Category: Blog

Happy Friday the 13th!

I’m sure I’m not the only horror fan that gets a little giddy when a Friday the 13th rolls around. For me, these remind me of summer nights of my youth where we’d unfold the sofa bed, load up on snacks, and watch USA UP! All Night marathon of terribly censored TV versions of Friday the 13th.

Back then, (god, old) this was one of the best ways to check out all these movies at once. This was my first exposure to the series, interrupted with commercials, editing for time, scrunched up to fit on a TV screen. And I loved every minute of it.

I can still remember the shock of seeing the beginning of Jason Goes to Hell. Like most Jason fans, I don’t love this entry…it was a mess with a messy production. A Jason movie with not enough Jason, body swapping, little alien monster. But that first sequence, the false start, the subtle clues that something was up (how well she slides across then hood of the car!) was a chef’s kiss. It actually addressed a lot of questions about the town of Crystal Lake.

This scene, and the series as a whole, was a great influence on why I started writing horror. I came up with a single idea for a novel, the premise being: What if normal people, kids even, hunted these murderous slashers? Like Jason, Freddy, and Michael Meyers? And what if they were really good at it, what would it look like if these monsters were just…outmatched? (I really wanted a Creighton Duke spinoff!)

So I started writing furiously, and as a first time writer, I got overwhelmed. I took a step back, read some articles on how to write, and read some other authors’ works. One piece of advice I came across said to start by writing short stories. And I had a lot of fun there, honing my skillset and actually finishing works.

The scene popped into my head again and I opened up the unfinished novel to see how I did back then. I can say I’ve improved a lot already, though I wasn’t far! I immediately started editing the first chapter to match my current quality and style. Still rough, but showing promise. Happy Friday the 13th!

Alien Romulus: Andy Appreciation

Watching the Dead Meat awards for this year made me want to go watch Alien Romulus immediately. I skipped it initially because it was Fede Alvarez, and I’m not quite a fan. This continues with Alien Romulus, but there’s still a great movie to watch and unpack.

Alvarez is really great at creating a series of impactful, jarring, and memorable moments in his films. In this sense, he is a step above many of his peers. But where I think he lacks, and this was prominent in Alien Romulus, is in tying up the story. Alien Romulus starts out intriguing, gets more intriguing, and then becomes a mess.

Regardless, Alvarez has directed a series of films that I at least want to talk about. In horror, we appreciate flawed masterpieces! And I’d rather shine a light on all the things I liked. First off, the set design and atmosphere of this film is amazing. The lo-tech technology of machines and computers, worn and scratched with old monitors rendering in dated wireframes doing things we can’t fathom of doing with today’s slick modern technology? It’s all really brilliant and gorgeous.

Then there’s Andy. I really thought this character couldn’t possibly be as good as people made him out to be, but he was. A difficult role to play for an actor, but David Jonsson captured the character in a standout performance. The dad jokes were terribly wonderful, a great device to make the character more endearing. His android tendencies and portrayal were unique and sympathetic. Andy didn’t walk, he shuffled. He didn’t lead, he followed. Andy didn’t just stammer, he struggled with words. I’m avoiding spoilers here, but when the thing happened, you immediately understood the difference.

But then there was the final act, the ending, the…nonsense. Heh. Oh well. It’s inspired me to write something featuring a character like Andy. Let’s see how it goes…

Big day!

About a year ago, I submitted a short story to a publisher. I really didn’t expect anything of it, but here were are today. It really hits different when you can flip the pages yourself.

Of course I’ve ordered 20 extra copies, and I plan on placing them in strange places as I see fit.

Here’s a link to buy the whole anthology, the other stories are really great! https://mybook.to/Youths25