Sunday, October 25, 2009 12:11 AM
Tim Janson
Books
 The past couple of years have seen a rebirth of the haunted house genre, a genre that has been ignored for far too long. Outstanding books like William Peter Blatty’s “Elsewhere”, L. H. Maynard and M. P. N. Sims’ “Black Cathedral”, and Brian Keene’s “Urban Gothic” have helped to reinvigorate the sub-genre. Slashers, demons, vampires…when done right, a good haunted house novel can top them all for sheer terror and suspense. THE BIRTHING HOUSE comes very close to greatness but falls just short.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 03:50 AM
Tim Janson
Books
 Their names are synonymous with classic horror films. Together, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff presented an unbeatable tag team of terror. For over 25 years they dueled for horror superiority with films such as DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUMMY, WHITE ZOMBIE, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, MARK OF THE VAMPIRE, and dozens of others. Film historian Greg Mank, the foremost expert on classic horror of the 1930s and 1940s, takes horror fans on an incredible journey through the lives of these two icons of the silver screen in BELA LUGOSI AND BORIS KARLOFF: THE EXPANDED STORY OF A HAUNTING COLLABORATION.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 03:48 PM
Allan Dart
Books
 It’s hard to believe that Clive Barker’s THE HELLBOUND HEART was published more than 20 years ago. The novella first appeared in 1986’s NIGHT VISIONS collection, and was reissued later on as a standalone book. If you haven’t read THE HELLBOUND HEART or seen HELLRAISER, the Barker-scripted-and-directed movie it inspired, then you probably shouldn’t be reading Pocket Books’ recently published HELLBOUND HEARTS.
Read more...
Sunday, October 11, 2009 03:01 AM
Rich Mallery
Books
 In the not-too-distant future, humanity is so decimated by poverty that people will do anything for money. An innovative producer gives the poor hope by offering them work as extras in a series of “live death” films where they’ll be stalked by giant, blood-thirsty mechanical monsters. The job is easy - survive. First off, the concept behind Michael Shea’s THE EXTRA is brilliant. By taking a story like THE RUNNING MAN to a much darker place, this could’ve been an entertaining read. But it wasn’t.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009 06:14 AM
John Porter
Books
 Andy Black’s latest contribution to the world of horror comes some six years after his last effort. During that time he has assembled a mixed bag of articles ranging from musings on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, the political views represented by the two versions of THE THING, torture horror, zombies, and a treatise on feminist film theory as it relates to the horror field. While consistency is a problem with NECRONOMICON BOOK 5 (some essays are light years ahead of others), it remains ultimately an enjoyable and readable book.
Thursday, October 01, 2009 03:58 AM
Kate Syoen
Books
 IN THE BLOOD by Miranda Luna is a story about a young woman who the "average" person would most likely label as problematic. Zoe Starr has an addiction to heroin and a far from healthy obsession with blood, in her art and in her sex life, the two of which often over-lap and blend to become one in a world where fantasy, smack-high and dreams are quite difficult to distinguish from reality.
Saturday, September 19, 2009 09:44 PM
Tim Janson
Books
 BY BLOOD WE LIVE is a massive anthology of vampire fiction clocking in at 500 pages and nearly a quarter of a million words. The book features stories by some of the top names in horror/fantasy literature including Stephen King, Anne Rice, Neil Gaiman, Harry Turtledove, Tanith Lee, Brian Lumley, and more. However despite the star-power of the authors it fails to escape being labeled “uneven” as is the fate of so many anthologies with such a diverse group of authors.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 01:01 AM
Michael Compton
Books
 Remember how exited you were when you first heard about Seth Grahame-Smith’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES? Remember how thrilled you were, first getting home with a paperback copy of the book firmly in one hand and your Barnes and Noble vanilla chai latte gripped tightly in the other? Remember how eager you were to lounge in your favorite chair and crack the spine of your latest literary purchase? Remember how disappointed you were upon realizing that, despite Mr. Grahame-Smith’s valiant efforts at adding a little zombie mayhem to Jane Austen’s beloved classic, you still had to push and shove your way through a Victorian era comedy of manners wherein young eighteenth century aristocrat Elizabeth Bennet deals with the romantic advances of the arrogant and snobbish Mr. Darcy while living amongst English high society?
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 12:49 AM
Jorge Solis
Books
 CTHULHU UNBOUND: Volume 2 edited by John Sunseri and Thomas Brannan, continues to inspire thrills from its nightmarish monstrosities with each short tale. Fifteen writers are again asked to create a world dominated by devilish creatures, the likes which author H.P. Lovecraft could only have imagined. In the first volume, the breakneck pace came to a sudden halt by the numerous references to H.P. Lovecraft’s mythology. As a reader, I would sometimes have to stop and look up these citations to understand the story better. In this volume though, the writers concentrated less on the obscure references and more on elevating the suspense and atmosphere; which were the two elements Lovecraft concentrated on in his works.
Sunday, September 13, 2009 08:49 PM
Tim Janson
Books
 THE HOUSE OF LOST SOULS is an atmospheric haunted house story in the grand tradition of the genre as set forth by the likes of M.R. James and Shirley Jackson. Cottam injects a sheer, overpowering sense of dread, however, that calls to mind the best of Lovecraft’s psychological horror and the madness that infects those who encounter it.
|
|
He is, without a doubt, the most famous vampire (yes, even more famous than Edward from the TWILIGHT franchise). His villainy is legendary and his story inspired centuries of sequels in both books and movie form. Spawned from the genius of Bram Stoker, DRACULA gave readers the original figure who started the bloodsucker craze. Now, in 2009, an actual descendant of the Stoker line is bringing Vlad the Impaler back to life.
