There are movies that are basically two hours of plot to set up something that happens in the last ten seconds. “6 Souls” starring Julianne Moore is one of them. It’s not a bad thing to do, though one does feel a bit cheated at the conclusion. I was surprised to see that the film…

I’m pleased as a vampire in a blood bank to announce I have a short story coming out in the new Books of Horror Anthology. It’s available for pre-order now and arrives shortly. There are lots of great talents here, some whom I’ve read, others whom I look forward to reading. In my tale, “The…

There are movies where you need the ending explained to you. Then there are movies where you need the whole damn thing explained to you. Then there are movies where you know there is no hope of finding an explanation (yet you fruitlessly search the internet anyway.) Roman Polanski’s “The Tenant” belongs in the third…

Director William Castle had a certain recipe for creating 1960s horror films that sold well but didn’t break the budget. It involved mixing… 1) Limited special effects and settings 2) Skilled actors on the downslope of their careers 3) Psychological horror as opposed to vibrant monsters and action. All this is on full display in…

I became aware of A.C. Hessenauer upon reading her gothic horror novel “Dread House” several months back.  “Manimal” is one or her more recent works. It swaps out the gothic vibe for something closer to the ambience of a Lovecraft tale (though without the ornamental Lovecraft prose—thank god). It’s Atlanta in the 1930s, in a…

“Synchronic” revolves around an interesting question. What if a drug that seems to warp reality actually warps reality? (I presume the idea was prompted by a Joe Rogan episode where the podcaster pontificated on the nature of psychedelic drugs like ayahuasca or DMT.) In the film, New Orleans EMTs Steve and Dennis observe an uptick…