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Thoroughbreds Is Not Heathers – It’s More

  Thoroughbreds is not Heathers. It seems like every movie with teen girls and dark humor invokes Heathers. Heathers came out in 1988, and it was shocking and perfect for the time. It captured, as nothing before it had, the cynicism of students, the toothless administrators, and the deep emotional cruelty of teen girls. Veronica’s crush on the dangerous new boy in town resonat[...]

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Ash vs. Evil Dead Revisited

Brian and I are HUGE Evil Dead fans. We actually met face-to-face three years ago at Comic Con in NYC--the very same one where there was an Ash vs. Evil Dead panel and a tour through Ash's trailer. How cool is this?! Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when one of my favorite horror shows comes back on STARZ. Now in its third season, Ash is back and so are the marvelous special effect[...]

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Crossing Paths With A Serial Killer

Like so many other Toronto residents, hearing the news that someone was finally in custody for multiple murders that had occurred over the past few years came with both a sense of relief as well as trepidation, especially when the news broke that the police were calling him a potential serial killer. First, a little info, for those readers who have not heard about this case: A BRIEF TIMEL[...]

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Let’s Watch a #Horror Movie Oscar Edition: Get Out

Because it's Oscar month (this Sunday!) and because a horror movie has been nominated...let's watch Get Out. This fabulous 2017 horror movie directed and written by Jordan Peele, not only made us cringe and shudder, but made us think about how we look at, how we think about, and how we treat people of color. Chris, a black man, journeys to meet his girlfriend's parents, his white girlf[...]

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All The Single Ladies: Why I Love Hag Horror

I recently visited with two of my favorite crazed older ladies at a theater performance of Arsenic and Old Lace. The stage play, written nearly 80 years ago, is a madcap romp that takes place in the living room of Martha and Abby Brewster. The sweet, spinster aunts are serial killers - strictly to give peace to nice, older gentlemen, you understand - but unfortunately, they aren’t the[...]

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Where to Query Your YA Horror Novel (Part 1)

I have a campy YA horror novel that is struggling to find a home. The market isn't as strong for YA horror as it is for say, contemporary romance. I know what you're thinking--but what about authors like R.L. Stine or Stephen King? Darling, they are outliers. Sometimes when I go to ALA or other conventions and ask publishing houses about current YA horror that I should have on my radar[...]

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THE RITUAL Makes the Woods Terrifying Again

I know it's cool nowadays to talk junk about The Blair Witch Project, but anyone who say that movie when it came out knows it created an amazing sense of atmosphere, and it made being lost in the woods seem downright terrifying. I bring this up, because as I was watching The Ritual last weekend, I realized it was the first movie that captured that "lost in the woods" feeling for me since[...]

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Happy Birthday Erica!!!!

Today is a very special day. For. One. Very. Special. Person. Editor. Author. Human. Jokester. Academic. Enthusiast. Empath. Leader. Lover of books.   HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERICA! Here are just a few gifts from the troops. Erica, you always know how to lift me up and somehow sense when I'm hurting. I've never met someone who has made me laugh harder, want to be better, and u[...]

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Let’s Talk Horror Movies: Winchester

Greetings, horror movie lovers. There's a new movie out. Just this month, Winchester arrived in theaters. Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig and written by the Spierigs and Tom Vaughn, the story is inspired by  the legend of Sarah Winchester and the Winchester House. Of course, I took myself to see it.   My fellow Midnighter The Davis Girl suggested I jot down my expectati[...]

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Blood on the Ground and the Devil’s Tooth

The Midnight Society likes their books a little bloody, but other bloody things are tantalizing, too. There’s something so enticing about the shiny, red liquid. Which is why, in a field of torn apart trees, I was recently kneeling to take photos. Amidst all the destruction, I had spotted blood on the ground. The ground was covered in fresh mulch and leaves. The forest had been shre[...]