Stephen Volk - Whitstable

As well as being a riveting story and a deeply affectionate, note-perfect characterisation of a legendary actor, Whitstable is also a raw and uncompromising study of absolute love and devotion, and irrevocable, devastating loss. Helen Cushing died in 1971, and from that moment until his own death twenty-three years later, Peter wanted nothing more than to be reunited with his wife. He grieved for her constantly, and in 1986 even arranged for a rose to be named after her. The still-surviving film footage of Peter Cushing choosing and naming the Helen Cushing Rose is intensely moving.

Peter Cushing later admitted that he did contemplate suicide several times after Helen’s death, but resisted the temptation not only because—thoughtful as ever—he didn’t think it fair to leave someone else to clear up the grisly mess, but also because in her last letter to him, Helen had urged him to live life to the full in the sure promise that eventually, when God willed it, they would be reunited. Peter took her words to heart, and thank goodness he did, not only for his own sake, but for all the people —myself among them—whose lives have been enriched by many of the movies he made after 1971, personal favourites of which include Tales From the Crypt , Fear in the Night , The Creeping Flesh , Asylum , From Beyond the Grave and, of course, Star Wars .

All being well, the release of this novella should coincide with what would have been Peter Cushing’s 100th birthday. I, for one, can’t think of a more fitting tribute for one of Britain’s most accomplished and well-loved actors than Stephen Volk’s elegant and heartrending tale.

I could not have written this story without the precious local knowledge given me by Gordon Larkin, Brian Hadler, and Whitstable Museum.

It was also a rare gift to have the encouragement of Jonathan Rigby, Simon Kurt Unsworth and David Pirie (as well as their rigorous notes). Wayne Kinsey, Uwe Sommerlad and Tony Earnshaw all pointed me to crucial improvements, Charles Prepolec and Anne Billson drew my attention to some outstanding interviews, and John L. Probert and Thana Niveau shared a classic film I hadn’t seen before. Thanks are also due to Tim Lebbon, Helen Marshall, Mark West, and especially to Mark Morris for providing a fitting Afterword, as I knew he would. I’m also indebted to Simon Marshall-Jones and Ben Baldwin for helping this project along its way.

Needless to say, Cushing’s two volumes of memoir, An Autobiography and Past Forgetting were invaluable, as was a re-watching of the AIP/Hammer Films Production The Vampire Lovers (1970), directed by Roy Ward Baker from a screenplay by Harry Fine, Tudor Gates and Michael Style from the story “Carmilla” by Sheridan Le Fanu.

It is, of course, to “The Gentle Man of Horror”, Saint Peter, this small volume of fiction is inadequately – but respectfully – dedicated.

Stephen Volk

Bradford on Avon,

February 2013

www.stephenvolk.net

“A brilliantly written and finely detailed character piece with an uncomfortable undercurrent of modern day horror… so honest and human than even readers unfamiliar with Cushing will find this an extremely powerful read” HellBound Times

“Possibly the most touching tale that we have had the privilege to review… Whitstable effortlessly blurs reality and fiction in a beautifully realised tale of good versus evil… A must read; not only for fans of Cushing but lovers of great writing in general” Geek Syndicate

“The sensitivity, technical virtuosity and razor-sharp wit of the author’s storytelling make Whitstable an entertaining, emotionally resonant and insightful read… Stephen Volk is at the top of his game… An enthusiastic salute to a towering figure in British cinema, a perceptive exploration of the link between imagined and experienced horror, and one of the most gripping and original stories you’ll read this year” Andy Hedgecock (co-Fiction Editor, Interzone)

“Stephen Volk has produced a novella that works both as a gripping thriller and as a beautiful and heart-breaking tribute to one of horror’s finest stars… Very few books have actually caused tears to well up in my eyes. The love and respect that the author has for Peter Cushing is laid bare on the pages, and as a reader you cannot help but become totally immersed in this poignant tale” Jim McLeod, Ginger Nuts of Horror

“Elegant, moving and absolutely magnificent” Simon Kurt Unsworth

“Peter Cushing was my first hero, and in my opinion Stephen Volk has done something heroic by putting the man who fought onscreen monsters at the heart of a very human drama. Sad, tinged with a palpable sense of loss, beautifully written, and blessed with an unerring eye for crucial detail, Whitstable is a story to savour. If I may be so bold, I’m convinced that Peter Cushing would have approved” Gary McMahon

“A wonderful piece” David Pirie, author of A Heritage of Horror: The English Gothic Cinema

“I loved Whitstable ! It’s a beautiful love letter to a man, a genre, and an era that means so much to those of us of a certain age” Mick Garris, producer, Masters of Horror

A SPECTRAL PRESS PUBLICATION

EBOOK ISBN: 978-0-9573927-3-1

All stories and biographical notes are Copyright © 2013 Stephen Volk

All other text and Spectral Press logo is Copyright © 2013 Spectral Press

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, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright owners.

The right of Stephen to be identified as the Author of their work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

First published June 2013

Editor/publisher Simon Marshall-Jones

Layout by Neil Williams

eBook created by Graeme Reynolds

Cover art by Ben Williams © 2012-2013

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