THIRTEEN TALES OF HALLOWEEN available now!

"The world's oldest celebration comes to life in The End of Summer: Thirteen Tales of Halloween, an anthology that honors the darkest and strangest night of the year. Each story is designed to be intrinsically intimately about Halloween- it's traditions, its myths, and its effects- and they run the gamut from horrifying to heartbreaking. Halloween night is the tapestry through which a haunted house, a monstrous child, a late-night drive to a mysterious destination, and other tales are weaved. Demons are faced, death is defied, and love is tested. And not everyone makes it out alive."

A fellow horror blogger, The End of Summer has just released a new book on October first. The book is comprised of 13 short stories that explore, examine, and celebrate the origins of Halloween. I haven't had the pleasure to read it yet, but I plan on it. This sounds right up my alley. I don't usually post about books, but I figured this one is suitable for the month, and is relevant right now.

Owner of AuthorMike Dark Ink., Michael Aloisi has said, "We are thrilled to release such a great collection of short stories. It's a great addition to our list of horror titles."

So, if you're looking for a good book to read around this time of year that's fitting with the upcoming holiday, swing over and get yourself a copy. And support a fellow blogger in his writing career!

The book is available in both paperback and Ebook editions. It's in limited book stores, but available on all retailers online. To purchase it, visit Amazon or, the publisher's website AutherMikeInk.com

When I read this, I'll be posting a review. But, don't wait for my review, get yours now!

4 DEAD GIRLS: THE SOUL TAKER (2012)

a.k.a. "The Rental"

RATED- UNRATED
RUN TIME- 95 MINS
WRITER(S)- MIKE CAMPBELL AND TODD JOHNSON
STARRING- KATHERINE BROWNING, MIKE CAMPBELL, AND LEAH VERRILL
DIRECTOR- MIKE CAMPBELL AND TODD JOHNSON



Synopsis taken from IMDb
The Rental is a horror feature film about 4 girls who move into their first off-campus house only to find that the owner is a soul-eater.

"4 Dead Girls" is the latest screener I've viewed. Off the bat, you can instantly see the quality of the film isn't very good. The lighting is off, and makes the whole film have the feel that it was shot with a handheld camera, which it might have been. 

The acting isn't of the highest quality, either. But, one actress, Katherine Browning, stood out and was the most convincing performer of the cast. I understand that the actors are amateurs, and I'm not going to rip this film apart for that, but I have to be honest, and acting can make or break a movie.

I think the soul eater route is a good choice, you don't see too many of them around. I find the story to be too simple and easy. I don't think writing this script or coming up with ideas for it was a very difficult task. It maintains being original but, loses any effect due to lack of complexity. It's too effortless. Part of me isn't sure if budgets are what got the better of this movie, or plain laziness.

I've never heard of a soul eater only grubbing on evil women's souls, so that's new to me. I know that some say soul eaters would eat the souls of men who were cursed by witches but, I never heard of them only feasting on women. I like how this film tries to take the folklore and change it, but it doesn't have the right means to effectively use it.

When the soul eater reveals that he wants the girls to kill each other so he can eat their souls, it becomes a fight to the death amongst four females who were all good friends just a few minutes before. These girls turn on each other fast! No one wants to die, and everyone wants to be the last woman standing. 

The girls all have somewhat conflicting personalities. Two of them are homosexual, one is very loose with men, and the other is a good girl who has morals. Some of the interactions are pretty interesting, and I feel that they touch up on real topics, and confront the harsh truth of reality. I like how you see the argument from all sides.

I try not to bash or harshly criticize motion pictures made on tiny budgets, because I understand resources are slim. But, when you're making a movie that you want taken seriously, you have to deliver and make an impact. Such is not the case with this flick.

FRIGHT NIGHT 2: NEW BLOOD Is Not a Bite You Want

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 100 MINS
WRITER(S)- MATT VENNE
STARRING- WILL PAYNE, JAIME MURRAY, AND SEAN POWER
DIRECTOR- EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ 



Synopsis taken from IMDb
By day Gerri Dandridge is a sexy professor, but by night, she transforms into a real-life vampire with an unquenchable thirst for human blood. So when a group of high school students travel abroad to study in Romania, they find themselves ensnared in Gerri's chilling web of lust and terror. Charley and "Evil" Ed must stop Gerri from drinking and bathing in the blood of a "new moon virgin," which just so happens to be Charley's ex-girlfriend, Amy. They enlist help from Peter Vincent, the vampire hunting host of a reality show called "Fright Night," to drive a stake through Gerri's plan and save Amy from a fate far worse than death. 

The original "Fright Night" (1985) is my second favorite vampire film ever, has been since I can remember, right behind "The Lost Boys" (1987). I didn't mind the "Fright Night" remake back in 2011, either.Granted, it wasn't the original in any comparison, but they did a good job with keeping you entertained. It was a fun movie.

Much to my surprise, the new film, is more of a remake than a sequel. I did not know this, nor expect it. I saw the redband trailer a few months back, and that's all I knew going into it. And honestly, I was expecting good things, after being pleased with the remake. I knew by the trailer that this new movie was going to have some nods to the original, such as the vampire moving next door, and the lead  vampire's name being Gerri. I never thought this was going to be another retelling, and not a follow-up to the 2011 flick.

Truth be told, I knew I was in trouble within the first 10 minutes. There's a good jump before the opening credits, but after that, you can instantly see the change in quality it takes. When we get character time with Charley (Will Payne) and "Evil" Ed (Chris Waller), it's very clear the acting is poor, and not believable. The dialogue was almost as lacking as the performances. Right here, as I aforementioned, I knew I was in trouble.

Reason being; you can't set up a good story that's heavily character induced, when the actors and actresses can't pull the roles off. If they're laughable, and or unbelievable, than the whole feel of the film is shot to hell. Such is the case with this, unfortunately. I was even disappointed in Jaime Murray's acting as the lead vamp, Gerri Dandridge. 

I've somewhat followed her career after seeing her on season 2 of Showtime's "Dexter", which is my all-time favorite show. But, this movie isn't her best body of work...

With basically the whole premise of the original movie, from back in 1985, "Fright Night 2: New Blood" hardly offers up anything extra worth watching for. You know, I really hated Christopher Mintz-Plasse's "Evil" Ed, and compared to Chris Waller's version in the new movie, I'd kiss Mint-Plasse's feet. Not to mention the travesty that's become of a once iconic character, Peter Vincent...

The story, and character development are rushed. Now, couple that with the laughable, and or forgettable acting, and you see what a mess this film is. They tried to  go to new territories with making Gerri really be  Elizabeth Bathory, but it doesn't stick. It's not the right story, and it's not pulled off right. I think we're all overdue for a good horror film about Elisabeth Bathory. The 2006 flick, "Stay Alive" tried to make it happen, but much like this picture, didn't know how to properly execute a decent plot.

I'm overall very let down by this sequel/remake. There's nothing memorable about it, and quite frankly, I was happy when it ended. Other than some decent gore, there's nothing impressive offered. And the gore doesn't really mean anything with lazy makeup applications. I don't understand the point, purpose, or need for this film's existence. But, then again, it's not my place to say what films should and shouldn't get made. 

I can't say that if there's another installment in the "Fright Night" series that I'll be anxious to see it. Unless by some great power someone steps up to get the series back on track for a 3rd film, which I'm not holding my breath for. I actually would prefer the original "Fright Night: Part II" (1988), and I didn't even really like that one either!. "Fright Night 2: New Blood" is honestly just as bad as the "30 Days of Night" sequel. 

In the end, this motion picture goes into the bin of films this year that I'll never watch again. That about sums it up.

Find Your Way With "The Horror Map"

http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/ is one of the largest horror news and resource websites on the internet. And how do they improve their already great site? Well, they added "The Horror Map".

"The Horror Map" uses Google Map technology to provide users with easy access to the location of more than 500 movies from the Horror News Network database. Each location provides an overview of the movie, including the release date and brief synopsis. Registered users, fans and filmmakers are able to contribute to the resource by pinning the location of any movie that is in the Horror News Network database. For movies not already in their database, the registered user can easily add the movie before pinning it to the map.

Bringing horror movie fans directly to the scene, this is the latest feature on the Horror News Network's site. And it's a groundbreaking idea. Things like this are what makes some sites soar above others. Very inventive, and quite awesome, if I say so myself. Rob Caprilozzi, owner of the Horror News Network said, "The Horror Map is a fantastic source for fans of the horror genre," and he wasn't lying. Films such as "Scream", "Nightbreed", "Rosemary's Baby", "Friday the 13th", "Halloween" and others are already pinned to the map!

I checked the map out myself, and it's such a cool tool to access! If you haven't done so already, go check it out, and stop missing out! All this really does is give us all yet another reason to frequent the website.

http://horrornewsnetwork.net/horror-map