So what if you can't get an Oscar? One-Eye Pirate Pete's got something better. Aarrghhh!
And the winners are:
Copies of Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter go to West Nelson in Michigan and Cecilia Huddleston in Kansas.
A copy of The Best of Joe R. Lansdale goes to Emily Intravia in the Bronx.
And a copy of the Calabrese Brother's They Call Us Death goes to Armando Hernandez in Pamona.
Congratulations to the winners and your treasure is sailing its way to you. Enjoy!
I've received two copies of The Best of Joe R. Lansdale. They're uncorrected proofs, but Lansdale is so naughtily politically and socially uncorrected you probably won't notice. I'm reading one for my review, but that leaves one for some lucky bastard like you, or you, or maybe even you. So, I thought to myself, why not have another contest? So I did. Here it is.
Send me an email (through my About page) with your mailing address. (The information, as always, will remain confidential and I delete all entry emails after the contest.)
I count 16 stories, including the superb Bubba Ho-Tep, with a tired old Elvis finding his youth again by battling a tired older mummy. Godzilla's Twelve Step Program is a keeper, too. It's hard to go on the wagon after you've tasted the thrill of destruction, but with the support of his friends Gorgo and Reptilicus, he's trying his best to go straight. Did I mention this book is a devilish delight; a swig of Jack Daniel's after a bite of a hot mustard pretzel? Not quite my official review, but it will have to do until I finish reading it.
The Best of Joe R. Lansdale contest ends February 28th. I'll announce the winner on March 1st. So don't dawdle. And you've got to be 18 or older, so make sure you say that in your email: these are Joe R. Lansdale's stories after all.
Deathrock, deathpunk, gothabilly, whatever you'd like to call it, I admit I'm more at home with reviewing movies and books than morbid music. But after listening to my courtesy copy of the Calabrese Brothers latest entry into the we're-blowin'-the-amp-tonight rock and roll deathmatch between drums, bass, vocals, and my ears, I alternated between tapping my feet and hands to Davey's drums and suppressing the urge to body slam somebody to Jimmy's bass.
So while this may not be a very professionally-sounding endorsement of their They Call Us Death, it does explain why I'm holding this contest. Simply put, I like it and think you may like it, too.
Shoot me your mailing address in an email for a chance to win a copy of They Call Us Death. The disc will be officially released on March 20th, but I'll announce the winner March 1st. Although you may need to body slam me to get it.
"Much later, as he watched his manservant, Perkins, eating the dog, Quimby gloomily reflected on the unusual events of the evening."
Just received a few copies of A.E. Moorat's (aka Andrew Holmes) Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter book. Monstrous horrors, noble gentlemen and ladies (mostly noble, anyway), and royalty mix it up in this historical farce of proper English terror. Or so I hope, since I've not read the book yet.
But that doesn't stop me from holding a contest!
If you'd like a chance to win a copy of Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter, shoot me an email (on my About page). Include your mailing address so I don't have to send the Queen to hunt for it later. I promise to keep it confidential.
I've got two copies to give away, so good luck and God save the Queen! Winners will be announced the first week in March.
You know what happens to nosey people in horror don't you? They find out all about it. Just before they DIE! But at least they're better informed before they go. So here's some news for you to bone up on; just keep looking over your shoulder as you read...and read fast...
Robot Comics "whipped up this very special trailer for their upcoming ROBOT 13 adaptation for Android and iPhone. It's a sneak peek at what is perhaps our finest adaptation yet, incorporating frame-by-frame animation, vibration, transition effects, and more." Robot 13 Trailer
The Westmore Monsters of Hollywood, an engrossing article by Scott Essman, up at the Famous Monsters of Filmland website, chronicles the monstrous creations of the Westmore family of makeup artists.
Midnight Syndicate's The Dead Matter DVD is being released July 30th. And..."Midnight Syndicate Halloween Music is hosting a 13th Anniversary Video Contest where filmmakers and animators can create a silent film or music video to an existing Midnight Syndicate track. The winner will be featured on "The Dead Matter" DVD as well as win prizes from sponsors: Screamline Studios, Conquest Graphics, Robert Kurtzman's Creature Corps, Van Helsing's Curse Halloween music, and Midnight Syndicate. Other finalists will also win prizes and special promotions." Head over to http://www.midnightsyndicate.com to read all about it.
Confused by Dark Horse's Creepy 2 story, The Curse Part Two? Join the Perplexed Fan club. Appears a funny thing happened on the way to the printer: Uncle Creepy dropped the dialog balloons and captions along the way. He even managed to screw up the writer's name. For the record, Joe Harris wrote the story. To read what Joe wrote the way it should have appeared in print, go to http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/Previews/15-863?page=1.
Until next time, then. Keep those noses to the grindstone. It keeps them nicely sharpened.
I have not seen Daybreakers yet, but Scott Essman has; here's his take on the movie...
After a totally wretched day on Friday, I went to Daybreakers at night, expecting some moderately escapist fare and a wham-bang two hours to get my mind off of things... the first hour was a totally cool, nearly surreal treatise on what would happen to society if vampires became the majority and were keeping humans alive only for their blood (except rich people who are immune to the blood farming)... that first hour was nearly brilliant and evoked the first Matrix... then, Willem Dafoe's cliched character enters the fray and the movie dies... not his fault, but the character is out-of-place and the film immediately becomes an "us vs. them" zombiefest, reduced to being nearly worthless... a crushing disappointment after a superb start.
The second half still had some cool ideas and held a bit of the promise of the first half, but the promises were 90% unkept... all in all, a badly missed opportunity... but what might have been if the filmmakers just had faith in their setup and followed through!!!
I am dumbfounded and annoyed by Total Film's 2010 Best Horror Blog Award. Out of the dozens of devoted and talented horror bloggers who contribute more to the horror genre than newsy tidbits and fluff reviews, Total Film can only come up with 5 blog nominations? This award is a joke.
I hold nothing against the 5 nominees, although Obscure Hollow is the only full-fledged blog on the list. Good luck to all of you in winning.
Total Film, you are totally off the mark with this award. Rename it or do your homework and stop wasting our time.
But congratulations; you've won my 2010 Horse's Ass Award for your meaningless award.
Happy Holiday and Merry Christmas!
Here at the mansion we wish glad tidings and good cheer for everyone this coming New Year.
We're all stirring on this Christmas Day: Chef Machiavelli is busy cooking our goose with razzleberry dressing; Zombos Jr. is busy drowning his Sims--by removing the ladder from their swimming pool--so they can come back as ghosts; and I am busy watching The Twilight Zone's The Night of the Meek one more time, to be followed by The Howling Man. Not sure what Zombos and Zimba are doing, but she probably dragged him caroling along with her and her church group.
Oh, and before I forget, congratulations to Mike Segretto, who has won the first ever Zombos' Closet Christmas Contest.
A word to the wise to all the children of the twentieth century, whether their concern be pediatrics or geriatrics, whether they crawl on hands and knees and wear diapers or walk with a cane and comb their beards. There's a wondrous magic to Christmas and there's a special power reserved for little people. In short, there's nothing mightier than the meek. And a Merry Christmas, to one and all. (Night of the Meek)
Ditto for the 21st Century, too.
Time's top ten movie list for 2009 includes District 9's sci-horror at number nine, and Thirst at number ten.
Thirst melds with the obsessions of its characters and goes orgasmically nuts with them. In this nutsy-greatsy melodrama, the acting revelation is Kim, who evolves from a creature of mute docility to one of desperate ardor, then explosive eroticism, then murderous intent. She is Lady Chatterley and Lady Macbeth in one smoldering package.
