Craig Stewart's Worship Me is a roller-coaster ride into the dark heart of human nature, one which will leave an indelible imprint on the reader's mind. The novel's true strength lies in its depiction of the human animal – its hopes, its fears, its weaknesses. It cannot be overstated how challenging it is for a… Continue reading Review: Worship Me by Craig Stewart
When people, whether it be friends, family or casual acquaintances discover I write, I get the usual ‘what’ followed all too quickly by ‘are you the new JK Rowling’ (of course she is obviously the only famous woman writer on the planet)? But then what follows is a usually a little trickier for me to… Continue reading Guest Blog: T.R. Hitchman
Writing effective, evocative short stories is a challenge for any writer, no matter the genre—but one can argue that it is exceedingly difficult for the writer of horror. There is a certain amount of requisite detail, a balanced level of development in regard to mood and setting that is key to successfully drawing a reader… Continue reading Review: Dreaming At the Top of My Lungs
A short but terrifying ride. In Virginia, William Esmont confronts us with a dreadful question: exactly how far would you be willing to go in order to save a loved one? For Ray Shelby, the answer is pretty far. Much in the vein of Stephen King’s short story “Quitters, Inc.” and David Fincher’s film The… Continue reading Review: Virginia by William Esmont
Transcending time and place, the figure of the vampire—in one form or another— has been present in the mythology and folklore of cultures the world over. Typically ingrained within systems of religious belief, the creature often served as a means of reinforcing spiritual practices and social values—a reminder of the inherent dangers of straying from… Continue reading The Vampire
The concept of the dead returning to life is ancient, leading all the way back to the cave. Of course this was in a supernatural sense – the revenant, the zombie, the vampire, creatures caught between this world and the next. These archetypes persisted in cultures the world over, haunting dreams, shaping belief systems, influencing… Continue reading Horror Convention: Reanimation
In The End Is All We See, authors M.F. Wahl and A.J. Brown offer two finely crafted tales of what this reviewer would term “environmental horror.” Here the settings themselves are the antagonists, pitting the characters against natural threats – both the elemental and the alien. This theme is not a new one, though uniquely… Continue reading Review: The End Is All We See by M.F. Wahl and A.J. Brown
William Cook is a painter of impressions and moods, artfully rendering complex, authentic characters and weaving a twisted, darkly psychological narrative. In his exploration of the minds of a pair of prolific serial killers (those peculiar creatures of popular morbid interest), Cook introduces us to the Cunningham brothers – products of a long hereditary line… Continue reading Review: Blood Related by William Cook
The introductory chapter to W.J. Renehan's The Art of Darkness: Meditations on the Effect of Horror Fiction - Why is it that we so often turn to works of horror fiction as a source of entertainment when they should, by all rights, turn us off completely? Why should we pay good money to be scared… Continue reading The Art of Darkness – Introduction
I recently revisited an old favorite and thought I’d sit down and share some thoughts on it. One cannot meaningfully discuss the overall effect of Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot without considering the concept of horrific metonymy. The idea, as you may already know, is a simple one: that an antagonist can be rendered more frightening… Continue reading A Look at ‘Salem’s Lot
Dark Hall Press 