Some writers would not be pleased to be nicknamed "The Godfather of Gore," "The Shakespeare of Gore," or "The Emperor of Excess." But I'm delighted to have those nicknames and it was my penchant for, shall we say, savagery on the printed page, that led to me being asked to write CHAINSAW TERROR.
I'd already had four best selling horror novels published under my own name (SLUGS, SPAWN, EREBUS and SHADOWS) when I was approached by my publishers at that time to write a novelization of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, Tobe Hooper's classic. The problem was that the film rights were so expensive my publishers pulled out of the deal. However, never to be put off easily, the managing director and editorial director summoned me into the office one day and said "we want a novel about a nutter with a chainsaw." My eyes lit up! I envisaged CHAINSAW TERROR as the first in a trilogy. To be followed by CHAINSAW SLAUGHTER and CHAINSAW BLOODBATH. When another part of the brief was to go as far over the top as possible, I was practically running out of the office and back to my typewriter (yes, it was the 80's).
When I got back home I thought, why limit the killer to just a chainsaw, I'll give him a whole fucking tool kit! The film THE TOOLBOX MURDERS had, in my humble opinion at the time, not gone far enough so I set to work planning what would eventually be called "a literary nasty" and the book that would earn me another nickname, "the initiator of the literary nasty" (Video nasties were in the news in a big way and some films were being held up as the reason for the decay of modern society like DRILLER KILLER, CANNIBAL FEROX, THE EXORCIST etc. and let's not forget, in Britain, even MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL made its way onto the banned list eventually).
Telling me to go as far over the top as possible in a novel was probably the wrong thing to do. When the manuscript was finally submitted and read, an editor at my publishers actually said "we didn't think anyone could go as far over the top as you've gone." Another compliment as far as I was concerned.
Looking back, the 80's was a decade of excess. In music, in films and in horror literature. I certainly wasn't complaining and set to work on CHAINSAW TERROR which took about two months to write. I wrote at such a frantic pace (I always did) and enjoyed the work so much it was a pleasure to complete the book. I handed it in and awaited the verdict.
Even my publishers were shocked and told me that they would have to cut some of it. I didn't protest. I'd had scenes cut from my other books before so I was used to this kind of editorial intervention. When you're so invested in a story it sometimes becomes difficult to distance yourself from what you're writing and, not at any time, did I look at what I'd done and think "hmmm, maybe I should use a bit more restraint." Restraint, as anyone who has read any of my books will tell you, is not my strong point.
Anyway, the book was finally published under the name of Nick Blake (I used a lot of pseudonyms in those days) and it did well initially. That was, until a major wholesaler objected to the violence and another major book selling chain objected to the word CHAINSAW in the title and said it was a danger to society. I couldn't stop laughing. I was a cause celebre and how often does someone get called a danger to society?
Now, it might be me but, if someone goes into a bookshop and picks up a book called CHAINSAW TERROR then I'm fairly sure they're going to know they're not buying a fairy tale that's suitable for the whole family to sit around and read at bed time.
However, as I said before, the whole "video nasty" furore was hitting a peak and other industries were also being affected, namely the publishing trade.
The novel was withdrawn and I was told there would have to be substantial cuts. More than fifteen pages were eventually hacked out with all the subtlety and care employed by the madman in the novel itself! It was re-jacketed and re-titled COME THE NIGHT then put on sale once more. It did okay in its second incarnation but not as well as it had when it had chainsaw in the title and I hated the fact that it had been cut so clumsily.
It also put paid to my plans for making it a trilogy which I was really fucking annoyed about.
Since it was banned it's become something of a cult classic, I'm delighted to say. Someone told me there is shitloads of stuff about it on YOUTUBE and other social media.
I'm even more delighted that readers in the U.S will now be able to get hold of it again and read it, thanks to the efforts of the fine people here at Fathom Press. I have heard that original copies were previously changing hands for upwards of five hundred dollars!! Uncut copies of the original manuscript were actually sold "under the counter" in a shop in Britain for a time! I wish I'd still got one.
I was going to say I hope you enjoy the book but 'enjoy' is probably pushing it. It's dark, it's horrific, it's repulsive, it's perverted and, believe it or not, it's fun in its own special way. Someone even called it the ultimate in black humour. I'm not sure I had any of that in mind when I wrote it. I just wanted to give the readers a 100 miles per hour thrill ride that would stay in their minds long after they put the book down. I'd still consider writing the other two parts of the proposed trilogy so, if this one does well enough, you never know.
And if there are any film makers out there who fancy embroiling themselves in controversy, then feel free to acquire the rights. I know there'd be an audience out there and the first one in line to see it would be me...
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