FOREWORD: THE ACT OF CREATION
RAY HARRYHAUSEN
BEING ASKED TO do a foreword for a book of horror stories is an odd thing for me. Although I have skirted the edge of horror when doing films based upon fantasy mythology or when creating giant creatures, I have never actually been directly involved with horror in any of my films. I have created many bizarre creatures, but I have never jumped into the horror genre with as much enthusiasm as editors Del Howison and Jeff Gelb.
Horror is their thing, and it is what they do best. With their first effort together in 2005, they won the coveted Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association for the Year’s Best Anthology. They certainly have the pedigree behind them, as Jeff has edited almost twenty horror anthologies, and Del (along with his wife, Sue) owns America’s horror bookstore in Burbank, California, for which this anthology is named. Also, they are both writers of horror.
The common denominator between us is the art of creation. Animators and writers have much in common—passion, imagination, and the countless hours spent alone in small, dark rooms. Both of our arts are born of imagination and created with the insight of observation.
Both stop-motion animators and writers must master some unexpected skills. For instance, I learned the art of fencing from a school in Hollywood before I began animating the skeleton sequence for The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, as I wanted to know how it felt to wield a sword so I could project it into the model. A writer must also invest time researching the areas with which he is not familiar in order to bring life and reality to the story.
As I stated in my book The Art of Ray Harryhausen, I have always tried to instill character into my creations. To do that, I had to observe how the character of a person or animal was expressed and then translate those observations into action. Because a writer needs to get into the character’s thoughts as well as his actions, this kind of insight is the same for any professional writer, maybe even more so for people who do what I do.
Much as I go through multiple stages to get to the final product, an editor does the same. He outlines or lays out his book of tales and that produces a rough sketch. He traces the different stories he has chosen until everything fits into his mold of the book’s structure. Then, whereas my final product is the animation in a finished film, the editor takes us on a journey through the arc or progression that the layout of the stories has detailed to end up with the finished book.
All in all, it is a creative process that parallels my own process for a very similar end: to tell a story and entertain. Usually, my stories are first of wonderment and fascination, but they may also frighten you or make you laugh. Del and Jeff want to frighten you first and then fill your mind with wonder. To accomplish that effect in this anthology, they have hired some of the finest writers in the genre.
I’m proud they asked me to write the foreword to their book. Maybe someday I’ll design the monsters in this book for the movies. Who knows? It’s in the lap of the Gods. In the meantime, I hope that these two “dark” editors continue their quest to bring you the macabre horror they know and love so well. So, until we meet again—sweet dreams.
Ray Harryhausen
London