I've got some news...

It's not gonna happen. I really thought I could do it but it seems that life had other plans.

For those in the know, I've been working on the sequel to The Crimson Summer. My goal was to release the book on Halloween. Unfortunately, this isn't me going "hey, the book is here and ready to go!" I really wanted to make that happen but the more things began to pile up, the more I knew the quality would suffer if I just tried to rush it to hit a deadline. And seeing as how my goal for this book is to make it as high quality as possible, I didn't feel that was fair to the readers.

The one lesson I really learned from the first book (and as obvious as it may be) was that the book is there forever. All the dumb little mistakes will always be staring back at me. I rushed the editing on Crimson Summer in order to hit a release date and I regretted it immediately. It's still acceptable and complete strangers have failed to point it out in their reviews, so it must not be too jarring. But I hold myself to a very high standard. So I really wanted to rectify that this time around.

Because of this delay (is it a delay if no one really knew my planned release date?) I do have something special. There's been a hell of a lot that I haven't even released about this book so the least I can do is a little bit more info. So how about the plot?

Liz and Chase were key survivors from the Camp Watanka Massacre. They knew The Killer would be back. They just didn't know when. 

Returning to high school, Liz and Chase do what they can to survive, as the Killer returns and the body count rises all around them. Can they survive? Do they even want to?

Unfortunately just providing a plot blurb isn't exactly groundbreaking. I felt like I needed to do things with a little more pinache. A little more zest. A little more... I'll stop. I received so many compliments about the cover for the first book that it was a no brainer to bring back by artist for book two. He's done an absolutely fantastic job, recreating something that's been in my head since I thought of the sequel.

So here we are with the cover for my second book, Crimson High.

Oh yeah.

Title announcement.

art by Alvaro De Cossio

How fucking cool is that? I still can't get over how great it turned out. I've had this cover in my head for so long that I've day dreamed about a million and a half tweaked versions and yet somehow Alvaro was able to absolutely nail it. I can't express enough just how excited I am concerning this book and the cover kicking so much ass just makes me even more pumped!

I hope you join me for another ride into my little slasher world.

COMING SOON!

31 Days of Halloween '17 - Day 31 - "Jigsaw"

Jigsaw (2017)

It's October and there's a new Saw film coming out?! Pinch me because I must be dreaming. This used to be a Halloween tradition for me through High School and College and that all came to a screeching halt with Saw: The Final Chapter. They ended the series on such a sour note that I felt there was no way the series would be coming back, unless it was through a full blown reboot. Well I guess they proved me wrong.

If you're coming into this expecting me to avoid spoilers then turn back now.

Seriously, don't read any further.

I'm about to spoil the shit out of some Jigsaw.

Okay, I warned you.

First of all, I was just happy to be in theaters watching another Saw movie. It was cool to relive that feeling. My palms were sweaty and my leg bounced with anticipation. It was finally time for another Saw. But unfortunately nothing really lived up to my sky high expectations.

I really love this series and the trailer had me pumped. I thought we were getting the kind of film that would properly reboot the series, while also paying homage to the many films that came before it. Instead we're left with a hackneyed attempted at such a thing. Fuck, that made it seem like I didn't like it. I did. I just felt it could have done better.

The writing is mostly what I have an issue with. While the twist helped to stifle some of the issues I had, that wasn't entirely the case. There was a lot that just sort of felt circumstantial and actually escapable. I liked the change of scenery to the barn but it made it so much harder to see them as being unable to escape. When there was cement and rusty old pipes, it was implied they were underground, or off in some warehouse somewhere. You're not breaking through metal and concrete. But wood? They could have 100% gotten out of there.

Then there's just a lot of silly stuff happening. Like how does Jigsaw know that Martin (I think that's the black guys name) is going to get caught in that trap and not someone else? Same with the guy that got his leg fucked up too. Everything was far too reliant on strange circumstance. I wasn't a fan. It really took me out of it, which sucked because Saw is definitely a series where you place yourself in the characters shoes. I know I wouldn't be able to get out of 95% of the traps in the series but this movie? I could escape them all. Literally every single one. It's like the writers didn't even try.

While some of the traps were cool, they mostly felt lazy. There wasn't much impact and we were mostly just left with the aftermath of them. Even the spiral saw, which seemed like it was going to be the film's coup de grace, ended up being a simple quick cut to the carnage. That's not Saw. Saw is trying to make you cringe. They didn't even create much tension with the guy hanging down. It just sort of happened.

I gotta say though, it was all worth it for that final trap. Holy shit did that look fucking crazy. Part of me wonders if they held off on showing too much in order to greaten the final blow. It's disappointing that Callum won't be back for another movie because I've loved him since Battlestar Galactica and was really hoping he'd be the new Jigsaw but that would have just been too obvious, wouldn't it? Still his death was amazing and may have been the best of the entire series.

I should say that I really think this movie is going to be better on repeat viewings. Finding out the film is half prequel is something that I think is going to greatly benefit another watch. A lot of the annoyances I had with the characters came with their ignorance to Jigsaw and how to play his games, yet it wasn't nearly as annoying once the twist happened.

And boy what a twist. Kinda.

I was pumped when John Kramer showed up in the flesh. That was my favorite moment because seeing Tobin Bell back in the role of Jigsaw is an absolute fucking treat. I liked that he could actually watch the Game happen in real time and affect the game, rather than just have everything be predetermined. But the whole "I ran this game twice" part of the twist was just fucking silly. And by silly I mean really fucking stupid. The new Jigsaw is fine but he didn't really seem to have much motivation to continue doing it. Seemed more like he was all about taking down his wife's killer and the Jigsaw things just happened to work as a means to an end.

Either way, I enjoyed what I saw and think it'll get better the next time I watch it. I think some of my character annoyances won't be nearly as prevalent and I'll enjoy it more. As of now, it's a decent entry in the series and an okay starting point for a new continuation.

31 Days of Halloween '17 - Day 30 - "Stranger Things 2 (part two)"

Stranger Things 2 (2017)

Here we go. I'm continuing from where I left off and attempting to finish the second season of Stranger Things. It's been absolutely incredible so far and I'm really excited about where this is gonna go.

Chapter Five: Dig Dug

The story between Nancy and Jonathan may be my favorite one going this season. I just find the entire thing to be so fascinating, especially with the addition of them going full on investigative journalist. They seem to have a lot better plans this season than their whole, Home Alone-style trap for the Demagorgan.

Is Will ever going to not be suffering in this show? I feel like he easily has the toughest role among the young cast and it doesn't seem like he's ever going to get better. In fact, it seems like he's just going to have to live with traveling to the Upside Down for the rest of the show so it's likely to remain the toughest role for the young actors.

Chapter Six: The Spy

That. Ending. Wow.

I knew when they introduced us to the idea of "Him" spying on them through Will that it'd be used and boy was it. Really seems like that tunnel system is going to lead to an IT-like finale and I'm so down for that. I love the different influences that this show takes on. Oh yeah, I guess I should talk about other parts of the episode.

I love this developing dynamic between Dustin and Steve. I can't say I was ever expecting to enjoy that pairing as much as I have. Though I'm pretty sure you could pair Dustin with just about anyone and it would work. He's just that kind of character.

Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister

Woah a whole episode devoted to Eleven? I feel like this is something that fans have been wanting since the shows inception and it came across...weird. Don't get me wrong, I really loved the look of the episode of the themes it explored but the tone shift felt very jarring. We went from a Spielberg movie to something else entirely and it really stood out amongst the other episodes this season.

This may seem like I didn't like it but believe me, I did. I really like that they're adding layers to Jane's personality (should I refer to her as that? It feels weird. I'm not sure if I'm going to. She'll always be Eleven to me. Wait. Is that the same as knowing someone by their holocaust number. It's not something she exactly chose or is a good memory for her... dammit.)

Ongoing...

Also, tomorrow's entry won't be in right away because I'll be actually seeing the film tomorrow afternoon, so a 6am entry would be pretty impossible.

Next Up: Jigsaw

31 Days of Halloween '17 - Day 29 - "Jason X"

Jason X (2001)

We're taking a little bit of a detour, mainly because I moved today and it was pretty hectic. I was hoping to get this up sooner but I'm on the verge of falling asleep at my keyboard and figured I'd do one of my silly guilty pleasures, good ole Jason in Space itself, Jason X.

The main reason I chose this was because How Did This Get Made recently picked this for their Halloween film and it reminded me of just why I love all the dumb stuff that inhabits its 90 minute runtime. Is it even 90 minutes? I feel like you could say this movie was 75 minutes long and I would believe you.

As I said before, I love this movie. It's silly and doesn't ever try to be anything more than a fun time at the movies. There's a high body count and they even do their best to introduce an entirely new element to Jason: Uber Jason. I liked how ridiculous it was while somehow taking place almost entirely in space and still feeling like a Friday the 13th movie. Don't get me wrong though, it also feels like a Sy Fy Original Movie.

I love how this movie randomly shifts into Aliens partyway through. It's not surprising when you hear that Todd Farmer had that in mind when he was writing the script and had it intended it to be even closer.

Next Up: ??????

31 Days of Halloween '17 - Day 28 - "Tales of Halloween"

Tales of Halloween (2015)

Good anthology films can be hard to come by but dammit if this film doesn't do a great job. I had avoided it for so long because it looked like some Trick R Treat rip-off. And while it's sort of still that, it still puts forth an effort both in the writing department, when it could have easily slacked off.

The first segment was pretty by the numbers but featured a nice little twist at the end which I enjoyed. I felt like it was odd placement as I'd say its the weakest of the entire film so could easily turn off any would-be watchers.

The segment with the little Devil kid was absolutely hilarious. What a fun concept for a horror anthology. This was easily my favorite segment, if not for the childish pranks mixed with horrific ones then for the absurd comedy. Adam Green popping up at the end was surprising but, like many of the cameos, didn't really distract from anything.

While I appreciate that they used Night of the Living Dead for the through-line of the movie, it always comes across as "We don't have any money so are just using a Public Domain movie" to me. While this may not have been true and could have been used for creative purposes but it certainly didn't seem that way.

My only real issue with the film is the segment with the kid's killing the random get together of friends. It's simply poorly directed. They didn't do a good job of showing that these people were demented and were torturing some kid, instead it looked like a bunch of staged photos for Halloween. And the fact that none of the supposed torturers showed any signs of being fucked in the head made the twist even more annoying and out of left field. They didn't even show veracity once it was shown they were getting fucked.

Next Up: The Void

31 Days of Halloween '17 - Day 27 - "Stranger Things 2"

Stranger Things 2 (2017)

This review will be updated throughout the day as I watched the episodes. No promises that I'll finish the season all in one day but dammit, I'm pumped. This is a once in a generation show and cannot be missed.

Chapter One: Max Max

Holy shit. This fucking show. I wrote that prior part before watching this episode and I can't say enough how true that statement is. There's no show quite like this and we're blessed to be around while its on. That's how good it is. Or as I like to put it: Breaking Bad-good.

I loved the expansion of showing that there are more out there like Eleven and that not all of them are good like her. Although Eight didn't show that she was malicious, as she could have killed those cops but instead just tricked them, she was clearly still stealing and in a criminal element. So she's not exactly a saint. But I love that. It makes me very curious to see how many other numbers there are out there. My theory is that most of them are dead and we'll only be treated to a select few, rather than there being a bunch to be revealed.

How about that scene with Mike trying to contact Eleven? Talk about heartbreaking. It's moments like those that really show off these kids' talents. This isn't an easy scene to pull off and he nailed it. Just like the Duffer Brothers, who continue to understand exactly what to give the fans, while also providing so many twists and turns that it falls into the rare category of unpredictable.

And how about that Eleven reveal. I'm sure the next episode is going to show exactly how she got out of the upside down but it really made me appreciate the marketing for this show. I've figured that most of the promotional stuff was from episodes 1 and 2 as to avoid spoiling Eleven's big inclusion in the group again, since she's gone at the end of Season 1. But damn near everything has only shown Eleven with the short hair again, despite her longer locks that are already on display. I think it means we're in store for a very surprising season, unspoiled by trailers--a rarity in this day and age.

Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak

I feel like I'm going to get really repetitive singing this shows praises so I guess from this point on you need to just assume the episode is phenomenal unless I say otherwise because goddamn, this show is phenomenal.

Millie Bobby Brown really gets to shine in this episode, showing more range than we got from Eleven in Season 1 (that's not a knock, more that she's developing a less stoic personality with bits of lunacy peppered in). I already can't wait for her to reunite with Mike. Their scene in the basement was heartbreaking. Made me wonder just how many times she had seen Mike, knowing he still was looking for her.

Are we getting a Gizmo style monster in the next ep? That's seems to be whats in store and, goddamn am I beyond excited for that. This show just takes every right step when it comes to story progression and including so many different elements from beloved films from the 80's while still maintaining its originality.

Side note: I had someone ask me if I thought IT was a rip-off of Stranger Things and was dumbfounded. Ohhhh my generation, everyone hates you/us.

Chapter Three: The Pollywog

So it definitely looks like we're getting a little Gremlins mini-story going on. I really like Dustin, but his odd connection with the little monster is so obviously going to turn bad that I'm surprised, given his nerd status, that he doesn't see that. I feel like writers sometimes don't give enough credit to nerds for their recognition as these types of scenarios are what these types wish would happen to them in real life. I know I did.

I also made the mistake of watching episodes three and four back to back without writing a review in between, so those two episodes have kind of blurred together a tad. So forgive me if I screw something up.

How great is it that the standard parental advice of "Stand and face your attackers" ended up completely biting Will on the ass. I mean, I'm not sure that Sean Astin's character is ever worth really taking any advice from. Speaking of which, I definitely thought Astin was going to be someone working for The Man (this is what I'll be referring to those dummies since I don't think they've been given a specific name... outside of the Department of Energy haha). He seems to be just a goofy Radioshack employee though, without even the hint of maliciousness. I hope that sticks.

Oh! I know! This didn't happen this episode but how great is the hint towards a past relationship between Hopper and Joyce. I like that it's not directly addressed but really tenses up any scene that they're in together.

Chapter Four: Will The Wise

I really wasn't expecting Eleven to get an actual name. I'm not sure why but it just never occurred to me that it was even something that would be brought up. I like the name Jane but also felt it was a little... plain (pun definitely intended). I think that scene when she goes and sees her mom through the radio for the first time may have been enough to earn her an Emmy. It was that good.

I'm glad that Nancy and Jonathan weren't actually stupid enough to get caught by The Man. It's always a pleasant surprise when character exceed my own expectations of them and, after Nancy's ridiculous proclamation that she had killed Barb (she didn't... at all. That's a dumb level of guilt. Quit being a dummy, Nancy), I wasn't sure if she'd redeem herself. Well boom, redeemed.

Ongoing...

Next Up: Tales of Halloween

31 Days of Halloween '17 - Day 26 - "Residue"

Residue (2017)

Dammit. God. Dammit. Why can't I catch a break when it comes to these stupid movies? I was probably tricked by Costas Mandylor in the photo (he's Jigsaw's protege in the Saw series, which I'm a huge fan of). I thought it would at least be cool but unfortunately the film really fails in its lead and doesn't provide much of anyone to root for.

The cover really made this look like some crazy Re-Animator/Demon hybrid but it's not really that. It's more like a monster film that doesn't really know what it wants to be. Is it a crime film? Is it gross out horror? Is it demonic horror? It kind of does a mix of all of it but doesn't really commit to any of it so we're left with a rather soulless film.

There are some decent parts, I particularly liked how the environment reacted when the book was read. It was more than just the simple lights flashing and things shaking and even added a kill element that I thought made it stand out a little.

Next Up: Stranger Things 2

31 Days of Halloween '17 - Day 25 - "Ghost Team"

Ghost Team (2016)

Jon Heder in a ghost hunting movie with some of the best character actors under 40? If you're like me, you saw this movie pop up on Netflix and thought "How the hell did this movie get past me?" Well the answer is pretty simple: It's only kinda okay.

Boasting such a great cast meant my expectations may have been a little high, but ultimately there just weren't enough laughs going around. The film never really got going and always seemed to be servicing a plot that wasn't really important. I wish they had gone with more of a Scooby Doo angle than the angle that was used.

Justin Long steals the show every time he's on screen and this is coming from someone who isn't always his biggest fan. I think what works so well is that he plays against type and is more of a brainless military weirdo than his usual schtick. And he fucking nails it. I would watch several more movies with his character.

In the back of my head I keep hoping that this film will be better on a rewatch but I doubt it's gonna happen. Instead I'm just left with an average movie that should have been a lot more fun than it was. Damn you, Netflix!

I don't know why I'm screaming at Netflix but someone has to be blamed and I don't feel like looking up the director/writers/producers

Next Up: 1922