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Blood on the Page: Halloween Reading Recommendations

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AHalloween reads

This is October. So, we should have some great seasonal tales of terror to choose from, right? Abosolutely! There’s something about reading a story during the season in which the fictional tale takes place. The magic takes hold, seems more real, and puts you right in the middle of the nightmare. You ever read The Shining during a snowstorm? Well, Halloween is coming on strong. I thought I’d share some of the fall/Halloween/freakin’ scary novels I’ve gotten swallowed by during the chilly, dark, doorstep-of-death, trick or treat days of seasons past.

I’m breaking them down into a few categories: King, Crazy/Beautiful, Shorts, and Wicked Fun.

KING.

You can’t go wrong with any of these three pieces by the master:

stephen king salem's lot signet 1976 pb

‘Salem’s Lot–You want vampires? Spooky house on a hill? Townspeople dropping like flies? Those same townspeople showing up at your window in the night? It is all in this novel. I’ve made it a point to read this one every couple of years, and always in October.

Pet Semetary–During one of my non-‘Salem’s Lot October’s, I decided to read this King classic. I had always held off, because I’d seen the movie a gazillion times. I was handsomely rewarded by my eventual decision to rip into this one. If you’ve delayed reading Pet Semetary for any reason, this is the perfect time to get over it.

Cycle of the Werewolf–Imagine you can’t use your legs….now imagine you’ve pissed off a beast that lives in town and knows that you’ve been snooping around for it…now imagine that it’s coming after you. I haven’t actually read a lot of werewolf books, but this is easily the best of the ones that I have.

CRAZY and SEASONALLY BEAUTIFUL

Adoug clegg

The Halloween Man by Douglas Clegg– I just finished reading this one for the first time last week. The Halloween Man coasts from the viciousness of a Richard Laymon novel, to the widely imaginative capabilities of Master King, all while being sewn together by a heartbreaking beauty reminiscent of Robert McCammon’s Boy’s Life.  You get an evil cult, a madman who loves to dole out the pain for pleasure, a coming of age love story, a town full of secrets, and the superpowers of the Halloween Man.  Trust me, it is well worth the ride.

Night in the Lonesome October by Richard Laymon– This is my favorite Laymon book. The story of a boy who starts the fall semester off by receiving a break-up letter from his girlfriend, Night…really takes off when a sleepless Ed Logan decides to go out for a walk. The back of the book reads: …it’s a dark, scary night in the lonesome October, and Ed is not alone….there are others out there in the night, roaming the streets, lurking in the darkness…and in search of prey… Laymon’s creepy mind is on full display in this one, but like his best works, there’s also a beautiful heart beating and urging you onward to find out how it all ends. Perfect October read!

SHORTS

exorcist-road

For those who have much to do, and little time to invest in a full-length novel, I give you these four quick blasts…

Exorcist Road by Jonathan Janz–   Yes, it is about a possessed teenager. Yes, it is creepy. Yes, it is awesome. If you haven’t been introduced to the works of Jonathan Janz, this is a great entry novella for you to pick up.

The Harbinger by Todd Keisling–   If your blood runs cold at the sight of dolls, this is the piece for you. When a reporter from out of town shows up to interview the reclusive owner of the Dalton Dollworks Factory, he runs into a boatload of weird shit. I found bits of it to be very reminiscent of Halloween 3 in all of the best possible ways. Give Todd a shot. You won’t be let down.

Linden Manor by Catherine Cavendish–  This one is part of Samhain Horror’s Gothic-anthology, What Waits in the Shadows. If you like a good ghost story, wrapped in a Gothic setting, this is just what you’re looking for. The horror is sneakier and more in the atmospheric flavor of Shirley Jackson’s The House on Haunted Hill.

The Waiting by Hunter Shea Another ghost story that slowly creeps its way under your skin, The Waiting is another Samhain Horror novella. Imagine you just got married, and that very day, your partner is stricken by illness and slips into a coma. You take him/her to the brand new home you’d just purchased and sit by their bedside night and day waiting for them to come back to you. The only thing is…there’s something else waiting right next to you.

WICKED FUN

Ajack ketchum

The Summoning by Bentley Little –  Little is the master of the macabre. This is his take on vampires. Add it to your list.

Ghost Walk by Brian Keene–   Perfect for the time of haunted attractions!  Take the Ghost Walk with Mr. Keene and get ready for some fun.

Offseason by Jack Ketchum–   What goes better with fall in the Maine woods than a group of people-eating savages?  This is the novel that inspired the Splatterpunk movement that is kicking alive and well to this day. Ketchum holds no punches in this one. Be ready for anything.

To quote the Lorax, “You have been warned.”

Happy reading!

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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