Sinister Fruit, Part One

“Oh Lord,” Sang a rich baritone, echoed by perhaps another dozen as the singers all hacked away at the sugarcane in unison, feet sloshing through water as they slowly made their way across the five mile stretch of Sugar Lake, better known as the Winthrope Plantation.

The First Horror Movie of the New Year

     Coming out January 17th of 2014, this film looks like it will lead the year off right with a straight up Antichrist movie. Part POV/part standard film, Devil's Due looks like it could be that film that takes your breath away.

     Look's like a winner to me!

Netflix Movies to Look Out For

     As stated previously on this torrid tapestry of type at one point, the wife and I enjoy our movie night. We tend to curl up on the couch and drift through the movie selection on Netflix, barring we recently purchased a film worth a damn. A few titles I think you would actually be at a loss if you miss watching...
     Troll Hunter... a foreign film that is slow at first, this fun little terror is a POV camera work movie that starts off as a light hearted adventure, which goes south the moment the group of teens encounter a Norwegian man that is bellowing "Troll!!!" as he runs past them. This speeds things up quite a bit, as the movie takes a spin for the bizarre as we explore the life of a government-sanctioned Troll keeper, who hunts rogue Trolls and makes sure they stay out of the media. There are several different species of Troll, all of which have unique quirks to them; some have multiple heads, some live beneath bridges. All have a foul temperament and, should they leave their reserves, need to be put down. Give it a watch, you'll love it.
     Onto more Horror-based films, we have Grave Encounters and Grave Encounters Two, both of which are POV camera work where a team of parapsychologists explore a haunted mental asylum. Standard cliche horror tropes are brought out to trot as both teams discover how haunted the asylum really is as it locks them inside, killing them off one by one. Not one for people looking for great acting, but both films build at a decent rate and have fairly original plots for such a stereotypical film. Watch one after the other so you can fully enjoy the series.
     Speaking of series, The Haunting in Connecticut, while not on instant stream, does have a sequel that is. This one is set in Georgia, and while it is hardly a worthy sequel to the first, if taken as it's own movie and at it's own pace, the film is worth the hour and a half. Several unique haunting scenes take place, and a rather ingenious plot is implemented for such a simple film. I'd rate it three stars at the very least,m possibly four if you watch it drunk.
     Which I did.
     So grab a fine glass of Chardonnay and find the remote, because I say you should have a free-for-all movie night with a loved one, bring some life to your own homes with these drop-dead hilarious little terror tropes. You never know, one might just become your new favorite!
     Sweet Dreams

Real World Horror: Psychic Warriors and Crumbling Crosses

     Far be it for me to be the one to burst the proverbial bubble that some people seem to have about the way the world works, but here goes an attempt:
     Have you heard of EFO? Well obviously you don't roam the mystic combat circles, because it is better known as Empty Force, a style of fighting where you can disable opponents, paralyze foes and even strike down enemies by "opening your heart."

The power of love smites thee!

     Yeah, and this is a guy who is taking peoples money and teaching them this useless style. If you want to learn to defend yourself, go someplace else, cause this guy doesn't know what he's doing.

     As for Christian-right news, a longstanding legal battle (23 year legal battle) that has determined the status of a large cross on public land has come to a head, and the cross must come down within ninety days. Likely some group will somehow file an injunction or an appeal, but the Mt. Soledad cross will finally be coming down. I say about time, seeing as this has been being fought over since I was five.

In Other News

     Creeping out of my casket to write now and again is becoming more of a chore than I had ever realized, though the rewarding feeling that pulses in my small black heart makes it all worthwhile. This post contains not a terrifying tale, but news of one.
     American Horror Story, Season two, is now available for stream on Netflix, adding a soon to be classic to my line-up of terrifying tales to watch.

This scene never happens in the series, sadly.

     In other news, Dark Moon Eclipse #29 is out for all you fright fans looking for a quick fix. Break out the kindles and bundle up tight folks, cause this ones a screamer!

     As for me dear readers, I'm settling in for the colder weather and scrawling out stories that amuse me. I have a few novels that need polishing and one that needs to be finished, so stick around and let the good times, and heads, roll!

     Sweet Dreams

Dirge, Part One

I sit on the crumbling stone wall, looking out over the bleak gray field, patches of dying weeds spring forth from the gravel here and there to mark spots of color on the otherwise drab expanse outside the village of Malm, Not too small and not too large, Malm had once been a trading post for the Kingdom as a whole… but then the mines precious veins of ore dried up, and the fields grew barren and rocky, and the merchants began to avoid Malm altogether on their trading routes.

And slowly, Malm began to die.

Moldering Jungle, Part One

The light rainfall misting down over Sarah’s head was almost a blessing considering how hot she was, but then again, what could she expect when traveling through the rain forests of Brazil? The entire region was awash in lush greenery and vibrant flora that ranged from seas of brilliant orange flowers to great bell curved bulbs of eye-stabbing yellow. Between the humidity and the rainfall, Sarah could see how the plant life could easily overtake anything sedentary that wasn’t maintained.

The Dark Life of Scott Winthrope, Part Two

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The Manor sat on a large lot of land that had once been used as a plantation, with the house sprawling out over the grounds in an effort to house the once large Winthrope clan. But over the years the Winthrope name had run down to a trickle, ending with Scott, who had few plans on finding a woman to settle down with an marry, let along pop out a few children. Reaching the sweeping set of stairs leading from the second floor to the first, Scott paused and admired the gothic scenery around him.

Child of the Apocalypse, Part Three

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Opening the medicine cabinet, I grab anything that looks remotely helpful, such as “-icillin” or “Pain-killer” into my side satchel, pausing to read the side effects of one bottle.

Horror Holidays

     With the jingling of bells and people speaking of Santa and his damnable list, I feel a certain spirit of the season in the air, and not one that I enjoy. Call me old fashioned, but I think we should go back to the original winter holiday that was celebrated in December.
     Saturnalia!
     

     

Roman-invented, of course!

     Call me crazy (and many people have) but I think the original holiday was fine on it's own. The holiday was a little over a week long, with debauched parties and drunken revelry and gambling; masters served slaves, celebrations poured out into the streets and private gift-giving was thoroughly encouraged. Like many things the Romans did, they didn't do their celebrating half-assed.

     Now we have but one humble day, with two months of prep time! I am already sick of Christmas songs and it's not even the 5th of the month! I get to listen to Bill O'Reilly rant about people attacking Christmas while non-Christians let loose a torrent of rage if a school does anything related to religion, on a religion centered holiday.

     Far be it for me to have a problem with this most auspicious of days, but I cannot stand the final day of Christmas where everyone is forced out onto icy roads to go and visit family. I would much rather stay in my warm little tomb and drink coffee, but that makes me a hermit. No, can't have that! Let's drag the poor bastard out of his house and force him to endure being around people for a day in the name of... wait, why are we doing this again?

     To all of you, I wish a happy Saturnalia and a fond holiday season, but I am done with this holiday. Not enough spook or scare in the stocking so hung with care, nor enough creak and shriek to make me note that day of the week. No more I say, from the top of my lungs, no more will I pay! Let this whole Christmas thing go far, far away!