Black Static

Tom Johnstone is our second author to not make the cut for the Case Notes section of Black Static #82/83 and so get reviewed here instead. His collection Let Your Hinged Jaw Do the Talking was released in paperback by The Alchemy Press in May 2022 and contains sixteen stories, twelve of which have been previously published.

After an introduction by Colleen Anderson we open with title story "Let Your Hinged Jaw Do The Talking". Told from the viewpoint of a woman with a fear of ventriloquist dummies, it gives her history and the marriage of her parents, touching on themes of alienation, control, and misogyny with a compellingly offbeat approach and deft subtlety. In "Coffin Dodger" a former undercover policeman is reminded of his past transgressions by a random discovery in a graveyard, the story dealing with his unspoken sense of guilt, and conflating the ghostly and the real, only to then deliver a truly horrific ending. A botanist tries to control the spread of a rare plant she has smuggled into the country in "Cuckoo Flower", but things are not at all how she believes. Johnstone captures well here the obsessive character of Lucy in the opening scenes, before going widescreen for the rest of the story with reminders of the Genesis song about giant hogweed and an old episode of The Avengers, and ending with a wryly personal twist for the protagonist.

"Professor Beehive Addresses the Human Biology Class" takes the form of a conversation at a gentlemen's club between two old pupils of an exclusive school. But as events unfold it appears that Robin has her own agenda and Henry's dark secrets are coming home to roost. This is a superbly constructed story, Johnstone luring us in and building events gradually, the story dealing with themes of privilege and misogyny, and with a solid foundation based on serial killing. "The Chiromancer" is another club story, though in a nice touch of diversity the club in question is an under the radar gay establishment in a time when such places were frowned upon by all wrong thinking people. One of a group of four men tells of the efforts his brother made to achieve success as a writer of weird fiction, involving Madame Crowley and her Hand of Glory. It's a cunningly wrought piece, one that plays games with the tropes of horror fiction and delights with its final twist. The five members of the Sacred Order of the Followers of Dionysus discuss their first jobs in "Slaughtered Lamb", but one of them has a far darker tale than the others involving time spent with a theatre company and a visit to Northern Ireland at the time of the Troubles. It's the kind of thing Reggie Oliver might have produced on one of his less subtle days and thoroughly enjoyable, with some larger than life characters, a political dimension, and the obligatory dash of gore.

We're back in Ireland for "Creeping Forth Upon Their Hands", with tourist Dora falling foul of a peculiar form of monster thanks to an ancient family connection. Set in both past and present, with one strand informing the other, it's a story that shows how cruelty always results in karma, even if it takes generations, and with some truly disturbing revenants. In "A Heart of Stone" Maddie sends postcards back to her 'friend' Roisin, recording both her travels and details of their past at a convent school that Roisin might prefer were not discussed. Incorporating the myth of the Medusa and themes of child abuse, this is a clever story, one whose matter of fact tone both undercuts and emphasises the seriousness of what has taken place. With the longest title in the collection, "Mum and Dad and the Girl from the Flats over the Road and the Man in the Black Suit" is told from the perspective of a young girl who believes that she is visited by the spirit of her dead mother who wants her father to be happy with the woman across the road, only the man in the black suit forces the woman to move away. It's a long and complex story, one with some memorable nightmares, an interesting variation on the idea of a haunting, an element of social commentary, and alongside all that a record of how confusing the world can be when seen through the eyes of a child.

We move to the Scottish isles for "Face Down in the Earth", another tale of present day vengeance for sins that took place in the distant past, showing that nothing is ever forgotten or forgiven, though I'll admit to this time around finding the protagonist a bit of an arse, albeit he is probably meant to be. David in "The Fall Guy" leads a charmed life, thanks to his own personal stunt man. You could make a case for this being a thoroughly modern update on The Portrait of Dorian Gray and I will. It's a media savvy interpretation, compellingly told and with Johnstone milking the premise for all it is worth. There's a touch of Dracula aboard the Demeter to "In the Hold, It Waits" with a pirate vessel and its female captain doomed by the cargo in the hold. Johnstone captures just right the feel of a sea voyage and the vengeful obsession of his protagonist, weaving in elements of the supernatural that add yet more horror to the overall picture.

In "The Cutty Wren" academics research a piece of folklore with dire consequences for one of them. Of the stories on offer I would say this is the most overtly Jamesian, with an intriguing use of local legends and an ending that is appropriately ambiguous but none the less disturbing. "Zombie Economy" riffs on the film I Walked with a Zombie, taking the characters and remaining more or less true to the source material, but adding another layer that delves into the events behind what happened, with spectral revenge centre stage. It's a gleeful account, with the reader tantalised by the film backdrop and at the same time delighted with the extra details that Johnstone brings to the table, which to a degree could be taken as commentary on the practice of slavery, perhaps even in the modern world. "The Lazarus Curse" is a variation on the story of the Wandering Jew, here identified as Judas Iscariot, with an account of his life and relationship with Jesus, all culminating in some fascinating cogitations about his possible future. It's an engaging piece, almost chatty in style, asking questions about faith and what we know of the Gospel story.

Finally we have "The Topsy Turvy Ones" in which past and present overlap, with events in 1649 and 1999 that mirror and reinforce each other, as a documentary maker plans to produce a film about an early labour movement only to have things go very awry. There's a lovely atmosphere here, with a genuinely unsettling rural venue, while the monsters themselves are suitably disturbing, and yet they are eclipsed by the all too human evil in the pages of the story. The collection concludes with some Story Notes, the author giving his inspiration and influences behind the various tales. It's the crowning touch to a varied but never less than intriguing collection of tales, with both feet planted firmly in the horror heartland and plenty to reward the reader who enjoys tales of monsters and mayhem, while prepared to admit that all too often the worst evil has a human form.