From Zombos Closet

JM Cozzoli

A horror and movie fan with a blog. Scary.

Mysteria: Ghostly Short Stories

Mysteria book
And still more from my inbox…sounds interesting, but I disagree with the notion about book length: if it's good, who cares how long it is; or short.

United Kingdom – In today’s world, fans of horror and paranormal fiction find their time torn by work, family and a thousand other distractions. There simply isn’t time to dive head-first into an 800-page novel as there were in days gone by.

Writer David Hayes knows this all too well, and provides a chilling solution in the form of ‘Mysteria: A book of spooky and fantastic tales’. Expect everything and suspect nothing, as this dip-in-and-out collection of short stories is unlike anything else on the market.

Synopsis:

So, what is this book all about? The book is a collection of short stories on the subject of mysterious happenings of a paranormal nature. I haven't confined myself just to the spirit world either. I have written stories about UFO's, secret government experiments, vampires, time-slips, in fact, anywhere my imagination happened to take me. This book is designed with the busy person in mind. It can be dipped into, and a couple of stories can be read in a tea break, or you can sit down at home and have a 'spookfest' and read several stories all at once. I always strive to make the ending of every one of my stories a complete surprise. They are long enough to describe all the events in gory detail, but short enough to keep you gripped until the very end. I have stripped away any of the padding you often get in other stories just to bulk out a book. The book is best read in a dark and lonely room by the light of a small reading lamp, whilst the rain patters against the window, and the wind howls its mournful tune – well, you get the idea. Read it wherever you feel most comfortable! Just for good measure, I have also included a handful of stories (and a poem) from other authors who are friends of mine. You will find these scattered throughout the book at random intervals. So if you see the story title, and then a name, this will be a story from one of my friends, so watch out for Bernie Morris, David Clarke, Ann Perry and Lesley Hanson.

“My goal from the outset was to give fans of paranormal fiction all of the facets they crave in stories, while doing it in a succinct format that can be consumed in as little as a ten-minute break from work,” explains the author. “No need to give up your entire Saturday – as a good spook can be had much quicker than you think!”

Adam West Day
in Walla Walla Washington

Adam west day

From my inbox…

HOLY CELEBRATION BATMAN! WALLA WALLA TO HONOR ACTOR AND FAVORITE SON ADAM WEST WITH DAY OF FESTIVITIES ON SEPT. 19
‘Adam West Day’ includes screening of West documentary,
Bat Signal lighting, Q&A panels, music, food, and more

(WALLA WALLA, Wash.) — Quick, to Walla Walla to honor legendary actor Adam West. Walla Walla is celebrating the life of its favorite son on Tuesday, Sept. 19 — known the world over as Batman and later the voice of Mayor Adam West on the show The Family Guy — in a way that only West’s hometown can.

Scared to Death
Opens at Museum of Pop Culture

Scared to death

Always something interesting in my inbox…

SEATTLE – The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) announced the opening of a new exhibition, Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film. Organized by MoPOP, this original exhibit takes an in-depth look at more than a century of horror cinema. From blood-thirsty vampires and unrelenting zombies to fiendish slashers, this immersive experience presents the broad range of iconic horror villains and the stories over the generations that have brought them to life.

Halloween Sighted: Michaels Stores 2017

You can always count on Michaels Stores to bring Halloween in early. Lots of decorations, Lemax Spooky Town, and fun wood and plaster craft items you can paint this year to showcase your Halloween mojo. Skeletons, skulls, and Day of the Dead are once again staple themes, and you can go with either a black and white motif or add splashes of color. Either way, I'm always thrilled to see their shelves filled with the creepy and the spooky. Here's a sampling of what's in store and waiting for you. The Lemax Spooky Town display wasn't up yet, but I'll be back to snag some photos for you.

Michaels Halloween 2017 02

Monster Mania No. 2, 1967
Tribute to Hammer Issue

Monster Mania was one of the more worthwhile reads in monsterkid horror magazines from the 1960s. Russ Jones, in his Editor's Desk entry for this issue, laments how tough it is to find fresh material and photos. "How many more times can the Frankenstein story be told? How many more times will the same stock shots of the immortal Bela Lugosi as Dracula be printed?" Indeed. And he didn't have the Internet to contend with, where pictures and the same material are shared (and ripped off) faster than a cold. I liked Monster Mania's simple but efficient layout and coverage, and this Tribute to Hammer issue is a keeper. Terrence Fisher talks horror, One Million Years B.C. gets reviewed, Chris Fellner explores The Intriguing World of Hammer Films, Christopher Lee is spotlighted, and Peter Cushing, too. And…the product ads are to die for. How many did you send away for? Take that, Amazon.

Comic reader version:  Download Monster Mania 2  (More magazines in the morgue over here.)

Monster Mania Issue 2_00(1)

The Woman in Green (1945)
Mexican Lobby Card

I'm a big Sherlock Holmes and Watson fan. The Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce series was a well-worked update to the characters. Here's the Mexican lobby card for The Woman in Green. Henry Daniell as Professor Moriarty was a perfect choice: he clearly showed, for me, that reptilian countenance Doyle wrote about. The ending is rather silly, though: Professor Moriarty is certainly more clever than that. 

Woman in green lobby card

Woman in green 2

Curse of the Faceless Man (1958)
Mexican Lobby Card

This is one of those horror movies that seems to impress more than its production should warrant. The music is pretty good for a budget horror, and the love storyline, of ancient man and reincarnated woman, brings a certain tragedy and out of time element to it all. But Richard Anderson was practically comatose throughout, and the voice-over wasn't needed. Still, once the music kicks in and Quintilus rises, albeit slowly, there's a definite eerie mood that begs you to yearn for more (an effect I also experienced with The She-Creature).

Curse of the faceless man lobby