Archive for June, 2012
Horror Hunk Hierarchy
Jun 29th
We’ve examined the Horror Heroine Hierarchy already, now it’s time to switch the mirror and shine it on the XY chromosomal pair. That’s right people of the Jackverse — menses help make horror just like the womenses do. But how does the XY differ from the XX? Is it a vast chasm of difference, or are the tits and abs that drive the horror genre to the box office so similar it’s getting hard to tell which one gets you goin’?
Let’s open up this can of ‘hey now’ and see what spills out.
Email PostHorror Heroine Hierarchy
Jun 27th
Ah the horror movie heroine. They are, in all honesty, that which drives the horror film forward. They offer the story tension, fear, strength, a good scream, and (in some cases) a layer of sexuality. Without the heroine, horror would have a much harder time competing with modern genre cinema. Of course, with everything, there is a hierarchy to the heroine. I thought I’d offer up my own personal pecking order of the horror movie heroines for your enjoyment.
Beware: Zombies Ahead
Jun 22nd
That’s right lovelies and gentlemints of the Jackverse — zombies have taken over Louisville, Kentucky. Or at least that’s what one construction sign would have us believe. Of course, we all know that I believe! And boy do I believe. The zombies will arrive…no, actually they already have arrived. Only at the moment, they have been spotted in nothing more than drips and drabs. Eventually, however, those undead moaners and screamers will be hitting the flood gates with a fist full of rot, waiting to get at your sweet meats.
Timeless music: A review of Rush’s Clockwork Angels
Jun 18th
As everyone in the Jackverse knows, I am a huge Rush fan and have been since I was in middle school. Recently they released their twentieth studio album (that’s right — 20). The power trio from Canada had released three of the songs from the recording as singles:
- Caravan
- BU2B
- Headlong Flight
Each single proved to be better than the first and the collection of the three seemed to promise one hell of an album. Little did I know, that album would wind up one of my favorite ever released from the group!
The Barnes & Noble Paradox
Jun 15th
When I first started publishing, I was thrilled at the opportunities. The ability to control so much of the production of a book and then get an actual fair cut of royalties was such a breath of fresh air the traditional publishers couldn’t breathe into my lungs. And having Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble inviting me, with open arms (cue Journey) to take advantage of their services was an incredible opportunity. And all went so well. Sales started soaring and people were really enjoying my work.
But then one of those publishers did something strange that caused the climb to some semblance of success to derail. That publisher? Barnes & Noble.
Prometheus: Scott shows Lucas how to do the prequel
Jun 13th
After doing a grueling twelve hour mountain bike race last Saturday, the next day was all about finally seeing the movie that has had more hype than any other sci-fi film since Lucas released the first of the Star Wars prequels. And instead of going home thinking “What was he thinking?”, all I could think was “Wow, I can’t wait to see where this goes!”
Let me give you my take on Ridley Scott’s Prometheus.
What makes good horror?
Jun 8th
As everyone in the Jackverse knows, I loves me some horror. I have since I was a child (thank you Sammy Terry). I should have known that passion for fright would lead me on a collision course with a career as a writer of horror. At the moment, I am knee-deep in the gore of working on a number of horrific projects, including:
- Lie Zombie Lie (the fourth entry in the I Zombie series)
- To Be Written (a horrific tale about an arrogant writer getting just what he deserves)
- Lamentations of Madness (a theatrical script for Screampark in Lexington, Kentucky)
So I am quite consumed by the gaping maw of the macabre. With that in mind, I thought I’d share with you my thoughts on exactly what makes for good horror. This could be applied to fiction, film, haunted houses, or some good ol’ ghost stories.
Six ways to ruin a good creepy ghost story
Jun 6th
The other night I took the time to finally watch The Woman In Black. This looked to be a nice, atmospheric ghost story that could be a real gem. I hadn’t read any of the reviews (intentionally) and grabbed some pop corn and soda, turned out the lights, and hit play. My expectations were well met. It was full of mood and atmosphere and did a good job of establishing the scare. That is…until the last five minutes. Then…it tanked. The entirety of the movie…ruined because of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad ending. After giving this plenty of thought, I wanted to put together a post on how easy it is to ruin a good ghost story.
Oh the humanity!
Jun 1st
First it was the “zombie man” amped up on “Bath Salts” attacking and eating the face of a homeless man. The second that hit the intertoilet, the tales of horror began piling up! All of this combines to reach around, grab us in the junk, and tell us that we are losing our humanity.
