Jake Kerridge writes, “The vague presence of the Devil is so clearly evoked in this novel that I find myself looking up as I read, afraid to see him grinning from the chair next to me.” There are things that didn’t happen,” he wrote in a literary review.
In his third novel, Starve Acre, published in 2019, Juliet and Richard live in a farmhouse on the moor and are grieving the death of their young son. Juliet seeks solace in a group of occultists, but what harm will it do? The film version, starring Morfydd Clarke and Matt Smith, was released theatrically in the United States in July and in the United Kingdom in September. Director Daniel Cocotadillo used a variety of techniques to make the film seem like it was actually made in the 1970s, much like Neal’s play, which he and Hurley both admire. “We spent a long time figuring out how to capture that emotion,” he told the BBC. “We watched a lot of old horror movies and weird British TV, and some of that was due to the lighting. We also found some great old lenses from the 1970s, which added a little bit to the image. He saw Hurley as a modern successor to writers such as the famous Victorian ghost story writer MR James.
Why are scary stories becoming so popular?
“Legendary director Wes Craven said, ‘Scary movies don’t create fear; they create fear.’ release I think that goes a long way toward explaining the growing popularity of the horror genre in the book world, and why horror works like Starved Acres are such good film adaptations.” Yassin Belkasemi says John Murray Press Editorial Director, “Horror is the story of horror when the realities of everyday politics, news, and society can be overwhelming.” It is an effective prism for writers to explore our world, our ears, and our subconscious minds, especially in the United States, which is experiencing a time of extreme polarization on many issues, such as Shirley Jackson and others. Ironically, the world of horror seems to be the genre that explores this country’s greatest fears, whether it’s Stephen King’s work or Jordan Peele.
Starve Acre completed what Hurley had conceived of as a loose trilogy about landscape and reactions to it. His new book, Barrowbeck, further cements his reputation as Britain’s creepiest writer, but also marks a departure of sorts. This is a chronologically arranged collection of 13 linked short stories about life in the valleys of the north of England, some of which began as stories for BBC Radio 4. “Some of the stories are folk horror, while others lean more toward fantasy or science fiction,” Hurley says. The collection begins with a story about a village established in a valley in the distant past and ends with works set in the near future, where the valley has been devastated by climate change.
“It’s very depressing to think about what our future holds, but I had fun writing this story,” Hurley says. “I’ve read a lot of apocalyptic environmental disaster novels, such as John Christopher’s Death of the Grass. It’s a great book. It’s a writing genre I’d like to revisit.”
His next novel, scheduled to be published late next year, also breaks new ground for Harley, setting it in the city rather than the countryside. The protagonist is in a run-down seaside town out of season and remembers a summer vacation he spent there many years ago. But it seems like a pretty safe bet that this special seaside vacation isn’t just about ice cream, sandcastles, and innocent fun in the sun.
—
If you liked this story, Sign up for the Essential List newsletter – Hand-picked features, videos and can’t-miss news delivered to your inbox twice a week.
For more culture coverage from the BBC, follow us on facebook, × and Instagram.
