking. Despite their more hardcore nature a couple of the short stories do stand out with conclusions that are both thought provoking and intelligent. 'The Tub' in particular stands out as a strong short story as, although it's pretty filthy, the actual narrative is good.
Before picking up 'Out are the Lights' or any other novel by Richard Laymon it is important that you know what type of reader you are. He is amongst the most extreme of horror writers who is not worried about using sex, violence and strong language to get a reaction. Stephen King or James Herbert are incredibly tame compared to Laymon. Therefore, if you enjoy absolute cheesy schlock you will be in for a treat with Laymon and 'Out are the Lights' is as good a place to start as any with its extreme nature. What makes the book so interesting, and Laymon's work as a whole, is the authors total abandonment of social rules meaning that you never know who will live and who will die. This makes the book a refreshing read as well as a tense one.
Author: Richard Laymon
Price: amazon uk - £5.49
play.com - £5.49
Summary: An gory collection for extreme horror fans
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