Interview with Paul Prevedoni, the writer of An Italian horror story, a novel marking his debut. Comprising no less than 592 pages, this novel is already available in print and e-book formats thanks to Bibliotheka Editions (2017).
An Italian horror story sweeps and transports the reader into a horror context in which literary and cinematic homages are glimpsed, demonstrating the writer's great passion for the horror genre. Exemplary and well-detailed, almost sculpted descriptions make any fictional setting and location real (Miraniente, Casteldelmoro), just as each character seems to come alive in the dark world created by Prevedoni's mind.
An Italian horror story is an excellent example of a well-structured narrative in which a rhythmic and very ironic style stands out, contrasting but well accompanied by a decadent and sinister scenario. And here between the pages of this extraordinary novel breathe, throbbing references to masterpieces of horror cinema (Nightmare, The Bird with the Crystal Feathers, Fear in the City of the Living Dead, The Lord of Evil, The Church, An American Werewolf in London, The Fog) but also those to genre literature (Stephen King, Tiziano Sclavi).
A haunted villa is the centerpiece of the story in which themes such as paranormal, curses, murders, accidents and suffering take shape. In this bleak setting dominated by evil, Francesco Romero, a writer running out of inspiration, is to write a horror story (about Villa Parise located in Miraniente) commissioned by Massimo Ceriana, who will provide him with special documentation himself.
Highly recommended.
B.T.: Hi Paolo, tell us a little bit about yourself.
P.P.: I will be brief, it is not an interesting story. I am 37 years old and live in a very boring town in the province of Alexandria. I am a film junkie, I love rock and literature. I smoke Chesterfields and don't eat meat.
Ah...I am a big fan of DarkVeins!
B.T.: How did your passion for literature come about? What then prompted you over time to write?
P.P.: I have no memory of a time in my life without books. I remember when I was in elementary school one of the summer vacation assignments was to read a book chosen from a list compiled by the teacher. I used to knock out five or six, of books, but I would carefully avoid the ones on the list. I would read King, Matheson, Grisham and Crichton, in short, all the stuff that should be prescribed for every child to give them a happy childhood. I think the urge to write came from the urge to imitate that drives kids to copy their idols. Mine were those wretches there.
B.T.: Tell us about your debut novel. An Italian horror story. Why did you choose the horror genre and who is the reader you would recommend it to?
P.P.: I would say it is horror that chose me. The films of Argento, Carpenter and Romero have marked my life. I think I have seen Dawn of the Dead At least a hundred times. I love the fear. An Italian horror story is the summation of everything I learned from those great masters, authors of the unparalleled masterpieces that gave dignity to the horror genre. I would recommend my novel to anyone who loves stories, not just horror. That is just a necessary ingredient. Horror is there, it exists, it is all around us.
B.T.: You are considered one of the most promising debut authors. What is it like to live with such responsibility?
P.P.: Indeed! Expectations make me uncomfortable. This is just the beginning: I want to become the greatest horror writer in Italy.
B.T.: An Italian horror story It conveys your passion for literature and horror films. Aside from various references to great directors (Lucio Fulci, George A. Romero), horror movies ("Nightmare," "The Bird with the Crystal Feathers"), writers (Stephen King, Tiziano Sclavi), reading your novel it is impossible not to think of "Fear in the City of the Living Dead," "Lord of Evil," "The Church," "An American Werewolf in London," and "The Fog."
Was it just suggestion or was the atmosphere reminiscent of the aforementioned films intentional?
P.P.: That was the goal, and to have even come close for me is already an achievement. I've seen those movies countless times. I give an example: if you like Nirvana and you decide to play guitar, it's hard for you to come naturally to compose Latin American songs. Again, those are my idols. My greatest artistic ambition is to get close to what they were able to create.
B.T.: An Italian horror story Is a short story of more than 500 pages. How long did it take you to complete it?
P.P.: Two years, devoting practically every minute of my free time to it. After the first draft, the novel was more than six hundred pages long.
B.T.: The novel is about Miraniente, a fog-shrouded town in the Po Valley province, a cursed mansion and ghosts, death, madness, suffering and a "bogeyman." Your story embraces horror through and through and proceeds to a chilling finale without ever being confusing. Given the complexity of the subject matter and the many characters and events described, did you ever have any difficult moments while writing the story?
P.P.: Sure. But writing a novel is not an easy thing. It has to be taken into account from the beginning: doing a good job takes time, dedication, sacrifice and an industrial amount of beer and cigarettes. It's part of the package.
B.T.: Miraniente and Casteldelmoro are fictitious places. What inspired you to make them almost real places? And what can you tell us about the terrible White Villa? Why the choice of a cursed house as the centerpiece of the story? Is it a choice dictated by your love of horror cinema? It is known that in genre cinematography the house is one of the most exploited locations...
P.P.: Folklore is part of the province, and the province is part of my life. I've tried to tell what I see every day, pouring some blackness over it. There is an abandoned house not far from my house, and the stories that are told about that place are nothing like the white mansion in my novel. Monsters exist, and they are inside those stories. They are in our minds, and therefore they are real.
B.T.: You created perfect, deeply characterized characters.
How would you define Francesco Romero, the main character of your novel? How much of you is in that character?
P.P.: Francis is a dickhead who likes to drink too much, gamble too much and is afraid of his shadow, so I would say it's 100 percent me. Seriously, after two years with him, he became a part of me. For every thing I asked him to do, he would take a piece of my character in return.
B.T.: In your novel I found a nightmare of mine (about the "homily"). I was almost incredulous, but I was impressed and fascinated. Do you ever draw on your dark dream world for your work?
P.P.: I do it all the time. Dreams are a supermarket of free ideas. And I'm lucky enough to have a lot of nightmares.
B.T.: What are your literary and film influences?
P.P.: If it says horror under genre, then it influenced me. From the impressionist masterpiece to the Z-movie. Outside of that I adore Quentin Tarantino (is it possible not to adore him?), especially for his formidable talent for mixing genres without setting limits on himself. My favorite director, however, remains George Romero. If a person does not appreciate Night of the Living Dead, must not talk about cinema.
As for books, on the other hand, I read everything. I prefer the horror genre, but I go crazy for those who write well. After King, my favorite author is Truman Capote (is there anyone better at writing than him?). Finally, Dylan Dog. The 1980s albums I know by heart, and they influenced me probably more than anything else in what I write. Tiziano Sclavi is an absolute genius.
B.T.: What are your future plans? Would you like to tell us about your next work?
P.P.: One major project, which is taking shape in recent months, is the translation of An Italian horror story in English. I want to bring the Italian province to America, like the great genre masters did in the 1970s. It's an ambitious idea, and so I like it.
My second novel, on the other hand, will be released on October 31: Halloween, what a coincidence. The title is Witches And it is, of course, a horror story. In addition, I am already working on a third novel. Horror. A bit monothematic, huh? But it's what I love, it's what I want to do and it's what I do.
Writing scary stories.
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