The Haunting of Gillespie House: A Preview

     I'm starting this novel now since I finished The Island and want to document my ideas of what will come from this author. From reviews of this story, there should be little chance of me not enjoying the work; it has very few low ratings. Amazon reviews repeatedly state that this author's writing style is something to enjoy and that there are numerous short stories to read from this person's bibliography.
     The gist of this book is that a young woman (Elle) is watching over the Gillespie House and hears scratching noises coming from the walls and doors at night. Searching reveals nothing but research into the house reveals that numerous children have gone missing in the home. Not only that, there are numerous bodies in the backyard from an old graveyard. That's right: there are dead people waiting in the backyard, just for Elle.
     I'm hoping that I don't just see ghosts in this novel, but zombies. I want some good old fashioned zombies to rise from the grave to assault the home and try to eat Elle, and possibly a few friends of hers that come over to keep her company. No need for any shenanigans or hanky-panky, no Ouija Boards or drugs; just pissed off ghosts trying to get vengeance for their stolen lives. Perhaps one of the buried Gillespie's was a serial killer in life and the ghosts are reaching out to exact revenge against the living. Give me the cold-hearted dead that have no desire for mercy, no desire for forgiveness. Just a raw hatred for the living and a desire to make those living suffer and die, so that they can have more "friends to play with" in death.
     I doubt I'll get this. I'm sure the ghosts will be warning her away from some big bad boogeyman that she'll only realize is present when it is too late. I hope this book doesn't take the easy road and go about a haunted house that fits the mold. Screw that! Break the mold!

The Island By Clarissa Johal: A Review

     This book, roughly two-hundred and ten pages of paranormal horror, is a book that is suitable for young teenage readers all the way up to adults. There is very little in the way of swearing or gore, and almost no adult themes to speak of (other than murder). The basic premise is a typical protagonist inherits a haunted home and goes to renovate. Only, in this case, the home is on an island that the locals believe to be haunted or cursed. The protagonist, Emma, is a young adult that is going to the home of grandmother, Fae, after several months of being missing to pack up her home and make note of what needs to be taken into account for her father to fix up before selling the estate. The home is a log cabin that has electricity (sometimes) and old furnishings, along with bells and bowls of salt water underneath windows.
     Odd, but then again Fae was an odd woman. Emma never got along with her grandmother, who would send her home early to her father whenever she visited.
     Soon, Emma begins to sense the otherworldly beings living on the island, two dark souls that go by Itu and Thim. Itu, a long-haired muscled man with a pouch around his neck, and Thim, an albino human with nearly translucent features, both seem intent on causing Emma grief and fear for as long as they can.
     I won't ruin the story any more than I already have, but suffice it to say that the story is pretty good. The many pitfalls that horror novels have, such as sudden boiling-over of suspense or nasty bouts of gore or sex, are dodged by Johal's work. The suspense is set to a low simmer that rises in the heat before dimming towards the second third of the novel. Towards the climate she turns the heat up and allows the theoretical pot to boil over, making the last ten to fifteen pages impossible to turn away from.
     I know I couldn't.
     The main characters have rich backgrounds while the secondary characters have a few pieces of history or charm that make them noteworthy. The tertiary characters (a professor and a woman who knows of the islands history) have unique characteristics each that make them seem alive rather than flat plot devices.
     Just ask Mr. Bones.
     Symbolism is used as an ironical knife-to-the-ribs to the two demons, Without spoiling the novel, it explains itself early on if you pay attention, allowing you to guess the nature of the demons early on if you are astute enough. I was able to guess both monster's methods of madness, but only after Thim revealed his secret powers. Itu is easy to guess if one gives him some thought.
     On the fact of the two demons, I've never really encountered creatures like them. I've written stories with similar creatures, but nothing where the demons were so... human. Demons to most are acerbic monsters, more beast than man; or they happen to be possessing forces that inhabit bodies and torture good souls while forcing their loved ones to seek out an exorcist.
     All I can say is I understand how this became a number one bestseller on Amazon for a time. While it certainly has flaws with timing issues in certain scenes and the pacing is kind of slow at first, by chapter fifteen (and the chapters are short) you're invested in the novel enough that you care about not only Emma but about the two demons in a twisted sort of way.
     If you only get to read a novel every blue moon, I would definitely suggest this to be the one to read.

Porcelain Rising - Short Horror Movie

     I know I said I wouldn't do these anymore, but I think I'll keep going until I run out of material. This is a story of a little girl and the monsters that plague her at night...

Sweet Dreams!

The Raven (As Voiced By Christopher Lee)

     Not my story, but one that inspired the Raven group as a whole in my novel series to an extent. I love this poem by Poe, and Cristopher Lee does a great job reading it.

Sweet Dreams!

Another Horror Film I Missed This Year

     Digging Up The Marrow is a film by Adam Green about a paranormal investigator trying to out an underground network of real-life monsters. While it sounds cheesy, the meta-horror of this film makes it worthwhile, kind of like Cabin in the Woods.

Sweet Dreams!

The Clown Statue

     The second-to-last scary video I'll be posting, this one really takes the cake. Everyone loves clowns, so why not have a movie based on the terror they can induce!

Sweet Dreams!

Movie I Missed

     Extinction by Alberto Marini is a wonderful film about a group that is surviving the apocalypse during winter. They are stalked by the creatures that now roam the earth, pallid monstrous forms that seem humanoid in nature. Truly a find, no idea how I missed it!

Sweet Dreams!

Stitches

     Today's short is a nice terrific terror labeled "Stitches". I do hope you enjoy it!

Sweet Dreams!

Samuel the Black Warlock Chapter Five

Previous

Walking silently out of his kitchen, he willed Imogen through their empathetic link to change into her feline form, to which he got a lazy vibe followed by a content feeling. Walking to the door through the den, he looked out the peephole to see who was outside at this hour. Samuel gasped in surprise when he saw the bushy red hair of a familiar Witch, her rectangular glasses peeking through the hole right back at him.

Knock

     A short film from 2011, this one is a real nail biter. Do enjoy!

Sweet Dreams!

A Holiday Creepypasta

     Mr.Creepypasta reads a story a day, dry throat or not, and has been doping so for years. This story was first read three years ago as of yesterday, the story written by an author simply known as "thehoneytree". It's a great spooky story to listen too, not too scary and ripe with suspense. The narrator is that of a younger child spending the holidays with several cousins. The actual story (which can be viewed here) is well-written and worth spending the five to ten minutes to read. Have a listen!

Sweet Dreams

Good News Everyone!

     As many of you know, I've written for Dark Moon Digest before and acted as a recurring columnist for Dark Eclipse Magazine when it was in publication for a number of years. Well, Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing has taken over Dark Moon Digest while keeping the same Editors. The digest has even upped their pay rate from a flat $10/$15 dollars for stories to a payment of .01/word. While that may not sound like much, it is a huge leap for a press to go to a payment method such as this.
     Speaking with the Editor during a friendly catch-up, she mentioned that they've been inundated with stories since the change, and they only have so many readers to review the stories. This may explain why your stories have not been touched in what seems like a longer than average time; the holidays plus day jobs equals less time to read and edit, let alone select what stories should be added to the next digest.
     But Lori Michelle has said that with things becoming more stable with the passing of the holidays, the next Digest should be out in the first week of January. She's said she'll forward me the cover art so you can admire their artist's skill, but, for now, I'll just link up to the last issue that came out in October. I can say from experience the paperback is better than the Kindle as the weight of the actual book is just nice, as they've grown in size over time. But should you like a mobile way to stow multiple books, the Kindle route is pretty awesome too. The link is in the image below to the Amazon page where you can peruse the latest issues. Grab one if you want to submit for future publications: I know you hear it all the time, but reading what they publish really does paint a vivid picture of what they will accept.
     I love the cover art for the issues, it's always so surreal. They ran out of traditional horror tropes by issue fifteen so they had to start coming up with more "creative" images for the reader to enjoy. This image makes me think of the machines operating in Hell, tormenting damned souls. I know the artist probably would tell me otherwise, but that's just what leaps to mind.
     As for the rest of the week, I'll be updating a few stories that seem to be popular along with continued scary shorts. By Friday, I'll have a treat for you all that I hope long time readers will enjoy. Now if I recall, you can get a subscription to the Digest as well, and for a reasonable amount considering the amount of stories you get per issue.
     Ah, here it is! You pay for three months at a time, 10.95 in a go that is drafted from your PayPal account. You can check it out here. Check it out, the only thing you have to lose is your mind!
     Next

Abandoned

Sweet Dreams!

New Issue of the Horror Zine

     As I remind all of you every month, there's fresh material gathered at the Horror Zine. A gathering of poetry, short stories, and in some cases multiple-part novellas, you can bet you'll get something from the free Ezine.

What did I name this little bastard? Bugsy? We'll go with Bugsy.

     The image above is a link to their web page and, by the by, they are open to submissions!