Dead leaves is a novella written by Andrew David Barker and over the past weekend I picked up a copy for my ride into London – I was not disappointed.
The story follows Scott Bradley and his group of friends as they discuss all things horror and video nasties that they have and have yet to watch, with the newly released “The Evil Dead” being the Holy Grail of all video nasties. In their quest to obtain and watch the film there are run ins with family, friends, hooligans and the police – oh and it’s set in 1983 England (Derby to be precise).
From the outset it reads like a love letter to the horror and music industry of the early 80’s. With each reference throwing your mind back to the first time you watched the so-called video nasties such as “I Spit on your Grave“, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and of course “The Evil Dead“. This is a theme that Andrew David Barker does very well thought the story, so much so it never feels forced in anyway.
One thing that may stop a reader in their tracks is some of the language used, not the swearing – it is adult horror after all! No, the regional dialect and slang that peppers the page as the fast paced story moves on, can and will leave some scratching their heads – especially if they are from the other side of the pond.
That aside, this is a fast pasted, nostalgic look at the period where video nasties were all the British media could talk about – look where we are now Mrs. Whitehouse!
With that said I really enjoyed the ride and will be looking for more from Andrew David Parker in the future.
Dead Leaves can be bought from Amazon and is even part of the Amazon Prime offering. So there is no excuse to pick up a copy today – 4 out of 5 for me.
To Scott, Paul and Mark, horror films are everything.
The year is 1983, the boom of the video revolution, and Scott Bradley is seventeen, unemployed and on the dole. Drifting through life, he and his friends love nothing more than to sit around drinking, talking about girls, and watching horror movies.
But things are about to change.