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Saturday 17 September 2011

Fear on Four / The Man in Black (Modern Horror Anthology)

I will say right now I am incredibly squeamish about excessive gore. If it's surrounded in atmosphere, I can handle it but gore just for the sake of it makes me feel sick and does not scare me. As such I have a natural aversion to horror films, purely because I fear that they will just be this scenario on repeat. Nevertheless I have respect for the genre. For every Saw that I want to avoid, there's something that sounds interesting like A Nightmare on Elm Street but it is that visceral quality that puts me off, which I fear will remove any sense of enjoyment I hope to gain. Naturally this conflict has caused me to be a happy viewer of psychological horror, purely because it's scares and disturbances are purely in the mind of the viewer, tricking us into thinking we've seen more than we have. As such I believe horror is most frightening (rather than sickening) in this style, which can best seen and heard in radio and literature.

In terms of literature, I adore Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King. While both use a certain amount of body horror, they both make the reader uneasy mostly through a disturbing atmosphere. 'The Tell-Tale Heart' shows us a murder, but through the murderers eyes we are also witness to the mind of a madman or, more worryingly, a man completely sane. King of course notably said "Naturally, I'll try to terrify you first, and if that doesn't work, I'll try to horrify you, and if I can't make it there, I'll try to gross you out" but so far I have never failed to see one of his works fail to do all three, in my view the most notable being 'Pet Semetary' and 'The Shining' However books are not particularly relentless and if it gets too much, the reader can stop without ruining the flow of the story.

Not so with radio. You are effectively trapped. The only way to lessen the impact is turning the sound off but 1) you're more than likely to miss an important plot point and 2) there's no way you can know when the scary part has stopped.

Enter The Man in Black. Seemingly a typical horror anthology, it's tone is as much Twilight Zone than anything else. While it often adapts old horror stories ('The Beast with Five Fingers', 'The Monkey's Paw') the highlights are the original stories, varying from revenge stories and full-on horror. Currently repeated on Radio 4extra, Fear on Four's stories are frightening and gripping with spectacular performances and creative writing. Almost stealing the show though is Edward de Souza, adopting the Serling-esque role of introducing and concluding the story. His voice creeps along the edge of sultry and terrifying. Addressing the audience in this context must never be underestimated and de Souza genuinely tries to involve the audience in the events no matter how fantastical the story. It says a lot that even when he reads the credits, a shiver occasionally creeps down my spine.


Thankfully, the show has since made a return in recent years fully acknowledging the importance of the character, perfected by de Souza and previously Valentine Dyall whose version is rarely repeated, by re-naming it The Man in Black. Horror aficionado Mark Gatiss takes this role with both hands and plenty of relish. Anyone aware of his work knows how much he adores horror and he gives a suitably chilling performance, drawing the reader in before unleashing an almighty twist in the tale. These stories are more notably of the time, examining the cliches of modern life we feel we know so well with frightening results. Two thugs robbing an old man's flat and a rap contest are the basis for some mind-bending and deeply disturbing stories. The latter also demonstrates the shows manipulation of the audio format, as does another story based around scientific experiments with sound. Occasionally the stories can be predictable but the resolutions are always unnerving, designed to leave the listener shivering for a good few hours/days/weeks after broadcast.

Whether it's repeats of the old show or brand new stories, the format does not tire and always gives a few decent shocks. 6pms on a Sunday on Radio 4extra currently hold a slot for Fear on Four with hopefully a new series of The Man in Black on the way - this is old-fashioned storytelling with a timeless quality. Enjoy and beware...

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