Paranormal Anti-Romance, anyone? The Gloom Queen is coming soon!
Follow me on twitter or facebook for updates, and sign up here to get a free copy when it comes out!
Tripping the Dark Fantastic – Arcana 2015
2015 marks the 45th Arcana, Convention of the Dark Fantastic. This three-day convention was held at the Best Western hotel at Bandana Square in St. Paul, MN.
The con is intended for fans and creators of dark fiction, dark fantasy, dark sci-fi…
…let’s be honest, “Dark Fantastic” sums it up quite well.
Guests of Honor this year were Catherine Lundoff and Benjamin Percy. [Read more…]
New Dark Fiction – The Whisper Jar by Carole Lanham
[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”160″ identifier=”B00XMCQYC6″ locale=”US” src=”https://conradzero.com/wp-content/uploads/41ILlziAsoL.SL160.jpg” tag=”zero00b-20″ width=”109″]If you’re looking for a quick, dark, well-writ-read, look no further. My sister in darkness, Carole Lanham (USA Today Bestselling author of The Reading Lessons) is re-releasing her awesome collection of short stories – The Whisper Jar.
The revised version of The Whisper Jar includes creepy pictures and a new cover which out-creepifies the old cover, and that is no small task.
Review of The Whisper Jar
The following is an excerpt from my original review:
The Whisper Jar blends dark and sometimes paranormal situations into the really-real everyday world with clever writing, an Edgar Allen Poe sensibility, and a splash of Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things. Carole Lanham writes in her own carefree but intuitive voice. Audiences will slip into these short stories as easily as they would a warm bath, only to be surprised at how quickly the waters deepen. Those looking for a variety of dark character studies, whimsical situations and disturbing relationship dynamics will enjoy The Whisper Jar.
Check out the full review here: Dark Fiction Review: The Whisper Jar by Carole Lanham
The Whisper Jar on Amazon.com
The Whisper Jar is available on amazon.com in ebook format for only .99 so go check it out!
[easyazon_link identifier=”B00XMCQYC6″ locale=”US” tag=”zero00b-20″]The Whisper Jar on Amazon[/easyazon_link] (Affiliate Link – thanks for your support!)
Free $15 iTunes Gift Card! – Check out The Devil’s Hand #DevilsHand
The Movie, The Movie Game and The Free iTunes Gift Card!
Thinking about having a creepy Halloween get-together? Download The Devil’s Hand and throw a #ProphecyParty as well. Download the free Prophecy Party instructions, invite 5 friends over and follow the instructions to see who will survive! [Read more…]
Free DVD/Blu-Ray Of Horror Movie The Conjuring – #TheConjuring
Did you see the horror film The Conjuring in the theater? Love it? Hate it? Doesn’t matter. You want the DVD/Blu-Ray that’s coming out on October 22nd anyway. Wanna know why?
- Behind.
- The.
- Scenes.
I saw the Conjuring on DVD and stayed up way too late watching the behind the scenes. They were every bit as creepy as the movie itself! See interviews with those who lived out the real events dramatized in the film.
If you haven’t seen The Conjuring yet, here’s what you’re missing:
Based on a true story, the movie tells the horrifying account of how famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were summoned to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse which they recently bought. In fighting this powerful demonic being, the Warrens find themselves in the middle of the most terrifying case of their lives!
And I’m giving away a Free copy of the DVD/Blu-Ray of The Conjuring here on November 3rd!
Cool! How Do I Win A Free Copy Of The Conjuring on DVD/Blu-Ray?
On Sunday, Nov 3rd, I’ll select one lucky member from the Cult of Zero as the winner! If you’re already a member, you’re already entered in the drawing! If you aren’t a member, well… why the hell not? I’m giving away so much free stuff, it’s costing you money NOT to join!
Sign up to be included in the drawing right here:
Giveaway Rules (and other things the lawyers make me include…)
On the due date, I’ll contact the winner by email and they have 24 hours to respond with their mailing address. Prizes are deliverable to US and Canada only. Prizes will be sent by Fed Ex or USPS, so No PO Boxes please.
If the winner does not respond within 24 hours, or cannot provide a mailing address meeting the requirements above, I’ll select another winner.
Each household is only eligible to win 1 The Conjuring Blu-ray via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
5 Horrific Facts About The Conjuring
Below are interactive gifs and cool facts about The Conjuring. Run your cursor over the images for a horrific, interactive experience, and good luck on those free tickets!
1) The Conjuring is directed by the acclaimed James Wan, the Australian-born director of the fright-fests Insidious and the Saw series. His Twitter handle is @CreepyPuppet. Say no more.
2) The Conjuring has been given an “œR” rating by the MPAA. Not because of blood, gore, or violence, but simply because it”™s just so scary from start to finish!
3) The Conjuring’s cast and crew experienced creepy events during filming. Scratches appeared out of nowhere on Vera Farmiga’s computer soon after she agreed to act in the movie, the crew were routinely woken by something in the ‘witching hour’ between 3 and 4AM, and the real-life Carolyn Perron fell and broke her hip while visiting the set.
4) The Rhode Island farmhouse where The Conjuring is set once belonged to an accused witch, Bathsheba, who tried to sacrifice her children to the devil and killed herself in 1863.
5) Hold your applause! The Conjuring will make you terrified to clap! Whether it”™s playing a traditional game of hide-and-seek by following the clapping sounds like the mother and daughter in the movie, or being terrorized by ghostly claps in different rooms of the haunted farmhouse, these claps throughout the movie will give you the creeps!
Dark Fiction Review – Northwoods Deep by Joel Arnold
[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”500″ identifier=”B003UHVXCE” locale=”US” src=”https://conradzero.com/wp-content/uploads/51XSYYWmnQL.jpg” tag=”zero00b-20″ width=”328″]Review Disclaimer
A few disclaimers about this review before I get started:
- I know Joel Arnold personally. He is a fellow member of the Minnesota Speculative Fiction Writer’s Group.
- I purchased Northwoods Deep from Joel directly.
- I do not owe Joel money from an old gambling debt involving Jagermeister, a Trampoline and a Super-Soaker. No matter what he says.
- I was not compensated for this review. (But I do get some love if you follow my links to Amazon, which helps offset my webhosting fees and various addictions which may involve Jagermeister, Trampolines, and Super-Soakers…)
File Under Horror
With that out of the way, I can tell you it’s been a while since I’ve read real Horror like this. It was refreshing to read something that was not chilling, dark, or edgy, but actually horrifying.
If Twilight read Northwoods Deep, it would die of fright. [Read more…]
Arts of Darkness – The Shadow of Approval Award
Since 2003 I’ve been writing blog-reviews here about dark and beautiful things. I’ve used the category Ubercool to reference arts, artists, events and things that I think are glorious. And I never once worried that anyone would read them.
But now, my site traffic and ranking have increased to astonishing levels. My inbox is filled with requests for reviews and offers for paid advertising. You read that right. Paid. Advertising.
“You should have an award. You know, like a seal of approval!”
Ten years ago, I felt like the weird kid sitting by himself and reading Lovecraft while listening to Marilyn Manson. Now I feel like some kind of Dark Fiction Authority. The Goth Guru? The Hipster of Darkness? [Read more…]
Monster Movie Review: Mega Python Vs Gatoroid
[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”500″ identifier=”B004QDW2CQ” locale=”US” src=”https://conradzero.com/wp-content/uploads/61ojoYYgEpL.jpg” tag=”zero00b-20″ width=”355″]Someone sold their soul to the Gods of Hipster-Pop-Culture-Soft-Porn to get this movie made.
I’ll be honest, even if former-teen-pop-princesses Tiffany and Debbie Gibson weren’t in this movie, I still woulda watched it. Because there’s three things you know for sure about a movie named Mega Python Vs Gatorord: [Read more…]
Horror Movie Review – “Out There” by Randal Plunkett
I recently reviewed Randal Plunkett’s short film Walt and was pleased to see he has another short film making the festival circuit called Out There.
The story starts with the main character (Conor Marren) regaining consciousness in the woods. He has blood trickling from a head wound, and no idea where he is or what happened. We follow him backwards and forwards in time as he investigates the local area in the present, interrupted by flashbacks of memories from the past, (including the delicious Emma Eliza Regan.) Time-hopping can be a frustrating experience if done incorrectly, but the writing and editing in Out There are so clean that you always know exactly when and where you are in the story. It’s fun to discover the story along with the hero as he recovers his memory.
Unfortunately, what happened in the hero’s past is just as horrible as what’s going on in his present, and the two storylines converge in a horrible decision and an ending that gave me goosebumps.
Similar to the style of Walt, this story eases you in, taking the time to descend through genres of mystery into thriller/suspense and finally, horror.
Once again Randal’s work is impressive in both pre and post production. The acting, set design, cinematography and editing in Out There are all worthy of large-scale distribution. One thing that really stood out for me was the sound. Having worked at a recording studio and recording audio for film, music, and audio podcasts for over a decade, it’s safe to say I’m more sensitive to audio than your average person. But too many movie makers overlook (or underestimate) the effect of the sound. What kind of music to use, how much to use, and even when to leave it out are things that more movie makers should work on, but Randal Plunkett and his crew have a really good grasp of how to use sound effectively. From the score to the ADR to the foley, the sound in Out There is excellent.
Out There is only showing in festivals right now, so keep an eye out for it and other projects by Randal Plunkett. Randal Plunkett on YouTube. IMDB. Facebook.
Check out the trailer for Out There below:
Minnesota Speculative Fiction Writers Group Podcast – Episode 15 – Writing Horror Fiction
Join the MNSpec writers’ group in a round-table discussion on writing horror fiction. We talk about what works, what doesn’t, what did work in classic horror stories, and speculations about what might work in the future of horror fiction:
PODCAST: Writing Horror Fiction