Jason Dark: Ghost Hunter is a series of novellas with an intriguing premise. The main character, Jason Dark, is a paranormal detective who fights demons, ghosts, vampires and other supernatural beings. But the twist that sets it apart from other popular paranormal detective stories (such as Supernatural or The X-Files) is that it takes place in Victorian era London.
Demon's Night is the first volume in the series. In this novella Jason Dark investigates mysterious deaths where the victims' bodies are found shriveled like raisins. His detective work leads him to a dangerous demon who sucks the life out of its victims. With the help of Siu Lin (a woman he saves from the demon) and his special demon-slaying sword, he sets out to stop the demon before it kills again.
The plot leans more toward action/adventure than horror and it's very different compared to the usual gory stories I favour, but it still held my interest. There is a ton of action, suspense and mystery to make this an interesting - and quick - read. Normally I'm not a fan of historical fiction (it reminds me of boring history class), but I thought I would give this a shot since it involves the paranormal and I was pleasantly surprised. The time period actually makes it more interesting and unique than if it had a contemporary setting.
But the characters left a little to be desired. Jason Dark could have been fleshed out a bit more and given more of a back-story. I'm hoping that since this is the first in a series we will get to know him better in the other books. Although I guess that in a plot-driven story such as this one, it's not a big deal if the characters aren't deep as long as the story is entertaining - and it is.
There are nine volumes in the series, which you can read more about here.
Jason, from Halloween Overkill, came up with a fun reading adventure for 2011. He chose 11 categories and the idea is to read one book for each category. Visit Halloween Overkill to find out more and read along. Here are the books I've chosen for each category:
1. Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads.
A book concerning time travel.
I'm looking forward to a new year, especially seeing new horror films and reading new horror novels. So I've compiled a list of my most anticipated horror movies and books to be released in 2011.
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Release Date: TBA
Directed By: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison
A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.
Although I haven't seen the 1973 original yet, I still want to see this remake. Mostly because the trailer is so creepy. See for yourself:
The Woman
Release Date: TBA
Directed By: Lucky McKee
Starring: Angela Bettis, Pollyanna McIntosh, Sean Bridgers
When a successful country lawyer captures and attempts to "civilize" the last remaining member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast coast for decades, he puts the lives of his family in jeopardy.
Not only is this film based on a Jack Ketchum novel and continues the story from Off Season and Offspring, but it's also directed by Lucky McKee and stars Angela Bettis! This is probably my most anticipated film of the year. There's no trailer out yet, so instead here's a behind-the-scenes video:
Scream 4
Release Date: April 15
Directed By: Wes Craven
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette
Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott, who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer.
I loved the first three films (well, the second and third weren't as good as the first, but they weren't awful) and can't wait for the fourth.
The Cabin in the Woods
Release Date: TBA
Directed By: Drew Goddard
Starring: Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Jesse Williams
A twisted and unusual take on the familiar "cabin in the woods" formula.
This film was supposed to be released almost a year ago, but it was delayed to convert it into 3D, and given the new release date of January 14, 2011. And now because of problems with MGM, it's going to be delayed "indefinitely." But I'm still including it on this list because I'm hoping it will be released sometime in the near future. It's co-written by Drew Goddard (Cloverfield) and Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), so it should be interesting. The Innkeepers
Release Date: TBA
Directed By: Ti West
Starring: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis
A horror-thriller centered on the last two employees at a haunted hotel that's going out of business.
I found Ti West's The House of the Devil to be very creepy, so hopefully this movie will be scary as well.
Release Date: March (e-book)
May (trade paperback)
The Woman is the powerful story of the last survivor of a feral tribe of cannibals who have terrorized the east coast from Maine into Canada for years now. Badly wounded in a battle with police, she takes refuge in a cave overlooking the sea. Christopher Cleek is a slick, amoral -- and unstable -- country lawyer who, out hunting one day, sees her bathing in a stream. Fascinated, he follows her to her cave. Cleek has many dark secrets and to these he'll add another. He will capture her, lock in his fruit cellar, and tame her, civilize her. To this end he'll enlist his long-suffering wife Belle, his teenage son and daughter Brian and Peg, and even his little girl Darlin', to aid him. So the question becomes, who is more savage? The hunter or the game?
I'm insanely excited about this book. Not only is it a third Ketchum book about the Sawney Bean clan, but it's also co-written by Lucky McKee!
From legendary horror director Tobe Hooper and acclaimed novelist Alan Goldsher comes a horror event that mixes fact and fiction to tell the story of what happens when one of Hooper's films causes a strange contagion to spread across America, forcing Hooper to delve into long-forgotten corners of his past to solve the mystery.
As MIDNIGHT MOVIE opens, Tobe Hooper is attending a festival screening of his "lost" film "Destiny Express," a movie that Tobe wrote and directed when he was sixteen years old and that hasn't seen the light of day for over thirty years. Over the coming days, Tobe learns that terrifying, seemingly supernatural events are befalling all those who saw the movie that night. Soon, the audience members' friends are affected, too. And their friends. And their friends. The effects are growing exponentially, and before long, people are dying by the thousands. Suspecting that the solution to the movie's strange power lies in his own past, Tobe begins a desperate cross-country quest to understand the film's thirty-year-old origins... and come to terms with his own secrets.
The plot of this book sounds interesting and if Tobe Hooper can write as well as he directs, it should be good.
In Laymon's Terms edited by Kelly Laymon, Steve Gerlach & Richard Chizmar
Release Date: TBA
An oversized, huge tribute anthology for Richard Laymon -- featuring original and reprint short fiction, essays, interviews, personal remembrances, photos, etc. from dozens of the biggest names in horror! Personal, moving, and wildly entertaining -- this oversized hardcover is a collection that Richard Laymon would be very proud of!
I'm really hoping this actually gets released this year. I'm a huge Richard Laymon fan and I've been waiting for this tribute to him for a year and a half. It was supposed to be released August 2009, and that never happened. But according to the Cemetery Dance website, it will be released in 2011 and is "at the printer now."
Entombed by Brian Keene
Release Date: TBA
Entombed is a follow-up to Dead Seaand was supposed to be released by Leisure in February, but after the changes Keene decided to go with a different publisher. It will be released as a signed, limited edition hardcover sometime this year.
There's also one more thing to look forward to in 2011. Former Leisure horror editor Don D'Auria will be in charge of a new horror line at Samhain Publishing, which will release two books a month beginning in October.
What horror films or novels are you looking forward to in 2011?
Every year I make a list of resolutions but never seem to accomplish them. So I'm going to share a few of them with you in hopes that it will help me complete them.
1. Post in my blog at least 5 times a week.
Even though I haven't posted a lot in the past few months, 2010 was the year I've posted the most since I started my blog. But in 2011 I plan on posting more frequently.
2. Finish NaNoWriMo.
For the past three years I've participated in National Novel Writing Month, but have never completed it. The idea of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. But this year I am absolutely dedicated to completing it - I've even begun thinking up ideas for my novel.
3. Watch all the movies I own but haven't seen.
If you read my blog, you know how much I lovetobuyDVDs. In 2010, I splurged a lot and now I have 159 movies I own but have never seen.
4. Read one book a week.
I only read 23 books in 2010, so this goal is more than double that amount, but I think I'm up to the challenge.
5. Stop buying DVDs and books.
I developed this goal to help me with resolution #3. Plus I have no more shelving space - I've resorted to stacking them everywhere I can find space - and saving money can't hurt.
I also have the other usual resolutions like eating healthier and exercising more, but I've only listed the ones pertaining to my blog. You can read the rest on 43 Things, an awesome website dedicated to setting goals and resolutions.
I'm also going to take part in a reading challenge:
For being a huge horror fan, it's pretty appalling how few King books I've actually read. So this year I'm going to read six Stephen King books:
1. Misery
2. Pet Sematary
3. Needful Things
4. The Dark Half
5. Night Shift
6. Skeleton Crew
I might read more, or I might change these later on. The challenge is hosted by Book Chick City and you can sign up here.
2010 was a tough year for me. Sadly, my mom passed away in July. I would like to thank my fellow bloggers and my readers for your kind words. They helped me through a rough time.
I didn't get around to watching many horror films this year, and most of the ones I did see, I didn't like. Saw 3D was a mediocre end to the franchise. The Human Centipede was surprisingly not very gory for a movie about a mad doctor who sews people's mouths to others' asses. And I haven't really seen many others. But within the past two weeks I've finally seen two movies I enjoyed: one enough to call it the best movie of 2010, and to give the other a honourable mention.
BEST MOVIE: Splice
I actually didn't watch this until a few days ago when I bought the DVD on Boxing Day and I really enjoyed it. It's nothing like what I expected and had a couple of pretty disturbing and twisted scenes, which made it better than I anticipated. I know Splice doesn't have many fans and probably won't appear on any other "best of" lists, but I find it fascinating.
HONORABLE MENTION: Frozen
I also just saw this film recently and it was pretty good. Frozen is tense and suspenseful. I was surprised that it held my interest considering it only has three characters and one setting, but the film managed to do it with its interesting characters and dialogue.
BEST BOOK: Dweller by Jeff Strand
If you haven't read this yet, go read it now. Dweller was not only the best book I've read this year, but possibly the best book I've ever read. I loved Owen at least equal to how much I love my cat, Betty, and I want my own pet monster now too.
HONOURABLE MENTION: Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite
This book was actually released in 1996, but I'm including it because I read it for the first time this year. Even though I read it way back in January I never forgot about it because it made such an impact on me. Very gory and disturbing and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it yet.
BEST T.V. SHOW: The Walking Dead
Well, there aren't exactly a lot of horror T.V. shows to choose from, but at least there's one amazing one. The Walking Dead premiered on AMC this past Halloween and was a treat for all horror and zombie fans. But I was less than thrilled with how short the season was - a mere six episodes. And it won't be returning until October 2011! That's far too long of a wait, but I guess I'll just have to suck it up and try to be patient.
HONOURABLE MENTION: Scream Queens Season 2
I enjoyed season 2 of Scream Queens even more than the first. Jaime King replaced Shawnee Smith and Tim Sullivan replaced James Gunn, both of whom I like better and the actress I was cheering for from the beginning won! When Gabby West won, I was so excited it was like I won myself. Too bad the role she won was only a 30 second non-speaking appearance.
BEST SONG: Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold
I thought I would include my favourite song of the year because of this awesome A Nightmare On Elm Street tribute video featuring it:
3 TECHNOLOGIES THAT CHANGED MY LIFE IN 2010:
I realize that I am waaay behind the times, but I finally caught up a bit in 2010 with the following gadgets that I acquired this year.
1. DVR
I finally got a DVR thanks to a free promotion with Bell and I don't think I've watched T.V. live since. I can't believe I didn't get one sooner. No more commercials for me! And I've watched at least double the amount of movies since I can record movies when I'm not home, sleeping, or otherwise occupied. 2. Kindle
I haven't gone anywhere without my Kindle since I got it. I originally was unsure if I would like it, but I absolutely love it. It's so much lighter than a book, so it's convenient to carry around in my purse, it's easy to read one-handed, and if I finish a book or get sick of one I can start reading something different. Thanks to my Kindle I'll be reading much more in 2011.
3. Wii & Netflix
Here in Canada we just got Netflix a few months ago. And a few weeks ago I got a Nintendo Wii from my super awesome boyfriend. So of course I got Netflix immediately and have been addicted to it ever since. Now I can watch as many movies and T.V. shows I want for only $7.99 a month, and I'll be taking full advantage of that.
THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY YEAR: Fan Expo '10
I attended my first horror convention this past summer and got the chance to meet Heather Langenkamp and get her autograph (see left)! I had a great time and I'm saving my money to go again in 2011. I can't wait!
There are several zombie survival guides out there, but none like this one. No other guide will explain how getting blackout drunk can help a zombie bite or how to turn a zombie into a sex slave. But luckily this one explains everything you need to know in order to "live like a king" after the zombie outbreak - from zombie crabs to zombie pimps.
The Zombie Survival Guide: How to Live Like a King After the Outbreak is crude yet hilarious. Several moments in the book had me laughing hysterically. Here's one of my favourite passages as an example:
When approaching a prospective human, first ask them what their name is.
If it replies "Brains," blow its head off.
If it replies "Brian," ask it again, as you may have encountered a zombie with a speech impediment, or a zombie that was mildly retarded in life.
Keep in mind that it is entirely possible that you did encounter a human named "Brian."
That passage still cracks me up and there are plenty of other laughs. Including some from the amusing diagrams featured in the book.
But I should caution readers that if you don't like politically incorrect jokes, or get offended easily this is not the book for you. At times it can be racist, homophobic and just generally offensive. But as long as you don't take it too seriously, you'll find it funny.
The survival guide is very thorough including information on zombie history, origins of zombies, weapons, dealing with humans and zombies after the outbreak and training zombies. And it's a quick read at just 117 pages which fly by thanks to its entertaining content.
Overall, a very funny book that will "not only teach you how to survive the zombie outbreak, but how to do it with STYLE." If there is ever a zombie apocalypse this is the guide I will use to survive. It's available on Amazon for $7.99 and the Kindle edition is only 99 cents.
Until December 31, the five e-books released by Books of the Dead Press will be 75% off on Smashwords. All you have to do is visit the Books of the Dead Press blog, get the promotion code for each book and type it in at the checkout. Every e-book is regular priced at $4.95, so after the discount they're only $1.24 each! These are the five e-books to choose from:
Want the Greatest Zombie Stories Ever Written? BEST NEW ZOMBIE TALES Vol. 1 Includes Amazing Fiction by Ray Garton, Matt Hults, Jessica Brown, Kealan Patrick Burke, Jeff Strand, Robert Swartwood, Gary McMahon, Harry Shannon, Gord Rollo, Brian Knight, Simon McCaffery, John Grover, John L French, Kim Paffenroth, Charles Black, Jonathan Maberry, Steve Wedel, Bev Vincent and more...
Want the Greatest Zombie Stories Ever Written? BEST NEW ZOMBIE TALES (Vol. 2) Includes Amazing Fiction by: Bram Stoker Award Winner, David Niall Wilson, British Fantasy Award Nominee, Rio Youers, Bram Stoker Award Nominee, Nate Kenyon, Multiple Award Winning Author, Cody Goodfellow, Bram Stoker Nominee, Mort Castle Bram Stoker Award Winner, John Everson, and more...
Classic Vampire fiction at its very finest! Includes amazing stories by: J. Sheridan Lefanu, M. R. James, F. Marion Crawford, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, James Robinson Planche, Johann Ludwig Tieck, Bram Stoker, E. F. Benson, and Algernon Blackwood!
From the author of THE DEAD PARADE comes 13 tales of horror, suspense, and imagination. Enter the gore-soaked exhibit, the train of terror, the graveyard of the haunted. Meet the scientist of the monsters, the woman with the thing living inside her, the living dead... James Roy Daley unleashes quality horror stories with a flair for the hardcore. Not for the squeamish.
Killer on the warpath. Monsters on the street. Vampires in the night. Zombies on the hunt. Welcome to Terror Town, the place where no one is safe. Nothing is sacred. All will die. All will suffer. From the mind of James Roy Daley, author of The Dead Parade, comes one of the most brutally violent horror stories ever written.
When Nick plans a camping trip for himself and his new girlfriend, Maggie, he ignores the stories about the location he has chosen. Supposedly the area was used as a burial ground for Civil War soldiers and several disappearances have been reported in the area. But Nick and Maggie learn the truth when they are woken by a Confederate zombie in the middle of the night.
The plot isn't the most unique, but Dead of Night is still entertaining for zombie fans. Although it has lots of gore, it isn't all about the blood and guts. Instead it is suspenseful and atmospheric. The scene where Nick wakes up in the middle of the night and first spots a zombie is tense. And being in the middle of nowhere, disconnected from the rest of the world with no one to turn to for help, added to the creepiness.
At the beginning, C.M. Saunders takes time to establish the characters, and although some may find that part slow, I found their relationship and discussion of Michael Jackson interesting. Since Nick and Maggie were well-developed I cared about them and found the story more interesting.
The Confederate zombies in Dead of Night were a little different than other zombies in fiction. They were more intelligent and were armed with guns - and could actually use them. Making Nick and Maggie's fight for survival even more challenging and exciting.
My only complaint is that, as most horror characters, Nick and Maggie made some stupid mistakes. But I suppose if they didn't this novella would only be 10 pages long.
Dead of Night is a quick, suspenseful read and recommended for all zombie lovers. You can buy the ebook from Damnation Books here for a mere $4.50 or from Amazon.
I'm not a huge fan of the Saw franchise. I think the first one is okay, the second one is good, but the third one kind of sucks and made me lose interest in the subsequent sequels. ...Until a few months ago when Saw V and Saw VI were playing back to back on Super Channel and I decided to watch them, expecting nothing more than gore. And, to my surprise, I actually enjoyed them. Not as much as Saw II, but pretty close. They actually made me want to see the newest installment, Saw 3D. And when my favourite actress from Scream Queens Season 2, Gabby West, won a role in the film, I wanted to see it even more. So after finally convincing my horror movie hating boyfriend to go with me, I've seen it and think it was just okay.
The plot is the standard Saw fare: lots of gore and inventive traps, but with a few twists thrown in. I was surprised by the major plot twist in the movie, but it didn't make sense in context with the rest of the films in the series. In general, there wasn't much of a plot, just massive amounts of gore, which is what I expected and was looking forward to.
The 3D was unnecessary. It definitely wasn't worth the extra $2.50, since it was barely noticeable save for a few instances of blood and guts flying at my face.
But the biggest disappointment in Saw 3D was Gabby West's role. She had no lines - other than screaming, of course. Chester Bennington (from Linkin Park) even had more lines than her! If I had to endure catfights with bitchy actresses, John Homa's brutal acting class and just generally working my ass off to win a part in a film where I didn't have any lines and was only onscreen for 30 seconds, I would not be impressed. Especially while the previous winner of Scream Queens, Tanedra Howard, had several lines in Saw VI, and in Saw 3D. Oh well, hopefully we'll see more of Gabby in other films.
I probably would have enjoyed Saw 3D if Gabby had a larger role, they had made more use out of the 3D and the big plot twist wasn't disappointing. But it's not a terrible choice if you're just looking for lots of gore.
