MAGUS PRESS

Sex, Seaweed and Skullvines Press

2008-04-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

Skullvines Press( Publishers of the ever popular sasquatch porn) touts themselves as publishers of "Warped Horror". Likewise their motto states they publish "whatever the F*** they want."

Well,Rich Ristow keeps the tradition alive with his contribution: "Into the Cruel Sea."
It's your basic boy meets girl; boy falls in love with girl; boy brutally slaughters his parents and disappears under the tides with fish folks; boy wants girl to join him. You see, pretty basic.

Here's the thing, though. Although Rich's piece is just shy of 60 pages, it is a prime example of the adage" Brevity is the soul of wit." In 60 pages, Ristow gives us everything we need be engulfed in(and repulsed by) his characters and plot.

The love story is as horribly dysfunctional yet beautiful as you can get and the premise is something that I don't see much of these days, original.

Another nice thing about this story is that, at just 60 pages, you can finish it while your waiting on your psychiatrist to see you.

Pick it up here and enjoy another offering from the #1 publisher in need of serious counseling, Skullvines Press.

Lost Boys 2 Trailer Suckage

2008-03-12T18:03:00.001-07:00

Yes. You heard right. Suckage. I don't see anything good coming of the piece of tripe.

Losing Latitude.

2008-03-05T16:52:00.000-08:00

Cory Cramer
A few years ago Losing Latitude author Cory Cramer began a five-part story of murder, artifacts and demons. The story revolves around Lilly, a 17 year old, who has spent the bulk of her life following her family as they follow theories of ancient civilizations and aliens.

In a tragic twist, Lilly ends up in a hospital in with nothing to her name but a million dollars in the bank and the handwritten journal of Buck McGee.

With his father dead, McGee finds himself on the run from the law with a man, he believes is a demon, following him. To top things off, Buck may very well have been the cause of his father's death.

The story progresses from this point. Mind you the story can use some improvement. There are times in the first few books that the pace is slow and the character development for Lilly lacks on the first two books but, all in all, the series is a good read.

At around 100 pages each the books are true serials. Nice, quick reads for the reader on the go.

In the end Cramer delivers on the goods with an enjoyable series. For it's quirks it's a good showing for a an author I hope to see more of in the future.

To purchase the series you can visit Cory's site at http://www.corycramer.com/.

The first must own book of the year

2008-01-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

While it is true that I have not been here much as of late nor have I done a book review in over a month, it is not because I have not been reading. On the contrary, I am still as voracious a reader and seeker of knowledge as always. For those wondering, you can rest assured that the reasoning behind my absence to this point (and possibly continuing on in some manner after this post) has nothing to do with lack of books to read.

The neglect of the blog has more to do with pertinent matters in the flesh and blood world where I am a father and a husband trying to provide for my family. My hiatus from here is also due to the fact that, though I have been reading books, many are not worthy of even a bad review. The swill put out today astounds me. The other books I have been reading would not fit with the theme of this blog (i.e. horror, dark fantasy and the macabre).

This book is not a work of fiction. Just the opposite, it is one of the most raw and honest pieces of non-fiction that can be found to date. It doesn’t deal with fantasy fiction but parts of it do describe very real, very threatening monsters.

The book I am speaking of is “Behind the Lines” by Andrew Carroll.

The subtitle reads: Powerful and Revealing American and Foreign War Letters. This is an understatement. Mr. Carroll searched the world over for the most insightful, humorous, thought provoking and heart wrenching letters to and from soldiers stationed on the front lines. The letters contained within are from husbands and wives; sons, parents, uncles and lovers. All of humanity is represented in these correspondences.

From the French mother telling her last surviving son that he would fight in the first world war or be disowned to the sailor who bought his fiancé gloves during world war two only to have a pair of silk underwear shipped to her instead to the POW letters to the letters children wrote in concentration camps and had smuggled to their parents; this book shows man’s inhumanity to man. It shows the horrors of war and the costs of innocent lives as armies crossed continents to serve their cause.

German letters home as they invaded Russia; Russian letters as they were defending against the Germans. You’ll read of the atrocities the Japanese committed as they invaded China as well as Kamikaze letters home before they martyred themselves.

You’ll read of the internment camps in America for people of Japanese and German ancestry. The most heart breaking letters are from the soldiers who freed prisoners at the death camps across Europe. The retelling of everything they saw, smelled and witnessed is sure to bring tears to anyone’s eyes.

There are bright spots in the letters, though. Many letters detailing profound moments of kindness, humanity and love. Many of them are comical or sarcastic enough to make the reader laugh out loud.

From the War of Independence to the Iraq war this book lets the reader experience the myriad emotions with being on the front lines or at home worrying and praying for loved ones who are on the front lines.

War is intrinsic to human nature and this book will help those who’ve never been in that situation grasp what soldiers go through on a daily basis. The book gives you enough of the horror and enough of the levity to balance itself. It gives the reader insight, perspective and pause. In short, this book provides utter truth.

I’m sure it is profound to read but I have the five-disc audio book. Hearing some of these letters has made me laugh; made me think and, more often than not, brought me to tears.
If you purchase the audio books, discs four and five were the most profound for me.

These isn’t just a must read for someone who wants to understand war or is fascinated with the subject; this is a must own and share.

Triangulation: End of time

2007-12-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

I love anthologies. They are the literary equivalent of a buffet. You get a great selection from a lots of places and it always ends up good.Triangulation is no
exception.

Edited by Pete Butler this book contains some great stories by some of the most talented people out there today. From Jessica E. Kaiser's ICE AGE to Jeff Parish's THAT AINT A MOSEY, Triangulation is filled with stories that will entertain, repulse and leave you unsettled. All of these authors weave tapestries that will leave any avid reader wanting more.

So, before the end does come, pick up a copy of this short but entertaining book.

It's available at LULU.com

Hellraiser Remake update

2007-10-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

Directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo spoke with Twitch recently about directing the remake to Clive Barkers classic Hellraiser. Having getting the thumbs up from Clive Barker they are going full speed ahead. Bustillo did most of the talking and said:

"We are actually writing the script right now and we don’t want to remake exactly the Cliver Barker movie. It will not be a remake. It will still be called “Hellraiser” and it will have a new Pinhead. Our story is very very different I promise! It will be cool!"

They are going to be going back to the source material and actually remaking the novel.

Hellraiser was the first movie to unsettle me for some time after I watched it(second only to Ishtar). Needless to say, I'm skeptically stoked about this one. We'll see how it pans out.

Zombie news

2007-10-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hollywood Gang have just optioned the rights to make Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan's graphic novel The Last Christmas. This is the same shingle that also adapted Frank Miller's 300 . Currently they do not have anyone ready to adapt the novel into a screenplay.

The story follows Santa Claus as he withdraws from normal life and turns his back on Christmas. When he emerges from seclusion, he has to find a way to save the world, and Christmas, from being overrun by demons, zombies and other bad guys.

Evil Dead Ultimate Box set!!!!

just in time for Christmas on December 18th.

Disc 1: THE EVIL DEAD - Widescreen Version

* Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround - English
* Dolby Digital Surround EX - English
* DTS 6.1 ES Surround - English
* Audio Commentary - Sam Raimi - Director; Robert Tapert - Producer
* ONE BY ONE WE WILL TAKE YOU: The Untold Saga of The EVIL DEAD

Disc 2: THE EVIL DEAD - Full Frame Version

* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Surround - English
* Audio Commentary - Bruce Campbell - Star
* THE EVIL DEAD: TREASURES FROM THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR

Disc 3: LADIES OF THE EVIL DEAD

* 1. LIFE AFTER DEATH: THE LADIES OF EVIL DEAD
* 2. The Ladies of THE EVIL DEAD Meet Bruce Campbell
* 3. Discovering The Evil Dead
* 4. At The Drive In
* 5. Make-Up Test
* 6. Unconventional
* Trailer
* TV Spots
* Poster & Memorabilia Gallery
* Still Gallery

Low Budget
Night of the living Jew!
...not just another Hasidic zombie movie

Get More Trailers at TerrorFeed.com

The Desert by Bryon Morrigan

2007-10-08T06:50:00.001-07:00

The ARC of this book came to me a few weeks back but because of other obligations I was unable to start on this (and the rest o my TBR stack) right away. I want to apologize for that. Had I known what I was missing, I'd have started the night I received it.

In all honesty, though, I didn't expect a lot from this book. I saw the cover (with the soldier on the front), read the back cover and was convinced it was going to be yet another practice in mediocrity. I'm always one to admit when I'm wrong.

The book starts slowly with and officer and a soldier doing recon for WMD's in Iraq. They happen to find a cave with the grave of a soldier from a lost platoon. They also find his journal. That's where the book begins.

Like I said, it starts slowly. But, in all fairness, so do freight trains. These large beasts take a while to get up to speed but once they get going, it's hard as hell to stop them. The same could be said for this novel.

I read the first chapter in passing and sat the book down. A few days later I picked it up again and read 150 pages in a matter of an hour and some change. I didn't want to put it down and, had it not been so late to begin with, I'd have finished it that night.

Morrigan takes us into the Iraqi desert; an abandoned village and the bowels of Hell as two men struggle to free themselves, retain their sanity and make it out in one piece.

The Desert is a sly combination of action and horror with enough chills to keep a reader on their toes and enough heart pounding action to keep a reader's blood racing.

The characters are, not only enjoyable, but also believable and empathetic. The feel of the whole book is carried throughout from page one until the end. The dialog was well written. In short, this is a great book by a talented author whom I hope to see more of in the near future.

Yes, there are spots where they pace slowed a bit more than I liked but it did little to detract from the story as a whole. This book was a fine example of writing that even some more established authors should look to as an example of how to keep a reader's attention.

Listen to he Silence By David W. Elliott

2007-10-05T19:01:00.001-07:00

This book is 40 years old. Its pages are yellowed with the distinct smell of must, old glue and a hint of mold. It was a rescue from the Goodwill bargain bin where it had set for who knows how long and, probably, would have set until Ragnarok had my wife not picked it up. This is also the saddest book I have ever read.

It centers around Timmy, a 14 year old boy. Timmy's "different". So much so that he has been to countless foster homes; adopted and un-adopted and finally dumped at a state mental institution. The book follows the boy's life while at the facility.

It is evident from the first page that he doesn't qualify as a "normal" boy. It's written in first person and we follow his thoughts from beautifully poetic one minute to absurd and chaotic the next. Ten pages in and I had more empathy for this character than I have for most 150 pages into a novel.

Listen to the Silence is an unrelenting, unforgiving book that takes us into the dark, depraved depths of the mental hospitals of the time and the despair that some of the inmates felt.

Silence leaves us with very little since of hope even as the end draws near. I walked away from these pages feeling haunted, disturbed and saddened for the boy, for the other inmates and for humanity in general.

A short book, a quick read but one that is tough to walk away from. It will haunt the reader long after it's been shelved.

New survival horror game

2007-09-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

Set in the cold blackness of deep space, the atmosphere is soaked with a feeling of tension, dread and sheer terror. In Dead Space, players step into the role of engineer Isaac Clarke – an ordinary man on a seemingly routine mission to fix the communications systems aboard a deep space mining ship. It is not long before Isaac awakes to a living nightmare when he learns that the ship’s crew has been ravaged by a vicious alien infestation. He must fight through the dead silence and darkness of deep space to stay alive.

Executive Producer Glen Schofield commented, “This team has worked on some tremendous properties but we have always wanted to work on something that was darker and creepier. We are all such huge fans of the horror and sci-fi genres; we wanted to create the most terrifying game we could, and keep the player on the edge of his seat the entire time.”

Under development at EA Redwood Shores, Dead Space is expected to ship in Fall 2008 for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system. This product is not yet rated by PEGI or ESRB. More information about Dead Space is available at www.deadspacegame.com.

To me it looks like a cross between DOOM and Silent Hill but you decide.

Vampires!!!!! The good and the...um..why bother,,,

2007-09-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

Today a promo pic has shown up over at 24Framespersecond. Blood: The Last Vampire is a take off on the anime of the same name. Now being directed as a live action horror film by Chris Nahon. Gianna Jun is featured in the picture below beside co-stars JJ Field and Liam Cunningham. Check it out below.

A lost boys sequel? What the hell?

Principal photography began in late August on location in Vancouver, under the direction of P.J. Pesce. This sequel takes us to the shady surf city of Luna Bay, California, where vampires quickly dispatch anyone who crosses their path. Into this dark world arrive Chris Emerson and his younger sister, Nicole . Having just lost their parents in a car accident, the siblings move in with their eccentric Aunt Jillian and become new prey for the locals’ way of life. When Nicole unwittingly falls for a local vampire, Chris must locate and destroy the gang’s lifeline before his sister’s transformation is complete; to do this Chris finds himself relying on the expertise of none other than Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman). Subtle references to characters from the original film, and cameos from returning actors offer homage to the Lost Boys legend and set a sinister tone of impending doom.

Subtle references? HA! Stinks of a cheap sequel that'll end up being so close to the original as to be laughable.

A call to arms!

2007-09-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Or rather, a call for things to review!

I am in the process of reading a book this very second. I also have an ARC that I'm excited about coming this way. But what about AFTER?

If there are any movies, artists or writers you'd like me to review or, if you are a director, artist or author who'd like to be reviewed, shoot me an email and we'll talk!

mlovelljr@gmail.com

Review of "In Dreams"

2007-09-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

Every once in a great while I'll pick up an author that I've never heard of and it turns out well.
Sara Gran is a fine example. I was blown away with "Come Closer".

When this happens I get on a kick of reading authors unknown to me. Sometimes it works out well; sometimes badly. In the instance it was mediocre.

Shane Christopher's "In Dreams" is a good example of this.

The back teases us with promises of something akin to "going down the rabbit hole". However, what we get is a walk past the hole on our way to grandma's house to eat stale cookies.

From the prologue to the last word, this book is a practice in mediocrity. The langauge used in the book for narrations is elementary. "And then the man finally said some words.". The pacing was spotty at best. 90 to nothing one minute then crawling at a snail's pace the next.

I felt, at times, the author was trying more for word count than quality. What could have been said in a few paragraphs, is expounded upon for pages. For what? That's the biggest mystery of the book.

All in all it was a fairly disappointing and medicore read. Hence the fairly disappointing and mediocre review.

30 Days of Night Red Band Trailer!

2007-09-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

If the movie is going to be half as good as the comic(and it looks like it will), this movie is a MUST see.

Producer Sam Raimi brings audiences the terrifying thriller 30 Days of Night, set in the isolated town of Barrow, Alaska, in the extreme northern hemisphere, which is plunged into complete darkness annually for an entire month. When most of the inhabitants head south for the winter, a mysterious group of strangers appear: bloodthirsty vampires, ready to take advantage of the uninterrupted darkness to feed on the town’s residents. As the night wears on, Barrow's Sheriff Eben (Josh Hartnett), his estranged wife Stella (Melissa George), and an ever-shrinking group of survivors must do anything they can to last until daylight.

Get More 30 Days of Night Trailers at TerrorFeed.com

The not so good, the bad, the ugly, the "dear lord why did anyone publish this?" and the mildly annoying

2007-09-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

This entry is in regards to the few folks who claim that I only praise books. I've been told that I must live by the rule that, if you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all. That's only partially true.
If I were to list all the horrible books I've read recently, I'd have the world's longest blog post. But, here are some highlights from my "crap, why did I read even one page of that" list.

The "Not so Good."

Stephen King wrote this about Jack Ketchum." Who's the scariest guy in America? Probably Jack Ketchum." That may be so....but not for this book.

Mr. Ketchums Offspring is the sequel to Off Season(Who'd have thunk it, huh?).
Though, what I read of it was acceptable, I found it lacking greatly. For starters I got the feeling this should have been a stand alone sequel. Meaning that any average schlub off the street should have been able to pick this up without reading the previous Off Season and enjoyed it. It sounds good on paper(no pun).
I spent the first half dozen chapters wishing I had read the previous novel. I felt as though I had walked into a party of strangers and was expected to catch on to the conversation without any back information. I eventually did but, by then, I had lost interest.

The pacing was my next issue. I enjoy a nice, methodical novel. One that takes its time dissecting your senses. This one did that by going so slowly that I wanted to gouge my eyes out before the middle of the book. There is slow, then there is molasses in the winter. This is somewhere in between.

Lastly, the book just couldn't hold my interest(which is saying a lot). I have plodded through some stinkers before hoping they'd get better. Offspring couldn't even do that.

If you have the chance to pick this book up or an advanced physics book; get the physics book. It'll have a better pace and be more interesting.

The "Bad"

If I were to pick one word to describe this waste of time it would be predictable. There was nothing about this book that jumped out at me; made me want to read it or even made good reading.

I made it 8 chapters before I gave up. From page one it was a disappointment. Mr Laimo seemed to have cut and pasted the ritual featured in the first few chapters over and over as a filler.

As soon as the main protagonist was introduced, everything about the book fell into place. I found myself thinking" How could anyone get away with putting this many cliches into one book?"

By chapter 8 I had had enough and flipped to the back to see if my guesses about the ending were correct. Yup. 100%. I set the book down and walked away but, like a fungus or rash, it came back.

My 13 year old asked if she could read it. I told her she could and she loved it. So much so that I sent the author a message telling him he should consider writing young adult novels.

His response was that he was surprised anyone would let their child read one of his books because of the contents. He said they were too graphic. No sir, they were written for a child or, rather, childishly.

The "Ugly"

I have a steadfast 100 page rule. I will give any book 100 pages before I put it up and walk away.
This book has the dubious distinction of holding the record for fastest rejection. Eight pages.
Not only was there a prologue(which I can't stand) Mr. Morris managed to bore me to tears with his never ending description of one man the night his wife gives birth. Eight pages and counting on that thing. Long descriptions may work for King but that's because...well...it's Stephen friggin King!

I read a quote that said Immaculate was Mr. Morris's best work to date. Well, that's not saying too much.

The "dear lord why did anyone publish this?"

Where, oh where to begin with this jewel!
How about the prologue that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the rest of the book other than "odd happenings"? I spent the rest of the book looking for the characters to pop back up; references to them or their names. Nada. Zip. Ziltch. What the hell?

The book itself was ok except that Mr. Little passed the line of good taste with the sex scenes involving someone believed to be 11 years old.
There are tactful ways to address those types of scenes without being graphic. I hope Mr. Little eventually finds those ways.

This is also the only book I have ever read all the way through thinking" This HAS to get better at some point, doesn't it?" I've got news for you. It doesn't.

Finally the epilogue. Yep. This book gets us on both ends. And, like the prologue, the epilgoue is completely useless and without merit. It's a waste of space and time. Even more so than the rest of the book.

The Mildly Annoyed

Now, Anyone who knows me knows that I like Brian Keene. He's a good guy an all around talented human being. This book, however, let me down.

You see, my favorite Keene book is Fear of Gravity and within those pages we find a short story that chronicles one man's battles, triumphs and defeats in a world that hasn't seen a dry day in quite some time.

Well, halfway through The Worms we have to read that story again.

For people who've never read the story, it may seem like a nice detour but, for me, it was more of a let down. I felt it had been put there to make a word count. Filler and nothing more.

All in all the book was fine except for that major let down.

The End
Well, that's it. Happy reading and I hope you never pick up a bad book. But, if you do, don't send it my way!

Resident Evil Trailer

2007-09-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

For those who haven't seen it yet, here's the redband trailer. Personally, I've enjoyed the movies.
They are only loosely based on the games but they're still good for some scares and a few laughs.

Get More Resident Evil: Extinction Trailers at TerrorFeed.com

And in the category of "Dear, lord, why do they bother", apparently there's plans for a REEKER sequel. As if the first one wasn't bad enough

In the sequel a Sheriff and his son try to apprehend bank robbers on their way to Mexico only to find that they are both being stalked by The REEKER ,a far more deadly enemy.
Is it just me or does the entire premise suck? I mean, if you've seen the first, you know what the Reeker is so why watch a second? Eh.

And the crickets kept chirping

2007-09-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

Yeah. I know it's been a busy summer all the way around but sometimes...JUUUUUUUST sometimes I feel like the kid who gets on the wrong bus in kindergarten. After sitting in the very back corner of an empty bus being ridden around by a reject from a Hills Have Eyes rip off; you begin to wonder if you've been abandoned.

True my posts have been sporadic because of time constraints with getting my store open(and I know David, Matt and the others have had their hands full as well) but I almost feel like the lone nut case walking around Times Square preaching the end of the world in the African clicking language while wearing a speedo. Trust me, not a pretty sight.

But, onward and upward. This is a site about reviews and news and I'll see about bringing you folks some news.

SAW4

For all you Saw fans, here's the teaser trailer for Saw 4. For me, I was afraid they'd play the franchise into the ground. Something like A Nightmare on Elm St for the modern era. Eh. I digress. Here's the trailer.
Saw4 trailer

And some news on the annual Saw blood drive.

ionsgate and the American Red Cross, one of the nation’s largest blood collection organizations, today announced a formal partnership for the Fourth Annual SAW “Give Til It Hurts” blood drive benefiting the Red Cross. The blood drive will coincide with the Halloween premiere of the latest title in Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures’ SAW franchise,SAW IV, which opens nationwide on October 26, 2007. The announcement was made jointly by Lionsgate Co-Presidents of Theatrical Marketing Tim Palen and Sarah Greenberg and Gregory S. Ballish, Senior Vice President, Biomedical Services, American Red Cross.

“Working with Lionsgate provides the American Red Cross an opportunity to expand its support of blood donation,” said Ballish. “On behalf of the patients we serve, we thank Lionsgate and the SAW franchise for their commitment to our blood program and look forward to a successful campaign.” “We are honored that the American Red Cross has chosen to partner with Lionsgate on a national level to manage this year’s blood drive,” said Palen and Greenberg. “For the past three years, we have seen how eager young people are to support the Red Cross and its life-saving mission, and the SAW IV blood drive will give them more opportunities than ever.”

The SAW “Give Til It Hurts” blood drive has become a key element of the SAW franchise, as much a part of the horror hit’s annual rituals as its Halloween premiere date. Since the first SAW blood drive in 2004, SAW filmgoers have donated nearly 38,000 pints of blood to help save as many as 112,500 lives. Collection totals have doubled year after year: during the 2004 inaugural drive, 4,200 pints were collected, in 2005, 10,000 pints were collected, and in 2006, 23,493 pints were collected, resulting in tens of thousands of lifesaving blood transfusions.

Producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules of Twisted Pictures remarked, “We are very proud of the continued growth and success of the SAW blood drives and would like to thank Lionsgate for their boundless creativity and the incredibly loyal SAW fans who bleed for us, literally.”

SAW star Tobin Bell, who portrays the terrifying Jigsaw, will be featured in several PSA’s advertising the SAW IV blood drive. For the fourth year, the campaign’s graphic elements will be created by Lionsgate’s Palen, an award-winning fine art photographer whose sleek, witty images of the beautiful SAW nurses have played a major role in driving traffic to previous blood drives. The SAW series is the most successful horror franchise of all time, with a worldwide box office of over $400 million. The most recent entry, SAW III, opened at #1 domestically on October 27, 2006, and opened at #1 in eleven additional countries, including the U.K. and Australia; it was the year’s top-grossing horror film, taking in over $80 million domestically and over $100 internationally. The DVD, released on January 23, 2007, repeated the success of its two predecessors as it debuted as the week’s #1 new home entertainment release, selling 2.5 million units in the U.S. and Canada in its first week alone. To date, combined sales of SAW, SAW II and SAW III DVDs total 13 million units.

The SAW IV blood drive will begin approximately two months before the film’s premiere and will continue through the first week of its release. Lionsgate and the American Red Cross will host blood drives on college campuses and other locations across the country, tapping into the desire among young people to give back in a tangible way.

So there ya have it, a teaser and proof the even psychopaths have a heart....in a jar somewhere in a closet.

HOT FUZZ 3 DISC SET

I know it's not horror. Bite me. It's a good movie.

3 disc collectors edition(due out November 27th) will have the following goodies via DVD Times.

Disc 1: Main Feature

Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
English, French and Spanish DD5.1 EX Surround
English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles
Feature Commentary with Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright
Feature Commentary with The Sandford Police Service - Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Rafe Spall, Kevin Eldon & Olivia Colman
Feature Commentary with The Sandford Village People- Kenneth Cranham, Timothy Dalton, Paul Freeman & Edward Woodwar
Feature Commentary with The Real Fuzz - Any Leafe & Nick Eckland
Feature Commentary with Edgar Wright & Guest
Outtakes
Storyboards
Fuzz-O-Meter (Trivia Track)
Inadmissible: Deleted Scenes
Fuzz-O-Meter
Danny's Notebook
Hot Funk
Theatrical Trailer
UK TVSpot 1
UK TV Spot 2
Director's Cut Trailer

Disc 2: Extra Features

We Made Hot Fuzz
Art Department
Friends & Family
Cranks, Cranes & Controlled Chaos
Here Come the Fuzz
Return to Sandford
Edgar & Simon's Flip Chart
Simon Muggs
Sergeant Fisher's Perfect Sunday
Plot Holes
Special Effects: Before & After
Video Blogs
Poster Gallery
Photo Gallery
AM Blam: Making 'Dead Right'
Dead Right (1993)
Edgar Wright Director's Commentary on Dead Right
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost Commentary on Dead Right

Disc 3: Extra Features

The Extended Fuzzball Rally
Video Blogs

OK. That's all I've got for now. Anyone have any news or things you think might be of interest to our readers, let me know. I'll get it up.
Thanks to all.

Review of Come Closer by Sara Gran

2007-08-08T20:00:00.001-07:00

Brevity is the soul of wit. Shakespeare penned those words over 400 years ago and they still hold true today. One of the best examples of this is Sara Gran's Come Closer.
In 200 pages this book takes the reader from the doldrums of everyday "perfect" life into a world where sanity, spirit and self control slowly slip out of reach.
This book is a must read for anyone who loves captivating and unsettling fiction. The story Ms. Gran weaves in 200 pages would take most authors double that to achieve.
The senses and emotions she deftly handles in those few pages lesser authors would struggle and fumble with.
Her voice is crisp, clear and razor sharp. It's tone will resonate inside you for days after finishing the story.
In short, read this book. Read it now. You will not regret your choice.

All kinds of Bigfoot Fun.

2007-05-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

That's right. It's a compilation of stories that will redefine the way readers view everyone's favorite hairy biped.

S.D. Hintz and Jerrod Balzer(with the man stuck in parenthesis Mark Mclaughlin) weave tales to shock, horrify and make people laugh.

By the end of the first story I wondered what I had gotten myself into. By the end of the second story I felt dirty. By the last page I was looking at nightmares for weeks to come.

Don't get me wrong. This book is well written. The character's personalities range from comedic to empathetic to despicable. The stories are just as varied as the people in them. Every one of them is enjoyable even if they are a bit...different.

It's a quick read(70 pgs.) so you'll be able to sit down and read straight through...if you dare.

The authors are talented, competent writers with a grasp for what will hold a readers attention. They also know what will repulse people to just the right degree. They are all strong writers. They may have severe issues they need to have settled but they're strong writers nonetheless.

So, venture over to the wooded area of the net called Skullvines and pick up a copy. You wont regret it. Just beware of tall, hairy guys with Polaroid cameras.

Magus Press' Official Sites

2007-05-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

Here are all of the places that you can find Magus Press on the web.

http://www.MagusPress.com

http://www.MagusPressBooks.com

http://www.MagusPress.blogspot.com

http://davidusmontoya.livejournal.com/profile

http://blog.myspace.com/davidusmontoyacus

Review of Serenity Falls Writ in Blood

2007-05-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

Writ in Blood tell the story of a pleasant little town in upstate New York and the man who makes it his duty to write the history of his fair town.

Through his investigations he learns the town's history isn't what many believe it to be. In actuality it's much darker and depraved.
And what does one Jonathan Crowley have to do with any of this? The answers all lie in the Falls.

I don't often recommend books to people. Everyone's taste is different and what I may enjoy, might bore someone else to tears. This is that one exception.
"Writ in Blood" is the first book in the Serenity Falls trilogy and, from page one, it grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go.

The atmosphere, characters and plots are expertly crafted by Moore. You will find yourself caring about, and hating some of the individuals in Serenity. Beautifully well written in every aspect.
The matter of fact way Moore writes lend versimilitude to aspects of the novel. I found myself wanting to look up the location of Serenity Falls. I wanted to do research on the historical characters within its pages. I had no choice, I was entranced.
If there is a book that needs to be read by fans of dark fiction or horror, this is the one. Ripe with realistic characters, believable situations and just enough uncomfortable situations to make you squirm in the right way.
Once you visit the Falls, you'll never want to leave...not that you'll be able to.

James Moore, author of the series was gracious enough to answer a few questions for me. My thanks to him for his time and talent.

Who were your influences?

Lord, that’s always a challenging question. I’ll run down a partial list: Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Clive Barker, Dick Laymon, Charles L. Grant, Anne Rice, Washington Irving, Mark Twain, John Irving, Isaac Asimov, ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson and probably about a thousand more. I think everything I?ve read has influenced me in one way or another.

'Writ in Blood" was written with three sub chapters telling, in essence, three different stories that all pertain to each other.
How hard was it to keep everything straight in your head?

Not hard at all. I think my brain is just hardwired the wrong way. I can read four books and write four books simultaneously and never lose my place. On the other hand, I can barely remember the names of my neighbors.

Why tell a story in such a way?

Part of being a writer, for me, is constantly experimenting to see what works for me and what doesn’t. In the case of SERENITY FALLS I spent a year of my life weaving a very, very big tapestry. I wanted to cover the town’s history and give depth to it before everything exploded.

Serenity Falls is so real that it could very well be my town. Did you base Serenity (or any of it's inhabitants) on actual places or people?

Wow! Thanks for that. That’s a very nice thing to hear. No, actually. I have lived all over the country and have always been fascinated by smaller towns, but I prefer to create them from scratch. Naturally, there are certain aspects of small towns that are universal, so it was just a matter of approaching them from the right perspective and incorporating them into the whole picture of Serenity Falls.

How much fun is it to write Crowley?

Well, he's the only character I've done to date who is the main hero of five novels, so using that as a guide, it's a blast. He's politically incorrect, rude, sometimes violent and the very first person to notice the flaws of everyone around him and take advantage of them.

Where did he come from?

Crowley's been in my head for years. His first appearance was in UNDER THE OVERTREE, but that's just where he showed up first. I was toying with him long before I started writing any novels. Mostly he qualifies as a "wouldn't THAT be fun" character who grew on me.

Is there any talk of a movie(s) based on the trilogy?

There have been a few nibbles of interest, but most people read to the end of SERENITY FALLS (I hope) and realize it would be one hell of a lot of work. So, unfortunately, Peter Jackson, Steven Speilberg and others have not yet come forward with any offers.

"Writ in Blood" is as astounding as it is enjoyable. Everything about the book jumps out at he reader. You capture emotion and the human condition very well. I guess my question would be, why horror?

Well, I think horror is a perfect way to study the human condition. It’s one thing to look at people when their lives are orderly, and another to see how they might crumble when the pressure is added. How can you know the difference between a buddy and a friend until you’re in a time of crisis?

The other argument is, of course, that I’d probably suck at mysteries, and I’ve never been overly fond of romance novels.

You can buy James A. Moore books at www.MagusPressBooks.com, including Serenity Falls and Harvest Moon.

Into The Dreamlands (the short review)

2007-05-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the wonderful Louise Bohmer, I was given the opportunity to preview Into The Dreamlands (Simian Publishing) edited by Jason Andrew and Michael Dyer, and featuring Louise Bohmer, Caitlin R Kiernan, Bev Vincent, Gill Ainsworth, Christa Faust, and many more.

Into The Dreamlands sports a stellar cast and although the book is about dreams, none of these stories will put you to sleep. They're not bedtime stories--their waking dreams and nightmares that keep the reader entranced by each author's style. In my lengthier review, I'll spend more time on each author. In this abbreviated article I want to focus on Louise Bohmer and Gill Ainsworth for two reasons. 1) Louise Bohmer's story impressed me and I learned that I still have a lot to learn from her. 2) This was the first story that I read by Gill Ainsworth--it deeply impressed me and was one of the most impressive contributions of the anthology.

In her story "The Book of Dreams", Louise Bohmer weaves morbid reality and surreal dreamscapes into a story that never misses a step.

Gill Ainsworth's story, Lala Salama, brings the African setting to life. She mixes a potent combination of lore, fantastical dreaminess, and well-defined characters into a molotov cocktail of a story.

I'll write more about this wonderful anthology later, covering all of the authors and spending more time on both Bohmer's and Ainsworth's marvelous additions.

Magus Press Store Updates

2007-05-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

SUPPORT INDEPENDENT HORROR!

PUT DOWN THE STARBUCKS!

MEGACONGLOMERATES & BEHEMOTH CORPORATIONS CANNOT LOVE YOU--

BUT I CAN!

Pre-Order The Sound of Horror (Joe McKinney, John Edward Lawson, Eric Enck, John Dimes, Matt Staggs, Joseph McGee...) and get Other Things Other Places FREE.

Offspring, Jack Ketchum's sequel to Off Season, comes out in June. You can pre-order Offspring now. Be sure to read Off Season before you do.

Pre-order Dead Sea by Brian Keene. Be sure to read the legendary Rising and the sequel, City of the Dead.

You can order Steven Saville's Temple: Incarnations in either hardcover (signed and limited to 100 copies) or in Trade Paperback.

Buy any signed, limited edition, hardcover and get Other Things Other Places FREE!

Buy a signed limited edition copy of Other Things Other Places and get either The Taken (Sarah Pinborough), Dead Souls (Michael Laimo), or Night Life (Ray Garton) FREE! ***

***(Do not add the book to your cart. Write in the Comments To Seller section when you check out what book you want.)

Buy Tim Lebbon's Until She Sleeps and get The Everlasting Free!

Get Live Girls and Night Life together with the Garton 2-Pack and save money in the process.

On ANY order over $25 you will get Other Things Other Places (TPB) Free (until May 9th).***

***Do not add it to your shopping cart. It will be automatically packaged with your purchase.

REMEMBER!!! IF YOUR FRIEND MENTIONS YOU WHEN THEY PURCHASE OTHER THINGS OTHER PLACES YOU WILL BE INCLUDED ON THE THANK YOU PAGE IN THE SOUND OF HORROR!!!

Big Ole Utah Lovin'

2006-04-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

There is a new show on HBO called Big Love, about a Utahn polygamist family. The show has problems, but I love it. Why? Because most of Utah hates it. They think it's vulgar and tasteless, and therefore, I find it necessary.

The writers of the show know very little about living in an Mormon family, let alone a polygamist family. Let me point out the biggest error that Big Love makes: Good, Practicing, Serious Mormons do not know how to have sex. They know insert A into B and deposit C in B. That's about as complex as it gets.

In this show the Mormon wives try new positions and give head. Utah would be an entirely different state if all of the Mormon wives started having the kind of sex portrayed in Big Love. I'm not Mormon, but I would convert. I would even commit the ultimate act of self-betrayal and...gasp...get married. Everyone needs a little carnal bliss.

Okay, I'm portraying women as sexual objects and I apologize. Objectifying women is wrong, but here's the Catch 22. If you don't objectify women, play games, and pay (the cash money) then you will die a lonely, broken idealist, clutching your chest in a gutter. Wrists slit. Empty bottle of sleeping pills in one hand. Bottle of red wine in the other hand. Rose petals at your feet.

There is an alternative. Take all the medicine that has been prescribed to me and you'll be too tranquil to inflict bodily harm. Don't worry. There are other ways to self destruct.

Big Love is a good TV show. Nothing else. It does not portray relationships in a new manner. It doesn't show Utah for what it truly is. It's simply a television show starring Bill Paxton.

If there were three women whom I love, and they loved me in return, fabulous. I don't really care though. I would settle for one person reciprocating the love that I feel for them.

"Love is just a chemical reaction which aids in perpetuating the further existence of the species," the evolutionary biologist said.

"We simply project our emotions on whatever canvas which fits our parameters that comes along," the psychoanalyst says.

"There are no gods. There is no life after death. Love is just a fairyt tale," the cynic says.

Love, in its attempt to describe the ineffable, has become a word that is as a hollow tusk of yesterday's passion.

Love is a word that communicates more than four letters can contain. So don't tell someone that you love them. I'd give advice but then someone would take it and pervert it like they pervert spirituality, art, desire, enlightenment, and progressive thinking. Then they'll bottle it up and sell it back to us.

I hope you choke on the verbal vomit which permeates your conversations, you petty players reading from scripts, prescribing to roles, and accepting a social caste system which exists in apes, gorillas, and monkeys. Then tell yourselve's you're better than animals. Society is at best an ant colony. Look at the untouchables then tell yourself how much we've progressed. Buy you're bottled liberalism from Michael Moore, buy your New Age books printed on unrecycled paper from soulless publishing houses, fight the power by buying books published by Time Warner, survive by eating the thing that will kill you, pick a politician even though they were spawned from the same womb, preach to the choir...

You can't sell revolution. You can't sell love. You can't sell life. These are things which no one can own. If they attempt to own it they are a fascist.

But in the words of Sylvia Plath, "Every woman loves a fascist."

Capitalism and Art

2006-03-30T12:01:00.000-08:00

A band is only successful on corporate record labels when the label wants the band to be successful. There are other factors, but the majority deals with marketing. You can sell shit if you market it right.

I just watched an amazing music video. The band was talented. There was something lacking.

I thought about how fun it would to make a music video. I thought, "Hey, if I'm ever going to be able to make stuff like this then I'm going to have to let a few corporations take me up the ass." Then I reconsidered. This wasn't how I wanted to make a music video.

Imagine: picking a director, a cast that wanted to perform, actual creative control, a way to express yourself, the ability to market yourself the way that you want to be seen.

Art is dilluted by the corporate process. The bands intentions are dampened by the marketing process. They become nothing more than a mimicry of what they once were.

Do it yourself.

Need a camera? Steal one. Scam one. Borrow them.

Need microphones? Steal them. Scam them. Borrow them.

Need lights? Steal them. Scam them. Borrow them.

However, never mess with independent businesses. They are the real foundation of our liberty and communities. (Theft and scamming should be a political action. Never do it out of greed.)

2006-03-18T09:19:00.001-08:00

Alien Alibis

I am used to hearing the line, "God told me to." That line is as old as the first holy book. I am beginning to get used to people saying that aliens told them to as well. That's why I like it when people are creative and add a little bit of spice to their stories.

Scott Krause's excuse for killing a UPS driver (after stealing a car and performing several other illegal acts) claims that he was escaping flesh-eating subterranean beings. I wish that they had him sit down with a sketch artist so that I could see pictures of these little monsters. Maybe I've seen them before. Maybe I know them. If so, I don't want to invite them to my next house party.

Needless to sat, Krause is putting in the insanity plea. Why? It was the alien's fault. If they hadn't been chasing him...they're at least slightly culpable for the actions that took place. If Mr. Krause cannot find justice in the criminal courts, then I suggest that he look for justice in the civil courts.

Sue those subterranean sons of bitches!

PASA (People Against Subterranean Aliens) are looking into this case seriously. If the reports are correct then they may finally have a lead on where to track them down.

"We have been looking for an entrace into their caverns for some time now," says PASA founder, Mike Hardon. "It appears that it may be in California somewhere. Probably hidden beneath the ocean. Maybe in a theme park. If not we're thinking Oregon. Maybe Alaska. North Pole. South Pole."

When asked if he really knew anything about subterranean aliens Hardon adamantly replied:

"I do know one thing. They are a threat to democracy."

I asked how.

"Things I don't like are a threat to democracy. That's just how the cookie crumbles. McCarthy didn't like commies...threat to democracy. Bush hates Iraqis...threat to democracy. Anything we don't like is a threat to democracy!"

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