A CHRISTMAS CAROL – AS TOLD BY JACOB MARLEY (DECEASED)

Brother Wolf’s current theatrical production of Charles Dickens’s classic tale, and arguably the greatest Christmas story of all time, A Christmas Carol gets a retelling from the perspective of Jacob Marley.  Being Ebenezer Scrooge’s deceased business partner, he is now condemned to wander the Earth as a chained and tortured ghost, regretful of his sinful past, where he then decides to issue a grim warning to his former friend on Christmas Eve, exactly seven years from his passing.

Telling the story as a sole thespian show, director and performer James Hyland plays Marley with stunning conviction, matching his makeup and costume, especially the drapery of those heavy chains around Marley, which signifies his suffering and imprisonment of the past and his reliance on Scrooge’s redemption, so that he doesn’t end up like him. 

James Hyland (Jacob Marley)

Marley is also a sympathetic character and, as an audience member, you do feel for him.  But it is the production’s minimal set, consisting of a chair, and the overall one-act performance that makes it visual and enthralling.  Something that many one-act plays have failed to achieve.  The actor does manage to play the main characters of the story, and like his previous production The Magic Circle it gracefully captivates the audience in wanting more, waiting till the very end.

The play runs for seventy-five minutes, but it does fly by and the production goes very well with the oppressive cold weather waiting for the spectators outside.   

Another great performance and a Christmas treat for anyone looking for an entertaining piece of theatre with a feel-good ending.

5 OUT OF 5

For tickets to see this cracking play, click here.

Trailer

Teaser

  

MAGIC CIRCLE - 4 AUGUST 2017

After seeing Kim Newman’s previous involvement in two portmanteau theatre productions (The Hallowe’en Sessions and The Ghost Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore) I was looking forward to seeing his debut feature-length play Magic Circle, produced by Brother Wolf.

So curious, that I loved the idea of an occult-subject story, set in the early seventies about two characters in a room, in Calme Manor, that not only explores the theme of mistrust but also entrapment.

Magic Circle is a tale about a Professor Harold Cutley (Michael Shon), an academic and occult expert, determined to undo a dangerous spell cast by a former pupil, with the help of a chalk-drawn pentacle which will not only protect him, but also invoke the devil at his presence.  Enter Inspector Nicholas Gammell (James Hyland), who continuously questions Cutley about an unsolved case and places him as a suspect.  But Cutley becomes circumspect to leave the circle and, like a scene from Terence Fisher’s The Devil Rides Out, the occultist begins to cast suspicions about the pesky detective, who could be the summoned Satanail?

Horror works very well with suspense and Newman has done that just right, as well as the fine direction by Phil Lowe.  For eighty minutes, I was on the edge of my seat, guessing and expecting dread, with the performances by Hyland and Shon.  But what I did get for this resolution was shock horror! Watching the West End premiere, I got an ‘I-didn’t-expect-to-see-it’ ending, which left the audience silent, until they left the auditorium for a drink and later a chat. 

Kim Newman is well known for his series of novels based on Anno Dracula, and is highly renowned for his outstanding knowledge of cinema, horror, sci-fi and cult TV.  This play is one of his finest works, and this scintillating piece of fiction should be a chief rival to the ongoing stage adaptation of Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black.

The play does have some wit and it’s eerie and at times reminded me of Hammer’s To the Devil a Daughter, which sees Henry Beddows (Denham Elliott) placing himself in a similar circle to protect himself from the dark forces.  I also felt that the detective looked a lot like Sean Connery’s character in The Offence, acting as a Gene Hunt throwback.  A treat for fans of nostalgia, especially the seventies, with its stunning set design and lighting by the director (Phil Lowe), as well as the music (Chris Warner). The costumes played a key part to the mise-en-scene of this play (Charlene Braniff and Katie Males). 

I cannot reveal much, as this play will thrill and scare theatregoers desperate for a scare. 

A must-see horror play!  

Please click here for details about the play.

A five out of five.

   

NEW BRITISH HORROR FILM - BLACKWOOD

Having recovered from a shattering emotional breakdown, college professor Ben Marshall (Ed Stoppard) relocates to the countryside with his wife (Sophia Myles) and young son (Isaac Andrews), hoping for a fresh start. With a new job and a new home, Blackwood, things seem to be going his way.

But Blackwood is far from a peaceful, rural escape, as Ben is haunted by visions that seem to connect to the house's previous owner, Mrs Warner, an artist whose disturbed paintings litter the house. As Ben begins to dig into the disappearance of a local woman and her missing son, he is led into investigating a troubled gamekeeper (Russell Tovey) and the local vicar (Paul Kaye). The arrival of Ben's old friend and fellow academic, Dominic (Greg Wise), serves only to awaken buried feelings and past rivalries.

Is Ben fated to solve the mystery of Blackwood and save his family before time runs out?

Blackwood comes to selected UK cinemas on 1 August 2014.

Starring: Sophie Myles, Ed Stoppard, Russell Tovey, Paul Kaye and Greg Wise

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BlackwoodUK
Twitter: twitter.com/BlackwoodFilm
Hashtag: #BlackwoodFilm

 

 

Six of the Best with Jason Brawn #books

To help promote the latest Bestiarum Vocabulum volume, edited by Dean M. Drinkel, fellow contributor Nerine Dorman has kindly invited me as a guest on her weekly BlogSpot where I talk about my story and animals. 

To read this click here.

BOOKS TO PURCHASE FOR XMAS

It's been a long time as I've been busy committing myself to a lot of projects.  I will soon announce them, so please watch this space.

Anyway enough of me as I've been doing lots of reading and found four books that will scare you, entertain you and leave you fully-satisfied.

1)  My good friend and fellow author Anna Taborska has just released her debut collection of macabre stories that are beyond great.  To purchase a copy, please click here.

 

 

2)  Another friend of mine, Greg James has his second instalment of his fantasy epic The Sceptre of Storms (The Age of the Flame).  Greg who also writes horror under the pseudonym G.R. Yeates achieved the number one bestseller spot on Amazon, with the first book of the series The Sword of Sighs.  Well done to him and a third tale will be released in the coming days.  To check out this book go on Amazon.

3)  David Fingerman a brilliant short story writer, who deserves a greater praise for his tales of suspense and macabre.  He is a modern day Edgar Allan Poe with influences from legends such as Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury and Stephen King.

David has been very supportive with my writing and when he asked me to write a blurb for this second collection of short stories, I was completely gobsmacked.  I beg you, please check him out.  His second volume of stories, Two Degrees Closer to Hell, is now available to order on Amazon.   

4)  Finally an anthology that marks the 40th anniversary of the Dracula Society, His Red Eyes Again, edited by Tracy Lee and Julia Kruk.  It features vampire tales from established authors like Anna Taborska, Berni Stevens, Tina Rath, Barry McCann, Tony Lee and Chris Priestley.  A short story of mine, titled A Night to Remember is included in this publication.  To purchase a copy, click here. 

 

 

There you have it.  I hope you all have a splendid Christmas and a great New Year!

THE BESTIARUM VOCABULUM

My short story, The Birthing Lady, which fuses Japanese folklore with English folk horror is one of the stories featured in Dean M. Drinkel's anthology, The Bestiarum Vocabulum,the second installment of the Tres Librorum Prohibitorum trilogy.

One of the authors is Barbie Wilde who played the female Cenobite in Hellbound: Hellraiser 2.

Western Legends Publishing

GRAVEYARD SHIFT

Please read my gothic tale available on The ORIGINAL Van Gogh's Ear Anthology.

PROJECTS FOR 2013

2012 was a great year, releasing two novelettes as eBooks, which are selling well and the praise has been great. So thank you all for taking the time to look at my work.

Now for 2013, which will be a very challenging and busy year for me, as I have many projects in store. And I plan to build my readership.

Here they are:

THE PIANIST

A romantic ghost story, which I'm currently writing and I promise you that it will be a marriage of both horror and romance. This is a project that I have never done before, so I am really committing myself to this story. Hopefully, it will be a novella, the way the first draft is going.

WITCH-HUNT

This novella has been an on and off project since releasing STRANDED and REFUGE. But, I am dying to finish this book off, and I had a peek of what I've written and it looks great. This is also my first foray into the metal music genre, merged with folk horror. Just think of THE WITCHFINDER GENERAL two-timing with HOSTEL and BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW. So excited about this project. It was originally a screenplay, which no one wanted to touch because of its graphic scenes and it made them feel unsettled, despite loving the story. I agree with them, it will work better in prose.

COMMON GRAVE

My debut short story collection, featuring all of my 59 and counting published short stories, during the past five years. They will be re-edited and the cover will shock people.

THE BURNING

A novelette about an ambitious journalist, who moves to a sleepy town with her boyfriend, while working on a book about a witch and soon unearths satanism and human sacrifice amongst the townfolks.

THE DEVIL'S CREED

Another novelette about a student who wins a beauty contest and the prize is a photo shoot in a gothic mansion, in the middle of the desolate countryside where the real prize is her life.

That's about it for now. But will keep you posted in the coming months.

So long.

J xxx

MY LATEST INTERVIEW

To access, please click here.

2012 REVIEW

The previous year was my most productive period of my writing career, publishing tons of short stories, poems and a few film reviews for a forthcoming book on Eighties British horror films. But, I needed to direct my career to the next level, and therefore my main aspiration for 2012 was to have my first ever book released.

This is what happened.

Novelettes, REFUGE and STRANDED were completed and submitted to a few publishers. One of them did like REFUGE and it made the shortlist, but failed to make the final cut.

After a long discussion with fellow horror/fantasy author, GR Yeates I made the bold decision of self-releasing them as kindle eBooks. The result was exciting and successful, launching two eBooks just in time for Halloween.

Horror readers flocked to download them and read them with pleasure. To me, writing and having people purchase your work and enjoying them is the greatest reward for any writer or artist. It shows their appreciation, and it's proof that there's always a reward for hard work and dedication.

So far my sales figures are building steadily in the UK, America and have just sold a unit in Germany this week. My other half always says, "mighty oaks from small acorns grow". And she is damn right!

To add to this, I have appeared in many interviews/blogspots and have had four short stories and a poem accepted for five different anthologies.

I would like to thank the following people who have made this happen:

Dolores Harrington
GR Yeates
Paul Mudie
Teri (Edit Fairy)
Tim Marquitz
Jim Mcleod (Ginger Nuts of Horror)
Simon Marshall-Jones
Arcevia Services
Dean M. Drinkel
Adrian Chamberlin
Mark West
Mandi Lockley
David Bernstein
Anna Taborska
Dave Jeffrey
Emma Ennis
Dark Gothic Resurrection Magazine
Dorothy Davies
Static Movement
George Wilhite
Patricia Anabel
Dale Eldon
Jaidis Shaw
Mallory Anne-Marie Haws
Ironhorseformatting.com
David Fingerman
Sheri A. Wilkinson
Christopher A. Ridge
Steve Blackwell

Please accept my apology if I've forgotten anyone.

Fast forward 2013. I plan to release a few more books, which will explode the scene as both traditionally published and self-published. So you have all been warned.

THE NEXT BIG THING 2

My friend and fellow author, Emma Ennis, tagged me last week to take part in her blog tour of ‘The Next Big Thing’. I know this is the second time, but I’m more than happy to take part and talk about another project I’m working on.

What is the working title of your book?

Common Grave

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The book will be a collection of my published short fiction, now re-edited to my standard. It will feature stories of ghosts, demons, werewolves, vampires, serial killers, monsters, ghouls and other children of the night. So you have all been warned.

What genre does your book fall under?

Horror and dark fiction. Although there are a few science fiction tales.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I feel that the book would make a great homage to classic anthology films, like Creepshow and From Beyond the Grave, or The Dead of Night. As for the actors, I am not entirely fussed, as long as they can pull it off.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A book of a thousand tales for anyone who wants to be scared or enthralled, that refuses to hold back.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

The book will be self-published on kindle.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

The stories have been written during a three year period, when I was writing and submitting shorts to many publications. All of them have either been accepted, with most of them already published.

But my first short story, The Interview, was written in 2006 and accepted in 2008 for BHF Book of Horrors 3. Today, the book still hasn’t been published, which is a shame.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I try not to compare my book to others, but this is my very own Books of Blood.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I wrote short stories to prepare myself for attempting my first novel. Originally, I intended to only write five short stories. Now I have written over seventy shorts and still writing them. I guess I have the short fiction bug.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

There are many flash fiction tales and also featured are a few that resonate the classic Amicus tales, The Twilight Zone episodes, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson, an Edgar Allan Poesque story and Hammer House of Horror.

That’s me done!

Thanks for reading this post.

THE NEXT BIG THING - EMMA ENNIS!

Fellow author, Emma Ennis who's a big talent has just done her piece on the 'next big thing'.

Emma and I have often had stories appearing in the same anthologies, and I'm so pleased to mention her on this blog post.

To view, please click here.

THE NEXT BIG THING - TIM MARQUITZ

My good friend and fantastic editor/author, Tim Marquitz, was tagged by me for the next big thing. Here's the link to his blog.

EXCITING NEWS!

Just learned that I have been named as one of the best new discoveries of 2012, by Ginger Nuts of Horror, a well-respected blogger/reviewer.

Here it is.

LATEST SHORT STORY ACCEPTANCE

My short tale, MAN IN THE MIRROR, will be appearing in Static Movement's DEMONOLOGY anthology, featuring tales by G.R. Yeates, Sandra Norval and Emile-Louis Tomas Jouvet. The editor, Dean M. Drinkel is a film-maker and well-respected anthologist. He's the brains behind Dark Continent's Phobophobia.

Here's the cover art.

MOVEMBER

I am thrilled to announce that I have raised £355 for Movember, which will help with prostate cancer and other male cancer and associated charities. So a well done to everyone who took part, and for their generous support and donations.

I also would like to thank the following donors:

Dolores Harrington, Peggiann Chevailler, Julie Reynolds, Martin Smallwood, Miranda Brawn, Dave Hawley, Susan Corbett, Norman J. Warren, Des Bradley, Caroline Ward,Wil Leonard, Christine Binns, Carol Finch, Victoria Cottrell, Linda Callan, Barry Knight, Marisa Beccarelli, Joe Gaffarena, Cathy Toms, Patricia Burton, Fiona Ní Éalaighthe, Anna Taborska, Andrew Bailey, Sandra Pitt, Mike Phillips, Michael Needham, Roxanne Hopper, Tom Aizenberg, Jackie Fishleight and everyone who spurred me not to shave off my tache.

Without your generosity this would not have been possible and you are part of the reason why we've raised over £65 million, making this Movember the most successful.

So a well done!

MOVEMBER - WEEK 4

This is my final week and here is my final photo.

To sponsor me, please go here.

THE NEXT BIG THING

Last Wednesday, Dean M. Drinkel invited me to take part in The Next Big Thing, and here is my offering for this week. I will be talking about my latest release, REFUGE, currently on Amazon.

1. What is the title of your book?
Refuge

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
Back in 1998, when I had this idea about a gang of robbers who’d just pulled off a successful security van heist and quickly retreat to their hideout, a haunted house, where something disturbing awaits them. It was originally a screenplay, pitched as Reservoir Dogs meets The Legend of Hell House called Hideout.

Then, in May 2010, Static Movement was looking for horror short story submissions for Creepy Things, an anthology of insect stories. Well, I had an idea about a gang of robbers who take refuge in a Hansel and Gretel style cottage made of insects.

While writing this, I found it to be too long for a short story and therefore I decided that this will be my first standalone book, titled, Refuge.

3. What genre does your book fall under?
100% straight horror.

4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
The lead character, Ray Blackstone, I had Ray Winstone in mind. His surrogate son, Len would have to be Noel Clarke. As for Reggie, Alan Ford or Dennis Waterman.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Fleeing from the cops, following a daring bank raid, a gang of four crash their van into hell’s worst domain.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
It is self-published on Amazon’s Kindle.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
During a two week holiday, back in May 2011.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
One particular book, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge/One of the Missing by Ambrose Bierce.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The earlier works of Stephen King, Richard Laymon, Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, Rod Serling, Shaun Hutson and Guy N. Smith.

10. What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
The story has a fast pace and it doesn’t hold back. Also, there’s a bonus story that is just as shocking.

Thanks you taking the time to read this.

MOVEMBER - WEEK 3

Only a week to go.

MY DEBUT BLOG SPOT

The wonderful and respected horror and fantasy author Tim Marquitz has invited me to be a guest on his blog. This is it.