“Crimson Orgy – Best New Thriller of ’08?” read the headline on Amazon.com’s forums. User C. Avery said, “For my money, this is the best new thriller of 2008 (so far, anyway),” and I, after reading Austin Williams’s debut novel, Crimson Orgy, immediately thought, “publisher plant?”

Dubbed as a thriller, and quite often described as a horror novel, Crimson Orgy follows the filming of a fictional exploitation film of the same name during the 1960s. The intro to the book sets the story up as potentially true (although we know it’s a work of fiction), explaining that the final print never saw the light of day.

Review by William F. Aicher

“And what have you done lately?” So ends a fast-paced, winner-take-all honey of a comic book brought to life. Wanted builds from a nicely sardonic character study through a romp of an action film into a colossal final fight built around a twist that suddenly catapults the movie from a fun night out into an edge-of-the-seat thrill ride. It may start out slowly, but this movie ends with a bang so big, it will leave you grinning with malicious glee. All nice words aside, don’t go to this movie looking for high drama and a soaring intellectual quotient—although the movie does, at times, make witty, ironic jokes worthy of a wry smile. But if you enjoy a dark comic book writ large and riddled with as much wordplay as bullets, then this is the movie for you.

Review by Dana Hagengruber

Dread: The First Book of Pandemonium has a new cover illustration, courtesy of Tariq Raheem (concept artist on TV shows like Farscape and video games like Heavenly Sword). This new artwork depicts a pair of Disciples about to come under attack from a group of demons led by a Pelogris.

We’re suckers, so we bought the collector’s edition. In this edition you get a nice tall box that you feel bad about throwing away, a six inch or so plastic figurine and… that’s it. *rattles the box, turns it upside down* yes… that’s all you get. No art book, no strategy guide or hint booklet. Just the plastic figurine. They didn’t exactly go all out. To make matters even more annoying they’ve plastered a ‘not for resale’ tag across the front of the game box so you can’t even trade in the game. After the wonderfulness of the Bioshock collector’s edition this was… a little aggravating. If you’re going to have a special edition and charge that much more for it you should really push the boat out a little and this just wasn’t the case with Assassin’s Creed.

Review by James ‘Grim’ Desborough

Rafael Chandler has announced the a new book in the Dread line-up: Pent: The First Gospel of Pandemonium Pent: The First Gospel of Pandemonium is a sourcebook for Dread that includes five ready-to-run scenarios and a dozen one-page adventure hooks. The scenarios include thoroughly fleshed-out locations, characters, setting information, and maps. Pent will be available […]

Check out the latest news from Derek Gunn and Black Death Books. Two new Vampire Apocalypse books coming…. Vampire Apocalypse: A World Torn Asunder, is the first book in the Vampire Apocalypse series from Irish author, Derek Gunn (published by KHP Industries, US, under their Black Death Books imprint) and currently available worldwide. Two new […]

Ultimately, the Dog Town system seems as though it could be very simple, unfortunately the explanation is confused and overly wordy (perhaps even purposefully intellectualized) to the point that it obfuscates, rather than elucidates, the mechanical components of the game. The rule explanations in Dog Town need a serious overhaul — less jargon, less “behind the scenes” exposition, and more black and white explanation. Dog Town needs to keep it simple, trimming some serious fat.

Rooted in an alternate history, The Burning ratchets up the supernatural, tones down the reality, and makes good use of graphic violence and sex to shock the reader. In many ways, The Burning is the spiritual successor to the American slasher movie in literature — and it works! As a piece of purely tongue-in-cheek entertainment The Burning delivers:

A crazed mass murderer, a nationwide massacre, a conspiratorial Presidential coverup, ghost trains, and armies of undead rising from the grave — what’s not to love, right?

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.

Mad Max – what a trilogy. Dustbowl landscapes, battered old sedans, Australian accents and stubble. It had them all. Plenty of RPG’s have attempted to capture the post-apocalyptic genre in all its glory and few have fully succeeded. Introducing the latest contender: octaNe. Will it roar off into the healthy radioactive glow of sunset on wheels of fire, or will it get a razor-edged boomerang in the forehead?

By the way, the capital N is all part of the product identity. I thought it was going to stand for Nitro or something similar, but according to the introduction it just looks cool. Go figure. It kinda makes me want to pronounce the word oc-tay-NEH. Given the content of the game though, the odd grammar is well in-theme.

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?

Public synopsis: A powerful virus escapes from a British research facility. Transmitted in a drop of blood and devastating within seconds, the virus locks those infected into a permanent state of murderous rage. Within 28 days the country is overwhelmed and a handful of survivors begin their attempts to salvage a future, little realizing that the deadly virus is not the only thing that threatens them.

Well that’s just the blurb that is given to the general audience via the back of the video box. But this movie amounts to so much more than most people could have anticipated. A very finely crafted movie with a cast that delivers some top-notch performances and a story that’s sure to keep you in your seat. I’ll try not to give away too much in the way of spoilers but I’m sure a few will leak their way in.

Review by Peter Amthor