Ho Ho...Horror?

Readers, I'm pleased to announce that my short story, Slay Bells, has been accepted for inclusion in You'd Better Watch Out!, a holiday-themed anthology that will be commercially available later this year.

Given that Christmas and horror normally don't mix, this collection is bound to carve out an interesting niche and spread plenty of holiday fear...er, cheer!

The anthology should be available prior to the holidays, so stay tuned for details!

Dark Eclipse issue #17 out, featuring my short story "Beimini"

I've been on a roll scoring some publications late in 2012, and I'm pleased to report that the my short story, Beimini, is being featured in this month's installment of Dark Eclipse!  The cover of the issue my story appears in is attached to the right.

Beimini is a alternate history retelling of the Ponce de Leon legend.

Dark Eclipse is available via Amazon.com [click HERE to purchase issue #17].

This is a great horror magazine with outstanding quality, so check it out!

Dark Side of the Womb is available on Amazon

The horror anthology, Dark Side of the Womb, published by Cruentus Libri [UK] is available on Amazon.com!

 Dark Side of the Womb features my short story, "Unsafe."

Always nice to get top billing in the book description:

"The Dark Side of the Womb contains stories from the world's finest horror authors, including Ryan Neil Falcone, S.C. Hayden, Ken Goldman, Joseph A. Pinto, Cecilia Dockins, Philip M. Roberts, Christos Callow Jr., Nathan Robinson, Kevin G. Bufton, David Edward Nell, Stephen McQuiggan, Wol-vriey, Michael Wolf, T. Fox Dunham, Lyle Enright and Malon Edwards."


Click here to purchase the Kindle version.

Click here to purchase the paperback version.

10 Scariest Movies of All Time: Honorable Mention

In the spirit of Halloween, here are 13 additional horror masterpieces that just missed the cut for making my top 10 list.  Enjoy--and Happy Halloween!

The Ring
Another American horror film based upon a Japanese movie [“Ringu”], this thriller shows what happens after people watch a cursed video tape that causes the viewer to die 7 days later.

Wrong Turn

Surprisingly clever film about a group of people who run afoul of a sadistic clan of mountain folk after their vehicles break down deep in the wilderness of West Virginia.

Friday the 13th Part II
Don’t laugh—this early installment in the Friday the 13th series is a hidden gem, revealing the origin of deformed / deranged teenager Jason Vorhees before he became the cheesy unstoppable juggernaut of the later sequels. 

Session 9
A construction crew is contracted to renovate an abandoned insane asylum on the night shift…what could possibly go wrong?  The creepiness factor of this movie ratchets up after one of the workers discovers audio tapes of a former inmate’s psychiatric sessions and decides to play them to pass the time while he works.

28 Days Later
This film innovated the popular zombie apocalypse genre by reinventing “zombies” into relentless monsters who are as fast as normal humans.

The Descent
A group of women spelunkers get hopelessly lost underground while exploring an uncharted cave system, where they encounter albino, carnivorous humanoids.  The relatively uncreative monster aspect of this film doesn’t diminish the nightmarish, claustrophobic scenes where the protagonists are forced to squeeze through [and frequently become stuck in] crevice-like passageways that are too small for people to fit through.  A must see for any horror fan.

Nightmare on Elm Street
A pedophile burned to death by vigilante parents returns to stalk the nightmares of his killer’s teenaged children.  Wes Craven’s cinematic opus, this brilliant concept should not be diminished by the poor quality of the sequels.

Poltergeist
I saw this movie recently, and although I was disappointed by how dated the special effects were, I was struck by the raw terror this film still inspires.  “They’re he-errre….”

Jaws
Stephen Spielberg’s masterpiece induced acute fear of the water in an entire generation of movie goers—enough said!

Freaks
This classic’s [1932] utilization of actual circus freaks in the cast gives the film unforgettably striking visual imagery.  The corny ending won’t bother you, given how scary the 10 minutes leading up to the ending are.  An obscure must-see for any horror fan.

Audition
Take my word for it--this Japanese horror film is one of the most surreal horror movies of all time.  What’s in the bag?  

Nosferatu
Although this silent film [1922] was a blatant Dracula rip off, the shocking appearance of Max Shreck, the actor portraying the vampire, makes this film memorable despite the lack of dialogue.  Sherck’s performance is so frightening that it inspired a 2000 film, Shadow of the Vampire, that addresses the question about whether Shreck was an actor or a real vampire.

Ed Gein
This movie is a somewhat fictionalized dramatization of the life of America’s first [and most  notorious] serial killer.  Despite being more of a drama than an overt horror movie, it has several unforgettable scenes that are truly horrifying.

10 Scariest Movies of All Time: #1

1 Halloween [1978]

John Carpenter's masterpiece is the granddaddy of all slasher films.  It differs significantly from later copycats by creating an ambiance of ominous, Hitchcock-ian suspense that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats throughout the movie.

Michael Myers -- or "the Shape," as he's referred to in the script -- is just a man, but his frightening malevolence is made exponentially more sinister by the featureless, opaque white mask he wears throughout the movie.  Mix in the creepiest movie soundtrack in horror history, and you have all of the ingredients for the most horrifying movie of all time.

The 2007 remake [directed by Rob Zombie] is a subpar effort that doesn't hold a candle to the original.

Halloween

10 Scariest Movies of All Time: #2

2  The Exorcist [1973]

The most riveting thing about this seminal classic is the presentation of evil as a disembodied force that can corrupt even the most innocent victims.  The plot connects with viewers irrespective of their religious beliefs, since the story unfolds through the eyes of a disillusioned priest struggling with a crisis of faith.  Although the movie is dated stylistically, it still packs a wallop by tapping into one of our most primal fears: the Devil himself as a supernatural force.


The Exorcist

Check out my zombie themed blog post for Coffin Hop 2012

...

...for Dark Moon Digest's Last Writes blog, by clicking on the link below:

They're Coming to Get You, Barbara...

10 Scariest Movies of All Time: #3

3  Silence of the Lambs [1991]

Another movie that's more of a drama than a pure horror film, Silence of the Lambs introduced one of the most insidious villains [Hannibal Lecter] to ever grace the silver screen...and he's not even the bad guy in this film!

Virtuoso performances by Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and Ted Levine [Buffalo Bill] make this one of the scariest films of all time.  Hearing "...it rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again" still gives me goose bumps.

Silence of the Lambs

10 Scariest Movies of All Time: #4

4  The Sixth Sense [1999]

Even though this movie is more accurately described as a psychological thriller, it remains to this day one of the scariest movies I've ever seen in the theater.  There's something tremendously unsettling about a child being terrorized by the dead.  M. Night Shyamalan's masterpiece offers some incredibly memorable scares and delivers the mother of all surprise endings.


The Sixth Sense

10 Scariest Movies of All Time: #5

5  The Shining [1980]

Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of the best selling Stephen King novel departs significantly from the book's plot, but Jack Nicholson's unforgettable performance makes this one of the most disturbing movies in horror history.

This film provides an innovative twist on the haunted house theme, emphasizing that some places [in this case, the infamous Overlook Hotel] are just bad.

"Heeeeeeeeere's Johnny!"

The Shining