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Ricardo Henriquez’s “The Catcher’s Trap” is an Impressive Dark Fantasy Debut

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“The door to hell stands under a fluorescent light in an alley in Queens. The devil himself showed me.”–Ricardo Henriquez, The Catcher’s Trap

There are few experiences more satisfying than sitting down with a book and finding yourself in its pages.  The author gets you and you can feel it in your gut.  The author proves to you that you that no matter how unique your own experiences may be, someone else understands them because their life path has been similar.  That’s exactly how I felt the first time I read The Catcher’s Trap, the debut novel from Chilean born author Ricardo Henriquez.

Henriquez’s book centers around a young man named Andres.  Andres is young, handsome and in any other story would be written as the great and confident hero who never backs down as he faces challenge after challenge.  That’s not the story Henriquez is telling, however.  Instead he offers us a hero who is eaten up inside by anxiety and depression, who second guesses his every move, and who fails in his quest at least often as he wins.

In short, the author decided to make Andres real.

It all begins in Queens.  Andres has met three strangers in a bar and they’ve convinced him to tag along to a club he’s never heard of in a not so great part of the city.  Andres has made a promise to himself to stop being such a coward, and though his inner dialogue tells a different story, outwardly he is determined to step way out of his comfort zone and embrace the unknown.  Little does he know that by stepping into that club, he is setting himself up for capture by monsters, both beautiful and terrifying, straight out of his darkest nightmares.

This duality of beauty and terror plays out repeatedly in the novel, and the author uses that duality to perfectly symbolize the inner struggle that many of us know all too well.  For those prone to depression and/or anxiety our own world can be a dark and uncertain place, and even the most beautiful sun bright field of flowers can open the door to hopelessness and fear.

Henriquez deftly created a world and people who embody these abstract traits in their many stages and brings them to horrific life.  Whether it is the handsome catcher, Roman, who kidnaps humans and brings them to his world to serve his even more cruel masters, or the snake-like barbarian guards who watch over the humans and kill at will, these are monsters and their very purpose is to take your life.  If it happens slowly or quickly, that’s up to you.

The Catcher’s Trap is a fine debut novel from Ricardo Henriquez, and it’s the first in a proposed trilogy of books that will continue Andres’ quest.  Fans of Neil Gaiman would do well to get a copy.  The book is available in both ebook and paperback formats from Inkshares.com.

catchers-trap

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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

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Horror Movies

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks. 

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story. 

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did. 

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD. 

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind. 

The Crow
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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

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The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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News

Morticia & Wednesday Addams Join Monster High Skullector Series

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Believe it or not, Mattel’s Monster High doll brand has an immense following with both young and not-so-young collectors. 

In that same vein, the fan base for The Addams Family is also very large. Now, the two are collaborating to create a line of collectible dolls that celebrate both worlds and what they have created is a combination of fashion dolls and goth fantasy. Forget Barbie, these ladies know who they are.

The dolls are based on Morticia and Wednesday Addams from the 2019 Addams Family animated movie. 

As with any niche collectibles these aren’t cheap they bring with them a $90 price tag, but it’s an investment as a lot of these toys become more valuable over time. 

“There goes the neighborhood. Meet the Addams Family’s ghoulishly glamorous mother-daughter duo with a Monster High twist. Inspired by the animated movie and clad in spiderweb lace and skull prints, the Morticia and Wednesday Addams Skullector doll two-pack makes for a gift that’s so macabre, it’s downright pathological.”

If you want to pre-purchase this set check out The Monster High website.

Wednesday Addams Skullector doll
Wednesday Addams Skullector doll
Footwear for Wednesday Addams Skullector doll
Morticia Addams Skullector doll
Morticia Addams doll shoes
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