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A Horror Revival?

There was a time in the 80s when every bookshop and newsagent had a healthy horror section packed with black covers and shadowy illustrations. 

Today, that is no longer the case. In most instances, the horror section has been absorbed into Fantasy and Sci-Fi, which means it's only the big names on show, while new, and event established talent is completely overlooked.

The Ritual - I'm never going out in the woods again!

Adam Nevill is a good example. Adam is one of my favourite writers of any genre. He has won the August Derleth award three times and The Ritual had a major movie release, yet his books are nowhere to be seen - certainly not in any of my local bookstores. This all gives the impression that the audience for horror fiction is too small to bother with.

But is that really the case? There have been some huge successes in recent years. The movie of The Woman in Black brought Susan Hill's book to the supermarket shelf. The same happened with Bird Box by Josh Malerman, and The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey - both books and their movies were incredibly successful. 

In fact, horror movies seem to be going from strength to strength, no longer relying on the slasher gimmicks of the 90s, but a deeper, more poignant horror, such as Midsommar, or the surreal powerhouse that was Mother.

Midsommar - wow! Just... wow!

Hopefully, this is a good sign. I would love to see a horror revival hit the bookshops and resurrect the dedicated horror sections. The fans are still out there. The book sellers just need an incentive to cater to them. 


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