Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer: Halloween 2018

Showing posts with label Halloween 2018. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

13 Days of Halloween: HALLOWEEN: A Fan's Retrospective

Billy Burgess 13 Days of Halloween , Halloween 2018

While most kids were watching cartoons in 1988, I was a seven-year-old sitting in the floor directly in front of my grandparent's old television set watching Jamie Lee Curtis being stalked by a psychopath wearing a William Shatner mask.

Yeah, you shouldn't let a seven-year-old watch a slasher film, but my grandmother did. Thanks, Grandma!

I believe I was probably pestering my grandmother, so she played a movie in the VHS player for me to watch. Don't worry, the movie was edited. She had recorded Halloween I, II, and III onto a VHS tape off of television the previous year. I would say she played the movie just to get me to leave her alone. Whatever the reason, it was the first time I watched Halloween, which would become my favorite movie.

While Halloween wasn't my venture into the world of horror (Midnight Hour (1985) gets that honor!), it was my very first slasher flick, which kicked off my lifetime love for the Halloween franchise. (Yes, that even includes the godawful Halloween Resurrection!)

I can't explain why my favorite movie is about a masked killer stalking a babysitter on Halloween Night. It might have something to do with the film's Gothic-like atmosphere or it might have something to with the little fact that my first crush was on Jamie Lee Curtis!

My mother thought I was crazy for liking a slasher film and thought there was something mentally wrong with me. I'm not joking, she really thought there was something wrong with me. Through my eyes Halloween was just a movie. I knew the difference between make-believe and reality, so I never saw the harm in watching the movie.

I believe I still have my grandmother's VHS tape, but for the life of me I couldn't find it before I started writing this. I believe it is stored in a box somewhere.

13 Days of Halloween: Halloween: The Official Movie Novelization

Billy Burgess 13 Days of Halloween , Halloween 2018

Titan; 384 pages; Amazon

It's been a long, long day for me, but here I am determined to write this review for Halloween: The Official Movie Novelization by John Passarella, which is based on the screenplay by Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride, and David Gordon Green.

The original Halloween (1978) happens to my favorite movie (more on that topic tomorrow), so I guess you can say I have been really excited about the new reboot sequel that was released on October 19th. Yes, you would think I would be one of the first people in line to see the film, but the only theater near me only has one screen and it takes them forever to get a new movie. I highly doubt if they will ever get Halloween. I have no problem waiting for the film to arrive on Blu-ray; especially since I have already read the novelization.

Halloween ignores all the original sequels and the Rob Zombie's movies. It's a direct sequel to the 1978 classic. The novel begins with two true-crime podcasters visiting Smith's Grove Rehabilitation Hospital to interview Michael Myers, which makes little sense as he never talks. Michael and a few other patients are being transported on a prison bus on Halloween Eve to another facility when an unknown accident occurs that allows Michael to escape.

For the last forty years, Laurie Strode has been haunted by the events of Halloween 1978, when three of her friends were murdered by Michael Myers. She's has developed PTSD and has prepared herself if Michael would ever come after her again. She has a collection of guns that she has been trained to use and she has fortified her house.

After learning Michael has escaped, Laurie goes on the hunt to kill him on Halloween Night, but she's too late as Michael has already gone on a killing spree in Haddonfield. With her daughter, Karen, and granddaughter, Allyson, in Michael's pathway, Laurie will do anything she can to protect them from the boogeyman.

13 Days of Halloween: Goosebumps SlappyWorld: The Ghost of Slappy

Billy Burgess 13 Days of Halloween , Goosebumps

Scholastic; 160 pagers; Amazon

I could never have a Halloween event without featuring one Goosebumps title!

I've been reading and collecting Goosebumps books since the very first book was released back in 1992! The latest spinoff series is titled Goosebumps SlappyWorld, which features the #1 Goosebumps villain Slappy as the host of each and every tale.

The newest entry "The Ghost of Slappy" centers around Shep Mooney, who's scared of anything supernatural related, especially ghosts! Shep thinks that his basement is haunted by a ghost named Annalee, but neither his parents nor his younger sister, Patti, believes him.

Maybe a camping trip will make Shep forget about the ghost. His class is having a sleepover in the woods. Sounds like fun, right?

Think again!

His teacher, Mr. Hanson, has brought along a very special gift for the trip - a ventriloquist dummy named Slappy! It seems Mr. Hanson had found the dummy in an attic and thought it would be fun to bring it for the campout. Mr. Hanson is aware about the curse that was put on the dummy and tells the story to Shep and classmates.

After the camping trip is over, Slappy decides to stalk Shep and his family, but the boy is one step ahead of the dummy. However, Shep doesn't know that Slappy has a few new tricks up his sleeve!

13 Days of Halloween: Monsterland Reanimated

Billy Burgess 13 Days of Halloween , Halloween 2018

WordFire Press; pages; Amazon

I don't know why horror novels and movies appeal to me so much. I don't believe it has anything to do with the them being scary, as there has only been a few books and films that have actually frightened me. Maybe I just like things that go bump in the night!

Today, I'm reviewing Monsterland: Reanimated by Michael Okon. It's a sequel to the young adult horror novel Monsterland, which I had reviewed on this very blog in 2015 (read the review here). The first book was original written under the name Michael Phillip Cash.

Monsterland centered around Wyatt Baldwin, a teenager obsessed with anything horror and that includes Monsterland, a theme park full of vampires, werewolves, and vampires. The kid is thrilled when he gets an invitation to the grand opening, which he drags his two friends with him.

Sound like fun, right?

Not really! In this world, there was an outbreak and all the infected was saved by Dr. Vincent Konrad. Where are the infected?

Take a wild guess! They're the attractions in Monsterland!

The sequel picks up shortly after events of Monsterland, where the infected have escaped into the real world. Thousands of people are dead, along with the Present of the United States and other world leaders. Governments are starting to shut down as the world falls into complete chaos.

To save his town, Wyatt and his pals must go on a journey to reestablish communication with whatever is left of the government in the hopes of warning them about a new threat. However, his quest isn't going to be an easy one as he must battle more supernatural creatures, including a blob-like thing called The Glob, a reanimated Behemoth, and a few mummies.

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Editon! - October 26th - November 1st

Billy Burgess book blogger hop , Halloween 2018

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition!

Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML

Welcome Ghouls and Goblins
to the
Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition!

If you want schedule next week's thrilling question, click here to find the next prompt fright-fest.
To submit a question, fill out this form.

How to participate in this week's creepy meme:

1. Post on your blog answering this haunt:

Recommend one horror novel for non-horror readers.

(This week's question is submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer.)

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in a curse).

3. Visit other haunters in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new creeper. The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

Billy's Answer!

The Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson

Linky List:

13 Days of Halloween: Hocus Pocus & the All-New Sequel

Billy Burgess 13 Days of Halloween , Halloween 2018

Freeform Books; 528 pages; Amazon

Go ahead an admit it! You have watched Hocus Pocus at least one time!

I'm not for sure when the tradition started, but Freeform (formerly ABC Family) airs the 1993 film dozens of times throughout the month of October every year; resulting in it becoming a cult classic. Since I'm a bit older than the typical Freeform viewer, I was quite aware that Hocus Pocus existed long before it became popular. I remember seeing it in theaters when I was a 12-years-old and later watching it countless times on VHS; so I was a big fan before everyone else started appreciating the little horror-comedy.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film, Disney published Hocus Pocus & the All-New Sequel written by A. W. Jantha, which is actually two books in one. The first 200 pages is the novelization of the original film and the rest of the book is the long awaited sequel.

I'm not going to go into a detailed description of the novelization's plot, as by now practically everyone in the world has seen the movie. However, I will mentioned about the differences in novelization. For instance, the beginning of the movie that was set in 1693 is split up in the book in flashbacks, which are intertwined in several chapters with the 1993 setting. There's a few new scenes with Max prior to going to school and he's given a backstory about his life prior to moving to Salem. Also, there's a few additional scenes expanding his relationship with Allison. Then there's the ending, which has been completely reconned with the Sanderson's spell book disappearing.

Set 25 years later, the sequel centers on Max and Allison's seventeen-year-old daughter Poppy, her best friend Travis, and her new friend Isabella breaking into the Sanderson sister's home to play an Ouija board-like game. Isabella just happens to have found the spell book that very same day and with the game they accidentally recite a spell that transports Max, Allison, and Dani into Hell. To make matters even worse, the spell brings back the Sanderson sisters!

13 Days of Halloween: Return To Fear Street: The Wrong Girl

Billy Burgess 13 Days of Halloween , Fear Street

Harper Teen; 330 pages; Amazon

If you read yesterday's review for Return To Fear Street: You May Now Kill The Bride, then you would know I have been a fan of R.L. Stine's Fear Street series since I was a kid. No, the Fear Street books weren't my first introduction to the world of horror, as I had first watched the slasher classic Halloween when I was seven-years-old. (There will be more on that topic on Oct. 31st.). As you can probably imagine, I was more than thrilled when I heard about the new Return To Fear Street books.

The second book in the Return To Fear Street series, titled The Wrong Girl, was published last month by Harper Teen. The plot centers around Poppy Miller, a teenager who loves to write poetry and dreams of receiving a scholarship to the drama department at Carnegie Mellon. She's pretty much your typical teen who is into all the normal teenage stuff. She has a boyfriend named Keith, who she doesn't really like, but she keeps him around anyway. Ivy Tanner is her BFF, who is currently dating Jeremy Klavan. And then there's Manny, the musical genius of the group, who happens to be allergic to just about everything.

Poppy's life takes a sudden turn into the danger zone after becoming friends with the new Shadyside High student, Jack Saber, who is quickly accepted into the group. Jack is a wild child with a taste for fear. He insists they all start doing dangerous things, such as causing a car accident while they are filming it on their cell phones. Then they would put the video on YouTube, so they can become famous.

Things turn to the dark side after they play a prank on Poppy while they are attempting to rob a store. Poppy swears she will get revenge on them all!

13 Days of Halloween: Return To Fear Street: You May Now Kill The Bride

Billy Burgess 13 Days of Halloween , Fear Street

Harper Teen; 346 pages; Amazon

I have always wondered why a movie studio has never attempted to adapt any of the Fear Street books into a horror film series. There's was some talk a year or two ago about a film company making back-to-back Fear Street films, but nothing has ever officially been announced. Until such a day comes about, I will keep rereading the old Fear Street books, as well as the newer entries.

As you can tell by the title of this post, today I'm reviewing Return to Fear Street: You May Now Kill The Bride by R.L. Stine, who is one of my favorite authors. The book was published by Harper Teen during the summer and I kept the book back just so can I review it for near Halloween.

The book takes place during two different timelines - 1923 and 2018. In 1923, the plot centers around sisters Rebecca and Ruth-Ann Fear. Rebecca is the spoiled of the two and always gets what she wants, even if it means betraying her sister. Ruth-Ann isn't someone to mess with. She had stumbled upon a few books of witchcraft that were hidden in their family's home, and she has learned a few tricks, but her powers might not be strong enough to stop the "curse" that has been haunting their family for many generations.

Fast Forward to the present, where we meet two other sisters - Marissa and Harmony Fear. Coincidentally, Marissa is soon to be married at the exact same resort where Rebecca's wedding ending in disaster all those years ago. Just like Ruth-Ann, Harmony has a taste of for witchcraft, which her powers will be put to the test when Marissa is kidnapped.

Harmony must find a way stop the family's curse forever!

13 Days of Halloween: Campfire by Shawn Sarles

Billy Burgess 13 Days of Halloween , Halloween 2018

Jimmy Patterson; 296 pages; Amazon

Does you remember the Point Horror young adult books that were published in the late 1980s and throughout the early 1990s?

Well, I stumbled upon the Point Horror book shortly after I started reading the Goosebumps franchise in 1992! While a few of the books got lost over the years, I still have a pretty decent size collection. Once in awhile, I will find a Point Horror title at a thrift store and add it to my collection.

The young adult horror novel Campfire by Shawn Sarles was released during the summer through Jimmy Patterson (Little, Brown, and Company). Let me just say this book was a difficult for me to find. I looked at three Walmart stores and a Barnes & Noble store and none of them had the book in stock. I ended up ordering it!

I can't put my finger on it, but Campfire's art cover looks very familiar. I could of sworn I've seen a similar cover on an old Point Horror novel. Does anyone else agree with me?

Campfire is a fictional slasher tale with three separate short stories included in it - "Beware When The Fair Comes To Town," "Red Raven," and "The Mountain People." No, the book isn't an anthology.

The plot centers around sixteen-year-old Maddie Daveport, her family, her best friend Chelsea, and a few friends going on a camping trip in the mountains. To kill off the time during the nights, they gather around the campfire and tell scary stories (the three stories I have already mentioned about).

"They say that stories told under a full moon come true," Caleb said.

To make a long story short, let's just say one of the stories becomes real. Now Maddie, her family, and friends are being hunted down one by one, and they must find a way to survive.

13 Days of Halloween: Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

Billy Burgess 13 Days of Halloween , Halloween 2018

Jimmy Patterson; 440 pages; Amazon

Reading 900 pages in two days can put a bit of strain on a reader's eyes, but nevertheless, I have pushed through it and "Voila!"

Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco is the third novel in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, though it should be called the Audrey Rose series instead. Stalking Jack the Ripper was the title of the first book, followed by Hunting Prince Dracula, which I just reviewed yesterday. Since Jack the Ripper was only in the first novel, why would the series be named after the first book? Yes, I'm nitpicking!

Anyway, the ending of Hunting Prince Dracula had Audrey Rose Wadsworth, her love interest Thomas Cresswell, and her chaperone Mrs. Harvey being detoured from returning to London in favor of America. Since this is set 1889, the only way of traveling to the United States is by sea, and in their case, they're traveling aboard the luxurious RMS Eturia.

You would think traveling on an ocean liner would be relaxing, especially after catching two serial killers in a row, but that isn't the case for Audrey Rose and Thomas, who are once again tossed into a murder mystery when a young woman is murdered. The duo must use their forensic skills to hunt down the murderer.

13 Days of Halloween: Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

Billy Burgess 13 Days of Halloween , Halloween 2018

Jimmy Patterson; 448 pages; Amazon

To celebrate Halloween this year, I will be featuring 13 horror themed posts. (Hint: They're mostly books!)

Today, I'm reviewing Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco, which is the sequel to Stalking Jack the Ripper (you can read my review here).

Picking up shortly after the events of the first novel, Audrey Rose Wadsworth, her friend Mr. Thomas Cresswell, and her chaperone Mrs. Harvey are traveling on an orient express headed to the Academy of Forensic Medicine and Science (Institutului National De Criminalistica Si Mecicina Legala), which happens to be located at the

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition! - October 19th - 25th

Billy Burgess book blogger hop , Halloween 2018

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition!

Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML

1. Post on your blog answering this haunt:

If you were to dress up as a literary figure {author or character} for Halloween, who would it be?

(This week's question is submitted by Michelle @ Life Among the Pages.)

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in a curse).

3. Visit other haunters in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new creeper. The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

Billy's Answer!

I would dress up as Dr. Frankenstein's monster from Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Frankenstein.

Linky List:

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition! - October 12th - 18th

Billy Burgess book blogger hop , Halloween 2018

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition!

Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML

1. Post on your blog answering this haunt:

You are suddenly transported into a future time in which (horrors!) books are unknown. How would you explain books, and how wonderful they are, to the people of that time?

(This week's question is submitted by Maria @ A Night's Dream of Books.)

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in a curse).

3. Visit other haunters in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new creeper. The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

Billy's Answer!

Hopefully, I'll have a few good books with me when I time traveled. Instead of explaining about books, I can read a book to them.

Linky List:

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition! - October 5th - 11th

Billy Burgess book blogger hop , Halloween 2018

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition!

Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML

1. Post on your blog answering this haunt:

It's getting close to Halloween. If you HAD to read one of these two genres, which would you prefer -- urban fantasy, or horror, and why?

(This week's question is submitted by Maria @ A Night's Dream of Books.)

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in a curse).

3. Visit other haunters in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new creeper. The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

Billy's Answer!

I would rather read a good old fashioned horror novel in the vein of Stephen King or John Saul. Horror is scarier than urban fantasy.

Linky List:

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Monday, October 29, 2018

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Friday, October 26, 2018

1. Post on your blog answering this haunt:

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in a curse).

Billy's Answer!

The Haunting of Hill Houseby Shirley Jackson

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Monday, October 22, 2018

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Friday, October 19, 2018

1. Post on your blog answering this haunt:

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in a curse).

Billy's Answer!

I would dress up as Dr. Frankenstein's monster from Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Frankenstein.

Friday, October 12, 2018

1. Post on your blog answering this haunt:

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in a curse).

Billy's Answer!

Hopefully, I'll have a few good books with me when I time traveled. Instead of explaining about books, I can read a book to them.

Friday, October 5, 2018

1. Post on your blog answering this haunt:

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in a curse).

Billy's Answer!

I would rather read a good old fashioned horror novel in the vein of Stephen King or John Saul. Horror is scarier than urban fantasy.

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The Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson