This is Horror, Issue 16 is a sampling of Horror News, including book and movie releases, and more. A little bit of everything to make the horror hound in you feel all fuzzy and warm. Or tingle with anticipation. Whatever works for you.
This is Horror’s Weekly Quote:
“Newsflash, ladies: We can’t read your thoughts. And frankly, I’m not entirely sure I’d want to. The female mind is a scary place to be.”
― Emma Chase, Tangled
Horror Movies
Opening This Week (August 11th):
Annabelle: Creation Synopsis: Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.
Starring: Stephanie Sigman, Miranda Otto, Lulu Wilson
Watch the Annabelle: Creation trailer on Youtube.
Coming Soon
Polaroid
High school loner Bird Fitcher has no idea what dark secrets are tied to the mysterious Polaroid vintage camera she stumbles upon, but it doesn’t take long to discover that those who have their picture taken meet a tragic end.
Starring: Madelaine Petsch, Kathryn Prescott, Javier Botet
Horrorific Trivia
Wanna See My Shorts?
Sometimes you’re really not in the mood to watch a full-length movie. Sometimes you don’t even want to watch something the length of a television show. Shorts fill that role quite nicely. While these aren’t my shorts (I’m not that talented) I invite you to check out some of my favorite shorts on YouTube. There are some truly creepy and…creative shorts on there for the viewing. The title is linked to IMDB for more information on directors, writers and actors.
1. Givertaker: An ambitious teen conducts an ancient ritual to enact petty revenge on those who she believes have wronged her.
Set up to look like a nineties teen book (I was very disappointed to find out it wasn’t) it also has the feel of one, but with much better writing, acting and production value than a Goosebumps episode. It had great atmosphere and the effects were top-notch. The ‘Givertaker’ monster is pretty awesome and puts me in mind of Silent Hill. According to the director they plan a series and I hope they do. It will be interesting to see what they come up with next.
Watch it here
2. Killer Kart: The shopping cart. Four wheels, one basket, and tonight, for the closing crew of a small-town grocery store, a blood-splattered aluminum nightmare.
This short was so much fun. The titular Killer Karts are done pretty well and actually look a bit frightening. At the very least, being eaten by one looks very painful.
Watch it here
3. Teddy Bears are for Lovers: Unfortunately there is no IMDB information for this. The synopsis: A short horror comedy following a 20-something Casanova who becomes haunted by the teddy bears he gave to his ex-girlfriends.
This short was hilarious. Unfortunately in a break-up the poor stuffed animals often bear the brunt of the wrath of the broken up with. It’s time they had their revenge. Please give this one a look, I promise you won’t regret it.
Watch it here
4. Don’t Move: Set on one fateful night, six friends gather for their monthly ‘games night’… and accidentally unleash a demonic force that might tear them – and their friendships – to pieces.
This short had just enough story to be interesting, engaging and tense. I don’t think the tension could be sustained for a full-length movie but it would be great as a little longer segment of an anthology movie. I would definitely watch it if it were. The acting is great and the effects are very well done. The atmosphere is first rate.
Watch it here
5. Breathe: A young man falls in love with a ghost, who you can only see when you don’t breathe.
A bit darker than the others but with a strangely beautiful story. Again, this would make an excellent segment on an anthology movie. It would be served well by being just a shade longer to provide a more suspenseful atmosphere. Everything moves a bit too quickly so a longer piece would really give it room to make you more engaged in it.
Watch it here
Disclaimer: We are not associated nor have any interest in the channels or creators listed here.
Horror Books
Featured New Horror Release
The Grip of It – Jac Jemc – August 1st, 2017
A chilling literary horror novel about a young couple who purchase and live in a haunted house. Jac Jemc’s The Grip of Ittells the eerie story of a young couple haunted by their new home.
Julie and James settle into a house in a small town outside the city where they met. The move—prompted by James’s penchant for gambling, his inability to keep his impulses in check—is quick and seamless; both Julie and James are happy to leave behind their usual haunts and start afresh. But this house, which sits between ocean and forest, has plans for the unsuspecting couple. As Julie and James try to settle into their home and their relationship, the house and its surrounding terrain become the locus of increasingly strange happenings. The architecture—claustrophobic, riddled with hidden rooms within rooms—becomes unrecognizable, decaying before their eyes. Stains are animated on the wall—contracting, expanding—and map themselves onto Julie’s body in the form of bruises; mold spores taint the water that James pours from the sink. Together the couple embark on a panicked search for the source of their mutual torment, a journey that mires them in the history of their peculiar neighbors and the mysterious residents who lived in the house before Julia and James.
Written in creepy, potent prose, The Grip of It is an enthralling, psychologically intense novel that deals in questions of home: how we make it and how it in turn makes us, mapping itself onto bodies and the relationships we cherish.
Goodreads Horror Giveaways – Covers link to Goodreads.
Horror Poll
Loading ...Results of “How do you like your horror?”
67% of you said “I like all types.”
33% of you said “Psychological or Paranormal Horror.”
0% of you said “Gorehound”. — I found that shocking!
Horror on the Web
- Here’s a decent review of Annabelle: Creation from CNet.
- The guitarist from Metallica apparently has a thing for old-school classic horror posters and they’re worth looking The Daily Beast for.
- Everyone loves gifs, right? Check out these stupid funny animated horror gifs from Dread Central.
- Horror VHS…lamps? Well, it’s certainly worth a peek at AltPress for. I think. Maybe?
- I’m not sure I agree with all of them, but Hiddenremote says these are the 5 Most Underrated Horror Movies of 2016.
Did you miss our last This is Horror? Check it out here.
Hammett is also an avid collection of horror movie memorabilia and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA has an exhibition of some of his collection on display starting Sunday. I cannot wait to see this!!
More info here: https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/its-alive-classic-horror-and-sci-fi-art-from-the-kirk-hammett-collection
That’s really interesting! I wish I had the money to have a cool collection, lol!
The trailer for Annabelle The Creation looks better than the original Annabelle movie did. I wasn’t too impressed with it overall. Seems there haven’t been a lot of horror available to stream lately (at least newer ones). I’m going to be forced to watch the new King Arthur movie tomorrow night. (I guess that’s not all that bad). I received a copy of The Grip of It in my Nocturnal Reader’s Box earlier this week. Sounds good.
Yeah, the trailer definitely looks better. Not that it would take much. That first one was a pure lame moneygrab with little thought involved.
Let me know what you thought of the King Arthur movie!