Book & Movie Reviews
by Jeff Strand
This was the biggest bloodbath I’ve read since “The Groomer.” It was definitely not my favorite from Jeff Strand, but it’s not that it was terrible. It’s incredibly graphic, so if you’re into that sort of thing, it’ll likely work out for you really well. At the same time though, the plot did not work for me in the slightest. I genuinely felt as though I had almost no time to get to know Frank, and even though we started the story off strong, it just quickly dissolved into a giant bloodstain in an incredibly brief period of time.
The Fisherman
by John Langan
Full disclosure, I almost quit on this when I first started it. I found Abe really interesting, and the entire premise of a fishing horror story completely undone before, but it seemed the book was walking where I wanted to run. A friend recommended I keep with it, let it get where it needs to go, and I’d say I’m glad I did.
Wormwood
by Chad Lutzke & Tim Meyer
I’m a sucker for a good “there is something horribly wrong with this kid” story. Terrifying children; it’s a sub genre I know and I love. I highly appreciated that in this case, the antagonistic kid was a female. That was bold and brazen, and ultimately it worked wonders. Cass is a character you will love to hate. I’m going to be honest, even upon hearing her disturbing (albeit expected,) backstory, I still detested her. She seems to be the portrait of a truly murderous sociopath- know this going into the story.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
by Ray Bradbury
Beautiful and brilliant! So atmospheric and left me nostalgic for a time period I never quite got to know. The entire concept of the dark carnival is so well written. If you enjoy poetry, horror, and breathtaking coming-of-age stories, you will love this book.
The Patient
by Jasper DeWitt
BRILLIANT! When I first started reading it, I was thinking “how do we open with this much purple prose,” but the rest of the book is not like that at all. The vocabulary is extensive, and this is one of those stories in which it makes sense and it wasn’t entirely misplaced. The flowery writing was done correctly, because it did not take anything away from the overall story.
The Last House on Needles Street
by Catriona Ward
Confusion has never been so captivating. I had a blast with this book, and I felt the desperate need to delve more into the unorthodox lives of the characters the further I got into the story. But I didn’t love it. And I really wanted to. But I couldn’t.
Blanky
by Kealan Patrick Burke
As I write this, it is just after midnight. I chose a novella for today because my allergies were brutal on me and I wanted something somewhat quick. Naturally, I thought, “oh well I don’t scare easy so of course sleeping won’t be a problem….” WRONG. Kealan damn well terrified me with this one. I have a blanket over me as we speak and I am half convinced it is evil and full of malice reserved especially for me. YIKES.
The Return
by Rachel Harrison
I have so many thoughts on this book, and I’m going to attempt to lay them all out in a way that doesn’t make me sound like a rambling fool. To begin, normally, if I give a book three stars I probably liked it, but didn’t love it. This is a different case. I loved this book. It was engrossing to me and I finished it QUICKLY. In this situation we have found ourselves, I discovered an entertaining and interesting book- with a setting I loved, and dialogue I could hardly stand.
Pressure
by Jeff Strand
Tore through this in one day, which I’m sure is not exactly uncommon- considering it sucks you right in from the first page, at all. This is not an easy one to get through, folks, but it’s an extremely rewarding and worthwhile one to get through, without question.
A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS
by Paul Tremblay
I’ve heard numerous times, from multiple sources, that this is one of the scariest books you can possibly get your hands on. It had been on my radar for years, and finally, I decided it was time to dive in. I don’t know what I was expecting, but this was just underwhelming to me.
WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE
By Shirley Jackson
It’s certainly eerie, given the atmosphere and the “EVERYTHING WILL BE LOVELY AND FINE” attitude Constance and Merrycat present. Mary Katherine I’d rather forthcoming and nonchalant regarding her dark thoughts, of which there are an abundance.
The Shuddering
By Ania Ahlborn
….. That ending though. If there’s anything Ania Ahlborn knows how to do, it’s end things in such magnetic, interesting ways. Ways that stay with you long after you’ve closed the book. I have to say, the final portions of “The Shuddering” have an awful lot to offer.
The Haunted
By Chuck Palahniuk
I was genuinely shocked at how much I loved this book. There were plots within plots within plots, each chapter uncovering more and more about our bizarre cast of characters and the situation they’ve created for themselves.
The Groomer
By Jon Athan
I have a little sister. I also work with kids, so I have plenty of children in my life I care deeply about. There is nothing I hate more than a pedophile. Nothing I detest more than anybody who hurts children for any reason. This book features some sadistic monsters. Truly the worst of the worst of humanity. But I have to hand it to Jon Athan for writing it. He’s not one to turn a blind eye to how sick individuals can be.
The Saturday Night Ghost Club
by Craig Davidson
When I first started this novel, I found it grueling. Over-descriptive maybe. I was concerned that I would not be able to get into the story, or connect with it well. Man, was I pleasantly surprised.
The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It
The films made in the Conjuring franchise have a history of amping me up- for good reason. I have seldom been disappointed in one of them, save for maybe The Nun. As a huge fan of Ed and Lorraine Warren, watching these movies makes me feel quite elated. They are most often made beautifully, mixing shocking theatrical effects with nods to real paranormal events.
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
by Grady Hendrix
Wow. Just wow. Purchasing this book, I didn't expect to get scared- I expected some campy, silly 1980s fun. But it delivered on so much more than it even had initially promised- this book shook me up. Mind you, this book CAN be campy, and this book CAN at times be silly and fun... however, it also serves as an open invitation to allow your heart to be touched, and your mind to be pulled in so many different directions that at one point you won't even be sure what the hell is going on anymore.
Zombie
by Joyce Carol Oates
This was entertaining. It is brutal, as well as raw- an honest account into the mind of a budding serial killer. You will be at times confused and taken aback by what you are reading, but it doesn't take long to put the puzzle pieces together.The protagonist acts as though he is misunderstood and that his desires are simply human nature, although the reader is aware throughout this entire novel that this could not be farther from the truth.
Brother
by Ania Ahlborn
Michael Morrow is nineteen years old, yet he knows extraordinarily little of the world outside of his “home” and his “family.” This is because his uniquely cruel parents lock their children away in their farm house- set in hopeless and desolate West Virginia.