Who Framed Boris Karloff? By: Dwight Kemper
| POSTED BY: admin | POSTED ON: 01/23/08 12:49:59 | ||
 Who Framed Boris Karloff? By: Dwight Kemper Midnight Marquee Press www.midmar.com Reviewed by: Josh Haney Copyright 2008 For a lot of us, murder mysteries were how we got introduced to horror in the first place. Edgar Allen Poe was well known for his mystery writing long before becoming the father of horror. And some of Agatha Christie’s books were more intelligent precursors to the modern stalk and slash genre. Yes, my friends, horror and mystery are siblings in more ways than any of us know. And that is why it should come as no real surprise that someone has taken the two, meshed them together with just the right hint of reality, and much like the chocolate and peanut butter of a certain candy, the results are quite good. The story starts off on the set of Universals 1938 masterpiece Son Of Frankenstein. Boris Karloff is once again in the role as the monster, with every ones favorite Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone, playing Baron Von Frankenstein. And of course, to round out this all-star line up, Bela Lugosi is hired to play Ygor. But just as the filming gets underway, moody production manager Martin F. Murphy is murdered on the set. Like any good mystery the cast of characters all seem to have a tie to his murder. The director wanted to replace him, Lugosi wished him dead, and the studio executives wanted him to get is **** in gear and finish their film. But it’s Karloff whose found standing over the body, so of course they eye of suspicion is cast squarely on him. So, banding together like The Three Musketeers (and at times The Three Stooges), Karloff, Rathbone and Lugosi set out to track down the real killer. This leads them all over Hollywood; from seedy underbellies to studio back lots and everything in between. Unfortunately, to tell you any more of the story would be a disservice to the awesome tale that awaits you between these pages. Dwight Kemper, already a rather famous stage actor, illusionist, and all around monster nerd (like most of us), has created something very magical in this book, mostly a suspension of disbelief that is utterly enjoyable. The characters come to life under his control, and are pretty damn funny at times, painting a picture of a grand old Hollywood that many of us are far to young to ever contemplate remembering. And it’s not all fiction either! Kemper has gone out of his way to drop in tidbits of Tinseltown fact throughout. And, as with any great detective novel, of course you’ll keep guessing right up until the end. Even Sara Karloff, Boris’s daughter… for anyone that lives in a cave somewhere, says in her introduction that she followed the wrong path and picked the wrong person. Now if that isn’t praise, I don’t know what is. This mix of horror hoopla, Hollywood history and mystery mirth will totally suck you in from page one, as you share an adventure with masters of the monster age. Believe me when I say this is a must read for all monster kids. Visit Dwight online - Murder Mystery Theatre Get the book on Amazon.com - Click Here  "Who Framed Boris Karloff" has been nominated for a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award  |
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The Pumpkin King by Mark Dickinson
| POSTED BY: admin | POSTED ON: 11/22/07 06:17:12 | ||
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By: Mark Dickinson Illustrations by: Christopher Urban Mark Dickinson Publishing ISBN: 978-0-6151-6372-7 www.lulu.com/DarknessEmbraced Reviewed by: Josh Haney Copyright 2007 
First, let me take you back in time a little bit, to a time when you were younger and the entire year revolved around one day. Now, if you’re anything like me that day wasn’t Xmas, Easter, or some other hokey ****. It was Halloween! Ghosts, goblins, things that go bump…sure they made my skin break out in goose bumps, but they also sent the imagination soaring. That crisp autumn air would start to blow in, and you could taste the holiday approach, promises of mischief, madness, and untold mysteries lurking on the breeze. Now, back to reality…for just a moment or two. You, like me, are grown now, still a monster kid at heart (possibly churning out horror fiction or ghoul rock), but easily pushing thirty, or even worse, the dread 4-0! Maybe you’re just searching for a way to go back to that one time of the year when all was right with the world? Or maybe you have children, desperately in need of something to believe in… a hero full of morals that any Pagan would be proud of. Well, gather one and all, and hear the tale of The Pumpkin King! The end of summer has come, and the Pumpkin King rises from his patch to dole out what man deserves. But this isn’t an evil apparition bent on chaos; it’s a joyous spirit come to seek warmth by our fires. Treats in hand for the good, tricks for the bad…after all you get what you deserve! In his new book (based on an original poem) for the young and young at heart, writer/poet/horror rocker Mark Dickinson conjures up the ideal elements necessary to capture the season, and creates a great way to spend an October night with the ones you love. The prose, while easy to follow and understand, has a dreamy quality to it that lulls you into Halloweens of yore. Add to that the superb illustrations by Christopher Urban, created especially for this tome, and you have the makings of a true holiday classic. Believe me when I say that reading this aloud while gathered around a roaring fire will quickly become an annual tradition in your household. So, rush out and pick up your copy of this fantastic tale of magic and wonder. Because sometimes, when the veil is down, dreams really do come true. ________________________________________________________________________________ The Pumpkin King by Mark Dickinson Illustrations by: Christopher Urban http://www.lulu.com/DarknessEmbraced Mark Dickinson Publishing ISBN: 978-0-6151-6372-7 Review by Troy Usher copyright 2007 Set against the back drop of fruitful lands and children’s laughter comes an epic tale of paying it forward and how all good deeds do not go unnoticed. This is the moral woven throughout a brilliant new literary masterpiece from the mind of Mark Dickinson and the artistic genius of Chris Urban. Based on Mark’s poem “The Pumpkin King” you will be transcended into a time when the world was so much simpler. Where friendship and a child’s imagination were the keys to a bountiful future. “What you give is what you get” and I can say you will be getting nothing but smiles and a renewed feeling of the human spirit after reveling in the pages of this amazing story. |
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Zombie Terror by Catrina Lawrence
| POSTED BY: admin | POSTED ON: 11/21/07 15:29:05 | ||
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By: Catrina Lawrence www.freewebs.com/catrinalawrence www.lulu.com/catrinalawrence Reviewed by: Josh Haney Copyright 2007 
I’m a total sucker when it comes to zombie stories. I love the survivalist mentality, the panic of never knowing who’s infected, every aspect of it really gets to me and has me longing for an outbreak in real life. Here in the U.S., dealing with an onslaught of the undead would be a fairly easy thing. Break out the guns and ammunition, and have ourselves a hunt. But the U.K., that’s a whole other kettle of fish. Guns aren’t plentiful, or for that matter readily available, to the citizenry. So, what would happen if the pastoral landscapes of suburban England became overrun with white-eyed fiends longing for the taste flesh? Well, Catrina Lawrence takes us on a guided tour of one mans Zombie Terror. In her short little bio from the book it states that she’s worked as a cook and manager for restaurants. What is it with those of us who have braved the culinary profession? I know quite a few horror writers, myself included, who started out there, only to abandon it in favor of writing grotesqueries. Weird! Someone should really do a study about this. The story starts out simply enough, with Paul saying goodbye to his wife Cath and heading out for a day of fishing. He nods off sometime during the day and awakes to dark clouds and a feeling of dread. Upon returning home, everything seems normal, until his life is literally turned upside down by a blonde man who attacks Cath while the two of them are out on a walk. From here on out the story is exactly what the title implies, Zombie Terror. The tale certainly doesn’t skimp on the gruesomeness, as Paul attempts to survive in a world he was never prepared to enter. This is why I like zombie fiction so much, there are a million different ways you can take the story. You can create heroes, villains, or poor old bastards who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lawrence utilizes her skills as a poet to describe some very unsettling events, and her everyman writing style makes this a very enjoyable read, one that would be perfect as a short film. Board up your windows, load the rifle, and curl up with Zombie Terror, the perfect way to await the zombie apocalypse. |
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Blood Stained Pages by Troy Usher
| POSTED BY: admin | POSTED ON: 11/21/07 15:25:21 | ||
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By: Troy Usher www.lulu.com/indexofthedreggs Reviewed by: Josh Haney Copyright 2007 
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect of this. My good friend Mark had talked this book up to me, and I was certain that there was no way that it could be as good as he said it was. I like poetry as much as the next writer; I’ve even dabbled in it myself a few times, but an entire novel length book of poetry? I figured there was no possible way that it would keep my attention (as anyone who knows me can attest to). But I’m here to tell you that I was not only rapt with attention but also enthralled by the lyrical prose of Troy Usher’s Blood Stained Pages. The book is subtitle The Scars Of Humanity, and further broken down into two chapters, Scribed In Sickness and Bled Til’ The End, and each of those contains roughly fifty plus poems! Just let that sink in for a moment. And these aren’t your average rhymes and couplets; these are brutal and sometimes poignant verses dealing with the darkest sides of society and human nature. With titles like From A Frayed Thread To A Fitted Noose, Buried At Birth (How Was I To Know) and My Needle, My Friend to give you an idea, this is hardcore writing straight from a child of the atomic age. Sure, you could attempt to compare Usher to other poet’s, maybe a member of the Beat generation, but his stuff transcends that. If there was anyone at all who even came remotely close to Usher’s realization of the state of the human condition it’s poet/serial killer G.J. Schaefer, whose poetry was really thinly veiled confessions of his crimes. I honestly don’t even know how to describe what I’ve read; they could be lyrics for the most intelligent of rock bands, a suicide note, musings on the decline of western civilization, or a ghastly combo platter of all three, sickly sweetened with the acrid almond taste of cyanide. There are many striking stanzas hidden away within the depths of this work, and any attempt to paraphrase them would do a serious disservice to both their author and the works themselves. I will, however, tell you the three that have wormed their way into my brain and refused to leave…The Exploding Man (Because The World Needs A Hero), Call This A Mercy Killing, and last but by no means least Evil Finds A Way (Follow Me). For whatever reason, these stood out like the veins on a junkie’s arm, but feel free to judge for yourselves. Poetry is a very subjective thing, and great poetry is even more so. Put away the mindless drivel for a few moments and read something that bites, something that grabs you by the balls, something that makes you think. It may not be long before doing so will be considered a crime. |
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Succumb To The Darkness by Paul Snider
| POSTED BY: admin | POSTED ON: 11/21/07 15:21:39 | ||
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By: Paul Snider www.lulu.com/TheMorgue Reviewed by: Josh Haney Copyright 2007 
Paul Snider, or Pauly Psychotic to his close fiends, has been a member of my immediate horror family for more than a few years now. Back when his first book, This Lonely Tomb, was released I was asked by Pauly himself to write an introduction, which I did with a smile on my face and a beer in my hand. Now, here we are a few years later, and what should appear in my mail but his newest book Succumb To The Darkness. So it’s now my honor once again to write about him, this time as a reviewer. For those unfamiliar with Paul’s works, he is the consummate fanboy, much like a lot of us horrornerds out there. He lives and breathes the fetid smell of horror culture, and creates some truly inspired stories in the process. This platter of pestilence contains a mix of thirteen stories and poems, two of which were previously released in the World Horror Network book Tales Of Madness And The Macabre. Dealing with all the staples of horror (zombies, werewolves, vampires), not to mention some rather unconventional elements (superheroes and cartoons) that mix nicely with his writing, and really showoff the enthusiasm of this young man. The poems in this collection, It Grows Within The Swamp and The Mad Scientist, are quite fun, but it’s that stories that really capture the minds eye. Paul should really be writing for a comic book company, coming up with story arcs for collections of short tales. His stuff is perfect for translation into a visual medium like that. I don’t want to give away details about any of the stories, since they are short fiction pieces, but suffice it to say my favorite story in this collection is probably Little Janie’s Nightmare with The Fortune Teller coming in a close second. This is definitely a read a story before bedtime kind of book, as a lot of the tales have a very dreamlike quality to them. It won’t be long before Paul Snider will be the name everyone is talking about. Trust me! |
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