A perfect Sunday with...Paul Kane
Folk horror, Judge Dredd and never getting enough of each other's company
Every week, a top writer, artist, actor or creator reveals how they’d fill their perfect Sunday, sharing their favourite comfort reads, movies, food… anything that would make their weekend great.
Today, it's the turn of Paul Kane, co-editor of Death Comes at Christmas.
Paul's perfect Sunday… brunch
When you say meal, I’ll always go fish & chips – it’s a comfort food from when I was little. We’d have it at the seaside mainly, but also as a treat at home every now and again. There’s nothing like eating it from the paper on a beach at the coast, though. In terms of something smaller, probably cheese on toast. Again, it reminds me of my childhood, something Mum would make to cheer us up. I don’t eat it very often now because I know it’s not good for me, but it is gorgeous.
Paul's perfect Sunday… read
I mean, The Hellbound Heart is always going to hold a special place in my heart for obvious reasons. [In 2009, Paul co-edited Hellbound Hearts, an anthology of short stories based on Clive Barker's iconic novella] But I do adore Dune, which again goes back to being in my teens; that was when I first discovered it. I just fell in love with the whole story, especially the messiah aspects. It’s something I’ve definitely touched on in my own fiction from the Hooded Man books to Arcana. As for a current read, I’m devouring The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley at the moment. I don’t know why I haven’t got round to this one before now, with my love of folk horror, but it’s definitely grabbed me. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
Paul's perfect Sunday… comic
Got to be a classic Dredd strip, as 2000AD was my favourite comic growing up. Maybe City of the Damned as it has a post-apocalyptic vibe? Having said that, anything Batman-wise is always going to get my vote. He’s my go to superhero, The Dark Knight Returns and Arkham Asylum being peak reading material when I was growing up. I prefer the darker Bats to the more colourful one, because of the horror aspects.
Paul's perfect Sunday… movie
I know I should probably be saying Hellraiser, which is another obvious choice – and I do love that movie, clearly – but I’ve probably watched Jaws many more times, starting with when I was very little. Quite possibly my first exposure to horror on film in fact, or at home on the telly as I wasn’t old enough to see it at the cinema when it first came out. To me, it’s just one of those perfect films from start to finish. The characters, the situation, the script and direction. I could watch it a million times and not get bored. Marie treated me to the 3D screening when it came out, which Mick Garris had recommended to us, and he wasn’t wrong. Added another dimension to the film, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Paul's perfect Sunday... TV binge
From growing up, it’s a tie between Star Trek and Dr Who – as my dad got me into both of those at an early age. More back door/gateway horror exposure, for which I’ll always be eternally grateful. Two of the most perfect shows of recent times, however, are Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House – which we recently rewatched for Halloween – and Succession. The character stuff in both of those is sublime.
Paul's perfect Sunday… podcast
To be honest, I don’t really listen to podcasts much. I’ve been on a few, so I’ll say SSP Cult Classics show as I’m due to record one about Escape from New York. They asked me back after the Hellraiser special, so I must have done an okay job. I know a lot less about the former movie, so I’m just going on there as a fan really. A lot of fun.
Paul's perfect Sunday… album
Got to be U2, my favourite band since the ’80s. And probably Achtung Baby, when they first reinvented themselves. Every single track on that album ticks my boxes, with One being my favourite song of all time. There’s a bleakness to some of the music that lifts me somehow. I’m the same way with The Cure.
Paul's perfect Sunday… treat
Hands down spending time with my lovely better half Marie. I know it sounds like a cliché, but since we met over 20 years ago, she’s been my favourite person in the world to spend time with. We both work from home, and spend weekends together, but somehow it’s never enough time in each other’s company. She’s my best friend as well as my wife, and it doesn’t get any better than that.
Death Comes at Christmas is out now from Titan Books.
The award-winning Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane invite you to a festive gathering of bestselling, critically acclaimed and award-winning writers in tribute to classic crime stories.
From locked room mysteries on Christmas Eve to devilish whodunits and tales of simmering rivalries unfolding at the dinner table, these eighteen seasonal tales will delight and shock at every twist and turn.
So, unwrap the presents, pour a mug of mulled wine and follow the bloodstained footprints through the freshly fallen snow as winter descends and darkness lurks in the shadows.
Featuring stories by: Fiona Cummins, Angela Clarke, A. K. Benedict, Susi Holliday, J. T. Ellison, David Bell, Sarah Hilary, Claire McGowan, Tina Baker, Sam Carrington, Liz Mistry, C. L. Taylor, Helen Fields, Russ Thomas, Tom Mead, Vaseem Khan, Samantha Hayes and Belinda Bauer.
Paul Kane is the award-winning and bestselling author/editor of over 90 books, including the Arrowhead trilogy (gathered together in the sellout Hooded Man omnibus, revolving around a post-apocalyptic version of Robin Hood), The Butterfly Man and Other Stories, Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell, Before, Arcana and Pain Cages (an Amazon #1 bestseller). He is a respected anthologist, editing books such as Beyond Rue Morgue, The Mammoth Book of Body Horror, Hellbound Hearts and Exit Wounds.