HORROR ANTHOLOGY REVIEW: HEX LIFE

Hex Life
Editors: Christopher Golden and Rachel Autumn Deering
Publisher: Titan Books
ISBN: 9781789090345
Pages:378
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

This Halloween, while the kids are out trick or treating, you know its cold outside and you can cosy up with a new book that's just right for this time of year. Hex Life.

GAME CHANGERS OF THE APOCALYPSE BY MARK KIRKBRIDE

Game Changers of the Apocalypse
Author: Mark Kirkbride
Publisher: Omnium Gatherum Media
Pages: 299
ASIN: B07L8TTJQP

Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Synopsis:
It’s always the end of the world when you break up with someone. This time it really is... Everyone on the planet has mysteriously disappeared, leaving exes Greg and Polly. They've survived the apocalypse, yet shouldn't have. Battling each other and a malevolent entity that teases them with their fate, how long can they remain ahead? Even more terrifying than everyone else on the planet disappearing is what’s about to take their place…

CHILDREN'S BOOK: DEFENDERS PITCH INVASION BY TOM PALMER

Defenders Pitch Invasion
Author: Tom Palmer
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
ISBN:978-1-78112-731-5
Reading Age: 8-12
Reviewed by: Sandra Scholes

You may notice something different about this new series of novels if you are not familiar with them, these are part of the Conkers List. The point of the Conkers list was to provide children with illustrated, beautifully designed and high quality fiction from author and illustrator teams.

LOVECRAFTIAN BOOK REVIEW: RIDE THE STAR WIND

Ride the Star Wind
Edited by: Scott Gable/ C.Dobrowski
Publisher: Broken Eye Books
Reviewed by: Sandra Scholes

I recently reviewed Earth, Air, Fire and Water by Brian Lumley and remember reading other compilations of Cthulhu and Lovecraftian horror stories, and as an avid reader of cosmic weird, Ride the Star Wind felt the perfect next step book to read what I like about this rather thick book are not only the stories, I will be coming to them later. It's the 90s fanzine style cover art and interior illustrations that remind me of the good old days of Star Trek and Star Wars fandom back in the day.

NOVEL REVIEW: RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER: EVIL COMES HOME BY TIM WAGGONER

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter: Evil Comes Home by Tim Waggoner

Ever since fans of the Capcom game played as Alice or (think of other characters) it must have been pretty obvious that they would be made into movies that have been as successful as the Aliens franchise. Mila Jovovich's role as Alice made for essential viewing as she is also a gamer herself and to cap it off a fan of the game.

ADVANCE REVIEW: RELICS BY TIM LEBBON

Advance Review: Relics by Tim Lebbon

Due for release: 21st March 2017

The Silence was the last book of Tim's I read, though I do remember the movie version of 30 Days of Night did well at the cinema. Also responsible for The Cabin in the Woods, the Alien-Predator trilogy "The Rage War," and Coldbrook he has won four British Fantasy Awards, A Bram Stoker Award, a Tombstone, a Shocker and been a finalist for the International Horror Guild and World Fantasy Awards.

ANIME REVIEW: TOKYO GHOUL SEASON 1

Tokyo Ghoul Season 1
Released By: Anime Limited
Rating: 18
Running Time: 300 Mins
Audio: English DD 5.1 Japanese DD 2.0
Release Date: Out Now!
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

The manga was worth the read and the time invested in it as is the anime. If you have seen horror anime style, you will know that it's different to the Western idea of what horror is to us, and as most anime horror series are made for a teen audience, Tokyo Ghoul revolves around high schooler, Kei Kaneki who is shy around others and has a friend who wants him to have more friends and most of all get a girl. He likes taking him out to diners and that is where he meets a girl who he delights in telling him is into the same book as he's currently reading: The Egg of the Black Goat. His friend is happy for him, but love for Kei is about to get complicated. When they go out on a date, she acts as normal as she can, but hides the secret she is actually a ghoul who intends to devour him alive!

YAOI REVIEW: TAIMASHIN: THE RED SPIDER EXORCIST VOL: 5

Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist Vol: 5
Author/Artist: Hideyuki Kikuchi/Shin Yong-Gwan
Genre: Action, Horror, Supernatural
Age: 16+
Publisher: DMG
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Synopsis:

While Akamushi prepares to face the Laughing Face in one final epic showdown, he finds himself unexpectedly indisposed due to some unexpected surgery at the hands of one very deranged doctor. Is it the end for Akamushi, or does the surprise re-appearance of a certain old lady bring hope to our demonic hero and his future bride? And just who is the mysterious beautiful man with the mansion that has Akamushi's teeth set so edge? One thing is definitely for certain- Akamushi, needles of exorcism and parked cars do not mix...

HORROR REVIEW: FROM DUSK TILL DAWN SEASON 2

From Dusk Till Dawn Season 2
Released By: Entertainment One
Rating: 18
Running Time: 128 Mins
Audio: English & Japanese DD 2.0
Release Date: 27/6/2016
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

As in the movie version, the first season started out with the Gecko Brothers out on the road as serial criminals after more money. There, they found an all-night club in Mexico where they also discovered vampires who lay in wait for unsuspecting humans. Little did they know that the Gecko Brothers and co would be up for a fight against the supernatural - one that could be life-threatening for them.

HORROR REVIEW: BLACK WINGS OF CTHULHU EDITED BY ST JOSHI

Black Wings of Cthulhu 4 Edited by S.T. Joshi
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 400
ISBN-10: 1783295732
ISBN-13: 978-1783295739
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Seventeen more tales of the unsettling and darkly Gothic, inspired by the works of writer H.P. Lovecraft. As the title suggests, anyone who is interested in this kind of literature, knows what it is like to feel dread in everyday life. Readers of other anthologies from Titan Books will recognise the names of Cody Goodfellow, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Darrell Schweitzer, Fred Chappell and Melanie Tem. Special attention is also given to Charles Lovecraft, an Australian writer who changed his surname to that of the original Cthulhu author.

LIVE ACTION MOVIE REVIEW: YAKUZA APOCALYPSE

Yakuza Apocalypse
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 18
Running Time: 125 Mins
Audio: Japanese DD 5.1 & Jap DD 2.0 with English subs
Release Date: 2/5/2016
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes 

Yakuza boss, Kamiura is admired in his neighbourhood, seen as a man of the people after the global recession who takes care of those in need. He is ruthless and controls his henchmen with an iron hand, but they don't know what sort of man he is, that he is actually otherworldly.

LGBT REVIEW: WILDE STORIES THE YEAR'S BEST GAY SPECULATIVE FICTION 2015 EDITED BY STEVE BERMAN

Wilde Stories The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction 2015
Edited by: Steve Berman
Author: Various
Publisher: Lethe Press
Genre: Gay short stories, various genres
ISBN: 10: 1590212843
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Synopsis:

Wilde Stories showcases the previous year's best offerings in short gay fantasy, horror, weird, and science fiction. This volume offers readers the secret missives of Roman emperors, an ungrateful ghost haunting her father's lover, werewolves, possible vampires, and more tales of the strange and eerie blended with bit of loss and passion. Editor Steve Berman has been collecting the finest stories in the field for nearly a decade.

PRESS RELEASE: THE HALLOW

Press Release for The Hallow


The best horror film of 2015 comes to DVD 21st March and will be available for download from 7th March.

A terrifying hidden treasure, The Hallow puts an original, horrific spin on the classic fairy tale - packed with eerie suspense, blood-curdling demons, and genuinely nasty scares.

TV REVIEW: SUPERNATURAL THE COMPLETE TENTH SERIES

Supernatural the Complete Tenth Season
Distributor: Warner Home Video
Rating: 15
Running Time: 967 minutes
Release Date: 21/3/2016
Bonus Material: 322 mins
Genre: Horror/Fantasy
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

At the start of the first episode, we get to see a montage of what happened to the Winchester brothers in the previous series. When Dean had the unfortunate luck to be defeated by Metatron in the ninth season, he had been resurrected using the First Blade's power and changed into a demon, complete with the mark of Cain on his arm. Four weeks after the event, Sam is still trying to find out where his brother might be.

ANIME ARCHIVES: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO PETSHOP OF HORRORS?

Anime Archives: Whatever Happened to Pet shop of Horrors?

In a pet shop in Chinatown, Count D has a pet for everyone's taste. They find they are attracted to the shop and want to fulfil their deepest desires by looking for the perfect pet, but there is one catch, the pets aren't what they seem - D has anyone who buys the animals to sign a contract, and almost everyone breaks them in one way or another, resulting in some horrific outcomes.