For Peter and Marcia, a few days amidst the picturesque Australian outback would seemingly course-correct their crumbling marriage. But in trying to move past marital indiscretions, an utter disregard for the beautiful countryside would not go unnoticed. By the time their weekend comes to a close, every bird, beach, and blade of grass will be out for blood. Concurrently celebrated and criminally overlooked, Long Weekend is considered a forefather of Oz-centric horror. Penning the novelization of one of his country’s most significant entries to the genre is award-winning Australian author Brett McBean, working from the original screenplay by Everett De Roche.
“I’ve been a fan of Long Weekend for over thirty years,” says McBean. “The movie creeped me out big time when I first watched it, alone, as a teenager. Even on a tiny portable black-and-white television set, the power and unnerving dread that permeates the movie was apparent. My love and appreciation for the film has only grown over the years. I consider it one of the greatest horror movies this country has ever produced and rank it alongside other great tales of the uncanny from around the world. So when Jamie Blanks asked if I would be interested in novelizing this great Australian film, I was more than happy to accept. Everett De Roche is one of my all-time favorite genre screenwriters, and so I took it as a tremendous honor to be tasked with turning his brilliant screenplay into novel form.”
In providing the book’s foreword, no one was better suited than acclaimed director Jamie Blanks, whose own career was so influenced by Long Weekend that he shot a remake in 2008 alongside De Roche: “One of the challenges of adapting Long Weekend as a remake was to find ways to gain insight into the minds of the two characters and their twisted, toxic relationship with the environment and each other. There were moments where the characters revealed the hurt, anger, rage, and despair they felt towards each other, but there is only so much of the characters’ internal lives that we can explore in the movie. I always felt that there was more that we could learn about these people if the story had been told as a novel. Brett took on the project with a great reverence for the work of Everett De Roche and a deep respect for the story and characters he created. There were many times when Brett and I would speak during the writing process to clarify some ideas and to commit to certain decisions. I feel this novelization enhances and enriches the experience of watching either the 1978 original or my 2008 remake. Brett has a gift for storytelling and character development and these talents have elevated Everett’s story in so many ways.”
Brett McBean is an accomplished author, whose masterful ability to turn phrases into nightmares has earned him countless literary awards. His original works The Last Motel (2002) and The Mother (2016) complement his contributions to another of Australia’s revered horror exports – Wolf Creek: Desolation Game (2014). Jamie Blanks is no stranger to cult films, as his projects preceding 2008’s Long Weekend remake – Urban Legend (1998), Valentine (2001), and Storm Warning (2007) – continue to find new fans decades after their release.
“Long Weekend is a seminal title in Australian horror cinema,” Encyclopocalypse founder Mark Alan Miller enthusiastically states, “We’re very excited to share its novelization with the fans and a new generation of readers.”
Paperback pre-orders in the USA are available directly through Encyclopocalypse at encyclopocalypse.com. There are two versions available: a standard Trade size and a pocket sized Mass Market version reflecting the publisher’s love of novelizations from the 80s and early 90s. Most International customers can pre-order via their favorite local or online booksellers. In Australia, you can pre-order from Booktopia.
eBook pre-orders are available via all major online booksellers, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Other online options are available via this link: https://books2read.com/LongWeekend
Since its inception, Encyclopocalypse Publications has become a coveted publishing destination for independent authors and genre notables alike. Alongside producing audiobook renditions of literary classics, the imprint continually expands its catalog with new, original works and movie novelizations by the best dark fiction writers in the business today. For more information about Long Weekend, including receiving advance review copies, please contact Sean Duregger at info@encyclopocalypse.com.
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- I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!
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