Author takes a stab at the cinematic
Classic horror and gore films inspire the illustrated novel `Slash Them All'
As a young boy, Frenchborn illustrator Antoine Maillard spent his weekends at the local video store. He'd search the racks for movies from his favorite genre, including American horror and slasher flicks from the '70s, '80s and '90s.
He fell in love with classics like “Halloween,” “The Thing,” “Christine,” “The Friday the 13th” franchise and newer releases including Wes Craven's 1996 slasher-reviving movie, “Scream.” While he admits he may have been a little too young for some of these gory films, they ended up having a lasting impact, as they served as inspiration for his debut graphic novel, “Slash Them All.”
“I started this project as a way to mix all the things I like,” he said during a phone interview from his home in Toulouse, France, ahead of the Sept. 20 release of his hardcover novel, which he wrote and illustrated.
“The thing that was the most fascinating for me in these movies is that there was a big focus on mundane, everyday life,” he continued. “In `Halloween' or `Scream' you see teenagers in everyday life.”
Much like the movies he loves, Maillard, 32, focused his book on teens living in an idyllic beach town. It's named Playa Falsa, which translates to “fake beach,” and the students at Playa Falsa High School are getting ready for summer break when, in classic horror film fashion, two teens are found dead.
Maillard doesn't hold anything back as he jumps into the story with a violent start; blood is being shed by the third page.
“I wanted, at the beginning, to catch the attention of the reader,” he said. “And this was also a trend in many movies: a very violent introduction and after that, a more atmospheric rhythm.”
Following the murders, rumors of a serial killer on the loose begin to circulate around the high school, and panic grips the small town. News crews even show up to cover the killings.
If that all sounds a little familiar, it's because it's similar to the “Scream” storyline, which Maillard said was one of the biggest influences on this book.
“I was also really inspired by David Lynch and `Twin Peaks,' so I think it's a mix between a slasher and David Lynch films,” he added.
There are other elements that create a unique and uneasy atmosphere that sets the book apart from the films that inspired it. As people keep dying, Maillard adds more of a sense of depth and dread with both his writing and illustrations. For example, he keeps readers wondering about the true intentions of the main characters as a darker side of their personalities is revealed, blurring the lines between the heroes and villains.
One of the protagonists, Daniel, is a quiet, bespectacled loner whom Maillard described as the “nerd cliche.” His only friend is Pola, also an outsider, and both have issues with anger and resentment towards their mothers, which in turn bonds them. The Daniel character, Maillard said, was actually influenced by serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who was convicted of murdering more than a dozen people.
“I used a lot of archetypes and I think for Daniel, Jeffrey Dahmer was a cool archetype and I mixed it up with people I knew as a teenager,” he said.
Meanwhile, the illustrations are done in black and white, with shadows and shading that give the book the feel of film noir more than a bold and bloody slasher.
“I tried to develop a language with lights,” Maillard said of his technique. “I tried to create an atmosphere in the drawings.”