subCULTURE – Sanctuary for the strange and unusual

I wrote about growing up alternative in Newcastle for subCULTURE, a new collection edited by Shelly Bond.

Jun 30 • P M Buchan

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Long live The Bride!

Mary Shelley, murder ballads and female rage: why The Bride! deserves better than its critics

Jun 27 • P M Buchan

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May 2026

The book Mary Shelley's father wouldn't publish

On Mary Shelley's Mathilda, the novel her father suppressed, and the place it should have taken in the canon of British horror.

May 30 • P M Buchan

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Opera, vampires and a third-rate Elmore Leonard disappointment

I tried opera for the first time, saw Creeper bring vampires to Exeter, and watched Darren Aronofsky waste a great performance from Matt Smith.

May 2 • P M Buchan

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November 2025

My chaotic October: Four UK scare mazes, one ghost train, and way too much anime

Reviews of Halloween Haunt Fest, FEAR, Mary Shelley's House of Frankenstein, and more – plus Shōgun, Sword of Doom, Chainsaw Man, and a John Candy…

Nov 15, 2025 • P M Buchan

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October 2025

Designing for Halloween: Amrit Birdi brings horror icons to Fanta

How the UK illustrator brought Freddy Fazbear, Michael Myers and Chucky to supermarket shelves - plus his 560-page comic passion project

Oct 28, 2025 • P M Buchan

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Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses: The book that's gorgeous but incomplete

Insight Editions' coffee-table masterpiece offers unprecedented access to Rob Zombie's annotated script and concept art, but leaves crucial stories…

Oct 18, 2025 • P M Buchan

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Publishing purgatory & The Gallows Pole

Benjamin Myers, Pike nostalgia, submissions limbo + UK Halloween haunts

Oct 4, 2025 • P M Buchan

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September 2025

The sinister return of IF YOU GO AWAY

Ossuaries, wild boar, scare mazes & literary pretensions

Sep 20, 2025 • P M Buchan

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Hamilton in Plymouth: why Billy Nevers’ Aaron Burr is the performance I’ll never forget

Hamilton’s six-week run at Theatre Royal Plymouth has ended. Here’s why being in the room mattered, and what Hamilton has meant for the city.

Sep 13, 2025 • P M Buchan

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June 2025

Seven months to finish one book...

Area X fatigue, my night in jail + the nihilistic joy of 1980s teen horror

Jun 7, 2025 • P M Buchan

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May 2025

Battle Royale vs. The Hunger Games

A deep dive into the cultural legacy of Japan's premiere death games

May 10, 2025 • P M Buchan

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