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Horror Fuel

Cynema: Fright Night or…Why Remake When You Can Retitle?

A Valentine To Old School Horror Remaking a film falls under the old adage: “Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.” Netflix reviews or more accurately, article comments are dotted with such phrases like: “the film is old” or “it’s dated.” Better yet, “it’s foreign.” All three signify a concern in American pop culture: a fixation on the superficial and a refusal to give anything deemed “old” a chance, largely by a generation that prides itself on ignorance and is unappreciative for the previous work done by others that affords it the indifference it treats anything deemed unworthy of its attention. Horror is a breeding ground for remakes, but the focus of this article will be the 1985 horror hit “Fright Night.” The recent 3D remake of yet another 80’s horror film underscores not just the needless exercise in remaking films, but shows that audiences have become truly cynical in the product they pay for. There is

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 19, 2015
Horror Fuel

Midnight Snack by Terry M. West

Midnight Snack by Terry M. West is book five in West’s collection, the “Single Shot Short Story series”. I’m a big fan of short stories, generally speaking, and I was curious about the “late night exit” which would lead to a “hellish back road”. That could mean anything! I was especially curious about the odd diner on the cover of the ebook, so I picked it up with no small amount of eagerness. Book Description: In this highly-acclaimed horror novelette by Terry M. West, Calvin Winslow is an unhappily married man who takes a late night exit and finds a hellish back road. This story is just one of the dark tales featured in West’s critically-acclaimed collection, WHAT PRICE GORY. Midnight Snack is part of the Single Shot Short Story series which adds exclusive story notes and bonus content that you can only find in the Single Shot Story Series. This book was a fun, quick read. I’d recommend it

Continue reading →
Fox Emm
Aug 19, 2015
Horror Fuel

Halloween III: A Second Look

Gather Round Your TV Sets, Kids “You don’t really know much about Halloween.” – Conal Cochran Oh, You Mean THAT Halloween Movie… It’s the one without Michael Myers. It has nothing to do with the other movies. This one sucks. Right? Well you’re right on two counts. Halloween III: Season of the Witch does not have Michael Myers. It is not connected in any way to the Jamie Lee Curtis storyline started with the 1978 John Carpenter classic and most importantly, it was never meant to. Halloween III is as misunderstood as it is reviled with most of the hostility for the film attributed to the concept of Cynema. “When the [ Halloween II ] script came in I thought it was…the anti-Halloween. All the things that Halloween did so well…had been tossed out the window…I understood that in the intervening time between the first movie and what was going to be the second movie that times had changed, audiences

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 18, 2015
Horror Fuel

The Top Ten Horror Comics You Should Be Reading

Hey Horror fans! It’s me, Shane AKA Deadman, your comic reading and reviewing fiend here at ZADF.ORG . Here is my list of the Top Ten Horror Comics that I think you should be reading right now: 1. Harrow County “Harrow County” is written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Tyler Crook. In “Harrow County”, Emmy has to come face to face with the “haints” that live in the woods and her own past. Dark Horse Comics. 2. Outcast “Outcast” was created by writer Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta. In “Outcast”, Kyle Barnes, a man that has been plagued by demonic possessions since his childhood, searches for answers. Image Comics. 3.Wytches ” Wytches” is written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Jock. In “Wytches”, The Rook family, and their daughter Sailor, deal with superstitious locals who pledge people to a mysterious force in the woods. Image Comics. 4. Negative Space “Negative Space” is written by Ryan K. Lindsay and illustrated

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 18, 2015
Horror Fuel

Jaws the Worst

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Reviews The picture above is a series of stills from the ending of “Jaws The Revenge.” People rip on Ed Wood’s hubcaps and pie tin flying saucer’s in his “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” However, Wood had about 200 bucks for his effects budget. “Jaws The Revenge” had about six million and you get what’s in that picture? Cynema: The cynical contempt for an audience in the making of product that is devoid of creativity, passion, production value or respect while having the financial and creative means to do better. This Time It’s Ridiculous…Imagine you are sitting in an office at Universal Studios. You approve film projects pitched to you. Here’s the challenge. Without any knowledge of the previous Jaws films, someone pitches you the plot for a fourth installment to the famous shark series. Would you or wouldn’t you give 20 million dollars to make this movie? Here’s the pitch: “We get Lorraine

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 15, 2015
Horror Fuel

The Numinous by Tristan Michie

The Numinous by Tristan Michie could most easily be classified as a science fiction-thriller, but it definitely has some horror and suspense elements thrown in. Although I made contact with Michie in a writing group, I was interested in reading The Numinous based on the premise, alone. One of my favorite films is Event Horizon and I couldn’t help but see the resemblance in the book’s concept. Book Description: Light years away from home drifts a cold, bleak ship; seemingly void of all life……. Markus Clyde woke from his Stasis in a lonely, dark room, dimly lit by the emergency power. With not another soul in sight. In his confused and disorientated state, he desperately tries to figure out what has happened, why was he here? Where are the rest of the crew? With power rapidly failing and disturbing events occurring throughout the ship, he finds himself in a race against time. To get the ship home……. Or die trying.

Continue reading →
Fox Emm
Aug 15, 2015
Horror Fuel

Cynema: Ed Wood–Hollywood’s Whipping Boy

No Respect Apparently Michael Medved, the respected film critic gets the credit with dubbing Edward Wood, Jr. the “worst director of all time” by referring to Wood’s crowning film achievement, Plan Nine From Outer Space as perhaps the worst motion picture ever made. This is not only to come to the late Mr. Wood’s defense, but to also show how off the mark Mr. Medved was in his 1980 book The Golden Turkey Awards. Wood is the antithesis of Cynema–his passion and love for film makes him one of Hollywood’s greatest directors. Say what you want about Plan Nine, Bride of the Monster or Glen or Glenda…bad films, yes. Bad directing, absolutely. However Ed Wood was not a cynic. This column will show why films like Jaws The Revenge, Godzilla 1998 and other big budget films are far worse than anything Ed Wood ever put out, including Plan 9. By many accounts, including his own, Plan 9 From Outer Space

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 14, 2015
Horror Fuel

Interview: Chris Welsh Of “Wart-The Comic”

A bit about the book from it’s creator: Wart is an original horror comic series starring Wart Bellamy, an unfortunate young fellow ripped from his reality and tossed into a mysterious, other-worldly ‘Asylum for the Belligerently Insane’. It’s written by Chris Welsh (from the UK) and drawn by Ammar Al-Chalabi (from The Netherlands). There are monsters, cults, ghosts, rats, and a shady doctor in charge of the whole thing. Wart’s story takes him through multiple dimensions that threaten both his physical health and his crumbling sanity. Along the way he makes friends, enemies and gets incrementally closer to finding out just what the hell is going on. The series is independently published, Lovecraft-influenced cosmic horror that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Our first two books have been incredibly well received, and we’ve just launched the Kickstarter to fund Book Three. I was fortunate enough to be able to ask the writer of Wart, Chris Welsh, a few questions for this

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 13, 2015
Horror Fuel

Comic Review: “Blood & Gourd” Issue #1

A bit about this book from it’s creators: It’s Devil’s Night in Olympia, WA – and out at Henderson Farms, the festivities are reaching a crescendo. Young and old have gathered to pick their own pumpkin, drink hot apple cider, and partake in the usual pumpkin farm fare. However, something has awakened from deep within the fertile soil. After years of abuse and humiliation, the pumpkins…are ready to pick us. You can Beg! You can plead! You can scream! But these hell’s lanterns are lit only with the burning desire to watch. You. Die! Through crowd-funding and sheer determination, the Dead Peasant team has successfully conjured up one of the most bizarre, offbeat, and exciting comic books in years. With its roots in the classics and its vines in the new, Blood & Gourd is like EC Comics meets ’70s/’80s cult horror in 2015. Murderous pumpkins and assorted Halloween horrors bring to the fore an all new set of myths

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 12, 2015
Horror Fuel

New Comic Book Day Horror Comics 8/12/15

Hey Horror fans! It’s me, Shane AKA Deadman, your comic reading and reviewing fiend here at ZADF.ORG. Every Wednesday is New Comic Book Day, that glorious day when all the new comics come out each week. This week 8/12/15 there are a ton of Horror Comics coming out to suit your need to read. Here is my list of what I think you should pick up or add to your pull lists: Image Comics – The Walking Dead #145 IDW Comics – X-Files Season 11 #1 DC Comics – Constantine: The Hellblazer #3 BOOM! Studios – Sleepy Hollow Providence #1 Dark Horse Comics – Harrow County #4, Abe Sapien #25, & Negative Space #2 Dynamite Comics – Vampirella/Army of Darkness #2, & Masks 2 #5 Avatar Press – Providence #3 Zenescope– Grimm Fairy Tales #113 So head down to your local comic shop or supplier and tell them that ZADF.ORG sent you!

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 11, 2015

More from Books

Horror Fuel

Cynema: Fright Night or…Why Remake When You Can Retitle?

A Valentine To Old School Horror Remaking a film falls under the old adage: “Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.” Netflix reviews or more accurately, article comments are dotted with such phrases like: “the film is old” or “it’s dated.” Better yet, “it’s foreign.” All three signify a concern in American pop culture: a fixation on the superficial and a refusal to give anything deemed “old” a chance, largely by a generation that prides itself on ignorance and is unappreciative for the previous work done by others that affords it the indifference it treats anything deemed unworthy of its attention. Horror is a breeding ground for remakes, but the focus of this article will be the 1985 horror hit “Fright Night.” The recent 3D remake of yet another 80’s horror film underscores not just the needless exercise in remaking films, but shows that audiences have become truly cynical in the product they pay for. There is

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 19, 2015
Horror Fuel

Midnight Snack by Terry M. West

Midnight Snack by Terry M. West is book five in West’s collection, the “Single Shot Short Story series”. I’m a big fan of short stories, generally speaking, and I was curious about the “late night exit” which would lead to a “hellish back road”. That could mean anything! I was especially curious about the odd diner on the cover of the ebook, so I picked it up with no small amount of eagerness. Book Description: In this highly-acclaimed horror novelette by Terry M. West, Calvin Winslow is an unhappily married man who takes a late night exit and finds a hellish back road. This story is just one of the dark tales featured in West’s critically-acclaimed collection, WHAT PRICE GORY. Midnight Snack is part of the Single Shot Short Story series which adds exclusive story notes and bonus content that you can only find in the Single Shot Story Series. This book was a fun, quick read. I’d recommend it

Continue reading →
Fox Emm
Aug 19, 2015
Horror Fuel

Halloween III: A Second Look

Gather Round Your TV Sets, Kids “You don’t really know much about Halloween.” – Conal Cochran Oh, You Mean THAT Halloween Movie… It’s the one without Michael Myers. It has nothing to do with the other movies. This one sucks. Right? Well you’re right on two counts. Halloween III: Season of the Witch does not have Michael Myers. It is not connected in any way to the Jamie Lee Curtis storyline started with the 1978 John Carpenter classic and most importantly, it was never meant to. Halloween III is as misunderstood as it is reviled with most of the hostility for the film attributed to the concept of Cynema. “When the [ Halloween II ] script came in I thought it was…the anti-Halloween. All the things that Halloween did so well…had been tossed out the window…I understood that in the intervening time between the first movie and what was going to be the second movie that times had changed, audiences

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 18, 2015
Horror Fuel

The Top Ten Horror Comics You Should Be Reading

Hey Horror fans! It’s me, Shane AKA Deadman, your comic reading and reviewing fiend here at ZADF.ORG . Here is my list of the Top Ten Horror Comics that I think you should be reading right now: 1. Harrow County “Harrow County” is written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Tyler Crook. In “Harrow County”, Emmy has to come face to face with the “haints” that live in the woods and her own past. Dark Horse Comics. 2. Outcast “Outcast” was created by writer Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta. In “Outcast”, Kyle Barnes, a man that has been plagued by demonic possessions since his childhood, searches for answers. Image Comics. 3.Wytches ” Wytches” is written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Jock. In “Wytches”, The Rook family, and their daughter Sailor, deal with superstitious locals who pledge people to a mysterious force in the woods. Image Comics. 4. Negative Space “Negative Space” is written by Ryan K. Lindsay and illustrated

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 18, 2015
Horror Fuel

Jaws the Worst

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Reviews The picture above is a series of stills from the ending of “Jaws The Revenge.” People rip on Ed Wood’s hubcaps and pie tin flying saucer’s in his “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” However, Wood had about 200 bucks for his effects budget. “Jaws The Revenge” had about six million and you get what’s in that picture? Cynema: The cynical contempt for an audience in the making of product that is devoid of creativity, passion, production value or respect while having the financial and creative means to do better. This Time It’s Ridiculous…Imagine you are sitting in an office at Universal Studios. You approve film projects pitched to you. Here’s the challenge. Without any knowledge of the previous Jaws films, someone pitches you the plot for a fourth installment to the famous shark series. Would you or wouldn’t you give 20 million dollars to make this movie? Here’s the pitch: “We get Lorraine

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 15, 2015
Horror Fuel

The Numinous by Tristan Michie

The Numinous by Tristan Michie could most easily be classified as a science fiction-thriller, but it definitely has some horror and suspense elements thrown in. Although I made contact with Michie in a writing group, I was interested in reading The Numinous based on the premise, alone. One of my favorite films is Event Horizon and I couldn’t help but see the resemblance in the book’s concept. Book Description: Light years away from home drifts a cold, bleak ship; seemingly void of all life……. Markus Clyde woke from his Stasis in a lonely, dark room, dimly lit by the emergency power. With not another soul in sight. In his confused and disorientated state, he desperately tries to figure out what has happened, why was he here? Where are the rest of the crew? With power rapidly failing and disturbing events occurring throughout the ship, he finds himself in a race against time. To get the ship home……. Or die trying.

Continue reading →
Fox Emm
Aug 15, 2015
Horror Fuel

Cynema: Ed Wood–Hollywood’s Whipping Boy

No Respect Apparently Michael Medved, the respected film critic gets the credit with dubbing Edward Wood, Jr. the “worst director of all time” by referring to Wood’s crowning film achievement, Plan Nine From Outer Space as perhaps the worst motion picture ever made. This is not only to come to the late Mr. Wood’s defense, but to also show how off the mark Mr. Medved was in his 1980 book The Golden Turkey Awards. Wood is the antithesis of Cynema–his passion and love for film makes him one of Hollywood’s greatest directors. Say what you want about Plan Nine, Bride of the Monster or Glen or Glenda…bad films, yes. Bad directing, absolutely. However Ed Wood was not a cynic. This column will show why films like Jaws The Revenge, Godzilla 1998 and other big budget films are far worse than anything Ed Wood ever put out, including Plan 9. By many accounts, including his own, Plan 9 From Outer Space

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 14, 2015
Horror Fuel

Interview: Chris Welsh Of “Wart-The Comic”

A bit about the book from it’s creator: Wart is an original horror comic series starring Wart Bellamy, an unfortunate young fellow ripped from his reality and tossed into a mysterious, other-worldly ‘Asylum for the Belligerently Insane’. It’s written by Chris Welsh (from the UK) and drawn by Ammar Al-Chalabi (from The Netherlands). There are monsters, cults, ghosts, rats, and a shady doctor in charge of the whole thing. Wart’s story takes him through multiple dimensions that threaten both his physical health and his crumbling sanity. Along the way he makes friends, enemies and gets incrementally closer to finding out just what the hell is going on. The series is independently published, Lovecraft-influenced cosmic horror that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Our first two books have been incredibly well received, and we’ve just launched the Kickstarter to fund Book Three. I was fortunate enough to be able to ask the writer of Wart, Chris Welsh, a few questions for this

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 13, 2015
Horror Fuel

Comic Review: “Blood & Gourd” Issue #1

A bit about this book from it’s creators: It’s Devil’s Night in Olympia, WA – and out at Henderson Farms, the festivities are reaching a crescendo. Young and old have gathered to pick their own pumpkin, drink hot apple cider, and partake in the usual pumpkin farm fare. However, something has awakened from deep within the fertile soil. After years of abuse and humiliation, the pumpkins…are ready to pick us. You can Beg! You can plead! You can scream! But these hell’s lanterns are lit only with the burning desire to watch. You. Die! Through crowd-funding and sheer determination, the Dead Peasant team has successfully conjured up one of the most bizarre, offbeat, and exciting comic books in years. With its roots in the classics and its vines in the new, Blood & Gourd is like EC Comics meets ’70s/’80s cult horror in 2015. Murderous pumpkins and assorted Halloween horrors bring to the fore an all new set of myths

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 12, 2015
Horror Fuel

New Comic Book Day Horror Comics 8/12/15

Hey Horror fans! It’s me, Shane AKA Deadman, your comic reading and reviewing fiend here at ZADF.ORG. Every Wednesday is New Comic Book Day, that glorious day when all the new comics come out each week. This week 8/12/15 there are a ton of Horror Comics coming out to suit your need to read. Here is my list of what I think you should pick up or add to your pull lists: Image Comics – The Walking Dead #145 IDW Comics – X-Files Season 11 #1 DC Comics – Constantine: The Hellblazer #3 BOOM! Studios – Sleepy Hollow Providence #1 Dark Horse Comics – Harrow County #4, Abe Sapien #25, & Negative Space #2 Dynamite Comics – Vampirella/Army of Darkness #2, & Masks 2 #5 Avatar Press – Providence #3 Zenescope– Grimm Fairy Tales #113 So head down to your local comic shop or supplier and tell them that ZADF.ORG sent you!

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Aug 11, 2015
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