Carrion film Director Ashley Thorpe, in light of the release of ‘The Hairy Hands‘, has been interviewed by Stuart ‘Feedback’ Andrews (host of Rue Morgue Radio) for Canada’s seminal horror periodical ‘Rue Morgue magazine‘ as part of their regular ‘Abbreviated terrors‘ feature on Independent short film. Stuart recently posted interviews on Cinephobia held with Malcom McDowell and Ray Harryhausen. The interview will appear in issue 98 ( a tribute to the late Spanish horror legend Paul Naschy) and is due to hit stands internationally on March 1st 2010.
A brief excerpt from the interview: – “…What attracted me to ‘the bloods’, was the same thing that attracted me to the other neglected English myths; was this idea of ‘lost stories’ populated by sorely neglected and often archetypal gothic characters. The Highwayman is a case in point. In the sixteen and seventeen hundreds these criminals were the rock stars of their day, their executions were attended by tens of thousands of people. Nowadays, you say ‘Highwayman’, people think Adam Ant.
We’re in an age now wherein, for good or ill depending on your point of view, British genre fiction has been swamped by an American style of horror. The days of Kensington gore have long
gone. Nothing feels very indigenous anymore. A British zombie movie is still a zombie movie and still ostensibly a love letter to Romero’s legacy, however admirable. We seem to have lost our monsters, our ghosts and our demons, which is bloody criminal as Britain is a country saturated with a rich heritage of horrors – fact and fiction. British genre product rarely reflects and celebrates this fact. What I’m hoping to do is, however modestly, is to at least ‘reconnect’ with that dark vein that runs through our culture and hopefully share a few old tales that I believe are worth telling.” – Ashley Thorpe
Rue Morgue, based in Toronto,was established in 1997 and dedicates itself to covering “Horror in culture and entertainment,” taking its name from Poe’s short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” It was founded by its original Editor-In-Chief Rod Gudino in 1997 who 
handed the position off to Jovanka Vuckovic in December 2005. In 2010 those reins were handed over to Dave Alexander.
Rue Morgue covers horror in all media: films, books, websites, comic books, music, etc. Each issue includes feature stories, opinion columns, and numerous reviews. It has quickly become a leading horror magazine on the market as well as having a strong online presence, including weekly broadcasts of Rue Morgue Radio. Rue Morgue has grown into a very active community among horror fans and celebrities, with their annual Rue Morgue Festival Of Fear, as well as their online message board, the Rue Mortuary, and the newest umbrella, Rue Morgue Cinema, that has already landed a selection at the Toronto International Festival with Publisher Rodrigo Gudino’s short films, The Eyes of Edward James, The Demonology of Desire and The Facts In the Case of Mister Hollow.
“I remember buying my first issue of ‘Rue Morgue’ when I had first moved to 
London, back when I was working on putting ‘The Vampire‘ together. Apart from being drawn in by the ‘Day of the Dead’ cover (the art and design of the magazine by Gary Pullin is generally fantastic throughout) I subsequently became a dedicate fan due to the magazine’s breadth of coverage on all aspects of horror, and subsequently, after moving to Greece, had it shipped out to me by a friend so that I could continue reading it. Though ‘Fangoria’ remains my ‘first love’ in a sense, mainly due to nostalgic memories of buying it after school and hiding it in my English folder, ‘Rue Morgue’ took its place along side it as I got older due to its sense of community and willingness to dig out the lost or little known gems in the genre. It was importantly also the first place that I encountered Chris Alexander, who used to have a regular column, who has since gone on to champion our work. It was, and is, a magazine that I constantly turn to as a source of inspiration – whether to directly inspire my work, turn me on to alternative authors or filmmakers or to further educate myself in the field. And it’s written with such a genuine passion for horror, it’s infectious, and it’s fun. If ever you felt slightly ‘out of place’ because of your love for the genre, reading ‘Rue Morgue’ is a homecoming celebration. I’m proud to be a part of it.” – Ashley Thorpe
Penny Dreadful four ‘The Hairy Hands‘ was completed late last year and after recent test screenings at Exeter’s ‘Two Short Nights‘ festival and a cast and crew screening for the South West Screen / UK Film Council at Bristol’s Arnolfini Arts Centre, is now taking its first steps out upon the festival circuit. The film features regular Carrion film star Ed Berry and also features voiceover work from Doug Bradley, Nicholas Vince and BBC Radio DJ Jo Loosemore.Watch this site for future screening details and trailer.
Meanwhile…scripting is still in progress on further Penny Dreadful animations including ‘Spring Heel Jack‘ and Carrion Film’s first proposed feature: ‘Hell-Tor‘ – further details and production art to be posted here shortly!
TOM LEINS REVIEWS ‘THE HAIRY HANDS’
Paignton based Film Critic Tom Leins has posted what can only be described as a glowing review of Penny Dreadful number 4: ‘The Hairy Hands‘ for Devon and Cornwall Film:
“Devon filmmaker Ashley Thorpe has forged a solid reputation with his sinister succession of short films based on notorious local legends. His latest offering is The Hairy Hands, a vivid, hyper-stylized horror flick that packs an improbable number of chills into its admirably brisk 11 minute run-time.
With a ghoulish line in atmospherics and a welcome attention to detail, The Hairy Hands has a uniquely disquieting vibe, and the sense of foreboding is cranked up one notch at a time. Thorpe coaxes a nuanced performance out of leading man Edward Berry, and he gives this supernatural tale an all-too-plausible edge.
Make no mistake, Ashley Thorpe’s menacing short film will grab you by the throat with its hairy hands, and not let go until the chilling final frame. Freaky folklore just got re-booted for a new generation. Accomplished stuff.“ – Tom Leins for D & C Film.
Tom Leins spent two years working as a film critic for national movie magazine DVD Monthly. Since the magazine closed down in 2009 he regularly contributes to a variety of websites, not least Devon & Cornwall Film – which showcases ‘Sex, Leins & Videotape’ – his excellent weekly DVD column. Tom’s short stories have been published in magazines all over the world, and can also be found across the web.