Cemetery Dance Online

Review: The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 11, 2020September 6, 2020ReviewsJeremy Robert Johnson, Mother Horror, Reviews, Sadie Hartmann, The LoopLeave a comment

The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson
Saga Press (September 29, 2020)
320 pages; $26.99 paperback; $9.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie Hartmann

You know, if I didn’t have to sleep, eat, or tend to the family during this stay-at-home order, I would have sat and read this one straight through. This book is everything.

Cue some strange intro music like the eerie riffs from X-Files or the digital notes of that synthesized melody from Stranger Things and settle into this binge-worthy genre mashup. Best known for his bizarro-horror style and flavor, Jeremy Robert Johnson is an unexpected hero for the coming-of-age conspiracy thriller genre.Continue Reading

New Signed Limited Edition Hardcover by Brian Keene and Bev Vincent!

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 10, 2020January 21, 2021Breaking NewsLeave a comment

We’re very pleased to announce the 11th annual Cemetery Dance Collectors Club, and we have some BIG things planned for the next year!

One of our most popular Collectors Club Bonus Items of all-time is our “Not For Sale” signed Limited Edition hardcovers, which are printed only for members of the CDCC and not sold to retailers or the general public, and this year we have something special we think our collectors will really love… a brand new book by Brian Keene and Bev Vincent!

This special edition contains TWO full-length novellas (The Motel at the End of the World by Brian Keene and The Dead of Winter by Bev Vincent), and the book is already designed and reader for the printer! The authors have set aside time to sign the signature sheets as soon as we know the print run, which is determined by the number of members in the club.

REMINDER: Your membership and your exclusive discounts technically begin on October 1st, but as has become our tradition, we’ll include you on the current CDCC emails IMMEDIATELY, so your savings will actually begin with the very next special offer mailing! Do not wait to sign up!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Is Anyone Returning to Horror High?

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 10, 2020September 10, 2020Video VisionsColumns, Hunter Shea, school, Video VisionsLeave a comment

Black background with spooky lettering that says Hunter Shea Video Visions and the Cemetery Dance logo

Somewhere, a school bell is ringing. The doors are open, the classrooms ready, but the halls are empty.

Funny how it takes a pandemic and a general feeling that Armageddon has its hand in our pockets to make us wax poetic about going back to school. I was a good student, but I hated school the way Leah Remini despises Scientology. Mornings, I wished for some disease that would keep me home (and got that wish in senior year when I came down with mono that had me bedridden for months). In class, I prayed the fire alarm would go off and this time it wouldn’t be a false alarm. Having to stop playing Wiffle ball or street football after school so I could get my homework done was like asking me to hack my legs off with a rusty, blunt shovel. Continue Reading

Review: Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 8, 2020September 6, 2020ReviewsDave Simms, Reviews, Tim Waggoner, Writing in the DarkLeave a comment

cover of Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner
Raw Dog Screaming Press (September 16, 2020)
236 pages; $34.95 hardcover; $19.95 paperback
Reviewed by Dave Simms

This review is a bit different. I’m approaching it as an author instead of a reader. I was in the midst of editing one novel and completing another—both were forever altered by this book. I’m also hitting it from the viewpoint of a creative writing teacher. Both color my opinion of this writing book by the prolific Tim Waggoner. For those unfamiliar with the author who seems to churn out a new novel every few months, either in his own worlds or dipping his toes in that of Supernatural, Alien, or Grimm, he’s also well known as a professor.

Review: The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 4, 2020August 23, 2020ReviewsChristina Henry, Mother Horror, Reviews, Sadie Hartmann, The Ghost TreeLeave a comment

The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry
Berkley (September 8, 2020)
432 pages; $13.99 paperback; $11.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie Hartmann

Christina Henry entices readers to travel back in time to a small town called Smith’s Hollow. It’s the 1980s. We follow best friends Lauren and Miranda, their longtime friendship seemingly in transition. Miranda is looking to make friends with older boys who drive while Lauren resents being dragged along as a third wheel.

Wrapped in this compelling coming-of-age story is something more insidious than teenage boys. Two girls Lauren’s age are found murdered, their bodies mutilated, in the backyard of one of her neighbors. Continue Reading

The Cemetery Dance Collectors Club Is Back For Another Year!

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 3, 2020September 9, 2021Breaking NewsLeave a comment

SOLD OUT!

The Girl Who Builds Monsters Brian James Freeman and Vincent Chong: Beautiful Trade Hardcover Shipping Now!

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 2, 2020January 21, 2021Breaking NewsLeave a comment

The Girl Who Builds Monsters
Brian James Freeman and Vincent Chong
Beautiful Trade Hardcover Shipping Now!

Hi Folks!

Brian James Freeman and Vincent Chong have teamed up to tell the story of Emma, a young girl who lives with her kindly grandfather, the owner of a factory where he creates the most beautiful dolls in the world.

One day while exploring the factory, Emma discovers a forgotten workbench and some wooden crates. Inside the crates are broken pieces of machinery and rejected doll parts, which Emma begins to assemble into dolls of her own design. These dolls are very different from the dolls her grandfather makes, but Emma says this is what makes them special.

Emma loves her dolls, but she has no idea how much they love her back until the night two burglars sneak into her grandfather’s home — and her new “monster dolls” prove exactly how special they really are…

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm!

Review: In the Shadows of Men by Robert Jackson Bennett

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 2, 2020August 29, 2020ReviewsBlu Gilliand, In the Shadows of Men, Reviews, Robert Jackson Bennett, Subterranean PressLeave a comment

cover of In the Shadows of Men by Robert Jackson Bennett showing an old hotel In the Shadows of Men by Robert Jackson Bennett
Subterranean Press (August 2020)
120 pages; $40 limited edition hardcover
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand

If there’s one thing readers of horror fiction know to be true, it’s that old, isolated motels are not the place to go if you’re looking to get your life together.

Especially if said motel is brimming with secrets.

Especially if the person seeking sanctuary is bringing his own demons along for the ride.Continue Reading

Review: The Raven by Jonathan Janz

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 31, 2020August 23, 2020ReviewsFlame Tree Press, Jonathan Janz, Mother Horror, Reviews, Sadie Hartmann, The RavenLeave a comment

The Raven by Jonathan Janz
Flame Tree Press (September 8, 2020)
256 pages; $24.95; $14.95 paperback
Reviewed by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

Perhaps the most interesting thing about horror is the vast variety in its sub-genres. So many tropes fit under the horror umbrella; I truly believe there’s something for everyone. I passionately believe the horror genre is plenty sufficient to cover any thirst for diversity in your reading.

My top-shelf writers of horror, the mega-talented, often write books categorized in the full spectrum of the genre. The opposite of the one-trick pony, these authors are part and parcel of horror fiction.

Jonathan Janz is one of those authors writing bestsellers that cover a lot of ground. Supernatural, paranormal, creature-features, noir, gothic, you name it and Janz has tried it; successfully.Continue Reading

Review: Twelve – Poems Inspired by the Brothers Grimm Fairytale by Andrea Blythe

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 28, 2020August 22, 2020ReviewsAndrea Blythe, Brothers Grimm, Interstellar Flight Press, Joshua Gage, Reviews, TwelveLeave a comment

Twelve: Poems Inspired by the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale by Andrea Blythe
Interstellar Flight Press (September 7, 2020)
64 pages, $9.99 paperback; $5.99 e-book
Reviewed by Joshua Gage

Andrea Blythe is a well-recognized name in speculative poetry. She is a widely published author, as well as a podcast host. Blythe is most known for her work with fairytales and folktales, and her newest collection, Twelve, based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale of the twelve dancing princesses, is a potent and exquisite addition to her already impressive body of work. Continue Reading

Interview: Into the Cornfield with Adam Cesare

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 25, 2020August 22, 2020InterviewsAdam Cesare, Blu Gilliand, Clown in a Cornfield, InterviewsLeave a comment

cover of Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare, showing a red clown face in a field of corn Adam Cesare, author and Cemetery Dance columnist, has been a fixture on the horror scene for nearly a decade. Early books like Video Night and All-Night Terror made him an instant favorite among fans of horror fiction, and he’s continued developing his skill and style with books like The Con Season and The First One You Expect.

His new novel, Clown in a Cornfield, is generating the sort of next-level buzz those of us who’ve been reading Cesare’s work since the beginning have been expecting. Adam was kind enough to take time during a busy book-launch week to talk with his old Cemetery Dance editor, who may or may not have taken the opportunity to press him relentlessly about writing for us again….but mainly asked him questions about the new book.Continue Reading

Review: The Residence by Andrew Pyper

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 24, 2020August 22, 2020ReviewsAndrew Pyper, Mother Horror, Reviews, Sadie Hartmann, Skybound Books, The ResidenceLeave a comment

The Residence by Andrew Pyper
Skybound Books (September 1, 2020)
352 pages; $26 hardcover; $13.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann

When I first saw the cover of The Residence, I was skeptical. A ghost story set in the White House? It seemed ambitious. I have a lot of feelings about residents that are currently haunting the White House but none of them are paranormal entities.

Still, the idea was tantalizing so I put in my request to review.Continue Reading

Dead Air: An Interview with the Creators of The Kingcast

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 21, 2020August 16, 2020Dead Air, InterviewsBlu Gilliand, Columns, Dead Air, Eric Vespe, Interviews, Scott Wampler, The KingcastLeave a comment

banner for Cemetery Dance's Dead Air column - neon green background with black writing

Not too long ago, journalists Eric Vespe (formerly of Ain’t It Cool News, among others) and Scott Wampler (formerly of birth.movies.death, among others), got together to discuss an idea that would evolve into “a Stephen King podcast for Stephen King obsessives.” The Kingcast invites guests from the entertainment industry to discuss the King novel or short story of their choosing, along with the film or television adaptation of that work.

Over the past few months, The Kingcast has hosted a variety of guests, including Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep) discussing 1408, Elijah Wood discussing Misery, Karyn Kusama discussing Carrie, and Damien Echols (who was wrongly convicted and jailed for murder largely due to his interest in heavy metal and horror) discussing the Dark Tower series.

Recently, the co-creators and hosts were kind enough to answer a few questions for Cemetery Dance.Continue Reading

Review: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 19, 2020August 15, 2020ReviewsJanelle Janson, Mexican Gothic, Reviews, Silvia Moreno-GarciaLeave a comment

cover of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia — *Mexican Gothic*, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Del Rey (June 2020)
320 pages; $16.20 hardcover; $11.99 e-book
Reviewed by Janelle Janson

Mexican Gothic has been hyped to the extreme for at least a year, so my expectations going in were high. And even though they were high, they were never unrealistic as I already knew Moreno-Garcia to be a talented writer. But when this book took an unexpected and interesting turn, combined with a surprising amount of gore, I knew I had found a winner.Continue Reading

Review: Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 17, 2020August 9, 2020ReviewsAdam Cesare, Clown in a Cornfield, Mother Horror, Reviews, Sadie HartmannLeave a comment

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
HarperTeen (August 25, 2020)
352 pages; $17.99 hardcover; $9.99 e-book
Reviewed by Sadie Hartmann

The setting for Clown in a Cornfield is the fictional town of Kettle Springs, a rural town that sounds like good ol’ Nowheresville, USA. The townspeople seem caught in a time-warp where young people are to be seen and not heard, especially while the grown-ups are trying hard to “Make Kettle Springs Great Again.” Unfortunately for our protagonist, Quinn Maybrook, her father took a job in Kettle Springs and Quinn has no choice but to adjust to her new scene.Continue Reading

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