Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer: horror

Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

[Review] — Leigh Whannell's WOLF MAN (★★½✰✰)

Why is it so hard to restart the Universal Monster Universe? The 2010 remake of The Wolfman bombed at the box office, even though I found it enjoyable. Then there was The Mummy in 2017, starring Tom Cruise, a total flop. This pretty much stopped any plans for a shared Dark Universe. However, 2020 brought us The Invisible Man, written and directed by Leigh Whannell and produced by Blumhouse. That one did well both financially and critically, giving fans a bit of hope for the future. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed with this year's release of WOLF MAN. Despite being co-written and directed by Whannell and produced by Blumhouse, the film fell flat and struggled at the box office. It’s now trying to make a comeback with its recent digital release and an upcoming physical release—LIMITED EDITION STEELBOOK, 4K UHD, BLU-RAY™ & DVD coming on March 18, 2025.

[Review] — THE HERD is a Unique Take on the Vampire Genre

Billy Burgess books , horror

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE HERD by Russell Bell Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

Find "THE HERD" on Goodreads and Books2Read.
Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!

About the Book

Sixteen-year-old Susan kneels before the Temple steps whispering the sacred prayer…

We are the Herd, human servants to the immortal Akharu, Lords of the Night. The Akharu are our Kings. The Akharu are our Gods. We honor them with our hands. We worship them with our hearts. We nourish them with our blood.

She is preparing for the Branding, the sacred ceremony where the Akharu choose which humans will be allowed to stay in the Closure, and which will be taken away forever. As she enters the Temple, Susan is confident that she’ll receive her brand. She’s devoted her life to the Akharu.

But so did her older brother, Trevor. And he was taken.

Ryan, Susan’s fifteen-year-old brother, kneels behind her. He only mouths the prayers. The Akharu have already taken his older brother and now they may take his sister as well. He doesn't want his brand.

He wants revenge.

Will Susan receive her brand or will she find out what happens to the Unworthy?

As he seeks his revenge, Ryan discovers powers he doesn't understand. Will they help him against the Akharu? Or is he becoming one of them?

THE HERD is a fascinating new take on the vampire genre. It is an action-packed adventure that takes place in the feudal Kingdom of Larkspur, where horses and swords rule the day and the bloodthirsty Akharu reigns at night.

READ THE REVIEWS!

"A SPELLBINDING STORYTELLER WITH FULLY DEVELOPED CHARACTERS!"

"THE HERD DREW ME IN IMMEDIATELY WITH ITS WORLD-BUILDING AND CHARACTERS I WANTED TO ROOT FOR!"

"I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!"

"ADDICTIVE!"

Billy's Review

THE HERD is a fast-paced and cleverly written young adult vampire story that defies the typical vampire narrative. It combines elements of dystopian fiction, fantasy, non-gory horror, and drama, creating a blend that almost works if it wasn't for a few cliched moments that seasoned readers might notice, though they aren't particularly bothersome.

The writing is quite decent for a debut author. The characters are interesting, the dialogue is lively, and the descriptions are well-suited for a young adult book.

Overall, THE HERD offers a unique take on the vampire genre. Despite minor criticisms (or nitpicks), I enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it to others. ╌★★★★✰

About Russell Bell

Russell was an international drama teacher for many years, teaching in Mumbai India and in Dubai, UAE. Living in these different countries sparked in me a passion for religion and culture, eventually inspiring this dystopian world of the Akharu. And, of course, many years of teaching theater to young adults has taught him that nothing beats an exciting story. He now lives in San Jose, Costa Rica with his wife, two children, and two dogs.

Giveaway Details

1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE HERD.

US Only.

Ends November 12^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

Week One:

10/28/2024	Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt/IG Post
10/29/2024	TX Girl Reads	Excerpt/IG Post
10/30/2024	thefashoionistfiles	Excerpt/IG Post
10/31/2024	Deal sharing aunt	Interview/IG Post
11/1/2024	Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's	Excerpt/IG Post

Week Two:

11/4/2024	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
11/5/2024	@alexandriavwilliams_	IG Review/TikTok Post
11/6/2024	The Real World According to Sam	Review/IG Post
11/7/2024	Books With a Chance	Review/IG Post
11/8/2024	Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer	Review/IG Post

[Review] — WILLIAM is a Horrifying AI Tale

Billy Burgess books , horror

Thanks to recent technological advancements, the idea of artificial intelligence going awry is no longer a far-fetched concept. The new thriller WILLIAM—spelled W1LL1AM on the cover—by Mason Coile, a pseudonym for the award-winning author Andrew Pyper (known for The Demonologist and Lost Girls), adds his own horrifying twists to this theme.

[Review] — BARBARIC: BORN IN BLOOD is a Bloody Good Time!

Billy Burgess adventure , books

I am thrilled to host a spot on the BARBARIC Vol. 4: BORN IN BLOOD by Michael Moreci & Nathan C. Gooden Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

[Review] — DEATHSTALKER: The Damned Blood is Pure, Bloody Sword & Sorcery

Billy Burgess adventure , books

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the DEATHSTALKER: THE DAMNED BLOOD by Slash, Tim Seeley, Steven Kostanski, & Jim Terry Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

[Review] — THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL is a Thriller Written for Alfred Hitchcock Fans

Billy Burgess books , horror

I'm a lifelong horror fan, and Pyscho, directed by the late great Alfred Hitchcock, is my second favorite slasher movie—right behind John Carpenter's Halloween. So, it should be no surprise that I was eager to read THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL by Stephane Wrobel, the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of DARKLING ROSE GOLD.

[Review] — TENANTS is an Anthology with Seven Stories of Terror

Billy Burgess anthology , horror

The horror anthology TENANTS (94 minutes) from Wallick Productions is available on VOD—in time for the Halloween season—presented by 13th Floor Productions in association with EXIT. Blake Reigle ("Nah"), Jonathan Louis Lewis ("Laundry Day”), Sean Mesler (“Acting Rash” & “The Photograph”), and Buz Wallick (“The Hoarder,” “Need Anything,” & “You’re Not Supposed to Be Here”) directed the anthology. It features the cast of Mary O’Neil, Christa Collins, Myles Cranford, Douglas Vermeeren, Tara Erickson, Clarke Wolfe, Fayna Sanchez, and Rib Hills.

[Review] — "MIDNIGHT ON BEACON STREET" is a Poorly Written Love Letter to Horror Movies

Billy Burgess books , horror

"Where does the time go?" This question puzzled me as I realized I'd had a copy of MIDNIGHT ON BEACON STREET sitting on a desk collecting dust for eight or nine months. I read the novelization by Emily Ruth Verona shortly after receiving it. However, I needed time to reflect on my thoughts before sharing my opinion on the book. It wouldn't be fair to rush it. "Disappointment" is the word that comes to mind to describe what I finished reading on the very last page. I set it aside, reread it weeks later, set it aside again, and reread it, hoping my opinion would change—it did not.

[Review]—In "Barnabas Collins and Quentin's Demon," Things Get a Little Hairy

Billy Burgess books , Dark Shadows

It's another Thursday, so it's time for another Dark Shadows review. Don't I sound ecstatic? I lost track of how many of these Dark Shadows I've read, and, after a time, they started to blur together. Today we're looking at Barnabas Collins and Quentin's Demon, the fourteenth installment authored by Daniel "Dan" Ross under the pen name Marilyn Ross (his wife's name). What a split second, what happened to Barnabas Collins and the Mysterious Ghost, book thirteen? It's not accessible as an eBook on Kindle for reasons unbeknownst to me, so I had no alternative but to skip it and move on to the next.

[Review]—'Barnabas Collins Versus the Warlock' by Marilyn Ross

Billy Burgess books , Dark Shadows

I haven't seen an episode of the Dark Shadows soap opera in many (many) years. According to what I recall, the creator, Dan Curtis, and his writing staff ran out of supernatural concepts, or, to put it another way, they basically used and reused every horror trope imaginable. As a result, the series came to an end. While his plots swayed away from the television storylines, William Edward Daniel Ross (a.k.a. Marilyn Ross) took the same approach with his Dark Shadows novels by incorporating every horror trope into his stories. This gave him the freedom to place the cursed vampire Barnabas Collins in unusual situations.

[Review] - 'The Phantom and Barnabas Collins' by Marilyn Ross

Billy Burgess books , Dark Shadows

Victoria Winters, the orphan governess, had vanished by the time "The Phantom and Barnabas Collins" was released in September 1969. It's the tenth book in Marilyn Ross's original Dark Shadows novel series (otherwise known as William Edward Daniel Ross). Victoria Winters abruptly left Collinwood, and Maggie Evans took over as David's governess. As a result, Victoria's parents' mystery remained a mystery.

[Review] - 'The Demon of Barnabas Collins' by Marilyn Ross

Billy Burgess books , Dark Shadows

If you perchance to buy a Dark Shadows novel at a thrift store or used book store with only the bare minimum knowledge of the series, you'll be confused or disappointed after reading the book. Whether you have seen a few episodes of the original ABC daytime soap, the short-lived NBC series, or Tim Burton's spoofy remake, you know the vampire Barnabas Collins is imprisoned in a coffin and is released 100+ years later. Barnabas didn't make his way into the book series by Marilyn Ross (the pen name of William Edward Daniel Ross) until the sixth novel, and his backstory was different. Instead of being chained in a coffin, Barnabas lived among the living. Every once in a while, he would change his identity to a made-up son, grandson, great-grandson, etc., so nobody would find out about his vampire secret.

[Review] - 'The Secret of Barnabas Collins' by Marilyn Ross

Billy Burgess books , Dark Shadows

The cursed vampire Barnabas Collins finally makes his debut in the Dark Shadows lit-verse - that I couldn't read because it's not available on Kindle. All well! I had to skip over the self-titled sixth novel Barnabas Collins and jump right into The Secret of Barnabas Collins.

[Review] - 'Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films' by Nina Nesseth

Billy Burgess books , horror

Were you ever labeled as different or weird because of your love for horror movies? I can't speak for anyone else, but my answer is yes. I was the loner kid reading used horror paperbacks during high school lunch. Instead of going to a football game on Friday nights, I was alone in my bedroom watching rented VHS horror flicks while eating cheesy pizza and rotting my teeth on soda. Not once did I wonder why I loved scary movies, though, at the time, my mother was worried I would become a serial killer like Michael Myers. It's twenty-five years later, and I can assure everyone that my fascination with all things horror didn't affect me — too much.

[Review] - 'Strangers at Collins House' by Marilyn Ross

Billy Burgess books , Dark Shadows

Did you think I had given up on reviewing the Dark Shadows novels? If your answer is yes, then you're dead wrong. Starting today, I'll be posting a new Dark Shadows review every Thursday.

From 1966 to 1972, William Edward Daniel Ross published 32 Dark Shadows novels (minus the House of Dark Shadows novelization) under the pseudonym, Marilyn Ross. The book series didn't follow the soap operas' storylines. The first book, Dark Shadows, was partly a retelling of Victoria Winter's arrival in Collinsport. The second installment, Victoria Winters, was more or less a rehash of the second half of Dark Shadows, where Victoria gets mixed in with a mystery connected to the new guests at the Collins House (Collinwood).

[Review] - Victoria Winters by Marilyn Ross

Billy Burgess books , Dark Shadows

Most tie-in novels tend to stay in the continuity of whatever television or movie series it's from, but that wasn't such the case with the Dark Shadow novels by Marilyn Ross (William Edward Daniel Ross). Between December 1966 to March 1972, Paperback Library published thirty-three Dark Shadows books (minus the House of Dark Shadows novelization), and all shared a different continuity than the 1966 - 1972 soap opera series.

[Review] - Dark Shadows by Marilyn Ross

Billy Burgess books , Dark Shadows

One Upon a Time in the '80s, I was a little bitty kid who would curl up with his grandma in the extra bedroom/laundry room and watch reruns of Dark Shadows on PBS on an old black & white television. That was my first introduction to the mysterious world of the Collins family and their vampire ancestor, Barnabas Collins.

[Review] - Goosebumps SlappyWorld: Judy and the Beast by R.L. Stine

Billy Burgess books , fiction

The Goosebumps franchise will be turning the big 30 this year. So, in other words, I've been reading R.L. Stine's scary tales for over thirty years. Yes, I feel old just writing that.

[Review] - Revival Road by Chris DiLeo

Billy Burgess books , fiction

Add to Goodreads * Buy on Amazon

PART OF GOD’S PLAN

On an average street in a typical suburban town, a child dies in an all-too-plausible accident. For Sherri Matthews, a neighbor who has dedicated her life to God’s calling, this is part of God’s plan. And when the child wakes in the morgue seemingly healed, Sherri knows she must now prepare the way for what comes next.

A SINISTER POWER AT WORK

“Something big is coming,” the revived child promises. His pet dog, dead and buried weeks prior, has come back as well, but more monster than mutt. Abbott French and Ellie Pike have never trusted Sherri or her unwavering belief and don’t believe these resurrections are God’s work. But how to explain when his sickly mother dies and is resurrected? And what about the horror Chance Gold encounters in the woods and the voice that insists, You’re mine? Or the secret a mental patient who murdered her friend knows? Or the terrible thing Carl Nichols is hiding in his basement? Or the hundreds of crows gathering across the street as if in anticipation?

[Review] - The Amityville Horror II by John G. Jones

Billy Burgess books , fiction

Why am I fascinated by The Amityville Horror? I'm aware of all the facts and hoaxes surround the Lutz family's 28-day stay at 112 Ocean Avenue. I know author Jay Anson put his spin on Lutz's claims for his 1977 novel The Amityville Horror. I believe Ed and Lorraine Warren's investigation is questionable? No, I don't believe the ghost boy picture is of John DeFeo. Was George Lutz involved in the occult? Some facts point in that direction. Were George and Kathy Lutz in debt? Yep!

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Friday, November 8, 2024

About the Book

READ THE REVIEWS!

Billy's Review

About Russell Bell

Giveaway Details

Tour Schedule

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Saturday, October 19, 2024

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Friday, September 27, 2024

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Thursday, August 4, 2022

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Thursday, July 14, 2022

Monday, April 11, 2022

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Thursday, January 6, 2022

Monday, October 25, 2021

Saturday, July 17, 2021

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