Skip to content

WHITE KNUCKLE

Written By:

Robin Pierce
white-knuckle

BOOK REVIEW: WHITE KNUCKLE / AUTHOR: ERIC RED / PUBLISHER: SAMHAIN PUBLISHING / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 2ND

Horror – the more credible the threat, the better the capacity to un-nerve today’s jaded audience. The late Richard Matheson knew this, as did Robert Bloch, taking the tropes of the horror story and firmly planting them in our own suburban lawns and on our highways.

Eric Red is the successor to Messrs Matheson and Bloch. And he proves it once again here with a ‘road’ story that is every bit as memorable as Matheson’s Duel.

White Knuckle is the CB handle of a long distance trucker, who has operated as one of America’s most prolific serial killers for forty years, with several hundred victims buried all over the USA. He chooses a victim at a truck stop, or forces them off the road keeps them locked in a steel box between the wheels of his truck. He then sadistically toys with them and finally dumps the body in a shallow grave in a different state, having knocked out the victim’s teeth out to further impede identification.

Enter Sharon Ormsby, a rookie FBI agent, who takes the case as an undercover assignment, taking to the road with a sympathetic long haulier to track down the killer who is out there, somewhere taunting on a CB radio. Possibly in an overtaking truck, possibly in the one in the rear view mirror.

Partly horror with a psycho on the loose, partly police procedural, it’s a taut suspense story, and a welcome return to the road horror story by the man who defined this subgenre in the eighties with his original screenplays for cult classic films such as Near Dark and Hitcher.

The greatest strength of the book is the simplicity of the protagonist’s motivation. White Knuckle murders without any real reason except for sexual gratification (necrophilia is alluded to) and the smug satisfaction of not being caught.

There is no padding in the story, the pacing moves as relentlessly as White Knuckle’s black Kenworth truck. Literally, no filler – all killer. It should come as no surprise that the film rights have already been secured.
 

Robin Pierce

You May Also Like...

chinese remake of anaconda drops trailer

ANACONDA Trailer Grants First Look At Remake Of 1997 Horror Flick

Three sequels and a spinoff-crossover film wasn’t enough for the 1997 creature feature Anaconda, which not only has a new movie in development, but is getting a Chinese remake! From
Read More
black widow star scarlett johansson in talks to lead new universal jurassic world film

Scarlett Johansson In Talks To Join JURASSIC WORLD Film

Another MCU star appears to be taking up the reins for Universal’s new Jurassic World movie: two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson is reportedly in talks to lead the franchise that
Read More

Exclusive Reveal! Titan Comics to Deliver Prehistoric Hysterics in First 2 DUMB DINOS Collection

Titan Comics have exclusively revealed to STARBURST that they’re gearing up to publish the first-ever collection of the hilarious cult digital comic strip 2 Dumb Dinos, and we’re not the
Read More

New Dates For Lovecraftian Key of Dreams

Key of Dreams has announced new spaces for its titular immersive luxury horror event. The critically acclaimed company is known for its overnight experiences that dunk you into a strange
Read More

FAB Café to Host Free Film Screening of New Indie Comedy SECRETS OF A WALLABY BOY

We’re well known for our championing of truly independent filmmakers here at STARBURST, so it’s doubly exciting to be writing about one of our own! After joining the crew in
Read More
colin farrell returns as oswald cobblepot in the penguin series trailer

Colin Farrell Returns In THE PENGUIN Trailer

Colin Farrell returns as Gotham City’s answer to Tony Soprano in the first trailer for Max series The Penguin, which spins out of the world of the 2022 DC film
Read More