Killing a spare half hour, I came across a supernatural phenomena website, with a nice little piece about The Devil Rides Out- the Musical in it.
According to blogger and theatre techie Mark Rosney, the Neptune Theatre’s 1993 run of TDRO was the subject of a barrage of paranormal activity- with rehearsals and performances being dogged by icy blasts of air, eerie noises, sinister presences, inexplicable equipment malfunction and the psychic 'draining' of both cast and crew.
As the former sound technician speculates: “If, as Dennis Wheatley believes, the secret arts can conjure up the sinister forces of evil, and the careless ‘casting’ of a pentagram can produce a gateway to Hell, is the Devil still riding out somewhere in Liverpool?â€
The Devil Rides Out
Liverpool- the Gateway to Hell
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shanedwyer
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I really enjoyed reading that story - it's quite a lengthy piece but well written by Mark Rosney. It reminds me a bit of M R James. It is definitely one for the DW archives.
Also, the newspaper article is interesting in that back in the early 90's the word "Wheatley" was still a recognized brand to be used in a headline to highlight a story of that genre.
Thanks Shane.
Also, the newspaper article is interesting in that back in the early 90's the word "Wheatley" was still a recognized brand to be used in a headline to highlight a story of that genre.
Thanks Shane.
Regards,
Darren.
Darren.
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shanedwyer
- Level5
- Posts: 146
- Joined: Sun 21 Oct, 2012 15:20:17
- Location: London
Your mention of M R James was quite serendipitous Darren. It prompted me to google ‘Dennis Wheatley and M R James’ and my search came up with a ghost-fiction forum (to which I can't seem to create a link), in which one contributor writes:
It never came to fruition but Dennis Wheatley planned to publish GHOST
STORIES OF AN ANTIQUARY in his 'Library Of The Occult' series for
Sphere Books in December 1974.
http://www.denniswheatley.info/sams_boo ... tflyer.htm
Presumably copyright wrangles must have thwarted the project. No doubt
the BBC's then contemporary television adaptations of James' work
prompted the copyright holders to demand a fee which the publisher
deemed excessive. Not only does this make logical sense, but I do
recall hearing on the grapevine that the copyright holders had a
reputation for setting a rather high premium on James' rights, and that
this had acted as deterrent to those who wanted to adapt James for the
big screen.
Quite possibly Wheatley would have made notes for his introduction to
this volume. If so, and if the papers still exist somewhere, it would
be interesting to know what he thought of James' ghost stories bearing
in mind that he (Wheatley) was a believer in the occult. In particular,
his insight into characters like Julian Karswell - rumoured to have
been inspired by Aleister Crowely - might prove fascinating.
Wheatley studied the occult under Crowley's tutelage although it is
generally accepted that he did so to glean information for his novels.
I suspect that he would have been attracted more to James' interest in
the occult than in his ghosts.
It never came to fruition but Dennis Wheatley planned to publish GHOST
STORIES OF AN ANTIQUARY in his 'Library Of The Occult' series for
Sphere Books in December 1974.
http://www.denniswheatley.info/sams_boo ... tflyer.htm
Presumably copyright wrangles must have thwarted the project. No doubt
the BBC's then contemporary television adaptations of James' work
prompted the copyright holders to demand a fee which the publisher
deemed excessive. Not only does this make logical sense, but I do
recall hearing on the grapevine that the copyright holders had a
reputation for setting a rather high premium on James' rights, and that
this had acted as deterrent to those who wanted to adapt James for the
big screen.
Quite possibly Wheatley would have made notes for his introduction to
this volume. If so, and if the papers still exist somewhere, it would
be interesting to know what he thought of James' ghost stories bearing
in mind that he (Wheatley) was a believer in the occult. In particular,
his insight into characters like Julian Karswell - rumoured to have
been inspired by Aleister Crowely - might prove fascinating.
Wheatley studied the occult under Crowley's tutelage although it is
generally accepted that he did so to glean information for his novels.
I suspect that he would have been attracted more to James' interest in
the occult than in his ghosts.