Prom Dates from Hell Fiction Review
By Flames | April 10, 2008
For those of us who were geeks in high school, comparing prom to hell wasn’t much of a stretch. The same can absolutely be said of Maggie Quinn, who has no intention of getting conned into going to prom. She doesn’t have a boyfriend, so that’s not a concern, and her stalwart friends have mocked the dance as much as she has in the past. But as the dance nears, and supernatural danger strikes, all of Maggie’s plans are scattered. Welcome to Rosemary Clement-Moore’s Prom Dates from Hell.
Review by Alana Abbott
Topics: Fiction Reviews | 3 Comments »
Little Boy Blue Sale at Horror Mall
By Flames | April 5, 2008
Buy $50 worth of in-stock books (preorders not included) and you’ll automatically get a copy of James A. Moore’s Little Boy Blue by Bloodletting Press thrown in your shopping cart for free!
What’s so special about this sale, is that this book isn’t even available for sale anywhere, as Bloodletting Press produced it for this year’s World Horror Convention, as a giveaway chapbook.
So if you couldn’t make it, here’s your chance to get it for free!
Topics: Horror News | No Comments »
Dead Men (and Women) Walking Fiction Review
By Flames | March 26, 2008
Some of the stories have interesting premises, but sabotage themselves with clunky writing or clumsy execution (the first two stories, Adam and Eve Versus the Human Race by Alexander Zelenyj and Waking Finnegan by Joseph Benton are prime examples of this). Other stories have competent but unremarkable writing but tired, clichéd plots–A New Year’s Tale by Dave Bartlett starts off promising, but quickly turns into something extremely similar to The Hills Have Eyes.
There are a few pieces that are quite good. The two opening poems by Guy Belleranti are atmospheric and effective. Unfortunately, the rest of the poetry included in this anthology doesn’t work quite as well. But, it has to be said, revenants aren’t the most inspiring subjects when it comes to poetry.
Review by Leah Clarke
Topics: Fiction Reviews | No Comments »
Edge of Propinquity features “The Valley” by Alana Joli Abbott
By Matt-M-McElroy | March 11, 2008
The Edge of Propinquity is a series of short stories exploring the world around us that lurks just beneath the surface. It is the world of the unexplained, supernatural, magic, horror, duty, responsibility, black humor, conspiracy, unknown heritage and power.
Check out Volume 26 of The Edge of Propinquity for a tale by Alana Joli Abbott called The Valley.
Topics: Fiction | No Comments »
DriveThruFiction (Horror, Sci-Fi and Fantasy)
By Flames | March 9, 2008
DriveThruFiction is one of the Web’s premiere places to acquire digital copies of your favorite best-selling fiction titles. There’s so much, it can’t all be contained in just one place! Please follow the links below to browse your preferred genre.
DriveThruHorror.com - If you enjoy a sense of creeping terror and shaking on the edge of your seat, DriveThruHorror may have something which suits your palate.
DriveThruFantasy.com - From Terry Pratchett to Jacqueline Carey, from World of Warcraft fiction to Marion Zimmer Bradley, DriveThruFantasy fulfills all your desires for the fantastical.
DriveThruSciFi.com - Arching dystopian vistas, faster-than-light starships or hidden parallel universes, the boggling infinity of it all can be found at DriveThruSciFi.
Topics: Resources | 1 Comment »
Wind Chill DVD Review
By Flames | February 5, 2008
A Japanese terror movie remake is frequently a bad idea, but an American horror movie that looks like one is worst. “Wind chill” tries to tell a declared true story in a Japanese way. That means to use a claustrophobic atmosphere, an aesthetic style and especially a plot based on spirits that want revenge. But in the end, it’s just a nothing-happens movie with bad acting and lazy direction.
Review by Douglas Lobo
Topics: TV Series and Movie Reviews | No Comments »
Dread: The First Book of Pandemonium Review
By Matt-M-McElroy | January 29, 2008
Dread is a violent horror game from Neoplastic Press about hunting demons and it is presented in a chaotic punk wave throughout the book. This review is of the revised and updated edition of the game. The revised edition cleans up some of the rules, expands the magic and adds a few new demons for the characters to deal with.
Topics: Roleplaying Game Reviews | 4 Comments »
Cloverfield Movie Review
By Flames | January 27, 2008
Review by: Jason Thorson
Sometimes the most innovative ideas are so simple, it’s amazing they haven’t already been done. Such is the case with Cloverfield - a giant monster movie shot entirely from the perspective of a character’s camcorder. Produced by J.J. Abrams, written by Drew Goddard, and directed by Matt Reeves, all of whom are television vets having been responsible for episodes of Lost, Buffy, Angel, Alias, and others, Cloverfield is more than merely Godzilla meets The Blair Witch Project. It’s unique in that it attempts to give us fully developed characters to inhabit it’s high concept scenario and entirely besieged Manhattan setting.
Topics: TV Series and Movie Reviews | 3 Comments »
Gumshoe - Esoterrorists/Fear Itself/Unremitting Horror RPG Review
By Flames | September 11, 2007
I got to talking with Sasha of Pelgrane at Gencon UK and ended up picking up Fear Itself and the Gumshoe version of The Book of Unremitting Horror and then, later, picking up a copy of The Esoterrorists on PDF. While most of the interest during the convention seemed to be fixed upon the Gumshoe version of Cthulu - Trail of Cthulu - its a shame that this hoary old classic, revamped and timeless as it is, seems to be overshadowing the work already done by Robin Laws (on the system) and Dave Allsop (on the modern horrific vision) of this trio.
Topics: Roleplaying Game Reviews | 1 Comment »
1408 Movie Review
By Flames | July 28, 2007
The genre of story telling that has best succeeded in giving me the creeps is the tried and true ghost story. It tends to be reliably frightening in written form, and although less so on film, it’s hard to find someone who’s not been given a heebie-jeebies overdose by The Changeling (1980). Other successes worth mentioning include The Haunting (1963), Poltergeist (1982), and more recently, The Others (2001). Unfortunately, the list of bad haunted fright films is far lengthier. This brings us to the genre’s most recent offering. To describe 1408 in appropriately metaphysical terms, Swedish director, Mikael Håfström’s film is stuck in movie purgatory, somewhere between good and bad.
Topics: Reviews, TV Series and Movie Reviews | No Comments »
28 Weeks Later Movie Review
By Flames | May 16, 2007
Given the instant success of 28 Days Later and its money generating influence industry wide, it was to be expected that once the cinematic carnage had subsided, the entrails had dried up, and the dust had settled, we’d be treated to a second go around with the rage virus courtesy of Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s 28 Weeks Later.
Topics: TV Series and Movie Reviews | No Comments »
Grindhouse Movie Review
By Flames | April 10, 2007
I can’t remember the last time I was as entertained by the audience’s reaction to a movie as I was the movie itself. People laughed hysterically, burst out in fits of applause, and “ewe-ed” and “ah-ed” their ways through all 3 hours and 11 minutes of Grindhouse. The movie-going experience for me was outstanding, more so than the movie itself. Here’s the thing, though: The movie is pretty darn good too, which makes writing this review a bit less of a daunting task than it could’ve been. And for that I say, “Thanks, Robert. Thanks, Quentin.”
Topics: TV Series and Movie Reviews | No Comments »
Little Fears RPG Review
By Flames | March 13, 2007
It is not often that a role playing game makes you think. It is also a rare occurrence when a role playing game tackles a controversial subject, with grace and understanding. Upon reading Little Fears I was happy to have my first impressions of the game shattered. At first glance Little Fears is a game simply about childhood fears, which it is, but it is also about much more.
Topics: Roleplaying Game Reviews | No Comments »
Creep Chronicle Review
By Flames | March 1, 2007
There is a lot to like about The Creep Chronicle — indeed, in many ways, it’s the PG-rated successor of Little Fears that several people were hungering for back in 2001. If you’re looking for a “kid friendly” horror RPG that still has some teeth, you need look no further than The Creep Chronicle.
Topics: Reviews, Roleplaying Game Reviews | No Comments »
Werewolf Hunter Movie Review
By Flames | February 21, 2007
Let me begin by writing something positive about director, Francisco Plaza’s, Werewolf Hunter. It’s ambitious. But really. What do you get when you try to combine a monster movie, a serial killer thriller, a period piece, a docudrama, and an episode of National Geographic Explorer? Answer: A disjointed mess that never commits to any of these. Rather than pulling us through a compelling narrative, we watch while Mr. Plaza meanders in circles for 89 minutes. What’s left in his wake is a movie so disengaging that the most frightening experience I had watching it was the possibility that I may fall asleep and have to watch it again so that I can write this review.
Topics: TV Series and Movie Reviews | No Comments »
Hostel Review
By Flames | January 19, 2006
Paxton and Josh are two buddies from the US backpacking their way through Europe. On their journey they have picked up an Icelander named Oli, and together the trio have made it their mission to smoke as much pot and chase as much tail as possible. This incentive has lead them to a Slovakian hostel where something much more terrifying and gruesome awaits them than beautiful women. Unfortunately for the boys, in this city, foreigners are kidnapped and, for the right price, tormented and tortured by their buyers.
Topics: TV Series and Movie Reviews | No Comments »
Saw II Movie Review
By Flames | November 11, 2005
The basic premise of Saw II is the same as Saw. I know, you’re shocked. Put people in a messed up situation, see if they can survive, and possibly…learn their lesson. Also, like its predecessor, the movie really only revolves around one of these messed up situations. That is, eight seemingly innocent people wake up to find themselves players in one of Jigsaw’s games. They’re all trapped in a room where deadly gas is being vented in. If they cannot find the various antidotes hidden throughout their surroundings they will die. Donnie Wahlberg is Eric Matthews, a washed up old cop, whose son, Daniel, is one of the players in Jigsaw’s latest game. It’s a game of survival, who will win?
Topics: TV Series and Movie Reviews | No Comments »
To Charles Fort, With Love Book Review
By Flames | November 5, 2005
I’ve read a few reviews of this book that make statements like “Kiernan has finally found her voice,” or “this set of stories flow together so much better than [insert title of short story collection here].” I’m not completely sure that I agree. Granted, the lines that bind some of these stories together, or with her other novels like Threshold or Low Red Moon are a lot more sturdy, but to say that these stories are where Caitlin finally found her author’s voice just strikes me as a little misinformed. Caitlin’s had her voice for several years now, and while it may not be a shout, it is most certainly distinct and it carries.
Topics: Fiction Reviews | No Comments »
Ignotus GM’s Guide RPG Review
By Flames | May 2, 2005
Throughout known history, mankind has been threatened by the malevolent plane known as the Ignotus. How the Ignotus came into being is not clear – some believe it was a remnant of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, while others consider it to be a punishment from God. What is known, though, is that the Ignotus is the source of numerous trials and tribulations, including manifestations of evil spirits, ghosts and all manner of frightful things. As the Ignotus moves closer to the earth, its effects multiply and inevitably it is the innocent who suffer the most.
Review by John Walsh
Topics: Roleplaying Game Reviews | No Comments »
Dead Inside RPG Review
By Flames | April 1, 2005
Oft times in horror role-playing, characters endure deadly consequences to the blood, guts and gore that bleeds through so many games. Every once in a while a horror rpg strives to create the mood and theme of horror through fear, manipulation, and growth of character. Dead Inside: The Roleplaying Game of Loss and Redemption, is a game that steps away from combat and mechanics and focuses on “the reasons for and the manner in which tasks are attempted.”
Topics: Roleplaying Game Reviews | No Comments »