My favorite holiday is Halloween. I love everything about it. I love the candy, dressing up in costume, looking at people in costume, scary movies, and all the horror involved in Halloween. As an adult I love that I can drink awesome drinks on Halloween. I love that I can stay up as late as I want, even if I have to work the next day, and watch a million horror films. I can read every horror book or graphic novel within reach. I can revel in the monsters, and I can call them my friends for one night. Sure Christmas and Thanksgiving are great, but Halloween is something special.

Every October I watch as many horror movies as I can, I read as much horror as I can, I look at as many costumes as I can, and if I can find them on sale, I buy some (for fun later!).

So movies I've seen:
2016's THEY'RE WATCHING was not a good movie. Dull, comedic CGI (especially at the end), and where it was going was very predictable. I know, a lot of movies lately are pretty predictable, especially horror, but I feel like people need to try harder to not let the end be so obvious. So even though it isn't new it is at least not right in your face.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN got off to a slow start. It is a very choppy movie, and goes back and forth from the present to the past quickly and often. There were times when it was hard to follow because I didn't know what was happening, but it was a pretty good movie. In the end when we find out everything that has happened there is a scene which is so poignant that it makes the entire movie worthwhile.

ANGUISH is a movie I can't recommend to anyone. It was so boring I almost didn't make it through the movie. I was only able to finish it because I had hoped it would get more interesting, but it didn't.

2013's THE DAMNED was not a bad movie. It was enjoyable, and I felt it would have been a perfect movie for a day when you were sick. Didn't take a lot of thought, so you won't need all of your brain power to watch it.

2013's DARKROOM was pretty horrible. It honestly was an attempt to realize the slasher flick with a new twist, but it was predictable, especially the ending. I enjoyed the idea of the bad guys in the movie, but they weren't really developed enough to be more than flat bad guys.

THE QUARANTINE HAUNTING was so terrible I wasn't able to watch the entire movie. I watched the beginning and it was slow to start, then the acting was just too terrible to continue. So I skipped towards the end and It was just boring. The ending was so uninteresting I am glad I didn't waste time watching the whole movie. I do not recommend this movie.

NIGHT BREED was an interesting movie. Where do the monsters go when they aren't being monsters? What if they aren't monsters at all but misunderstood human beings? This movie follows a man who is thought to be a serial killer, but is he? Secrets and lies kill, and this movie is full of them. It gets a little ridiculous towards the end but it is still somewhat fun. I recommend this to anyone looking to watch something fun, and wishing for the days of really cheesy but awesome movies.

CREEP wasn't a very good movie. It was slow and dull, then predictable. The characters weren't very interesting, and the plot was minimal. I found it exceedingly pretentious.

THE HOUSE AT THE END OF TIME was a foreign film which become a horror film, but forgot to add the horror elements. A woman is accused of murdering her husband and son and is sent to prison. When she is released as an old woman she is forced to go back and live in the same house where it all happened. Problem is, she didn't murder them, the house has a secret. With the help of a local priest, they learn the truth, and everything changes. It is a sad movie more than anything else. If you are looking for a horror movie, I definitely don't recommend this movie. If you are looking for a movie that has some horror type elements but isn't really scary, watch this.

I AM THE PRETTY LITTLE THING THAT LIVES IN THE HOUSE is a movie with an incredibly long title. It is a slow moving movie, and that slowness was what caused me to not like this movie. It is a quite horror movie, and if you like those types of movies you may like this one. This movie has received several 4 and 5 star ratings, I gave it a two. I could have been more interesting to me if it hadn't been so incredibly disjointed and slow moving.

DARLING was a short horror film, only an hour and 17 minutes. While it was an interesting idea, it was a little too slow. This movie was filmed in black and white with minimal dialogue. It had a lot of sounds where one might expect dialogue, for example while the main character is crying in a bathroom there is a bell sound. It was interesting, but the ending didn't seem fit for the movie. Although I must say it was good to see Sean Young in something again, even if it was a minor part.

2016's SACRIFICE wasn't a bad movie, but it wasn't a great movie. Also the idea wasn't a new one, and it could have been titled JUST ANOTHER CULT MOVIE. I don't really think I need to say more than that.

THE COLONY a cool movie, literally. Set in an apocalyptic world covered in permafrost, people have been forced to live underground and they thrive on order and rules. The best part of the movie came when one of the main characters asked the monster why they were doing what they were doing, and the monster's answer was just, "More." This is a perfect example of the plot of most monster movies. We all try to give them a reason, the monsters, as to why they do what they do, but in all honesty there will never be a good one. Monsters do what they do because they are monsters. The only problem I had with this movie was the ending was left open ended, and I like movies to end with a concrete answer.

THE MARSH is a ghost story about what most ghost stories are about, vengeance. What happens when you have a ghost who has lived two lives, a ghost who finds he can't protect his loves in either of them? Death and revenge, that's what happens. Not a bad ghost story.

Now off to watch more horror movies and chill.

Now out, DON'T BURY YOUR DEAD, a short zombie story involving a minor character in book 3 ZOMBIE WASTELAND. It is currently available on Smashwords and Amazon, but will be available soon on all other ebook sites. I enjoyed writing it very much and hope you out there in internetland enjoy reading it just as much. Now I will go back to working on the final book in my series, ZOMBIMERICA. Since NaNoWriMo is next month, it will be the only thing I am working on. I hope to have it written by the end of next month, and hopefully it will be out by the end of the year next year.

On another note, here are some horror movies you can skip watching: STARRY EYES, LET US PREY, ARCHIVO 253, and MOST LIKELY TO DIE. Been watching a ton of bad horror movies, I think it's all that it out there anymore.

This weekend I will be at Rocket City Nerdcon signing books and selling bookmarks. I will have a limited supply of my first book ZOMBIES ARE PEOPLE TOO, so come early and come fast. I am always happy to meet my fans!

Here is the link to buy tickets:
https://hmcpl.org/rocketcitynerdcon

And now for other news! I am releasing a short story tomorrow for free. This story involves a minor character from book three ZOMBIE WASTELAND. The title of my story is DON'T BURY YOUR DEAD, and is a zombie story from a zombies point of view. I am very excited to release it before Nerdcon, and before the start of NaNoWriMo next month. All next month I will be working on my last book, ZOMBIMERICA, and hopefully I can get through this halfway point and have it for you all late next year.

Lastly, I have a question. I want to know what scares you? Once I finish with my zombie series I am not sure I will be continuing to work in the zombie genre, so I want to know what scares you? What gives you chills just to think about? What makes you shiver when you are walking to your car in the dark of night? What wakes you sweaty and shaking from a deep sleep when you are at home alone at night?

 I don't see a lot of comedic movies in my life, mostly because I don't think a lot of comedies are really that funny. It seems that too many rely of physical humor (fart jokes, fat jokes, skinny jokes, ugly jokes, sex jokes) and I don't find those funny...at least not enough to hold a movie together. This movie, while some liked and some hated it, was really quite funny.

This was not a remake of the original GHOSTBUSTERS, so if that is what you think, you can get that right out of your head now. It did pay homage to the original, and quite heavily. There was the Stay Puff Marshmallow man. Several of the original actors made cameos, except Rick Moranis who was quoted as saying, "I hope it's terrific. But it just makes no sense to me. Why would I do just one day of shooting on something I did 30 years ago?" (As told to Ryan Parker in and interview for The Hollywood Reporter), so maybe he wasn't as missed as he could have been. Even Slimer was in this movie, and he had a date.

Chris Hemsworth was really fun. He played the not so bright Kevin, a receptionist who doesn't even know how to cover his ears. The ladies are all women from Saturday Night Live, except Melissa McCarthy, who is funny in her own right. The jokes are quick witted and often brilliant. Kate Mckinnon is a straight faced actress who delivers her lines on point and without breaking character. Leslie Jones is wonderful as a subway worker who knows all about the city, and who runs from the first ghost she sees, then again I am sure a lot of people would run if they saw a ghost. Kristen Wiig is funny as usual, but I felt she was the one character who fell a little flat. There isn't a whole lot of plot, but I didn't expect there to be (if you have watched the original there wasn't much of a plot there either).

Lastly, I have to say, stay until the end of the credits, it was worth it.

So, hate or love the movie, I liked it, and if you didn't get the chance to see it in the theaters, watch it when it comes out on AmazonPrime or Netflix, it was a fun movie and I laughed a lot, giggled a little, and drooled a tiny bit over the fun Mr. Hemsworth.

A little over a year ago I met a wonderful YA author named Nina Soden. She will be appearing with me and several other authors at Nerdcon on the 22nd and 23rd of this month. Recently, Nina Soden finished the fourth book in her Blood Angels series, and it is my pleasure to introduce you all to her. But first, come see us at Rocket City's Nerdcon October 22 and 23!

https://hmcpl.org/rocketcitynerdcon

Blurb about Nina's new release PURSUIT:
Growing up in the most powerful coven of witches Atlanta, Michigan has ever known, gave Phoebe all the resources she needed to develop her craft. However, it wasn't until the tragic slaughter at the annual Founders' Celebration, when she lost her mother, her sister, and both of her grandmothers, that Phoebe really started to find her calling, her purpose. Her cousin Aleerah was the only surviving dhampir in history and her sister Petra had been a gifted, naturally talented, tracker. Magic didn't come as easily for Phoebe, but desperation leads to desperate measures, and Phoebe was bound and determined to carry on where her sister left off. Starting with the ancient ritual of the taking of blood Phoebe not only developed her tracking abilities she pushed herself physically, mentally, and magically until she became the High Council's leading tracker.

What have people been saying about the Blood Angel series?

“From the opening scene to the final chapter, the characters in this book dive onto the page and demand your attention.”
—Genalmt (Amazon.com 5-Star review)
 
“…It is exciting, twisty, and fun.”
—Carole A. Spalino (Amazon.com 5-Star review)
 
“The characters are realistic and compelling, and the author’s tone is casual and lighthearted—frequently bringing a smile or even a laugh, or sometimes a tear.”
—Ula Manzo (Amazon.com 5-Star review)
 
“I quickly inhaled this story. The author has a very easy to read talent that engulfs the reader. I found the pace of the story to be steady throughout. Though the concept has been done before, the author put her own ‘uniqueness’ to it that kept me guessing.”
—WhisperingWillo (Amazon.com 5-Star review)

Where can you buy Nina Soden's books?
Awaken (Book 1 ~ The Blood Angel Series) https://amzn.com/0985885300
Beginnings (Book 2 ~ The Blood Angel Series) https://amzn.com/0985885319
Revenge (Book 3 ~ The Blood Angel Series) https://amzn.com/0985885327 
The Chosen (Book 1 ~ The SECTOR C Series) https://amzn.com/0985885335 
The Hunted (Book 2 ~ The SECTOR C Series) https://amzn.com/0985885343

I have yet to see the original MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, so I can't compare the two movies, and don't judge me, I am not really into westerns. I am, however, a fan of Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Vincent D'Nofrio, so I had to see this movie. I have to say I am glad I did.

A town is being overrun by a robber baron named, Bart, and Bart doesn't care who he kills to get what he wants, and what he want is land. The wife of a murdered man decides that something needs to be done, so she goes off in search of an army, and she finds one. Seven men gather to do what is right. Seven men fight. Seven men gather a town and teach them what it means to take your town back.

I can't really say too much about this movie without giving everything away, and I hate spoilers.

I will say this, as someone who is not a fan of westerns I really enjoyed this movie. It had several moment of humor and I enjoyed the levity of it, especially when such dark moments came later. I enjoyed the character interaction, although the wife of the dead man, Emma, could have been a little more developed, I do understand that she was not the reason this movie was made. I would have liked a few of the characters to be a little more developed to be honest, but even as they were I liked them.

I felt the end was a little clear cut, and I felt that the bad guy gave up a little too easy at one point. He was made out to be this really big bad, and then he became a whiny cry baby, it didn't seem realistic to me.

But, even with the issues I did have, I liked this movie, and I cared. I cared who lived and died and at one point I really wanted one of the characters to live, and it made me really very sad that he didn't.

So, go see this. If you are like me you will most likely enjoy it without seeing the original, I can't promise you will like it if you have seen the original. But that goes for all movies.

So, before I start this review I have to state that I understand there is controversy surrounding the Director Nate Parker, but this is a review of his movie, not a statement about him.

So, I had not ever heard of Nat Turner before seeing this movie, this point in history is not one which is taught in history classes, or at least not in any of the classes I took. I have no idea if anyone has been taught about this in school, and if you were taught about this then kudos to you for knowing more than me.

If you don't know, before the civil war there was a period (48 hours) of unrest where slaves rose up and assaulted and killed their owners, and other owners of slaves. They were unable to overthrow all of the plantations, which resulted in the hanging of several slaves and free men. Truth be told, slaves were not treated well, and I feel I must state this well because I have heard people make the comment, "Well, not everyone was a bad slave owner." This may be true, maybe not everyone beat their slaves, limited food for their slaves, raped their slaves, and killed their slaves, but they all treated their slaves as property, regulating their lives, who they loved, and what happened to their children.

Now for the movie. There is a lot of controversy about this movie, about the rape scenes and how it was treated, or how the rape scenes are all about the men, but I think people forget about the period in time this was and men were often the protector. Plus, when a woman is raped sometimes she is silent and in shock. I, personally, didn't think these were off and I felt a little at ease that the scenes were poignant without being right in your face about it.

This movie can really make you think about slavery in general. If a man feels like a person is property (as still happens today, especially in domestic violence situations) he feels as if he can do anything to that property. He may damage that property in any way he sees fit, and if this property displeases him, he can get rid of it, by selling it or killing it. We, America, can't erase our past, but we should learn from it. I don't care what you think of Nate Parker, I want you to see this movie because I want you to look at a history of slavery. Children were removed from their parents and sold, sold to anyone who could afford them, and that child could be used for any purpose. I want you to watch this movie and have a conversation, about history and the present.

There are dark days in front of us. We joke about who abused who more in this presidential race. If we don't want to repeat the past, we should look to it and learn, and we shouldn't forget.

I really liked this movie. And the use of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" was perfect and filled with emotion.

According to IMDb this was the synopsis of the movie: After discovering a video showing what he believes to be his vanished sister Heather, James and a group of friends head to the forest believed to be inhabited by the Blair Witch.

Now, let's take into consideration that the original movie was released in 1999, so there are quite a few years between this sequel and the original, meaning that James is just an idiot. Sure there have been people discovered decades after they disappeared, but why would he think that his sister, Heather, is still running around the woods? So the premise is not only unoriginal, but also incredibly unrealistic.

This movie was very short, only an hour and 29 minutes, but it felt like it went on and on forever. It was dull for a horror movie, with a few jump scares to attempt to frighten the viewers, and none of the characters were at all interesting. Then there were the deaths. I know people may be a little over the gore of splatter films, but there was almost zero gore in this movie, and the one moment the imagery could have been expanded was underused. One of the characters ends up with an infected foot, and something had to be removed from her leg, but it was such a short part of the movie, and if the directors had wanted to make a really good horror film they could have expanded on this moment, and this was just one of many.

There were moments the movie tried to invoke fear (a woman getting trapped in a hole she is crawling through underground) but they just were not interesting, and if I don't care for the character, why should I care if they die?

This was not the original movie, nor was it as inventive. I don't say this lightly, but I really disliked this movie, it was very boring. Being boring is a death sentence for a horror film, and I don't recommend anyone see this.