Books
‘The Amityville Horror’ – Classic Novel Gets a Stunning Limited Edition Release from Suntup Editions
Suntup Editions has put up for grabs a signed limited edition of The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson, the latest offering from the prestige company that frequently revives classic horror novels with absolutely gorgeous books to die for. This one is no exception.
The edition includes an exclusive new introduction by Laura DiDio, the first local reporter to cover the story, featuring her own startling and true account of what she and her crew experienced upon visiting the house after the Lutz’s fled, as well as an exclusive new afterword providing a wealth of historical context by Eric Walter, the director of the documentary, My Amityville Horror. The edition also features seven brand new illustrations by Brad Gray, and floor plans of the house at 112 Ocean Avenue adapted by Maxime Plasse.
The edition is highly limited with a very low print run, and is now available for pre-order.
A chilling novel based on the real-life claims that gripped the nation, The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson is the story of an American dream turned into a nightmare beyond imagining. In November 1974, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. shot and killed six members of his family—his parents, brothers and sisters—at 112 Ocean Avenue, a large Dutch Colonial house situated in the suburban neighborhood of Amityville on the south shore of Long Island. The house remained vacant until December 1975 when the Lutz family first laid eyes on the residence.
With its unique architecture, five bedrooms, a swimming pool and a boat house, the property was listed at the bargain price of $80,000. George and Kathy Lutz, along with their three children, believed they had found their dream home. The psychic phenomena that followed created the most terrifying experience they would ever encounter, forcing them to flee the house after just 28 days, convinced it was possessed by evil spirits.
Written by Jay Anson and published in 1977, The Amityville Horror follows the terrifying 28 days the Lutz family resided at 112 Ocean Avenue. The book is written in the style of true crime, laying out the facts as they were told to the author via 45 hours of recorded audiotape. Their fantastic story made for an unforgettable book of gripping suspense that stunned the country. The book swiftly hit the bestseller lists and remained there for 42 weeks. A reviewer for the Los Angeles Times called it, “the scariest story I have read in years…a frightening and fascinating book.” By 1981, the book had gone through 37 printings and sold over 6.5 million copies.
In 1979, The Amityville Horror was adapted into a film starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder. The movie was the second highest grossing film of the year and would lead to a franchise of nearly a dozen films, solidifying the story as a cultural phenomenon
Pre-order the Artist edition, signed by artist Brad Gray, limited to only 750 copies.
ABOUT THE ARTIST EDITION:
The Artist edition is limited to 750 copies, and is the only edition to include a dust jacket illustrated by Brad Gray. It is a smyth-sewn full cloth binding with foil blocking on the cover and spine. The edition is housed in a slipcase covered with a durable acrylic-coated textured paper and is printed offset on archival Cougar Natural. This edition is signed by the artist, Brad Gray.
ABOUT THE NUMBERED EDITION:
The Numbered edition of 350 copies is a quarter goatskin binding with printed sides from a design by Claire Guillot. Endsheets are Hahnemühle Bugra and the edition is housed in a cloth covered slipcase with a velour liner and a blind debossed cover. The text pages are set in Roslindale types, and are printed offset on Mohawk Superfine. The edition is signed by Laura DiDio, Eric Walter and Brad Gray.
ABOUT THE LETTERED EDITION:
The Lettered edition is limited to 26 copies and is a full leather Bradel binding with leather onlays and a foil blocked cover. The top edge is colored using pigment foil. The endbands are leather wrapped, and endsheets are handmade paste paper by Magdalena Bulanda. The edition is housed in a clamshell enclosure which is covered in European cloth and debossed. The text pages are set in Roslindale types, and are printed offset on Mohawk Superfine. The edition is signed by Laura DiDio, Eric Walter & Brad Gray, and is handbound by Jacek Tylkowski in Komorniki, Poland.
Books
‘Halloween: Illustrated’ Review: Original Novelization of John Carpenter’s Classic Gets an Upgrade
Film novelizations have existed for over 100 years, dating back to the silent era, but they peaked in popularity in the ’70s and ’80s, following the advent of the modern blockbuster but prior to the rise of home video. Despite many beloved properties receiving novelizations upon release, a perceived lack of interest have left a majority of them out of print for decades, with desirable titles attracting three figures on the secondary market.
Once such highly sought-after novelization is that of Halloween by Richard Curtis (under the pen name Curtis Richards), based on the screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. Originally published in 1979 by Bantam Books, the mass market paperback was reissued in the early ’80s but has been out of print for over 40 years.
But even in book form, you can’t kill the boogeyman. While a simple reprint would have satisfied the fanbase, boutique publisher Printed in Blood has gone above and beyond by turning the Halloween novelization into a coffee table book. Curtis’ unabridged original text is accompanied by nearly 100 new pieces of artwork by Orlando Arocena to create Halloween: Illustrated.
One of the reasons that The Shape is so scary is because he is, as Dr. Loomis eloquently puts it, “purely and simply evil.” Like the film sequels that would follow, the novelization attempts to give reason to the malevolence. More ambiguous than his sister or a cult, Curtis’ prologue ties Michael’s preternatural abilities to an ancient Celtic curse.
Jumping to 1963, the first few chapters delve into Michael’s childhood. Curtis hints at a familial history of evil by introducing a dogmatic grandmother, a concerned mother, and a 6-year-old boy plagued by violent nightmares and voices. The author also provides glimpses at Michael’s trial and his time at Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, which not only strengthens Loomis’ motivation for keeping him institutionalized but also provides a more concrete theory on how Michael learned to drive.
Aside from a handful of minor discrepancies, including Laurie stabbing Michael in his manhood, the rest of the book essentially follows the film’s depiction of that fateful Halloween night in 1978 beat for beat. Some of the writing is dated — like a smutty fixation on every female character’s breasts and a casual use of the R-word — but it otherwise possesses a timelessness similar to its film counterpart. The written version benefits from expanded detail and enriched characters.
The addition of Arocena’s stunning illustrations, some of which are integrated into the text, creates a unique reading experience. The artwork has a painterly quality to it but is made digitally using vectors. He faithfully reproduces many of Halloween‘s most memorable moments, down to actor likeness, but his more expressionistic pieces are particularly striking.
The 224-page hardcover tome also includes an introduction by Curtis — who details the challenges of translating a script into a novel and explains the reasoning behind his decisions to occasionally subvert the source material — and a brief afterword from Arocena.
Novelizations allow readers to revisit worlds they love from a different perspective. It’s impossible to divorce Halloween from the film’s iconography — Carpenter’s atmospheric direction and score, Dean Cundey’s anamorphic cinematography, Michael’s expressionless mask, Jamie Lee Curtis’ star-making performance — but Halloween: Illustrated paints a vivid picture in the mind’s eye through Curtis’ writing and Arocena’s artwork.
Halloween: Illustrated is available now.
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