{{short description|American author of horror fiction (born 1960)}} {{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see :Template:Infobox writer/doc --> | image = | name = Bentley Little | pseudonym = Phillip Emmons | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1960}} | birth_place = Mesa, Arizona, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Novelist | nationality = | education = California State University, Fullerton (BA, MA) | period = | genre = Horror | subject = | notableworks = | website = }} '''Bentley Little''' (born 1960 in Mesa, Arizona)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/little-bentley-1960-phillip-emmons |title=Little, Bentley 1960- (Phillip Emmons) |website=Encyclopedia.com}}</ref> is an American author of horror fiction. 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 native who, according to his professional biography, was born one month after his mother saw the world premiere of Alfred Hitchcock's film ''Psycho''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cemeterydance.com/bentley-little.html |title=Bentley Little |website=cemeterydance.com}}</ref> He studied at California State University Fullerton, from which he earned a BA in Communications and an MA in Comparative Literature. His thesis for the latter was his first novel, ''The Revelation'', which was later published and won a Bram Stoker Award.<ref>{{cite web |title=Past Bram Stoker Award Nominees and Winners |url=https://horror.org/past-award-nominees-winners/#1990 |website=Horror Writers Association |date=15 June 2000 |accessdate=July 3, 2022}}</ref>
==Style and recognition== Little's novels tend to have brief titles (many use the construction "The [noun]", 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 and Dean Koontz, leading to increased recognition.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://ew.com/article/2006/06/02/stephen-kings-summer-book-awards/ |title=Stephen King's summer book awards |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref>
==Adaptations== In 2007 Little's short story "The Washingtonians" was adapted for the TV show ''Masters of Horror'', becoming the twelfth episode of its second season. Directed by Peter Medak, it significantly lightened the tone of the author's original work, aiming for camp over the short story's dark humour. It was negatively received by critics.
That same year ''The Hollywood Reporter'' announced that a film adaptation of the novel ''The Store'' was in development at Strike Entertainment, with a script by Jenna McGrath, production duties handled by Marc Abraham and Eric Newman, and executive production by Vince Gerardis, Eli Kirschner, and Tom Bliss.<ref>{{cite web |title=McGrath in 'Store' pen aisle |author=Carolyn Giardina |website=The Hollywood Reporter |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mcgrath-store-pen-aisle-145528 |date=July 30, 2007 |accessdate=2012-01-30}}</ref> As of 2025 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.<ref>{{cite web|first=Peter|last=White|title=Christoph Waltz To Star In Workplace Dark Comedy Series ''The Consultant'' For Amazon From Tony Basgallop, Matt Shakman & MGM|url=https://deadline.com/2021/11/christoph-waltz-series-the-consultant-amazon-mgm-1234877017/|date=November 18, 2021|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=October 3, 2022}}</ref>
==Bibliography==
===Novels=== * ''The Revelation'' (1990) *''The Mailman'' (1991) *''Death Instinct'' (1992) (writing as Phillip Emmons), also known as ''Evil Deeds'' *''The Summoning'' (1993) *''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'' (1999, UK) *''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) *''DMV'' (2023) *''Behind'' (2024) *''City Hall'' (2025)
===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 Tune'' (1987) *''The Janitor'' (1988)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cemeterydance.com/cemetery-dance-1-tem-lacher-silva-little.html |title=Cemetery Dance Magazine, Issue #1, December 1988. Table of Contents. |website=cemeterydance.com}}</ref> *''The Sanctuary'' (1989)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cemeterydance.com/cemetery-dance-2-relling-little-elliott-partridge.html |title=Cemetery Dance Magazine, Issue #2, June 1989. Table of Contents. |website=cemeterydance.com}}</ref> *''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 Bram Stoker Award winner for Best First Novel (''The Revelation'') *1993 Bram Stoker Award nominee for Best Novel (''The Summoning'') *2012 Bram Stoker Award nominee for Best Novel (''The Haunted'')
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} *{{ISFDB name|id=Bentley_Little|name=Bentley Little}} * {{IMDb name| id=2502582| name=Bentley Little}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Bentley}} Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century American male writers Category:20th-century American novelists Category:20th-century American short story writers Category:21st-century American male writers Category:21st-century American novelists Category:21st-century American short story writers Category:American horror novelists Category:American male novelists Category:American male short story writers Category:Novelists from Arizona Category:Writers from Mesa, Arizona