Changes

I think ''Mr Creecher'' is a true homage to the original: it combines a Gothic chill with a Romantic appreciation of nature, it makes clear that a monstrous appearance does not necessarily a monster make, and it has that crushing sense of abandonment and loneliness that makes the Shelley novel so unforgettable. The relationship between Billy and Creecher also adds real dramatic tension to the story - there is a struggle for power going on, even as they begin to grow closer. Can these two damaged individuals ever risk a real and lasting friendship or have the events of the past left them loners forever?

I'm a big fan of Chris Priestley. He's bringing truly classy horror to the teen market and he's developing ways to explore it that combine the traditional and the modern. In a YA genre flooded with some distinctly mediocre offerings, he's a breath of fresh air - or perhaps that should be a rancid stench of ectoplasmic miasma. Or something.