Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts

Friday, October 16, 2020

Book Blogger Hop - October 16th - 22nd



Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop! 


If you want to schedule next week's post in advance, click here for the future prompts. To submit a prompt, please fill out this form.

The Book Blogger Hop now has its own Facebook Group! Please join the group to get all the newest Book Blogger Hop updates and communicate with other book bloggers.

What To Do


1. Post an answer for the prompt.
 
Would you consider giving out books to trick-or-treaters instead of candy?
This week's prompt submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer.


2. Enter your Name/Nickname @ Blog Name and the direct URL to your post answering this week’s question linky list widget. Here's an example: Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer

3. Please visit other blogs on the list and leave a comment on their BBH post.

Friday, October 9, 2020

Book Blogger Hop - October 9th - 15th



Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop! 


If you want to schedule next week's post in advance, click here for the future prompts. To submit a prompt, please fill out this form.

The Book Blogger Hop now has its own Facebook Group! Please join the group to get all the newest Book Blogger Hop updates and communicate with other book bloggers.

What To Do


1. Post an answer for the prompt.
 
Do you read paranormal romances? If so, what is your favorite thing about the genre?
This week's prompt submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer.


2. Enter your Name/Nickname @ Blog Name and the direct URL to your post answering this week’s question linky list widget. Here's an example: Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer

3. Please visit other blogs on the list and leave a comment on their BBH post.

Friday, October 2, 2020

Book Blogger Hop - October 2nd - 8th



Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop! 


If you want to schedule next week's post in advance, click here for the future prompts. To submit a prompt, please fill out this form.

The Book Blogger Hop now has its own Facebook Group! Please join the group to get all the newest Book Blogger Hop updates and communicate with other book bloggers.

What To Do


1. Post an answer for the prompt.
 

Do you read books that have an autumn theme?
This week's prompt submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer.


2. Enter your Name/Nickname @ Blog Name and the direct URL to your post answering this week’s question linky list widget. Here's an example: Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer

3. Please visit other blogs on the list and leave a comment on their BBH post.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Happy Halloween!



Happy Halloween!

 

 

13 Reads of Horror! - Halloween II by Jack Martin


It should be no shock to anyone that I'm featuring the Halloween II novelization as my 13th and final review of 2019's 13 Reads of Horror! as my favorite movie of all-time is the original 1978 classic slasher John Carpenter's Halloween.

Halloween II, directed by Rick Rosenthal based on a screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, was released to theatres on October 30, 1981, which I was just short of being two-months-old at the time. I wouldn't go on to watch the movie until I was seven-years-old. Nice babysitting, Grandma!

Like many other films in the 1980s, Halloween II received a novelization written by Dennis Etchison under the pseudonym Jack Martin and published by Kensington Books, featuring several black & white pictures from the movie. Unlike 1979's novelization of 1978's Halloween written by Curtis Richard (which attempted to explain why Michael Myers kills), Halloween II stays pretty close to sequel's screenplay.

Halloween II has a short introduction to set up the"Halloween" atmosphere. Then first chapter shows shows Dr. Loomis scaring Lonnie and his pals near the Myers home (from the first movie), followed directly with Dr. Loomis running into Tommy Doyle and Lindsay Wallace (a.k.a. the two little kids from Halloween). Then Dr. Loomis saves Laurie Strode by shooting Michael Myers six times.

Laurie is sent to Haddionfield Memorial Hospitial. Dr. Loomis goes a bit nuts on his quest to hunt down and kill the Boogeyman. Meanwhile, Michael gets a new knife and heads to the hospital to continue his killing spree.

Final Thoughts

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - Hell-O-Ween by David Robbins



Whenever I run across a book with a jack-o-lantern on the cover, there's a really good chance I will buy it. That pretty much sums up how I got my hands on the 1992 horror novel Hell-O-Ween by David Robbins.

When I write reviews, I typically do a little research on the authors if I'm not already familiar with their writings. To my shock, I learned David Robbins has written many westerns under several pen names, including Ralph Compton, David Thompson, and Jon Sharpe. More than likely I have probably read one or two of his westerns. David has always written several other horror novels, including Prank Night and The Wraith.

Hell-O-Ween centers around eight high school students going into the "Caverna del Diablo" (a.k.a. The Cavern of the Devil) late at night to play a cruel trick on the class nerd. However, things go horribly wrong and six of the eight teenagers are murdered by 7' tall nude demons.

Final Thoughts

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - The Bad Place by Dean R. Koontz



I have a bad habit of buying Dean Koontz thrillers each and every time I stumble across one at a thrift store, which has resulted in me accumulating many duplicates. Strangely, I have only read two or three Koontz novels over the years. That's why I wanted to read The Bad Place as one of the 13 Reads of Horror! because at least I'll have had read at least one book from my Koontz collection in 2019.

Originally published in 1990, The Bad Place centers around Frank Pollard, a man who's deeply afraid of falling asleep because if he does, he will wake up the next morning somewhere else with no clue of how he got there. And, there's a twist - he always finds something weird, such as blood on his hands. Could it get any weirder?

To solve his nighttime activities, Frank hires Bobby and Julie Dakota, a husband and wife security duo, to follow him around at night to unravel the mystery. Sounds simple enough. Right?


Final Thoughts

Monday, October 28, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - The Pet by Charles L. Grant



I don't have a clue how long I have owned an old paperback copy of The Pet by the late author Charles L. Grant but I have had it quite a long time, and I'm going to take a wild guess I'd probably bought it at a thrift store.

The Pet (pub. 1986) centers around Donald "Don" Boyd, a seventeen-year-old who would rather be spending his time with animals than doing typical teenage stuff, such as playing football. His father (Norm) is the principal at the local Ashford, New Jersey high school and he's always giving Don slack about not having a girlfriend and questing  his choice of wanting to attend a veterinarian school. To make matters even worse, Norm is frustrated with the teachers' contract negotiations and takes out all of his anger on Don. Add in some bulling from a few football jocks, I guess you can say Don's life isn't exactly perfect.

Late one autumn night, Don runs into the serial the killer "The Howler" and barely survives the encounter. The Howler is later found dead in a park. The authorities come to the conclusion that Don killed The Howler in self-defense, which leads to everyone calling the boy a hero. The truth is Don is not even close to being a hero.

It seems a black horse, which looks oddly similar to the horse in a poster on Don's bedroom wall, was the one that saved him that night. And this is no normal horse! The horse is supernatural and will attack anyone who threatens Don's well being.

Final Thoughts

Sunday, October 27, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - Strange Weather by Joe Hill



I've been starring at my computer screen for several minutes pondering whether or not I bought Joe Hill's Stranger Weather last year or early this year at my local library for $2. I guess the older I get the more my memory starts to disappear. Or I might just need some more sleep!

Stranger Weather contains four short novels by Joe Hill (a.k.a. Stephen King's son) - Snapshot, Loaded, Aloft, and Rain.

Set in 1988, Snapshot centers around Michael Figlione, a kid who finds himself crossing paths with the "The Phoenician" who uses a Polaroid Instant Camera to erase his victim's memories.

Loaded centers around a mall security guard named Kellaway, a racist who's down on his luck. Then one morning a shooting incident occurs at the mall that will change his life forever.

Aloft centers around a group of friends going skydiving. After something goes wrong with their plane, they have to jump out sooner than expected, which leads to a bizarre trip through the clouds.

Rain takes place in Boulder, Colorado and centers around a storm that rains splinters (or needles).

Final Thoughts

Saturday, October 26, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - The Place by T.M. Wright



I have many books in my library (a.k.a. - cheap bookshelves and closets) that I'd purchased at used book stores or thrift shops and I picked put these titles because I loved their covers. One of these titles happens to be "The Place" by T.M. Wright, a 1989 horror-fantasy that I've been meaning to read to read for quite a long time.

The Place centers around the Galway King, his wife Ella, and their children, Justin and Greta, coming across a "terrifying" event in the woods that leads a madman, Harlan DeVries, to hunt them down. To deal with the trauma, Greta goes to her imaginary world called The Place, where she believes she would be safe. However, The Place's bright blue sky has turned black-red and the magical felines there will no longer talk.

The evil of the real world has found its way into The Place and Greta must find a way to survive.


Final Thoughts


Friday, October 25, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - Ravensridge by Jennifer Hale



Gothic horror-romances are my favorite books to collect. The genre is pretty much defunct but these types of books were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. I started collecting Gothic horror-romances because of their creepy covers, which always features a young woman wearing a dress or nightgown and running away from a mansion or castle. The cover arts reminds me of the "Hammer" horror movie posters.

I found Ravensridge by Jennifer Hale at a thrift store several years ago and today marks the very first time I have read it. Before writing this review I attempted to do a bit of research on the author and I learned Jennifer Hale one of the pseudonyms used by Frank E. Smith. All of his Gothic were published under that name.

The 189-page novella centers around a twenty-something photographer named Melissa Manion, who had left her life in Washington, D.C. to travel to the Virginia mountains for a photo gig at the Ravensridge mansion. The previous day, she had called her good friend Charles Courtney and he gave her a weird warning about Ravensridge, which is his ancestral home. The phone had gone dead before he could explain to her what was wrong.

Melissa's arrival at Ravensridge isn't a welcoming one by the Courtney family due to the fact Charles never mentioned she was going to take photos of the estate. She's shocked to learn that Charles has gone missing. There's something very strange occurring at Ravensridge.

Once upon a time, Ravensridge was dubbed "Hangman's Hill" because the mansion was owned by Jason Courtney, a powerful judge who sent many men to the gallows.

Melissa is determined to find the whereabouts of her friend and to do so she must deal with Ravensridge's haunted past. Many young woman have gong missing over the years and she might be its next victim.

Final Thoughts

Thursday, October 24, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - The Other by Thomas Tryon



I found a paperback of the 1971's psychological horror novel "The Other" by Thomas Tryon 12 or 13 years ago at a Salvation Army Thrift Store for 10 cents. I was more than thrilled at the time as I had seen parts of the 1972 film adaptation several times on AMC late at night in the early 2000s. To this day, I have never seen all of the movie, which, to me, seemed to be edited so badly that the story was extremely confusing. Thus, I wanted to read the book, and like many other titles I own, I never took out the time to actually read it.

Well, that's until I read the entire novel yesterday afternoon.

Set in 1935, the film centers around identical 13-year-old twins Holland and Niles Perry. Their father had died in an accident in the apple cellar on their family's farm earlier in the spring, which sent their mother into a deep depression. Their Uncle George and his wife, Winnie, are now taking care of the farm. Additionally, their pregnant older sister, Torrie, lives nearby with her husband, Rider, as well as their grandmother.

Despite the recent tragedies, Holland and Niles have seemed to move on with their lives by playing on the farm. However, the apple cellar has been locked up and it's off limits for everyone. Holland doesn't like to obey by the rules and removes the lock so they can play in there. As the summer rolls on, many accidents and deaths occur around the farm and all the evidence points towards Niles, who had somehow gotten ahold of the Perry family ring, which was supposed to have been buried.

Remember, this is a horror novel and things, including the dead, never stay buried!

Final Thoughts

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - Psycho House by Robert Bloch



Believe it or not there's a Psycho III that isn't titled Psycho III, and,no, I'm not referring to the 1986 horror sequel starring Anthony Perkins. Actually, I'm referring to Robert Bloch's third novel Psycho House.

Unlike the film franchise, which focused on the serial killer Norman Bates, author Robert Bloch killed off the character at the beginning of Psycho II (not the 1983 movie), so he pretty much ruined any chances of another sequel. However, that's not the case, as he published a third and final sequel, Psycho House, in 1990.

Psycho House centers around the fully-restored Bates Motel and "psycho" house being turned into a tourist attraction in Texas with animatronic copies of Norman Bates. Guess what happens shortly after the attraction opens?

Yep, a few murders occur that leads the public to believe either Norman Bates is alive or there's another copycat killer on the loose.

The story mostly focuses on Amy Haines, a nonfiction crime author who's researching her next novel, which is going to be about Norman Bates. Of course, as soon as she arrives at the Bate Motel attraction, the murders begin. With the help of Dr. Steiner (the psychiatrist from Psycho and Psycho II), Amy is determined to unmask the killer.

Final Thoughts

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - Psycho II by Robert Bloch


One of the greatest horror sequels happens to be 1983's Psycho II starring Anthony Perkins. What many people probably don't know is that there's another Psycho II! Yep, Robert Bloch (the author of the original Psycho novel) wrote a sequel that was released in 1982. He had finished writing the book before Universal Studios had finished the screenplay for their sequel film. The sequels have two completely different plots. Robert Bloch's sequel is more of a satire about Hollywood gory horror films. The 1983 film involved Norman Bates being released from a mental institution and reenters society. Universals Studios didn't like Robert Bloch's sequel and desperately attempted to stop him from publishing it. They feared it would hurt their movie. Bloch went ahead with his novel and Universal Studios refused to invite him to any Psycho II screenings.

Robert Bloch's Psycho II is set 20 years after the original novel and during this time Norman Bates has been in a mental hospital receiving treatment for his multiple personalities, which seems to have finally been cured. However, after two visiting nuns arrive at the hospital, Norman snaps. He kills one of the nuns, puts on her hammock, and escapes in a van. The authorities finds the charred remains of the van along with two bodies - one female and one male, which the latter being believed to be Norman Bates.

Later, somebody goes on a killing spree, starting with Sam and Lilia Loomis in Fairvale. Then the killer heads to Hollywood, where a movie studio is making a movie about Norman Bates.

Has "Mother" returned to protect Norman again?

Final Thoughts

Monday, October 21, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - Psycho by Robert Bloch



I believe I was eight or nine-years-old when I first saw the classic Albert Hitchcock's Psycho. It aired on a local channel so it was edited a bit. Nevertheless, I became a huge fan of the Psycho movie series at an early age.

For those of you who aren't already aware of this, Psycho was based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch, who would later go on to write two sequel novels, Psycho II and Psycho House. And, no, sequel books' plots were never used for the sequel films.

Psycho centers around an overweight 40-year-old Norman Bates who runs his mother's motel. On a late stormy night, a young beautiful woman, Mary Crane, arrives at the motel looking for a room for the night. Let's just say things to go to well for Mary as she's brutally murdered by what look likes Norman's mother, Norma.

Unknown to Norman, Mary had stolen $40,000 from her boss and now many people are searching for her, including her boyfriend - Sam Loomis, her little sister - Lila, and a private investigator - Milton Arbogast. All the evidences points Mary's whereabouts to Bates Motel!

Final Thoughts

Sunday, October 20, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker


For the life of me, I cannot remember when I first read The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, which is the novella that inspired the classic horror film Hellraiser (and its many sequels). I'm going to take a wild guess that I'd purchased the book at Barnes & Noble during my teenage years (a.k.a. the mid-'90s). This was probably right after I first saw the edited versions of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II on cable.

The Hellbound Heart is a dark twisted fairy tale with lots gore. It begins with Frank Cotton, a pleasure seeker searching for the Lemarchand Configuration, which is a puzzle box that's supposed to open up a gate to another realm full of carnal pleasures. However, pleasure is the last thing Frank receives after solving the box. The Cenobites, former humans turned into disfigured creatures, are released from the box. A price must be paid for anyone who calls upon them and for Frank, that price is his soul.

Sometime later, Rory Cotton (Frank's brother) and his wife Julia move into his later mother's home (and the last place Frank was seen alive). Prior to the their marriage, Julia had an intense affair with Frank. She has no romantic feelings for Rory and only stays with him for his money.

After Rory cuts his thumb, a few drops of his blood drips on the attic floor where Frank was tortured and taken by the Cenobites. The blood mixes in with Frank's dead sperm that was left on the floor from his torment. This causes Frank to be reborn as a fleshly creature. With Julia's help, she lures unsuspecting men from bars to the attic so she can murder them and let Frank feed on their blood. The more Frank feeds, the faster his body heals.

The only person standing in their way is Kristy - a dear friend of Rory's who finds the Lemarchand Configuration and makes a deal with the Cenobite leader.

Final Thoughts

Saturday, October 19, 2019

13 Reads of Horror! - Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin



I'm taking a wild guess that almost every horror fan has heard or seen the 1968 classic Rosemary's Baby starring Mia Farrow, which is one of the scariest films ever made. The movie is an adaptation of the 1967 novel of the same name by Ira Levin.

I had stumbled up on Rosemary's Baby while searching for a novel to read for a book report for an English class during my freshman year of high school in the mid-1990s. Originally, the book belonged to my grandmother, who had moved away after the death of my grandfather, and most of her books were being stored at my parent's house. It was a first-print hardback edition minus the original cover jacket. I still have this book as well as "The Stephen King Horror Library" edition.

Shortly after reading the book, the movie adaptation aired on TNT late at night. I recorded it on a VHS (Remember those?) and I later watched it. It's one of the best book-to-film adaptations ever produced as it goes exactly by Ira Levin's original story.

Rosemary's Baby is a psychological horror tale centered around Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse, a newly married Manhattan couple who move into a new apartment building, the Bramford, which has a deadly past involving witchcraft and murder. Usually, this would be a turn off for just about anybody else but Guy and Rosemary don't believe in superstitious. Shortly after moving into the apartment, they meet their odd elderly neighbors - Roman and Minnie Castevet.

While not planned, Rosemary becomes pregnant after having a bizarre nightmare involving a satanic ritual. Being young and naive, she takes advice from the Castevets and uses their doctor - Dr. Abraham Sapirstein, who insists she should drink homemade "health" drinks made by Minnie instead of taking prenatal vitamins. Let's just say the next few months aren't very good experiences for Rosemary. Instead of gaining pounds like all expecting mother's do, she quickly loses weight near to the point that she almost resembles a skeleton. Plus, she has a horrible pain coming from her womb. Over time, the pain magically disappears and she puts on baby weight.

With her due date just around the corner, Rosemary learns her neighbors are not who they say they are and that her unborn child is in danger.

Final Thoughts

Friday, September 28, 2018

Friday the 13th 3D: 36 Years in the Making - Guest Blog by Thomas S. Flowers




Friday the 13th 3D: 36 Years in the Making
Guest Blog by Thomas S. Flowers

As a horror fan I feel rather fortunate that so many of my favorite thrillers released on the year of my birth. A quick Google re-search will reveal a VHS candy store of goody gore and lovable murderers, from The Thing to Poltergeist to Halloween III (the one without Myers) to Amityville II: The Possession (the one that was like The Exorcist but with incest) to The New York Ripper to Pieces, Parasite, The Slumber Party Massacre, and... Friday the 13th...PART 3D (cue groovy disco music). And among the other entries in the franchise, PART 3D is I would say my second favorite. There are many factors that play into my rating but unless you've seen it you probably won't understand. So, do me a solid and go pop in that flayed VHS cause this review will be chopped full of SPOILERS. Readers...you have been warned!

Directed by: Steve Miner
Writing Credits:  Martin Kitrosser, Carol Watson, and Sean S. Cunningham.
Music by: Harry Manfredini
Special effects: Martin Becker
Release Date: 13 August 1982 (USA)

"Having revived from his wound, Jason Voorhees takes refuge at a cabin near Crystal Lake. As a group of co-eds arrive for their vacation, Jason continues his killing spree."

Among many reasons why I love Friday the 13th part III, one would be that it is the first true Jason Voorhees slasher. Yup. Obviously part 1 was really about mommy Voorhees, a character who wasn't even given a first name until...what, part 2? And while fantastic in its own right, it was not a "Jason" movie, not yet anyway. Now some would say, "But hey, Tommy, what about part 2? Isn't that considered a Jason Voorhees movie, it does have Jason in it after all?" And I would of course nod my head knowledgeably. Yes, part 2 does have Jason...but not the Jason. What we got was a backwoods deranged potato sack wearing weirdo who at times certainly had classic Jason mannerisms, but in the end still just an inbred acting mongoloid. Now that said, part 2 has its charm and some really excellent kills, but if you want Jason as we love him today (hockey mask and all), you gotta start with part 3.

Part 3 is also really awesome because it has what every good indie horror movie should, a cast a unrecognizable actors and actresses. While still young, parts 1 and 2 had some fairly recognizable cast members, including Kevin Bacon, John Furey (a known TV actor), Harry Crosby (son if Bing Crosby), and not to mention the late great Betsy Palmer who was one of the most veteran and highly respected actors on set. Part 3? Nadda. They didn't even have Chong, of the Cheech and Chong variety, star as the lead stoner, instead they dressed some dude named Chuck in a blue bandanna, green button down, and red pants with not quite as much weed as Up In Smoke.

I'd be amiss not to comment on what PART 3 has no other addition does. Shelly. Shelly is the best part of this movie. From humble awkward to cartoonish to a astonishingly flamboyant runner, Shelly is still by far my favorite character in the film. Sure, he fails to get the girl Vera and he's socially immature, who isn't?!? Shelly does have a few things going for him. Sweet yo-yo skills and a magic box that is literally "his entire world" full of tricks and gags to annoy the entire gang of friends, and the largest white-boy fro ever shot on a 3D film.  On a low par, I wasn't all that thrilled with leading lady Chris Higgins (Dana Kimmell).  She seemed too annoyed at times. Bored. And too drawl. The best part about her, I thought, was her really strange back story of a previous "unfilmed" encounter with Jason Voorhees. An encounter that sounded almost as if it were some kind of sexual assault. Going back to the amazing documentary
Crystal Lake Memories, actress Dana Kimmell confirms this backstory, but she says that producers did not want to pursue it in any kind of depth. This revelation is kinda dark for a Friday the 13th film as they typically follow a blood, guts, and gags methodology.

So, we've covered the more manly killing machine Jason. We got the actors. Next is the music. Harry Manfredini, who scored most of the Friday the 13's, including the original, crafted one hell of a soundtrack for this third installment. Part disco, part horror, 100% awesomeness. It is also one of the few, if not only, horror sound track to garner its own cover band by the name of Nilbog. Check them out on YouTube. Link provided below.

But like any horror slasher flick, there's gotta be a seemingly solid foundational plot. In PART 3, Chris Higgins invites a gang of friends to include a pregnant bestie (who gets slaughtered later btw...also a very dark moment for a Friday the 13th movie), two stoners, a Mexican chick, and Shelly. They met up later with lurch looking boytoy Rick (Paul Kratka). Events escalate into a series of weed smoking, beer drinking, skinny dipping, practical jokes, and heartfelt life lessons until Shelly and Vera end up pissing off a low-level biker gang. After Shelly runs over some of their motorcycles, the b-squad gang vows revenge that never really materializes. Instead, after following Shelly and Vera back to the cabin, they are quickly dispatched by Jason.

After Chris goes off with Rick to blow off some steam, the night consummates in more weed smoking and beer drinking, a sexual encounter, and Shelly in a wet suit. I know, sounds amazing doesn't it? Where does all this debauchery go? To one of the coolest kills. Once Shelly is dispatched, Jason finally obtains his moniker look by putting on the hockey mask that Shelly was so kind enough to bring along. Jeez, imagine if he brought a faded Captain Kirk mask? Talk about a lawsuit! Anyways, with Jason now complete, he causally strolls out on to the deck where a waiting Vera is fishing for Shelly's dropped wallet on the edge of the lake. He aims at her, much to her confusion, as she thinks he's Shelly. Just as she says, "Wait...who are you?" Jason pulls the trigger on the speargun popping her eye out the back of her head. Simply amazing. Its the small things folks.

More killings ensue until finally Rick and Morty...oops, Rick and Chris arrive back at the cabin. With everyone gone and blood everywhere, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. During the attack, ole handsome lurch Rick gets his eyeball popped out his socket, which must have been a real thrill for kids who matched this back in 1982 in 3D. And finally, Chris and Jason go toe to toe. During the struggle, one of the surviving bikers revives just to be killed again, but distracting Jason long enough for Chris to throw a noose around Jason's neck and shove him out the barn. When that proves useless, she plants an ax deep in his skull. That seems to have done the trick and as the credits roll, the cabin is surrounded by police and paramedics.

For me, my horror appetites are not hard to please. And PART 3D, given some of its flaws, is a groovy good time for a slasher flick, and especially a Friday the 13th slasher flick.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Review: Shattered Memories by V.C. Andrews

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Pocket Books; 422 pages; $7.99; Amazon
Now available from Pocket Books is Shattered Memories, the final installment of The Mirror Sisters Series, by V.C. Andrews.

Well, technically, the real author is Andrew Neiderman , aka the ghost writer who started writing under the name V.C. Andrews after the real V.C. Andrews died in 1986. Mr Neiderman finished writing "Garden of Shadows" and "Fallen Hearts." The rest of the V.C. Andrews novels after "Fallen Hearts" were either inspired or attributed to V.C. Andrews.

The Mirror Sisters Series are by-the-book (no pun intended) young adult stories. Book One, The Mirror Sisters, centered on identical twins Haylee and Kaylee Fitzergald, who both struggled to have an actual life due to their control freak mother. The novel ended with Haylee planning on meeting an older man she had chatted with online. After she gets sick, she convinces Kaylee to take her place, which results in Kaylee being kidnapped. Book Two, Broken Glass, picks up the storyline exactly where it left off with a twist towards the ending (Spoiler Alert!) - Haylee set her sister up, so Kaylee would be kidnapped, because she wanted to be an only child!

The third and final entry (well, I think it's the final the book), centers on Kaylee being sent to a private high school after her mother had a nervous breakdown. Where's Haylee? Well, she's locked away, well, sort of, as she does return in the latter half to once again try to ruin her sister's life.


Final Thoughts

Monday, October 30, 2017

Review: Flesh by Laura Bickle

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.


Now available on Amazon, Pronoun, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, and Google Play is the young adult supernatural novel Flesh by Laura Bickle.

There's no better way to get yourself in the mood for Halloween than reading a spooky novel; which is exactly what I did early this morning when I read the eBook Flesh.

Since I'm short of time today (and the rest of the week), I'm going to copy & paste the official blurb of the novel instead of writing my own synopsis.

Charlie Sulliven thinks she knows all the secrets of the dead. Raised in a funeral home, she’s the reluctant “Ghoul Girl,” her reputation tied to a disastrous Halloween party. But navigating her life as a high school sophomore is an anxiety-inducing puzzle to her. She haunts the funeral home with her parents, emo older brother, Garth, their pistol-packing Gramma, and the glass-eyeball-devouring dachshund, Lothar.

Chewed human bodies are appearing in her parents’ morgue…and disappearing in the middle of the night. The bodies seem tied to a local legend, Catfish Bob, who has resurfaced in the muddy Milburn river near Charlie’s small town. When one of Charlie’s classmates, Amanda, awakens in the cooler as a flesh-eating ghoul, Charlie must protect her newfound friend and step up to unravel the mystery…and try to avoid becoming lunch meat for the dead.


Final Thoughts