Bentley Little (born 1960 in

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley (Phoenix metropolitan area), East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by ...

) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

author of

horror fiction Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J ...

. Publishing an average of a novel a year since 1990, Little avoids publicity and rarely does promotional work or interviews for his writing.

Early life

Little is an

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

native who, according to his professional biography, was born one month after his mother saw the world premiere of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's film '' Psycho''. He studied at

California State University Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

, from which he earned a BA in

Communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

and an MA in

Comparative Literature Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across linguistic, national, geographic, and disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role similar to that of the study ...

. His

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

for the latter was his first novel, ''The Revelation'', which was later published and won a

Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since 1 ...

Style and recognition

Little's novels tend to have brief titles (many use the construction "The

oun Oun or OUN may refer to People * Ahmed Oun (born '1946), Libyan major general * Ek Yi Oun (1910–2013), Cambodian politician * Kham-Oun I (1885–1915), Lao queen consort * Õun, an Estonian surname; notable people with this surname * Oun Kham (18 ...

, like ''The Mailman'' and ''The House'') and fall squarely into the horror genre. He dislikes his work being categorized as "suspense" or "supernatural thriller", preferring the more straightforward genre label. His work has been championed by

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

and

Dean Koontz Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Many of his books have appeared on ''The New Y ...

, leading to increased recognition.

Adaptations

In 2007 Little's short story "

The Washingtonians "The Washingtonians" is the twelfth episode of the second season of ''Masters of Horror'', directed by Peter Medak. The episode is based on the short story written by Bentley Little. It details a man discovering a shocking secret about George Wa ...

" was adapted for the TV show ''

Masters of Horror ''Masters of Horror'' is an anthology television series created by director Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network. Origin In 2002, director Mick Garris invited some director friends to an informal dinner at a restaurant in Sherman Oaks, C ...

'', becoming the twelfth episode of its second season. Directed by

Peter Medak Peter Medak (born Medák Péter, 23 December 1937) is a Hungarian-born film director and television director of British and American productions. Early life Born in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary, Hungary, he was the son of Elisabeth (née Diamoun ...

, it significantly lightened the tone of the author's original work, aiming for

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

over the short story's

dark humour Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

. It was negatively received by critics. That same year ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' announced that a film adaptation of the novel ''The Store'' was in development at Strike Entertainment, with a script by

Jenna McGrath Jenna is a female given name. In the English-speaking world it is a variation of Jenny, which is itself a diminutive of Jane, Janet, Jennifer and is often used as a name in its own right.Katie Martin-Doyle, ''The Treasury of Baby Names'', Worth Pr ...

, production duties handled by

Marc Abraham Marc Abraham is an American film producer, director, and former president of Strike Entertainment, a production company he launched in early 2002 with a multi-year, first look arrangement with Universal Pictures. Career Abraham began his care ...

and Eric Newman, and executive production by

Vince Gerardis Vince is a given name, it is the anglicisation and shortened form of the name Vincent, as well as a surname. It may refer to: Given name People * Vince Agnew (born 1987), American football player * Vince Cable (born 1943), British politician ...

, Eli Kirschner, and Tom Bliss. As of 2020 the project has not yet come to fruition. On November 18, 2021, it was revealed that a TV series based on Little's novel ''The Consultant'' has been ordered by

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

Bibliography

Novels

* '' The Revelation'' (1990) *'' The Mailman'' (1991) *''Death Instinct'' (1992) (writing as Phillip Emmons), also known as ''Evil Deeds'' *''The Summoning'' (1993) *''The Night School'' (1994) – released as ''University'' in 1995 *''Dominion'' (1996) *''The Ignored'' (1997) *''Guests'' (1997) – released in the U.S as ''The Town'' in 2000 *''The Store'' (1998) *''The House'' (1999) *''The Walking'' (2000) *''The Town'' (2000) – updated re-release of ''Guests'' *''The Association'' (2001) *''The Return'' (2002) *''The Policy'' (2003) *''The Resort'' (2004) *''Dispatch'' (2005) *''The Burning'' (2006) *''The Vanishing'' (2007) *''The Academy'' (2008) *''His Father's Son'' (2009) *''The Disappearance'' (2010) *''The Haunted'' (2012) *''The Circle'' (2012) *''The Influence'' (2013) *''The Consultant'' (2016) *''The Handyman'' (2017) *''The Bank'' (2020) *''Gloria'' (2021)

Collections

*''Murmurous Haunts'' (1997) *''The Collection'' (2002) *''Four Dark Nights'' (2002) (with Douglas Clegg, Christopher Golden, and Tom Piccirilli) *''Indignities of the Flesh'' (2012) *''Walking Alone: Short Stories'' (2018)

Short stories

*''Witch Woman'' (1985) *''The Show'' (1987) *''Looney Tunes'' (1987) *''The Janitor'' (1988) *''The Sanctuary'' (1989) *''Miles to Go Before I Sleep'' (1991) *''The Potato'' (1991) *''The Washingtonians'' (1992) *''The Man in the Passenger Seat'' (1993) *''Monteith'' (1993) *''From the Mouths of Babes'' (1994) *''The Numbers Game'' (1994) *''The Pond'' (1994) *''See Marilyn Monroe's Panties!'' (1995) *''Life With Father'' (1998) *''Connie'' (1999) *''The Theatre'' (1999) *''After the Date'' (2005) *''Pop Star in The Ugly Bar'' (2005) *''Brushing'' (2007) *''The Miracle'' (2012)

Awards

*1990

winner for Best First Novel ('' The Revelation'') *1993

nominee for Best Novel (''The Summoning'') *2012

nominee for Best Novel (''The Haunted'')

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Bentley 1960 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American horror writers American horror novelists American male novelists Novelists from Arizona American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers