Body horror is probably the most confrontational and uncomfortable subgenre of horror films. Sure, the sight and sound of a corpse slowly decaying or peeling away to reveal squishy new organs or alien-like appendages is enough to unsettle anyone, but there’s more to it than that. It becomes deeper. Something inside us wants to shed its shell, leaving behind an empty shell with only a hint of what we once were.
author Nick Carter He’s well aware of this, he’s tried this genre of horror before, and his wildly popular work proves it force (lord of the flies Meet Cronenberg) and little paradise (Western horror involving cults and horrific transformations). He views the human body as a well of terror, arguing that what wells up from beneath the skin reflects not only the darkness we are able to escape, but also the hidden desires we are all too willing to indulge in when given the chance. It’s not just about how the monster within reflects who we really are. It’s about embracing new flesh that shows how deep the roots of ugliness run.
Chet’s new book, Queenfurther illuminates this point through a story about genetic manipulation, teenage angst, and how our bodies find ways to hide secrets that even those closest to us don’t fully understand. The book tells the story of Margaret Carpenter, a teenager whose best friend (a girl named Charity Atwater) Missing. One day she starts receiving strange text messages, which sets her on a strange journey that will reveal some heartbreaking things. Secrets lead to forbidden science, friendship dilemmas, and cruel insects with a penchant for violence.
There is a scene in the book involving ants that will surely leave a well-earned scar for those readers who braved the horrific prologue and persisted with the story. Apparently, I still have an empty space in my brain waiting for new nightmares, and Queen Claimed quickly.
Nick Cutter (real name) and I Craig Davidson) about his new book, what got him into body horror, and those damn ants. If there was any doubt that Carter was a master of body horror, this book will settle that question once and for all.
Ricardo Serrano: Queen This isn’t your first foray into body horror. your first novel, forcethere is still a lot to spare. What does it call you?
Score knife: I keep asking myself the same question. I grew up watching all kinds of horror movies, so I love all horror movies. I love well-crafted ghost stories, psychological thrillers, everything. I certainly remember reading and enjoying body horror, probably even more so in terms of movies. When I picked up a pen and started putting my thoughts down on paper, I never expected to adopt this style of writing.
There’s one more thing about writing, though. It shows you your obsession. That force and abyss, Nearly every one of Carter’s books indulges strongly in body horror, saying there must be some inner obsession with bodily decay.
I’m very interested in looking at what’s festering within us rather than the threats outside of us, where there’s a killer chasing you or there’s some scary entity chasing you. These things can be externalized so that you can face it and deal with it to a certain extent. Body horror, on the other hand, is often associated with inner decay. Once you open your mind to the things you can explore and think there’s something malevolent living under your skin, it’s hard to extricate yourself from it.
Serrano: There’s a particular sequence in the book about predatory ants that will definitely stay in people’s minds. I feel like it’s like the Italian horror movies from the 1970s and 1980s. Lucio Fulci himself would be proud. How did you decide on this sequence and choose the insects for it?
Tools: So, there’s some history there. When I was young I read a story taught at my old school about a swarm of ants that attacked a man’s plantation. I believe this story was assigned to students in the sixties and seventies. It was originally published on Esquire Magazine, its name is “Leiningen Versus the Ants”. This is similar to the type of ants I use Queensiafu ants, and how they go on a feeding frenzy, devouring everything in their path.
It’s a colonial story, one in which one basically holds its ground against an invasion of hordes of ants. While much of it is no longer culturally sensitive, as a child it was fascinating to me because of ants.
Then I remembered watching an episode McIver With the jungle as a backdrop, the same siafu ants appear again. This time they’re attacking a research facility, and they’re a force. I feel like the writer of this episode was clearly influenced by the same story I read as a kid. Then there’s the matter of falling down the rabbit hole. I find that, for lack of a better word, ant fiction is well represented. HG Wells I made one called “Ant Empire”. Dario Argento Did anyone call? Phenomenonrelies heavily on insects. Things went on and on.
Regardless, I find that insects, especially ants, are great vectors of horror. I wanted to use them as a springboard for the most difficult things I explore in the book. For example, the characters involved in this sequence are based on wealthy people like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who I imagine would experience something as horrific as siafu ants and then go on to replicate their destructive abilities to obtain economic benefits.
These scenes were so much fun to write. I don’t know what this means to me.
Serrano: I found it interesting that you basically listed all the movies and stories that influenced you during the writing process Queen In the postscript. How do you avoid letting these influences take over?
Tools: I want to be bold and wear my influences on my sleeve. I think it’s important to know that you almost always start with an idea that pops into your head. Once they arrive, they adapt quickly, and that’s when you start keeping them focused on things you’ve read, seen, and enjoyed before. To me, in this book, it’s genetic manipulation. Frankenstein would be another influence, although it is not listed in the postscript. I feel like this is an obvious corollary to any mad scientist narrative, it’s inevitable.
I want to point out my impact so I can also amplify the things closest to me. For example, the story is set in my hometown. This allowed me to cope with the emotional touchstones that were equally important to me growing up. I mean, the idea of leaving home after high school only to realize that the path you and your friends are taking will lead to a life-changing crossroads gives you a lot to write about.
This is where the dynamic changes. You still talk to your friends every week and visit. As time passes, you find that the conversations and visits begin to dry up. You make new friends and start hanging out in new places. Then old friends start to become childhood memories. Before you know it, you meet them on the street, and it shocks you that people who were once so close are now so distant from each other.
These are things that I have always kept in my writing. I’m not saying they are unique to me. Apparently, they are very common types of feelings. I just investigate them from my own perspective and see things through my own lens. Influence helps me shape these ideas.
Serrano: The character of Margaret was an exposed neurotic type for me. Just like what you do with young actors forceyou’ll find some references to behavior that hits harder because of the characters’ age range. What did Margaret and her perspective help you explore better than an older character?
Tools: I was really nervous, really, about approaching a young girl character in this book. I’ve written a lot about teenagers or kids going through puberty, and I find it easier to go back to my own memories of those times to flesh out my characters. That said, I feel like the story wouldn’t have proper coherence if it focused entirely on the boys. So I had to tap into a completely different set of experiences that, frankly, were not open to me and out of sync with my own upbringing. As a result, I decided to stick with generic.
Many things are made up of human experience. I can add content that’s appropriate for everyone in a certain age group and then just build on that. Friendship, love, these are things that we all have to face regardless of gender.
Obviously, there are a lot of things that take on different hues, not only depending on whether you’re male, female, or non-binary, but also depending on your skin color. However, all of these things will happen and they may be outside the scope of what I want to do.
Every book has its challenges, and I will try to tell a good story without shying away from all the complexities that come with it. That said, other books are like landmines that explode in the middle of the story. When that happens, you need to take the narrative pieces and try to stick them together with duct tape and crazy glue to see where they can go. This is an important part of the creative process.
Now wherever you get the book, you can find the Queen.
