I don't think it goes far to say that I am a pretty big fan of horror and it just so happens from time to time I purchase little goodies that help fuel my liking for spooky little things. One time I stumbled upon two books that I ended up purchasing because of how they cheap they were and because they had glossy pages that appealed to me. The first book was How to be a Werewolf by Serena Valentino and the second one was How to be a Vampire by Amy Gray. They were both very nice books for the vampire or the werewolf enthusiast, but I've recently sold both of them. (I am currently going through a period where I'm pretty much getting rid of anything I don't love, need, or have a huge sentimental attachment to.) Of course before I sent both lovelies to their new home, I decided to scan a few pages from both books to share with you all
I will be doing a few posts where I share certain sections of each book. Of course before I do that I though I would put in a good recommendation for each book and encourage the actual purchase of either one.
How to be a Werewolf by Serena Valentino Synopsis: Celebrate
your inner beast and harness that newfound animal magnetism! with this
essential guide to the lycanthropic lifestyle. Are you subject to savage
moods, extreme and unexplained buffness, and cravings for meat on the
rare side? Do you long for super speed and reflexes, along with rapid
healing and maybe a talent for telepathy? Welcome to the pack and get
ready to howl as you sink your claws into this guide to everything life
as a werewolf has to offer. Among its abundant fur-raising topics: A
look at good, bad, and ugly transformation styles, including an answer
to the question of what happens to your clothes. A quiz to determine if
you're a menace to society, and tips on taking precautions Planning your
social schedule around the lunar calendar Dating hints, from the risks
and rewards of cross-species romance to avoiding your sweetheart's
family pet Killer fashion suggestions, from urban (leather and hardware)
to a cute and foxy kitsune look Ideas, decorations, and recipes for a
full-moon party Tales of real-life werewolves, plus lore and legends
from around the world Juicy reading material and gems of the silver
screen
Teenage werewolves are invited to
celebrate their inner beast--and harness that newfound animal
magnetism--with this essential guide to the lycanthropic lifestyle.
Illustrations.
AND
How to be a Vampire by Amy GraySynopsisFor
those who join the decadent realm of the vampire, eternal life holds
juicy perks--charm and strength, shape-shifting and flying, telepathy
and super-powered senses. "How to Be a Vampire" is a comprehensive guide
to the vampire lifestyle that quenches newcomers' thirst for lore--and
tasteful tips. Illustrations.
Welcome to
the world of the undead! A comprehensive guide to the vampire lifestyle
quenches newcomers' thirst for lore and tasteful tips. For those who
join the decadent realm of the vampire, eternal life holds juicy perks
charm and strength, shape-shifting and flying, telepathy and
super-powered senses. But then again, one becomes . . . so terribly
hungry. Is there an etiquette for feeding without causing a scene? How
do you set up your crypt? What supernatural foes will make your blood
run colder? In this elegant, edgy resource, the newly immortal will
find everything they need to know, including: - a quiz to determine your
true vampire persona - ways to turn into a vampire or when a kiss is
not just a kiss; and why you should take a look at your family tree - a
transformation checklist, including canine teeth and UV sensitivity - a
makeup and fashion guide to looking damned good (or just damn ed) -
knowing your weaknesses, from garlic, stakes, and sunlight to a n
obsession with counting - 10 signs that your boyfriend is a vampire,
including super coolness (body temperature-wise) and a habit of
sleeping in - a field guide to vampiric variations around the world and
through history.
-Horrorwood Doll.
P.S. The reason I decided to sell each book is because I really don't have an exact need for them or much reason to look back at them, but they are packed full of information and pictures. I'm sure if you are a huge fan of either monster, you'll love them.
P.S.S.
Also check out How to be a Zombie that was also written by Serena Valentino.
Many fans of the show Supernatural know the godliness that is Misha Collins, but unfortunately there are many out there who do not know about the man that makes The Most Interesting Man in the World, and Captain Morgan,look pale in comparison. Truly, Misha Collins is the work of God and it has been said that the mighty man himself took a week long break just to create Misha (along with chocolate covered frozen cheesecake on a stick) After such an event, he went back to work creating the Earth and all! Aw, how could one not admire such a man! He is after all not just an actor, but he is also a baker and a candlestick maker! What little girl did not grow up wanting to marry an actor/baker/candlestick maker? (Namely the last two.) Today's post is dedicated to my dream man and why he is the man I wish to marry. First off, let's look at all the things that make him the manliest of men!
He is not afraid to get in touch with his feminine side.
He is one with nature!
He is a father of high morals and values!
He is a man of excellent taste and class!
He is a man who knows how to get his head in the game and is a true player!
He is a true fashion icon and is the ultimate male model!
He is a man who is not afraid to let it all hang out! Fan Service, anyone?
Note: What other celebrity will gladly show a picture of himself bare-naked on horse in
broad day light for all to see his glory!!!
It was awful within that 20 mile radius riots happened, children became orphans, birds fell from the sky along with airplanes,etc. To this day, Misha is considered a threat to national security.
And last, but not least he is a man of vision! Just watch this!
Wasn't it just wonderful?! A film of such magnitude deserves every possible film award known to man. He not only wrote it, but he also directed and starred in it. Oh, I know it says he only wrote it and directed it in the credits, but deep down all fans know he was also the leading role. Misha is just far too humble to admit that he is just that good of an actor.
Oh,but alas, my poor fan girl heart must sadly admit that he can never be mine. For he is married to the most womanliest of women, Victoria Vantoch.
She has turned many women into lesbians with that vegetable bouquet.
I can't say I can blame him. Who wouldn't want to marry a woman who wrote a book on having successful threesomes? (I must keep note if I'm ever going to have my way with the Winchester brothers) XD
-Sigh- If I can't have Misha, then I'll have to settle for the next best thing. I know! How about Morgan Freeman taking a bath in a casket!
What I have said on here should not be taken too seriously....mostly. Though, in all honesty Misha is in fact a hilarious man and should be followed on Twitter and many should check out his charitable organization Random Acts as well.
It's Friday the 13th. A day that has become a mini holiday in an odd way.
If you need something to do check out Joss Whedon's Cabin In the Woods.
Random Fact: The cabin in Cabin in the Woods is an exact replica of the cabin from Evil Dead 2.
AMC Theaters are also offering a free small popcorn all you have to do is like them on Facebook, print your coupon and bring it to the concession stand. Offer Valid only from April 13-15.
Many stores are having their online sales today. Why not get yourself something pretty? :)
Spirit-13% off one item with a minimum purchase of $60. Enter FRI13 during check out.
Too Fast-20% off of everything. Use the code Friday 13-20 during check out.
We write for the attention of all Hollywood producers, writers, and
most certainly directors of horror cinema over the last couple of
decades. Quite a lot of you have been responsible for a serious crime,
too-often committed against us, the paying horror audience: incompetent
and complacent film making. The growing laziness in the genre has become
more and more obvious, certainly since the turn of the millennium. We
wish to address this by taking a look at some of the major errors you
tend to make; horror from the rest of the world does not seem to make
these mistakes, and so there is no reason you should:
Anyone can make us jump
Okay
so we all love a good jump here and there; trust us, we really do! It
is a great moment when you are sat there... tense, curious, nervous...
and then BANG, the 'thing' happens and the entire screen
(hopefully completely rammed, because this movie is supposed to
incredibly epic) jumps and screams in unison. Indeed, it brings about an
immediate sense of togetherness - camaraderie, if you like, and the
relief laughter and chatter is a very pleasing sound that nobody will
ever moan about.
It should be remembered, however, that this can very quickly be overdone (I’m looking at you, The Woman In Black),
and in fact even with the jump-scares you do use, you need to be
careful that they do not become cheap or unrealistic; the last thing we
want is to be immersed in the atmosphere of a scene and for the wrong
thing make us jump.
You think this means we feel more scared, but sometimes the opposite
is actually true; a badly-judged jump-scare will certainly make us jump,
but will be followed closely by laughter, leaving us detached from both
the horror and the film.
Why does this happen? It all comes down to whether the jump works as
part of the story, and as part of a particular scene. Frank Darabont,
speaking about one particular jump-scare in his adaptation of Stephen
King’s The Mist', said that it was “the oldest trick in the book” that
got the author leaping from his seat when watching it for the first
time.
Brilliant...he thinks he made Stephen King jump; but with that quote
he does actually hit the nail on the head! We all know the jump-scare
can be used to good effect, because it is indeed “the oldest trick in
the book”: the frame is set and then something bursts into it
unexpectedly.
The thing is we can all make somebody jump, it is very
simple; jump out on them, or sneak up behind them when they are not
expecting it and say boo really loudly. That is great, and fun, but
ultimately not scary in the long-term. It should also be pointed out
that film makers with actors, make-up, lighting, set design, hopefully a
scary story to tell, and a long list of other tools to hand should not
be resorting to a simple little trick - one readily available to us at
home - before hoping that a barrage of the same trick will send us home
with a need to tell everybody how frightening the film is.
We won’t.
Hollywood, if that's all you have to offer then I can promise you we will be talking about it at home...just not in the light you may have hoped.
"Using a jump as a pay-off to a building of tension gets tired after a while - trust us"
Please understand this is not to suggest we do not like the occasional good jump. For instance, a film like Rec has
just the right amount of jumps peppered through, but the creation of
tension envelops the moments rather than providing a build up. The
result is that we find ourselves totally shaken by the superb jump, but
not off the hook, as the dread continues to build. Using a jump as a pay-off to a building of tension gets tired after a while - trust us.
Enjoy the silence
It is one of the most basic principles of cinema: the soundtrack aids
the emotional drive of a movie. It tells us when to feel certain
feelings, amongst other things. Sadness, longing, excitement, tension,
and yes, even fear! You have heard of the expression, “over-egging the
pudding” though, yes? Any film that is over-scored is annoying; but in
the realm of terror, it can very easily dispel the fear rather than
enhance it. There are some truly terrifying moments in cinema from
around the world that work because they understand that silence can be
deafening in the right circumstances.
Take A Tale Of Two Sisters for example - this contains one of the most chilling bedroom sequences in a horror film since Poltergeist;
and take note of the fact that the director does not insist on bashing
you over the head with a discordant orchestra sting because “that it
will amplify the scare", but in fact relies purely on the natural sounds
of the room. Likewise, in another scene, the atmosphere is deathly-cold
and incredibly tense, through nothing more than the excellent sound of
wind.
In silence, we are tense; we are waiting for something awful, and
that natural sound of what is around us, even if it's pure silence, can
be deafening and creepier than any piece of music you wish to add to the
scene.
Music enhances shocking moments nicely, such as the shower-stabbing in Psycho;
but if you go and watch the scene now and take note of the sound that
leads up to the moment, what do you notice? A shower running. That is
the only sound.
Silence can be your greatest weapon.
Don’t butcher the fear
When
you have all your footage, resist the urge to hack away and re-assemble
every last frame. In horror, possibly more so than any other genre,
what the camera shows us, what we see and when we see it, could never be more important.
Sometimes the way some of you chuck this stuff together can be
mind-boggling, headache-inducing; and, worst of all, not scary. The fear
can be found with the right cut at the right time, so keep away from
the editing studio...
Take a little look at The Birds. Do we really need to
mention that classic scene that is simply one woman sat on a bench while
we know the birds are gathering? We don’t need to see it; we can
already sense what's going to happen. That way, when the shot is finally
panned into view, the true horror of the situation - that is, a
climbing frame crammed with birds - confirms our fears and raises the
suspense to unbearable levels.
One of the greatest examples from overseas is most certainly Ju-On: The Grudge.
I can barely put into words the feeling of realising that creepy little
kid is peering through the banister; he’s been there for how long? Fear presents itself through the unknown and Ju-On: The Grudge makes full use of the fact.
Many of you have taken heed of this already, as shown in the recent Insidious, which, despite its silly final act, does very well in this field. Likewise with The Strangers, there is a moment in the kitchen which is very successful.
Not everyone gets it right though; Gore Verbinski’s take on The Ring features
a re-working of the most frightening sequence in the original, and
makes a complete hash of it by having no sense of pace.
Getting the cut right is a big part of the challenge.
"Get us to care about something, anything, and you will drive the fear deeper..."
Nothing scarier than the imagination
Served as an accompaniment to the previous point, this was a notion associated very heavily with The Silence of the Lambs,
a film which comes to a climax in a room where nothing can be seen. Our
heroine Clarice Starling is feeling her way around a dark room, knowing
the killer is with her, watching. This works as a nice analogy for a
principle of horror that Hitchcock, once again, understood all too well:
Often it is what you do not see that is frightening.
Remember, our minds are dark closets filled with the most messed up,
disturbing thoughts you could imagine, and we love to exaggerate, to go
overboard; usually we just need a little push. So you can show us all
the monsters, beasts, ghosts, blood and guts you like, and there will be
the time and place for that. But you are so frequently better off
giving us a just a taste of it, a hint of what it is we are to be scared about - and then leave us to fill in the blanks.
Remember, The Blair Witch Project? With no need to pander to anybody, they kept everything low-key and ridiculously simple. It could even be argued that Blair Witch is
not technically a great film - but with the marketing campaign giving
it a head-start, it became the most effective American horror of the
decade. Admittedly it hinges on whether you play along with the notion
of being lost in the woods; but at no point do we see the antagonist; at
no point do we even know what it/she is. Instead we hear the right
things at the right times, and we watch as a woman runs through the
woods, clearly having seen something that we cannot. And it is horrible!
H. P. Lovecraft has been a long-standing example of an author who
scares the pants off his readers, all of whom find it extremely
difficult to tell you why they are scared. We all wait on tender-hooks
for the possible Del Toro production of At The Mountains of Madness, which seems to be under strain; but we shall see.
Put simply, keep it simple Hollywood...let us do your work for you, because we are very good at it.
If we care, we will scare
Since the advent of torture-porn, it has been very easy for people
like Eli Roth (a reasonable film maker in his own way) and Rob Zombie (a
not so reasonable film maker), to get away with presenting the most
turgid, infantile filth, often in the form of the most ridiculous,
over-the-top, moronic splatter-fests, and pretend that they have done
something really subversive, clever and scary.
I
have news for people like this: There is no subversion, and there is
nothing clever about torture when there is no drive behind it other than
the question, “How hideous can people be?”.
We know this already. We see real life happen. As for being scary, both Eli Roth and Rob Zombie admire Audition by Takashi Miike and presumably believe that they are paying homage to a master of the genre, because hey, he did a torture scene too!
Indeed he did, and if you go take a look at that film, you will
notice it turns the genre on its head, and consequently the audience; it
is a movie that blindfolds us, spins us in fast circles, and tells us
to pin the tail on the donkey. It makes us care for the very real
characters, so that when the horror finally hits home, it hurts us - and we understand its significance.
Take a look at the Guillermo Del Toro produced The Orphanage or even his own movie Cronos. Both
are films that have sincere themes and exploit honest, human fears -
the one concerning child death and another the subject of ageing. What
does torture-porn talk about?
More often than not the best horror stems from within: our own fears
about life, death, and the tragedy that is sometimes being human. There
is only so much blood and guts being spilled for its own sake that we
can watch before we simply get bored and immune. Themes we care about
never tire. They are about us, they are ideas we must care about.
David Cronenberg is a director whose shocking horror remains a
triumph by virtue of the revolution he brought about: in 'body horror' -
horror of the flesh. Watch The Fly, his re-working of a
classic yet simple fable, and witness a master at work. Using the fly
metamorphosis as a metaphor for our fear of disease - the horror from
which we cannot escape - is a journey into deep-seated terror. To bring
that to a point where we are both mortified and heartbroken for a man
who has become useless in front of his loved one is truly a stroke of
genius.
With
horror often comes a tremendous sense of sadness, or tragedy,
emphasising the terror, driving the story home and haunting us for days
or weeks. These are the films we talk about; these are the films horror
geeks adore. Yes, we enjoy a bit of teen-hacking as much as the next
man, but even with films such as A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Last House On The Left or The Hills Have Eyes,
you are watching work from a film-maker trying to present ideas that
run deeper than the carving-up of flesh; ideas that are supposed to bury
themselves in your head and get you thinking. That is one pivotal
element of the way these films scare - empathy, sense memory - driving
fear deeper.
Stop cheating!
Even the most forgiving horror nerds are becoming frustrated with the
endless stream of remakes - often recreated almost shot-for-shot - just
because you want to make an easy buck. We are wise to the game, and as
much as you might hoodwink a lot of the naive, you are not getting one
over on horror fans; we grow tired of your minimalist imagination.
Unless there is a writer’s strike, there is no reason for it - it is
just cheating and, if we are being honest, the remake rarely has the
qualities that made the original so great, notwithstanding how well-made
it is.
And renaming it does not make the crime any more forgiveable, so please stop doing it.
Conclusion – Trust us, we have a brain
There will always be a lowest common denominator audience out there -
those who cannot keep up with cinema that pushes them to engage their
brains beyond that point required to understand the twist of a Saw movie.
But that's not a reason to water everything down, resort to cheap
tricks and simple, one-dimensional set-ups that do not stay with us for
more than five minutes after walking out of the cinema.
Horror is at its best and most terrifying when it has a brain. The
frustrating thing is that the history of cinema from the West shows that
there have been those artists who have understood the above-mentioned. So what has happened?
You can take this as an appeal to the darkest part of your hearts,
and the smartest, most twisted corners of your collective imagination
that quietly crave to be more daring: Stop playing it down for the
simple-minded audience all the time and start proving that which we
know, you know, to be true - horror can be so much more than “slash and
hack”.
"We want the real monsters, the intelligence, the tragedy, the sadness and the metaphors"
William Friedkin, with 1973's The Exorcist, did not need to
resort to such banal methods to create what is still regarded, despite
its relative crudity when compared with modern films, as one of the
greatest horror movies of all time.
David Cronenberg, the director who showed you how to use visual
metaphor to explore the most horrendous themes, is a man whose horror
work was heralded as brilliant simply for being high-brow, for being
about concepts of the fear within, the horror of identity, the very real
terror that comes simply with being human. He made films about ideas for the most deeply-rooted, ugly parts of us to relate to.
We want that sort of horror - it is cleansing, therapeutic and
healthy. We want the real monsters, the intelligence, the tragedy, the
sadness and the metaphors.
In short, we need the horror that runs deeper than a pint of blood
smeared across the screen, in the vain hope it will be enough to keep us
awake at night.
Yours faithfully,
The Audience
A letter that could have been written by any horror fan. Thank you Daniel Elford for wording it all so perfectly. You can see the original here.
Now for the rest of us who are nostalgic for real horror; check out Channel 4's 100 Scariest moments. It's all based off of what viewers chose. It's a bit different from what many American channels would have for 100 scariest moments because Channel 4 is a British channel. There are many predictable moments such as Jaws, Halloween, and what not, but there are some different moments on there as well.
Some highlights
#100 Oncoming Train (Ha! I just find this one so fascinating. Great to know they looked back into history for what scared people
# 94 Cat People (I'm always happy to see this movie getting credit for what it did for horror)
# 89 Atomic Fallout Public Announcement (I would have honestly put this much higher. There is nothing scarier than having the presence of horror being possibly integrated in your everyday life.)
# 80 Snow White (Oh, Disney getting us hooked on scares at such a young age.)
# 72 Alice Cooper... Just Alice Cooper (Haha! Of course.)
#71 Thriller- Micheal Jackson (Still one of the greatest music videos of all time.)
# 54 Dr. Who Theme (Best Television theme of all time)
# 39 Dr. Who and the Daleks (Nothing scarier than a robot with a plunger)
# 25 Buffy-Hush (A very scary episode from my favorite show.)
# 21 Twin Peaks (A very strange and odd show. There will never be anything quite like it.)
This holiday season The Muppets made their comeback in theaters. (By the way it's pretty awesome and makes me nostalgic for The Muppets.) Anyways back in the day The Muppet show was one of the biggest things to hit television back in the 1970s. Due to its popularity there was a never ending supply of celebrities who wanted to appear on the show. My personal favorite appearances were from Alice Cooper and Vincent Price. Today we are going to take a look at those episodes. Below is Part 1 from the Alice Cooper episode.
Yeah.... Weird things tend to happen when Alice is on The Muppets.....
Below are segments from the Vincent Price special. (Sadly the complete show isn't on youtube.)
Wasn't that just grand? If only we could combine the genius of Vincent Price and Alice Cooper and have them perform together with people dressed up in weird spider costumes.....wait....
Score!
-Horrorwood Doll
P.S. (You can own the episodes with Alice Cooper,Vincent Price, and Marty Feldman for the insane price of $35 on Amazon. A sad price considering I got mine for $1 at Goodwill. -_-)
Those at Team Unicorn want to make sure that you'll be able to survive the holidays. So remember to trim the tree, wrap the presents, put the freshly made gingerzombies in the oven and be sure to lock and load everyone. :D
The holidays are upon us, which means it's time to shop and bust your brains out over what to get that special someone on your Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus list. Each will be dedicated to a certain type of horror niche and should help you narrow down the search.
Zombies seem to be in vogue at the moment and there is just no limit on the zombie merchandise that is available to the masses. Of course you have to filter through all the strange and useless curiosities that are currently available on the market, but this list should help you find the right gift for your zombie loving amigo.
For the Survivalist!
For the more practical person on your list or the extra paranoid, you can't go wrong with The Zombie Survival Guide, Z-SAT, and The Zombie Combat Manual. You can also pair those books with a first aid kit, some MRE'S and a crowbar. Be sure to add a nice little ribbon to the crowbar to give it that extra holiday flare. You can also add this snazzy bag to this mix as well.Not only are you making your loved one happy, but you now have someone to run off with when the zombie Apocalypse happens. It's the gift that keeps on giving! ^_^
Average Price: $8.00
The Zombie Extremist Fan!
It seems odd, but some people are just hardcore zombie fans. It seems they've seen every zombie film, know every type of zombie, and have read all the zombie survival books. Any zombie fan would love The Last Night on Earth- zombie board game and if they already have that get them the expansion packs. The game is just like a zombie flick, but in you're living room. You'll have tons of fun fighting off the undead hoards with grandma. A great little book for your zombie fan is How to be a Zombie. This book is just so jammed pack with zombie goodies; including an extensive zombie film list and zombie music guide. You're zombie extremist is sure to be satisfied. If that's not good enough for them get them the How to Speak Zombie Guideor their very own garden zombie.
Average Price: $40.00 For Your Zombie Sweetheart!
Who ever said vampires were the most romantic creatures of the night never met a zombie. If you are shopping for zombie fanatic sweetie or zombie lover there is just no end to how you can show how much you care. These zombie chocolates are sure to please any chocoholic. Perhaps read to your love one the romantic words of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or write a poem using the zombie poetry kit. If your love one is familiar with Resident Evil get them these petunias that resemble the Umbrella Corp. logo.
Average Price: $9.99
The Trendy Zombie Fan
Zombies are very in right now so just about everyone is joining in on the fun. Get them the first season of The Walking Deador better yet the graphic novel. Let them get in touch with their artsy side with this clever zombie poster or zombie coloring book. If they are the early undead type get them this flashy glow in the dark coffee mug. Nothing says flesh...I mean fresh like zombies, so get these zombie mints a try. They are sure to make excellent stocking stuffers, especially when the stocking still has a foot inside.
Average Price: $15.00
The Actual Zombie on your List!!!!!
Now this is a rare occurrence, but sometimes you'll fine that your loved one has become a zombie. You might feel that there now a bit of a gap between you and your undead counterpart, but never fear there are still things you can get to keep that special person in your life content. Eating people is not always a picnic so your zombie chum will appreciate some hot sauce to make the raw flesh a bit more appetising. Being undead corpse and all means you are likely to stink. There is hope though, just get your zombie friend some air fresheners. These lei car air fresheners not only look stylish, but smell great too. If they are new to the zombie thing get them So Now You're a Zombie: The Handbook for the Newly Undead.
Bizenghast is a tale set in the fictional New England town with the same name. That tale focuses on the a mentally ill fifteen-year-old name Dinah. Her past is a tragic one due to the car crash that left her orphaned at a very young age. The girl is sent to live with her aunt who resides in a haunted house. The house was originally a hospital and then boarding school and a satanic coven. (Okay, I made the last part up, but what are the chances of a house once being two of the things that almost guarantee a haunted house.) It turns out that are protagonist Dinah can see ghosts, which causes her aunt to believe that her darling little niece suffers from schizophrenia.
One, bright and shinning day, Dinah and her extremely loyal friend Vincent decide to take a walk to search for trinkets of his hodge podge of a garden. They come across a mysterious mausoleum in the middle of the woods. Being teenagers in a horror comic, they decide to investigate the sketchy mausoleum. Dinah comes across plaque with Dinah's name on it that turns out to be some contract. For some odd reason Dinah signs it and binds herself to the contract that requires her to come to the mausoleum every night and free the ghosts. If she succeeds she will win her freedom and some unknown reward. If she fails she will die and linger inside the cursed mausoleum as a corpse.
For the longest time I've heard all kinds of things about the comic series Bizenghast and being a fan of its creator M. Alice Legrow, I found it was time to check the series out. The first volume pretty much follows the plot listed above and a few ghost encounters. Every night when Dinah and Vincent enter the mausoleum they much enter a special world that the ghost resides in and free them from that world and get them to enter the fate that waits for them in the afterlife. The strange ghostly worlds is where a great deal of the horror in the comic comes from. The horror in the comic is more psychological or eerie, instead of grotesque, but there is enough horrorific elements present in the comic to keep many horror fans content.
The art in the comic is well done for the most part and can even be quite stunning from time to time, but there does seem to be a few rushed and sloppy panels seen from time to time. Each chapter has a beautifully done tarot inspired chapter card, which almost makes the comic worth-a-look to just see each chapter card, alone. Each ghost world was captivating in its own right and was rich with detail. There is a wonderful range of detailed backgrounds and costumes. The artist seemed to take quite a bit of time to make sure tha the comic had its own unique look and feel.
Now, after all that praise I feel that it is time to talk about the comics cons. The comics characters are one note and dull. The antagonist, Dinah seems to do nothing, but whine, which is fine with me in small amounts, but the amount of whinnying that the main character does is ridiculous. Vincent hardly exhibits any sort of personality and seems to only follow Dinah and get her to stop whinnying. The comic relief character introduced at the end of vol. 1 is neither funny or witty. The characters seem to be lifeless in the story that they're in, which makes it terribly hard for the reader to make any true connections with the characters themselves.
The plot in Bizenghast is interesting, but badly executed. The creator seemed to take more time crafting and creating details for the story of Bizenghast rather then creating a solid narrative. The plot seems rushed during the first half of the tale and seems to slow to a crawl during the second half. This made it terribly hard for me to get through and spent time wishing that the creator had took the time to focus on the plot rather then all the pointless costume changes that was given to Dinnah.
By Vol. 2 I had almost decided to give up on Bizenghast and consider it poorly done comic, with pretty artwork. For some reason or another I decided to check out the third volume at my library and give the series one more chance. To my surprise there was a complete turn around in the quality of the comic. The artwork all though well done from the start, was now exquisitely done in every panel instead of the occasional sloppy panel seen in the last two volumes. The main character was now competent and three-dimensional. In fact all the characters in Bizenghast seemed to have zest and personality. Characters now had their own objectives, and were now able to tell a compelling story. As a reader I now cared about the fate of each character and now felt a bit tense when characters were put into dangerous situations. The comic relief character in Bizenghast was no longer needlessly random and was actually humorus. There were actually a few times that I found my self laughing out loud, while I was reading. There seemed to be a complete turn around in the comics quality and all of a sudden I wanted to read on and find out what fate holds for the the characters of Bizenghast.
Even though I found the first two volumes of Bizenghast to be terribly boring and tedious, I was completely won over by the third volume. I can only hope that the quality of Bizenghast will continue to improve and not revert back to the quality seen in the first two volumes. Now, the comic is by no means a masterpiece by any means, but it's certainly worth a look and can most likely be found at your local library. There are eight volumes of Bizenghast in total, with the eighth due to be released this year.
Harry Potter has become a well beloved series for many, J.K Rowling has certainly proven herself to be an excellent writer. You can say that the appeal of Harry Potter steams from the well developed characters, the much detailed plot, but I think the reason why the series has become so beloved is because of the world J.K. Rowling created for her Harry Potter series. The author did not just create a memorable story, she created an entire world that has become as well known as the story itself.
J.K Rowling added to the world of Harry Potter when she created a series of fables/fairy tales for her wizards. The Tales of Bettle the Bard is a collection of Grimmsesque tales that range from whimsical and sweet to dark and foreboding. Many fairy tales have an element of horror and Miss Rowling did not leave this one element out when creating her series of fairy tales. Today, I'm going to share with you all two tales from The realm of Beetle the Bard that surly make your blood cold and will perhaps leaving you wanting more.
THE THREE BROTHERS
I'm sure the majority of you are aware of the tale of The Three Brothers, since the tale makes its appearance in the Harry Potter film Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1. There is not much I can say about the story itself, the tale obviously has to do with the fear death and how greed leads to ones very own destruction.
An interesting observation I saw in the comment section of this video, which I later found out is a theory among Harry Potter fans. Three characters in the books are believed to represent the three brothers in the story.
Voldemort :: The one who died for power.
Snape (Some say Albus Dumbledore) :: The one who died for lost love.
Harry Potter :: The one that greeted Death like an old friend.
THE WARLOCK'S HAIRY HEART
A young Warlock was embarrassed to see his friends falling in love
and considered the act foolish and weak. He decided that he never wanted
to fall victim to love, and secretly used Dark magic to cut out his heart.
He lived on, seeming content with his lack of emotion, not even
mourning when his parents passed away. After their deaths, he moved into
their home and transferred his heart, his "greatest treasure," to the
dungeon. Believing in the perfection of his solitude, he was shocked to
overhear one of his servants pitying him, and another thinking it funny
he didn't have a wife. He decided he would go out and find the most
beautiful, talented, wealthy and all-around enviable young woman to be
his bride.
The very next day, the young Warlock had the fortune of meeting
the perfect woman. He began pursuing her, convincing all of his friends
that he had changed. She was both "fascinated and repelled" by him, and
agreed to attend a feast at his home. While at the feast, the maiden
asked the Warlock for proof that he had a heart. He took her down into
the dungeon and showed her themagiccrystal casket that held his beating heart. The woman was horrified at
the sight of it, as it had grown hairy and shrunken as a result of it's
separation from the Warlock's body. She begged him to replace the heart
within himself, so he sliced his chest open with his wand and placed his
heart back into his chest. As the woman embraced him, his heart, which
had grown blind and perverse, took savage action against the young woman
and killed her.
When the rest of the guests went looking for the Warlock, they
found him in the dungeon, crouched over maiden's lifeless body,
caressing her heart. He attempted to take her heart for his own, but his
heart was too strong and would not leave his body. Determined never to
be mastered by his heart again, he cut it out of his chest, and fell
over the maiden's body, dead.
Unlike the tale of The Three Brothers there is no bittersweet ending to this story. The story has to deal with love of course and what happens to those who have no love or kindness within their heart and how those without one become animalistic in nature. In the wizarding world when someone is referred to having a "hairy heart" it means that the person is unfeeling.
Read more tales from The Bettle the Bard by purchasing the book here.
Want to add a bit of horror flare to your I-phone? Well there are quite a few little features you can download onto your phone and the best part of all they're free.
If you're in need for some light reading then feel free the download the Lite version of the Brain Eater's Bible.
“Freedom for zombies isn’t free,” says J.D. McGhoul, the app’s undead author, “but this free edition does democratize important information.” He goes on to explain that,“Brain Eater’s Bible Lite will at least guide the infected through the early stages of reanimation and help them understand why they crave human brains.”
You can download the brilliant lite zombie fiction here. You can also purchase the full version for the amazing price of $4.99 on i-tunes at this link and get yourself a hardcopy via Amazon.
Free Entertainment
Before the days of cable television and before wide release horror films, those who had a fondess for errie tales of the macabre had to get their horror fix somewhere else. Those at Relic Radio have brought back the days when all would gather all around and listen to a tale that would chill your senses. You can download this weekly podcast via I-tunes and bring the days horror radio on to your phone.
I am not ashamed to admit that I'm a fan of children books. I just find their simple stories and illustrations to be delightful. More often than not writer's get the idea to make horrific little books for children and because children seem to have fascination with getting scared they always seem to leave an impact. Deena Molinaro writes and illustrates children books as a hobby and currently has them all on her website for your viewing pleasure. If you have a little squishy (cute child) in your life or just like demented little childrens tales check it out. http://www.deannamolinaro.com/Stuff_That_I_Made/Books/BookTitles.html (If you plan on reading these to your own child, I suggest you read them before hand. Some of these tales might be to grim for some children.)
My favorites That Story about the Rabbit and As an Alligator (Even though it's not strictly horror) If you really like her books check out her online shop and purchase one of her books. http://www.deannamolinaro.com/GeneralStore.html
I'm honestly surprised by how many people have not heared about Elvira. I mean she is the queen of f*#@$ing Halloween. I can't exactly say that I grew up watching her movie macabre, but I did grow up watching her movies. -sigh- it seems such a shame that I did not get the chance to view Elvira's Movie Macabre first hand. Oh, but wait....
Elvira: The Mistress of the Dark is back and has proclaimed her spot on public television. You now can catch Elvira hosting the chessiest of horror films every Friday,Saturday, or Sunday night. (Check your local listings to find out when Movie Macabre is playing for you.) I can now know what it was like for the children of the 80s by watching Elvira's Movie Macabre every Saturday night at 10 p.m. :D
This is the intro for Elvira's Movie Macabre. I can honestly say that I love the theme song "What Can I do" by the Black Belles. I would love a chance to go that theatre. :D
Why not take Elvira home with you? You can now purcahse a double feature of Elvira's Movie Macabre and have your own personal Elvira movie nights when ever you want. And best thing yet none of those darn commercials. You can now take home classsics such as Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks, The Devil's Wedding Night, They Came from Beyond Space, The Werewolf of Washington, and more delightful movie classics that you will come to love and cherish forevers and forevers. Purchase these timeless classics here.
Or better yet you can catch five of the original Movie Macabre for free on youtube here. (I'm guessing it's the original show from the 80s.)
If you didn't know about Elvira before, now is your chance to get aquainted with the Mistress of the Dark. (She'll most likely get mentioned on this blog from time to time, so it's for the best that you know who we are talking about.)
Snape (Some say Albus Dumbledore) :: The one who died for lost love.
Harry Potter :: The one that greeted Death like an old friend.
The very next day, the young Warlock had the fortune of meeting the perfect woman. He began pursuing her, convincing all of his friends that he had changed. She was both "fascinated and repelled" by him, and agreed to attend a feast at his home. While at the feast, the maiden asked the Warlock for proof that he had a heart. He took her down into the dungeon and showed her the
When the rest of the guests went looking for the Warlock, they found him in the dungeon, crouched over maiden's lifeless body, caressing her heart. He attempted to take her heart for his own, but his heart was too strong and would not leave his body. Determined never to be mastered by his heart again, he cut it out of his chest, and fell over the maiden's body, dead.