Twisted Pike by David Barnett – Review
By Sarah Morgan
“Anything with a whiff of the unknown, the uncanny or the impossible appealed to me,” says author David Barnett about his formative reading tastes in an interview on the British Fantasy Society’s website. He then adds: “My English teachers… pleaded with me at primary school to write a story that for once didn’t feature a ghost, aliens or a monster.”
He clearly ignored their advice because the Lancashire-born, West Yorkshire-based Barnett has spent a sizeable chunk of his career writing comics for the likes of DC and 2000AD, and is the proud author four folk horror novels – Withered Hill, Scuttler’s Cove, Scratch Moss and Twisted Pike.
Although all can be read as standalone works, they are linked in a particular fictional (or at least we hope so) universe.
Twisted Pike, the most recent of the quartet, returns readers to Withered Hill, a small, isolated Lancastrian community whose ordered world isn’t used to receiving outsiders. As a result, the appearance of a film-crew and actress claiming to be in the area to shoot a low-budget horror movie sends shivers down some of the residents’ spines.
“Descendent of a witch”
But are the group really there for the reasons they claim? All are dealing with personal issues – cameraman Oli has gone off the rails following the death of his wife and daughter in childbirth, potential star Maddie’s father is terminally ill, and writer-director Rob is haunted by the disappearance of his mother. Out of the three of them, he appears to have the strongest ties to Withered Hill, and before long, readers come to understand what has drawn him to the place.
We also get to know some of the locals too, including a farmer, a rather creepy librarian, a publican and a woman claiming to be the direct descendent of a witch whose story is crucial to Withered Hill’s traditions. Their devotion, and that of their neighbours, to a local god appears to be rather worryingly all-consuming…
I can’t really say much more without giving away spoilers. What I can mention, however, is that it’s clear that Barnett is a big fan of folk horror movies such as The Wicker Man (1973) and Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971), so if you love them too – as I do – then you’re going to find a lot to applaud about Withered Hill. You probably won’t want to take a trip there though…
Twisted Pike by David Barnett is published by Canelo
Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.
