Legend Has It by DJ Slater
Legend Has It hits the mark by the end of the opening paragraph. In his debut novel, Milwaukee’s DJ Slater sets and maintains a tempo of tension throughout. The horror novel about a trip gone wrong to a Halloween haunted house has a strong feel for the physicality of its setting—and a sense for the crisp autumn air of Wisconsin.
The author can easily be imagined as the model for at least one of the protagonists, a pair of UW-Oshkosh college buddies on the verge of adulthood, uneasily preparing to leave childhood things behind. Slater says he began going to the area’s haunted houses before age 10. “It was, in some way, a means to experience a horror movie scenario without the danger,” he explains.
In the spectral yet tangible haunted house of Legend Has It, the danger becomes altogether real. The main characters, Seth and Peyton, have been kicking around an urban legend, an online rumor, about a haunted house scary enough to die for. They drag along a trio of friends to the outskirts of Mukwanago, the suspected new location for the nomadic horror house. The joyride turns deadly.
Slater has written for newspapers around the Badger State, including the Wausau Daily Herald and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “As for fiction, I've been writing it since third grade. It started with small, one-to-four-page stories and eventually evolved into longer narratives. I wrote an adaptation of the PC game Myst in 8th grade, and then a detective story with some comic book-like elements in high school. After that, I took a break from writing fiction because I was doing so much writing in my journalism classes and for the UW-Eau Claire student newspaper.” Legend Has It doesn’t read like the work of a beginner.
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The tactile terror of many scenes suggests that Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum” is in the story’s DNA. Slater cites Rod Serling as a primary influence. “I'm a huge fan of ‘The Twilight Zone,’ and I love how that series weaved strong character stories into larger, unique narratives,” he says. “Legend Has It is primarily about a nostalgic horror enthusiast who holds onto his past a little too tightly. It reminds me of the main character from ‘The Twilight Zone episode’ ‘Walking Distance,’ where a burned-out businessman steps back into his childhood years, but realizes he's not meant for that time anymore. I love the lesson in that and Legend Has It has a lesson along those lines.”
He adds that what makes a good horror story work is a compelling plot with characters to root for. As a genre, horror has only grown more prevalent in our culture. “I think it boils down to a means of confronting our fears,” Slater offers. “Fear is a natural part of life, and what better way to safely expose yourself to it than through horror stories? Because you can view it safely through a screen or get up close and personal with it without actual danger at a haunted house attraction. There's just something fascinating about horror. You want to look away during the intense parts, but your mind gets curious and wants to keep watching. That's likely because your mind knows you're safe, but it is also curious about these things that invoke fear.”
The book launch for Legend Has It is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16 at Noche Restaurant, 6601 Northway, Greendale; The author will also conduct a signing 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept.20 at Story Keepers Books, 7035 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis.
