Eric Butler's Blog, page 13

So you like to read - revisited

Yesterday was my birthday, and I got distracted from completing part 2 of 2009. I'll get that done for Monday's post, but I received some great news, and it ties in to this post from last year.

I just signed the contract for No Anesthetic Vol 2!

That's right, another collection of extreme horror is coming to Amazon and Godless soon. As soon as I know more, I will pass it along. From the little I do know, these stories are going to be amazing. Be prepared to squirm. Below you'll see what I had available at the time of the original post. It's missing some Donn, TX - but you can find those by following the earlier story's links.

First up is an extreme horror collection that will make you cringe and gasp as you turn the pages looking for more. I'm excited and honored to have a story in this collection. You can tell the book is put together by someone who loves the genre.

The Lineup:

“Woodshed” by Ronald Kelly

“The Fixer Upper” by Eric Butler

“Sometimes the Bear” by Brian Rosenberger and John Boden

“Blut Und Ton” by Damascus Mincemeyer

“A Night at the Movies” by J.F. Capps

“Sebastian and the Jungle of Misery” by Scott Harper

“Glutton of the Sea” by Simon McHardy

“Painted Nails” by C.M. Saunders

“The Hate Box in her Heart” by Thomas R. Clark

“The Verdict” by A.M. Bacon

Order it on Amazon or Godless.

All the books I've published under Naked Cat Press are now available on Kindle Unlimited. The only one you can read there for free is Donn, TX 1952 - but you can read it here for free.

The Shadow Within - ,ebook / ,paperback / ,audiobook

The Pope Lick Massacre - ,ebook / paperback / ,audiobook

The Sins of the Past - ebook / paperback / audiobook - coming soon

Donn, TX 1969 - ,ebook / paperback - coming soon / ,audiobook

Donn, TX 1865 - ebook / paperback - coming soon / audiobook -coming soon

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I've also got stories in a number of the Black Hair Press 500-word collections (click ,here) and the H is for Hell in Red Cape Publishing's A-Z of Horror anthology series (click ,here).

2009 was a renaissance for horror - Part 1

Just when I start pointing out how the volume of horror choices has been building but is still nothing like the early 80s, we get a year like 2009. It is overrun with choices and so I've decided to do 2 lists. The first is just a top ten of original ideas, and the next list will feature 10 remakes or sequels. This will still leave some movies left out in the cold, but a line must be drawn.

So let's get into the top 10 of 2009 that don't include remakes or sequels ...

Not only is Trick 'r Treat the #1 movie for 2009, but it is also in play for my #1 horror movie period. So ignore Daniel and his terrible takes on this movie. Written and directed by Michael Doughtery (wrote X2, Superman Returns, and Krampus) and produced by Bryan Singer's production company before he got busted in the me-too movement, and was still pretty hot. The cast is huge: , , , , Tahmoh Penikett, Brett Kelly, Quinn Lord, and Moneca Delain.

What's crazy is how hard it was to get this movie out to the masses. It was slated to be released in October of 2007 but WB pulled it for no reason. Some think it was done because they didn't want to put the movie up against Saw IV. Another reason may have been the poor reaction at the box office to Superman Returns (Singer & Doughtery were behind that). There was a rumor it would be released in 2008, then early 2009, but in the end, it was released direct-to-DVD in October of 2009.

Find it on amc+ & Shudder to check it out.

Blurb - Five interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband; and a mean old man meets his match with a demonic, supernatural trick-or-treater.

Sam Raimi(Evil Dead) returned to horror after giving the world 3 Spider-Man movies with Drag Me to Hell. Part of the fun of this one is the uniqueness of the idea. Horror rarely visits curses or gypsies, and this one does a great job of focusing on that. You have to rent or buy it to stream.

Blurb - A loan officer who evicts an old woman from her home finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse. Desperate, she turns to a seer to try and save her soul, while evil forces work to push her to a breaking point.

So I get it if you passed on this because you don't like Megan Fox, but surprise she's really good in Jennifer's Body. You're also missing out on a great cast - , , , , Kyle Gallner, and a very smart script by Diablo Cody. Stream it on tubi.

Blurb - A newly-possessed high-school cheerleader turns into a succubus who specializes in killing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror?

in 2009, Ti West wrote and directed a horror film on the opposite spectrum from his newest slasher X. House of the Devil harkens back to the old European style of suspense horror. The movie really captures the feel and look of the early 80s, and I just love the way the tension builds throughout. You can watch this on a bunch of different services - tubi, VUDUfree, peacock, Shudder, and IMDBTv(Prime free).

Blurb - In 1983, financially struggling college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret, putting her life in mortal danger.

I stumbled across Triangle years ago on Prime and was pleasantly surprised. I'm a big fan of Melissa George and she does a great job in this one. If you haven't seen the first season of In Treatment on HBO, she's great in that as well. You can check this movie out on tubi, amc+, VUDUfree, and Shudder.

Blurb - Yacht passengers encounter mysterious weather conditions that force them to jump onto another ship, only to have the odd havoc increase.

Another movie I think was helped by seeing it in the theater was Paranormal Activity. That said Steven Spielberg got so spooked watching it at home that he stopped it and finished it in the daylight hours. He convinced the creator to change the ending and Paramount eventually bought the rights for $350k(it cost $11-15k to make). It went on to make $193 million.

Stream it on Prime, Paramount+, and Epix.

Blurb - After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence.

The Collector is written & directed by Marcus Dunstan, who wrote Feast, Saw IV, and Saw V. He originally wanted it to be a prequel to the Saw movies but the studio declined. I think that is actually for the best. Check it out on Prime, VUDUfree, tubi, and PlutoTV.

Blurb - Desperate to repay his debt to his ex-wife, an ex-con plots a heist at his new employer's country home, unaware that a second criminal has also targeted the property, and rigged it with a series of deadly traps.

Right before the big zombie boom, , , , & came together to give us the horror/comedy Zombieland. Check it out on Peacock.

**Bonus - I didn't put it in the 10 but if you like zombie movies there's a great one called Dead Snow. It's a foreign film so take that into account.

Blurb - A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting bruiser in search of the last Twinkie and a pair of sisters striving to get to an amusement park join forces in a trek across a zombie-filled America.

I love space horror, and Pandorum has become a cult favorite over the years. Originally planned to be a trilogy, but that ship sailed long ago. Still, it's worth a watch, and you can stream it on tubi.

Blurb - Two crew members of a spaceship wake up from hypersleep to discover that all their colleagues are missing. Despite this, it appears that they are not alone.

Billed as based on a true story, The Fourth Kind takes a look at the effects of alien abductions. I've already admitted I'm a sucker for Milla Jovovich so you had to think this movie would make the list. This came out the same year as The Perfect Getaway which you should see if you haven't. And then go to IMDBTv(Prime free) to watch her get abducted.

Blurb - A thriller involving an ongoing unsolved mystery in Alaska, where one town has seen an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances during the past 40 years and there are accusations of a federal cover up.

See you Wednesday with the 10 movies of 2009 that were remakes or sequels...

My interview went well and lasted 2.5 hours. If you are interested in hearing my thought on horror and my plans for Donn, click here - note, I couldn't get the video to work so I called in.

This Friday I will be on the Horror Nerds Facebook page

Final reminder - I will be out in the wild this Friday.

,Donn, TX 2002 is the Indie Horror Spotlight in the ,Horror Nerds Facebook Group. It is a private group, so you have to ask to join, but it's a super cool group that focuses on all things horror. If you like horror and are on Facebook, you should join this quickly growing group.

One of the coolest things about writing horror stories/novels have been meeting some of the most amazing people. 2 of them, Brandy & Andy Carroll, are the masterminds behind this group and the monthly focus on Indie horror writers. I hope they know how important they are to all of us Indie writers; their friendship and support make the daily grind of this crazy industry easier.

Sometime in mid-April, I will sit down with them for a virtual interview and we will discuss all things Donn, TX 2002, the indie horror scene, and all the stuff in between. If you are interested in seeing me have a panic attack live on a zoom meeting, make sure to tune in.

That's all I got for now, but I have some big news coming soon.

Thanks for all your support on this page, and with my writing.

2008 Horror was tense

Not that horror wasn't any other year, but 2008 gave us some of the tensest movies and really forced the audience to the edge of their seats in anticipation. Again I'm keeping the list to 10 movies, so here are some of the ones not included: Prom Night, House, Saw V, Eye, Mirrors, and Otis. Now let's look at the top 10 of 2008. One other note - the 2 list sites I've been using have missed some movies for some reason. If I come across it after the fact, I'll try and include them when necessary.

My #1 for 2008 is the strangers. So at this point in my movie-going life, 99% of the movies I saw in theaters were with my 6-year-old son and/or my non-horror-loving wife, but this one I did see with my brother. Maybe seeing it in the theater, where it couldn't be paused, helped ramp up the tension, but I still feel like this was one of the tensest I've ever felt watching a movie.

I remember watching most of this film balanced on the edge of a crappy folded-down movie theater seat - that's right kids, they didn't use to be recliners - with the occasional back and forth comment or mirrored glance of WTF. You'll have to rent/buy to stream it, and when you do make sure to ignore the urge to pause and let that sense of dread build.

Blurb - A young couple staying in an isolated vacation home are terrorized by three unknown assailants.

https://youtu.be/BbqELQHpmQM

So this is a weird one because the studios mishandled The Midnight Meat Train from the beginning. Instead of opening the film in regular theaters in the US, they decided to send them directly to the cheaper "Dollar" theaters which usually ran movies months after they came out. This led to poor box-office numbers in the States so distributors in other countries decided to skip theaters altogether and go straight to DVD.

This is a shame because it's a gory, fun movie to watch based on a Clive Barker short story. The cast is superb - Bradley Cooper, Vinnie Jones, Leslie Bibb, and Brooke Shields. Check it out on VUDUfree & Roku.

Blurb - A photographer's obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer who stalks late night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways.

https://youtu.be/wtUiRfMy_uI

Kelly Reilly & Michael Fassbender shine in Eden Lake. This movie is tense, brutal, and difficult to watch at times. If you're ready to dive in check it out on tubi, VUDUfree, & redbox.

Blurb - Refusing to let anything spoil their romantic weekend break, a young couple confront a gang of loutish youths with terrifyingly brutal consequences.

https://youtu.be/YTDuNF1aEQM

Jennifer Carpenter returns to horror in the US remake of the Spanish film REC called Quarantine. This film was shot chronically and Carpenter made sure to not see certain sets until she was actually acting in them to give a natural response to her performance. If you can't handle subtitles, this is the movie for you. Check it out on tubi.

Blurb - A television reporter and her cameraman are trapped inside a building quarantined by the CDC, after the outbreak of a mysterious virus which turns humans into bloodthirsty killers.

https://youtu.be/iYCwlnZ0HVI

But if you don't mind subtitles or know Spanish, I thought REC was a bit tenser. This would have made the 2007 list but of course, it didn't pop up on the lists I went through. These movies are almost identical, so you can just watch the English-language version, but I recommend you check them both out and decide for yourself. Stream it on AMC+.

https://youtu.be/KLizS5GFBQI

Let the Right One In is a Danish film based on a Danish book, so be prepared for subtitles. That said this is one of those movies you should see. Fight through it. (That said, there is an English language version coming up in the next few posts that is really, really good). Check it out in HULU, VUDUfree, and Showtime.

Blurb - Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.

https://youtu.be/R0LYScpd-Lc

The Ruins is one of my all-time favorite novels and I think this movie is a good representation of the story. Of course, there are a ton of changes made because that's how movies work. Listen go and get the book, enjoy it, and then if you want watch the movie to see the differences. Stream it on HBOMax.

Blurb - A leisurely Mexican holiday takes a turn for the worse when a group of friends and a fellow tourist embark on a remote archaeological dig in the jungle, where something evil lives among the ruins.

https://youtu.be/x3JKmTK70Mc

Shutter is another Asian movie remake that I might have ignored except it has Joshua Jackson. Which was a good thing because I thought it was well done. The original was set in Thailand but the director felt more comfortable staying in his home country of Japan so there are some shifts. You have to rent/buy it to stream so maybe you wait to check it out when it pops up on a service, but I liked it.

Blurb - A newly married couple discovers disturbing, ghostly images in photographs they develop after a tragic accident. Fearing the manifestations may be connected, they investigate and learn that some mysteries are better left unsolved.

https://youtu.be/mMEYZjDUpUY

The rare Western Horror pops up with The Burrowers. I always enjoy it when the setting of horror movies shifts to an unexpected time or location and this one delivers. Plus Mr. Krabs is in it. Stream it on tubi.

Blurbs - In the Wild West a rescue party sets out to find a family of settlers that has vanished from their home under mysterious circumstances.

https://youtu.be/PbZQf761XXY

From the director of The Batman(Matt Reeves) and the creator behind the Netflix Daredevil series(Drew Goddard), there was once a creature feature called Cloverfield. Filmed as if with handheld personal cameras, the movie has a unique look and style that really helped sell the situation. Stream it on HBOMax to see TJ Miller's film debut.

Blurb - A group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.

https://youtu.be/_afPFLvh2qg

Guillermo del Toro returns to the world of Hellboy with Hellboy II: The Golden Army. He was becoming a hot director by this time and passed on the chance to direct Halo(which never happened), I am Legend, One Missed Call, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. As always his movies contain amazing monsters and creatures, and the source material comes alive on the screen. This would be the last one of the del Toro movies as they fell into development hell. The character would get a reboot instead. Stream it on Starz.

Blurb - A prince of the mythical world starts a rebellion against humanity in order to rule the Earth. Hellboy and his team must fight to stop him from locating the all-powerful Golden Army.

https://youtu.be/HMWQEi8vvto

Bonus Movie - Not horror but done by one of my favorite "horror" directors,

One of my favorite directors, Neil Marshal, gives us a futuristic Mad Max clone with Doomsday. I think it's a fun movie, nothing incredible like Dog Soldiers or the Descent, but worth a watch. Check it out on tubi.

Blurb - A futuristic action thriller where a team of people work to prevent a disaster threatening the future of the human race.

https://youtu.be/fJDVi0BMabU

Time to discover Carver Pike's Faces of Beth

One of the best parts of joining the indie horror world was meeting Carver Pike. He's a great guy, and one hell of a writer. I would encourage you to go and check out his books if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed.

Horror's next big thing is here. Faces of Beth is written by 2x Splatterpunk Award-nominated author Carver Pike with an introduction by Bram Stoker and World Horror Grandmaster Award-winning author Brian Keene.

Here is the blurb so you can see what this is all about -

When Andrew meets Beth at the Myles-Bend State Mental Hospital, he knows she has issues. She checked herself into the place because of her problems, but he can’t help falling in love with her anyway. He’s willing to put up with her constant mood swings and all the baggage she brings into the relationship. He’ll help raise her kids, give her siblings a place to stay, and even look after her creepy grandfather. After all, he has the space in the huge house left to him by his parents.

Marriage has its hardships, Andrew knows that, but there seems to be something else wrong with Beth. A dark entity grows inside her and he can’t help wondering if she might be possessed. Andrew can look past all the other drama in their new life, but the thing inside her that seems to want him dead – that’s kind of a deal breaker.

Get the ebook here: ,FACES OF BETH

Carver has an impressive collection of titles to choose from - many on KU. Click here for his author page and quick links to all his books on Amazon - ,CARVER PIKE

We have a date! Come and join me on Horror Nerds on April 22nd @ 7 pm Central. You must be a member of the group to watch me answer questions and be a fool. Click here to join: ,Horror Nerds

The main topic will be Donn, TX 2002 but it's probably going to go off the rails as we cover all my books, future projects, and my love of cheese.

2007 - Horror making a comeback?

So I just said in the 2006 post that while there had been a recent increase in the quality of horror movies, there hadn't been anything like we saw in the late 70s to mid-80s. 2007 was quick to pop up and hand me its beer. I stayed true to my 10 movies per year but I could have easily done more or even a 2nd post on Wednesday. I should do a deep dive to see just what was going on in 2006-7 that not only encouraged so many people to make quality horror but was forcing people to seek it out.

Some moves that didn't make this list - Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem, Vacancy, Hills Have Eyes 2, Wrong Turn 2, The Reaping, Rogue, Primevil, Saw IV, and P2(which would have been #11). Now let's see what made my top 10 of 2007 ...

Honestly, many of these movies could be #1, but I think it's required by law to make it Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth whenever possible. The movie is a beautiful horror fairy tale. You get to see the horror of this made-up world against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. Don't let the fact it's subtitled let it stop you from watching this. You will have to rent/buy to stream this gem.

Blurb - In the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

https://youtu.be/jVZRnnVSQ8k

Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino team up to give us not only 2 amazing horror films but the Grindhouse experience of the 70s. Grindhouse gives us the double feature of Planet Terror & Death Proof. And while these movies are excellent in their entirety, it is over the top amazing when you see them in the Grindhouse format.

They add in splice moments, jump scenes, notes to tell you that there are 10 minutes missing in the footage, and a bunch of trailers for pretend low-budget horror movies between the 2 films. All things you might have encountered at a grindhouse theater back in the day. When the movie was over, I couldn't stop talking about how great the theater experience was. If you have to choose between a copy of Grindhouse or getting Planet Terror & Deathproof separately, I'd vote Grindhouse every time. That said, you can only find Grindhouse on Blu-ray 2nd hand. So rent/buy Planet Terror to stream and check out Deathproof on Pluto TV.

Blurb - Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's homage to exploitation double features in the '60s and '70s with two back-to-back cult films that include previews of coming attractions between them.

https://youtu.be/9ZTIM8zJVYI

After The Devil's Rejects, Rob Zombie is given the green light to reboot Halloween. He contacted John Carpenter before getting started and let him know the direction he was going. Zombie received his blessing and was told to make it his own. Even though his style is clear, he reported working for the Weinsteins was a nightmare as they tried to micro-manage everything. I enjoy this remake but I'm a Zombie fan and like the way his films look. You can check it out on Netflix.

Blurb - After being committed for 17 years, Michael Myers, now a grown man and still very dangerous, escapes from the mental institution and immediately returns to Haddonfield to find his baby sister, Laurie.

https://youtu.be/Z5oFtbWvJRY

The 3rd installment of the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil: Extinction, is Mad Max vs the Zombie Apocalypse. It's action-packed and the bloodiest of the franchise. It's my 2nd favorite movie in the franchise and though it is written by Paul W.S. Anderson it is directed by Russell Mulcahy(Highlander). I would have loved to see Anderson's take on this installment. Check it out on HBOMax.

Blurb - Survivors of the Raccoon City catastrophe travel across the Nevada desert, hoping to make it to Alaska. Alice joins the caravan and their fight against the evil Umbrella Corp.

https://youtu.be/eDMjVARsCOk

One of my favorite movies based on Stephen King's work is 1408. The story was initially just going to be a few pages King used in his non-fiction book On Writing to demonstrate the process of revising a first draft. He became intrigued by the idea and ended up finishing it. Cusack and Jackson have great chemistry. Check it out on VUDUfree, IMDBTv(Primes free stuff)

Blurb - A man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.

https://youtu.be/WIASqPZqnhs

Although the original creators didn't come together to make the sequel, they were involved in some of the initial decisions for 28 Weeks Later. This movie takes a bigger look at the aftermath of the rage virus. The cast is fantastic - , , , , , , & . Stream it on HBOMax.

Blurb - Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes according to plan.

https://youtu.be/ljqY7qrnycw

30 Days of Night is based on a comic book that was originally a screenplay that no one would make. The creator finally decided to make it a comic book to get the story out there and the studio picked it up to make. I think it's a decent vampire movie, but I would have liked a little more story on the vampire side of the film. It needed about 10-15 more minutes of story to be higher on this list. Check it out on tubi.

Blurb - After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.

https://youtu.be/OtU0UBnWik4

The 2nd Stephen King-based movie of 2007 was The Mist. Frank Darabont (writer of the Blob, Nightmare on Elm Street 3, and writer/director of The Green Mile) tackled his 3rd King adaptation. King says he was generally frightened by the movie. You will have to rent/buy to see if it frightens you.

Blurb - A freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.

https://youtu.be/2B62-vwtaGQ

After Saw, writer Leigh Whannell & director James Wan gave us Dead Silence. Whannell wasn't happy with all the studio interference he changed how he pitched movie ideas. Instead of giving just the idea, he has the completed script ready so he doesn't have someone over his shoulder changing things as they started the creative process. The movie didn't do well at the box office but I liked it. It's another rent/buy to watch.

Blurb - A young widower returns to his hometown to search for answers to his wife's murder, which may be linked to the ghost of a deceased ventriloquist.

https://youtu.be/8b_HVtHmK30

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton team up to tackle the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. While this movie features many Burton regulars and has the distinct look of a Burton film, it is only 1 of 3 movies not scored by Danny Elfman. As I stated at the top, this beat out P2 for the 10th spot. Check it out on HBOMax.

Blurb - The legendary tale of a barber who returns from wrongful imprisonment to 1840s London, bent on revenge for the rape and death of his wife, and resumes his trade while forming a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett.

https://youtu.be/acHBq_oZm-8

Horror Nerds Q & A with Candace Nola

Candace Nola, one of Indie Horror's hardest working writers, will be featured on ,Horror Nerds this Friday, April 8th at 8 p.m. eastern time.

Horror Nerds is an awesome Facebook group that sprang out of the Book Nerds' Book Reviews Facebook group. It's filled with passionate fans of all things horror, and helps spread the word on a number of independent & small press horror writers and publishers.

Candace is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to the Indie horror world, and with 5 books under her belt, there will be plenty to talk about. She also wanted me to let y'all know that she's going to have a surprise announcement and there will be a giveaway. The top 5 questions will win a copy of her newest book Bishop - 2 Paperbacks & 3 ebook copies.

So click ,here to go join the Horror Nerds.

***Don't forget I'll be doing one of these soon with Donn, TX 2002 as the feature but all the titles will be fair game for questions/comments.***

2006 gives us some horror gems

In 2006 I had a 4-year-old and little to no free time, so I missed many of the movies that came out this year. Some I caught a few years later on Cable or with the DVD/Blu-Ray but some have slipped through the cracks. There is a chance one of your favorites won't be on here, but when I look at the list I can only shrug. It's a solid year for horror films, but nothing like the late 70s or early 80s, where I found it impossible to leave films out.

Some of the movies not showcased: All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Dark Ride, See No Evil, Bug, and When a Stranger Calls ... now let's look at the 10 movies that made the list.

Brotherhood of the Wolf director Christophe Gans returns to the director's chair with the adaptation of the video game Silent Hill. It took him 5 years to get the rights and I think he's the right man for the job. His European sensibilities come across in a way that fits the Silent Hill franchise perfectly. Having Radha Mitchell(Pitch Black) and Sean Bean(just about everything) as the main players is icing on the cake. I find this movie gets better with every viewing, and it's moved up my list of favorites over the years. Stream it on Starz.

Blurb - A woman, Rose, goes in search for her adopted daughter within the confines of a strange, desolate town called Silent Hill.

https://youtu.be/1mfnhu8sO5k

Before he was wowing people with his comic movie/TV projects, James Gunn wrote and directed Slither. He was already an established Hollywood writer, but this was his first time directing a feature film. The movie does a great job of balancing the laughs with the horror and shows off Gunn's unique style. Check it out on Starz.

Blurb - A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.

https://youtu.be/SI0BcgVdSWg

With the rise of shows like The Office, it was bound to transition over to the big screen, and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is quite possibly the best one done. Equal parts scary and funny, the movie takes it all and delivers it in a way that shows us the characters are very serious about the subject matter. This is a world where Jason, Freddy, and Michael all exist and Leslie just wants to add his face to the Mount Rushmore of Horror. Check it out on Shudder or Amc+.

Blurb - The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo.

https://youtu.be/7RiJDEZywlw

One of my favorite horror directors, Alexandre Aja, nailed it when they remade the Wes Craven movie, The Hills Have Eyes. Once again the MPAA gave the original cut an X-rating and then threatened to move it to NC-17. They ended up cutting around 2 minutes to secure the R-rating. The movie is brutal, and somehow keeps the dirty, grimy feel of the original while still delivering to a more jaded and experienced audience. It's a rent/buy to stream, but it might pop up on one of the services soon.

Blurb - A traveling family falls victim to a group of mutated cannibals in a desert far away from civilization.

https://youtu.be/CUQd9OB75dw

James Wong, the brainchild behind Final Destination, returns to the franchise to direct Final Destination 3. Listen by now you know what these are all about. A group cheats death, and then death comes to reclaim them. For me, the big plus is Mary Elizabeth Winstead. I don't think I've mentioned it before, but I have always had a bit of a crush on her and her appearance alone will get some movies on these lists. You can watch her ... I mean the movie on Netflix.

Blurb - Six years after students cheated death, another teen has a premonition she and her friends will be involved in an accident. When the vision proves true, the student and survivors deal with the repercussions of cheating the Grim Reaper.

https://youtu.be/ectjqGg92M8

Saw II director returns to give us the next chapter, Saw III. Which is the last one I've seen. It was also the highest-grossing film of the franchise, internationally. You can check it out on Starz.

Blurb - Jigsaw abducts a doctor in order to keep himself alive while he watches his new apprentice put an unlucky citizen named Jeff through a brutal test.

https://youtu.be/eZwnZqKfvzw

A new horror franchise came out in 2006 and introduced the character Victor Crowley in Hatchet. If you remove the opening and closing credits of all 3 movies, you get 1 long story that takes place over a couple of days. Check it out on tubi and VUDUfree.

Blurb - When a group of tourists in a New Orleans haunted swamp tour find themselves stranded in the wilderness, their evening of fun and spooks turns into a horrific nightmare.

https://youtu.be/3C33S_cqiJ8

Actor turned director John Stockwell gives us the 2006 vacation horror movie, Turistas. It has a solid cast and does a very good job to convince you to stay home. Stream it on Amazon Prime.

Blurb - A group of young backpackers' vacation turns sour when a bus accident leaves them marooned in a remote Brazilian rural area that holds an ominous secret.

https://youtu.be/OoJbO-J7TFo

Released on the 30th anniversary of the original movie, Fox Studios gave us an updated version of The Omen. Not sure why this was needed since this movie is so close to the original that the Writers Guild of America refused to give the new screenwriter credit and instead gave it to the original movie's screenwriter. The new cast is great, and the movie looks slicker than the original but that's more a product of the time. Check it out on HBOMax.

Blurb - An American official realizes that his young son may literally be the Devil incarnate.

https://youtu.be/Eo38zL1kLko

Jonathan Liebesman the Darkness Falls director returns to horror with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. It took 17 cuts to get the movie rating down to the R-rating they were looking for. Even with the cuts, it still became the first movie to receive a rating of 18 in Iceland. Stream it on Netflix.

Blurb - Before being sent to serve in Vietnam, two brothers and their girlfriends take one last road trip, but when they get into an accident, a terrifying experience will take them to a secluded house of horrors, with a chainsaw-wielding killer.

https://youtu.be/2gYGzJDt8HQ

Time for horror fans to meet Candace Nola's newest creation, Bishop.

Sorry for the delay. I've been working on helping the wife move my mother-in-law to a retirement community in another state. We are in the final week of prep and it's got my days all messed up. Luckily, I already knew exactly what today's post needed to be about ... Candace Nola's newest book Bishop.

So if you don't know, Candace Nola is the mastermind behind Uncomfortably Dark, where you will find reviews, horror news, author resources, and so much more. She's also released some pretty cool books, the most recent one, Bishop, is coming out this Friday, April 1st.

I'm a fan of Candace as a person, and a writer so I may be biased, but I think everyone needs to include her books in their Indie Horror Library.

First up is Bishop - you can pre-order the ebook now and paperbacks will be available on Friday, April 1st.

If you are a fan of TikTok, she has a cool book trailer over there - Click here.

The reviews are rolling in and people are loving Bishop. Don't get left behind.

Last year, Candace introduced us to a new Western hero, Hank Flynn. It's available in ebook, paperback, and hardback.

Hank Flynn is a tormented man.

He’s an outcast among humans, and condemned to confront evil, for as long as he lives.

Serving a higher power, Hank wanders the earth alone, until he stumbles into Protection, Kansas. Mortally wounded and delirious after a demonic encounter, Hank Flynn is desperate for help.

Wallace Bixby, a local merchant and man of faith, graciously opens his home to the broken stranger. Hank Flynn discovers the meaning of family and community, and the avenging drifter finds peace with Josie Bixby, the young woman who heals his body and his heart.

The town of Protection is exactly what Hank needs, and the town needs the man with special talents, who slays demons. He deals out a unique brand of punishment to anything breaking the law, or threatening the people he loves.

But when the Devil himself comes calling, Hank Flynn must risk everything for the town he now calls home.

You can see a book trailer for Hank over on TikTok - Click ,here.

Candace's first 2 books are a series. If you like a bit of fantasy with your horror, than the Breach series is for you.

Book 1 - Breach

Lost in a world no longer her own. Laraya Jamison is a young woman on a camping trip with close friends before the start of college classes. When they are savagely attacked by a creature that defies description, she flees into the woods, unknowingly crossing through a breach between realities. Lost in a dark world full of creatures, hostile plant life and a banshee intent on hunting her, she must learn to confront her fears and figure out how to survive on her own. She must figure out where she is and how she got there in order to get home, but her survival depends on fighting monsters and demons that seem to have been ripped directly from her nightmares. With only a curious group of insects to aid her, she battles her way through this new world, but will she survive long enough to discover the truth behind her new reality?

Book 2 - Beyond the Breach

One year after Laraya battled her way home from a horrifying alternate reality created from her childhood nightmares, she finds her dreams haunted once more by visions of the banshee intent on hunting her. The guardians of the world she left behind, the Naman, are calling out to her, in her dreams, in desperation. The banshee is slaughtering the innocents of that world in an effort to pull her back.

Her nightmares are calling her back to the breach, to battle once more, for the innocent and for everything she holds dear. The Naman, the Jackflies and the Pretty Things all aid her in waging war on the murderous banshee that is determined to be unleashed in her reality.

Will she defeat the evil that haunts her world before it destroys her?

2005 - the year of extreme highs and lows for horror movies

My son turned 3 in 2005, so I didn't see a ton of these movies until later. And honestly, when you look at the list of choices, I can't imagine too many being on my must-watch list at the time. I planned on keeping the list to 10, but I double-checked and found 2 that are must add.

Even so, there are going to be some skipped that may be on others' top 10. Many of the movies that came out in 2005 are sequels or remakes. Not on the list Boogeyman, The Ring 2(so terrible), Dark Water(remake of the Japanese movie - still haven't seen it), Red Eye(one of 2 Wes Craven movies from 2005), The Fog(remake), Dominion(the redo of 2005 Exorcist prequel), House of Wax(remake) Amityville Horror(remake), and Land of the Dead(George Romero's next chapter in his zombie saga). Now let's see which movies made the list ...

Neil Marshall(Dog Soldiers) does it again with The Descent. I mean this is one of my favorite horror movies period, and as I was looking at The Cave(scroll down) I started to wonder how soon after this movie might have popped up. Thank God, I double-checked. I would have been mortified to have a top 10 list of movies from 2005 without the best one. If you haven't seen this movie, head over to Peacock and get on it.

Blurb - A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.

https://youtu.be/CSYg7Z1KS_I

Rob Zombie returned to the Firefly family with The Devil's Rejects. I find this film to be superior to House of 1000 corpses, and one of his best movies. He had to submit 7 different cuts to the MPAA to secure an R-rating for theaters but you can see the longer cut with the director's cut. You can stream it on tubi, and VUDUfree.

Blurb - The murderous, backwoods Firefly family take to the road to escape the vengeful Sheriff Wydell, who is not afraid of being as ruthless as his target.

https://youtu.be/poxddLZq2k0

Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson team up again to give us Cursed. This movie has 2 things going for it: werewolves & Joshua Jackson(did I mention my love of Dawson's Creek on here ever?). However, this movie was cursed for real as it ran into a number of issues that delayed/stalled it for over a year.

At least 8 different actors had to be recast or cut because of the extended time and there's an estimated amount of film shot to cover 4 full feature films. Wes Craven said in interviews this movie took 2.5 years of his life to get completed and it's nowhere near what it could have been.

Did I mention werewolves and Joshua Jackson yet? In the end, there are 3 cuts of this movie, but they aren't releasing 2 of them. You can see the one that got out there with HBOMax. It's getting the Collector's Edition BLU-Ray treatment in May. I can't wait.

Blurb - A werewolf loose in Los Angeles changes the lives of three young adults who, after being mauled by the beast, learn they must kill it in order to avoid becoming werewolves themselves.

https://youtu.be/VeEkAdt1GCs

While this is the inferior movie about monsters in a cave, I still really enjoy The Cave. The cast is top-notch, and while the film is straightforward, it still delivers. Check it out on Netflix.

Blurb - Blood-thirsty creatures await a pack of divers who become trapped in an underwater cave network.

https://youtu.be/owBmmNFxDBo

Michael Keaton has admitted to phoning in some of the scenes, but I still enjoyed White Noise. The idea of EVP is very interesting, and I enjoyed this film. It's a rent/buy to stream.

Blurb - An architect's desire to speak with his wife from beyond the grave becomes an obsession with supernatural repercussions.

https://youtu.be/7v1G8IQBqj8

Jigsaw returns in Saw II. This is the highest-grossing Saw film in the franchise in the US & Canada. Stream it on Starz.

For me, this is the infamous pretzel movie. When this was released, you couldn't get a pretzel at the theater I was seeing it in. So I would buy one in the mall, and sneak it in. I made the mistake of buying a garlic pretzel. In a packed theater, my pretzel got the attention of three rows as people decided they needed to know what the source of the garlic smell was coming from. It's funny now, but at the time I had to eat the evidence quickly and way before the movie started.

Blurb - A detective and his team must rescue 8 people trapped in a factory by the twisted serial killer known as Jigsaw.

https://youtu.be/Lq2AzZB6DUE

Kate Hudson does a good job in the voodoo film, The Skeleton Key. Stream it on Starz.

Blurb - A hospice nurse working at a spooky New Orleans plantation home finds herself entangled in a mystery involving the house's dark past.

https://youtu.be/nPegIryJ5DM

Keanu Reeves got the starring role in the comic book-horror movie Constantine. This is the Americanized version of the character, but they did highlight some of the best parts of the early stories of the Vertigo comic. Peter Stormare is incredible as Satan. Stream it on tubi.

Blurb - Supernatural exorcist and demonologist John Constantine helps a policewoman prove her sister's death was not a suicide, but something more.

https://youtu.be/DEa508Xmmio

Yes, I know Doom isn't a great movie, but it has a special place in my heart. I love Karl Urban and tiny Rock is fun to watch. I mean he looks like he's never even heard of weights. Stream it on HBOmax.

Blurb - Space Marines are sent to investigate strange events at a research facility on Mars but find themselves at the mercy of genetically enhanced killing machines.

https://youtu.be/LljkKoPs1Gg

Lots of people find The Exorcism of Emily Rose scary. The filmmakers weren't trying to make a traditional horror movie, but a movie to discuss if possession is a true phenomenon. The cast is jammed with amazing actors and really delivers on the scares. Stream it on HBOMax.

Blurb - A lawyer takes on a negligent homicide case involving a priest who performed an exorcism on a young girl.

https://youtu.be/Bi-PLwxwvy8

Originally written in 1997, Greg McLean knew something was missing and shelved the project, Wolf Creek. When the Ivan Millat case became known, he used the man as a prototype for the villain and rewrote the script. Check it out tubi, VUDUfree, and IMDB(Prime free).

Blurb - Three backpackers stranded in the Australian outback are plunged inside a hellish nightmare of insufferable torture by a sadistic psychopathic local.

https://youtu.be/8S13W69FQhs