Wallowing in the real-life hellscapes of war

In three days’ time, my third historical novel, THE DEVIL’S KNIGHT, will be published by Canelo. I’m truly delighted about this, as it’s the first part in a new medieval adventure series, and though it’s a kind of continuation of the family saga that readers will first have sampled in my original two historical novels - USURPER and BATTLE LORD - this one is set around 100 years after the Norman Conquest of England and engulfs us in in an entirely new set of warlike circumstances.

In this one, we get deep into one of the most famous battles of the medieval period, Arsuf, which was and also one of the most startling victories ... not least because Richard the Lionheart’s crusader army, though it triumphed on that day, was forced to endure incredibly harsh conditions. I thus thought that it might be an interesting exercise to single out ten famous historical battles in which the geophysical conditions were so appalling that they themselves would have been sufficient to break most armies.

Before we do any of that, I’d just like to say a little bit more about ...

THE DEVIL’S KNIGHT

Though I’m perhaps better known as a writer for my crime-thriller novels and my horror short stories, during the Covid crisis, when I had a bit more time on my hands than usual, I started work on a historical action-adventure series. 

The outcome of that, as published in 2023 and 2024 respectively, was USURPER and BATTLE LORD. Together, they told the tale of a young English earl’s determination to win back his family’s name and estate after it was seemingly lost during the apocalypse of the Norman invasion. We got some great reviews ...

A blistering, rip-roaring read...

At last, the definitive story of the battle of Hastings and its aftermath...

That said, I’m sorry to report that those two books didn’t sell massively well. I’m certainly not as well known as PW Finch (my historical novel nom-de-plume) as I am by my real name, Paul Finch. So, I’m hoping that the arrival of this new series, which follows the adventures of a crusader knight, Thurstan Wildblood, a straight-line descendent from my original Saxon heroes, will go some way to amending that.

However one big difference with THE DEVIL’S KNIGHT is that there are possible supernatural overtones. I should hastily add that this isn’t a straight-up ghost story though there is a lot of horror in there, much of it of the manmade variety - I don’t believe in depicting battles in anything other than their true, gaudiest, goriest colours - but there are elements of demonic horror in this one as well.

How far do we go with that? How much of it is genuinely a tale of Hell unleashed on Earth?

Well, I guess you’ll just have to read the forthcoming two novels to find out. As I said before, the first one, THE DEVIL’S KNIGHT, is published on October 9 (this Thursday) in ebook and paperback. An Audible version will follow in the next few months.

For those interested, we join Thurstan Wildblood while he is Knight-Commander of Richard the Lionheart’s elite Familia Regis (or Household Guard). In the late 12th century, that would be an unusual position for an Englishman to occupy, as most the knights in Britain at that time were descended from the Normans who settled here after 1066. However, several of the rulers between William the Conqueror and Richard the Lionheart believed in rewarding good service, in particular Richard’s father, Henry II. And it was under Henry that Thurstan’s family, originally the Saxon earls of Ripon, who subsequently lost much of their influence during the Conquest, were restored to mightiness by being additionally invested with the much more powerful Earldom of Radnor, though now of course they are expected to fight continuously in the name of the king. 

In 1190, when Richard the Lionheart takes his vast Anglo-Norman army to the Holy Land, Thurstan, younger brother of the current Earl of Radnor, is already a veteran of several wars and a very accomplished knight. When we first meet him, he’s an unsmiling, taciturn character who gives little away, but as Knight-Commander of Richard’s elite guard, he has a reputation for utter ruthlessness. This is counterbalanced somewhat by his squire, Pandulf, a likeable if overly trusting lad who is confident that under Thurstan’s cold exterior there's a good man waiting to come out, and his close friend, Bertrand du Voix, Knight-Banneret of the Familia Regis, and an obsessive follower of Christ who is convinced that only by recapturing Jerusalem will his soul be saved.

I'm not going to say too much more about it. If you want to explore the synopsis a little further, I was quite free with that info in the previous blogpost to this one. Just scroll down from here.

I should also mention at this stage that the second in the Wildblood series, THE DARK ARMY, an essential continuation of the first book, will be published next spring. If I say so, myself, I’m very pleased with both of these novels. A lot of effort went into them: that all-important research of course, while I also went out of my way in the writing to really try to capture the atmosphere of the crusading era and the high Middle Ages, and of course to make those all important battle scenes, of which there are plenty, as gritty, bloody and bone-crunchingly realistic as possible.

On the subject of which, as promised ...

SLAUGHTER IN THE SUN ... AND THE RAIN, AND THE SNOW, AND THE MUD  

I’ve already said that THE DEVIL'S KNIGHT includes what I hope is a very vivid recreation of the battle of Arsuf, which took place on the Syrian coast midway between Acre and Jaffa, on September 7 1191. It’s often cited as one of several battles in which Richard the Lionheart established his credentials as a masterly general. In a nutshell, Richard, riding at the head of the crusader column (or ‘the Pilgrims’, as they were referred to at the time), which was about 18,000 strong, was ambushed by a numerically vastly superior Turkish army (approx 30,000), and yet overwhelmed it in a single action, which the Lionheart had planned for an advance and executed to perfection. Leading from the front as he always did (which ultimately was the death of him, though not on this occasion), he routed his opponents with exceptional ferocity. As always in that era, the casualty numbers are uncertain, but at Arsuf they roughly approximated 7,000 men slain on the Turkish side, compared to 1,000 of the crusaders.

The battle itself (portrayed on the right by the always sure hand of Gustav Dore) which encompassed a single day, was actually the climax to an intensely brutal and protracted episode, in which Richard had led his army for several weeks along the malarial Syrian coastline, enduring extreme privations, from the raging sun of the Middle East in August to constant attacks by harrying squadrons of Turkish horse-archers. Turkish officers who were present would later write admiringly about the discipline of the crusader force, which on the way from Acre to Arsuf never once broke its rigid formation, both infantry and cavalry continuing to advance despite all manner of obstacles, even those among them who were ‘bristling with arrows’. 

The secret of Richard’s success lay in his always keeping ships of the fleet coast at hand, so that his army was constantly supplied with foot and fresh water without having to weigh themselves down as they marched. On occasions the temperatures rose to what we’d now consider the high 40s, and yet they endured as far as Arsuf, at which point the Turks, under the command of Sultan Saladin himself, finally decided that their foe was surely weakened enough and thus launched a massed attack. However, Richard had prepared for this by marching his army in strict battle formation, so all they needed to do was make a swift lefthand turn and they could counter-attack immediately, which they did, scoring an astonishing if gruesome victory.

I give more details about Arsuf in the book, though you can find plenty online as well. 

The upshot is that all this got me thinking about other battles in which the combatants were forced to suffer the most heart-breaking geographic and meteorological conditions. Thinking it would be interesting to dig out some of the worst, I started rummaging through my history books, and the ten I finally settled on, I’ve listed below. 

Before we start, you’ll notice some obvious absences. And that’s because the most obvious are already so well documented that they drip off the tongue quite easily. For example, the two worst battles in history in this regard would have to be Passchendaele (Jul-Nov 1917), and Stalingrad (Jul 1942-Feb 1943).  

In the former, of course, 440,000 British and British Empire soldiers were lost, compared to Germany’s 400,000, during indescribably savage fighting across the sort of hellscape that even the most imaginative horror artists couldn’t have conceived: miles of mud, twisted wire, water-filled craters, bombed towns and shell-blasted trees, and all of it cloaked in mustard gas. 

It was photographed very famously, of course, by James Francis Hurley, as you can see here. Launcelot Kiggell, a senior British staff officer, broke down and wept when he saw the battlefield afterwards, saying: ‘Good God, did we really send men to fight in that?’ 

In the latter meanwhile, Hitler’s previously invincible 6th Army was annihilated to the tune of 1,500,000 men (though the Russians also lost 1,300,000) in the fiery and yet deep-frozen ruins of that huge industrial city on the River Volga, neither side giving an inch as they contested every room and street in one of the most gruelling battles in human history.

But as I say, Stalingrad and Passchendaele are known the world over for exemplifying the very worst that warfare can offer ... and as conflicts that took place under conditions that couldn’t have been more testing if they'd been on Mars or Venus. And so now, purely for interest, and in historical order, I’ve listed these other, lesser known in general terms perhaps, but nevertheless nightmarish engagements that were also notable for the grotesque conditions experienced by those involved. 

(I have done my level best to use real paintings by real artists to illustrate each one of these momentous events in history. Where the artist has not been credited, that is because I could find no details. If anyone would like to drop a name or two in the comments section, please feel free and I will promptly rectify. The image at the top, meanwhile, is Dull Gret by Pieter Bruegel the Elder).

1 BATTLE OF THE RIVER TREBIA (December, 218 BC)

The first major battle of the Second Punic War, when a large, well-equipped Roman army, at least 40,000 strong, was fatally lax in its preparations: it hadn’t eaten properly, and then had to wade the heavy waters of the fast-flowing, ice-filled River Trebia, emerging in deep snow and bitterly cold winter wind, thus gaining no respite, many in fact dying from hypothermia, while the well-rested Carthaginian force, similar in size and each man smeared with oil to hold off the cold, came on at full strength. It was another massive victory for Hannibal. He lost 3,000 of his own men, but slew 20,000 Romans. 

2 BATTLE OF CARRHAE (June, 53 BC)

Famous for his defeat of Spartacus and subsequent crucifixion of 6,000 captured slaves, Roman general Marcus Crassus met his match when marching against the Parthian Empire. His army of 45,000 legionaries (seven whole legions) slogged across the burning sands of the Mesopotamian desert with inadequate water supplies, ravaged by dust storms and constant arrow showers courtesy of bands of Parthian light cavalry. By the time full battle was joined, the Romans were exhausted and parched, and easy prey for the Parthians, who suffered only minimal losses compared to the Romans’ 30,000. 

3 BATTLE OF THE TEUTOBERG (September, 9 AD)

The seemingly nonstop conquests of Augustus, first emperor of the Roman Empire, came to a grinding halt with this hideous bloodbath, three confident legions finding themselves lured into the depths of the great forest of the Teutoberg, where pounding rain and knee-deep mud monstrously hampered their advance. In addition, it was a world of deep shadows and infinite close-packed trees, which the Romans had no experience of. When barbarian prince, Arminius, and his black-and-green-painted warriors attacked, the overly straggled-out legionaries had no hope. 20,000 of them died, to 5,000 Germans. (Painting by Paja Jovanovic).

4 BATTLE OF TOWTON (March, 1461)

The bloodiest battle ever fought on British soil, when, at the height of the Wars of the Roses, 30,000 Lancastrians squared up against 30,000 Yorkists. Despite its Palm Sunday date, it was fought during an intense blizzard, which prevented the rival commanders from manoeuvring effectively, resulting in a colossal, nonstop melee, knights and men-at-arms engaging toe-to-toe in mud, blood and thickly churned snow, while both sides struck at each other relentlessly with massed ranks of longbowmen. The House of York won despite losing 10,000 men. The House of Lancaster meanwhile lost double that. (Painting by Richard Caton Woodville).

5 BATTLE OF INKERMAN (November, 1854)

The Crimean War was notable for extreme incompetence from the high command and incredible courage from the rank and file. But the difficulties of this particular battle were presented by a dense, freezing fog, which descended onto the icy battlefield at the beginning of the day and remained throughout, reducing visibility to no more than a couple of feet. Nevertheless, solid blocks of primarily British troops (with some French assistance) held their positions against waves of Russian cavalry and infantry, and won a stunning victory, losing 4,000 men to the Russians’ 12,000. (Painting by Marjorie Weatherstone).

6 BATTLE OF LAKE NAROCH (March, 1916)

A lesser-known affair in the West, which nevertheless came to define the insanity of frontal infantry assaults. Originally planned for WW1’s frozen-solid Eastern Front, this Russian spring offensive fell victim to an unexpected thaw, which turned the entire battlefield into a literal swamp. The assaults went ahead anyway, entire regiments disappearing into the mud, many simply drowning, the rest destroyed by machine gunning, mortar fire and flamethrowers. Incredibly, some gains were made, but Russian losses were eye-popping, 110,000 to Germany’s 20,000 (12,000 said to have died from hypothermia). 

7 BATTLE OF MONTE CASSINO (January-May, 1944)

One of the most horrific battles on WW2’s Western Front, and though an important Allied victory, costly beyond imagining. A 240,000-strong force, comprising many international armies, but built around a core of British and Americans, stormed a series of mountain strongholds held by elite German companies in central Italy. Heavy snow in the early stages, followed by torrential rain, and finally blazing heat led to astonishing hardship, but the terrain itself, rocky and steeply sloped created a battle of attrition that was more reminiscent of WW1. The Allies lost 55,000 men to the Germans’ 20,000. (Painting by Peter McIntyre).

8 BATTLE OF KOHIMA (April-June, 1944)

A relatively small battle by WW2 standards, this ferocious engagement was still of vital importance, a besieged British and Indian force repelling the Japanese invasion of India. The outnumbered Allied forces held on stubbornly despite monsoon conditions, extreme heat, jungle sores, swarms of biting insects and a lack of clean water. There was much hand-to-hand fighting, bayonets and machetes against fiercely-wielded katanas, but dogged determination won the day, the Japanese withdrawing, having lost 7,000 men to the Allies’ 4,000. The National Army Museum proclaimed it ‘Britain's greatest battle’. (Painting by Peter Dennis).

9 BATTLE OF THE CHOSIN RESERVOIR (November-December, 1950)

Though a technical victory for the Chinese over the UN, this key battle of the Korean War is notable also for the astonishingly hard conditions - it was fought out over 17 brutal days in the midst of an Arctic freeze - and for the incredible courage of the 1st US Marine Division, who spearheaded the UN assault across extensive frozen marshland, finally breaking a numerically superior encirclement by the Chinese and enabling UN forces to retreat south to the safety of the 38th parallel (leading to the stalemate we know today). The UN lost 13,900 to the Chinese’s 60,000 (many of the latter from cold). (Painting by James Dietz). 

10 BATTLE OF DIEN BIEN PHU (March-May, 1954)

Despite the heroics of the French Foreign Legion, who parachuted into the action to reinforce their encircled comrades in this climactic battle of the 1st Indochina War, it was a massive overall defeat for the French Union (the old French Empire) by the Viet Minh (the communist-led Vietnamese nationalist coalition). It was earmarked by sustained artillery bombardments, massed infantry assaults and bitter, trench-to-trench fighting. Again, it was a grim tale of harsh terrain, monsoon rain and suppurating mud. The French lost 4,000 to the Vietnamese’s 14,000, but it signalled the end of French power in Vietnam. (Painting by Craig Wilson).

When the Devil was definitely not mocked

Greetings all. Autumn is well and truly with us, which means that, by rights, we should now be delving into the Ghosting Season. However, today I’m switching identities from Paul Finch, the writer of crime thrillers and horror, to PW Finch, the historical novelist. The reason for that: my third historical novel, THE DEVIL’S KNIGHT, is published in 11 days’ time (Oct 9), and I can’t wait for you all to get your eager little hands on it.

I should point out, though, that in keeping with the time of year, there are some eerie and fantastical elements to THE DEVIL’S KNIGHT, so it’s not entirely inappropriate including this promo on a blogsite that normally deals exclusively with dark fiction.

In addition to all that, and just for larks, I thought we might look a little closer at the Prince of Darkness himself, focussing on 20 of the most effective movies I’ve seen to date wherein Hell itself it literally raised. You’ll find that further down.

Before then, very quickly, I’d like to apologise for taking so long to post again. I can only say what I seem to be saying an awful lot in this most testing year of my life, but I’ve simply been too busy. Another blogpost, which you’ll hopefully see before the end of 2025, will explain why.

And now, onto ...

THE DEVIL’S KNIGHT

This is the first part of a an all new two-book adventure series set between the years 1189 and 1194, which completely encompasses the Third Crusade. You may remember that was the one led primarily by Richard the Lionheart, and during which an attempt was made to recapture the Holy Land after it had been seized from the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem by the sultan of Egypt known to the West as Saladin.

The book follows the path of one Thurstan Wildblood, a fearsome knight from the Herefordshire/Welsh border, who has now become commander of the Lionheart’s elite Familia Regis. Initially, it’s a tale of battle after battle as the crusaders capture the fortified city of Acre, then proceed down the Syrian coast to Jaffa, fighting and winning the colossal engagement of Arsuf en route. All the while though, the campaign is plagued by intrigue and infighting among the crusader princes, many of whom have entirely different agendas from each other. Richard’s efforts to march on Jerusalem itself are thus foiled again and again. In due course, with the Turkish armies reinforcing almost at will, the campaign starts to falter, and Wildblood is singled out for a monumental task: to rescue a young Coptic Christian woman, Melinda of Jerusalem, who is part Arabic and part Italian. She supposedly has miraculous powers but has now become a hostage of the Turks. Once he has retrieved her, he must transport her to England with a small group of handpicked men.

The dangers posed by this task will grow exponentially as the journey commences, every conceivable enemy pursuing the intrepid band: from the Knights Templar, who consider themselves the ideal guardian for this living saint, to soldiers loyal to the Pope, who feel the same way, to the Assassins, a ruthless and dedicated band of Muslim irregulars, and most menacing of all, to the Order of Siegfried, a private but lawless mercenary army in the sole pay of the German Emperor.

If this isn’t enough, the heroes are plagued by uncertainty about their own positions. Melinda doesn’t know if she is a saint or not. Her prayers do seem to have affected miracle cures, but she has no control over this. It’s something that just happens, or so it seems. Thurstan meanwhile, seemingly invincible in battle, has a deep dread that this has only come about through his encounter in a fever dream with a terrifying demon, Belphagor, the Bishop of Hell, who in trade for his soul, has gifted the knight with extraordinary fighting skills. Wildblood never knows whether this was a genuine incident or not, but with sword in hand he is virtually indomitable.

Will the small band make it to England facing such incredible odds? And do they even want to get there? What kind of England awaits them, because in Richard’s absence, his scheming brother, Prince John, and a host of rebel barons have launched a brutal civil war. And what will it cost them to achieve this? Whose side is Thurstan even fighting on, God’s or Lucifer’s?

Sorry, I can’t say any more. But don’t worry. THE DEVIL’S KNIGHT is published on October 9. All you've got to do to pre-order, is follow this LINK.

And now, as promised...

THE DEVIL IN CELLULOID

Twenty of the best horror movies about the Devil and his minions, in chronological order. Only my opinion of course. Just a bit of fun. if you disagree or have additional suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments below or in response to whichever Facebook or Twitter post you followed to get here. Happy bone-chilling.

1 BLACK SUNDAY (1960)

In 17th century Moldavia, an aristocratic witch and her lover are inadequately put to death by her brother, and so return 200 years later to wreck fearsome revenge on their family’s descendants.

The movie that finally brought director Mario Bava to the attention of British and American horror fans, made an international star out of Barbara Steele and set the tone for the Italian Gothic cinema tradition, though for all its extravagant visuals and wild histrionics, this very traditionally themed chiller is still a stylish cut above many of those that would follow. Adapted from Nikolai Gogol’s 1935 novella, Viy.

2 THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964)

As plague ravages medieval Italy, a Satan-worshipping nobleman gathers his followers in his Gothic castle for a night of feasting, torture and madness, and to await the arrival of the Prince of Darkness.

Vincent Price’s darkest role, the horror maestro radiating sadistic cruelty at every turn, yet adding layers of character too, while director Roger Corman enjoys himself immensely as he explores the varied forms of evil that open up in a world where virtue is non-existent. Adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s 1842 short story of the same name.

3 ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968)

A couple of New York newly-weds move into a new apartment building, and are befriended by their strange but seemingly inoffensive neighbours, unaware that they already figure in an apocalyptic scheme to bring the Antichrist into our world.

Roman Polanski’s artful and meticulous direction creates a thoroughly satisfying horror experience, even though, with the exception of one famous scene, there isn’t too much horror in it. Persuasive performances and naturalistic dialogue only add to the air of realism. So effective was the overall package that it kickstarted a whole new cycle of Satanic chillers. Adapted from Ira Levin’s 1967 novel of the same name.

4 THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1968)

In 1929, intellectual adventurer, the Duc de Richleau, becomes concerned about the behaviour of a young friend, only to learn that he is now affiliated to a devil-worshipping cult so powerful that they’re capable of summoning Lucifer himself.

Though surprisingly conservative in its approach to the subject matter, director Terence Fisher’s 17th Hammer outing is widely considered a masterwork in the genre. Mostly dispensing with the new-fangled sex and violence, it is spiritual terror that concerns us here, the period setting exquisitely conjured and Christopher Lee, for once a good guy, facing off marvellously against Charles Gray’s evil warlock. Adapted from Dennis Wheatley’s 1934 novel of the same name.

5 BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW (1971)

In rural England of the 17th century, fragments of an abhorrent creature are uncovered in the West Country furrows, a scourge of evil slowly spreading through the local villages, particularly among the children.

Realistically bleak portrayal of Restoration England, complete with credulous peasants and rampant inappropriateness when it comes to pagan ritual. Linda Hayden steals the show as a sultry anti-heroine, Patrick Wymark adding weight as the local hanging-judge. It meanders at times, but director Piers Haggard shoots it beautifully and creates an effective doom-laden atmosphere. Made from Robert Wynne-Simmons’ original screenplay.

6 THE DEVILS (1971)

When the nuns in a 17th century French convent demonstrate signs of possession, the local priest, who’s been a prominent defender of the town’s ancient liberties, is brought up on charges of diabolism.

The Devil is definitely present in this horrific reimagining of real-life events, but only inasmuch as so many characters willingly insist that he’s there even when he isn’t. Director Ken Russell indulges himself as only he can, wallowing in sex, violence and depravity to the point where this, his most graphic chunk of Grand Guignol, becomes a difficult watch even for horror hounds. For all that, it remains an extraordinarily vivid piece of work. Adapted from Aldous Huxley’s 1952 novel, The Devils of Loudon, and John Whiting’s 1960 play, The Devils.

7 THE MEPHISTO WALTZ (1971)

A failed musician is befriended by a famous concert pianist who is now dying and plans to use a Satanic ceremony to transfer his soul into the body of a younger man.

Far from everyone’s favourite, but the sole Quinn Martin production ever to hit the big screen surely deserves some kind of mention. Paul Wendkos directs, and while it perhaps takes the whole concept of devilish magic a little too lightly (TV habits are hard to break, I guess), it was a novel(ish) idea at the time, and fully in line with the zeitgeist as it again followed the new fashion of bringing ancient sorcery into the contemporary realm. Adapted from Fred Mustard Stewart’s 1969 novel of the same name.

8 THE EXORCIST (1973)

In hip college town, Georgetown, the possession of a young girl by a demonic spirit seems vanishingly unlikely. Even local churchmen are sceptical. But such are the appalling circumstances that in due course, two exorcists are chosen to do battle with the malignant entity.

The horror movie that sent shockwaves around the world, and probably plumbed darker depths than horror ever had before. There was much exaggeration from the publicity machine, but director William Friedkin presents his lurid drama in such hard-headed and factual, semi-documentary style (having even acquired Vatican cooperation) that in the 2020s it still remains one of cinema’s most authentic chillers. Adapted from William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel of the same name.

9 FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (1974)

In a Highgate side-street, an unobtrusive knick-knack shop called Temptations Ltd makes its customers offers they can’t refuse and guarantees a big novelty surprise with each one.

Peter Cushing hams it up wonderfully as the devilish shopkeeper in Kevin Connor's top-drawer horror compendium, each segment developed from a classy short story, and thus living long in the memory. The emphasis is less on Satan, and more on the nasty fate you’ll invite if you are lured into his web. Adapted from four short works by R. Chetwynd-Hayes.

10 THE OMEN (1976)

The new American ambassador to London struggles to deal with bizarre and horrific happenings, and persistent warnings that his new baby son may well be the Antichrist.

Despite a thorough panning by the critics, director Richard Donner’s big contribution to the ‘70s Satan cycle’ was a box office smash that defied all expectations. The usual glut of ‘true’ spook stories accompanied its production, but Gregory Peck’s dignified central performance (among several others) plus plenty of eye-popping set-piece moments elevate it well above the general horror mish-mash of that era. Made from an original screenplay by David Seltzer.

11 THE SENTINEL (1977)

A neurotic fashion model moves into a New York apartment but is increasingly troubled by her eccentric and even menacing neighbours, unaware that they are reincarnations of serial killers seeping out of Hell because the guardian of the gateway, who lives upstairs, is close to death.

Controversial now because director Michael Winner used real life disabled actors to play devils, though this thick slice of mid-70s horror schlock still has the power to scare, especially in the less grisly first half, where the eerie mystery is slowly unravelled. Another mid-70s horror that benefits hugely from a starry cast. Adapted from Jeffrey Konvitz’s 1974 novel of the same name.

12 SUSPIRIA (1977)

A young American woman graduates to an elite German dance academy, only to find a coven of witches hiding there and using it as cover for all kinds of demonic wickedness.

Typically phantasmagoric horror from Dario Argento: sparse dialogue, kaleidoscopic use of primary colours, a plethora of bloodcurdling set-piece deaths, and relentless ‘big shock’ moments. Horror eye-candy rather than a seriously-minded film, but still superior to the sober soullessness of the 2018 remake. Adapted from Thomas de Quincey’s 1845 essay, Suspiria de Profundis.

13 THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979)

A cash-strapped family move into a luxury Long Island home, which they’ve acquired for a knock-down price, only to find themselves assailed by apparent demonic forces.

Allegedly based on a true story, though it’s been much debunked since, the intensity of Stuart Rosenberg’s relatively low budget production has been widely praised. The suburban terror builds right from the start, aided and abetted by a film score that would go down in horror movie history. Adapted from Jay Anson’s 1977 novel of the same name.

14 ANGEL HEART (1987)

In the mid 1950s, a traumatised war vet, now turned PI, investigates the disappearance of a popular singer, taking a winding road through the backstreets of New York to the hoodoo-haunted swamps of Louisiana, encountering murder after murder en route.

Director, Alan Parker, successfully blends film noir with devilish horror in this gruesome but compelling mystery thriller. Explicit sex and violence created a wave of controversy, but it remains intelligent scare-fare, and rises to some true crescendos of darkness. Adapted from William Hjortsberg’s 1978 novel, Falling Angel.

15 HELLRAISER (1987)

After an amoral hedonist is torn apart by sadomasochistic demons he summoned while hoping to experience the ultimate pleasures, he escapes from Hell by persuading his sister-in-law to commit brutal murders so that he can rebuild his shattered form.

Clive Barker’s directorial debut, and a gory, gaudy exercise in 80s horror, with lashings of blood and torn flesh and endless mind-bending imagery. The trans-Atlantic setting confused some audiences, but the fact it takes its horror seriously, and utilises Hell’s denizens for quite different purposes from the norm, makes it a stand-out movie of that era. Adapted from Clive Barker’s own 1986 novella, The Hellbound Heart.

16 THE EXORCIST III (1990)

When an ageing Georgetown cop investigates a series of ritual decapitations, he gradually uncovers links to the multi-fatality exorcism of a young child some twenty years earlier.

Exorcist author, William Peter Blatty, took the director’s helm himself to create this hugely effective and engrossing sequel to the original masterpiece. He’d already written both books of course, so he could hardly go wrong, except that interference by studio execs left him personally dissatisfied with the final product. Adapted from William Peter Blatty’s 1983 novel, Legion.

17 EVENT HORIZON (1997)

A deep space salvage mission to recover the wreck of an experimental ship that went missing years earlier runs into trouble when the salvage crew discover that, wherever their objective has been all this time, it may quite literally have opened a portal to Hell.

Rare but incredibly effective blend of sci-fi and occult horror, director Paul Anderson laying on the extreme psycho-disturbances (and the extreme gore), melding the subgenres perfectly to create a unique and genuinely terrifying atmosphere, the stellar cast happily playing second fiddle to the nightmarish concept. Made from an original screenplay by Philip Eisner.

18 THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE (2005)

When a studious college girl dies during the course of a brutal exorcism, the priest responsible faces trial for murder. His atheist defence attorney dismisses any possibility that demons did it, though events soon conspire to change her mind.

Another true(ish) story, and another blend of subgenres, occult horror this time slamming headlong into courtroom drama. Sharp work by all involved elevates Scott Derrickson’s nifty little chiller way above the God v Satan melodrama you might expect from such a concept. Religious in tone, but relentlessly frightening. Inspired by the genuine case of Anneleise Michel.

19 THE WITCH (2015)

When a poor Puritan family come to settle in what will eventually become New England, they initially think they have landed in paradise, only to start suspecting that the witchcraft they so feared in the old country has followed them here.

This astonishing piece of work from debut director Robert Eggers raised the game of the occult horror genre several notches overnight. He utilises plenty of old tropes, but hits his audience in the gut with them rather than going through the age-old motions. One of those grittily dark and disturbing horror movies that you don’t want to watch more than once. Made from an original screenplay by Eggers himself.

20 THE DEVIL'S DOORWAY (2018)

In the early 1960s, two Irish priests are appalled by the goings-on they uncover in one of the Magdalene laundries, and even more so when their investigation leads them into a subterranean world of human sacrifice and Luciferian ritual.

Probably the one movie on this list that quite a few readers won’t have seen, and it’s their loss. Lalor Roddy is remarkable as the ageing priest struggling to keep his faith in the face of intense evil (as much from his own side as the other), but it’s director Aislinn Clarke who does the most immense job, grittifying her discomforting tale to the point where you can hardly bear to watch - oh, and scaring the pants off you in the process. Made from an original screenplay by Aislinn Clarke, Martin Brennan and Michael B Jackson.

Horrors and terrors lurk on lonely islands

After a headline like that, it probably won’t surprise you good people to know that today I’m going to be talking about THE ISLAND again. And why not?, I ask you. It’s my first title with Thomas & Mercer, it’s a freestanding crime thriller, it’s set on - yes, you guessed it - an island, and it’s published on September 1

I won’t pretend that I haven’t always been a fan of the ‘location thriller’, as it’s refereed to these days, and I’ve particularly been a fan of those where the location is an island, in other words an isolated spot somewhere in the real world, but where unless you’ve got the means, it can be really difficult to get away again. When danger threatens on a isolated island, you’ve got a real problem.

Of course, I’m far from the first thriller writer to pick up on this, so that will be the big gist of today’s blogpost: dark and scary fiction set on islands. In fact, I’m going to pick ten thriller novels and ten horror novels that make the best possible use of their island locations. So, that should be a bit of fun.

Before then, a quick reminder about a few other titles that I’ve got coming out this year.

Other stuff

First of all, as you’ll have seen from the image at the top of today’s column, my eighth Heck novel, ROGUE, is at last getting the Audible treatment. I’m delighted to announce that it will be out on August 21 and will be narrated by the ever popular Paul Thornley, who did such a sterling job with all the other Heck Audibles. I cannot stress how much fan-mail I’ve had begging and pleading that it would be Paul who took on the acting job for ROGUE. The truth is, and has always been, that I have no control over who gets that gig. It’s always fun to hear the audition tapes and be asked my opinion, but I doubt my word counts for much. But I will say that on this occasion I did request Paul, and it looks as though WF Howes Ltd (the Audible publisher) have come through for me.

I’m hoping they’ll be able to recruit Paul again for NO QUARTER (Heck #9), but it’s a bit early to talk about that one yet.

Another publication due later this year (October 9), THE DEVIL’S KNIGHT, will see me flip back into my historical author persona, PW Finch. It commences the two-volume story of Thurstan Wildblood, a knight in the personal guard of Richard the Lionheart, who, during the chaos and bloodshed of the Third Crusade, encounters a mysterious, demonic bishop and is promised invincibility on the battlefield in return for his soul. From this point on, or so it seems, Thurstan cannot be defeated, but increasingly he fears that Hell awaits him.

When he is put in charge of Melinda of Jerusalem, a young female captive with the power to heal wounds simply by prayer, and ordered to return her to England, it’s a task he initially resists, though in due course, he starts to believe that it might save him from damnation. However, the road home is fraught with danger, because also in pursuit of Melinda are the elite and zealous blades of the Assassin sect, the battle-hardened longswords of the Knights Templar, and most dangerous of all, the Order of Siegfried, a mercenary band loyal to the German Emperor, who will literally stop at nothing to achieve their scheming master’s aims.

Thurstan Wildblood thinks he knows evil, thinks he’s seen it all. But in fact, he hasn’t seen anything yet.

Okay, that’s THE DEVIL’S KNIGHT. It’s published on October 9, and is the first in the Thurstan Wildblood series, the second one out next year. More details on that when I get it.

Now, back to those...

ISLANDS IN THE SCREAM

Island settings have always worked in thriller fiction. And as the concept of the ‘location thriller’ is now a real thing, I reckon we’ll see a lot more of them in the near future.

For what it’s worth, here’s a quick thumbnail of my own forthcoming novel, THE ISLAND (published on Sept 1). A bunch of disgraced ex-cops join a support group, and are whisked away for a timely break on a glorious, mostly uninhabited island in the Scillies. It isn’t long after they’ve arrived, however, when the first body shows up, and they start to wonder what the real reason for this gathering is.

Sorry ... that’s it. No further spoilers when we are this close to home.

Of course, as I’ve already said, remote islands settings are nothing new.

Agatha Christie’s seminal island chiller, And Then There Were None (1939), set on Burgh Island, just off the Devonshire coast, is still the best-selling crime novel in history. Peter Benchley’s Jaws (1974), set on fictional Amity Island just off New England, emptied seaside bathing areas across the Northern Hemisphere for several years afterwards, especially when the blockbuster movie version came out. In Jurassic Park (1990), Michael Crichton warned about the dangers of genetic meddling when it saw the fictional Isla Nublar near Costa Rica transformed into a dinosaur safari park. But perhaps the Big Daddy of all island-set horror novels is William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (1954), which saw a bunch of English schoolboys marooned in the Tropical Pacific and gradually revert to a savage hunter-killer existence. It is regarded as a true classic in dark literature.

We obviously won’t mention any of these examples in the following checklist. For one thing, they’re already very well known. However, here are a few others in order of publication (the blurbs accompanying them provided by the publishers).

As I said: ten island-bound thrillers, and ten island-bound horrors.

You never know... you might encounter some new titles here, and could just be able to acquire them before you set off on your summer holiday - to that island paradise that looked so deceptively charming in the brochure.

THRILLERS SET ON ISLANDS

1. EVIL UNDER THE SUN by Agatha Christie (1941)

‘It is peaceful. The sun shines. The sea is blue. But you forget, there is evil everywhere under the sun.’

It was not unusual to find the beautiful bronzed body of the sun-loving Arlena Stuart stretched out on a beach, face down. Only, on this occasion, there was no sun… she had been strangled.

Ever since Arlena’s arrival at the swish resort on the island off the Devon coast, Hercule Poirot had detected sexual tension in the seaside air. But could this apparent ‘crime of passion’ have been something more evil and premeditated altogether?

2. SHUTTER ISLAND by Dennis Lehane (2003)

US Marshal Teddy Daniels has come to Shutter Island in Boston Harbour, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to find an escaped murderer named Rachel Solando.

As a killer hurricane bears down on the island, the investigation deepens and the questions mount. How has a barefoot woman escaped from a locked room? Who is leaving them clues in the form of cryptic codes? And what really goes on in Ward C?

The closer Teddy gets to the truth, the more elusive it becomes. And the more he begins to believe that he may never leave Shutter Island. Because someone is trying to drive him insane...

3. PIG ISLAND 

by Mo Hayder (2006)

SEE EVIL

Journalist Joe Oakes makes a living exposing supernatural hoaxes. But what he sees when he visits a secretive religious community on a remote Scottish island forces him to question everything he thought he knew.

HEAR EVIL
Why have the islanders been accused of Satanism? What has happened to their leader? And why will no one discuss the strange creature seen wandering the lonely beaches of Pig Island?

READ EVIL
In PIG ISLAND, Mo Hayder dares you to face your fears head on and to look at what lurks beneath the surface of everyday normality. Because ordinary people are perfectly capable of doing unspeakable things to each other...

4. DEVIL SHARKS 

by Chris Jameson (2018)

A pleasure cruise in paradise leads a group of friends to a shark-infested Hell...

When Alex Simmons is invited to a college reunion in the Hawaiian islands aboard the private yacht of his old pal Harry Curtis, he is not sure what to expect. The two men had a falling-out years ago over the suicide of one of their friends. Could this be Harry’s way of making amends? Or is something more sinister in store? The crew sets sail and arrives at Orchid Atoll, the site of a deserted former Coast Guard station. But they are far from alone...

Out here, three hundred miles from civilization, Alex and his friends are about to encounter two very different brands of evil - one human, the other with fins - unlike anything they could have possibly imagined. They have entered a place where there’s no law, no mercy... and no way out.

5. A HOUSE OF GHOSTS by WC Ryan (2018)

Winter 1917. As the First World War enters its most brutal phase, back home in England, everyone is seeking answers to the darkness that has seeped into their lives.

At Blackwater Abbey, on an island off the Devon coast, Lord Highmount has arranged a spiritualist gathering to contact his two sons who were lost in the conflict. But as his guests begin to arrive, it gradually becomes clear that each has something they would rather keep hidden. Then, when a storm descends on the island, the guests will find themselves trapped. Soon one of their number will die.

For Blackwater Abbey is haunted in more ways than one...

6. THE GUEST LIST 

by Lucy Foley (2020)

On an island off the windswept Irish coast, guests gather for the wedding of the year – the marriage of Jules Keegan and Will Slater.

Old friends.
Past grudges.

Happy families.
Hidden jealousies.

Thirteen guests.
One body.

The wedding cake has barely been cut when one of the guests is found dead. And as a storm unleashes its fury on the island, everyone is trapped.

All have a secret. All have a motive.
One guest won’t leave this wedding alive...

7. THE BLACKHOUSE by Peter May (2020)

A brutal killing takes place on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland: a land of harsh beauty and inhabitants of deep-rooted faith.

A MURDER

Detective Inspector Fin Macleod is sent from Edinburgh to investigate. For Lewis-born Macleod, the case represents a journey both home and into his past.

A SECRET

Something lurks within the close-knit island community. Something sinister.

A TRAP

As Fin investigates, old skeletons begin to surface, and soon he, the hunter, becomes the hunted.

8. LOOK BOTH WAYS by Linwood Barclay (2022)

They think as one. They act as one. They kill as one.

The residents of Garrett Island off the coast of Massachusetts are part of a ground-breaking experiment. For a month, their cars will be replaced by self-driving vehicles – voice-controlled, comfortable and safe.

Single mum Sandra is prepping for the huge media event, and she’s ready for a driverless future. Widowed after her husband fell asleep at the wheel, she’s relieved that her kids may never need to drive themselves.

But as the day gets underway, disaster strikes. A journalist vanishes, possibly murdered. And before long, it’s clear something is very wrong. The cars are no longer taking orders from their passengers. They’re starting to organise. They’re starting to hunt. And they’ve got the residents of Garrett Island in their sights.

9. THE ISLAND by Adrian McKinty (2022)

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF UNTIL THEY COME FOR YOUR FAMILY.

After moving from a small country town to Seattle, Heather Baxter marries Tom, a widowed doctor with a young son and teenage daughter. A working vacation overseas seems like the perfect way to bring the new family together, but once they’re deep in the Australian outback, the jet-lagged and exhausted kids are so over their new mom.

When they discover remote Dutch Island, off-limits to outside visitors, the family talks their way onto the ferry, taking a chance on an adventure far from the reach of iPhones and Instagram. But as soon as they set foot on the island, which is run by a tightly knit clan of locals, everything feels wrong. Then a shocking accident propels the Baxters from an unsettling situation into an absolute nightmare.

When Heather and the kids are separated from Tom, they are forced to escape alone, seconds ahead of their pursuers. Now it’s up to Heather to save herself and the kids, even though they don’t trust her, the harsh bushland is filled with danger, and the locals want her dead.

Heather has been underestimated her entire life, but she knows that only she can bring her family home again and become the mother the children desperately need, even if it means doing the unthinkable to keep them all alive.

10. YULE ISLAND 

by Johana Gustawsson (2024)

Don’t

Art expert Emma Lindahl is anxious when she’s asked to appraise the antiques and artefacts in the infamous manor house of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, on the island of Storholmen, where a young woman was murdered nine years earlier, her killer never found.

Emma must work alone, and with the Gussman family apparently avoiding her, she sees virtually no one in the house. Do they have something to hide?

Trust

As she goes about her painstaking work and one shocking discovery yields clues that lead to another, Emma becomes determined to uncover the secrets of the house and its occupants.

When the lifeless body of another young woman is found in the icy waters surrounding the island, Detective Karl Rosén arrives to investigate, and memories of his failure to solve the first case come rushing back. Could this young woman's tragic death somehow hold the key?

Anyone

Battling her own demons, Emma joins forces with Karl to embark upon a chilling investigation, plunging them into horrifying secrets from the past – Viking rites and tainted love – and Scandinavia's deepest, darkest winter…

HORRORS SET ON ISLANDS

1. THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU 

by HG Wells (1896)

Adrift in a dinghy, Edward Prendick, the single survivor from the good ship Lady Vain, is rescued by a vessel carrying a profoundly unusual cargo - a menagerie of savage animals. 

Tended to recovery by their keeper Montgomery, who gives him dark medicine that tastes of blood, Prendick soon finds himself stranded upon an uncharted island in the Pacific with his rescuer and the beasts. Here, he meets Montgomery's master, the sinister Dr. Moreau - a brilliant scientist whose notorious experiments in vivisection have caused him to abandon the civilised world. 

It soon becomes clear he has been developing these experiments - with truly horrific results.

2. WEB by John Wyndham (1979)

A millionaire English lord dreams of founding a Utopian community on a remote Pacific island. Among the 40-odd men and women selected for the project are a pestologist named Camilla and the narrator. 

Within hours of the group’s arrival on the sunny isle, their radio has been destroyed. 

Within days, several members of the group are dead. 

Dream turns to nightmare as they discover the island is overrun by a spider species programmed to resist and dominate any invader.

3. THE WOMAN IN BLACK by Susan Hill (1983)

Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral of Mrs Alice Drablow, the sole inhabitant of Eel Marsh House.

The house stands at the end of a causeway off the Northumbrian coast. Quite often it’s cut off by the tide, becoming a desolate island, but at all times it is wreathed in fog and mystery. 

But it is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of the woman in black - and her terrible purpose.

4. NEVERLAND 

by Douglas Clegg (1991)

What calls to the children from within the dark shadows of the shack called Neverland?

What lurks within the shack? What kinds of dangerous — and deadly — games do the children play there?

For years, the Jackson family vacationed at their matriarch’s old Victorian house on Gull Island, a place of superstition and legend off the southern coast of the US. One particular summer, young Beau follows his cousin Sumter into a shack hidden among the brambles and windswept trees near bluffs overlooking the sea.

And within Neverland, the mysteries and terror grow...

5. DUMA KEY 

by Stephen King (2008)

When Edgar Freemantle moves to the remote island of Duma Key, off Florida’s coast, to escape his past, he doesn’t expect to find much there.

But Duma has been waiting for him, and something in the view from his window urges him to discover a talent he never knew he had.

Edgar Freemantle begins to paint. And as he paints, the island’s secrets begin to stir. Secrets of children lost in the undertow, of a ghost ship riding the distant horizon - and a family’s buried past reaching long hands into the present.

6. CASTAWAYS 

by Brian Keene (2011)

They came to the deserted South Pacific island to compete on a popular reality television show. Each one hoped to be the last to leave. Now they're just hoping to stay alive, because the island isn’t deserted after all. 

Contestants are disappearing, but they aren’t being eliminated by the game. They’re being taken by the monstrous, half-human creatures that live deep in the jungle. The men will be slaughtered. The women will be kept alive as captives. 

Night is falling, the creatures are coming, and rescue is so far away...

7. THE TROOP 

by Nick Cutter (2014)

He felt something touch his hand. Which is when he looked down.

For the scouts of Troop 52, three days of camping, hiking and survival lessons on Canada’s Falstaff Island is as close as they’ll get to a proper holiday.

Which was when he saw it.

But when an emaciated figure stumbles into their camp asking for food, the trip takes a horrifying turn. The man is not just hungry, he’s sick. Sick in a way they have never seen before.

Which was when he screamed.

Cut off from the mainland, the troop face a terror far worse than anything they could have made up around a campfire. To survive they will have to fight their fears, the elements... and eventually each other.

8. THE FORGOTTEN ISLAND by David Sodergren (2018)

When Ana Logan agrees to go on holiday to Thailand with her estranged sister Rachel, she hopes it will be a way for them to reconnect after years of drifting apart.

But now, stranded on a seemingly deserted island paradise with no radio and no food, reconciliation becomes a desperate fight for survival.

For when night falls on The Forgotten Island, the dark secrets of the jungle reveal themselves.

Something is watching them from the trees.
Something ancient.
Something evil.

9. ISLAND OF THE FORBIDDEN 

by Hunter Shea (2020)

Sometimes, the dead are best left in peace.

Jessica Backman has been called to help a strange family living on a haunted island in Charleston Harbour, South Carolina. Ormsby Island was the site of a brutal massacre two decades ago, and now the mysterious Harper family needs someone to exorcise the ghosts that still call it home. 

The phantoms of over one hundred children cannot rest. But something far more insidious is living on the island. 

When the living and the dead guard their true intentions, how can Jessica discover just what sort of evil lurks on Ormsby Island? And why is Jessica the only one who can plumb its dark depths?

10. THE WHISTLING by Rebecca Netley (2021)

When Elspeth arrives on a remote Scottish island to become nanny to a young child, she hopes to bond with her. Until she learns that, for reasons no one will explain, Mary has not spoken for months.

And the girl’s silence is not the only mystery.

Hypnotic lullabies drift down empty corridors.
Strange dolls appear in abandoned rooms.
And as the nights draw in, darker questions arise . . .

What happened to Mary's late twin, William? Why did their previous nanny disappear so suddenly?

And is the whistling Elspeth hears at night just the storm outside?

Or is somebody coming for her.... ?