Campbell writes horror that gets its mileage by deploying the effects of mental illness. Not in the sense that it’s arrow-through-the-head wacky, nor in the sense that it’s over the top, but in the clinical sense of the word. David Davis, editor of 101 Weird Writers In this contribution to the Weird Writers series, Hendrix examines a story by an author who influenced him as a horror writer. Grady Hendrix is a frequent contributor to Tor.com and author of the recent 80’s-inspired horror novel, My Best Friend’s Exorcism. ‘The Brood’ (1980), as noted by the anthologist when first published, ‘has the cumulative effect of a nightmare from which one cannot awake’. One of the preeminent writers of his generation, Campbell has also edited influential supernatural fiction anthologies three of his top ten favorite stories are reprinted in The Weird (‘The Willows’ by Blackwood, ‘Smoke Ghost’ by Leiber and ‘The Hospice’ by Aickman). In his stories, largely evoking working- or middle-class settings, Campbell manages to update the weird tale and apply his keen ability to evoke both subtle supernatural horror and portraits of modern life in England. Ramsey Campbell (1946 – ) is an award-winning horror-fiction author from Liverpool, England, mentored by Lovecraft protégé August Derleth. There is no ranking system the order is determined by the schedule of posts. This post is part of an ongoing series on 101 weird writers featured in The Weird compendium, the anthology that serves as the inspiration for this site.
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