MONSTER DOUBLE FEATURE - A DUO OF ABOMINATIONS BY MARK CASSELL

Body horror is a sub-genre of horror that is often overlooked, and when it isn't far too much of what is published in it, is substandard, poorly written stories where any attempt at a coherent story is cast aside to allow the author to shock the reader with their descriptions of the gross, nasty and devolution of the body.  

I'll be honest it is a genre that I am not a massive fan of, and a lot of it stems from my dislike of the body, I long for the day were we are all just floating orbs of pure energy. But we can dream, can't we?

Enter Mark Cassell, he's an author who has been skirting the periphery of Ginger Nuts of Horror for many years, but for one reason or another, we have never properly covered his work. No idea why it's one of those strange things that never seemed to happen.  

After reading this twin story novella, I have to ask myself, why the hell did it take so long to connect and read his work.  

Monster Double Feature, as is the title suggests is a duo of alluring tales featuring grotesque body horror and gruesome monsters. "River of Nine Tails" kicks off this novella, with the adventure-seeking tourist Elliot, deciding that going down the Mekong Delta in a tiny boat is a good idea. What a silly man, for when an encounter with something that is so alien to him, he soon wishes that Elliot can phone home, and a massive finger would be the least of his worries.  

Cassell has created a tense, and claustrophobic story, that reeks of the hot, sweaty hell of the jungle nightmare that Elliot has to endure. The narrative of the story hits the ground running leaving no space for unnecessary exposition or character development, which is perfect for this type of story, where the horrors that we witness are made all the more terrifying for us not knowing anything about the protagonist.  

The mashup of Alien, The Legacy of Heriot and even Deliverance, provides the genre junkies with lots of queues and easter eggs. Still, Cassell binds it together with enough originality and stylistic charisma, to ensure that it doesn't slip into just another creature feature body horror mashup. And he confirms my suspicions that travel is only for the somewhat silly of us.  

The second story Reanimation Channel is a very different beast and my favourite of the two here. When a parcel collection between neighbours goes south of the border, a strange and brutal creature is unleashed, and all hell breaks loose, a nightmare that threatens to destroy all of humanity.  

Reanimation Channel is a gloriously over the top creature feature, mixing body horror, eco-horror (fight me it's there I see it), with dark, dark humour this is an expansive short story that will raise as many smiles as gasps of horror. I loved how this went from being a tight domestic horror to something much more. Cassell's ability to keep the escalation of events logical and believable, well as plausible as they can be in a story of this nature, shows an author with an assured and gifted sense of storytelling.  

While the story itself is entirely self-contained, I'd love to read more about the dark web villains and their reanimation company.  

Those of you looking for a quick sampler to Cassell's writing should be queuing up to this book, the two stories presented here are a fantastic representation of his writing, pacy delivery, tight lean writing and expansive ideas all make for a highly enjoyable read.  

My only gripe is I wish the two stories had been printed with the second one reversed and upside down. I can't be the only person to remember the classic spilt novels of yesteryear 

From the author of the Shadow Fabric mythos comes this 78-page chapbook featuring two stories.

A British traveller desperate to escape his past finds himself at the heart of a Vietnamese legend, and learns why the Mekong Delta is known as "River of Nine Tails." And a regular parcel collection from a neighbour becomes a descent into terror through the online game, "Reanimation Channel."

RIVER OF NINE TAILS (originally published in In Darkness, Delight: Creatures of the Night anthology by Corpus Press, 2019)

"I got a BAD case of the heebie jeebies from this one."
- Char's Corner

"Vietnamese river setting, world travellers, a little DiCaprio The Beach feel for me, river monsters, ritual sacrifice, and evolutionary themes."
- Well Read Beard

"This was an adventure tale filled with some gory fun and there were even some tentacles! You can’t ever go wrong with added tentacles if you ask me."
- Bark Reviews

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