The question is what has made this film such a pivotal film in the Horror genre?  Is it the fact that The Shining was based off of a great book by Horror writer Stephen King? Is it the great screen play written by Kubrick and novelist Diane Johnson?  Did Kubrick create such a mood in his direction that fans are drawn into the film and thus thoroughly drawing the viewer in? Or was it simply the performances by the cast?

Personally it was a combination of all these things that make The Shining a horror film that will continue to scare viewers for some time to come.  Jack Nicholson stars as Jack Torrance who is an ex-teacher working on a writing career when we are introduced to his character. Torrance is interviewing for a position at the Overlook Hotel which will give him the opportunity for months of peace to pursue his writing. There is however one piece of information that had been left out of his initial interview for the job.  Torrance finds out what had happened to a previous caretaker’s twin girls, the wife and the caretaker himself.  This tragic tail can be considered to be a bit of foreshadowing of events to come.

Wendy Torrance, played by Shelley Duvall, is at home caring for her son who is not looking forward to the temporary move to the Outlook. Young Danny, played by Danny Lloyd, may have some insight to what is to come through his “invisible” friend.  We get a hint on how psychic Danny’s friend is when he predicts the phone call from his father saying he has gotten the job.  Is this another piece of information that needs to be filed aware for later?

The film is full of other scenes and acts of foreshadowing that helps the viewer follow along and gain more and more interest into the story.  The spirits of the Overlook seem to be after one thing as the movie progresses.  Their plan appears to be to get Jack to do something terrible to his family.  In one scene we find the ghost of the previous caretaker telling Jack what he must do to his family.  The spirit doesn’t tell him directly what to do but if the viewer remembers the story from the interview chills may come to you.

There is one thing in this film that viewers should try and pick up on.  It is that although the film appears to show us that they are interested in Jack there are scenes that drop hints that maybe Jack isn’t who they really want.  Just listen to the subtle phrases and words spoken when the spirits talk about young Danny.  They are quite intrigued by his gifts and at times you may wonder is there a reason they want Jack to kill his family?  Do they have something in mind for Danny or that special gift we find out about?

The Shining is simply a masterful film.  The plot, the acting, and the direction are equally important to any viewer of this film.  Jack Nicholson’s acting as his character dives head first into madness is masterful. The is no doubt as we watch this quiet man fall to each of his own personal demons.  Be it giving into his aggressive behavior or sudden wish to begin drinking again.  The spirits are able to push each of Jack’s magical buttons to further his decent.  Be it an agreeable ear from a bartender or the advice of a long dead caretaker.  Either way Jack becomes a puppet to the wishes of the spirits and will by the end of the film is willing to do ANYTHING to show he is worth all their trouble.

The Shining is a film that Horror fans should enjoy and treasure.  The DVD version of the film shows us a sneak peak into the making of the film as Kubrick’s teenage daughter  shot a documentary of the making of the film. Fortunately for fans this documentary is on the DVD and should be equally enjoyed as the film.

The most interesting piece about this film is that it’s original release was slow.  It was only the word of mouth that drove this film to become the success it has become. So, follow the example that was previously shared and spread the word on this film.  If you, or friends, have not seen this Horror Classic then take some time and sit back and watch The Shining.  Hopefully you will find it to be a film that all you want to do is spread the word and help introduce the film to a generation that has yet to see it.

To start this film is set in what appears to be a combination of Victoria England and a post World War 2 time frame, and some actually consider it a steam punk type of setting.  The structures in the film have a gothic feel to them and the overall look to the slum called Jamestown is really well done.  You get a great sense of the hopeless of the inhabitants of this area through the look and dress.  In a switch from using pure CG for the look of the film pictures were taken of buildings throughout New Zealand that would fit the setting.  These images where then added to the layering of the film and thus give it such a gorgeous look.

The story is just as appealing as the setting of this film. I say this as the film makers do a great job of introducing us to the lead characters within the first 10 to 20 minutes of the film.  We also learn that the word Brother has a different meaning then you’d think in this.  The fact is that a Brother is actually a Vampire.

The hero Silus is introduced to his young baby brother as Edgar comes into the world.  We find out then that Silus shares a mother with Edgar and that both are Vampires.  I add that the scene with the baby Edgar is quite interesting as we see the young child with its fangs.   The film then jumps ahead 100 years and we learn more about the background of how the Brothers came to being.  Alchemy was used to create the Brothers through Genetic experimentation, but at a cost as disease was also created.

When we next see Silus he is an adult and is hunting a murder of humans.  The same humans that the Brothers are there to protect as the Brothers linked to being a religion.  Then we meet female police officer Lilly who is in the midst of arresting a landlord who has been stock piling influenza shots to sell on the black market instead of providing to his tenants.  At this point in the film the key players have been introduced to us in some form or another and the story is about to take off.

The thing that engages one so much about this film is the different role Vampires play in this alternate society.  They are not seen as blood thirsty creatures of the night only hunting for prey and to cause death.  Vampires are actually seen as god like as they have churches with thousands of followers.  People even go to their local Brother Church to donate not money, but blood to the Brothers.

However, as the movie’s opening script warns us something is happening to upset the balance between Humans and the Vampires.  This thing is deadly and toxic not just to the Brothers but as well to Humans. The fact is the villain, Edgar, is as cold blooded as any modern telling of a Vampire.  His methods maybe slightly different but the affect on society is just the same if not worse.  Edgar’s methods work so well that the government gets to the point they are willing to let all in Jamestown die to protect society.

Perfect Creature is one of those films that when you stumble across it all you will want to do is share it with your friends that are horror fans.  I’m hoping that you enjoy the movie as much as I have as it’s become somewhat rare to find a horror film that contains a well written story and plot.

Dog Soldiers is a plain and simple action horror film brought to us by the director behind Doomsday and The Decent. This film has a rather simple plot. The story revolves around a small squad of British regular army who are sent into a wooded area to work with a Special Forces group on a training exercise.

The main character who is named Cooper we are shown had a run-in with the Commander of this special forces unit during a training exercise months back and had been washed out. This conflict comes in as the movie progresses as the commander is the only one to survive a massacre of the Special Forces squad.

The regulars try to call for help when they are attacked by a fast moving and unseen enemy. The enemy is relentless and an evade and escape plan begins as the regulars take wounded and some are killed.

The movie moves quickly and I have to admit the look of the werewolves when finally seen is great. They did an awesome job on the makeup and design of the creatures. The one thing I really enjoyed is how the allowed the werewolves to have a brain. There was more of one of them and they showed how they would hunt as a pack and used their intelligence when hunting the soldiers.

There are some surprising twists in the film and there is one scene that is blatantly obvious to this movie fan as a throw back to the movie Zulu. There is a comment by one soldier on how it’s so much like an experience that happened to the British Army back during the time of the Zulu. During this battle several men are trapped at a lone outpost surrounded by thousands of Zulu warriors. This is an actual battle from the British Army History and the way it was referenced in the film was great for this movie buff.

I will say the movie does have a somewhat typical ending but the movie itself is well worth a rental in my humble opinion. I say this especially if you’re a fan of Lycans and especially ones that are designed so convincingly. I will add this last bit about one of the chilling moments in the film. This moment comes when those remaining realize the werewolves have been let in the house and we see them slowly come into view ready to strike.

The film starts and moves in a slow pace unraveling a story that comes to be called one of the scariest films of all time.  This is done masterfully by Director William Friedkin as we get to see scenes of a loving mother raising her daughter.  The other center plot in the film is the struggle of young Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) who is struggling with his faith and ability to carry on in his role as a Father.  Karras is actually a very brilliant man that we find out chose the church over taking a more lucrative job as a psychologist.

The movie’s opening sequence introduces us to Father Merrin (von Sydow) who finds a small relic showing a dark looking figure while on a dig in Egypt.  Father Merrin later travels to a small region in Egypt where he comes across a much larger statue that resembles the relic and a bit of foreshadowing comes to us as we suddenly hear two dogs fighting nearby.

The film jumps to Georgetown where we are introduced to the actress Chris MacNeil, (Burstyn) who is working on her latest film.  MacNeil seems to have a great life as she lives with her daughter Regan.  Regan is an active 12 year old who like many her age has her likes and dislikes and during one scene we find that Regan would really like a horse.  It’s not long after this that we find out that Regan had found an Ouija board and had actually played with the game.  The problem is when Chris tries to use the game the board, well it tells her NO.

The film progresses building questions and suspense throughout as the plots unravel. We continue to see Father Karras struggle with his faith and talking about his problem with friends. Regan begins having seizures and other health problems that cause her mother to take her to several doctors. Of which some do painful medical tests and studies on Regan that in themselves are quite scary to watch. It’s only about the midway point of the film do we find out what is happening to Regan and the story that unravels to our eyes is startling.  Things are made even darker as people begin to die that may have a connection to the McNeil’s.

The Exorcist is one of those films that you can talk to friends, family and even strangers about and most will have a favorite scene.  People will tell you how the film has scared them and in some cases given then nightmares.  The version of the film I watched included scenes that were held out of the original theatrical release as they were deemed to be too scary for viewers at the time.  This just adds to the movies lore and appeal and explains why it has remained to be one of the scariest films ever made.

You’d think making this film the cast and crew would have a light hearted set and would find ways to relax as they dealt with this story.  Well, that wasn’t the case for those involved in the production of the film.  Actor Jack MacGrowan died during the filming of the movie due to complications that came from the flu.  There are reported Urban Legends about blessings being down on the set due to technical and other problems that took place during the filming.  One such incident is when the interior sets of the MacNeil home were destroyed by fire, well except for Regan’s bedroom.   Linda Blair was also injured during the film as a harness used during one of her thrashing scenes broke.

Learning about the Urban Legends and that the inspiration of the story came from an actual exorcism, does not ruin the film but makes it even more chilling.  To think that so much surrounds a movie released in 1973, and the fact it still chills viewers today tells you something about this film.  This is one of those films that if you are a horror fan and have yet to watch it, I have to ask what are you waiting for?

The Host opens with a doctor telling his lab assistant that he hates dust. He prefers a clean working area and after wiping the dust off the bottle of formaldehyde orders they poured down the sink.  The doctor is warned that the sink leads out to the Han River, but the doctor does not care about procedure or the river. The viewer gets to see the assistant, now wearing a mask, dump a bottle down the drain.  As the camera pans we find that there is over a hundred empty bottles with more yet to empty.

The film then does some small time jumps to a more modern day Seoul, Korea.  We are then introduced slowly to a rather dysfunctional family.  It’s not long after this that we find the people along the bank of the river enjoying their day notice something hanging from the bridge. As the watchers start throwing food out at the shape something happens.  The creature shows it true self and begins a run thru the crowds crushing and devouring people as it goes, and sadly for one family it takes their young girl with it as it leaves.

The movie follows the exploits of the family of Hyun-Seo as they try and find her to get her back. The film is full of concepts that are not often seen in many horror films today.  The film does an amazing job at investigating the family dynamic and the way they interact and think of each other.  The father does his best to get his oldest children to see their slow witted brother as a man.

The story takes off as we see the civil police agencies and South Korean government try to deal with the creature.  It is decided by the United Nations that they are unable to contain the situation and even worse the creature maybe carrying a virus.

The Host shows us that Horror can come not just from a creature, but from the feelings we may carry for others, and our environment.  We watch as this family tries to save their little girl and at the same time has disconnections and tragedy hit them through their trials.  The film has moments of shock not just from a sudden appearance of the creature but events that happen when the creature is not involved.  There is one big question that begins to show itself as you watch the film.  Who really is the monster?

The town of Willard is like many 1950’s type of towns. You have beautiful homes, green lush lawns, a gorgeous city park and zombies. (Insert the sound of breaks squealing to a stop).

Did I say ZOMBIES?? Yes, Yes I did the town of Willard and the world in which this film takes place had the Great Zombie War. It wasn’t till the genius Dr. Geiger determines that the only way to kill a zombie is to shoot them in the head did humanity start winning the war. The great Doctor takes it one step further and develops control collars that allow the Zombies to interact with people and curb their hunger for human flesh.

We are introduced to those wonderful facts through a News Reel type of movie that plays before we get into the meet of the movie. If you’ve ever seen any of those old Atomic Bomb movies where people are told to “duck and cover” imagine that if you will. The way this film is done and spliced with some vintage WW2 film footage was quite intriguing. It was also a great way to introduce us to the world that Willard is in.

I will also say that this movie is your typical feel good family movie where a boy falls in love with his Zombie, irr I mean pet. Fido, the zombie his mother gets, becomes a family member much like a dog would in the old shows like Lassie. The fact that Timmy consistently says things like “Fetch boy”, “Good boy”, or in one seen, “I knew you wouldn’t eat me boy.”

One of my favorite comedic moments is when Fido comes home and Timmy’s mother asks where Timmy is and Fido lets out a whine and wants her to follow him. I had a laugh out loud moment when I thought back to all those Lassie jokes where a dog barks and people would ask, “Where’s Timmy boy?”.

The film also has some other small comedic pieces to help move the movie and plot along. You get to watch the zombies do everything in the town from assisting the milkman to delivering the local paper.

The movie does a great job of making you feel like your set back in the 1950’s as I mentioned before. I want to add to that point as there was some great use of automobiles in the film and even cars with those HUGE white walls. Also, the fact that Timmy’s mother felt she needed a Zombie to keep up with the neighbors as they where the only family without one. The fact she also had to take a pie over to welcome the new neighbors to the neighborhood.

Now, the movie isn’t all just laughs as there is some drama behind the movie. Timmy’s father for example has a zombie phobia because his 1 kill during the Zombie war was a family member. We also see poor Timmy stuck with a father who really doesn’t know how to relate to him and would rather be golfing. Of course there are other protagonists such as 2 local bullies, and an old lady neighbor who gives Timmy the riot act for not putting his bike away. Also in many pet/child movies something happens to Fido in which Timmy must go and rescue him.

Overall, I was pleasantly really surprised by this film and would highly recommend the film to others. The cast has some well now actors/actresses such as Carrie-Ann Moss playing Timmy’s mother. Fido is played by comedian Billy Connolly who was Uncle Monty in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events and was in a great film called Mrs. Brown. The young boy, K’Sun Ray, did an amazing job considering this was his first movie role according to IMDB.com.

So if you’re in the mood for a light hearted movie with a bit of zombies go out and find this movie, or add it to your Netflix queue. This film actually is low enough on the blood and gore I’d recommend it as an overall family film. Just keep one thing in mind when doing this, and that it is a zombie film and you must have your flesh eating and shots to the head.

Four (4!) San Francisco events at The Regency Ballroom
1300 Van Ness at Sutter, SF CA 94109

Fri Jan 20 – The Edwardian World’s Faire, 8pm-2am

A little more rambunctious and endlessly colorful, Friday night’s World’s Faire presents an interactive night of Barbary Coast themed Midway Games, bicycle powered Carnival Rides by Cyclecide, Steam-powered machinery, circus sideshows, burlesque, and this year, a foray into “Chap Hop” with headliner Professor Elemental direct from the UK! Also featuring Delachaux, Sour Mash Hug Band, Flynn Creek Circus, Vau de Vire Society, DJ Fact.50, Cyclecide, KSW, and the Vendor Bazaar & Piano Saloon featuring the John Brothers Piano Company.

Sat Jan 21 – Daytime Shopping at The Vendor Bazaar, 12-5pm (FREE!)

Our now-legendary Vendor Bazaar, open both nights during our events, is open from noon til 5pm, free to the public for your shopping delights. Keep an eye on our VENDING page for a complete listing of participants.

Sat Jan 21 – “Afternoon Tea with Professor Elemental”, 3-5pm

In addition to Professor Elemental’s Friday stage appearance, we are pleased to announce a special Saturday afternoon event, “Afternoon Tea with The Professor,” wherein a limited number of guests may purchase tickets for “proper tea” with our esteemed guest inside the “Museum of Wonders.” While guests enjoy their tea and pastries, The Professor will entertain each table and offer a ‘menu’ of rap subjects, the selection will then be accommodated by a unique, acapella performance, followed by a bit of whimsical chat and capricious banter.

Sat Jan 21 – The 12th Annual Edwardian Ball, 8pm-2am

This is the night of The Ball itself, a slightly more formal affair where the games, rides, cabaret acts, and steam machinery are cleared away to make room for a costumed floor of ballroom dance, roaming performances, and the tales and characters of Edward Gorey brought to life on stage and throughout. Each year, in the depths of the night, Edwardian Ball founders ROSIN COVEN & their co-hosts VAU DE VIRE SOCIETY bring a featured Gorey story to life onstage with original music, choreography, narration, circus acts, and many surprises. This year’s feature is “The Iron Tonic”. The Vendor Bazaar is of course open this night as well, saunter down and peruse the delights, enjoy a hand of cards at the Gaming Parlour, sip an absinthe cocktail, and dance the night away…

And don’t miss…

THURSDAY JANUARY 19th…

Colonel Kingfish’s WILD WEST BURLESQUE!– Astonishing entertainments, dancing & revelry throughout at The Edwardian Ball Weekend’s Official Opening Night Jubilee!

Additional info at www.hubbahubbarevue.com & www.edwardianball.com

Every three seasons, HorrorAddicts.net chooses a new theme song.

Bands/ Musicians are now welcomed to submit their song for possible use on the show. If chosen, your song will be played as the theme song every show for three seasons.  Your band name will be mentioned on every show to thousands of listeners across the globe. HorrorAddicts.net is an international podcast with our largest fan bases located in: UK, USA, Australia, Canada, and South Africa.

The song submitted must be in mp3 format.
Send us an email to: emzbox@sbcglobal.net

Email must include:
*Your band name

*Short (100 words or less) bio.

*An mp3 of the song you’d like considered

*Contact email

*Picture of the band in png, or jpg format.

This contest closes Dec 31^st, 2011 and winners will be announced publicly in 2012.

The new theme song will debut on Season 7 of HorrorAddicts.net starting in 2012.

By entering this contest, you are agreeing to allow your song played for three seasons of HorrorAddicts.net.

Give me some
vampires and aliens!
Bloody bloody blood
blood blood blood!

This Christmas, don’t forget to look for the bestselling books and ebooks by our friend Jeff Carlson, the first-ever BEST IN BLOOD LISTENERS’ CHOICE AWARD on Horror Addicts.

Jeff has a new short fiction collection called LONG EYES.  The stories are mostly sci fi and tech thrillers, but there are also some weird horror and fantasy stories in it.

Jeff is also the author of the bestselling Kindle novella THE FROZEN SKY, which is a story like ALIENS crossed with THE THING.  It’s dark, it’s relentless, and it’s really cool.  Check it out!!!

It all started with an eruption at Yellowstone park followed by an army of bugs emerging from beneath the earth’s crust . Their leader is The Great Maurr, a giant ant-headed creature who has brought hell to earth and made all of North America into the City of Hell. The Great Maurr has taken over the planet and his bug army has laid waste to everything. Humanity has never known anything like this. There is no more religion, no more rules, just pain and suffering.

This is the setting for Master of the Macabre participant Collin Barnes’ City of Hell Chronicles Volume 1. City of Hell Chronicles is the first release from Anachron press which was founded by Collin Barnes. Anachron Press’s goal is to produce timeless books that stand on their own. Anachron has already scheduled 3 anthologies for 2012 and is accepting submissions from authors who have great stories to tell.

City of Hell Chronicles is an anthology of 8 stories that shows how the Great Maurr enslaved the planet and how the last few survivers of the human race try to stay alive. The first story in this book is Genesis by Collin Barnes and tells how the end of the human race began. The second story by Victoria Griesdoorn, called Medical Report, tells what happens when a giant centipede is brought into a hospital and infects the hospital staff.

The third story is The Door From Below by Ren Warom which is about a group of three people who encounter faceless creatures called the stock takers that collect bodies to be turned into bug hybrids.  Up next is London Calling by Kendall Grey which is about a woman who meets a group of strange monks that are not what they seem. Fifth on the list is The Lucky Ones by Anne Michaud. This one is a tragic love story about a woman trying to find her boyfriend after suffering a great loss.

The Final Passage by Belinda Frisch goes into how the bug society works and follows the story of a group of slaves trying to escape the city of hell. Expanding on the bug society is The Nursery by Amy L. Overley which follows a woman named Otter who is forced to become a part of a bug breeding program and becomes what she hates most. The last story is by Victoria Griesdoorn again and tells the tale of a woman living in a hospital that has to search for fuel to keep the building running and her patients alive.

Three words to describe this book are dark, disturbing, and disgusting. I really enjoyed it. This book is exactly what a hard core horror novel should be, it creeps you out because each story presents characters that you can’t help fall in love with and you can’t put it down because you wonder if these people are going to survive the harsh conditions they are in. My only problem with the book was that after reading four stories and seeing how dark it was, I felt I knew how the rest of the stories we’re going to go, but I guess with a book called City of Hell you shouldn’t expect happy endings. What you do get to see in this book is stories of humans suffering great losses and doing whatever it takes to survive.

Despite the fact that it is an anthology, I thought the City of Hell Chronicles read like a novel. In each story you see how the conditions get progressivly worse, the bugs get stronger and the humans start to turn on each other. I found myself wondering if the writers talked to each other on how each story would go and how they would relate to each other. The writing in this book was much better then I expected and in the future and I would love to read more from each of these authors. There is a Chronicles Of Hell Volume 2 that will be coming out in 2012 and I can’t wait to see where they go next. If your not too scared of bugs and you like your horror dark and scary, give Chronicles Of Hell a try. You won’t be disappointed.

This is an opportunity for aspiring horror or like-genre writers to have their work critiqued by professional writers based on story structure, plot, style, and character development. One lucky writer will have their work produced for a HorrorAddicts.net show for Season 7 in 2012.

Submission criteria:

1)      This workshop is free

2)      You must state you if you are under 18 at the time of submission. If you are a minor, you will be entered in the junior league workshop. We will not accept stories from children younger than 15.

3)      By submitting to the workshop, you are stating this work is yours and yours alone and that you may submit it legally without publication ties. The work cannot be previously published in any form.

4)      Stories must be Gothic, Horror, Steampunk, Clockpunk, Fetish, Dark Fantasy, Horror Romance, or have a horror element of some kind.

5)     All submissions must be emailed to horroraddicts@att.net no later than December 31^st, 2011, 11:59pm PST.

6)      Submissions can be excerpts from a novel, up to 4,000 words, or can be a complete short story, no more than 4,000 words. Excerpts from a novel, must include the first chapter.

7)      Manuscripts must be presented in the following format:

a)      Font size 10 or 12 point

b)      Font style Courier or Times New Roman

c)      Double spaced

d)      1^st page header to state: author name, email address, type of story, and word count.

e)      Following pages header to state: author name, story name, and page number.

f)       Your manuscript must be in either PDF or RTF Format.

g)      No more than 4,000 words.

h)      In the body of the email, give us 100 words or less about you – a bio.

i)       In the subject of the email state: HA WRITER’S WORKSHOP

8)      We will review the first 20 manuscripts absolutely, after that, it is based on the number of pros available. Manuscripts are first come, first serve. If you do not receive an email stating your manuscript was received within two weeks, please send a polite query to:emzbox@sbcglobal.net.

9)      For any other questions, please leave a comment here or email: horroraddicts@att.net

ONSALE JANUARY 1st, NOON, PACIFIC TIME
THE ABNEY PARK NOVEL

Captain Robert’s novel, The Wrath Of Fate, which is the backstory for Abney Park, goes on sale January 1st. You have heard the stories in Abney Park’s songs for years, and wondered how they all fit together. Here is the adventure novel that explains it all!

First Addition Paperback: $15
Numbered and Autographed First Addition Paperback: $30
(These early release first additions will be only available as a trade paperback. e-book, and audio books available later in 2012.)

This is the story of a young and destitute musician, who through a series of failed heroics changes the history of the world. Expect time travel, clock work men, floating cities, apocalyptic wastelands, and of course Airship Pirates!

(click) Hear a chapter read by Captain Robert (click)

This story is told in 26 chapters, each beautifully illustrated by Juan Pablo Valdecantos Anfuso (one of the brilliant artists who works on the Abney Park RPG). Here are a few of his illustrations to wet your appetite.

Now, doesn’t that sound like a fantastic book?
(on sale January 1st)

Friday, January 13 at 6:00pm

Location: X & Y Bar, Brisbane, Australia

http://www.facebook.com/events/250295415020638/

Clockwork Con 2012

Friday, January 20 at 9:00am

Location: Austin, Texas

http://www.facebook.com/events/235274829865645/

Bourne Corn Exchange: Evening of Mediumship with Adrian Fuller

Monday, January 23 at 7:30pm

Location: Bourne, Lincolnshire, UK

http://www.facebook.com/events/222260731173383/

The White Hart, Paranormal Experience

Sunday, January 29 at 8:00pm

Location: The White Hart, Spilsby, Lincolnshire, UK

 http://www.facebook.com/events/260750990632769/

Now without further commenting let’s get to the list.

13. The Sixth Sense / Cole Sear
12. Children of the Corn / Isaac and Malachai
11. Interview with a Vampire / Claudia
10. Poltergeist / Carol Anne Freeling
9. The Shining / Danny Torrance
8. Let Me In / Owen and Abby
7. The Addams Family / Wednesday
6. The Ring / Samara
5. The Exorcist / Regan MacNeil
4. The Good Son / Henry Evans
3. Orphan / Esther
2. Pet Sematary / GageCreed
1. The Omen / DamienThorn

Who better to play Death, than our friend Ruby Ruin?

Gaiman vs Moore: Fanageddon
Kimo’s Penthouse Lounge
San Francisco, CA
Saturday, December 31st

Who’s your favorite, Neil Gaiman or Alan Moore? This New Year’s Eve, vote with your costume and party like it’s the end of the world!

Representing Mr. Moore, up from LA in their first Bay Area appearance since they rocked the Ball of Cthulhu in 2010, Unextraordinary Gentlemen.

And representing Mr. Gaiman, fronted by Death for one night only, the hometown favorite, San Francisco’s own Saints of Ruin!

PLUS, just added: Unwoman!!!

Festivities will begin with dance lessons by Swing Goth. Followed by the Portishead inspired three part harmonies of Blue Rabbit, who show us that even lost girls can be found.

A limited number of early bird tickets are available, for the steep discount of $15. Get them while you can, because once they’re gone, pre-sale is $20 and tickets are $25 on the night of the event.

21+
7:30pm – Doors
8-9pm – Dance Lessons
9-2am – Party!

Minimum Age: 21
Kid Friendly: No
Dog Friendly: No
Non-Smoking: Yes!

Web: http://www.swinggoth.com/sf

I wasn’t going to do a blog post on this book originally because I had mentioned it in a previous post and thought it would be overkill to mention it again. At that time though, I had just started reading the book and really didn’t have high expectations for it. As I got more into it, I realized that this was a really good horror novel and I needed to talk about it.

The book is Draculas and its a collaboration between 4 authors:  F. Paul Wilson who wrote The Keep and the Repairman Jack series; Jeff Strand author of Dweller and Graverobbers Wanted(No Experience Necessary); Blake Crouch, writer of Desert Places and Locked Doors and the guy who came up with the concept was Jack Kilborn (Also writes under the name J.A. Knonrath), the author of Afraid and Shaken.

Jack got the idea when he was looking at the Kindle best seller list and he noticed how many books were classic novels in the public domain. Among them we’re several different versions of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Vampires are always popular and he came up with the idea of vampires in a hospital and humans trying to survive. He didn’t have time to write the book himself so he enlisted the help of other authors to write part of the book. Each author wrote 15,000 words from the point of view of one human and one vampire.

Jack also noticed that most vampires in todays literature we’re teen heartthrobs or romantic leads and he decided he wanted to make vampires scary again. Edward (from Twilight) would run in fear if he saw the vampires in Draculas. These vampires have no feelings and are not sex symbols. They wan’t one thing from humans and that’s blood. Also the vampires in this story don’t have just 2 fangs. They have a  mouthful of 6 inch long fangs. They can also  see in total darkness and are stronger and faster then humans.

The story for Draculas is about a retired millionaire, Mortimer Moorecock, who is dying of cancer. In order to survive his disease, Mortimer has bought a skull found in Romania that is believed to have belonged to Count Dracula. When Mortimer gets the skull, he clamps its jaws on his neck and goes into convulsions. He is rushed to the hospital where he dies and rises again as a vampire.

From that point on its complete chaos with Mort killing six people in the ER. They all come back as vampires and the patients and faculty of the hospital have to escape or be turned into the living dead. The story for Draculas is simple, what makes it a good book is the characters. In addition to the doctors and nurses, you have a gun crazy sheriff, a lumberjack with a chainsaw, a married couple about to have their first child, and a vampire clown named Benny.

Benny the clown is one nasty vampire and despite the fact that he was evil, he was my favorite character in the book. Every scene he was in I found myself thinking of the theme to Killer Klowns From Outer Space. If you are afraid of clowns you may want to avoid this book because Benny is one sadistic clown. There are some scenes in the book where all he does is stand and stare at his victims which is scary in itself, but when he performs some obscene acts for a captive audience, the book gets really interesting.

Though Draculas is loaded with violence and action, what really makes it good is that the authors make you care about the protagonists. A part that had me on the edge of my seat was when a young husband has to go to the blood bank in the hospital to get blood for a transfusion to save his wife who had a hemmorage after child birth. There is also a couple of touching scenes where a divorced couple reconciles and a young couple tells each other how they feel in the face of what looks like certain death. The only part of the book that I didn’t like was that sometimes the vampires seem too much like zombies and I didn’t like that they constantly called the vampires Draculas, but they do give an explanation for that in the story.

The ending in Draculas was a perfect end to a wild ride and was a total surprise to me. Draculas is everything a horror novel should be, it has humor, plenty of gore, good characters, suspense, and a decent love story. If thats not enough to get you to want to get it, the E-book version is loaded with extras. You get three short stories, deleted scenes, and it includes all the emails that the authors sent to each other as they we’re working on the book. If you are an aspiring writer and you we’re thinking of collaborating with another author, this book gives you a good look at the creative process of co-authoring a book. The extras in the e-book are like getting the director’s cut of a movie along with commentary. This is something I would love to see more authors do for their novels. (Emz are you reading this? We want a director’s cut of Night’s Knights. Make it happen.)

Overtime, I’ve read quite a few accounts of American families during the war years, so I was happy to find a fictional novel that centered around two families in Scotland during World War 2. The book is called Roses of Winter by Murdo Morrison. Roses Of Winter was originally a podiobook and was released in print in July 2011. The two families in the story are working class families who are greatly effected by the war.

The first family is the Burns who live in Maryhill. In September of 1939, Mary and Charlie sat in their home reading the paper and wondering when the Germans would attack Scotland. The Burns have three kids, Alastair, Elspeth and their teenage daughter Ellen. In the evening, they go to church where the Reverend announces that the country is now at war.  The congregation is in shock. They had hoped the Great War that ended in 1917 would be the last, but things didn’t work out that way.

Things get worse for the Burns. Ellen is not getting along with her mother Mary while Charlie who is in the Merchant Navy has to sail away on a ship called The Jasper to deliver petroleum to the British army in France. The ship gets bombed by the Germans en route, causing the crew to abandon ship and head for land where things aren’t any better. Back in Maryhill, Mary has to leave her family to attend the funeral of her mother in Glasgow. On her return she finds Ellen is dating a man who is headed off to fight in the war.

The second family is the McIntyers. Bessie and Murdo have two sons, Donald and Alec, who are off fighting in the war. The couple lives in Scotstoun where Bessie dreams of a better life. Bessie has no friends and her life was turned upside down when she was a teenager when her family lost all their money in the Great Depression.  Bessie has had to work hard ever since and her life gets worse when one of her sons is killed in the war. One of her neighbors: Ella reaches out to her, giving Bessie the opportunity to talk about her sad life.

Ella has a daughter that lives near by Clydesbank. One night in March of 1941, Scotland’s worse fears come true when Clydesbank is bombed by German forces. Fearing for her daughter, Ella leaves the safety of her apartment and takes the tramcar to find her daughter. As she gets to town there are explosions and people screaming all around. There is no safe place to turn but she can’t leave the war-torn town until she finds her daughter.

Roses Of Winter has vivid descriptions of naval battles along with cities getting bombed into rubble, but its more then just a war story. What really makes Roses Of Winter a great novel is how the characters in the story react to the chaos around them. The characters change during the course of the story and you feel for them. When I read a book, I like to bookmark parts that I really enjoy. I bookmarked 20 different scenes in Roses Of Winter that I felt were examples of great writing.

For example, I liked when Mary is at her mother’s funeral and while grieving makes the realization that someday her kids will have to attend her funeral and feel the same way she feels. I also liked when the ship Charlie is on is under attack and as he sees the bombs dropping, he imagines being on a picnic with his wife. Other things I liked in this book was how Bessie and Ellen changed throughout the story. There is also a good scene where Andy finds the people he works with are more then they seem and there is a good commentary on how its the working class that really pays the price in a time of crisis.

Murdo Morrison put a lot of work into the research of Roses Of Winter and should be commended for it.  He read several accounts of people in Scotland who lived through that period; also the ships in the story we’re based on real ships from the era. The tenaments that many of the characters lived in were based on the place where the author’s mother grew up and was very similar to where the author used to live in.

Roses of Winter is kind of like a journey through World War 2, where you will find a little bit of everything. The book has a couple of love stories, there is loss, suspense, a suicide and some good battle scenes. At its core, the story is about how families and friends pull together to survive in the face of disaster. Roses Of Winter is a great human drama and an excellent read.

Vote now!

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at: http://horroraddicts.wordpress.com

Results will be announced on Season 7
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(Cover Art Update!)

Horrible Disasters

A Horror Disaster Anthology

Cover Art by: Thierry Pouzergues

Edited by Cathy Kemelmacher

authors:

Emerian Rich
H. E. Roulo
Dan Shaurette
Steve Merrifield
Mark Eller
Laurel Anne Hill
Tim Reynolds
Ed Pope
Jennifer Rahn
Chris Ringler
Philip Carroll
AND MORE

Target release:

Late Spring 2012

Proceeds to benefit Disaster Relief.

Check back here for more information as it comes.

CLUB SIN :: SHOW, DANCE & PLAY
Friday, December 2 at 10:00pm
Location: café cléopatre, Montreal, QC
http://www.facebook.com/events/246518685397705/

Date at Midnight + La Peste Negra + Cheshire Cat (the Bouncing)
Saturday, December 17 at 8:30pm
Location: Les Combustibles, Paris France
http://www.facebook.com/events/297497710280103/

EXTREME FUTURIST FESTIVAL 2011
Saturday, December 17 at 8:00pm
Location: Courtyard Los Angeles Marina Del Rey
http://www.facebook.com/events/232925470103016/

SKINDRED NYE!!!!
Saturday, December 31 at 9:00pm
Location: AGINCOURT,LONDON RD, CAMBERLEY
http://www.facebook.com/events/256845077697365/

By Emerian Rich

Manga:

1. Black Butler / He’s just one hell of a butler
2. Godchild / Awesome Victorian gentleman battling crime and studying poisons.
3. Death Note / One word… Shimigami.
4. Rozen Maiden / Dolls come to life and order you around.
5. Alice in the Country of Hearts / Clock hearts?

Books:

Now tell me about your favorites!

By Emerian Rich

The Others

College student Marian Kitt is terrified to discover that she has the power to see into the “other side.” Word of Marian’s vision spreads to Professor Miles Ballard, a student of paranormal and psychic phenomena. He introduces Marian to “the others,” a group of individuals with the ability to vicariously experience the feelings, thoughts and experiences of others, and to help them understand paranormal phenomena. Famed medium Elmer Greentree is their spiritual leader and a mentor figure for Marian, whose potential to see “all of the light” is strong. With Marian now among them, they will help each other understand their abilities as they encounter otherworldly, often frightening, alternative dimensions. And all the while, a dark force looms over them - IMDB.com

No, this is not the movie with Nicole Kidman. This is the awesome (though short lived) series The Others about a group of people who can feel/see spirits. Awesome show. Cancelled. And UNBUYABLE!!! What a tragedy! All I have left is recorded VHS’s which when my VHS breaks… will be of no use to me.

Kindred: The Embraced

Series based on the White Wolf role-playing game, Vampire: the Masquerade. Julian Luna, the undead Prince of the City, leads the Vampire Clans as he falls in love with Caitlin, a human reporter. - IMDB.com

I’ve already talked so much on the show about how I love this series. Julian Luna is perfect as Prince of the City. Lily is super sexy, Sasha is hard core sex on wheels, and Cash is the bad wolf boy out for revenge. Love it!

Ghost Whisperer

 A newlywed with the ability to communicate with the earthbound spirits of the recently deceased overcomes skepticism and doubt to help send their important messages to the living and allow the dead to pass on to the other side.- IMDB.com 

This show is a bit tame for this crowd I suppose. A little touchy feely and yes, I’ve been known to cry whenever someone feels or senses their loved one and finally knows Melinda is not full of crap. However, I’ve enjoyed these shows for their spooky, witchy content.

Dark Shadows – 1991

Victoria Winters comes to Collinwood, an isolated mansion in coastal Maine, to work as a governess, but soon finds herself drawn into a strange, Gothic world of vampires, ghosts and a family curse that dates back centuries. - IMDB.com

This is not the old original, but I like this one better. It carries all the mysterious gloom with it, but the scripts seem to be tighter than the old version (probably because it’s not filmed as so much of a soap opera… but like a mini-series). Also, it can be watched in a weekend, unlike the 1966 version. If you’ve tried to watch the old version and just can’t get into it, this one might be a good alternative for you. I can’t wait for the 2012 release of Dark Shadows the movie with Johnny Depp. I hope they don’t mess it up.

Twin Peaks

An idiosyncratic FBI Agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks. - IMDB.com

Can this be called a horror series? Maybe. Maybe not. But if you’re like me and wake in a cold sweat from visions of BOB at the end of your bed, then yes… yes it is!

Now tell me about your favorites!

By Emerian Rich

“I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so sad.” ~Sound of Music

When I was a kid, that song from the Sound of Music was so cool to me. It seemed scary, but bright. The way the thunder roared outside and she spoke about how she would just think of her favorite things to make all the badness go away seemed to speak to me. Especially when nights were rough and I was hiding in my room after a particularly traumatic fight with my step-dad.

MY FAVORITE THINGS… it’s such a strong personal statement. It’s something that no one can take away from you no matter where you live, where you work, what crappy town you’re stuck in, or hurtful relationship you’re involved in. No one can get inside your brain and pull them out. No one can say they aren’t your favorite things because even if you are in solitary confinement (or had a childhood that was similar to that) and have not a stitch to call your own, your favorite things live inside your mind like old friends. You can think about them and smile about them and repeat their words, phrases, or melodies in your head.

So let’s talk about some of My Favorite Things, and you can post some of your favorite things. I bet we have some similarities. Maybe you can show me some things I’ve not seen and maybe I can open your world up to some new things too.

We’ve talked a lot about movies this season, but I thought I’d bring up five more of my favorite horror movies that didn’t make it onto my Halloween viewing list.

Brotherhood of the Wolf

In 18th century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his native American friend Mani are sent by the King to the Gevaudan province to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast. - IMDB.com

Not only are their beautiful babes (and guys) in this movie, but there are some awesome shots. I love the feel of the movie and the fighting scene in the rain has got to be my all time favorite fighting scene in any movie – EVER.

The Hearse

Jane Hardy decides to stay the summer in the house her aunt left her when she died, to try and recoup from a bad divorce. Little does she know, her aunt practiced witchcraft and is still thought of very badly by the town’s citizens. As soon as she moves in, she is haunted by a old black hearse and it’s creepy driver. Is she going insane or is she truly being menaced? She meets a friendly young man and becomes involved with him, but is he and the creepy driver one and the same? - IMDB.com

This is an old, corny haunted house movie that I absolutely love. I saw it first when I was about eight years old. I was lying on our couch next to a huge glass window while it stormed outside. The story was really getting interesting… She’s falling for a man and reading her aunt’s journal about falling for a man… is he the same man? And who’s the mustache guy following her around in the hearse? Suddenly… the window above me shattered, showering down on me. I wasn’t hurt, but I will remember the terror in my little adolescent heart for the rest of my life. Is this the reason I love this movie so much? Perhaps… but I love it! There is another movie very similar to this one in time period and corniness, so if you like this one, check out The Watcher in the Woods.

Dark City

A man struggles with memories of his past, including a wife he cannot remember, in a nightmarish world with no sun and run by beings with telekinetic powers who seek the souls of humans. - IMDB.com

When I first saw this film, I thought it was the coolest thing I had seen in years. The feeling and mood set by this “fake” city in an attempt to make humans feel “normal” was just awesome. Sure, we had a few laughs about Keifer and my husband still jokes that Rufus Sewell looks like the lead singer of my favorite band, A-ha, but overall the film was just awesome. I think this film was the precursor to the Matrix movies, which I also dig. I love movies where the human population is tricked into thinking they are living a real life. I think my obsession with movies like this stems from my childhood when we moved alot and met people and saw things that looked really familiar… just different. My mother always used to say, “There are only a thousand people in the world and they just change to make us think we’re in a different town.” Maybe in this case, mom was right! She didn’t mention the bald men in black coats trying to eat our souls though. Hum…

Ginger Snaps Back

Set in 19th Century Canada, Brigette and her sister Ginger take refuge in a Traders’ Fort which later becomes under siege by some savage werewolves. - IMDB.com

So, I watched this Ginger Snaps movie first and I’m glad I did. This is by far the best and more interesting. The girls, who are beautiful and look like porcelain dolls, wander into a camp full of whacked out men who have been alone way too long. My favorite parts of this movie are when they are  in the snowy woods. The feeling the director got here is so real, you feel like you are there with them. The Indian dude coming to the rescue is nice, but the sisters and how they relate to one another is the real thrill to watch. I think this movie is just beautiful from start to finish.

Lost Souls

A small group of Catholics led by an ailing priest believe that Satan intends to become man, just as God did in the person of Jesus. The writings of a possessed mental patient lead them to Peter Kelson, a writer who studies serial killers. They think it’s his body Satan will occupy. The youngest in the group, a teacher named Maya Larkin, goes to Peter to investigate further and to convince him to believe in the possibility of Evil incarnate. Other signs come to him as he and Maya them take a journey full of strange occurrences, self-discovery, and an ultimate showdown - IMDB.com

No one else I know likes this movie… no one! It even has a 4.6 on IMDB! I mean, Look Who’s Talking Now is even rated higher than it. And I just don’t get it. For those of us who enjoy religious conspiracy films, this one is one of the best. Perfect boy, raised in the church by his uncle who is a priest suddenly realizes they are servants of Satan and have been raising him as a vessel. It’s all supposed to commence at this certain time on this certain date… I love the look in his eyes when the clock changes. And Winona Ryder is actually dramatic in this role. For me, it’s only surpassed by Prophecy in my list of religious conspiracy films.

Now tell me about your uncommon favorites, be they corny, old, or just unknown, I want to know.

The Marvelous Madame BienVenu:  The Main Course

by Michele Roger

Catherine had been arguing with her mother telepathically.  “I can see what you’re planning and you know its not a good idea.”

Agatha raised an eye brow while staring back from across the table.  “And who is the crone here?”

Catherine sighed.  She turned her gaze momentarily to the handsome Henry and then quickly averted her eyes.  Agatha’s voice rang inside her head.  “He is very handsome isn’t he?  And smart.  And subject to suggestion when the spell hits him just right….”

“Stop it, Mother! He’s old enough to be your son!”

“And since when has that ever stopped me….besides, I have our dear Henry here at this table and not in my bed for a reason.  He will be far more useful in my plans for this evening with his clothes on rather than the alternative.  Watch him in action as I prompt him to drive the tip of the knife just a little deeper into the skin of our Mr. Croswell……”

Henry filled Linda’s glass with a generous amount of wine and smiled at her.  “Well of Dan doesn’t want to go on record to clear his good name regarding his warehouse dealings perhaps you have something to say?”  He pushed the recorder a little closer to her plate.

Linda played up her doe eyes and replied innocently.  “I only work for Mr. Croswell as his secretary.  I don’t handle any of his other business transactions or accounts.”

Agatha  passed him the platter of roasted beef with jalapeno and garlic glazed root vegetables.  Henry hungrily at several bites and Catherine watched as the spellbound aromatics began to take effect.  The spiciness inspired Henry’s tongue to be sharp while his questions delved into hotter topics.  “Are you sure that is true Linda?” Henry asked with the tape still rolling.  “I mean, everyone in town knows you are more than the average secretary.  Officer Franklin has written you two more citations for indecent exposure in your car and in the park than any citizen has been written in the entire history of this town.  Isn’t it more likely that you are really protecting not only your job but your lover?”

At this, Kim gasped but said nothing.  It was as if Henry had cast his own spell and unknowingly rendered her speechless.  Henry immediately felt bad.  “I’m sorry Kim.  I thought.  Well, I thought you knew.  The whole town thought you knew with you working late at the school so much lately.”

“The school open house is in two weeks” Kim was able to eek out quietly while she sat across the table in shock staring at her husband and his would be lover.  Catherine quickly placed some of the spell bound food on Kim’s plate and cut a piece, feeding it to her in an awkward display of over zealous hospitality.  Madame BienVenu ran her pearl necklace over the edge of her bottom lip ever so casually.  Kim seemed to draw strength from somewhere inside herself.  “You said you were working!” Kim spat and tears welled up in her eyes.  “You’re nothing but a…a…a….a dog! “  Outside, the howling of several wild dogs was heard.  Dan tried to argue but with the twisting of Agatha’s pearls, he spat more dog fur from his mouth in place of words.  Kim stood up as the tears ran down her cheeks, turning to Linda.  “And you’re nothing but  his bitch!”

To everyone’s surprise, Dan Croswell leapt on to the table; knocking over candle sticks and sending dishes crashing to the floor.  He crawled on all fours and lunged from Kim’s throat with his mouth that he sprouted large elongated teeth.  In reaction, Pastor Dave put himself in between the dog man and the small framed school teacher.  Catherine reacted without thinking and with a wave of her hand seemed to knock Dan down to the floor with effortless ease all the while shouting, “Bad dog!”

Linda began shouting at everyone and no one all at once.  She took a handful of the tiny cheese pastries that Agatha had served along with the meat and tried to give them to Dan in an attempt to calm his rage.  When she looked him in the eyes, she screamed all the louder.  Kim put her hands to her mouth in horror.  Henry gulped down his glass of wine and hurriedly poured himself a second and then a third as he stared in disbelief at the scene transpiring at his feet.  Pastor Dave put his arms around Kim and shielded her eyes, allowing her to look away into the safety of Dave’s strong shoulder.

In all of the chaos, Catherine stood angrily with her arms crossed over the two humans who were beginning to change shape on the floor.  Agatha too stood cool and calm while wearing a look of disdain.  Her strand of pearls twisted in her gnarled fingers and her lips moved ever so slightly without uttering a word.  Soon, the two scheming lovers were more dog in appearance than anything.

“Sit” Agatha commanded and everyone but Catherine did as they were told.  “Now, you will answer my questions directly and immediately.  Do you understand?” Agatha asked curtly.

Dan yelped a “yes”.

“Good”.

“Did you coerce several of the new residents in the assisted living facility out of their homes in less than honorable real estate deals?”

Dan nor Linda said anything.  The two just cowered, holding on to one another.

“Yes or no?!” yelled Agatha and her gnarled finger pointed straight at Linda who immediately sprouted a dog’s tail from under her dress.

Henry gulped a fourth glass of wine and with fumbling hands, checked and rechecked to make sure his recorder was still working.  Linda screamed out in pain and Dan yelled “Yes.”

“And the food your warehouse provided is contaminated?”

Dan whimpered.  Henry interrupted.  “That’s really not necessary.  I mean I already have proof of that and the crime lab team is already filing the paper work with the judge to get a warrant for Mr. Crowell’s arrest…”

Agatha turned on Henry.  Her old grey eyes were jet black.  “How dare you interrupt me when I am making justice in my own house!!  I care nothing for your laws!”  The old woman pointed a finger at him and opened her mouth.  Instead of words puffs of tiny grey feathers flew out from her lips as Catherine stomped her foot and pointed her finger back at her mother shouting a defiant “No!”

Catherine opened a bottle of what looked to be home made liquor from the cabinet to her right.  “Quick!” she told Henry, Pastor Dave and Kim.  “Drink this!” and she handed each of them a tiny glass.  They looked skeptical of the strange red liquid in the glass looking oddly more like blood than any wine.  Agatha cackled and stretched her arm out into the air.  Catherine flew backwards into the kitchen, through the swinging door and the bottle in her hand could be heard smashing into shards.

But Agatha hadn’t considered the one element that she had spoken so fondly of when it had come to her cooking.  Somehow, when the old woman had traded justice for revenge and good magic for that of the dark side of spells, she had forgotten herself.

The three remaining dinner guests quickly downed the shots and suddenly a warm glow filled inside of them.  Kim was no longer cold.  Pastor Dave stood again between Agatha and Kim and Henry had a clear head despite his too many glasses of wine.  Agatha tried to curse him again and her grey hair began to sprout feathers in place of silvery strands.  Picking herself up from the kitchen floor, Catherine re-entered the dining room with a small tin in her hands.

“Mother, you must and you know it.”  Catherine handed Agatha the tin but the old woman shouted and cursed Catherine in furry.  Feathers turned and swirled into a mini tornado at the end of the table.  Catherine begged and begged as the insane storm of metamorphosis continued.  “Just give them each one of these and the spells will be broken!  Mother please!  If you don’t ….” Suddenly, the chandelier in the room tangled into the spiraling vortex of black magic and old age and defiance and revenge.  Shards of crystal and electrical current flew out into every direction.  Henry and Catherine dove under the table for cover while Pastor Dave and Kim hit the floor and pulled his coat over the two of them.

Windows burst throughout the house.  Catherine would later discover every wine bottle in the cellar had exploded.  Pipes in the kitchen burst.  The electricity finally collapsed in the surge of energy that was balled up and destroying everything it could.  Every scrap of spell bound food was sucked into the vortex and as if it required more room than the house could provide, the Marvelous Madame BienVenu and her raging spirit spiraled at the window where she grew into a gale force wind like the storms that blew over the Great Lakes, sinking ships and twisting the waters.  Like all storms, she blew herself out.  All that remained was that of a tiny little, newly planted tree in the back yard where a grey little sparrow sat perched on a branch.

Six months later, an invitation for Thanksgiving dinner arrived at every household in town.  Henry had slowly helped Catherine to restore the old mansion to an elegant but conservative Victorian love nest.  It seemed that with the help of some clever feature stories, the deceased Madame BienVenu had become a local legend and hero once she was gone.  Catherine found comfort in that.  She often said to Henry that she thought acceptance and respect were all that her mother had ever wanted.

The local paper had also suggested that the missing Dan Croswell and his secretary Linda were suspected of running off together to Ohio.  Meanwhile, the new talk of the town was Pastor Dave and Miss Kim the school teacher.  They made vows to each other in the next town over in front of the entire school assembly as well as the church congregation.

As the town gathered into the gardens of the BienVenu mansion where tables were strategically placed for optimum seating, Catherine looked out her dining room window.  Henry joined her.  There, just like every afternoon since for the past six months, two dogs came out of the forest and took an afternoon nap under the small but quickly growing tree where a sparrow sang until night fell.  Henry pulled Catherine from the scene and kissed her.  “We have a lot to be thankful for this year” he said to her as he popped an appetizer from one of Catherine’s many platters.  Catherine looked up at him with slight alarm.

“How many of those have you had?” she asked.

“I don’t know, six or seven, why, what are they?” smiled Henry, not waiting for Catherine to answer as he leaned in and kissed her passionately.

Catherine giggled and pulled away.  “You’re eating Kim and Dave’s honeymoon present….pastries filled with aphrodisiacs and a fertility spell.”

Henry reached over to the platter and quickly shoved two in Catherine’s mouth.  “Wanna skip dinner?”

“But the whole town is here….”

Henry kissed Catherine again and she let the spell take over.  As she let Henry take her hand to lead her up to the bedroom, she asked.  “How did you know to eat so many off of THAT platter?”

Henry laughed.  “A little bird told me.”

Michele Roger is the author of “Dark Matter” and “The Conservatory”; both horror novels.  She also hosts her own podcast of short stories called “Something Wicked This Way Strums”.  When Michele isn’t writing, she is performing as a solo harpist as well as in the ensemble “Bellissima Musica”.  You can find both her writing and her music at www.micheleroger.com

by Michele Roger

Handsome and his idiot brother Regrettal find that their parents have given the two grown up brothers a Chrismas gift…hunting rifles.  With a hunting lesson from their dad, they are kicked out of the house and sent into the woods of Michigan’s Upper Penninsula to fend for themselves.  The two look for shelter as a winter storm blows in and find a small house to take shelter……

Having trouble with the clickable player? Here is the direct link:
http://www.micheleroger.com/Podcasts/Handsomeregrettal.mp3

Michele Roger is the author of “Dark Matter” and “The Conservatory”; both horror novels.  She also hosts her own podcast of short stories called “Something Wicked This Way Strums”.  When Michele isn’t writing, she is performing as a solo harpist as well as in the ensemble “Bellissima Musica”.  You can find both her writing and her music at www.micheleroger.com

by Michele Roger

Santa returns after his Christmas Eve night of delivery.  But Mrs. Clause discovers that something terrible has happened… somone on the naughty list has turned Santa into a werewolf!

Having trouble with the clickable player? Here is the direct link:
http://www.micheleroger.com/Podcasts/SWTWC-SantaClaws.mp3

Michele Roger is the author of “Dark Matter” and “The Conservatory”; both horror novels.  She also hosts her own podcast of short stories called “Something Wicked This Way Strums”.  When Michele isn’t writing, she is performing as a solo harpist as well as in the ensemble “Bellissima Musica”.  You can find both her writing and her music at www.micheleroger.com

by Michele Roger

A short holiday story about a young girl who doesn’t want pink guitars or ballet lessons for Christmas.  Instead, she would rather have a monster to call her very own.  Here is what happens when Christmas wishes come true….

Having trouble with the clickable player? Here is the direct link:
http://www.micheleroger.com/Podcasts/TheChristmasEveMonster.mp3

Michele Roger is the author of “Dark Matter” and “The Conservatory”; both horror novels.  She also hosts her own podcast of short stories called “Something Wicked This Way Strums”.  When Michele isn’t writing, she is performing as a solo harpist as well as in the ensemble “Bellissima Musica”.  You can find both her writing and her music at www.micheleroger.com

by Michele Roger

Madame BienVenu hasn’t lost her touch in the kitchen.  She has created some of the most delictable and dellish dishes for her guests.  But it isn’t food she’s interested once everyone sits down at the table.  Her prodical daughter watches in amazement as her elderly mother charms a handsome news reporter, defends the battered preschool teacher, and begins to cast her spell that will bring a lifetime of justice to a table.  Her unsuspecting dinner guests have no idea that Madame BienVenu plans to have one last night of revenge mixed with black magic……

Having trouble with the clickable player? Here is the direct link:
http://www.micheleroger.com/Podcasts/Madame-Bienvenue-Course-1.mp3

Michele Roger is the author of “Dark Matter” and “The Conservatory”; both horror novels.  She also hosts her own podcast of short stories called “Something Wicked This Way Strums”.  When Michele isn’t writing, she is performing as a solo harpist as well as in the ensemble “Bellissima Musica”.  You can find both her writing and her music at www.micheleroger.com

by Michele Roger

Our good friend Michele Roger is going to help us celebrate the holidays in wicked style. Today she will share several holiday horrors with us!

First up, The Marvelous Madame BienVenu: Amuse Bouche

Madame BienVenu is an old woman and an even older witch.  She has spent a lifetime trying to make friends and peace with the folks of her small town.  She’s been helpful in the community.  She has made remedies for the sick.  She’s cooked for the bake sale fund.  Nothing seems to have worked.  Now that her adult daughter and second generation witch has returned home, Mrs. BienVenu has decided to invite a few key townsfolk over for a large holiday meal.

Having trouble with the clickable player? Here is the direct link:
http://www.micheleroger.com/Podcasts/Madame_Bienvenue_Amuse_Bouche.mp3

Michele Roger is the author of “Dark Matter” and “The Conservatory”; both horror novels.  She also hosts her own podcast of short stories called “Something Wicked This Way Strums”.  When Michele isn’t writing, she is performing as a solo harpist as well as in the ensemble “Bellissima Musica”.  You can find both her writing and her music at www.micheleroger.com

e p i s o d e s

Episode 1: Emerian Rich, Rhonda Carpenter / Episode #46 of Horror Addicts
Trailer: Reporter Karen Murphy interviews the GothHaus creator, Beelzebub James.

Episode 2: Meet the Goths / Full Cast / Episode #47 of Horror Addicts
Meet the six goths that will be living in the haunted GothHaus.
They talk about the creator Beelzebub James.

Episode 3: Goth Sweet Goth / Full Cast / Episode #48 of Horror Addicts
The goths meet each other at the house.

Episode 4: Goth Decor / Full Cast / Episode #49 of Horror Addicts
The goths discuss unpacking and where the 6th member might be.

Episode 5: Resident666 / Full Cast / Episode #50 of Horror Addicts
The 6th resident appears.

Episode 6: The Eyeliner Incident / Full Cast / Episode #51 of Horror Addicts
Fang and Jez get in heated fight about eyeliner.

Episode 7: The Top Hat / Full Cast / Episode #52 of Horror Addicts
Jez gets back at Fang by having a performance and ruining one of his possessions.

Episode 8: Happy Horror Daze / Full Cast / Episode #53 of Horror Addicts
The residents exchange gifts.

Episode 9: Resolutions Smezalutions / Full Cast / Episode #54 of Horror Addicts
The residents talk about resolutions for next year.

Episode 10: Hair Don’t / Full Cast / Episode #55 of Horror Addicts
Star tries to dye everyone’s hair and Jez teaches her about “Adios My Friend”.

Episode 11: Bloody Valentine / Full Cast / Episode #56 of Horror Addicts
Valentine’s day on the horror side. Two housemates are missing and there is blood in the basement.

Episode 12: Penultimate Goth/ Full Cast / Episode #57 of Horror Addicts
Creepy things are happening in the basement. Someone is possessed!

Episode 13: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow / Full Cast / Episode #58 of Horror Addicts
The demon possession comes to a head. Will there be anyone to survive for next season?

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“I have done alot of things in the podcasting world but GothHaus is the most fun I have ever had. I love the show!” ~Rhonda R. Carpenter
Rhonda R. Carpenter is the founder of Lifefirst.com. She is an Author, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Handwriting Expert, Dream Analyst, and Professional Psychic. Her first novel, “The Mark of a Druid” is available in audio, Ebook and print. Rhonda is the co-founder of www.Podioracket.com where you can learn all about the new Podiobooks.com authors and Indy-Authors from all over the world. Rhonda was awarded the coveted Wicked Women Writer’s Award in 2010 for her Sexy short horror story, “Barring Lilith” She lives on a secluded ranch in Southeastern Oklahoma where she enjoys raising chickens and cows. She is happily married and the mother of 4 boys, all grown and on their own and recently a first time Grandmother.

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Tristy Taylor (voice of Kat an Aneshka) hails from Sonoma County, where she lives with her big bear of a husband and two tuxedo kitties. She was overjoyed to be a part of Goth Haus, as it was the perfect outlet for her inner Russian supermodel. She truly enjoyed playing a role in M.J. Hahn’s fantastic tale and hopes she can always play a part in future M.J. productions. When not recording weird and wonderful character voices, you can find Tristy doing improv with various Bay Area troupes or accosting people with puppets. You can find out more about her work atwww.createwithspirit.com.

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“I really enjoyed playing Baz. I like him, and I liked being him. And if he’s ever set to make a comeback in GothHaus, I look forward to being him again. I only hope next time he does something truly dastardly!” ~ Mike Bennett

Mike Bennett grew up in London and Windsor and spent many years in Brighton where he wrote his first novel, ‘One Among the Sleepless.’ He published ‘One Among the Sleepless’ through his own company, Seed Publishing, in 2002. He podcast ‘One Among the Sleepless’ from 2006 – 2007, then his short story collection , ‘Hall of Mirrors’ from 2007 – 08. He is currently writing and podcasting his second novel, ‘Underwood and Flinch’. He is married and lives in Sussex,England. Underwood and Flinch has been running for nearly two years and is currently on it’s 39th Episode from Mike’s sites and iTunes. Also Underwood and Flinch has just started at Podiobooks.com. To find out more about Mike, go to: www.MikeBennettPodcast.com  /  www.UnderwoodAndFlinch.com

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“I enjoyed working on GothHaus. It really brought out the inner BUM in me.” ~Kirk Warrington
To find out more about Kirk Warrington, go to: www.kirkcast.com

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GothHaus was a great idea. When Emerian brought it up to me I loved the idea of giving the whole reality tv bit a gothic make over. I was always good with coming up with charactors and plots and when we got together to record the first parts of season one, the rest just flowed out naturally between us and we know we had something good. I loved having the chance to play Jez. It allowed me to channel my inner bitch and criminal and say and do the type of things that I wouldn’t do in my everyday life. I had mentioned the show to a couple of friends right before we did those first sessions and one of them who is a big reality tv buff said we had to do it. She thought and still thinks, that there should be a real GothHaus show. LOL! If only…

Camellia Rains earned her BA in Philosophy and Religion at SF State. She is a San Francisco born, lifelong resident of the Bay Area and has always had an interest in the darker side of life. She’s been a part of Eastern Contra Costa’s first Roller Derby team- The Undead Bettys since shortly after its inception in 2008.  She lives in the East Bay with her beloved black cat Voodoo and is currently the resident office goth at her work. When not trying to emulate her heart throb hero Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller, she can be found playing with her vast make up collection, hanging out with her derby team or at the local watering hole The Red Hat in Concord making friends and listening to very loud punk music.

To find out more about GothHaus and get a full listing of cast and characters, got to: www.gothhaus.wordpress.com

HA: What inspired you to enter the Masters of the Macabre contest?

Shaunessy: The Wicked Women Writers Challenge, of course! I became a fan when Kimberly Steele, an author I admire very much (check out her cool vampire novel Forever Fifteen), participated in 2010. Each writer had to write a story about one of The Seven Deadly Sins and thought that would be so much fun to do. You can imagine how elated I was when a year later I saw that there was going to be a challenge for the lads.

HA: What did you think of the items you were given? 

Shaunessy: I thought, “Score!!!”

HA: When you listened to the other stories, who did you think would win?

Shaunessy: As soon as I heard Michael Burns speak his first words, with that fun-loving voice of his, I thought, “Oh, this is gonna be good.” and I was not disappointed. I have to also mention Colin Barnes’s very intelligent story. Both of these authors did an excellent job of putting the phobic protagonist in a situation where her/his phobia is cranked up to maximum volume, so to say. I didn’t quite manage that in my story and so I was honestly quite jealous.

HA: How did you feel when you were told you won?

Shaunessy: Like I’d been kissed by Elvira!

HA: What will this contest mean to the future of your writing?

Shaunessy: Who can say? I feel very encouraged to write more fiction and to record it, and to do more challenges. Does anyone out there have any for me?

HA: Where can listeners find out more about you and your writing? 

Shaunessy: Well, if you Google my name, all you will find is a lot of schoolbooks I’ve written for English lessons in Germany/Austria—not exactly what horror addicts are looking for!

I wrote a couple pieces here that are quite personal in nature. They might be of interest to someone who is dealing with addiction or just struggling through their 30’s. I published them anonymously in 2007-8 but I think now it’s safe for me to reveal myself as the author.

Any schoolteachers out there should please watch my video which gives suggestions for helping queer victims of bullying.

If you happened to miss the Masters and their stories, now is your chance to catch them again! Even if the contest is over, you can listen and vote with friends in the privacy of your own home with the links below. Are you interested in being in the contest next time? Check out our contest page for updates here: http://horroraddicts.wordpress.com/writer-contests/

1. Chris Ringler
Agyrophobia – fear of crossing roads
Graduation
Golf clubs

2. R. Michael Burns
Ailurophobia – fear of cats
Parade
Stereo or sound system

3. Jerry J. Davis
Technophobia – fear of tech
Y2k
Computer

4. Rish Outfield
Entomophobia – fear of insects
Luau
Hang Glider

5. Colin Barnes
Necrophobia – fear of death & dead
Gallery opening
Hunting Knife

6. Tom Andry
Osmophobia – fear of smells
Outdoor Picnic
Telescope

7. Shaunessy Ashdown
Spectrophobia – fear of mirrors and one’s own reflection
Bachelor Party
Motorcycle

8. Don Pitsiladis
Astraphobia – lightning & storms
Sporting event
Riding Mower

First up, a name Horror Addicts are sure to recognize is Season 4′s Best In Blood, Chris Ringler!

Ringler’s phobia for the challenge is Agyrophobia (which is the fear of crossing roads), his place – Graduation and his item – Golf Clubs.

Born in Flint Michigan, Chris was raised in nearby Linden where he lived and attended school. He fell in love with writing as a teenager when he started writing short stories and began working on fanzines with friends. In 1999 Back From Nothing, a short story collection, was published by University Editions. Since that time Chris has finished writing a novel, a children’s series and has been published in Bare Bone and Cthulhu Sex Magazine. He has also received Honorable Mention in THE YEAR’S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR twice.

His latest book is Noches De Corazones De Negros. Along with writing, Chris is also an artist and photographer and he currently resides in Flint and battles invisible space beasts in his free time. In October he and some friends will be bringing Flint their first horror convention.

Also by Chris Ringler: Back From Nothing, This Beautiful Darkness, The Meep Sheep, Red Dreams, and The Kreep Sheep.

For more information about Chris check out: www.meepsheep.com

Our next spotlighted author is Don Pitsiladis whose phobia Astraphobia (the fear of lightning & storms). His place and boy toy are a Sporting Event and Riding Mower.

Don Pitsiladis is a married 35 year old with 4 boys, 2 dogs, and 2cats.  He has been writing off and on since the 7th grade, but only seriously started looking at trying to make it a career, even a small one, within the past two years.  “The Problem With Neighbors” will be his very first story ever presented to a large audience.

In Don’s words, “What better way to debut than sharing one’s own fear with the world?”

For more information on Don, check out his twitter page: http://twitter.com/#!/dlpitsiladis

Next up is author Jerry Davis. Jerry was given the fear of technology, Technophobia, as his phobia. With Y2K being his place (or in this case time period) and his toy, surprise, surprise…a Computer.
Jerry J. Davis is a writer and photographer in the Chicago area. During the day he’s a mild-mannered webmaster and digital marketing specialist who works for a large international corporation. At night, however, he lives in a small cottage at the edge of an enchanted forest preserve, and spends time dodging mosquitos and searching for the fabled Stonehenge made of old refrigerators which is rumored to be somewhere behind his porch. For more info on Jerry check out this site: http://jerryjdavis.com/

Failed writer, failed actor, and failed human being, Rish Outfield can be found hosting The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine (www.dunesteef.com), a podcast presenting genre stories performed with a

full cast, followed by lengthy geekcentric chatter.  When he’s not working on that, he can often be found thinking of you and feeling sorry for himself.

Rish’s phobia for the MMM Challenge is Entomophobia (the fear of insects). His story will take place during a Luau, and his boy toy…a Hang Glider!

Check him out at: http://rishoutfield.blogspot.com/

Our next Master of Macabre contestant hails from Germany.

Shaunessy Ashdownlives in Berlin, where morbidity is mother’s milk and horror lurks round every corner. His job is fashioning insidious instruments of torture known as schoolbooks. These are deployed in institutions throughout Germany and Austria for the purpose of traumatising and corrupting the youth there.

Ashdown has the challege of writing about Spectrophobia, which is the fear of mirrors and one’s own reflection. Take that and mix it in with a Bachelor Party and a motocycle and you can expects crazy things to happen!

FInd out more about Shaunessy Ashdown by checking out his Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/people/Shaunessy-Ashdown/587653885

Next on out list of MMM contestants is R. Michael Burns. His challenge was to create a horrifing tale center around Ailurophobia, the fear of cats, as well as a Stereo or Sound System, and a Parade.

R. Michael Burns is an October child with a background in philosophy, theater and other occult arts. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association, the Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group, and the Gainesville Fiction Writers Group.

His fiction has appeared in various magazines and e-zines, including Dreams of Decadence, City Slab, Dark Regions, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Dark Recesses, Lovecraft’s Weird Mysteries, The Shroud, and Arkham Tales, as well as in the anthologies Orphans of the Storm, Bell, Book & Beyond, Cthulhu Express, Extremes 5, Goodbye, Darwin, Bound for Evil, and Horror Library III. He has other fiction forthcoming in the e-zine Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. His article “Creative Writing 301″ was picked in a Predators and Editors poll as the second-best non-fiction article of 2006.

A Colorado native, he lived for the better part of five years in Japan, where he taught English to Japanese students from 1 to 70. He currently resides in the dark swamps of Gainesville, Florida, where he teaches high school English, runs the Creative Writing Workshop an the Japanese Pop Culture Club, and coaches speech and debate.

For more informations about R. Burns, be sure to check out these sites:

http://www.coloradospringsfictionwritersgroup.org/members/r-michael-burns/index.php

https://sites.google.com/a/newmyths.com/nmwebsite/contributors/r-michael-burns

Colin F Barnes herds words in  an often random order; not unlike a room of monkeys battering away at typewriters with their poop covered paws. (Do monkeys have paws or hands?). The usualoutcome of this seemingly random plucking of words is a glimpse into a dark world of psychological malopropisms, dystopian nightmares, and fluffy children’s stories. *one of those is a lie.

The basics of Colin’s story reminds me of the movie/game Clue. At the Gallery Opening with the Hunting Knife, throw in Necrophobia (fear of death & dead) and you’ve got one twisted story coming your way!

Find out more about Colin at: http://www.colinfbarnes.com/

And last but certainly not least is author Tom Andry who was given the task of basing his story around Osmophobia (fear of smells). His short story takes place at a picnic and involves a telescope.

Tom Andry is the Associate Editor of Audioholics.com and host of the AV Rant podcast. He’s been writing mostly reviews but has lately returned to his prose roots. He has written many unpublished short stories, poems, and a few screenplays that may still be produced. Tom the father of three boys, is happily married, and currently resides in Perth, Australia. His background is in drama, creative writing, and research psychology which basically means his kids are in for a pretty rough time. His wife, Tanel, doesn’t have it so easy either. His first work for public consumption is an eBook titled Bob Moore: No Hero. The followup, Bob Moore: Desperate Times, is scheduled for release October 2011.

Follow him at: www.tomandry.com

H. E. Roulo – Most Wicked 2009

I asked Roulo what got her into horror and how she became a Horror Addict. Heather said that, “Rhonda R Carpenter and I were releasing our books at the same time on Podiobooks.com and became friends. She released a short story through Horror Addicts and ended up introducing me to the show and the host, Emerian Rich.”

Heather “was thrilled to win” the title Most Wicked which, “comes with the responsibility to organize the next year’s contest. The weight of the crown (Robe? Cauldron?) is heavy indeed.”

H.E. moved from one Podcast to another, her very own. She explained to me that, “[o]nce Rhonda and [her] finished releasing [their] books, [they] created Podioracket.com to support the authors and give fans somewhere to turn for more information. [They've] settled into a nice pace where [they] release a 20 minute show every two weeks, with two interviews and a little news and contest information. Through Podioracket [they have] also added a live Blog Talk Radio show and released an anthology, Podioracket Presents-Visionaries.”

What got the website started was Roulo’s uncertainty of what to do after she released her book, Fractured Horizon. “I wasn’t sure what the next step was for promoting it and I wanted to hear other author’s approaches. All the writers were so interesting. I realized they just needed a way to connect immediately with their audience and a central place that listeners could go. Podioracket caught on instantly because it had that ready-made audience.”

Heather gave us a little more detail about her novel. “Fractured Horizon is about Kay Downs, a contemporary woman who discovers that her absent father guarded a rift in time, but her accidental conception broke all the rules. Kay must travel through time by living through it, correct the changes her existence has caused, and ultimately heal the rift and save her father. Much of the book is spent in the near future, where a divided world teeters between bio-engineered warriors and mystical rulers who sense the future. In a world built on utter predictability, Kay’s misplacement in time makes her a dangerous wildcard. As if traveling forward through time weren’t hard enough, she is pursued by an enemy with a simpler way to protect the sanctity of the timeline—her destruction.”

For more information about Heather Roulo be sure to visit: http://www.fracturedhorizonnovel.com

Rhonda R. Carpenter - Most Wicked 2010

Not only is Carpenter an author and Clinical Hypnotherapist, she is also a Dream Analyst, Professional Psychic, and Reiki Master. With such an interesting background I had to find out how she was able to make the transition to author.

Rhonda was happy to share her story, “Author was a natural progression of a love of writing, teaching and helping others. Honestly, my first novel The Mark of a Druid was an experiment in what can I do as a writer instead of a continuation of writing for myself. I would always have written the challenge was putting it out there for others to consume. I am exceptionally pleased with the outcome. Writing is something I need to do to be happy.”

She was also kind enough to share her secrets that inspire her to write. “I am inspired by many things to write. Music is a big part of my writing experience. But the funniest thing that inspires me are my sleeping dreams. I often put a thought about my writing out before sleep and see what happens in my dreams.”

Having such an intensive background in psychology it’s easy to see why Serial Killers are Rhonda’s favorite horror monster. She told me, “I think I am most fascinated by the serial killer. I tend toward the philological and spiritual needs of the human condition. Why one person would perceive one thing and someone else perceive something completely different in the same situation is fascinating. How the mind works and what will break one person and not another makes my mind spin with stories.” Then she asked her own question, “Serial killers are often the most brilliant and demented individuals don’t you think?”

I was interested as to how Carpenter’s experience as a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Dream Analyst, Professional Psychic, and Reiki Master has helped with her writing. Rhonda stated, “I believe all my life experience has added to and helped my writing. Hypnosis gave a vehicle for the story of The Mark of a Druid as did my love of all things Celtic. Dream Analysis even made an appearance in the first book. My belief system certainly has effected my writing and I think the things I do as a day job will always be a part of my writing in one way or another. Funny now that I think of it horror is so far away from what I do in my day job maybe that is way it is a stretch for me. But Scotland Burns has that one question I always asked myself about the one god religious belief. How could the one great and powerful god be so merciless?”

The Mark of a Druid, Carpenter’s first fiction publication and the first of what’s sure to be a great trilogy, “is about reincarnation and the idea that energy never dies it simply changes. It is also about honor and revenge and how those qualities can follow a soul from life time to life time.”

Book two of The Mark of a Druid, titled When Ethers Descend, “is about what the knowledge of past lives can do to a person in this lifetime and it is the continuation of Aileann and Adaham’s (sic) connection to a prophecy.” You can listen to the prologue for the book in Podcast episode 34 on Podiobooks.com.

Look froward to Rhonda Carpenter’s future works. “Besides the sequel When Ethers Descend [she] am working on a novel that takes place between 1890 and 1914 about a murder called Truth Slithers and [Rhonda has] a 3rd called From Mother to Daughter about a family of female psychics and the struggles of having the gift.”

For more information on Rhonda Carpenter check out www.themarkofadruid.com

Laurel Anne Hill - Most Wicked 2011

Laurel was excited when she heard the news, “I feel both honored and amazed.  With all the great WWW podcasts submitted, I never expected my story, Flight of Destiny to win.” She then added, “I have to admit, though, a bit of worry has crept into my mind.  Rhonda Carpenter did such an amazing job organizing this year’s WWW Challenge.  Talk about a difficult act to follow!”

The idea for Flight of Destiny came easy for this steam train fan. “I’ve served on several steampunk panels at science fiction/fantasy conventions.  Some authors of steampunk ignore the laws of physics when they craft their stories.  For over a year, I’ve wanted to see if I could write an engaging short story in that genre and include a few scientific details at the same time.  My WWW assignment presented a perfect opportunity.”

Hill’s steampunk knowledge didn’t cover everything though. “I needed to research the physical characteristics of polonium-210, as well as details about its discovery and purification.” She also did “some fact checking about the operation of steam-powered vessels in the Nineteenth Century was necessary, too.  And spent several hours reading about women’s Victorian-era clothing.”

For this year’s competition, each Wicked was given a poison, a place, and an object to base their story around. Laurel was given: Radio Active Polonium-210, Aircraft Carrier on the Pacific, and Cuban cigars.

“My prior employment involved working with radioactive materials and one previous boss of mine smoked cigars.  My assigned poison and place presented no unusual problems.  But an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean?  I knew little about Naval operations aboard such a vessel.  That part of the assignment generated an internal “oh, no.”  Then the steampunk idea hit me and my racing heart slowed to normal rhythm.”

Curious, I had to ask how her writing and podcasting processes came together. “I tend to mull over ideas in my head before I start writing.  I select a main character, give him or her a problem, and try to climb inside of his or her mind.  Then I write and revise over and over, finally reading the piece out loud for rhythm.  My story goes to my writing group for feedback.  Additional revisions follow.  During this process, I write in time blocks as short as thirty minutes or as long as eight hours. [When I start a podcast] I read the manuscript a couple times to prepare, then set up my computer, microphone and pop-filter (a knee-high nylon stocking stretched over a diamond-shaped metal hanger) inside of my bedroom closet.  After recording the entire selection twice using Audacity, I sound edit the better version.  Sound editing takes me the longest, often several hours.”

One thing is for certain if she can combine radio active materials, aircraft carriers, and cigars to make one killer story; then there is nothing this Wicked Women Writer can’t write! I’m sure next year’s WWW challenge will be just as deadly, if not more so, than this year!

Hill fans, be on the look out for Laurel’s up and coming projects: “My new fantasy/horror short story, “The Vengeance Garden,” is scheduled for publication in December 2011, in the “Spells and Swashbucklers” anthology (Dragon Moon Press).  I’m also working on several other short stories and a steampunk novel.”

For more information on Laurel Anne Hill check out: http://www.laurelannehill.com/

by Emerian Rich

“Writers who don’t follow the rules aren’t worth our time.”

This is what most editors think and you should listen to them. Why? Because you’ll never get past the submission pile into the pile of stories they are seriously considering for publication.

I’ve heard editors say that they won’t even consider a story if the author hasn’t submitted it according to their guidelines. Writers think this sucks. Why should the way it’s presented mean anything? If it’s a good story, it should be considered on the plot merit, right? Being a writer I tend to agree, but we have to look at it as a job. If you were going to a job interview, you wouldn’t wear stained pajama pants and a bleach-spotted Kama Sutra t-shirt, even if you were a Harvard grad with excellent references. Think of the submission formatting as your foot in the door. Once you’ve dressed it up, then it’s up to your writing to break out of the pile and wow them.

Now, I am by no means a pro editor and I am still stuck some of the same piles you are. However, I did run a ‘zine called DarkLives for ten years. Nowadays, I receive on an average, 20-30 pieces of work a month from various collaborations, critique groups, and for my podcast HorrorAddicts.net. Having read hundreds of submissions I can tell you some things that make them difficult to handle.

First, always read the publishers website to see what their guidelines are and follow them precisely. Yes, they will notice if they asked for an outline and you give them a synopsis instead.

Second, don’t email them the next day to find out how they liked it. Especially if you are emailing another writer or a small publication, they probably have a “real job” and family that they have to work their writing dream around.

Third, if no guidelines are listed on their site or you are sending a manuscript to someone in the industry who doesn’t have submission guidelines (like another writer), PLEASE follow the standard submission format. I always change stories I receive into the proper format before I print or crit them. Mostly because someone will send me a twenty page story with no page numbers on it. If I drop the story, I’m in trouble. Trying to piece together someone else’s rough draft is insane. The author’s name and story title should also be in the header of each page for this reason.

So what is the “standard manuscript format”? Let me reiterate that you always need to follow the submission guidelines for the publication you are submitting to. If none are stated, go with these guidelines below:

• Number pages in header or footer. It’s also nice to put the number of pages like so: 1/13
• Courier font, 12 point, never in italics or bold
• 1 inch margins all around
• Double spaced
• Use the # sign (centered) to indicate viewpoint change
• Use left paragraph text (never justified)
• Include your name and story name in the header of every page.
• On the first page, list your name and a way to contact you. I don’t feel you have to include the info below if you are sending it to a critiquer, a simple email address should suffice, but if you are submitting to a publishing house, unless otherwise instructed, you should include: your name, address, phone number, email address, what type of story (Horror Novel or Fantasy Short Story, etc…), and computer word count.

There are more detailed formatting descriptions on publisher’s sites, in writing books, or online. If you are thinking about submitting, I strongly suggest you do your homework first so that you are put in the pile to read and not the recycle bin. If you don’t format it correctly, it won’t be read, and you might as well save yourself the trouble and cost of sending it out in the first place.

One word of encouragement. You’ll never be published if you don’t send it out. So… WRITE, SUBMIT, WRITE, SUBMIT and repeat as often as you can.

Emerian Rich is the author of Night’s Knights vampire series and Sweet Dreams Musical Romance Series. She’s also been published in a handful of anthologies and written everything from non-fiction reviews to Science Fiction. As a Horror Hostess, she heads the HorrorAddicts.net podcast and attempts to promote the Horror Addicts lifestyle from the fan point of view. For more information on Emerian, go to: http://www.emzbox.com 

 by Rhonda R. Carpenter

After writing the first rough and I mean rough draft of The Mark of a Druid, I searched all over for a group that would be right for me as an aspiring author. I found that group on compuserve’s literary forum. Now since I joined, the group some almost 8 years ago it has had its membership ups and downs. For several years we were housed in another location on a Forums America site. Not too long ago the forum moved back to compuserve and into a much larger community setting. Lots of the old folks are there and a ton of new ones.

One of the things I liked about our little group was that there wasn’t anyone who felt it necessary to cut you to pieces to make a point about what you could do better in your story. The crits were not only content considerate but line editing as well. (for me extremely helpful) If you saw a mistake that was an obvious typo or grammatical help were also offered as well as plot and character development.

It was an easy system. Once granted access to the library of file you picked something that caught your eye and started critiquing. After you critiqued 5 pieces, you could upload 1. Pieces usually consisted of a complete short story or a chapter or chunk from a WIP (work in progress). From then on it is 3 to 1 and trust me you would build a cash of crits to use for your uploads fast if you put any effort into the group.

The diversity of the group was wonderful, people from all over the world joining together and helped each other out. The benefits to me as an author were worth every minute I spent with these people. Now I am not going to tell you that I agreed with all of the suggestions but if I didn’t incorporate something I thought long and hard about the readers experience.

Now there are plenty or writing groups online and in your local communities as well. I like the online groups because I can get more out of them, the volume of participants is higher and more diverse. While I am not active in the compuserve forum at this time because I am in a different phase, pre-publication and podcasting, I do recommend the group. Here is a link to them the membership is free and once your work is posted it is copywrited so it is actually a way to protect your work although others say it is not safe I just don’t agree. No one writes in the same way I do. They may be able to take what is there but they would never be able to complete the work like I would have, so I don’t worry about it. And from what I know this has not happened in this place. There is also a research and craft area that can be very helpful.

I found my time in a critiquing group extremely rewarding and I hope as I move into book two in the series I will find the group as helpful again. I met many wonderful people there and one of my dearest friends and I actually met there and we talk almost every day.

Keep Writing, I know I will!

Rhonda R. Carpenter

Rhonda R. Carpenter is the founder of Lifefirst.com. She is an Author, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Handwriting Expert, Dream Analyst, and Professional Psychic. Her first novel, “The Mark of a Druid” is available in audio, Ebook and print. Rhonda is the co-founder of www.Podioracket.com where you can learn all about the new Podiobooks.com authors and Indy-Authors from all over the world. Rhonda was awarded the coveted Wicked Women Writer’s Award in 2010 for her Sexy short horror story, “Barring Lilith” She lives on a secluded ranch in Southeastern Oklahoma where she enjoys raising chickens and cows. She is happily married and the mother of 4 boys, all grown and on their own and recently a first time Grandmother.

Up next for The Wicked’s, is the up coming publication of our first anthology. The gals have all worked really hard on this one and I think it’s going to be awesome!  Today, get to know The Wicked’s and if you’re a woman horror writer (even just an aspiring one) come on over and join our Facebook group. It’s free to be a part of our group and we’d love to have you. Not only will you be eligible to compete in our annual Wicked Women Writers Challenge, but you’ll also build life long friendships.

Welcome to the HorrorAddicts.net Online Con. We hope you enjoy yourselves!

Emerian Rich
Wicked Woman Writer

—————————————————————

Coming soon from HorrorAddicts.net

The Wicked’s

A Wicked Women Writer’s Anthology

Edited by Hollie Snider

authors:

Emerian Rich
Michele Roger
H. E. Roulo
Rhonda R. Carpenter
Kimberly Steele
Hollie Snider
Arlene Radasky
Laurel Anne Hill
Linda Ciletti
R. E. Chambliss
Jennifer Rahn
Jeri Unselt
Sapphire Neal
Marie Green

Target release:
Early 2012

by Steven Rose, Jr.

This excerpt is from the title story for a collection of my short fiction that I’m putting together. The main theme of the book is going to be illusions, but not so much in the sense of magic (even though that’s what this story is about) than in the sense of delusions. So yes, do mind the pun on “illusions”. I’m not necessarily talking about abnormal psychology, but delusions that we all have when our expectations about something are too high.

One example is when a person wants that dream car. That person gets the car thinking they will be happier than they ever had been only to find out that, because it is a more expensive and higher quality vehicle, the required maintenance turns out to be more trouble than it was worth buying the car for. If the disillusionment is really extreme, the car may even turn out to be Steven King’s Christine (from the novel of that same name) or maybe even the Car itself (from the ‘70s low budget horror movie of that same name). Although both instances are highly unlikely. So while many of the stories will be about supernatural or magically generated illusions, the core or universal meaning will be about our misconceptions of life. This is what many myths do, which all forms of story telling are—they tell a truth or fact about life through imaginary means. Therefore all stories, in a way, are illusions.

Just to play a little game, see if you can guess what the magician’s trick in this portion of my story really is. Is it really a trick or is the occurrence real and therefore not an illusion at all? If it is real, can the audience’s preconceptions have been illusions themselves and therefore is the trick actually a disillusion? If so, would such an act be a paradox and therefore both an illusion and a disillusion simultaneously? You won’t find out the answer until I publish the book which I hope to do by Spring 2012. Depending on your approach to reading, you may not find an answer even when you do read the complete story and therefore may conclude that the act on a literary level is an illusion that can never be disillusioned.

Of course, please feel free to leave your answers here on this blog in the comments section but I ask that you do not make continuation scenes based on them for publication since this story is copyrighted.

Thanks.
~Steven

THE FOOL’S ILLUSION

By Steven Rose, Jr.

Freddy had seen the notice on the gray brick pillar of the wrought iron gate of Max Manus’s Magic Mansion which forewarned that the shows were not for the faint hearted. It was not until he saw what happened to Mr. Manus’s young assistant, Maggie Rosen, that he realized the notice was no mere advertisement gimmick.

It was opening night for both the show and the theatre itself. The building used to be an old Victorian mansion, hence the theatre’s name. Mr. Manus was performing the traditional thin model sawing trick. It was traditional with one exception. The box that Manus had Maggie step into was in the likeness of a black, oblong coffin. But that was not the exception.

Freddy had not realised how attracted he really was to Maggie until after that final act. He had noticed both her childishly stubby nose that was gracefully curved at the bridge and her wide, bright blue eyes. He had also noticed that, although her mouth was small, her licorice red lips were fully rounded and her skin a rosy white. Her flashing-white teeth looked like those of a baby’s whenever she smiled which was almost always. Her neck, which her chestnut brown curls dropped to the middle of, was maturely long and slender. And there had been no way he could miss her costume which consisted of a shiny leotard, a black silky pair of hot pants and black tights.

No, Maggie was not the exception either. But she was directly involved with the exception, and that is what attracted Freddy to her.

After Manus closed the coffin lid on Maggie, he sliced a blade sheet through the coffin’s center and another blade through the top third portion of the box. Then the magician separated the box segments setting each one upright on top of the black satin draped bier and opened each. Blood flowed from each segment of Maggie’s body. Her head was slightly tilted downward but her face empty of expression. About half of the audience screamed while the other half gasped in a mix of awe and terror. Freddy’s body froze . . .

Steven Rose, Jr. is a journalist and writer of fiction. His non-fiction includes book, television, and movie reviews. His fiction consists of horror and science fiction short stories, although he plans to write novels in the near future. Besides writing, Steven serves as a public relations rep for the Sacramento based network, Sylvanopolis Writers’ Society. For more information about Steven, go to: http://faroutfantastic.blogspot.com/

by Steven Rose, Jr.

Part III

The dark fantasy tends to contain literary elements from both the epic fantasy and, as stated at Beyond, a horror story. The dark fantasy plot often involves a quest on the main character’s part, but it is often a quest into darker, more forbidden settings. The hero may or may not have friends or companions on that quest with him/her. The obstacles he/she faces are menacing creatures that you find in many horror stories, creatures such as zombies or evil spirits ready to devour the hero either physically or spiritually. There often tends to be more fairy or folk tale elements in this type of story than in the epic fantasy or horror story. Therefore there may be magical creatures, such as fairies or talking animals that help the hero, and the hero may come from humble beginnings like the hero in the fairy tale often does. Also, the story’s ending is more like that in the fairy tale—a joyful ending where everything turns out good for the hero(es) and they either go on living life as normal as before or better.

These distinguishing elements between horror and dark fantasy can best be seen if we compare a horror novel such as Dracula with a dark fantasy novel such as Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. In Dracula, a young man who can be considered the hero goes on a journey to the evil count’s estate in Transylvania on business. He is imprisoned by the count, and faces many obstacles in his attempt to escape and in doing so is in utmost fear for his life. He finally does escape, but the count follows him home to his native England . It is there where Dracula causes the terror and havoc on not just the hero’s, Jonathan Harker’s, friends and beloved, Mina, but even on the society at large. The horror of this creature is that he can take control of a person’s life and soul in that he can make them into one of the living dead like himself making them have to feed off of innocent people’s blood. He is immortal and undefeatable. He can appear anywhere at anytime, and, unlike in most of the movie adaptations, can even walk about by day under certain circumstances. He can make people come to him over remote distances by merely thinking about it, like he does with Mina. He can change into a bat, wolf or mist. He can even change the appearance of his age from old to young. Jonathan Harker, Mina, and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, along with others form a kind of expedition to go after Dracula and kill him after the evil count has fled back to his native Transylvania . In this way the basic mythic motifs of the quest and battle against an enemy comes up in this novel. But even though Dracula has become a threat to an entire society, the climaxing battle here is more for an individual’s soul, Mina’s.

Gaiman’s Neverwhere is a story that is actually developed from the basic plot of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The story mostly takes place at night in the underground ofLondon . Because it’s based on Alice in Wonderland, it’s got a fairy tale quality to it and this kind of otherworld atmosphere, yet it takes place in the subterranean structures of an actual geographical based city. However, this underground world in the novel is a fantastical one in that it is seldom seen by Londoners and is occupied by magical beings and so is an environment of mystery. One of the magical beings is an enchantress who sucks the life source out of people, an element of horror since it is so close to the idea of sucking the soul out of a person and is a more personal threat like what we see in Dracula than a societal one. But the very fact that this hidden society comes out both underground and above at night while the rest of Londoners are sleeping gives the setting a more imaginary, dream-like quality seen in much of high fantasy. The majority of the characters the hero comes in contact with are of magic and mystery, as opposed to the more rational based human characters in Dracula (save for the vampires themselves, of course). One of these characters is a talking rat, a rodent character type often seen in a lot of fairy tales and fables such as The Nutcracker. So the quest inNeverwhere, unlike in Dracula, involves more fantastical characters who help the hero on his journey, and the purpose of the quest is more societal than it is personal.

Another high fantasy element in this novel is a giant boar that the heroes must battle in the sewers, a creature used as a dragon type in this story. Likewise, Dracula himself on a more implicit and symbolic level is a dragon figure. In fact, his very name derives from a word associated with dragon. As a dragon figure he is a threat to society. But more importantly he is a hoarder of not only blood but gold like the typical Western dragon is. And, of course, he is a devourer of human blood just as a dragon is the devourer or destroyer of human flesh and lives.

So in comparing these too popular novels, we can see that the distinction between the genres of horror and dark fantasy is that one is more emphasized on the threat of the individual as opposed to a whole society, more specifically the threat to a person’s soul, although dark fantasy can contain that same kind of element. However, there is a more fairy tale quality to the dark fantasy than there is to the horror story since more impossible characters occur, characters like talking and humanized animals such as the talking rat in Gaiman’s novel. In the horror story, the characters are more rational and realistic and the plot, although fantastical in its involving supernatural creatures, consists of more realistic and so more believable events.

Another factor that we shouldn’t overlook is that the distinction between these two genres is also due to the commercial industry’s categorization and marketing of fiction. The majority of book retailers sell their literary merchandise according to popular interests and therefore according to what the majority of customers are going to be looking for in story type. But in order for retailers to do that, and in order for them to consider readers’ preferences, the literary conventions of these story types have to be considered.

So the distinction between the genres of horror and dark fantasy seem to be based on two factors: literary convention and marketing. Yet when looking at the conventions closely between stories of these two subgenres, the distinction seems very blurred because many of these conventions are used to a more or lesser degree in both. What are your thoughts on the differences in these two subgenres? Would you say the two are based more on conventions or more on marketing methods? Are such categorizations more up to the reader than the forces of literary convention and marketing? Are horror and dark fantasy interchangeable terms, or can dark fantasy be considered a mixed genre of horror, high fantasy and even fairy tale elements? Should both just be considered dark fiction and not have any further classifications? Let’s extend this discussion, and so please feel free to leave any answers or other comments!

References

• Beyond . . . a Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy
• http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/beyond/subjects/fantasysubgenres/index.html

Suggested Reading

• http://www.horror.org/horror-is.htm
• http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/47758-fall-2011-announcements-fiction-science-fiction-fantasy–horror-shaking-up-the-status-quo.html

Steven Rose, Jr. is a journalist and writer of fiction. His non-fiction includes book, television, and movie reviews. His fiction consists of horror and science fiction short stories, although he plans to write novels in the near future. Besides writing, Steven serves as a public relations rep for the Sacramento based network, Sylvanopolis Writers’ Society. For more information about Steven, go to: http://faroutfantastic.blogspot.com/

by Steven Rose, Jr.

Part II

Like the epic or high fantasy, the horror story also involves the unknown and mysterious, but these two elements are much more threatening to the individual. They are usually threatening to a character’s life either spiritually or physically. Therefore, the threatening force is some sort of unfamiliar being such as a ghost, demon, or vampire and often associated with the underworld like the enemy characters are in epic fantasy. But the emphasis is on the threat to the individual than it is on the one to a whole society. Although the term horror primarily has referred to a sense of fear for a person’s own soul and therefore spiritual life (as is the case with Dracula) it has also come to be associated with an extreme fear for one’s physical life.

If the threatening being is not of the supernatural realm, then it is often associated with it through superstition. This is the case with The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom is not really a supernatural being himself but, because he hides in obscure parts of the opera house and kills people, he is thought to be a ghostly presence. Throughout the horror narrative, there are many unexpected attacks or pursuits from the monster, often in dark settings, resulting in shock on the audience’s part. Needless to say, such evoking of fear plays a crucial role in the horror story.

Often at the end of a horror story, the reader or viewer is left hanging, but not in the sense of a lack of a satisfying conclusion. The audience is left hanging in the sense that they wonder what will happen to the characters’ lives after the characters have faced the traumatic situation brought on by the threatening figure or monster. Therefore the conclusion to a horror story tends not to be as joyful or promising as that of the epic fantasy, and because the story has been focused on the menacing being itself and the terror it has caused, the other characters’ lives are not elaborated on in the conclusion making it much shorter than that of the typical epic fantasy. The monster may have been destroyed by this time or somehow banished from the setting, but what happens to the characters next is anybody’s guess. The monster may return, as is the case with many Hollywood horror films (and so why sequels are so popular with them) or the main characters may have post trauma to deal with that may drive them to insanity. Because of these possibilities, the conclusion to the horror story is more realistic than the more fairy tale happy ending of the high fantasy.

References

• Beyond . . . a Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy
• http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/beyond/subjects/fantasysubgenres/index.html

Suggested Reading

• http://www.horror.org/horror-is.htm
• http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/47758-fall-2011-announcements-fiction-science-fiction-fantasy–horror-shaking-up-the-status-quo.html

Steven Rose, Jr. is a journalist and writer of fiction. His non-fiction includes book, television, and movie reviews. His fiction consists of horror and science fiction short stories, although he plans to write novels in the near future. Besides writing, Steven serves as a public relations rep for the Sacramento based network, Sylvanopolis Writers’ Society. For more information about Steven, go to: http://faroutfantastic.blogspot.com/

by Steven Rose, Jr.

Part I

In the last ten years at least, the dark fantasy subgenre has become just about as popular as the horror subgenre. The two have many similar elements even to the point where they may seem interchangeable or synonymous with each other. Dark fantasy has been permeating just about all media, including video games and books. Neil Gaiman is one of the most popular dark fantasy writers of today, and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series of novels and the TV series Supernatural can also be considered to fall under this fantasy subcategory. Authors more associated with strict horror have also written some dark fantasy–Steven King with his DarkTower series, for instance.

Two other authors, who write much science fiction and horror but also write a lot of dark fantasy are Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison. Ray Bradbury’s most famous dark fantasy is his novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, while Ellison has famous stories of the subgenre such as “The Basilisk” and “Chatting with Anubis”.

Directors such as M. Night Shyamalan and Guillermo Del Toro who typically make horror movies, like Devil and The Orphanage, also make films that can be classified as dark fantasy: Shyamalan Lady in the Water, Del Toro Pan’s Labyrinth. It shouldn’t be too surprising that such authors and movie directors of horror also produce dark fantasy works since the two subgenres are both imaginative, dark forms of story telling, but what literary elements and conventions really distinguish the two?

Since horror has been the more popular familiar genre for a longer period of time, we’ll look at the literary conventions that make it up before we do the ones of dark fantasy. But before doing that, because dark fantasy descends from the more typical epic or high fantasy, we’ll look at the conventions of epic fantasy before looking at the ones of dark fantasy. But as far as supernatural horror goes, horror itself is also a subgenre of fantasy since it involves imaginary events such as hauntings and black magic.

Horror stories involving more realistic menacing characters, such as serial killers, would not be considered supernatural horror and so would hardly fall under the umbrella of the fantasy genre. So in general, fantasy story telling, regardless of the medium it is told through, involves any type of plot that is centered around magical or impossible events. In a wider perspective, this includes science fiction. The scientific events in a science fiction story, although much more plausible than events in high or epic fantasy, have not occurred in the present time the story is produced and so at that time of production these events are impossible, yet they are visionary since they are possible for a future time. But since we are looking at the distinctions between two subgenres of fantasy that do not primarily deal with science, we’ll disregard science fiction for purposes of this discussion. Because the fantasy genre is the umbrella that the subgenres supernatural horror and dark fantasy fall under, we’ll look at the conventions of epic/high fantasy which is the oldest form of story telling that falls under that genre.

Most epic fantasy involves either a hero’s quest or a battle to save a society–often a kingdom, maybe even the world. Magic, the supernatural, or both play a major role in the story. The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) involves wizardry and underworld creatures such as demons and spirits–the Orcs and Ringwraiths, for example–in the war that occurs throughout Tolkien’s trilogy. The main hero’s, Frodo Baggins’, quest is to take a magic ring to its rightful place and destroy it before it leads to the world domination of evil. The hero or heroes in stories such as this must face several obstacles to completing a task, these obstacles often involving the supernatural. However, they often receive help from a supernatural force such as a deity or elf, or a magic object they obtain. This is the case in the Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit, when Bilbo finds the ring (before its evil power is discovered in LOTR) because he can turn invisible in times of danger by slipping it on his finger.

The hero in epic fantasy often makes it back to his/her homeland after completing the quest/battle bringing some sort of redemption to the society. Such fantasy is often also referred to as high fantasy. Northern Virginia Community College’s literary Website, Beyond . . . , indicates that a slight difference between the two terms is that high fantasy often takes place in imaginary worlds (as is the case with LOTR) whereas epic fantasy is based more in reality and so more directly based on myths rooted in our world’s history (for example, The Odyssey). A good example of epic fantasy would be Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Mists of Avalon since it is based on Arthurian and therefore British/Celtic myth. But in nearly all circumstances both kinds of fantasy involve the unknown and mysterious. Because of this we’ll use these terms interchangeably for reasons of simplicity since this discussion’s aim is to distinguish horror and dark fantasy, not epic and high fantasy, from each other.

References

• Beyond . . . a Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy
• http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/beyond/subjects/fantasysubgenres/index.html

Suggested Reading

• http://www.horror.org/horror-is.htm
• http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/adult-announcements/article/47758-fall-2011-announcements-fiction-science-fiction-fantasy–horror-shaking-up-the-status-quo.html

Steven Rose, Jr. is a journalist and writer of fiction. His non-fiction includes book, television, and movie reviews. His fiction consists of horror and science fiction short stories, although he plans to write novels in the near future. Besides writing, Steven serves as a public relations rep for the Sacramento based network, Sylvanopolis Writers’ Society. For more information about Steven, go to: http://faroutfantastic.blogspot.com/

by Jeri Unselt 

I ran as fast as my paws would let me go, once I saw what they were gonna place the mask over my head, I knew what those humans had in mind, a one way trip to doggy heaven. There’s was no way in hell I was gonna let them put me to sleep, that
was how I saw my parents die when I was still a small pup. I had to go back to where it all happened, I had to see if my girl Megan was ok.

The house was in my sights, anytime now, I was going home. Megan was waiting for me, I knew it, I could feel it in my bones. As I got close, I stopped dead in my tracks. What the hell? The entrance of the house was covered in some sort of big gigantic yellow tape. With each step I took, the black words on the tape got bigger and bigger, so big that I feared they would fall on me.

“Crime scene,” I read. “Do not cross.”

Maybe humans couldn’t go inside, but I was a dog, an American bulldog to be exact, I went inside like I didn’t have a care in the world.

Right away the bowl of water in front of the kitchen caught my eye. Thank goodness, I thought, all that running left me so thirsty, that I could be peeing sand. I ran towards it with excitement only to stop mid stream. There isn’t water in my bowl, I realized. At least it wasn’t the clear stuff I normally drank, no I saw a light pinkish color inside. What is that? My eyes turned to the right of the bowl to see something red, I didn’t want to but I took a quick lick. Almost immediately, I wined at the realization.

Blood, I looked around, there was blood everywhere in the living room, in the kitchen, even along the upstairs steps.

I let out a howl and barked, it was the only way I could get Megan’s attention.

She has to be ok, she just has to be.

“Shh,” a voice behind me said. “Careful, people can hear you.”

I turned around to see an old man staring back at me, it wasn’t the first time I had locked eyes with him.

“Everyone’s gone kid,” he explained. “All but one were taken
away in body bags.” The man knelt down and scratched my head, “I can hear your voice kid, I have that ability. What’s your name?”

“Ringo,” I answered. “What happened? Where’s my girl?”

“They took her away in the ambulance, she was hurt bad.”

“Take me to her,” I begged. “Please?” My mind wondered to the day she fell off her bike and broke her leg. She had said to me, I had made her recovery easier. I couldn’t let her down.

“I can’t kid,” the man answered.

“Why?” I let out a wine to let him know how serious I was. “Megan needs me.”

“Don’t you remember Ringo?”

“Remember what?” as I asked the question, a sudden loud scream brought me to focus. “Yes,”

Megan and I awoke at the sound of the scream. A lady she called grandma rushed inside and closed the door.

“Oh my god,” she cried. “OH MY GOD!”

“Grandma, what is it?” Megan asked holding me close.

“They’re dead,” she answered. “Your grandfather, and Robbie are dead!”

“Dead?” Megan got to her feet and hugged Grandma. I in turn went to the door and started growling. “Ringo, no, come back.” I wanted to go out but I was trained to respond to Megan’s command and so I went and stood by her side. “What happened Grandma, who did this?”

“The demons your grandfather warned us about,” she explained. “The one’s your father sold your soul for!” She sat on the bed crying. “Oh god!”

“What are we gonna do?” Megan took a couple of steps to the door.

“No Megan,” Grandma got up and wrapped her arms around her pressing against her like a cobra.

“They want you, don’t you get it!”

“Why?” she answered. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“That’s why they want you Baby,” they hugged each other again. “I won’t let them hurt you ok,” Megan nodded and sat back down on the bed. Grandma the. Turned her attention to me with eyes so big that I wanted to hide under the bed. “I’m gonna go back out, see if I can find a way out. If I don’t make it, you keep Megan safe, you hear me!” I wined and ran to Megan’s waiting arms.

“Grandma, you’re scaring Ringo,” Megan scolded.

“When I leave,” she said. “You and Ringo get in the closet and hide.” Grandma stared at both with tears in her eyes. “I love you Megan,”

“What happened next Kid?” the man asked.

“We stayed in the closet for a long time,” I began. “It was so silent that I think Megan began to fall asleep. But then,”

“No!” Grandma screamed. “You can’t have her!” Megan opened her eyes and held me close. “Take me instead you spawns of Satan!” Once again neither Megan or I could hear anything.

“What’s going on?” Megan whispered. All of a sudden Grandma’s scream brought us both to our feet. “Grandma!” She rushed out of the closet with me behind her. “Grandma!”

Megan stopped at the middle of the staircase and screamed, “No! Grandma!”

We watched helplessly as the body that was her grandmother was being torn and then eaten away by creatures unseen by the human eye, but I could. Two dobermans stood over their meal like they didn’t have a care in the world, no way would I allow them to have Megan.

“Ah,” all of a sudden a third creature knocked Megan down the stairs. She tried to get up, but the pain held her hostage. “Ringo!” she screamed as the three demon dogs surrounded her, sharp fangs ready to feast. “Help me!”

I ran downstairs and knocked one of them away from her, my teeth grabbed onto it’s neck and began shaking it’s body like a rag doll. Somehow I managed to throw the beast so far against the patio door and disappeared. Wow, I thought. Did I do that?

“Stand aside Bulldog,” one of the doberman creatures stared me with eyes of fire. “The girl is ours.”

“You stand aside,” I answered. “The only way you’re getting to my girl is threw me.”

The creature gave me a most menacing smile, a part of me wanted to run, but there was no time for that. “With pleasure.”

Within moments, the dog had me on the floor, but I pushed it back against the wall. It got up and came back for me. I sighed, so your gonna make this difficult for me huh. Just as it got close to me, I heard a loud a pop and the dog fell at my feet. I looked to see the other creature had run for it’s life. Good riddance, I thought. I turned back to see the creature had disappeared just like it’s friend. It was then I saw the man with a shotgun.

“It was you,” I said to him. “You saved Megan’s life, and mine.” By the time I could get to her, she was unconscious from the fall.

“I’d been tracking them for years,” the man explained. I wanted to know more, but there was someone else I was worried about. “Is
Megan ok? Please take me to her?”

“I can’t do that kid.”

“Why not?”

“Because as far as the rest of the world is concerned,” the man explained.

“You’re responsible for all of this,”

“Me?” I looked around. “Why would they think I did this? I’m just a dog.”

“Yes, but you’re a bulldog Ringo,” the man answered gently. “Your breed has made you a scapegoat. I’m sorry Kid, I should’ve realized that or I would’ve taken you with me before the police and paramedics arrived.”

I wined as tears came out of my eyes, “It’s not fair.” I looked at him. “It’s not right,”

“I know that,” the man gave me another scratch on the head. “Come on, let me do what I should’ve done, before those bastards in animal control find you to finish the job.”

“But what about Megan?” I allowed him to pick me up.

“I’m certain you’ll see her again,” the man promised. “We just gotta keep you alive long enough for that to happen. I’m certain those monsters will want to come back to finish you off.”

“Yeah,” I could sense their presence getting closer. “Let’s go.”

Jeri Unselt is a native of Colorado who has been writing stories ever since childhood. She started podcasting her first novel, Inner Demons, in 2008. The print book will be released in 2012 alongside a podcast prequel, Inner Demons: Turmoil. She is a member of the Wicked Women Writers, has been featured on several HorrorAddicts.net episodes, and will be in the up-and-coming Wicked Women Writers anthology. To find out more about Jeri, go to: www.jeriunselt.org

by Jeri Unselt 

When morning arrived in the sleepy town of Becker, Colorado, police responded to an incident at its main attraction, Hawley Manor.  Something had happened that could potentially rock the foundation of the once peaceful small town to its very core.  Inside what was once a place where the rich and the socially acceptable would party the night away, the bodies of four people were found in various areas of the house, their lives ended in the most painful means imaginable.  It was enough for a veteran police detective to witness a uniformed officer rush out of the bathroom upstairs to vomit.

“What a way to start a morning,” the detective stepped in just as the naked torn up body of a woman that looked to be in her early twenties was being placed in a bag.  “Ah Jeez,” the sight and the scent of death was more than enough for the detective to step out before he too would vomit.

“I take it, you saw it too huh, Lake?” a woman detective stood beside him.  “Kind of reminds you of Tate LaBianca, don’t you think?”

“Why would you say that?” Lake groaned trying to keep nausea from hitting his insides.

“Haven’t you noticed who some of the bodies are?”

“No, Detective Perez, I can’t say I haven’t.”

“Well they already took away Stacey DuPreis, the daughter of fashion icon Francois DuPreis.”

“What?” Lake stepped over to the top of the stairs with Perez behind him.  “I guess another of her all night parties must have gone horribly wrong.”

“I’m not so sure about that Sir; Colin Henderson was also taken away.”

“You mean Pastor Roland Henderson’s son?”

“The same,”

“Holy Smoke,” Lake held on to the wall to keep his balance and sighed.  “Is there anyone else?”

“Yes Sir, there is,” Perez took him downstairs to the living room.  “I’m sure you’ve heard of Evelyn Manning Roberts right?”

“The richest bitch in Colorado?” Perez nodded, “What about her?”  She led Lake to the couch where the body of what was once a finely dressed woman in her early fifties was being placed in a bag.  “Mother of God!” he screamed at the hugely grotesque cut all around her throat.  “It’s from ear to ear.  Why would a rich dame like her be in the same place with all these kids having a good time?”

“Don’t know Sir.”

Lake shook his head, “Maybe that Henderson kid had something to do with it.  He may have been a preacher’s kid, but he’s got a domestic violence rap sheet the size of my left arm.”

“Ah Sir,” Perez timidly spoke up.  “Haven’t you heard the history of this place?”

“History, what place are you talking about?”

“Here?” she raised her voice.  “Hawley Manor.  This isn’t the first time people have lost their lives here.  Thirty years ago there was the head of a warehouse in Denver that brought his employees here for a birthday party and by the Sunday morning, all but one lady was killed. “

“Huh?”

“Yeah, from what I heard the lady said her boss went crazy and killed everyone and then killed himself.  She was just lucky that she went to bed early and he never found her.”

“I guess,”

“But that’s not the first time either,” Perez insisted.  “There’s a legend that those who stay at Hawley Manor are usually found dead within a few days.”

“Come on Perez, like you said, it’s only a legend.”

She grabbed his arm, “If that’s the case, then how come this is usually the setting of a bloodbath?”

“There has to be a logical explanation for everything Perez.”

“Hey Lake!” someone yelled out from outside.  “We got two more outside and it’s bad, very, very bad.”

Lake and Perez rushed outside to the far end to discover the remains of a young male with long stringy blonde hair.  “God,” Lake gasped.

“It’s almost like his insides were squeezed out of him,” Perez turned away in utter disgust.

“Easy Perez,” Lake noticed her vomiting on the sidewalk.

“Do you really think this is all just a legend, some logical explanation?” her chest heaved.  “Huh?”

Lake patted her on the back, “You’ll be fine.  It comes with the job.”  He headed over towards the direction of another body of a man lying flat on his back with his entire chest covered with stab wounds.  However the carnage in front of him wasn’t the focus of Lake’s attention.   “Who’s this?”

Miles away, Lake noticed what looked to be a small Ford pickup truck and what looked to be a man standing next to it.  “Who are you?” he muttered under his breath.  “Do you know anything about this case?”

Barney Leland watched as Hawley Manor was packed like a can of sardines with police and whoever was needed for an event like the bloodiest massacre that Becker, Colorado has ever seen in years.  “I’m so sorry Alex,” he said softly.  “I should’ve gotten there sooner.  I would’ve if it wasn’t for all those god damn delays.”

He leaned against the hood of the truck and gritted his teeth, “Damn them!”   Barney turned to face Hawley Manor, “Damn you!  He should’ve known better than to let her go to that place.  Yes, Alex would’ve been angry with him, but she would’ve still been alive.   “Oh god, Alex,” Barney took a deep breath closing his tear stained eyes.   “They’ll never hurt you again.  As long as I’m alive, no one will ever know that you were there.”

Two days earlier, Barney’s eyes opened the moment the phone rang, “Oh no you don’t.”  He quickly got out of bed and headed towards the living room before the noise awoke his infant son Markus.  He and his wife Alex had just got him to sleep through the night.  Nothing, he vowed was going to ruin that.

“Hello?” Barney grabbed the receiver just as the rest of the phone fell to the floor.  “Shit!”  He picked it up, “Hello?”

“Morning Barney, sorry to wake you up.” The voice on the other line was that of an older sounding man.

“No problem Mick, what can I do for you?”

“I’ve got a problem Barney,” he sighed.  “And I really could use your help.”

“You know I’ll be happy to help as soon as my family and I get back from vacation.”

“That’s just it, I have an emergency load that needs to be in Nebraska by this time Sunday and I don’t have a driver available.”

Barney sat down on the couch, “But Mick, we’ve been looking forward to this vacation for weeks.  Isn’t Mike or Randy available?  What about that new guy Jake McCoy?”

“Mike’s out with a broken back and Randy’s already heading towards the east coast.  I would’ve sent Jake, but he hasn’t finished training yet,” Mick paused.  “If you do this run for me Barney, I promise to make it up to you.”

“All right,” Barney groaned.  “I’ll do it.”

“Great,” Mick sighed with relief.  “Come over today to fill out the paperwork, you’ll have to leave by 6pm tomorrow night.”

“I’ll be in today.  See you then,” Barney hung up the phone.  “Damn,”

“What are you doing Barney?” Alex stood in front of him with her hands on her hips.

“Mick’s short on drivers, Babe.  It’s only a two to three day run.  We’ll take our trip as soon as I,”

“No we can’t, I’m going back to school Monday remember?”

“Right,” Barney stepped back in embarrassment.  “I’m so sorry Alex.”

“You know how much I was looking forward to this Barney,” she continued angrily.  “How could you have forgotten?”  The sudden screaming of their son interrupted everything.  Alex sighed under her breath, “I’m coming Markus.”  She left Barney alone to ponder his judgment error.

“Stupid,” he muttered under his breath.  “Alex!” Barney followed her to Markus’s bedroom.  “I’m a jackass, Sweetie, I did forget.  I’m truly sorry.”  He silently gasped when she looked at him with tears in her eyes, “Babe?”

“I’m not crying because you forgot.”

“Then what,”

“I called over to my grandmother’s house,” Alex explained as she took Markus out of his crib.  “And I found out she passed away.”  She sat down in the nearby rocking chair holding him close.

“What?” Barney knelt down in front of his family.  “I’m so sorry, when did this happen?”

“Two months ago.  I never knew she was sick Barney.  Her maid Consuelo was the one who finally told me.”

Barney shook his head in disgust, “Why am I not surprised that Evelyn didn’t leave you any word.  I mean that’s why we got the P.O. Box.”

“I’ll never understand why my own mother hates me so much; she knew just how close Granny and I were.”

“She meant a lot to you didn’t she,”

“She did,” Alex smiled grateful for his unconditional love.  “Would you be so kind as hold your son while I get up?”

Barney gladly returned the smile, “I can do that.”  He got up to take Markus from her while she stood on her feet.  “Does she know about him yet?”

“Who,”

“Your mother,”

“No,” Alex took Markus from his arms.  “I’m not ready to yet.”

“Maybe its better that she never knows, don’t you think?”

“Maybe,” Alex took a brief moment to stare into his hazel eyes, the ones that she fell in love with two years earlier.  “When do you have to leave?”

“Tomorrow night, just going in to do paperwork today.”

“Then I guess I’ll call Mrs. Chavez to see if she can take Markus for the day,” Alex placed Markus on a table to change his diaper.

“Where are you going?”

“I have to go to her grave Barney,” Alex placed Markus back in his crib.  “Gotta pay my respects,”

“Why don’t you wait until we can do it together as a family?”

“I need to do this by myself Barney,” Alex pleaded.  “Please?”

He groaned, “Be careful Alex, you just don’t know how she’s gonna react to seeing you again.”

If anyone ever had a mother from hell, it would’ve been Alex.  The moment Barney first met Evelyn Manning Roberts, he immediately felt nauseous as if wanting to throw up.  The woman would never win the mother of the year award as far as he was concerned.   She had scolded her daughter in front of him for breaking off her engagement with Colin Henderson.  The mere fact that Alex had caught him in bed with the lead soprano of the church choir wouldn’t change Evelyn’s mind one bit.  Wealth was more important than love, Evelyn had said, and in her mind Barney Leland was no good for her daughter.  Nothing could convince her otherwise.

“You’re right Barney,” Alex suddenly said.  “Getting away from my mother was the best decision we ever made.”  She turned to face him.  “I promise I’ll be careful.”

Jeri Unselt is a native of Colorado who has been writing stories ever since childhood. She started podcasting her first novel, Inner Demons, in 2008. The print book will be released in 2012 alongside a podcast prequel, Inner Demons: Turmoil. She is a member of the Wicked Women Writers, has been featured on several HorrorAddicts.net episodes, and will be in the up-and-coming Wicked Women Writers anthology. To find out more about Jeri, go to: www.jeriunselt.org

by Jeri Unselt 

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a fan of progressive rock and almost everything that is horror. When I first started podcasting, I wanted to do a show that combined both loves, however everyone I knew at the time kept saying it was a bad idea and that it wouldn’t work. So, I gave it up and started The Adventures of a Walker Dependent Music Fan podcast.

It was months after that I started my two year journey of podcasting my story, Inner Demons. For those who haven’t listened, the podcast is about a group of psychic researchers who investigate an incident inside a known haunted house called Hawley Manor that claimed the lives of a progressive rock band. I wasn’t expecting anything, but to my surprise, I received a lot of good feedback and was deeply honored to have some big names in the industry give me a story so far segment.

Since then, I have wondered if there are other examples of prog rock and horror going together. I asked around and people told me about a group called Goblin. They were mostly known for the soundtracks of Dario Argento movies, a big example is Emz’s favorite film, Suspiria. Another example is former Yes keyboard player, Rick Wakeman, who scored the soundtrack for the 1981 film, The Burning. While it’s not really horror, Keith Emerson scored the music for the Sylvester Stallone movie, Nighthawk.

It’s really nice to know prog rock and horror can connect. As a matter of fact, I do have a podcast in mind that I hope to do to look deeper into this subject. Stay tuned.

Jeri Unselt is a native of Colorado who has been writing stories ever since childhood. She started podcasting her first novel, Inner Demons, in 2008. The print book will be released in 2012 alongside a podcast prequel, Inner Demons: Turmoil. She is a member of the Wicked Women Writers, has been featured on several HorrorAddicts.net episodes, and will be in the up-and-coming Wicked Women Writers anthology.  To find out more about Jeri, go to: www.jeriunselt.org

by Jeri Unselt 

In my search for literature that is horror with the element of progressive rock, one such novel stands out in my mind. In Phil Rickman’s 1996 novel December, a prog band called The Philosopher’s Stone was assigned in 1980 to record a concept album about and inside an abbey that possessed a sinister dark history. A horrifying death brings everything to a standstill, and the band members agree to destroy their work and disband. However, not all the master tapes are destroyed. Thirteen years later, the music resurfaced as a bootleg called The Black Album a The Philosopher’s Stone get back together at the abbey for one final performance.

As I read the book, I was picturing it as a movie complete with the music. If it ever happens, I would love to see John Payne in the role of the tragic character of Dave Reilly. I guess what I’m trying to say is maybe I would have enjoyed the novel more as a movie.

I had a hard time understanding Mr. Rickman’s writing style, I kept skipping pages to get to the story. Otherwise, I did think the story was good and worth checking out.

You can find December (pub. 1996) by Phil Richman on Amazon.com*

Jeri Unselt is a native of Colorado who has been writing stories ever since childhood. She started podcasting her first novel, Inner Demons, in 2008. The print book will be released in 2012 alongside a podcast prequel, Inner Demons: Turmoil. She is a member of the Wicked Women Writers, has been featured on several HorrorAddicts.net episodes, and will be in the up-and-coming Wicked Women Writers anthology. To find out more about Jeri, go to: www.jeriunselt.org

*Editor’s note: There is a listing for a deluxe edition (hardcover, limited, signed) coming out in December 2011 by M H B Press. Find more information here: December Deluxe Edition

Horror covers so many genres and it’s popularity never seems to drop as new media helps to push Horror out to the world. We can find horror in almost every place we look. From terrible real world events, to  comic books, movies, television, books, and so much more.  There is one question that those who market horror try to figure out when it comes to their audience and that is, what people want to see in their horror.

So this is my question to the fans of horror:

How do you like your Horror?

Do you look for the bloodier and gore filled stories, or something that engages the mind. Maybe you like a combination of the two elements.

To start let me share my thoughts on how I take my horror.

If you haven’t gotten any idea by previous posts or other comments, I like my horror with a story and a plot. I want to be scared not just visually but through the mind.  The human mind is an amazing thing and with that comes our imagination.  Our original fears of the dark, bugs, lightning, and other things as a child is the first hint of what our imagination can do for us.  Those fears can go away as a child or linger and become even bigger fears as we grow.  It’s that imagination that when properly motivated can shake a person to it’s core and thus why I like to have a thought provoking scare.  I want some of what is happening to be left to the imagination so that the fear that comes from it can make things even better.

So now I’m looking for the thoughts of those who take time to read this and respond.

~Knightmist