The Very Best of Monster Men – Countdown to Episode 100!
With episode #100 right around the corner (and weeks later, I think I’m still recovering from the celebration), I thought it would be great to share the top viewed episodes with you, as a way to look back at our golden oldies.
First up is our field trip to the haunted Union Cemetery, home of the fabled ghost of the white lady. We caught something chilling on EVP that day. Filmed in 2013, it has over 7,00 views and counting. Which means we really need to get out more and show you some of the stranger places in the NY tri-state area!
Next up is an episode that took us completely by surprise. Remember the show Ghost Mine on Syfy? Well, our episode on that show has not only garnered over 5,000 views, but also put us in touch with several members of the cast. That first season was one of my favorite ghost shows of all time.
This next episode was a bit of a coup for us. We interviewed Lyle Blackburn, TV personality and author who specializes in cryptids, specifically the beast of Boggy Creak and the Lizard Man. He’s a man after my own heart, having the biggest collection of Creature of the Black Lagoon memorabilia I’ve ever seen!
Jack and I talking about the good old days of discovering new horror movie gems at the video store is probably our favorite of all time, and tons of viewers agree. Take a walk down memory lane, and wish like we do that Netflix and On Demand never came along.
And last but not least, perhaps our funniest episode is the great monster wine taste test! This is the reason why I drink beer. I hope you’ve enjoyed these past 5 years as much as we have. There’s a hell of a lot more to come!
New Bigfoot Movie – Stomping Ground
You all know how much I like to get my squatch on. I’m always on the lookout for new flicks about Bigfoot…and aliens. Well, here’s one that hits DVD and VOD on March 8th. It’s called STOMPING GROUND and it looks like a hell of a ride. Hellions, start your squatches!
First, the elevator pitch – “A young couple on a weekend trip in the American south embark on an impromptu “Bigfoot hunt” that threatens both their relationship & their lives.”
Ben & Annie are a young couple living in Chicago, on a weekend trip to Annie’s small North Carolina hometown. At the local bar they run into Paul, a charming old friend of Annie’s, and Ben learns something he never knew about his girlfriend: She believes in Bigfoot. In fact, she and her friends used to “hunt” for the creature when they were kids. Before Ben knows it, he’s off on an impromptu Squatchin’ trip deep in the Carolina backwoods. Amidst the Squatch calls, campfire stories and beers, Ben quickly realizes that Paul may have an ulterior motive in bringing Annie to the woods. And something else out here seems to be after her as well. Everyone but Ben thinks its Bigfoot. But it can’t be, can it? After all, Bigfoot isn’t real…
And as an added bonus, the film features a cameo performance from Theresa Tilly, best known as one of the original “Ladies of the Evil Dead” from Sam Raimi’s horror classic, The Evil Dead.
Check out some of the early reviews –
“Successful in warming the hearts and chilling the bones, Stomping Ground is a whole lot of fun to watch.” – Ain’t It Cool News
“A cast that delivers… Terrific use of the natural settings… A step above most Bigfoot films…” – All Things Horror
“It’s not easy to find a creature feature where the characters are as relatable and believable as they are in Stomping Ground.” – Film Bizarro
Get your best tree knocking bat and deer pheromones and join me in the forest, won’t ya?
For all the latest Squatch news, sign up for my free Dark Hunter Newsletter today.
Saying Goodbye to Samhain
Yesterday, the authors received word from Samhain Publishing’s President, Christina Brashear, that their doors were closing.
“It’s with the heaviest of hearts and a great sadness I bring you the news of Samhain beginning the process of winding down due to our market share’s continuing decline.”
The signs had been there over the past few months that this day was coming, but it didn’t make it any easier to hear the news. Samhain will gradually wind down this year. They’re not closing up shop right away. Books that are in their queue for publication, like my upcoming I Kill In Peace, will still be released. I just can’t tell you how long it will be available. I’m hoping for the remainder of 2016.
It’s truly sad to see Samhain go. They, and editor Don D’Auria, were the first ones to give me a chance. They nurtured my growth as a writer, giving me free reign to be as creative and twisted as I wanted, providing the means for my stories to be told and, hopefully, enjoyed by thousands of readers. I remember when I got my acceptance letter for my first novel, Forest of Shadows, way back in early 2011. I was over the moon. To be asked to be part of the premier of a horror line was just astounding to me. I mean, I was a total nobody, and they wanted to print my book next to Ramsey Campbell. What the fuck were they thinking? I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around it. But I’m damn glad they did it.
Over the next 4+ years, I made it a point to write 2 books for Don and Samhain. I wanted Samhain’s horror line to succeed and grow. And grow it did. In the end, I’ve published 10 books with them. And I wasn’t even the most prolific! Samhain gave voice to some of the best new talent in the business – writers like Jonathan Janz, Kristopher Rufty, Brian Moreland, Russell James, David Bernstein, Frazer Lee, Catherine Cavendish, Aaron Dries, Adam Cesare. The list goes on and on. This gang is no longer the future of horror. They are the present.
Samhain gave you that.
It was an honor and a pleasure meeting my fellow writers at conventions like Horrorhound, Scares That Care and Horrorfind. We’ve formed bonds that I know will last well beyond the Samhain era. And the people who work at Samhain were top-notch. You couldn’t find a more likable bunch. There was Jacob and his kilt, Amanda, Kaitlyn, Tera, Tanya. All good people with enough enthusiasm to power a V2 rocket.
Unfortunately, the sales never matched expectations. I see it when I go to horror cons. Horror fans are devout and loyal as hell. They are the best people I know. But I also know that most would rather spend $40 on a terribly produced movie or signed headshot of the woman who guest starred in Maniac Cop 2 than buy a book or two.
I’m not complaining. I can’t complain. So many of you have bought my books, I’ve been astounded. Though I can’t count the number of times people have told me, “I don’t read horror” or “If they make that book a movie, I’ll watch it”. Really, it’s not just the horror genre. We’re not a nation of big time readers, especially in a world with limitless distractions. We never have been. Don’t believe me. Next time you go to the beach, count how many people lay on their towel reading a book. You’ll get an accurate percentage from just one visit. Last time I was at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, a one mile stretch of white sand with thousands of sun worshippers, I counted only 2 other people in my immediate area, which encompassed about 200 or more people. I made book lover #3.
Could Samhain have tried better? Sure. Maybe lowering the cost of books and working at better distribution would have helped. But then again, Dorchester/Leisure books were everywhere, and even they collapsed.
If you love horror, I encourage you to read more in the genre. Don’t just wait for the next insipid tits-n-zits slasher flick to pop on-demand. I guarantee you, any book you read from a Samhain author will be better than that $5 movie.
And now is the time to pick up print copies of the Samhain books you either love and have in ebook or have on your wish list. There’s no telling when they will be no more and maybe someday become collector’s editions.
Thank you, Samhain, for the opportunities you’ve given me, and the career you helped me build. I can’t repay you enough for that (though my Samhain logo tattoo should come close). And for introducing me to a posse of wonderful writers and your amazing staff. It’s been a wonderful 5 years. I just wish it could have been many, many more.
The Truth Behind THEY RISE -A Ghost Shark Killer Thriller & Giveaway
First, thank you to everyone who has picked up a copy of my deep sea thriller, THEY RISE. Sales and reviews have been fantastic. You all make my monster heart grow 3 sizes.
Jack and I finally got an episode together to talk about THEY RISE and reveal what is real and what isn’t. You also get a little inside poop on how deeply personal the first chapter was for me. Plus, we give some shout outs to a few of our uber Monster Men fans!
But wait, there’s more! If you comment on the video, you’re eligible to win a free copy of They Rise. Winner will be announced on March 17th.
If our little gab fest has you in the mood for an entree of chimaera fish with a side of seaweed, hop on over to Amazon and snag a copy on your fishing line.
Let’s Help Create The Feminomicon
For those of you who don’t know, February is Women in Horror Month. I really wish we didn’t need a month to dedicate to the incredible women who bring the horror to us day in and day out. With so many talented writers, artists, directors and more, every day should be about women – and men – in horror. That being said, it is true that the genre does need more female voices to be heard and seen.
In light of that, I bring to you a wicked cool Kickstarter campaign by artist Christopher Stoll. He’s creating a book called THE FEMINOMICON, an incredible collection of artwork on mythological women from all around the world.
Here’s a little on THE FEMINOMICON in Christopher’s words –
Eco Horror – Mother Nature Strikes Back
Growing up in the 70s, I was exposed to dozens of horror films from the 50s and 60s that centered around man’s environment getting revenge on the beasts who dared tamper with or destroy the world around them. Those movies, along with Universal’s monster movies, were my ‘starter-horror’. They’re what made me what I am today. Not sure if I should thank them or sue anyone left alive who made them.
Guest blogger Spencer Mitchell loves the Eco-Horror sub genre as much as I do. So this week, I’m jumping in the back seat and letting Spencer take the wheel. Take it away, #1 Hellion!
Many popular films and novels feature conflicts involving man vs. man or man vs. beast. But what happens when humans face conflict with the world around them? The world is indifferent to the suffering of humans, but that doesn’t mean the fates of the two are not intertwined. So here are five of the scariest movies that show what happens when we don’t respect the power of planet Earth and the end of the world comes for us.
The idea of nature rebelling against humankind is not a new one. In 1954, just as the world was in full terror due to the Cold War and the rise of nuclear technology, the horror movie Them! provided quite the scare. This movie was one of many “big bug” films that focused on nuclear testing gone awry to create humongous, radioactive creatures. Though it is remembered as little more than a classic black-and-white B-movie today, Them! certainly shocked audiences with its frank portrayal of what could happen to the natural world in the event of an atomic incident. (Hunter’s note, Them! is one of my all time favorite movies.)
In 1976, tiny creatures went rogue once more in the sci-fi thriller The Food of the Gods, loosely based on an H.G. Wells novel. This time, the abnormal growth in animals is due to a miraculous “food” that bubbles up from the earth to provide sustenance for rats, wasps, and worms. This substance (a result of man-made waste) ends up making the animals grow larger than humans, disturbing the gentle balance between man and nature. Though the film was financially successful, it is widely forgotten today – which is actually rather unfortunate since the theme of ecology striking back against industry remains prevalent in our modern world.
In the 2004 action movie The Day After Tomorrow, Manhattan is thrust into a climate-change-induced Ice Age, leaving millions stranded in a polar prison. Though the film dramatizes the effects of global warming, it definitely serves as a potent worst-case scenario. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), drastic climate change is in our imminent future whether we like it or not, forecasting “a temperature rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century.” This will eventually cause changes in precipitation patterns, droughts, the melting of ice caps, and even stronger hurricanes.
When a horror master decides to take on the subject of man versus nature, you know the result will be a chilling portrayal of what can happen when the world fights back. M. Night Shyamalan’s 2008 film The Happening involves a mysterious plant-based neurotoxin that drives those exposed to it to commit suicide. This film may include more fantasy elements than others, but the message is clear – when science messes with the natural world, the natural world has ways of defending itself and seeking retaliation.
Found-footage horror films have always served to bring the viewer in closer to the subject and make it feel more realistic. This is even more chilling when the subject is a deadly waterborne epidemic that hits a small Massachusetts town during a local festival. In 2012’s The Bay, hundreds of townspeople succumb to a flesh-eating, stomach-turning illness caused by unsafe waste disposal that was covered up by the local government. The entire event is captured on film by a young reporter and presented as a mockumentary. It’s a chilling horror film, but it also shows how far some people are willing to go to deny the effect humans have had on nature.
Though many of these films were made to entertain and frighten viewers, they are not created in vain. They show what could happen to our world if we keep disturbing nature’s delicate balance…and what will happen if we don’t make the changes soon.
Get THEY RISE for your Kindle for only 99 cents!
For the next couple of days, you can hook a copy of my sea monster madness, THEY RISE, for only 99 cents. That’s one penny less than a McDouble on the McDonald’s dollar menu. And I promise They Rise will be far more fulfilling. It won’t even give you heartburn. But it may cause you to reconsider your summer vacation plans. That ocean cruise may not seem so appealing.
Click here to get the deal of the year!
The Chimaera Fish are coming to get you Barbara!
Hollow Earth – Hollow Theory?
Today is the first in a series of mythological/paranormal stories that I want to present each month. They’ll be accessible under the new Myths & Legends tab on the site
The world is a wonderfully strange place. When people ask what inspires me when it comes to my writing, it’s stories like the Hollow Earth that have fueled my imagination since I was a wee lad. I loved the movie Journey to the Center of the Earth, never missing that one chance I had each year to watch it (this is in the days before VCRs).
As I got older, I discovered through rare books and magazines that such a fantastical tale was based on stories of a completely different Earth, hundreds if not thousands of feet below us. They call it THE HOLLOW EARTH.
Now, there are many theories out there, but the gist of all of them is that not only is our planet hollow, with access points to enter from one pole, travel through the center of the Earth and exit out the other pole, but it is inhabited by beings both strange and mundane.
Tunnels leading to this amazing world are natural and man-made. As you can see from the map, there are many other entry points all around the globe. The legends are not at all new. You can find ancient civilizations with subterranean myths all the way from Greece to the Native Americans. Many Christians have even believed that the physical hell resides there, way too close to claim our mortal souls for my taste.
The singular supposed factual account that grabbed me by the cerebellum was that of Admiral Byrd, the legendary naval explorer. The man was a hero, as far from a crackpot as you could get. According to diary entries made public after his death, he was given access to this strange world while on an Arctic expedition. His plane was met by flying machines that guided him to an underground world that had its own sun! Once there, he was greeted by ‘elevated’ beings who treated him and his team quite cordially. They were given warnings to bring back to the people above ground to change their ways, lest there be global calamity. Supposedly, some of the clothes worn by these beings bore swastikas! When you hear about Nazis surviving underground, this is the origin of the wild myth. Iron Sky 2 is an over-the-top interpretation of this myth, with Nazis that have relocated from the moon to an underground world the likes of which we’ve never seen.
When I was young, reading Byrd’s own recollection about this incredible experience literally gave me heart palpitations. I mean, if it was true, why weren’t we doing everything we could to go back there??? More on that to come.
So, who is living under our feet, aside from the Boys from Brazil, South? Multitudes, from the lost tribe of Israel to alien races who have parked their craft right under our noses, er, feet, to my favorite, a race of beings called the Dero. The Dero are the product of writer Richard Sharpe Shaver who, in tales published in Amazing Stories, spoke about a prehistoric race of highly developed people who used ancient technology to bedevil us land dwellers. Sounds nutty? Just think, it’s no crazier than the stories spun by his fellow writer at the time, L. Ron Hubbard, he of Scientology infamy. One birthed a fringe myth, the other a fringe religion. Words do have power.
There have been plenty of documentaries on the Hollow Earth, along with parallels between it and the modern UFO/alien invasion. Are they truly from beyond the stars, or the center of our planet? The actions and motivations and cautions are eerily similar.
Check out this video that will link you to plenty more!
Now, I love the idea of people and dinosaurs and aliens living in a series of connected subterranean worlds, with their own sun, oceans and ancient knowledge. Do I think any of it is true? Emmmmm, no. Take in case the Admiral Byrd sighting. I have a gut feeling that if he truly had such an encounter, he would have spent the rest of his life exploring it, no matter what threat may have been given. After all, he did have the power of the Navy at his disposal! Plus, no one can prove the authenticity of the diary. It’s a copy of a copy of a copy, yadda yadda yadda.
But logic doesn’t necessarily have a place when it comes to steadfast belief. And you know what, if you believe in the Hollow Earth, more power to you! I hope you’re right. It would make the world a much more interesting place. I’m sure we’d reduce it to a reality show at one point.
If you’ve never heard of the Hollow Earth before, I hope this is a good springboard for your discovery. Click on the links and lose yourself in one of the most complex and intriguing legends you’ll ever come across. Warning, there will be missing time if you dive too deep. I assure you, it won’t mean you’ve been abducted by aliens.
Cover Reveal – I KILL IN PEACE
Yes, I have another cover reveal for you, and it’s only early February! All play and no work…
My latest novella with Samhain, I KILL IN PEACE, will be a brand new experience for you, my demented readers. And demented is a good thing.
First, the cover. Nice and clean and hinting at just enough nastiness inside.
Second, here’s the super official blurb…
Killing gets easier…with practice.
Peter Blades is, in every sense of the word, an ordinary man. Hard worker, father, husband, a man content with small-town life. Except for one small fact—he’s slowly being turned into a ruthless killer.
Compelled by mysterious texts to murder, he’s provided a fiery red Mustang and an ancient sword to carry out an ever-growing hit list. His jerkoff boss is victim number one. You always remember your first.
By the time his sword sings through the air to dispatch a would-be school shooter, taking lives is as easy as breathing. And if the world is going to hell around him, all the better. No one wants to burn alone.
I told you it would be different. Word to the wise – do not fuck with Peter Blades. I’ll be honest, I took no prisoners with this one. I was worried that my editor would force me to chop out certain parts. I feared my wife would never look at me the same after she read it. Both concerns were unwarranted, which tells me my editor and wife are sick puppies.
I Kill in Peace comes out in April as an ebook only. You can pre-order a copy starting March 13th.
The X Files Is Back – I Do Believe!
I have to admit, I was an X Files fan for life right from episode one. The show carried me through the 90s and was a constant source of inspiration when I was starting my writing career. Christ Carter was a guy just like me, a man deeply influenced by Kolchak and The Twilight Zone. I wanted to believe I could be Christ Carter one day!
The TV series lasted 9 years, ushering in the wave of paranormal shows that continue to this day. It spawned two movies, video games, comic books, novels and a lasting legacy with legions of fans who have always wanted more.
Well, sometimes, you get what you ask for.
The X Files returned to our lives for a 6 episode run on Sunday night. As soon as I heard the opening theme song, I was taken back to settling in on Friday nights (before it moved to Sunday) with a scotch and a cigar, phones off the hook so I could savor every episode. I don’t smoke cigars anymore and scotch gives me acid reflux, so this time I had to settle for a water some Skinny Pop popcorn. I made it manlier by getting the pepper popcorn. So there.
The first and last episodes will feature the continuing alien conspiracy, with the four in between being the monster of the week.
Although the first episode wasn’t exactly a barn burner, I was amazed over how easily David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson slipped into their roles as Mulder and Scully. Sure, they’re older, a little wiser, a little jaded, slightly broken. But they’d have to be after everything they’ve been through. Their chemistry is still there, and the look and feel of the show was spot on. All of the alien stuff was confusing, but it always was! It even ended with the Cancer Man (I’m not calling him the Smoking Man). From the sneak peek, it looks like all of the gang is back, and I couldn’t be happier.
Will this lead to another 6 episodes? A movie? A full season? I hear Carter is already prepping more episodes. It’s all going to come down to ratings and the willingness of the stars to commit. So you better get everyone you know to watch!
If I was a betting man, I’d plunk down some dough on more X Files to come. Let’s hope I’m better at seeing the lay of the land than Fox Mulder.
