Neil Gaiman www.NeilgaimanBoard.com www.NeilgaimanBoard.com The World's End Other Writers I wanna go to the carnival...
www.NeilgaimanBoard.com www.NeilgaimanBoard.com The World's End Other Writers I wanna go to the carnival...Page 1 2
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Lexis Nexus Member  |
Brought on by an idea I had at work and an IM discussion with Babylon the Bride, I'm looking for examples of artists (mostly writers, but not only) using carnivals (or alternatively circuses, travelling entertainers in general) in a horror-type story (loose terminology) or just a very sinister context.
Off the top of my head, I came up with Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes", Nick Cave's "The Carny", and maybe the clown from Stephen King's "It". Any ideas? |
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Member |
Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz.
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Elah Adonijai Member  |
In addition to Something Wicked this Way Comes, check out Bradbury's The October Country. There's at least one freaky carnival story in there (maybe more, I can't remember for certain).
Also, I just read a short (kinda long, actually) story called "Our Friend Electricty" by a guy named Ron Wolfe. It was really good and in one of the year's best fantasy anthologies from a few years back (3 or 4, I'm not sure which). Really good story, and dedicated to Mr. Bradbudy. Haven't read Big Fish, but I heard the book is a million times better than the movie. I'll try and come up with more for you later... ____________________________________________________________________ "Patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer i beg to submit that it is the first." - Ambrose Bierce ---------------------- A Good Scoundrel isn't Hard to Find |
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Administrator Member  |
stardust
 ~ I prefer to live in a country that's small, and old, and where no one would ever have the NERVE to wear a cape in public, whether they could leap tall buildings in a single bound or not. trolls are like pigeons..keep feeding them and they keep coming back and shitting in your street. |
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Lexis Nexus Member |
that's not all that creepy though, in Stardust, is it?
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Elah Adonijai Member |
Eh, I've never seen it, but what about the TV show Carnivale? I know you're looking mostly for books but it might be worth checking out...
____________________________________________________________________ "Patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer i beg to submit that it is the first." - Ambrose Bierce ---------------------- A Good Scoundrel isn't Hard to Find |
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Administrator Member |
okay,next time i promise i'll read the full thread rather than thinking i've gotten the gist!
although some of the bargins and promises made at the fair are not all so nice.... ~ I prefer to live in a country that's small, and old, and where no one would ever have the NERVE to wear a cape in public, whether they could leap tall buildings in a single bound or not. trolls are like pigeons..keep feeding them and they keep coming back and shitting in your street. |
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Administrator Member |
can i take back that promise please....i promise i'll try to remember to read the full thread - i'd hate to make promises i break after 2 minutes!
~ I prefer to live in a country that's small, and old, and where no one would ever have the NERVE to wear a cape in public, whether they could leap tall buildings in a single bound or not. trolls are like pigeons..keep feeding them and they keep coming back and shitting in your street. |
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Elah Adonijai Member |
How the hell did I not think of this earlier? Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli's the Last Temptation (featuring Alice Cooper). kuh-reepy!
____________________________________________________________________ "Patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer i beg to submit that it is the first." - Ambrose Bierce ---------------------- A Good Scoundrel isn't Hard to Find |
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*95 gold stars* Member  |
I'm dredging forlornly for titles, but I'm fairly sure that amongst Clive Barkers work are some such stories. And I'm certain I recall a Poppy Z Brite short story which features a carnival geek in some capacity.
Hermits have no peer pressure |
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Administrator/Colporteur Member  |
Mystery Walk by Robert R. McCammon has some reasonably creepy carnival scenes, as does Boy's Life from the same author. In fact, I'd suggest Boy's Life to anyone interested in good fiction.
__________ AJGraeme "You see, I have a policy about honesty and ass-kicking: if you ask for it, I have to let you have it." -Taylor Mali "Science is the foot that kicks magic square in the nuts." -Scratch Fury |
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Technical Services Administrator Member  |
There's Darren Shan's "Cirque du Freak" series. I read the first one and it was fairly creepy.
_____________________________________________________________ Don't you realize? The next time you see sky, it'll be over another town. The next time you take a test, it'll be in some other school. Our parents, they want the best of stuff for us. But right now, they got to do what's right for them. Because it's their time. Their time! Up there! Down here, it's our time. It's our time down here. That's all over the second we ride up Troy's bucket. - Goonies |
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Lexis Nexus Member |
*takes notes*
thanks guys |
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There is no custom member title here. Member  |
I respectfully disagree, and found it to be a rather blatant and not very good imitation of Ray Bradbury. Or an 'homage' to Ray Bradbury, if you prefer |
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There is no custom member title here. Member |
I've also started reading 'Geek Love', which, while not horror, has some rather sinister imagry.
There's a Terry Dowling short story thats reprinted in 'An Intimate Knowledge of the Night' that deals with carnival freaks. I won't say more |
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has no member title Member  |
I can't believe nobody's mentioned this film yet: Tod Browning's Freaks, 1932.
Horrid and startling. And very very good. __ The brickchewing, camera flaunting restroom saint formerly known as Babylon the Bride |
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Elah Adonijai Member |
Respectfulness noted  I do think of it as an homage to Something Wicked This Way Comes (obviously) but also to the Halloween Tree. I think there's even some Bradbury quotes in it if I remember correctly...____________________________________________________________________ "Patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer i beg to submit that it is the first." - Ambrose Bierce ---------------------- A Good Scoundrel isn't Hard to Find |
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Lexis Nexus Member |
duh! *slaps own forehead* That's a great, great movie! |
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*95 gold stars* Member |
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Smartest woman in the world. Member  |
I'll second "Geek Love" - I found it horrific, but not everyone does. It's a very interesting book, either way. |
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Neil Gaiman www.NeilgaimanBoard.com www.NeilgaimanBoard.com The World's End Other Writers I wanna go to the carnival...
www.NeilgaimanBoard.com www.NeilgaimanBoard.com The World's End Other Writers I wanna go to the carnival...© YourCopy 2001