I was a child of the 1980s. I had the shell suit, the high-tops, the bum bag. I even crimped my hair once. And like many ’80s kids, my dad had an impressive collection of horror films on VHS. I used to sneak downstairs early on the weekends and watch things like Ghoulies, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween while eating custard creams for breakfast.
I loved the thrill of being scared while knowing I was safe at home, surrounded by biscuits.
(Incidentally, my dad is an absolute legend to watch horror films with. At every jump-scare he will leap into a boxing stance, fists raised like he’s going to flatten Slender Man with one punch. I love it.)
As I got older, the horror movie heyday of the ’80s passed, and I turned to books for my scare-fix. Point Horror, Christopher Pike, and R. L. Stine kept me going for a while, but YA hadn’t yet boomed, so I ventured into adult horror; to Anne Rice and Susan Hill and Thomas Harris: chilling and creepy books which – ahem – sank their teeth into me.
It was inevitable that creepiness would seep into my own writing. Blackfin Sky, my debut, is about a 16-year-old girl who drowns, then shows up at school months later with no memory of having died. Breaker is about the son of a serial killer who moves to an isolated boarding school and suddenly bodies start piling up. And in Harrow Lake (out next summer!) the daughter of a horror movie director is swept up in real-life terror when she’s sent to the sinister small town where his most iconic movie was filmed, and she questions whether she’ll ever get out alive. Each book seems to get a little darker, a little more twisted, and – I hope – scary in the best way!
There’s so much choice now when it comes to YA horror, and these are some forthcoming titles I’m really looking forward to:
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones (on Goodreads) – Sep 2019
Ryn works as a gravedigger in the remote of Welsh village of Colbren, in a deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae, and where the dead don’t always stay buried.
Naturally, a spooky gravedigger story set in my homeland appeals to me! And if you like Wales-set horror, you should definitely check out Dawn Kurtagich’s latest, Teeth in the Mist.
Wranglestone by Darren Charlton (on Goodreads) – Feb 2020
Following the zombie apocalypse, survivors cluster in US national parks, protected by the water surrounding them. But when Peter puts his camp in danger by allowing a stranger in, he is forced to live outside and help the boy he has always watched from afar herd the dead from their shore.
Two boys falling in love against the setting of a zombie apocalypse? I’m soooo in.
Wilder Girls by Rory Power (on Goodreads) – Feb 2020
When the Tox hits, Hetty and her friends watch as first the teachers at their boarding school die, then the girls begin to change in terrifying ways — and still the promised cure doesn’t arrive. When Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine to brave the horrors beyond the fence.
This was pitched to me as a feminist Lord of the Flies featuring badass queer girls, so of course when I had the chance to read a very early copy, I snatched it up! I’m reading it right now, and it honestly has me at the edge of my seat.
*****
Kat Ellis was born, raised, and currently lives in North Wales, where she loves exploring ancient ruins, watching horror movies, and spoiling her cats. She studied English with Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University before going on to work in local government communications.
Harrow Lake (Penguin Random House Children’s, summer 2020) is her fourth novel.
Blog | Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram
Liv's Wonderful Escape 