Love horror? If you search the Internet, you'll find just how many horror films will be releasing over the next two years. Today, the focus is on horror reboots. While there are many being talked about, only a handful have made progress in writing, casting, and filming. I have seen every one of the originals. The Crow was dark and haunting. Frankenstein was amazing in black and white. Poltergeist scarred me for life. Carrie is the book that almost wasn't. The story behind Stephen King's path to success is as amazing as the movie version is. Gremlins--a stuffed[...]
Category
Fear
8 Story time: When I was a kid, kindergarten or first grade, I spent the night at my neighbor friend Tina's house a lot. She had teenage sisters who were pretty and had big hair and tanned boyfriends. We felt all very grown up and mature and cool tagging along behind them when they did things. One night when I was sleeping over, Tina and I were upstairs while the sisters and their boyfriends watched a movie on HBO. We heard them talking.. it was going to be scary. How hilarious, we thought, would it be to sneak downstairs, crawl behind the couches, wait for a real[...]
Argentinians take their folklore seriously. And rightfully they should. According to legend, the seventh son born to a family is cursed to become a werewolf who feasts on the bodies of unbaptized babies. Yep. I'd take that pretty seriously too. But they take things to a whole 'nother level in Argentina. In fact, their president gets involved. In order to thwart the curse, there is a long-standing tradition where the leader of the country legally adopts any seventh born son. This way, the son is no longer technically part of their original family, and no longer co[...]
There's just something about this time of year that makes you feel like a kid again. Am I right? Dreaming of a white Christmas. Seeing Santa at the mall. The Christmas lights. Presents under the tree. Candy canes and Rudolph and Silver Bells and running down the stairs Christmas morning. It's nice. Really. But today I'm not bringing you stories of holly jolly children who made Santa's "good" list. Nope. I'm here to share some creepy kid stories, because that's what we do here at the Midnight Society. We crush those sugar plums that dance in you[...]
I write horror. This is the usual response I give people (delivered in a flat tone, because it's hard to gauge how they'll respond) when people ask what floats my boat. I've been met with a variety of reactions, but the most frequently recurring are the following: You must watch a lot of horror movies. I do, but I'm a chicken. I often won't watch them alone, and I would prefer to have someone burly next to me whose shoulder I can cram my face against during the scary parts. I often have trouble sleeping for weeks afterwards. You must have some strange stuff in yo[...]
Fear. It's what glues us to our seat during a scary movie. But if we are truly scared, why watch the movie? Why read the book? Well, it's all about the chemicals in our brains. I guess we're funny that way. Literally. When we are scared, our brains produce the same chemicals as when we're happy. So if you ever wondered just why you enjoy that feeling of dread and anxiety...that's why. Over the years, my fears have changed. I went from being scared of dolls, to a fear of clowns (Coulrophobia). I have to say I'm glad I'm over that one, what with my favorite show h[...]
Okay, so Christmas music is already, shall we say, around. And you might know that I am a Christmas music lovah through and through. But this is October, right? This is the month for creepy, not jolly. For scaring, not caring. Fine. I admit it. I've listened to a carol or two recently. But whatever, my point is it's time to break out the creepy music playlist. I've compiled some spooky tunes. Haunting and chill-inducing were my criteria for making the cut. Take a listen and see what you think. Note: If you watched America Horror Story: Freak Show last night,[...]
Yep, you read that right. According to this very extensive article from The Daily Mail, an amateur sleuth, an expert in DNA and genetics, and 7 years of exhaustive work have cracked the case that has baffled detectives and historians for over a century. If you're a die-hard CSI junkie, you HAVE to read this article. But for those who want the short version (but how can you call yourselves horror fans, and not read the article about Jack the Ripper?!?!?!), here it is... You might have watched the movie 'From Hell' with Johnny Depp: And maybe you've pictured thi[...]
With the philosophy in mind that anything can be scary, The Midnight Society brings you Top Scare, a new flash fiction contest. The Contest Post to the comments section below a piece of flash fiction (700 words or fewer) about the seemingly benign noun of the month. This month's benign noun is a mailbox. Here are some images that could get you thinking, but you are not required to use them: The Prize On Sunday, October 5, the Top Scare of all the entries will be announced. The winner gets a badge specially designed for that month. What will it l[...]
Summertime is a great time for travel! The weather is warm, maybe you've got kids out of school... pack your bags, hit the road, it's time to take a trip! The world is a big place. So many places to see. May I suggest you go pretty much anywhere EXCEPT HERE: The Clown Motel. No, seriously, there is a clown motel. It's a motel, in the desert, with a clown theme, and it's haunted by clowns. Also, it's built next to an old cemetery which is the final resting place of hundreds of miners who died from the plague. I know... are you thinking what I'm t[...]