by Barbie Wilde
Short, Scary Tales Publications
Birmingham, England
- 2015 -
Copyright ©2015 Barbie Wilde
Foreword copyright ©2015 Chris Alexander
Afterword copyright ©2015 Jen & Sylvia Soska
Cover art copyright ©1998 Clive Barker
All interior artwork copyright ©1998 - 2015 by their respective owners
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-909640-37-5
2015 SST Publications eBook Edition
Published by
Short, Scary Tales Publications
15 North Roundhay
Stechford
Birmingham
B33 9PE
England
www.sstpublications.co.uk
eBook design by Paul Fry
First Digital Edition: October 2015
ADDITIONAL COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
“Sister Cilice” (First appeared in Hellbound Hearts edited by Paul Kane & Marie O’Regan. Hellbound Hearts volume copyright ©2009 by Clive Barker, Paul Kane, Marie O’Regan, and Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. “Sister Cilice” copyright ©2009 by Barbie Wilde. Mythology and characters as contained in the novella The Hellbound Heart copyright ©1986 by Clive Barker.)
“Z is for Zulu Zombies” AKA “Zulu Zombies” (First appeared in The Bestiarum Vocabulum edited by Dean M. Drinkel, Western Legends Press, 2013 & Fangoria’s Gorezone #29.)
“American Mutant: Hands of Dominion” (First appeared in Mutation Nation edited by Kelly Dunn, Rainstorm Press, 2011.)
“A is for Alpdrück” AKA “The Alpdrücke” (First appeared in The Demonologia Biblica edited by Dean M. Drinkel, Western Legends Press, 2013.)
“Valeska” (New for this collection.)
“The Cilicium Pandoric” (The sequel to “Sister Cilice” and Part II of “The Cilicium Trilogy.” First appeared in Fangoria’s Gorezone #30, 2014. Mythology and characters as contained in the novella The Hellbound Heart copyright ©1986 by Clive Barker.)
“U is for Uranophobia” AKA “Gaia” (First appeared in Phobophobia edited by Dean M. Drinkel, Dark Continents, 2011.)
“Polyp” (First appeared in The Mammoth Book of Body Horror edited by Paul Kane & Marie O’Regan, Robinson Publishing Ltd, 2012. Reprinted in The Unspoken edited by William Meikle, Karōshi Books, 2013.)
“B is for Botophobia” AKA “Botophobia” (First appeared in Phobophobias edited by Dean M. Drinkel, Western Legends Press, 2014.)
“W is for Writer’s Block” AKA “Writer’s Block” (First appeared in The Grimorium Verum edited by Dean M. Drinkel, Western Legends Press, 2014 & Fangoria’s Gorezone #34, 2015.)
“The Cilicium Rebellion” (Part III of “The Cilicium Trilogy.” New to this collection. Mythology and characters as contained in the novella The Hellbound Heart copyright ©1986 by Clive Barker.)
PHOTO CREDITS:
Barbie Wilde:
Left: Cover of Avantgarde Hair, 1981
Center: Photo by Robin Chaphekar plus The Venus Complex cover artwork by Daniele Serra
Right: Behind the scenes photo from Hellbound: Hellraiser II, 1988
Chris Alexander: Photo courtesy of Alex Browne
Soska Sisters: Photo courtesy of Bren MacDonald
THANK YOU . . .
First, I’d like to thank the inspirational Clive Barker: author, screenwriter, filmmaker, artist, Hellraiser creator and one of the reasons that I’m writing horror today.
I also wish to thank some of the most brilliant artistic talents of the horror genre who have generously contributed their luminous artworks to this collection: Clive Barker, Ben Baldwin, Tara Bush, Eric Gross, Steve McGinnis, Nick Percival, Vincent Sammy and Daniele Serra.
Thanks to Paul Kane and Marie O’Regan, who asked me to submit a horror story to the Hellbound Hearts anthology way back in 2009. (Even though I told them that I really didn’t “do” horror at the time, because I was just interested in writing dark crime. Well, that’s certainly changed!) My first horror story was called “Sister Cilice” and it was the beginning of a writing journey that has finally arrived with the publication of this horror story collection. Additional thanks to Paul and Marie for asking me to write a short story for The Mammoth Book of Body Horror in 2011, which they also edited.
Thanks to editors Dean M. Drinkel (Phobophobia, The Demonologia Biblica, The Bestiarum Vocabulum, Phobophobias, The Grimorium Verum), Kelly Dunn (Mutation Nation) and William Meikle (The Unspoken) for inviting me to submit stories to their horror anthologies.
Thanks to film directors extraordinaire Jen and Sylvia Soska for taking time from their darkly delicious projects to write the Afterword for this collection.
Thanks to Mark Alan Miller, VP of Clive Barker’s Seraphim Films.
Thanks to my “ideal readers” Tim Dry and Georg.
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read my work and given me such great reviews over the years: Doug “Pinhead” Bradley, Fangoria’s Chris Alexander, Paul Kane, Jim Mcleod (Ginger Nuts of Horror), NY Times best-selling authors John Skipp and Jonathan Maberry, director Jovanka Vuckovic, Gabino Iglesias (HorrorTalk), Blood. E. Bastard (Horror News Network), Mandy DeGeit (Snakebite Horror), Annie Riordan (Brutal As Hell), Jon Towlson (Starburst magazine), Larry Darling Jr (Horror Homework), Garrett Cook (Imperial Youth Review), Johnny Mains, Gabriel Ricard (Drunk Monkeys), Michael Wilson (Scream: The Horror Magazine), John Gilbert (Fear magazine), Paul Simpson (Sci-fi Bulletin), Ron McKenzie, Jessa Sobczuk (Rue Morgue), Alan Kelly (Rue Morgue Online), Lee Allen Howard (Midwest Book Review), The Monster Librarian, The Church of Satan, Chris Limb (British Fantasy Society), James Simpson (Zombie Hamster), Chris Hall (DLS Reviews), Bizarre magazine, Horror Punks, The Slaughtered Bird, The Horror Honeys, All Things Horror, Kat Ellinger (The Gore Splattered Corner), The Fright Site, This Is Horror, WickerGirl, Street Sounds, Fatally Yours, SFX magazine, Darkling Tales, Promote Horror, The Horror Society, Fright.com, Stephanie Hensley (Traumatic Cinema), Horror Drive-In, Eric Fabiaschi (Up on the Dark Corner) and the fabulous reviewers on Amazon and Goodreads. (Apologies if I’ve missed someone’s name off this list.)
Many thanks to Paul Fry of SST for nurturing this project to fruition.
And last, but certainly not least, a special thank you to filmmaker (Blood for Irina, Queen of Blood, Female Werewolf) and Fangoria & Gorezone Editor-in-Chief Chris Alexander for all the unwavering support he has given my writing over the last few years. It’s not easy to make the transition between professions. A lot of people just want to stick you in that “actress” box and not let you out, but Chris has consistently and enthusiastically read and promoted my writing through Fangoria and Gorezone. And thanks as well, Chris, for writing the Foreword for this collection.
—BW
PRAISE FOR BARBIE WILDE
“Damaged people, ultraviolence, murder and explicit sex—
what’s not to love about her work?”—Fangoria #321
Voices of the Damned
“In this impressive collection of short stories, actor Wilde (who
played the Female Cenobite in the film classic Hellbound: Hellraiser II) reveals a world of beautiful fear. The most delightfully terrifying entries form the Cilicium Trilogy, which reveals the complex origin and destiny of Sister Cilice. This character-focused exploration is sensual in its brutality. In “Writer’s Block,” Wilde combines the psychological torture of an unknown artist with the erotic egotism of fandom to create a fascinating sexual horror. She creates a dreadful family legacy in “Botophobia,” in which there are not merely skeletons in the closet but unworldly powers hidden in the basement. Wilde’s mastery of shocking violence is given full rein in subjects ranging from reclusive self-imprisonment to the exploration of European nightmares. As much a chilling collection of frightful fiction as a delight for the darker senses, this is a satisfying triumph in a befitting, unforgiving, style.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
© 2015 PWxyz LLC Publishers Weekly. Used by permission.
“Violence, pitch-black humour and yes, sex can be found in equal measure in her work, drawing complimentary comparisons to Clive Barker’s early works in his seminal Books of Blood collections.”—Ron McKenzie, writer at Thoughts & Scribbles, Rue Morgue and artist (ronniemick at deviantart)
“Wilde has a strong voice. In a genre that is often dominated by male authors, she has taken on a leading role.”—Andrew Tadman, Books of Blood
“…this collection of eleven short stories confirms Wilde as a foremost author of erotic horror fiction…”—Jon Towlson, Starburst magazine and author of Subversive Horror Cinema: Countercultural Messages of Films from Frankenstein to the Present
“…her work is so uncanny and fearless, it is a must have for any horror aficionado.” —Writers and directors The Soska Sisters
“Wilde is never one to shy away from verbose analysis of carnal pleasure, and in Voices of the Damned she certainly sets the bar high with regards to steamy, gory terror.”—Colin McCracken, Zombie Hamster
“Raised from the dead, this phantasmagoria of tales offers well-written mini-nightmares that will traumatize, titillate, and stick in your mind long after you’ve closed the book.”—Filmmaker Izzy Lee, Fangoria Online
“If testosterone jumping erotica combined with heart racing fear is your bag of horror then this is just what you’re looking for and Voices of the Damned ranks highly in my box of favourites.”—Paul Nelson, Scream Magazine, From Dark Places, Shelf Inflicted
Short Stories
“Wilde is one of the finest purveyors of erotically charged horror fiction around.”
—Fangoria
“Sister Cilice”
(From the Hellbound Hearts anthology, edited by Paul Kane & Marie O’Regan, 2009)
“Barbie Wilde’s ‘Sister Cilice’ is devastatingly haunting, piercingly erotic and is one of the true stand-out stories of the anthology.”—All Things Horror
“Sick, but in delicious ways!”—Doug “Pinhead” Bradley, www.dougbradley.com
“… a potent piece of nunspoloitation. It contains plenty of grotesquerie, and, unlike the majority of the book’s other tales, doesn’t wait until the end to dish it out!”—Fright.com
“The Cilicium Trilogy”
(“Sister Cilice,” “The Cilicium Pandoric,” and “The Cilicium Rebellion”)
“I’ve adored Sister Cilice since she made her first appearance in Hellbound Hearts and I’m delighted that Barbie’s taken her on a journey through two more instalments, completing her arc from sex-hungry nun to one of the major players in Hell; and if you’re on the receiving end of her tortures, your suffering will definitely be legendary! She’s a Cenobite who gives Pinhead a run for his money, that’s for sure. In ‘The Cilicium Pandoric’ Cilice visits the toymaker for her own puzzle box, the start of her revolution—and in ‘The Cilicium Rebellion’ she’s out to show the men how it’s really done, along with her elite band of kick ass female sinners. Intoxicating, bloodthirsty and witty, these are stories to make Clive Barker proud. Anyone who loved The Scarlet Gospels will be in Heaven, not Hell, reading these…”—Paul Kane, award-winning and bestselling author/editor of The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy, Hellbound Hearts and Blood RED
“Z is for Zulu Zombies” AKA “Zulu Zombies”
(The Bestiarum Vocabulum edited by Dean M. Drinkel, 2013 & Gorezone #29)
“‘Zulu Zombies’ is pure Barbie Wilde; eccentric, bizarre, dark and frightening but laced with a inimitable, irreverent punk rock exuberance. It was an honor to reprint the tale in the blood-stained pages of Gorezone Magazine...”—Chris Alexander, Editor-in-Chief, Fangoria & Gorezone
“Expect Zulu Zombie mayhem, undead rape, witch doctor rituals, vomiting and plenty of bloodshed. Cram it all into one hell of an adrenaline pumping read—and you’ve got a strange I Am Legend (1954) meets Zulu (1964) meets Horror Express (1972) maddening ride.”—Chris Hall, DLS Reviews
“American Mutant: Hands of Dominion” AKA “American Mutant”
(Mutation Nation edited by Kelly Dunn, 2011)
“Reading Barbie Wilde has given me pervature of the spine. My eyes weep jizz, and I can’t take a wizz without melting someone’s face off. Now THAT’S entertainment!”—John Skipp, New York Times bestselling author, editor, zombie godfather, compulsive collaborator, musical pornographer, black-humored optimist and all-around Renaissance mutant.
“A is for Alpdrück” AKA “The Alpdrücke”
(The Demonologia Biblica edited by Dean M. Drinkel, 2013)
“Barbie Wilde kicks off the anthology with a weirdly nightmarish short that seems to have been born from the same cast as Clive Barker’s ‘The Yattering and Jack’ crossed with the succubus from James Herbert’s novel Once... (2001).”—Chris Hall, DLS Reviews
“Valeska”
“Especially written for this collection, “Valeska”, stands out (alongside the splatterpunk/medical horror “Polyp”) as the tale ripest for novel-length treatment (Wilde is currently adapting “Zulu Zombies” into a screenplay – can’t wait to see that one at the local multiplex), constituting, as it does, a total re-think of vampire mythology.”—Jon Towlson, Starburst magazine
“U is for Uranophobia” AKA “Gaia”
(Phobophobia edited by Dean M. Drinkel, 2011)
“Gaia’s story is both powerful and deeply shocking. This tale of latent revenge and pent-up anger was a joy to read.”—Ginger Nuts of Horror
“A very arty, grim, character study... a slow, steady drift into a heart of darkness climaxing with a buckling level of sex and violence and shock... It’s like Von Trier’s Antichrist and when reading it, I saw Charlotte Gainsbourg as Gaia...”—Chris Alexander, Editor-in-Chief, Fangoria Magazine
“Polyp”
(The Mammoth Book of Body Horror edited by Paul Kane & Marie O’Regan, 2012)
“Barbie has created a brilliant twist on the creature feature genre. I really enjoyed how the tale went from being a very personal story into an apocalyptic cliff hanger.”—Ginger Nuts of Horror
“The stories offer icky pleasure for those fascinated with a subgenre concerned with the body turning against itself. Some are funny and disgusting (Richard Matheson’s nuclear fallout nightmare ‘’Tis The Season To Be Jelly!,’ Barbie Wilde’s bowel-with-a-brain-of-its-own yuk-fest ‘Polyp’)…”—SFX Magazine
“… thanks to Marie O’ Regan and Paul Kane for this treasure trove of stories—ranging from some classics in the genre, ‘The Tell-Tale Heart,’ ‘Survivor Type’ and ‘The Body Politic’ to some stories that will almost certainly become classics of their time—the absurdist, very entertaining shocker ‘Polyp’ to the brilliantly executed ‘Sticky Eye’…”—Johnny Mains
“B is for Botophobia” AKA “Botophobia”
(Phobophobias edited by Dean M. Drinkel, 2014)
“This is just dark, twisted, sci-fi pulp horror fun. Plain and simple. Now, let�
�s just take a second to ponder what on earth goes on inside Barbie Wilde’s mind.”—Chris Hall, DLS Reviews
“W is for Writer’s Block” AKA “Writer’s Block”
(The Grimorium Verum edited by Dean M. Drinkel, 2014 & Gorezone #34, 2015)
“…wildly perverse and stylish...” “A demented gem…”—Chris Alexander, Editor-in-Chief, Fangoria & Gorezone
“The darker side of the frustrated writer gets a wry, sardonic spin in Barbie Wilde’s ‘W Is For Writer’s Block’... From the film references to the almost comical S & M ‘relationship’ of the two main characters, to the weaving of the historical with the mythical, to the final twist, it is all presented with dark humour and verve.”—Paul M Feeney, Ginger Nuts of Horror “The Heart and Soul of Horror”
