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Review: 'Suicide Stitch' by Sarah L. Johnson

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 4, 2016ReviewsFeatured, Reviews, Sarah L. Johnson, Suicide StitchLeave a comment

Suicide Stitch by Sarah L. Johnson
EMP Publishing (March 2016)
188 pages; $12.00 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Josh Black

Suicide Stitch is the debut collection of Sarah L. Johnson, a writer whose work runs the gamut from horror to literary to science fiction to erotica. The stories here reflect that range of style and voice. They’re billed as “sexy, transgressive, and intelligent, comprised of eleven tales that explore the sinister side of love,” and that’s an apt description for the highlights of the bunch.Continue Reading

Review: 'Altar' by Philip Fracassi

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 2, 2016ReviewsAltar, Featured, Philip Fracassi, ReviewsLeave a comment

Altar by Philip Fracassi
Dunhams Manor Press (April 2016)
53 pages; $7.19 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Josh Black

Have you ever been swimming in a lake, far from shore, and found yourself wondering what might be lurking in the black depths below? There’s a primal fear being tapped, and with Altar, Philip Fracassi taps into it not through a lake, but a public swimming pool. Brightly lit, sections clearly delineated, lifeguards at the ready should anyone find themselves in need of assistance… A few rough patches notwithstanding, it says a lot about Fracassi’s skill as a storyteller that this novelette works as well as it does.Continue Reading

Stephen King: News from the Dead Zone #190

Bev VincentApril 29, 2016Stephen King News from the Dead ZoneCell, dark tower, Doctor Sleep, Gerald's Game, It, Pet Sematary, Revival, Stephen King, The Green Mile, The Mist2 Comments

End_of_Watch_cover Not long now until End of Watch comes out, the final installment in the Mr. Mercedes trilogy. King is doing a major tour for this book, with twelve stops between June 7 and June 18. The June 16 event in Albuquerque is of particular interest because George R.R. Martin will be interviewing King. Most of the events have already sold out (some in almost record time), but you can find the list of venues here.

After years of saying “no news yet” with reference to the Dark Tower movie, things are finally moving forward. The current release date is set at February 17, 2017, and the following people have been cast: Idris Elba (Roland), Matthew McConaughey (Man in Black), Jackie Earle Haley (Richard Sayre), Fran Kranz (Pimli Prentiss), Tom Taylor (Jake), Abby Lee (Tirana) and Katheryn Winnick (unknown). Some early photos from the set appeared a few days ago, and some of them disappeared soon after!Continue Reading

Review: 'The Damned' by Andrew Pyper

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 27, 2016ReviewsAndrew Pyper, Featured, Jonathan Reitan, Reviews, The DamnedLeave a comment

The Damned by Andrew Pyper
Simon & Schuster (February 2015)
304 pages; $21.24 hardcover; $13.82 paperback; $11.99 e-book
Reviewed by Jonathan Reitan

Canadian author Andrew Pyper began his career by writing “literary thrillers” but now he’s been focusing his time on some amazing works of “literary horror” such as his latest, The Damned.

Twins Danny and Ashleigh Orchard are polar opposites. While Danny is timid and kind, Ashleigh is overpowering and downright evil. Ash harbors early psychotic tendencies and terrorizes anyone near her. A house fire ultimately claims her life and almost takes Danny’s as well.Continue Reading

Review: 'I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After' by Skottie Young

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 25, 2016Reviews- Frank Michaels Errington, Featured, I Hate Fairyland, Image Comics, Madly Ever After, Reviews, Skottie YoungLeave a comment

I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After by Skottie Young
Image Comics (April 26 2016)
128 pages; $8.41 paperback
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Okay, I’m not the biggest fan of comic books, but when I Hate Fairyland came into Cemetery Dance for review, I took one look at the synopsis and knew I had to check this out.

What a trip. Artist and author Skottie Young has concocted a colorful, imaginative, raw blood fest that’s reminiscent of the old Fractured Fairy Tales…on acid. I love the artwork. It reminds me of the old Garbage Pail Kids cards I collected back in the day, only with more blood.Continue Reading

Review: 'Psycho: Sanitarium' by Chet Williamson

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 22, 2016ReviewsChet Williamson, Featured, Psycho, Psycho: Sanitarium, Reviews, Robert BlochLeave a comment

Psycho: Sanitarium by Chet Williamson
Thomas Dunne Books (April 2016)
288 pages; $19.73 hardcover; $11.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

Norman Bates has been institutionalized with the deaths of four people on his hands, four murders that we know about.

If you’ve never read Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel Psycho, not to worry, Chet Williamson provides an excellent synopsis to get the reader up to speed on the events which precede Psycho: Sanitarium. Personally, I went back and read the original work so it was fresh in my mind as I read this new volume. I’m glad I did as this gave me a feel for the writing in both books. If I didn’t know better, I could easily see how the two could have been written by the same author.Continue Reading

Review: 'The Sound of Time' by Jeremy Essex

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 20, 2016Reviews- Frank Michaels Errington, Featured, Jeremy Essex, Reviews, Samhain Publishing, The Sound of TimeLeave a comment

The Sound of Time by Jeremy Essex
Samhain Publishing (February 2016)
60 pages; $2.10 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

The Sound of Time is a quick and surreal novella. The story takes place during the late night move of a business from its old location to its new. As the old place is emptied out, it becomes rather creepy. A discussion of time, and the perception of it, sets the mood for some truly bizarre events.Continue Reading

Review: 'Underwater Fistfight' by Matt Betts

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 18, 2016ReviewsFeatured, Matt Betts, Raw Dog Screaming Press, Reviews, Underwater Fistfight1 Comment

Underwater Fistfight by Matt Betts
Raw Dog Screaming Press (April 2016)
98 pages; $12.95 paperback; $4.99 e-book
Reviewed by Anton Cancre

Matt Betts has been making a name for himself as a novelist lately, but that isn’t how I got to know him. I was first introduced to Matt as a poet, via his superb collection See No Evil, Say No Evil. A guy who wrote poems about cool stuff, like Godzilla and Monsters and Why You Should Totally Leave The Beach. A guy who reveled in the silly and absurd, but could find glimpses of the sublime and occasionally heartbreaking between the lines. Underwater Fistfight is a return to form that I have been waiting for, lo these many intervening years.Continue Reading

Indie Publishing is the New B-Movies and Here’s Why That’s A Good Thing

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 15, 2016Paper CutsAdam Cesare, Columns, Featured, Paper Cuts2 Comments

PaperCuts-web

Paper (n): material manufactured in thin sheets from the pulp of wood or other fibrous substances, used for writing, drawing, or printing on

Cut (v): make (a movie) into a coherent whole by removing parts or placing them in a different order.

Indie Publishing is the New B-Movies and Here’s Why That’s A Good Thing

sharknado-4-sequel-greenlit The age of the B-movie is dead.

Well, it’s died twice, actually, but still the term persists.

First of all, we should probably get on the same page and define what we mean by a B-movie, before I start telling you why I think it’s dead. And what I think has replaced it.

Review: 'A Mixed Bag of Blood' by David Bernstein

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 13, 2016Reviews- Frank Michaels Errington, A Mixed Bag of Blood, David Bernstein, Featured, Reviews, Sinister Grin PressLeave a comment

A Mixed Bag of Blood by David Bernstein
Sinister Grin Press (March 2016)
130 pages; $11.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington

I’ve read several works by David Bernstein in the last few years and I’ve mentioned once or twice that no one is safe in one of his stories. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in this observation. Author Kristopher Rufty echoes that sentiment in his introduction to A Mixed Bag of Blood, saying “Nothing, or no one, is safe in Dave’s worlds.”

There are some very good stories in this new collection of ten horror tales from a writer who knows how to push all of my buttons: scary, gory, gross and, at times, humorous.Continue Reading

Cemetery Dance #74/75: The Joe Hill Special Issue!

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 12, 2016July 12, 2016Breaking NewsLeave a comment

Cemetery Dance #74/75: The Joe Hill Special Issue!
200+ page Special Issue featuring a BRAND NEW 30,000 word novella by Joe Hill!
Plus “How We Got Out of the Furnace,” a modified excerpt from The Fireman, a new interview, and much much more!

Hi Folks!

We’re very excited to make what might be the biggest announcement in the history of Cemetery Dance magazine: Cemetery Dance #74/75: The Joe Hill Special Issue!

This 200+ page special issue not only features an original, never-before-published 30,000 word novella by Joe Hill, but the issue grew so large that we have to publish it as our FIRST-EVER oversized trade paperback version of the magazine and our first double issue since #17/18 way back in the day! This change is just for this issue, so we can fit all of the amazing content we received. We’ll be back to normal with the fall issue.

In addition to the BRAND NEW Joe Hill novella, there is also “How We Got Out of the Furnace” — a modified excerpt from The Fireman — a new interview with Joe, essays about his work from those who know him best, and much much more!

Plus, of course, a great mix of our usual suspects and other incredible horror fiction and non-fiction!

For the collectors out there, there is also an extremely affordable Limited Edition hardcover of the issue, which will feature a full-color reproduction of the magazine’s front cover right on the binding, beautiful special endpapers, and each copy will be signed by the editor on a unique Limitation Sheet featuring gorgeous COLOR artwork created just for this special edition!

Place your order today so you don’t miss out!

Or order your subscription today!

Review: 'Greener Pastures' by Michael Wehunt

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 11, 2016ReviewsFeatured, Greener Pastures, Josh Black, Michael Wehunt, Reviews, Shock Totem PublicationsLeave a comment

Greener Pastures by Michael Wehunt
Shock Totem Publications (April 2016)
238 pages; $12.59 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Josh Black

With stories in publications like The Dark, Nightscript, and Shock Totem, Michael Wehunt has been making a name for himself and his own brand of dark, weird fiction. I hadn’t read anything of his before this, but if Greener Pastures is any indication, readers have some fantastic stories to look forward to. It’s a highly impressive debut collection; chock-full of imaginative plots, flesh and blood characters, and universal themes, all delivered through prose so lyrical it practically sings.Continue Reading

Horror Drive-In: A Call to Preorder

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 8, 2016Horror Drive-InColumns, Featured, Horror Drive-In, Mark Sieber1 Comment

HorrorDrive-In-web

A Call to Preorder

I hear quite a bit of talk about supporting writers by penning reviews of their work at places like Amazon. I suppose it does help a little, even though neither I, nor anyone I know, puts any stock in that sort of thing. I know that there are legitimate reviews out there, but there are also kiss-ass pieces by friends of the subject, just as there are hatchet jobs by those who dislike the author. Sometimes an author will have the temerity to voice an unpopular political opinion, or perhaps write a bitchy Facebook post. I’ve seen jackals gather ’round to defecate upon books by these writers as a form of revenge. As insane as it sounds, it really happens.Continue Reading

Stephen King: News from the Dead Zone #189 – '11.22.63'

Bev VincentApril 5, 2016Stephen King News from the Dead Zone11.22.63, Bev Vincent, castle rock, Christine, dallas, derry, Dolores Claiborne, Dreamcatcher, Hulu, It, James Franco, lee harvey oswald, miniseries, News from the Dead Zone, Stephen King5 Comments

The Obdurate Past: 11.22.63

The day has come for those of you who have been holding back: All episodes of 11.22.63 are now available on Hulu and ready for you to binge. You can even see it all for free if you sign up for the month-long trial the service offers. There are two options: one with commercials and one without. The latter is more expensive on a monthly basis if you stay on after the trial ends, but it’s worth the few extra dollars in my opinion to eliminate the ad breaks.

I know I promised you a mid-series update, but I didn’t get around to that. Sorry!

My feelings about the series as a whole haven’t changed since I first wrote about it a couple of months ago. I think it is one of the best miniseries adaptations of Stephen King’s work. There have been a lot of complaints about the changes to the story, but on the whole I think they worked without doing the novel a disservice.Continue Reading

Review: 'Stuck on You and Other Prime Cuts' by Jasper Bark

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 4, 2016ReviewsBrian Moser, Crystal Lake Publishing, Featured, Jasper Bark, Reviews, Stuck On You And Other Prime CutsLeave a comment

Stuck on You and Other Prime Cuts by Jasper Bark
Crystal Lake Publishing (September 2014)
274 pages; $12.99 paperback; $3.99 e-book
Reviewed by Brian Moser

Stuck On You and Other Prime Cuts is a series of short stories which range from the gut-wrenchingly grotesque to the more unsettling horror that keeps the reader guessing the whole way through.Continue Reading

A Call to Preorder

The Obdurate Past: 11.22.63

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