tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48907375529282821392024-03-12T22:47:29.581-05:00Mavens of HorrorMavens of Horror are four ladies who are taking Horror by the Horns and bringing it to all horror fans No Holds Barred.Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-73816758510356244922012-06-14T19:22:00.001-05:002012-06-14T19:26:11.126-05:00Book Review Unknown Pleasures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" id="il_fi" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51pm2FOMT2L._SS500_.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="320" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ffd966;"><strong>Reviewed by <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Sheri</st1:givenname><st1:sn w:st="on">White</st1:sn></st2:personname></strong></span></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I love short stories, and really enjoy single-author collections. Collections are better than long-fiction to get to know the author better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tells you what’s in his or her head, which can be a little disconcerting when you’re reading horror stories.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">There are weird things going on in <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Charles</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Colyott</st1:sn></st2:personname>’s head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Creepy things. And a few nasty things.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">In the first story, “Severance,” a man is tortured by dreams of his missing fiancée; he is convinced she’s been killed since she just wouldn’t leave him. He sees her wounded and bloody, reaching for him, surrounded by other dead people. He admits himself to a psychiatric center to find relief. What he finds is much worse.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">“Commitments” reminded me somewhat of King’s “Quitter’s Inc.,” which is a story I’ve always liked. Instead of a self-help company, a man is stalked by a cable company. We’ve all felt that rage at being bothered at home through our phone by people you don’t want to talk to. But <st1:givenname w:st="on">Ben</st1:givenname> has no choice - he MUST talk to this person or never see his wife again.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: large;"><strong>Charles Colyott</strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I really enjoyed “TEETH grinder.” I can’t think of anybody who enjoys that long, cold needle full of Novocain sliding into their gums. The feel of a tooth being removed from its socket, with that sucking sound that runs down your spine. <st1:givenname w:st="on">Charles</st1:givenname> captures that perfectly in this story. But that’s not all to the story - it gets really messed up and chilling. Think of vagina dentate, only male-oriented. Yeah, it’s creepy.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A man is ticked off that his wife hasn’t cleaned the house after giving birth to their son. Nagging doesn’t help, so he decides to clean up himself - and clean up HIMSELF. “Dead Things” will have your teeth aching and your spine spasms toward the end.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">“Seed” takes the awful consequences of bullying and makes them even worse. The bullied becomes the bully, with horrific and sad results.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This story is really great and one of my favorites.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The final story, “The Catastrophic Loves of Edgar J. Spurlock,” is pretty gross, but <st1:givenname w:st="on">Charles</st1:givenname>warns the reader of that from the get-go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the characters, “Peepers,” will make quite an impression on you.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Other stories in this collection include zombies, conjoined twins, a deal with President Death and other twisted themes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>Unknown Pleasures</i> is a collection you’ll want to have on your shelf, and a great way to be introduced to a new author.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But try not to think of the things going on in his head.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-77044982955848057742012-05-25T10:36:00.001-05:002012-05-25T10:50:12.865-05:00Book Review Zombie Bitches from Hell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWGeRrK1eBhtPuxVoR2Xs3k69DnNCepC6r95JbR45yyHgvt-eekZBeLqSjCbI7XPWnrT1RW_BeOou2SPDXIoRQylC5NEI00A4wJBEi1aNgEJsIKSYK01rAp4Wvg-OlG01mpBg7NjNChE/s1600/zombie-bitches-from-hell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWGeRrK1eBhtPuxVoR2Xs3k69DnNCepC6r95JbR45yyHgvt-eekZBeLqSjCbI7XPWnrT1RW_BeOou2SPDXIoRQylC5NEI00A4wJBEi1aNgEJsIKSYK01rAp4Wvg-OlG01mpBg7NjNChE/s400/zombie-bitches-from-hell.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">ZOMBIE BITCHES FROM HELL<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Zoot</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Campbell</st1:sn></st2:personname></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grand Mal Press 2011<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The world has gone to Hell and the bitches are taking over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While trying to create an AIDS vaccine, scientists have inadvertently unleashed a new “disease” on the world—one that only affects women and turns them into zombies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lock up your daughters, wives and granddaughters because the first chance they get they’ll chow down on the family jewels and anything else they can get their teeth and claws on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">ZOMBIE BITCHES follows <st1:givenname w:st="on">Kent</st1:givenname>, a reporter from <st2:city w:st="on">Denver</st2:city> and his friend <st1:givenname w:st="on">Tim</st1:givenname> who decide to make their way to <st2:city w:st="on">Boston</st2:city> so that <st1:givenname w:st="on"><st2:country-region w:st="on"><st2:place w:st="on">Kent</st2:place></st2:country-region></st1:givenname> can find and hopefully save his girlfriend Jen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along for the ride in their hot-air balloon is <st2:country-region w:st="on"><st2:place w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Kent</st1:givenname></st2:place></st2:country-region>’s trusty mutt MG and the owner of said balloon <st1:givenname w:st="on">Rick</st1:givenname>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story is told from <st2:country-region w:st="on"><st2:place w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Kent</st1:givenname></st2:place></st2:country-region>’s point of view and relates the trouble they run into—from a convent full of zombie women, a barn with nursing home refugees and an old armory full of white supremacists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The disease is named the GaGa after Lady GaGa collapses on stage and turns into one of the first hungry harpies from Hell while the world watches on television.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As <st1:givenname w:st="on">Kent</st1:givenname> and <st1:givenname w:st="on">Tim</st1:givenname> make their way east the zombie hoards make their way west, but a change is going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The packs of screaming banshees are becoming organized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The undead women are evolving and they are determined to take over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When <st2:country-region w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Kent</st1:givenname></st2:country-region> finally makes it as <st2:place w:st="on">Far East</st2:place> as land will go he not only finds a sizeable stronghold of male survivors but he also discovers just how evolved and organized these bitches are.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Between the title, the author’s name and the awesome cover art by <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Michael</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Lindsey</st1:sn></st2:personname>, ZOMBIE BITCHES FROM HELL reminded me of an old pulp novel—in a good way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I love my zombies, the whole “apocalyptic zombie” thing can get a bit repetitive….but not with ZOMBIE BITCHES.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Zoot</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Campbell</st1:sn></st2:personname> adds a fresh narrative to the zombie sub-genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story flows nicely and character development is very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The end of the novel totally works for me and there are a few nice surprises thrown in, including the question of <st2:country-region w:st="on"><st2:place w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Kent</st1:givenname></st2:place></st2:country-region>’s sanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Zoot</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Campbell</st1:sn></st2:personname> left me wanting more…..and from what I understand, I’ll get it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ZOMBIE BITCHES FROM HELL is a great addition to zombie lit and I can’t wait to read more!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-63195803878234424812012-05-25T09:42:00.001-05:002012-05-25T10:47:20.324-05:00Book Review The Color of Bone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" id="il_fi" src="http://geniusbookpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/120326COB-CarolWeekes-300x240.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="300" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Color of Bone by <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Carol</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Weekes</st1:sn></st2:personname><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Reviewed by <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Sheri</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">White</st1:sn></st2:personname><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I hadn’t heard of <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Carol</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Weekes</st1:sn></st2:personname> until I was asked to review her collection. I’m glad I was given the opportunity to read <i>The Color of Bone</i>, because this is a great collection. Most of the stories in this book are fantastic. The offerings are diverse, ranging in emotion from horror to sadness.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The first story, “Standing Water,” starts this collection off with a bang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little boy notices what he thinks are snakes in his elderly neighbor’s rain barrel, but soon realizes these are not snakes, and they are hungry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is bitten by one of these creatures, and what happens after that is pretty horrific.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great story.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If clowns creep you out, you’re going to get chills reading “Clowning Around.” This is not your usual evil clown story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has a great twist towards the end, and you won’t look at carnival workers the same way again.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“The Punishing Room” was my least favorite story; mostly because I couldn’t suspend my disbelief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little girl is always punished by having to sit in a corner in the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One night the appliances start talking to her and tell her they will kill her parents so she won’t have to sit in the corner ever again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story is well-written, but I found the idea of talking appliances a little silly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would probably be a great story in a horror collection for kids, though.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">One of the few non-horror tales, “Two Hours, Two People, and a Box,” is a chick-lit kind of story about two people who can’t stand each other getting stuck in an elevator together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They end up hitting it off after a little bit of violent fighting, and seem to fall in love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good story, but seemed out of place with the rest of the collection.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">One of the creepier tales, “The Wishing Well,” will make you want to cover up any deep holes in your yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <st1:sn w:st="on">Cobb</st1:sn> family moves into an old farmhouse and discover a well in the backyard that stinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:givenname w:st="on">Terry</st1:givenname> thinks an animal fell in and died, but he discovers something more evil and sinister than he could’ve imagined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first repulsed by what he finds, he then becomes attracted to what it can offer him and regrets it the rest of his life.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A spooky story that is also sad is “Maybelline.” The tone of the story reminded me somewhat of <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Stephen</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">King</st1:sn></st2:personname>’s “Stand by Me.” A group of 12-year-old boys heads out for an adventure one day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They decide to hang out in an empty boxcar at the train tracks, and meet a young girl who is anything but sweet.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The final story, “Smoke and Leaves,” is another carnival story, this time with an evil who works the beanbag toss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He lets his son play the game although he is nervous about the carnie, who gives him a creepy vibe. He should’ve followed his instincts.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There are more stories in the collection for a total of 26.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were only one or two I didn’t care for, but they were still very well-written; they just weren’t my type of story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, this is a great collection, and I will be seeking out more of the author’s work.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-46127195119748116202012-05-22T13:10:00.000-05:002012-05-22T13:10:01.134-05:00House of Flesh Mannequins<div style="text-align: center;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span>HOUSE OF FLESH MANNEQUINS</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;">Director: Domiziano Cristopharo</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;">Writer: Domiziano Cristopharo</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;">Stars: Domiziano Arcangeli, Irena A. Hoffman and GiovanniRadice</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span>Reviewed by: Char Hardin</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;">Category: Dark Hopeless Drama </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span> </div><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"><img alt="" data-mce-src="http://www.morehorror.com/images/house_of_flesh_mannequins_dvd_cover.jpg" height="335" id="il_fi" src="http://www.morehorror.com/images/house_of_flesh_mannequins_dvd_cover.jpg" width="256" /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">“By far the best performance I have seen from Domiziano Arcangeli. His portrayal of Sebastian…simply flawless.”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">A young boy, Sebastian was used for his father’s experiment. He grows up with a camera thrust into his daily existence and in doing so loses his identity, over the course of the experiment. As an adult photographer and filmmaker, he meets a woman who looks past his shyness and wants to learn more about him. Sebastian allows the woman into his world and shows his film with pride of what was done to him by his father.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Irena</span><span> A. Hoffman</span><span> is beautiful and attentive of Sebastian; she has her own scars to bear. She showed an interest in the shy neighbor and becomes wrapped up in Sebastian’s world. A strange twist of events will show Sarah in a different light.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">The film shows many bizarre acts including masturbation, snuff victims, eating of glass, body piercing, graphic sex acts. I knew before hand the nature of this film and the brutal visuals that I would be viewing and I must say, I expected more than what I saw. There is a scene where Sebastian peeps through windows at men and women in various sex acts, one where a person is standing on glass then eating glass, another where a person is being hand sewn. Morbid and yet it was titillating for Sebastian, for me the viewer, it was heavily shadowed and dark and disturbing and it made me feel like a voyeur who in kind felt dirty for viewing. This movie made me feel uncomfortable and when the credits rolled I breathed a sigh of relief.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">The hardest part was not in viewing this film, but writing a review that’s fair and does the filmmaker justice. I fear this type of film is just not my cup of tea. And as for my personal tastes in horror movies, I didn’t like it. House of Flesh Mannequins is not the typical horror. It is one I would say is more of Art Horror. Although it’s a new trend perhaps only to me, as this type of ART has been around long time. Not much is known to me of Art Horror or more Avant guarde films where perhaps, this could be categorized as too radical or too experimental with themes not of my tastes. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Throughout the whole film, there was one emotion that stuck with me… disgust. IF the director Domiziano Cristopharo’s was seeking to shock the viewers he succeeded plus making me feel uncomfortable. I didn’t like the nature of the film, but it doesn’t mean others will feel the same.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of the stars of this film is Domiziano Arcangeli who portrayed Sebastian.<span> </span>I have been watching many of his films in the last few months and out of all of them, this role is by far the best I have seen from Domiziano. He was not just a man playing a part…what he did seemed effortless. His merging with this character was flawless. His character was a question mark. He was strange, aloof, coy, disturbed, lonely, sad, searching, intriguing, and the Domiziano had one of the coolest scenes with what happened in the story to his chest. I won’t say. I don’t want to spoil it. But it was bloody good. In the special features, the behind-the-scenes making of the film gave details on his particular scene. I would like to see more films with Domiziano and the intensity he brought Sebastian, in future roles. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Irena</span><span> Hoffman</span><span> is new to me, as most of my readers know, I am still learning who’s who in Indie Horror films. She portrayed Sarah, Sebastian’s beautiful neighbor. Irena was curious and she couldn’t help but be drawn to Sebastian as she invaded his private life and became immersed in his world. Sarah, at first was repulsed by Sebastian’s films, but she looked past the horror and developed a connection with him. Although Sara was beautiful she was living scars of her own. All of which come out in the film, and not in the review…t’would spoil the film. This was my first viewing of Irena Hoffman and I hope not my last. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is the part of the review, where I say whether or not I would recommend the film whether as a purchase to add to your collection or out of curiosity to look for as a rental. I am torn, so I am going to say look for it if you like graphic sex, violence, disturbing thematic material and are fans of ArtHorror.<span> </span>It’s a miss for me, but may be a hit with some of you. Seek it out and leave your comments here. 6/10.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span data-mce-style="font-family: Calibri;" style="font-family: Calibri;">You can find a copy of the film at </span></span> <span><a data-mce-href="http://mvdb2b.com/s/HouseOfFleshMannequins/EE4821" href="http://mvdb2b.com/s/HouseOfFleshMannequins/EE4821"><span data-mce-style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Calibri;" style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://mvdb2b.com/s/HouseOfFleshMannequins/EE4821</span></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Comment from Director Domiziano Cristopharo:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">"This is a great review too. My English unfortunately doesn’t help the to get all the transparency in the language, but seems like that the journalist "admit" to don’t "get the movie" when writing the article she shows to get it totally and in a ...very deep way! When I read, “for me the viewer, it was heavily shadowed and dark and disturbing and it made me feel like a voyeur who in kind felt dirty for viewing. This movie made me feel uncomfortable and when the credits rolled I breathed a sigh of relief" I remembered exactly what me and Domi said always about our intent filming this. Sebastian is the voyeur of the movie but the real voyeurs should be the audience; why? Because all the people that watch this movie will watch it because they know about the contents of the movie itself... extreme contents. "I knew before hand the nature of this film and the brutal visuals that I would be viewing and I must say, I expected more than what I saw.” Exactly that. "House of Flesh Mannequins is not the typical horror. It is one I would say is more of Art Horror. “I never described it as horror too... I always thought about it as a drama... a dark hopeless drama. The label horror sometimes brought to the movie fortune but also can create confusion. The acting is great and I will add to the list Lombardo Radice and Randal Malone too. I love the way how this movie share the people's opinions in 2 radical opposites. And also in people that doesn’t like it at all, we can see they cannot avoid to be trapped by the movie and find anyway its negative desperate message hidden behind the art language of the body. :) Thank you again and sorry for my English!"</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Char, "This is the kind comment left on my facebook page. I wrote this review 12 times and struggled in how to get my feelings across and the whole time I was viewing it the way it was meant to be experienced! Cool!"</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">By </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/13714343753799866507" href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/13714343753799866507"><span style="font-size: large;">Char Hardin Horror Movie Reviews</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> on </span><a data-mce-href="http://charhardin.blogspot.com/2012/05/house-of-flesh-mannequins-director.html?showComment=1337437121131#c4330399911347376548" href="http://charhardin.blogspot.com/2012/05/house-of-flesh-mannequins-director.html?showComment=1337437121131#c4330399911347376548"><span style="font-size: large;">House of Flesh Mannequins</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> on 5/19/12</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-48124298834520083652012-05-22T13:00:00.000-05:002012-05-22T13:00:26.862-05:00Book Review Scarla<div align="center"> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Scarla <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By BC Furtney<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Comet Press 2011<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Colleen</span></st1:givenname><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> <st1:sn w:st="on">Wanglund</st1:sn></span></st2:personname><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"> <img height="431" id="il_fi" src="http://www.cometpress.us/images/books/scarla-large.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="289" /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Scarla Fragran was the youngest female kickboxing champion in history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now as a cop’s widow, Scarla is working undercover to help put a stop to a disease that seems to be spreading on the streets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It affected her husband and she wants to know what it is and how to stop it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her handler Facil LeTour was Scarla’s husband’s partner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows what they went through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s also in love with Scarla and wants to do everything he can to help her.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Because Scarla was exposed to the disease by her dead husband, she can sense when someone infected will change….but only during sex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All along for those running the secret assignment Scarla and her husband proved to be nothing more than guinea pigs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now LeTour must sit back while Scarla plays prostitute and spirals downward to her own destruction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Scarla </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">is dark, somber, and extreme. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is quite violent and sexually graphic, so it’s definitely not for kids.<a href="" name="_GoBack"></a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scarla</i> is a horror story of therianthropy which makes for a nice change of pace from the standard were-tale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The virus, which is a sexually transmitted disease, causes people to transform into something other than human, but instead of a werewolf the changes consist of an amalgam of different animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scarla herself is an interesting character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is very sympathetic, especially once you, the reader, realize things are happening to her that she is completely unaware of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The end has a nice unpredictable twist with hints of an impending apocalypse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thoroughly enjoyed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scarla </i>and had a tough time putting it down.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center"> </div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-27820370120820170682012-05-09T16:21:00.001-05:002012-05-09T16:23:01.747-05:00The Green Slime<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.8797800064903933" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="320" src="https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?saduie=AG9B_P96pTheI8l58bFtcgfSGe1T&attid=0.2&disp=emb&view=att&th=1372585b38ab9646" width="172" /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: lime; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">THE GREEN SLIME (1968)</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: lime; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">MGM (U.S.) and Toei Studios (Japan)</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: lime; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: lime; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: lime; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">THE GREEN SLIME is one of those wonderfully bad B movies that you just can’t help but love. The movie was originally—and oddly--marketed to children in both Japan and the U.S. It has a bit of a mixed background, as it was produced by Walter Manley and Ivan Reiner (who wrote the original story) but it was filmed in Japan at Toei Studios. Adding to the film’s pedigree is director Kinji Fukasaku (BATTLE ROYALE {2000}, TORA! TORA! TORA! {1970}), along with the SFX that were done by Japan Special Effects Co. (visuals) and Ekisu Productions (monster suits). Both companies were created by former employees of Toho Studios—famed for their GODZILLA movies—who learned their craft under Eiji Tsuburaya, considered the Father of Japanese SFX.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: lime; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The movie stars Robert Horton as Commander Jack Rankin, an astronaut called back into service when an asteroid is discovered on a collision course with Earth. With less than 12 hours to impact, Rankin is sent first to the Gamma 3 Space Station where he will assemble a team and head to the asteroid. The plan is to detonate bombs in strategic locations to destroy the asteroid. Along for the ride is a scientist who finds a strange life form that inadvertently hitches a ride back to Gamma 3.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: lime; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: lime; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With the asteroid destroyed and the men safely back aboard the space station, there is some tension between the captain of Gamma 3, Commander Vince Elliot (Richard Jaeckel—whom you may remember from THE DIRTY DOZEN {1967}), Rankin, and Dr. Lisa Benson (Luciana Paluzzi—Bond Girl Fiona in THUNDERBALL {1965}). It seems Jack and Lisa have a past together, Vince and Jack used to work together, and Vince and Lisa are now engaged. It’s very soap operaish, but whatever. The more important point of the story is the green slime that begins to wreak havoc on the space station’s electrical system and cause some major injuries to some of the crew. Upon further testing, the scientist learns that the slime and the monsters it is spawning need energy to thrive. Now it becomes a race against time to evacuate the space station without the monsters or their slime tagging along to Earth. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The visual effects and miniatures created by Japan Special Effects Co. are pretty stunning for the time and exactly what you would expect from artists who worked on tons of Japanese monster films in the 1950s and 1960s. The colors are quite vibrant, considering THE GREEN SLIME is a sci-fi/horror flick with the survival of humanity hanging in the balance. The monster suits are also very cool, if not totally bizarre. They are large one-eyed octopus-armed creatures that look as though they stepped out of a nightmare version of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sigmund the Sea Monster</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> by Sid and Marty Krofft (if you have to ask, Google it!). The acting is adequate and the dialogue is cheesy, at best, but what fun it is to sit and watch as though you were part of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (again, Google). I got quite a kick out of watching a film that takes place in a scientifically advanced future, but they still use the old corded telephones. There are many things to pick out and pick on but that’s part of the experience of watching a B-movie. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
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</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: lime; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The story is a pretty good one and the beginning of the film had me wondering if this is where the idea for the movie ARMAGEDDON (1998) came from. Once on board Gamma 3 the story moves along at a nice pace, with the film clocking in at around 90 minutes.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: lime; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: lime;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">THE GREEN SLIME is a classic cheesy ‘60s B-</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">movie that any fan of the genre will absolutely love. It is definitely one of those so-bad-it’s-good flicks and that is what makes it so much fun to watch. And it doesn’t hurt that the female eye candy is a redhead like me. Just trust me and check out THE GREEN SLIME.</span></span></div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-66953650823431977672012-05-04T10:57:00.002-05:002012-05-04T10:57:46.592-05:00Book Review Paradigms of Suffering: Dig the Knife Deeper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">PARADIGMS OF SUFFERING: DIG THE KNIFE DEEPER<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By Greg Dixon<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Visions Given Life Publishing 2011; 212 pgs; Tp)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center">Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p><img height="320" id="il_fi" src="http://horrornews.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/paradigms-of-suffering.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="203" /></o:p></span></div><div align="center"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In this fourth installment of the PARADIGMS OF SUFFERING series of books, <st1:personname w:st="on"><st2:givenname w:st="on">Greg</st2:givenname> <st2:sn w:st="on">Dixon</st2:sn></st1:personname> has managed to continue his stories of the macabre and extreme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The first novella-length story entitled “Worked to Death.” <st2:givenname w:st="on">Kevin</st2:givenname> has left his former employer and joined the internship program of the biggest and best property appraisal firm in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Florida</st1:place></st1:state>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin soon discovers the program, as well as the company, is not what he bargained for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hours are ridiculously long, the workload never ceases to end, and the company seems to be using illegal and unethical tactics to maintain their status and earnings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is seriously stressed to the interns that they may not go to the second floor, where all of the real action takes place until they have completed their rigorous training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The general consensus is that the firm will work their employees to death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately for <st2:givenname w:st="on">Kevin</st2:givenname>, he is about to discover just how true that statement really is.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The second story is “The Family that Preys Together” and begins with a career criminal staking out a home for burglary while the owners are having a yard sale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He plans to return later with an excuse to get into the house and see the layout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tim has decided that this will be the last job of his crew in the current town because the police are on to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What Tim doesn’t know is that his potential victim knows who he is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Tim returns to the house later in the evening he is invited in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What <st2:givenname w:st="on">Tim</st2:givenname> doesn’t realize until it’s too late is that his life of crime is about to come to an abrupt and painful end.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The third and final story is “Tracking Carrie (Next Day Delivery)” and tells the story of <st2:givenname w:st="on">Carrie</st2:givenname>, a girl who just can’t seem to catch a break in her life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has a job delivering packages, and her father (whom she does not get along with) has recently moved in with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carrie is not happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carrie has been making regular deliveries to Jonathan, who has taken an interest in Carrie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She thinks he’s creepy but he has convinced her that he’s giving some good advice—a form of therapy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carrie decides she’s going to leave her hometown and start over again in California, and she’s convinced that it was Jonathan’s therapy that has helped her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jonathan did not intend for Carrie to make her own changes to her life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He expected to make those changes for her—through death and rebirth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s truly horrifying about this one is discovering the people from <st2:givenname w:st="on">Carrie</st2:givenname>’s life who are in collusion with <st2:givenname w:st="on">Jonathan</st2:givenname>’s plans.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I have read <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Dixon</st1:city></st1:place>’s previous PARADIGMS OF SUFFERING and this one lives up to all of my expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The horror is extreme—just how I like it—and the people and circumstances are truly twisted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dixon’s writing is poetic and descriptive, allowing for the dark beauty of the gore to shine through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the <st1:stockticker w:st="on">POS</st1:stockticker> series of books are all self-published.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are beautifully done and expertly edited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I highly recommend all of the PARADIGMS OF SUFFERING.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, for one, can’t wait to read more by Greg Dixon.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-6668263687871306212012-05-03T11:38:00.000-05:002012-05-03T11:38:46.114-05:00Book Review Bite Club<div style="text-align: center;"> <img height="320" id="il_fi" src="http://top2bottomreviews.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/biteclubcover.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="201" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Bite Club by <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Hal</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Bodner</st1:sn></st2:personname><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Reviewed by <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Sheri</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">White</st1:sn></st2:personname><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><st2:place w:st="on"><st2:city w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">West Hollywood</span></st2:city><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, <st2:state w:st="on">California</st2:state></span></st2:place><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> - home of many gay people, who find it a safe place to live and play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But lately things have gotten dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several gay men have been found dead, drained of all blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:givenname w:st="on">Clive</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Anderson</st1:sn>, Captain of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station, is at a loss to solve the cases, even with the help of the city coroner, <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Becca</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">O’Brien</st1:sn></st2:personname>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is baffled by the murders, and thinks there is a serial killer loose in the city.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">She calls an old friend, <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Chris</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Driscoll</st1:sn></st2:personname>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had a crush on him in college and was dismayed when she found out he was gay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they have kept in touch, and <st1:givenname w:st="on">Chris</st1:givenname> is somewhat an expert on serial killers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and his boyfriend, <st2:city w:st="on">Troy</st2:city>, travel to <st2:place w:st="on">West Hollywood</st2:place> to see what <st1:givenname w:st="on">Chris</st1:givenname> can contribute to the investigation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But <st1:givenname w:st="on">Chris</st1:givenname> has a secret of his own, and he’s afraid of who - or what - is actually killing the city’s gay men.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Bite Club</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> is a great read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not a huge vampire fan, but I was drawn in right from the beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The characters are real and funny, and have their own quirks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vampires are not the usual Nosferatu or <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Bela</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Lugosi</st1:sn></st2:personname> vampires; some are vicious and some are just living their lives, minding their own business.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Whether you like vampires or not, pick up <i>Bite Club</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can tell Hal had a blast writing it, and you’ll have a fun time reading it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-84474419151231540092012-05-01T12:36:00.000-05:002012-05-01T12:36:40.747-05:00Book Review Animosity<div align="center"> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ANIMOSITY<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By James Newman<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">(Necessary Evil Press 2011; Limited HC and E-book)</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p> <img height="320" id="il_fi" src="http://readhorror.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/animosity-james-newman.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="216" /></o:p></span></div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Andy Holland is a successful horror writer, both for adults and with a Young Adult novel series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had a beautiful wife Karen until a recent divorce and has a young daughter Samantha, who is the most important person in Andy’s life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Andy still lives in the same house in a neighborhood that he thought couldn’t be more perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was safe and his neighbors were friendly….until the day, while out walking his dog, Andy discovers the dead body of a little girl.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><st1:givenname w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Andy</span></st1:givenname><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> is horrified by what he sees, but manages to wrangle the dog and get back home to call the police.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What Andy doesn’t realize is that his seemingly good life is about to slowly unravel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It begins with the police questioning him as though he may be a suspect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems something from Andy’s past is now coming back to haunt him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As time passes, the neighbors are no longer friendly and the news reports focus more on a stupid mistake made when he was young instead of the girl and her rape and murder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They stop speaking to him and begin to take out their suspicions on his property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Initially Andy tries to rationalize their behavior, until they kill his dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems the once friendly neighbors now believe that Andy is a pedophile/murderer….all because he is a writer of horror fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, anyone who can dream up such horrible things must be an evil person, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">What strikes me about ANIMOSITY is that these are normal and generally good people, but the mob mentality sets in with a vengeance, making for a potentially real scenario and a very scary final confrontation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The writing is wonderful and flows without a hitch and Newman’s character development is perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As shocking as the events in the story are, I could see something like this happening, especially in a small, tight-knit community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a revealing introduction by author Ray Garton and fantastic illustrations by Alex McVey, ANIMOSITY is definitely one to get your hands on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And beware of the neighbors.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center"> </div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-68587821766452933182012-04-21T23:13:00.000-05:002012-04-21T23:13:44.260-05:00More poetry from Anna Marie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: cyan; font-size: large;">I vessel innocence and aspire seduction, though I have self centered thoughts the world remains uninterrupted, by all the little thinkers in my head, moving round full and well fed, by the planets that caress my gentle head, by the stars that still stay when you're dead, the sky is eternal and we're forever, my face is pretty but my body's nasty weather, that's ok because no other can harness, the sanctity of life and place her life where her charm is, where will you find the patterns without your blinkers, how can you turn right if you decide to quit her, maybe it was you or maybe it was me, or maybe it was the sea that lead to our bitter tea, maybe it was the words or maybe it was the pollution, all this air leads to frantic misleads and false conclusions, I sign wavers in my mind to pass all my bias votes, they get vetoed every time I drop anchors from my boat, and remind me of all the times I've sacrificed my intellect for objective pleasure, where I worried about time and whether my mascara had feathered, where I allowed an audience to grant me my self love and strong might, I'll never go back again, I'll never succumb to their twisted version of light, where beauty is skin deep and scars are unholy, they've pushed me towards shyness and casual self loathing, when in reality and in the eyes of the universe, I'm the most beautiful thing to have ever churned out a verse, and every eyesore is an experience and a view, of reality and all the cards I've refused to que, you look up and baby then you look down, you realize you're the one pressed against unforgiving ground, when I'm riding clouds and dancing with my soul, magnum opus has lied and forced upon me irrelevant goals, I'm not meant to look or be anything other than what the moon has given me, I only carry within me what is alive and what is free.<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: cyan; font-size: large;">Anna Marie ~*~</span> </div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-42194069489265102122012-04-20T23:33:00.000-05:002012-04-20T23:33:27.519-05:00Asian Horror Review Thirst<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>THIRST (2009)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><strong></strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>Released in <st2:country-region w:st="on"><st2:place w:st="on">America</st2:place></st2:country-region> by Universal Studios<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><strong></strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>Runtime: 133 minutes<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><strong></strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><strong><st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;">Colleen</span></st1:givenname><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"> <st1:sn w:st="on">Wanglund</st1:sn></span></st2:personname><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><strong></strong></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86fg3Z5CWXEhayx4-V00rRxJreD8b-H0DnGlHZ9zA_WumOgloKgE6HdWZR689fqMntLTdcEFMNBm4BXi2wmIQvR98wKGmq4YW__imvwDxFcTVWQb8N1ftpkKiJzzMB8lAR0w6bS49U2c/s1600/Thirst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86fg3Z5CWXEhayx4-V00rRxJreD8b-H0DnGlHZ9zA_WumOgloKgE6HdWZR689fqMntLTdcEFMNBm4BXi2wmIQvR98wKGmq4YW__imvwDxFcTVWQb8N1ftpkKiJzzMB8lAR0w6bS49U2c/s320/Thirst.jpg" width="228" /></a></strong></span></div><span style="color: red;"><strong></strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: red;"><strong>THIRST<span style="color: white;"> from director Chan-wook Park (OLDBOY {2003}, LADY VENGEANCE {2005}), tells the story of a Catholic priest, Father Sang-hyeon (Kang-ho Song), who volunteers for a high-risk experiment testing a vaccine for a deadly virus, the Emmanuel Virus, which causes death through massive blood loss. The priest ultimately becomes infected and near death, is given a blood transfusion in an attempt to save him. He is the only survivor out of fifty taking part in the experiments, thus becoming almost saint-like to the faithful seeking him out for prayers of healing. Six months after his miraculous recovery, Father Sang-hyeon ends up living with the family of a childhood friend that he seems to have cured of cancer. Soon he begins experiencing strange sensations, and the virus seems to have returned....until he drinks the blood of a comatose patient in the hospital in which he volunteers. The priest has become a vampire. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: white;"></span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<strong><span style="color: white;"> </span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: white;"></span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="color: white;">This is NOT your typical vampire story. We see no fangs, no physical transformations, but he does have super-human abilities, such as instant healing when wounded and increased physical strength. He even continues to be a priest, drinking small amounts only when necessary. Ultimately he falls in love with Tae-ju (Ok-bin <st1:givenname w:st="on">Kim</st1:givenname>) the wife of the man whose cancer he cured, and she seems to return those feelings. However, with a Park movie, nothing is ever really as it seems. He turns Tae-ju into a vampire and she begins to pull away from him, reveling in her new life. She had been abused by her husband’s family and now has been given the freedom she so desired. Sang-hyeon continues to struggle with his desire for Tae-ju as well as trying to keep her from going off the deep end.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: white;"></span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<strong><span style="color: white;"> </span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="color: white;"></span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"></div></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>This is Park's first feature-length horror movie (he directed the segment “Cut” in THREE…EXTREMES {2004}) and I thought it was great; I’m a huge fan of his other films. The screenplay, co-written by Park and Seo-Gyeong Jeong, is inspired by the book <st1:givenname w:st="on"><i>Therese</i></st1:givenname><i> <st1:sn w:st="on">Raquin</st1:sn> </i>by <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Emile</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Zola</st1:sn></st2:personname>. It was a little longer than I expected but it didn’t feel that way. I liked the priest, and empathized with him when it seemed as though he was being used by everyone around him. As with any Park film, THIRST delves into the human psyche, examining how similar circumstances can affect people differently. The end was amazing and totally unexpected. The only problem I have with it is that there is really no explanation as to how he became a vampire, except for a hint at the transfusion....but where did they get the blood from in the first place? I recommend this movie to any horror fan, especially if you like something a little bit different.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div></div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-77845611424155670822012-04-16T22:09:00.000-05:002012-04-16T22:09:09.414-05:00THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREv8mWUBoqMgQz0aFaHxwKNR2mrDULIBWQPesMZZoRBQKUu3F6dvvb7yiarxqxkunxM_D4t8RQwcUN3CEdDXJi6wQ3ZPUZOsKHJoUGRdVcrdnmyhysXnQls1dfa_39ZyD-T4uUMC346k/s1600/Ghost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREv8mWUBoqMgQz0aFaHxwKNR2mrDULIBWQPesMZZoRBQKUu3F6dvvb7yiarxqxkunxM_D4t8RQwcUN3CEdDXJi6wQ3ZPUZOsKHJoUGRdVcrdnmyhysXnQls1dfa_39ZyD-T4uUMC346k/s320/Ghost.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">(<st1:personname w:st="on"><st2:givenname w:st="on">TOKAIDO</st2:givenname> <st2:sn w:st="on">YOTSUYA</st2:sn></st1:personname> KAIDAN)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: center; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">Colleen Wanglund<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong>Directed by <st2:givenname w:st="on">Nobuo</st2:givenname> <st2:sn w:st="on">Nakagawa</st2:sn> (JIGOKU {1960}) TOKAIDO YOTSUYA KAIDAN (1959) is based on the most famous Japanese ghost story of all time which was written by <st1:personname w:st="on"><st2:givenname w:st="on">Nanboku</st2:givenname> <st2:sn w:st="on">Tsuruya</st2:sn></st1:personname> in 1815 for Kabuki Theater. <st2:givenname w:st="on">Iemon</st2:givenname> <st2:sn w:st="on">Tamiya</st2:sn> (<st2:givenname w:st="on">Shigeru</st2:givenname> <st2:sn w:st="on">Amachi</st2:sn>-who starred in JIGOKU)) is a ronin, a masterless samurai who has been refused the hand of Iwa (<st1:personname w:st="on"><st2:givenname w:st="on">Katsuko</st2:givenname> <st2:sn w:st="on">Wakasugi</st2:sn></st1:personname>), the woman he loves, by her father. Enraged, Iemon kills the girl’s father along with another man; Naosuke, the only witness tells Iemon he will help him. They tell Iwa and Yomoshichi that another man attacked and killed their fathers. Iemon marries Iwa and vows to avenge her father’s murder. While on a pilgrimage to pray at a shrine Iemon and Naosuke stab Yomoshichi and throw him over a waterfall. They then tell Iwa and Sode (Iwa’s sister) that the same man who killed the fathers also killed Yomoshichi. <o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong>Some time has passed and Iemon and Iwa are living in Edo (<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Tokyo</st1:city></st1:place>) and they have a son. Naosuke and Sode are also in <st1:place w:st="on">Edo</st1:place>, but neither of the sisters knows this. Iemon and Iwa are poor and he has grown tired of Iwa asking when he will avenge her father’s death. Iemon meets the daughter of a wealthy samurai and wishes to marry her; but he is already married. Naosuke devises a plan to get rid of Iwa and clear the way for Iemon’s marriage. Iwa is poisoned and dies, taking her son to the grave with her. Her body is disposed of and Iemon marries his new bride. Out of grief and betrayal Iwa’s spirit haunts Iemon and it affects everything he has lied, schemed and murdered to attain. Iwa has vowed revenge and she will have it.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong>TOKAIDO YOTSUYA KAIDAN is not the first film adaptation of the original play but it is the most faithful, following the story almost exactly as it was first written. It is a beautifully directed movie with a suitable dark atmosphere throughout. The sisters are very sympathetic characters and Iemon and Naosuke are truly villainous. The special effects are fantastic with Iwa’s face becoming “monstrous” after drinking the poison and her ghostly image is very scary. This is a movie for the horror purist and fans of good old fashioned ghost stories. <st1:personname w:st="on"><st2:title w:st="on">Director</st2:title> <st2:givenname w:st="on">Nobou</st2:givenname> <st2:sn w:st="on">Nakagawa</st2:sn></st1:personname> is a genius of the horror genre in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Japan</st1:place></st1:country-region> and is considered by many to be the father of Japanese horror movies. What also stands out is the story itself (both the original and this movie) is based on two real-life murders that took place during the samurai period in which it is set. The first crime involved two servants who murdered their masters and the other involved a samurai who murdered his concubine after learning she was having an affair. The story also takes place during a time when women were seen as merely possessions and they suffered greatly. The ghost represents the spiritual power of the woman allowing her to take revenge for her bad treatment. THE GHOST OF YOTSUDA is a little hard to find on <st1:stockticker w:st="on">DVD</st1:stockticker>/Blu-ray but it is definitely worth the hunt.</strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: auto; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong>76 minutes<o:p></o:p></strong></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong> </strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong> </strong></span></div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-33558955015429276332012-04-16T20:54:00.001-05:002012-04-16T21:02:37.060-05:00Meet New Reviewer Sheri White<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbPddsSqGIa3_WYUxlwMpWxI335eKqgkhPkz60c23TfgMl255FhCRlVtIlfuphIvIgYFX6RpHE6MalCz0klzi5uAePfKF1iBoSkmk0vc8O5EZgd-YCZlvJ4BdxKdhBdmxjpYuY5aG2wA/s1600/Sheri+White.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strong><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbPddsSqGIa3_WYUxlwMpWxI335eKqgkhPkz60c23TfgMl255FhCRlVtIlfuphIvIgYFX6RpHE6MalCz0klzi5uAePfKF1iBoSkmk0vc8O5EZgd-YCZlvJ4BdxKdhBdmxjpYuY5aG2wA/s1600/Sheri+White.jpg" /></strong></a></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Sheri White</span></strong></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: yellow;"><st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Sheri</span></st1:givenname><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <st1:sn w:st="on">White</st1:sn></span></st2:personname><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> is not your typical suburban mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has three girls, ages 23, 16 and 14 and lives in a small town in <st2:state w:st="on"><st2:place w:st="on">Maryland</st2:place></st2:state>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Married for 19 years, her husband has grown used to her love of all things horror, and puts up with the many stacks of books around the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Music-wise, <st1:givenname w:st="on">Sheri</st1:givenname> is stuck in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and is a complete <st1:sn w:st="on">Beatles</st1:sn> freak.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: yellow; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><span style="color: yellow; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In addition to reviewing for The Mavens of Horror, she also reviews for The Bag and the Crow, </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">horrornews.net, The Future Fire, Horror Drive-In and The Horror Fiction Review. There are probably a few others she’s forgetting<span style="color: orange;">*</span> .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She writes short stories and has been published in several anthologies and small press zines.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: yellow; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><span style="color: yellow; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">You can find her on Facebook pretty much anytime, since she’s attached to her lap at any given point during the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not surfing, she’s writing, reviewing, editing/proofreading, or being bothered by one of her dogs, usually <st1:givenname w:st="on">Jack</st1:givenname>, who is ridiculously needy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as fitting any good horror lover, she has a black cat named Magic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="color: yellow; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><span style="color: yellow; font-size: small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: yellow;"><st1:givenname w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Sheri</span></st1:givenname><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> is glad to be part of The Mavens of Horror, and reviewing on yet another site with her friend <st1:givenname w:st="on">Colleen</st1:givenname>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></span><span style="color: yellow; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div align="justify"> <span style="color: orange;">*Editor's Note: Any site overlooked, will be added. :)</span></div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-81600154095636567552012-04-13T15:26:00.000-05:002012-04-13T15:26:17.674-05:00Short Film Review The Beast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">THE BEAST<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Director: <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Peter</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Dukes</st1:sn></st2:personname><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Writer: <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Peter</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Dukes</st1:sn></st2:personname><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Stars: <st1:givenname w:st="on">Bill</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Oberst</st1:sn>, <st1:namesuffix w:st="on">Jr</st1:namesuffix>, <st1:givenname w:st="on">Peter</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Le Blas</st1:sn> and <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Alexander</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Le Blas</st1:sn></st2:personname><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Reviewed by Char Hardin<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Short - Horror<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">3 Out of 5 <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> <img height="431" id="il_fi" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yp6K_e2wX8I/T3hroFNPkdI/AAAAAAAABuY/5IlShJcvexQ/s1600/The+Beast+-+Poster+A+(1).jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="284" /></o:p></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">“What would you have me do…he’s my boy!”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">A loving father will do anything for his child and in this short film from writer/director <st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on">Peter</st1:givenname> <st1:sn w:st="on">Dukes</st1:sn></st2:personname>, <st1:givenname w:st="on">Michel</st1:givenname> must choose. It should be an easy decision, but for <st1:givenname w:st="on">Michel</st1:givenname>, nothing is as it seems, when it pertains to his sons’ affliction during full moons. The ending will leave you screaming…"NO…it can’t be over!”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><st2:personname w:st="on"><st1:givenname w:st="on"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Bill</span></b></st1:givenname><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> <st1:sn w:st="on">Oberst</st1:sn>, <st1:namesuffix w:st="on">Jr.</st1:namesuffix></span></b></st2:personname><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> known to the Horror Community as “The Creepy <st1:givenname w:st="on">Guy</st1:givenname>” showed a tender vulnerable side in THE BEAST. Peter Dukes had some minor details wrong…but what he got right was casting: Bill as Michel the father of the afflicted boy Jacob (Alexander Le Blas) and Peter Le Blas as Douglas brother to Michel as their performances were believable and at the end…it will leave audiences wanting more. Short films are glimpses into storylines and after a short time spent watching this one…I want to see more. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">BEAST was made on a shoestring budget of $600 and given more of a budget and some fine tuning of minor details, then Dukes would have a potential thriller on his hands. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">My recommendations would be do a sweep of the area before filming, so objects that do not belong, in the film are removed before filming. Research clothing styles and make sure they coincide properly with the story’s time period. Pay attention to dialect, so that it flows steady. I am not raking the director over the coals; I am mentioning some details that showed themselves to me, while watching the film. I still think the storyline is good and the acting was good and set-up the scenes well and yes, I would be like to see a full feature with these characters and their fine actors. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div align="center"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="color: lime;">Links:</span></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="color: lime;"> </span><a href="http://www.dreamseekersprods.com/"><span style="color: lime;">http://www.dreamseekersprods.com/</span></a></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2325997/"><span style="color: lime;">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2325997/</span></a></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1088478/"><span style="color: lime;">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1088478/</span></a></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><br />
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</div><div align="center"> </div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-51836397556756043972012-04-12T22:03:00.003-05:002012-04-12T22:13:04.393-05:00Welcome Colleen Wanglund to the Mavens Of Horror<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div align="center"><img height="320" src="https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?saduie=AG9B_P96pTheI8l58bFtcgfSGe1T&attid=0.1&disp=emb&view=att&th=136a986d1ea212fe" width="273" /></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: red;"><strong>Colleen Wanglund</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: lime;"><strong>The Mavens of Horror are excited to introduce to you Colleen Wanglund. This lovely lady answered our posting looking for a writer for reviews. Y'all, we are just delighted that Colleen answered. She comes to us with an impressive Horror Resume.</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: lime;"><br />
<strong></strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: lime;"><strong>In her own words...</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: red;"> <span id="internal-source-marker_0.8259486554663185" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Colleen Wanglund is a self-described bookwhore, gorehound, and metalhead. She can usually be found with a book in her hand or on her laptop, either watching movies or writing about them. Colleen has also been known to frequent midnight screenings of some of her favorite flicks, as she lives in New York City—the best city for seeing movies.</strong></span></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong></strong></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Colleen reinvented herself as a writer when she turned forty. She reviews books and movies (mostly horror) and has written a number of retrospectives. Colleen also writes a monthly column about Asian horror films. She is a mother of two twenty-somethings, has a cat that drives her nuts and a sweet little dog named Manning. Colleen is a feisty redhead and you can find her on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and MySpace (still!).</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: lime; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong>Just what the Mavens need another <span style="color: red;">"Feisty Redhead"!</span> </strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="color: lime;"><strong>Welcome, Welcome Colleen! Joie and I are looking forward to reading your work here on </strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: lime;"><strong>The Mavens of Horror Blog!</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-61635568694898232142012-04-06T10:07:00.000-05:002012-04-06T10:07:44.823-05:00'The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<div align="center">Guest Review by Mike McLarty</div><br />
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Review: <strong>‘The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor’</strong> by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga. About sixteen bucks. Available in dead tree and electronic format: (http://www.amazon.com/The-Walking-Dead-Rise-Governor/dp/0312547730 )<br />
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(Warning: Possible Spoilers for the upcoming Television Season as well as for those who have not yet read the graphic novels but intend to.)<br />
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For those not in the know, ‘The Governor’ is one of the primary villains in The Walking Dead universe. (He is set to make his grand entrance later this year when Season Three launches, more info here: http://screenrant.com/david-morrissey-governor-the-walking-dead-yman-156371/ ). The man is a vile, misogynistic psychopath who thrives on terror, torture, and rape. He rules a small, barricaded enclave of humanity through psychological manipulation and heinous acts of violence. The hero of The Walking Dead, Rick Grimes, and his motley crew have the severe misfortune of crossing paths with The Governor and his like-minded cronies fairly early in the graphic novels. The ultimate outcome, which I won’t ruin here, is as naturally chaotic and destructive as the world around them.<br />
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The Rise of the Governor (RotG) tells the back story of Phillip Blake, the man who eventually become The Governor, and his small band as they try to survive the early stages of ‘The Event’: whatever it was that caused the dead to rise and begin making unhappy meals out of the breathing populace. On some levels it succeeds, but when it fails it truly comes up short.<br />
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Taking the work out of context, reading it simply as another post-apocalyptic novel and not part of a larger tapestry, its tragic flaw is a slow opening. Yes, zombies pop out of the shadows at every turn and Phillip Blake and his friends narrowly dispatch them in gruesome fashion. It’s a zombie novel; that is par for the course. You can almost feel it coming: ‘been a few pages now, time for some more undead head bashing’.<br />
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By slow opening, I speak in terms of character arc. Phillip Blake himself never really rises above the shallow, narrowly defined persona of an inherently bad man whose sole saving grace is his love for his daughter. His brother Brian, a weak willed Bohemian, spends most of the novel as a cowering nursemaid to his niece Penny and when he finally does come unto his own it feels unnatural and forced. Nick, a family friend, is vaguely religious but this, too, seems like a wooden attribute that is meant to further the story instead of being a natural and real aspect of character that the story molds itself around. And these are the good characters, the ones that feel like they have some sort of meat on their literary bones. Everyone else is forgettable, the equivalent of red shirts from the Star Trek mythos. Someone has to get eaten, right?<br />
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So, judging RotG on its own merits, the book is merely adequate. Furthermore I found the use of present tense (“Brian sees a cloud of smoke in the distance and instantly feels tense,” for example) an odd and distracting device used to tell the tale. I think the authors were attempting a sense of tension with this mechanism, and to their credit sometimes it worked. For the most part though it was like watching a movie from Britain or Australia: it takes a while to get used to the accent and you’re pissed that you have to expend the effort instead of just getting to enjoy the flick.<br />
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RotG is not, however, an isolated island as any true zombie fan knows. For Walking Dead Heads such as myself, I hesitantly recommend it. In its favor: it is a quick read. As just an out-of-my-ass guestimate I would put it at about a 10th grade reading level. <br />
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Some bones are thrown out for those of us who have read all the previous source material. Ever wonder who put up that sign on that gated community Rick and co. stumble across that read “All Dead Inside”? Well, now you’ll get to find out. Curious as to how Penny got to her current state? Explained.<br />
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Yet the biggest question, the fulcrum upon which the whole work is set: “Who is The Governor and how did he come to be?” will leave you either pleased or non plussed. Personally, I found the answer to that question, as given in RotG, serviceable if a bit predictable. Then again, I read and write a lot more than most people. It’s hard to surprise me. As with all art, your experience may vary.<br />
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If you count yourself among the legions of diehard fans of ‘The Walking Dead’, this book will offer a moderately pleasing inside look into one of the arch-villains Rick Grimes has to compete against for survival. If you are searching for a stand-alone zombie novel, keep looking. Like the devastated world in which it is set, very little life to be found here.<br />
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7.5/10 Stars if you are a fan of ‘The Walking Dead’, 5.5 if not.</div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-16608486743906969582012-03-23T13:45:00.004-05:002012-03-24T19:30:28.765-05:00Mavens of Horror Podcast #2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div align="center"><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><strong>MAVENS OF HORROR PODCAST #2</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: lime; font-size: x-large;"><strong>JR McGARRITY</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: x-large;">INTERVIEW WILL POST 3-23-12 RIGHT HERE!</span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: x-large;">UNTIL THEN...</span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.archive.org/embed/MavensOfHorrorPodcast2Bumper" style="height: 30px; width: 392px;" width="400"></iframe><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>INTERVIEW A WICKED FUN THREESOME </strong></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>WITH CHAR, JOIE & JR...</strong></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQNEoGu8raTQ3JQtYbDuKml15d8Gw9eAj8IROWCP7Tp-p4MbPDRw1wRlqg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="50" id="il_fi" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQNEoGu8raTQ3JQtYbDuKml15d8Gw9eAj8IROWCP7Tp-p4MbPDRw1wRlqg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 30px; padding-top: 8px;" width="50" /></a></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.archive.org/embed/MavensOfHorrorPodcast2" style="height: 27px; width: 366px;" width="400"></iframe><br />
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<img height="431" id="il_fi" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-APrJYql1CnI/T0qEO7_tihI/AAAAAAAABkA/Nz2JrY7tw6M/s1600/392063_266398143422709_100001575760506_722072_771497952_n.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="431" /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">~LINKS~</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">JR McGarrity</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1181905/">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1181905/</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>The Blood Let</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1990424/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1990424/</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The Blood Let Indie Go-Go</span></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Blood-Let">http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Blood-Let</a></div><br />
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</div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R7gXXehDk-A" width="400"></iframe></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-71469104315586105422012-02-23T13:03:00.001-06:002012-02-23T13:46:22.486-06:00MOH My Blood Valentine Winners!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mavensofhorror.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2w2ibwMV4pD3gBKZwJxo_BsyU4X61ae7BfsGUZT5uhgIyp3UP2ghJsGzKmFBM_h7RXKrk3fysiIZdZpPhH4oEVir9G7DIwKOVWSRMARLIK-YbSbJXoDvhJO1Wj59LQ2lYsjUbYbDvrVo/s400/Winners.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjrhWslga7GOc4wPp9zByAVbaOeCQM-8dxgrNIFbwpkPAhRxx-bFwmYnTp-GDtiqj-Vge3D0YyA_ApfW_wj7zVJ5ecYaToCN3kcRxDrjKkUCx5HSl8k82kId_1gpnO1C0hUS8w5vAuHA/s400/MOH+Winners.png" width="365" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="center"></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-87120550600955489222012-02-22T20:15:00.003-06:002012-05-03T12:31:05.090-05:00The Season Audio Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://horrornews.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/The_Season-200x200.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="200" /><br />
If the player will not coorperate click on this <span style="color: yellow;"><strong><a href="http://www.archive.org/details/TheSeasonOnMavensOfHorror">link</a></strong></span>!<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.archive.org/embed/TheSeasonOnMavensOfHorror" style="height: 32px; width: 524px;" width="640"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Written and Directed by Adam Edward Brooks</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Starring: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">AJ Bown, Julianne Mason & Nya Kadenge</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">75 min - Horror- 7/10</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><strong>"If you haven't seen this film you are missing out on a damned good one!"</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Reviewed by Char Hardin</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">LINKS:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ffe599;"><strong>The Season Facebook Page</strong></span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;">https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Season-The-Movie/102614053130936</span> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ffe599;"><strong>The Season IMDb Page</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262955/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262955/</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-12067314457123381232012-02-14T10:20:00.106-06:002012-03-23T13:25:25.125-05:00Mavens of Horror: My Bloody Valentine Podcast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ccspSz2RofkHxghu7ccKlFnNjWHxidnfzsmBpf4Y8XlosIeDOXAyNzliWhYFGV6cSb4XlP4fFA8TEC6gO1AgcEvIpxqQ0RdTedi90Bo4FqhAtKepAW0pTgEMhz1rT0bwcMa-KuHFB1I/s1600/Mavens+Bloody+Valentine+Podcast+%231.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ccspSz2RofkHxghu7ccKlFnNjWHxidnfzsmBpf4Y8XlosIeDOXAyNzliWhYFGV6cSb4XlP4fFA8TEC6gO1AgcEvIpxqQ0RdTedi90Bo4FqhAtKepAW0pTgEMhz1rT0bwcMa-KuHFB1I/s400/Mavens+Bloody+Valentine+Podcast+%231.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>The Mavens of Horror have risen from the ashes and birthed a new cast. It is my pleasure as a returning Maven to introduce to you my newest Maven Joie Dunham Parent. Jo is a model/actress/writer/producer of Baton Rouge,Louisiana. And this is her first Mavens podcast.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are joined on this momentus occasion by 5 very special authors of today's Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance fiction. They are Lisa Kessler, SJ Davis, Bonnie Bernard, Deborah Noel and Rue Volley. I say 5 authors and technically there are 6...I, Char Hardin will join the ranks of published authors, February 29th, when the anthology Dark Light published by Crushing Hearts & Black Butterfly becomes available to purchase. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Joie and I hope you all enjoy our first podcast. We had a blast with the ladies. I will warn you however, we had some technical difficulties and at times there are some echos. I am the one that edits these shows and I tried to fix it and could not. I added background music to take the sting away as much as I can. The authors said go for it. So we did and hope you enjoy it...flaws and giggles and all. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.archive.org/embed/MavensOfHorrorMyBloodyValentine" style="height: 24px; width: 542px;" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: large;">Should the player not work for you click <strong><u><a href="http://www.archive.org/details/MavensOfHorrorMyBloodyValentine">Here</a></u></strong></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: lime;"><strong>LINKS</strong></span>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: yellow;">Lisa Kessler</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://lisaslair.com/">http://lisaslair.com/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://lisakessler.wordpress.com/">http://lisakessler.wordpress.com/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LisaKesslerWriter">https://www.facebook.com/LisaKesslerWriter</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span style="color: yellow;">SJ Davis</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarah.jane.davis">https://www.facebook.com/sarah.jane.davis</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CrushingHeartsandBlackButterfly">https://www.facebook.com/CrushingHeartsandBlackButterfly</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span style="color: yellow;">Bonnie Bernard</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://bonniebernard.com/">http://bonniebernard.com/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span style="color: yellow;">Deborah Noel</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002358697945&sk=info">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002358697945&sk=info</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002358697945&sk=info#!/pages/Tangled-Blood-Lines-written-by-Deborah-Noel/215210808506176">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002358697945&sk=info#!/pages/Tangled-Blood-Lines-written-by-Deborah-Noel/215210808506176</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span style="color: yellow;">Rue Volley</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.ruevolley.com/">http://www.ruevolley.com/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://therazorsaga.moonfruit.com/">http://therazorsaga.moonfruit.com/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.vamptasypublishing.co.uk/">http://www.vamptasypublishing.co.uk/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002358697945&sk=info#!/pages/Rue-View/260465684008482">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002358697945&sk=info#!/pages/Rue-View/260465684008482</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: cyan;"><strong>Music</strong></span>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All background songs were found on youtube.com</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: cyan;"><strong>Book Trailers</strong></span>:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6LZMIZftmYY" width="275"></iframe><br />
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</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Kt6qMeUtG18" width="275"></iframe></div><br />
</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3OTD8VdDCOc" width="275"></iframe> <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tdlh4Poej_A" width="275"></iframe></div><br />
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</div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-44047186910118966212012-02-10T14:54:00.005-06:002012-02-18T10:25:55.885-06:00Girls Night Out : The Mavens and 5 authors!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi514NnOEVbaFHW_vUS7QBUhD5woFUMRdRxoIUZNAhzfl3tJS6RRwKd9YCBgw8rvb3awqfVQ2-MFH0Xtda4ifqTqwh6JDVoyYw20M5uDCivBxY7BgrRRnQdHa-9AC_f9_xKK2l96ayVev0/s1600/Mavens+GNO+Bloody+Valentine.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi514NnOEVbaFHW_vUS7QBUhD5woFUMRdRxoIUZNAhzfl3tJS6RRwKd9YCBgw8rvb3awqfVQ2-MFH0Xtda4ifqTqwh6JDVoyYw20M5uDCivBxY7BgrRRnQdHa-9AC_f9_xKK2l96ayVev0/s400/Mavens+GNO+Bloody+Valentine.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>SO TO MAKE IT CLEAR ENTER A COMMENT WITH YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS AND ANSWER WHAT IS THE WEIRDEST VALENTINE GIFT YOU EVER RECEIVED. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED WHEN I POST THE PODCAST ON MONDAY.</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>PRIZES:</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>DARK LIGHT TOTE BAG FROM CRUSHING HEARTS AND BLACK BUTTERFLY PUBLISHING</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>SIGNED PAPERBACK OF INK BY S. J. DAVIS</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>EBOOKS FROM ALL 5 AUTHORS</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>BOOK MARKS</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>1 LIMITED EDITION GIRLS NIGHT OUT SOY BEAN CANDLE (FROM THE MAVENS)</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>ONE LUCKY WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY DEBORAH NOEL TO HAVE THEIR NAME FOR A CHARACTER IN IN HER UPCOMING NOVEL!!!</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>DON'T FORGET EASY PEASY...LEAVE A COMMENT DOWN BELOW WITH CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS. NO ONE WILL BE CONTACTED AT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS UNLESS YOU ARE A WINNER. WHEN THE CONTEST IS OVER ALL THE EMAILS LISTED WILL BE REMOVED.</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>THANK YOU FOR PARTICPATING!!!</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK WITH ALL YOUR FRIENDS!</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: lime;">THANK YOU</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: lime;">CHAR & JOIE</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: lime;">THE MAVENS OF HORROR</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: lime;">Look for our page on facebook and "click LIKE" Our first goal is to reach 300 by March We only need 84 likes! :)</span></strong></div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-67592699680416195412012-02-09T23:00:00.001-06:002012-02-18T10:24:47.381-06:00THE MAVENS OF HORROR ARE BACK WITH NEW LOOK & ATTITUDE!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div align="center"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>The Mavens of Horror </strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>ARE BACK with a NEW LOOK an NEW ATTITUDE</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>We are Char Hardin and Joie Dunham Parent and we</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>are taking Horror by the Horns and Bringing It </strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>to Horror Fans with a little Louisiana Spice and Everything Nice is what the MAVENS OF HORROR are made of and WE are coming No Holds Barred. We are Intense and Passionate about our favorite genre...HORROR.</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>What is HORROR?</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Someone or SomeTHING that scares, repulses, thrills and pushes one to their limits of sanity and morality...or at least that is what WE think Horror means. </strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Facebook friend Lee Paluck was the first responder for a new Mavens of Horror Pic and Joie and I thank him for our Wicked looking Witch. Should others follow with new pics we will rotate them.</strong></span></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div align="center"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong>Saturday, we are recording our first show a MY BLOODY VALENTINE GIRLS NIGHT OUT with 4 Authors of Horror/Paranormal/Dark Fantasy: Lisa Kessler, Sarah Jane Davis, Deborah Noel and Bonnie Bernard will be discussing their craft and sharing their Valentine Memories and more. ONE LUCKY VALENTINE COULD WIN A BOX OF GOODIES...STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS!!!</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: white;"> The podcast will post Monday.</span></strong> </span></div></div>Mavens of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08788797064582718964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4890737552928282139.post-69457207376825360102012-01-16T21:40:00.005-06:002012-03-24T19:31:14.587-05:00Mavens of Horror Thomas Berdinski Interview (Updated Material Added)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowboxCaption" class="spotlight" height="334" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/246676_1703127500464_1306269129_31381272_7556729_n.jpg" width="287" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thomas Berdinski's Bumper</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.archive.org/embed/MavensOfHorrorThomasBerdinskiBumper" style="height: 29px; width: 359px;" width="640"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">UPDATED MATERIAL ADDED TO INTERVIEW</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thomas Berdinski's Interview</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://www.archive.org/details/MavensOfHorrorUpdatedThomasBerdinskiInterviewPrt2">http://www.archive.org/details/MavensOfHorrorUpdatedThomasBerdinskiInterviewPrt2</a></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.archive.org/embed/MavensOfHorrorUpdatedThomasBerdinskiInterviewPrt2" style="height: 38px; width: 476px;" width="640"></iframe></div><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Thank You Thomas Berdinski for allowing us to re-record. I (Siren) enjoyed every second of it. You rock sir!</strong></span></div><br />
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