Tag Archives: horror

March 26, 2023 · 3:38 pm

Women in Horror Month: Bad ass Women in Horror Movies

Merry meet all,

March is now Women in Horror Month. That is cause for celebration! Although in my opinion, it’s every month. I opted to write a post for the WIHM- Women in Horror Month. I am reposting the article here and I am so happy to see it online! The topic of my post is Badass Women in Horror Movies. 

So let’s hear it for these dangerous femme fatales! Enjoy

Badass Women in Horror Movies — Heddy Johannesen

Caution: May contain spoilers.

To celebrate Women in Horror Month, this post is about the most badass women in horror movies. This is a great roundup. Women in horror used to cower in the presence of murderers or gaze longingly at the male hero’s chiseled face. They often needed to be saved. Women now have the most central role in horror movies, evolving from the damsel in distress to becoming the final girl, or eventually even the protagonist. Most of these strong female characters began as bookish or timid then revealed their tougher true natures. You might feel as if you need to keep an eye out, sitting next to some of them in an auditorium.

Ellen Ripley: Alien

It can’t be the most bad ass women in horror list without including Ellen Ripley from Alien. She is the tough as nails protagonist who set a new standard for women in horror, sci-fi and action. She single-handedly braves a ferocious alien creature that murders her crew, saved her cat and escaped the vicious creature’s claws. She is the best final girl ever.

Imperator Furiosa: Mad Max: Fury Road

Charlize Theron plays Imperator Furiosa in the movie Mad Max: Fury Road. She stands up to toxic masculinity and sets out to rescue her young charges from a cruel man Immortan Joe and leads a rebellion against tyranny.  

Clarice Starling: Silence of the Lambs

Clarice Starling is a young FBI agent working on a case to catch murderer, Buffalo Bill. She forms an unlikely friendship with the fierce cannibal, Hannibal Lecter (who had been caught years earlier) as she tries to glean the inner workings of the mind of a killer. She shows true courage and unparalleled determination.

Sarah Connor: The Terminator 1 & 2

Sarah Connor starts as a waitress destined to be a mother to John Connor. She fights against brutal cyborgs that want to kill her bloodline. Her protectiveness and her razor-sharp instincts were key in her transformation from waitress to warrior.  

Lady Van Tassel: Sleepy Hollow

Double, double, toil and trouble! Lady Van Tassel is definitely trouble. She has a bad grudge and strong desire for money and dominance and will use her witch powers and intelligence to get exactly what she wants. Even if that means practicing necromancy in secret and summoning the cunning and deadly Headless Horseman to cut off people’s heads. Beware.

Helen Lyle: Candyman

Helen Lyle is a grad student who has a strong interest in myths and folklore. She moves to a town filled with fear about the legend of the Candyman. She doesn’t believe it (at first). But she is soon drawn deeper into the mystery, and comes face to face with the one-armed murderer herself.

Ginger Fitzgerald: Ginger Snaps

Two sisters flirt with death. On the night of a full moon, Ginger is bitten by a werewolf and she begins to change psychologically and physically. She kills off a janitor, counselor and a local drug dealer. Her struggle with her newfound identity is a poignant metaphor for adolescence and puberty.

Alice: Resident Evil

Alice wakes up with amnesia in a classy mansion. She slowly regains her memories and battles zombies, discovering who she really is along the way. As her identity is revealed to her, so is the secret information about dangerous illegal experiments. She defies the Red Queen, who released amnesia-causing nerve agents into the lab.

Lydia Deetz: Beetlejuice

The goth clairvoyant and troubled teenage daughter is the only one to see the recently deceased Maitlands in her new home. It had been theirs before they passed away. She befriends them and helps them scare away the living, but when the Maitlands summon Beetlejuice to boot the new residents out, Lydia helps the dead couple save the day.  

Laurie Strode: Halloween

A high school babysitter who just wants a normal life encounters a knife-wielding madman named Michael Myers. She’s a survivor, and she outwits the seemingly unstoppable horror movie icon,  demonstrates strength and bravery throughout.  

Kirsty Cotton: Hellraiser

Kirsty Cotton may have accidentally summoned the Cenobites. Instead of running scared, she makes a deal with the demons to bring them to the skinless Frank who is back from the dead, willing to murder innocent victims. When the demons begin to prey on her next, she banishes the leather clad monsters back to their own hellish realm.

Meg Penny: The Blob

Meg is not your typical teenage girl. Though she catches the attention of a local football player Paul Taylor, she is a brave and determined young woman. A mysterious asteroid lands on earth near her town, which releases a strange gelatinous substance that munches on people. Meg rescues her loved ones, learning that the blob hates cold, along the way. Armed with knowledge that no one else could figure out, she saves the town.

Carrie White: Carrie

Is Carrie a victor or a victim? You decide. A teenage girl lives at the mercy of her religious zealot mother and the bullying schoolgirls. But things start to change when she discovers she has telekinetic powers. When she is doused in pig’s blood at the prom, Carrie unleashes her fury and powers in one of cinema’s most memorable scenes. No one gets out alive.

Thomasin: The Witch

Thomasin is a good girl at the beginning of Robert Eggers’ movie The Witch. But when her baby brother goes missing, and a series of tragic events cast her as the villain, Thomasin becomes the one thing her paranoid family accuses her of being: a Witch. Rather than run from the coven of satanic witches in the woods responsible for murdering her family, she makes a pact with the devil and joins them in a bold statement about female empowerment.

Annie Wilkes: Misery

The seemingly sweet and reclusive nurse, Annie Wilkes, loves to read romance novels. She rescues Paul Sheldon, a novelist who just survived a car accident and traps him in her home. He soon discovers help is never coming. Annie wields a sledgehammer and forces him to write a new novel.

Akasha: Queen of the Damned

Some doors are best left closed. When a vampire with a thirst for vampire and mortal blood resides behind those walls, it is clear why they should remain hidden. Lestat’s violin music reawakens Akasha, and she revels in a blood driven rampage.

Pamela Voorhees: Friday the 13th

Pamela is burdened by teenage pregnancy, mental health issues, single motherhood and a disabled son. It is all too much for her. After her disabled son drowns, she feels a strong compulsion to murder camp counselors whether they are innocent or not.

Lucille Sharpe: Crimson Peak

Lucille Sharpe is beautiful and darkly charismatic. But don’t let her fragile beauty fool you, she survived abuse as a child and turned to her brother Thomas for love. She is an insane murderous woman. Don’t get caught in her clutches.

Jennet Humfrye: The Woman in Black

Based on the novella written by Susan Hill, the woman in black is formidable. She forever mourns the loss of her own child. She haunts Eel Marsh House as a malevolent wraith and murders all the children in the neighborhood. Her story is a tragic reminder of the horrors that can befall women.

Grace Stewart: The Others

Ah motherhood. The joys – and sorrows. Grace protects her two light sensitive children from any threat, whether spectral or real. The beautiful home is cast in darkness and secrets. But it is soon discovered that the war and the isolation it inflicted on her is too much for her. So, she smothered her two children and killed herself. They are the ones haunting the home. But once the secrets are revealed, the ghost children can now play in the sunlight.

***

Heddy Johannesen is a conjuror of Gothic Fiction. She has written for many horror magazines such as Polar Borealis, Handbook of the Dead, The Feminine Macabre, Paranormal Chronicles, Untimely Frost, Samhain Secrets, One Night in Salem, Wax & Wane: A Gathering of Witchy Tales, Witches and Pagans Magazine, Horror Novel Reviews: One Hellacious Halloween. Heddy Johannesen has 14 years of experience as a freelance writer and a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She successfully graduated from an online Copyediting Certification course through Writer’s Digest University. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association. She attended the virtual Horror Writers Association StokerCon writing convention in 2021 and in 2022. She’s a writer with a fascination for the paranormal. Find her on Twitter at @magicka66

Blessed be, Spiderwitch

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December 2, 2022 · 10:57 pm

My fave horror authors!! )O(

Merry meet all,

I love my new spooky  shower curtain from Killstar. The curtain came with black shower rings for hanging it up. I could not ask for more. The bland white shower curtain I will give to my Mom. She likes white and I love black. We are so different. I mean very different from each other. I am waiting for a pair of Dark Lord slippers to be delivered today’s also bought from Killstar. The slippers arrived! The Dark Lord shall keep my feet warm this winter!!! 

I can’t wait for my slippers. My feet are shivering! Speaking of shivering, the Wheel of the Year turns to the Winter Solstice. I can’t believe it is that time of year. I have decided I will set up my goth tree.  I made some cute gnome ornaments last year. I want to dig them out this year. 

I totally binge watched the Wednesday series on Netflix. I was blown away by the show. Wow,  I love it. Let’s not leave out Krampus. 

I want to sew a lot of kitty catnip pouches and donate them to an animal shelter. I bought cute fabric the colour of pink or lavender. The fabric has a cute cat print on it and is made of flannel. I’m going to buy a huge amount of catnip to stuff the pouches with. I can’t wait to donate them. I plan to sew the pouches at my Mom’s. If I do it here, Penny will never let me get anything done. Yeah cats love catnip, which is why this will work. 

Giving is important at this time of year. I feel like Santa Paws, donating hand sewn items to an animal shelter. Every one of those cats (and dogs) wants a home. I hope to brighten their days they spend at the shelter, hoping against hope they will be adopted. I am sure the donations are appreciated by the staff and hopefully the kitties will love the pouches too. I may add some doggy bones for their canine pals too. 

I want to post about the horror authors I truly admire: Tim Waggoner. I love this author. Waggoner is contemporary and is so good, keeping horror at the forefront for readers and making horror relevant!!! I admire him very much, so amazing and down to earth. 

Tim Waggoner’s latest novel is titled We will Rise. I can’t wait to read it. I love books in print. I am not a Kindle chick. I will buy it on Amazon or Indigo. The book is about a ghost apocalypse. I am so intrigued! 

‘He’s the author of the acclaimed horror-writing guide Writing in the Dark, which won the Bram Stoker Award in 2021. He won another Bram Stoker Award in 2021 in the category of short nonfiction for his article “Speaking of Horror,” and in 2017 he received the Bram Stoker Award in Long Fiction for his novella The Winter Box. In addition, he’s been a multiple finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award and the Scribe Award, and a one-time finalist for the Splatterpunk Award. In addition to writing, he’s also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio.’ Credit given to http://www.scottedelman.com/2022/12/02/tim-waggoner/

I have Tim Waggoner’s book Writing in the Dark which won a Bram Stoker Award. Writing in the Dark is an awesome textbook Writing in the Dark.  I  love it! He also did a follow up on Writing in the Dark with a workbook. I have both and I do use them for my own writing. If you are serious about writing, horror specifically, you will find these books most valuable. It is chock full of writing advice and tips you could find it hard to get elsewhere. He also offers advice from many other authors, not just him. I love that the other authors are included. Most books don’t offer that. This makes the book far more awesome. 

I am so happy that Waggoner authors are publishing books like these. I recently penned a novella. I hope to get it published. I nominated Tim Waggoner for a Bram Stoker Award. I believe he deserves it. He is so cool too. Maybe someday I can meet him. I hope he continues to publish such amazing books. Well I want that too. I think my writing path is easier and brighter with Tim Waggoner! We are all a global community and we can support each other in our writing. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

http://www.scottedelman.com/2022/12/02/tim-waggoner/

 

 

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May 10, 2022 · 11:37 am

StokerCon 2022

Merry meet all,

StokerCon is only 2 days away. I am so excited!!! I stocked the pantry and want to tidy up, but I would say I am mostly prepared. Polar Borealis just released their newest issue #21. Polar Borealis contains my poem, ‘The Frightened Spirit’, in the online magazine. Here is the link to it: https://polarborealis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/POLAR-BOREALIS-21-May-2022.pdf  

Enjoy! 

I want to tell you, dear readers, all about StokerCon in this post. StokerCon is the annual convention hosted by the Horror Writers Association wherein the Bram Stoker Awards for superior achievement in horror writing are awarded.

‘In 2022, when May rolls around and we gather in Denver for StokerCon®, the convention will have a new look. For the first time, we will offer three different experiences: the typical in-person event, a simultaneously held virtual convention hosted on Hopin (similar to 2021), and a combination in-person and virtual experience.

We learned valuable lessons from StokerCon® 2021 about the benefits of a virtual convention. We expanded our access to attendees throughout the world. The “hang out bars” gave us a way to reconnect after a year of lockdowns and cancelled events. We mitigated somewhat the time zone concerns by posting recorded panels, readings, and presentations. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

After some discussion, we decided to continue the virtual offering in addition to our regular in-person convention. But why an in-person and virtual option?

By offering a joint in-person and virtual option, we expand the programming offerings and the options by which attendees choose to participate. The virtual platform will host panels different from the in-person event, along with an expanded list of author readings, all prerecorded so you can view them during breaks in the Denver event. We hope to live stream certain Denver panels (to the extent our technology will allow) for our virtual attendees, but also record them, and make them viewable for everyone on Hopin. Have friends who could not travel to Denver but who will be present virtually? The “hang out bars” will return!

Here’s the real benefit, though. In 2021, we ran an encore of the virtual convention. We will do the same for 2022. Too busy during Denver to check out the virtual content or attend all the panels? You will have time after you return home to see it all and catch up on what you missed.

Our goal is to present the most robust programming coupled with the widest access for all who wish to attend or participate. We felt these three options helped us achieve that goal to its fullest potential.

Stay safe and healthy.

We hope to see you in Denver in 2022. 

James Chambers and Brian Matthews

Co-Chairs, StokerCon® 2022′

Credit given to: https://www.stokercon.com/post/stokercon-2022-the-hybrid-convention

The main events at StokerCon are the Final Frame Short Horror Film Competition, the Bram Stoker Awards, the Ann Radcliffe Academic conference, author signings and readings, and the panel discussions. I intend to enjoy every moment of it with a few glasses of nice red wine. Oh yes indeed! I will post all about it here when it’s over. So stay tuned! 

My seedlings are doing well. It won’t be long when I can plant them outside. I have a few weeks yet. I have a feeling this may be my best garden year yet. 

Me, bored? Nah

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January 12, 2022 · 10:29 am

An Encounter with a Shadowman

 

Merry meet all,

The post below is not for the faint of heart. ! Read on if you dare. 

 

Contact with a Shadowman

Neuroscience and Paranormal Believers Have Different Theories

Person touching window
An Kirillova / Getty Images

A shadow person is a humanoid figure that you perceive in a patch of shadow. Some believe that they are supernatural spirits or extradimensional beings.

Most encounters with shadow people—those smoky, person-shaped entities that move around in the dark—are fleeting glimpses. They are seen out of the corner of your eye, swiftly passing across a wall or ducking around a corner. You may wonder if the rational explanation for these quick glimpses are that they are imagined or just ordinary shadows of some kind. Maybe they’re real, maybe they’re not.

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How to Conduct a Paranormal Investigation

Another kind of shadow person encounter—a close encounter of the second kind, to borrow J. Allen Hynek’s UFO classification system—is rarer and more compelling. The witness sees the shadow entity for an extended period, not merely a passing glance. It could be for a half minute, a few minutes or even more. The witness can often also detect human-like movement: the raising of an arm, the turn of a head, or walking. The witness gets a pretty good look at the thing and is able to describe it in some detail. Very often, these detailed descriptions compel the witness to ascribe an intelligence to the specter. It’s not just a shadow, it seems to be an entity that moves and even reacts with purpose.

A shadow person encounter of the third kind is rarer still: contact. In this case, the witness actually is touched or is otherwise affected physically by the entity.

The Nature of Shadow Beings

These perceptions of shadowmen often occur when you awaken partially and are in the stage of REM sleep paralysis. You are semi-conscious but your vivid dreams from REM sleep continue and you can experience hallucinations, including that there is an intruder in your bedroom. During this phase, you are unable to move or speak but your senses seem to be clear. Neuroscientists sayat least 20 percent of the population experiences these sleep paralysis episodes. Researchers have reproduced these feelings by stimulating a site in the brain’s left hemisphere.

When you are fully awake but hyper-vigilant, such as when walking alone at night, you might become fearful of any shadowy movement and imagine a threat.

Heidi Hollis wrote a book on shadow people, “The Secret War: The Heavens Speak of the Battle,” and appeared often on Art Bell’s “Coast to Coast AM” radio show to discuss the topic. She believes they are aliens and gives advice on warding them off. Shadow people have been the topic of horror movies and a 1985 “Twilight Zone” episode.

A Shadowman Encounter

Michael W. tells of his close encounter in the fall of 1998. It has many typical characteristics, including that his perceptions happened when he awoke during the night. He had just purchased a home and spent the day painting it before moving in. His friends left for the night but he decided to sleep in a bean bag chair. He awoke in the middle of the night feeling thirsty and went into the dark kitchen for a glass of water.

“That’s when I got a distinct feeling that someone was watching me. There at the top of the basement stairs and in front of the light switch, I could distinctly make out the figure of what I automatically assumed was my good friend Larry.” He called out to the figure, which didn’t respond. “I was still absolutely convinced that I was looking at a living person. My guard went up with the dangerous possibilities of who it could be.” He took out his pocket knife in case he needed to defend himself.

“Then in an instant, the shadow moved forward in my direction. I lunged forward with the knife extended outward. I saw the shadow move into my arm as if deliberately trying to impale itself on my weapon, and it kept on coming!” He screamed and the entity continued straight through his body.

“I spun around in a circular motion 180 degrees. I saw the shadow moving at an almost leisurely pace away from me. It proceeded through the large kitchen, into the adjoining dining room, and finally through the wall that would have led outside if it were a door.” He finally turned on the light switch. Wide awake now, he searched the house, found nothing, and evacuated to his old apartment for the rest of the night.

He never had a repeat of that encounter while living in the house. Of note, he said he wondered whether he was thirsty due to the paint fumes. A rational explanation would be that those could have been an influence, as well as an episode of a hallucination associated with sleep paralysis. He wondered if it might be associated with the address ending in 666 and that the house was aligned with magnetic north.

Credit given to: https://www.liveabout.com/contact-with-a-shadowman-2596372

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December 16, 2021 · 11:09 am

In memory of Anne Rice

Merry meet all,

As I type here, snow flakes fall softly. I love this part of winter. New snow is so pretty. I want to honour the memory of Anne Rice. She was a unique and prolific writer. I love the tale of Interview with a Vampire. Let’s all take a moment to cherish her memory. I watched the. movie the other night!

Now that my own horror novel might be published, I hope to continue on the tradition or join the roster of dangerous dames who dare to write horror. I am elated! This is just too exciting. I am thrilled because I do have a story to tell and share with the world. I have practiced my writing a lot and I have a lot already published. The ghost in my story steals the show, in my opinion. I don’t know where something so dark came from in me but I will think of it as the dark cauldron of the Goddess giving me the inspiration. I can now share it with the world. 

Now, onto other news. Today our journey takes us to this story of a clairvoyant gentleman who lives in Britain. 

‘I saw dead people aged 10 – and I’ve met the Black-Eyed Child and creepy man-monkey’

I grew up near Britain’s most-haunted town and have experienced all sorts of spooky and unexplained encounters myself – starting with the haunting of my great-uncle, writes paranormal investigator and author Lee Brickley

Letting children watch movies like Ghostbusters at the age of five is a risky business. Some kids will get scared and hide behind the sofa; others will keep their bedroom light on all night for weeks.

Me? I saw a career path.

I might not have a proton pack or a catchy theme tune (yet), but over the last ten years, I’ve become one of the UK’s leading real-life Ghostbusters – at least, that’s what Eamonn Holmes called me on ITV’s This Morning during an interview about Black Eyed-Child sightings at Cannock Chase.

I can’t give Hollywood films all the credit for my interest in the paranormal though. While they definitely opened my eyes to the strange and unusual, it was a series of experiences in my childhood home that cemented the obsession at ten years old.

When sitting in the living room during the evening hours, I would often see shadows moving slowly across one of the walls behind our sofa. My father would see them too, although he’d talk about something else to draw my attention away.

Have you ever seen a ghost? Tell your story in the comments below

Paranormal investigator Lee Brickley says he was haunted from the age of 10 by the ghost of his great-uncle

Paranormal investigator Lee Brickley says he was haunted from the age of 10 by the ghost of his great-uncle

Lee has spotted the Black-Eyed Child and what he believes is the British Bigfoot during his investigations

Lee has spotted the Black-Eyed Child and what he believes is the British Bigfoot during his investigations

There was another time when I walked into the kitchen in the middle of the night and a single cup was violently swinging from side to side under a cupboard. It was hanging from a hook alongside multiple other cups that were all motionless.

Years later I learned that my great uncle died in that house, and my father now tells me he believes our deceased relative was behind the haunting.

I grew up in a small mining town near Cannock Chase, a large spooky forest in Staffordshire where people have seen ghosts and all manner of supernatural creatures for many years. It therefore seemed logical for someone with my interests to investigate these sightings further, and that’s precisely what I’ve done..

So far, I have written and published four books on the subject of weird happenings in the area, and my latest title Ghosts Of Cannock Chase : Terrifying Reports Of Paranormal Activity From The UK’s Most Haunted Town is selling exceptionally well.

This image taken by psychic Christine Hamlett in 2014 appears to show a figure praying in the dense woodland of Cannock Chase – a hot-spot for sightings of the Black-Eyed Child

This image taken by psychic Christine Hamlett in 2014 appears to show a figure praying in the dense woodland of Cannock Chase – a hot-spot for sightings of the Black-Eyed Child (

Image:

Handout)

According to many locals, the woodland is home to spirits, werewolves, black-eyed children, a pigman, and allegedly, even Bigfoot.

During my investigations, I’ve interviewed lots of seemingly genuine people who claim to have seen something scary in the forest, and I’ve even had a couple of unexplainable encounters of my own.

In April 2018, I believe I saw the infamous Black-Eyed Child in an area of Cannock Chase called Birches Valley. She appeared about a hundred metres in front of me, stared right at me for about thirty seconds, then vanished without a trace.

In June 2019, I saw what can only be described as a man-monkey running through the woods when I was investigating an alleged Bigfoot footprint – I wrote another book that covers this investigation called On The Hunt For The British Bigfoot.

Lee has written a number of books about his experiences with the paranormal

Lee has written a number of books about his experiences with the paranormal

Being able to spend my time writing about the paranormal is both a gift and a curse. On the one hand, I get to live my dream of investigating the unexplained and gathering evidence of the supernatural. On the other, people tend to give me a very funny look if I’m asked to explain what I do for a living at dinner parties.

I’ve never told anyone this before, but the career advisor at my high school laughed when I told her I wanted to be a ghostbuster. She said it wasn’t a real job and I could earn more money working in a factory.

But as I sit here ready to continue writing my fifth book about a frightening poltergeist case in Birmingham, I can’t help but smile and take comfort in the fact that my career advisor was definitely wrong, and she isn’t laughing any more.

If investigating ghosts and writing about the paranormal has taught me anything, it’s that worrying about what other people think is pointless, and no matter what those naysayers might insist, NOTHING is impossible.

An old ghost-hunter once told me that reality is barely understood, and possibility is limitless.

That’s why I believe in the paranormal… and it’s also why I believe in myself.

Read More

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Blessed be, Spiderwitch

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November 8, 2021 · 5:09 pm

Hamilton House gets restored for spooky visitations

Merry meet all,

Wow, I just found out that Discovery Plus is now available in Canada!! Happy dance, happy dance. OK I can now watch The Haunted Museum video anthology. I am so happy. I have seen the episodes on Youtube. Also, speaking of horror, let’s acknowledge that today is the birthday of Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula. Bram Stoker left behind a legend and a legacy, one which most of us are familiar with. Bram Stoker lived from November 8, 1847- April 20, 1912.

Hey dear readers! I found yet another awesome Canadian paranormal story for you! Enjoy!

Winnipeg’s Hamilton House, known for paranormal activity, getting restored

Winnipeg –

Fans of the paranormal have a chance to spend the night in a historic Winnipeg house known for its eerie history and brushes with the unexplainable.

Hamilton House has been purchased and restored by Cheryl Wiebe, owner of Gags Unlimited.

Her plan is to move the store into the bottom level and rent out the two, top levels that were used as residential apartments on Airbnb, giving guests the chance to have an encounter with the home’s storied spirits.

“It might happen. I can’t guarantee,” Wiebe told CTV News. “We have a book library, we’ll have a video library though for anyone waiting for the ghosts, so something you can sit back and relax at.”

Why does this house have such a reputation for the paranormal?

The Henderson Highway house was once owned by Dr. T.G. Hamilton, a Manitoba physician, MLA, and school trustee, and his wife Lillian.

According to the University of Manitoba Library Archives, the couple became interested in spiritual communication after the death of their three-year-old son Arthur in 1919 from Spanish flu.

As the couple tried to reconnect with Arthur, their home became the meeting place of a circle of spiritualist mediums, hosting numerous séances, trance states, and psychic readings.

Over 700 archival images donated by the Hamilton family to the U of M show alleged instances at the home of telekinesis, teleplasm, and other psychic phenomena.

Since buying the home, Wiebe said she has had a few unexplainable experiences of her own.

“My personal experience is when I was waiting for the appraiser and I was at the front counter, which is right 10 feet from the door, and I heard a knock at the door,” she recalled.

“I went to go and answer the door and it is glass, and nobody was there. So I went to the back door thinking someone was there, that it was the appraiser and nobody was there.”

Wiebe said a similar experience happened when she was renovating the home with her son. He went to use the washroom and heard a knocking sound. When he returned, he asked his mother if it was her.

“I said, ‘I’m not knocking. I was hanging wallpaper.’ He said ‘I was downstairs and somebody knocked on the door,’ and he knocked on the wall. He said it was clear, like that,” Wiebe explained.

Our own CTV News Photojournalist Zachary Kitchen had a few eerie moments himself when shooting interviews at the home. The batteries on many of Kitchen’s electronics died unexplainably. Additionally, a ring that was found buried in the carpet during renovation unexplainably made its way into Kitchen’s wagon that was hauling his camera gear. He discovered it while unloading his equipment for the shoot.

“It seemed very strange to have a ring pop into my wagon all of a sudden,” he said. “Cheryl said that the ring was on the counter, and she doesn’t know how it ended up on the wagon.”

Psychic Medium Bernice Bisson said she too feels a strong, paranormal presence in the home.

“When I had the opportunity to read from this house over last summer, I had so many paranormal activities going on. I had so many unexplained noises, doors opening and closing, things going on,” she said.

“This place had such a great history and as I delved into the history, I started to figure out who these paranormal entities who were showing up, because they belong to the house.”

Wiebe hopes to start taking guests in early November, and hopes to open the storefront soon after.

“So people can come and experience Hamilton House for themselves,” she said.

Credit given to: https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg-s-hamilton-house-known-for-paranormal-activity-getting-restored-1.5634457

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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September 19, 2021 · 9:20 am

Dangerous Dames: Women who write Horror

Merry meet all,

I’m posting this article here for my dear readers. I was surprised to discover I was mentioned in the article. What an honour! Enjoy!!

Dangerous Dames: Women Who Write Horror

Amy Grech

Dangerous Dames: Women Who Write Horror

I started writing seriously in high school after reading several of Stephen King’s novels; I got hooked on horror at the tender age of twelve when an aunt gave me a copy of Cujo. I’ve been reading Stephen King’s books ever since. Growing up during the 1980s, I noticed there weren’t very may women writing scary stories. Inspired, I set out to change that. Why should men have all the fun, writing frightfully good fiction? After all, women are highly attuned to emotions — clearly capable of delivering subtle scares, as well as visceral visions that linger long after the reader turns the final page.

Horror is such a primal emotion. Humans have always endured dread — it’s enmeshed in our subconscious — the very essence of our being. Countless stories have been told about what scares us; an innumerable amount await.

When I first submitted my stories for publication, I encountered lots of rejection. Uncertain if this was because I was a woman, or due to the fact I was new to the genre, I eschewed self-doubt and quickly progressed from form rejection letters to the inclusion of personal comments, which proved quite useful. Fears unfounded. As the submission process evolved from via snail mail — don’t forget to include a SASE — to email, and ultimately Submittable, I grew bolder, grateful for Editors’ comments and fresh perspective, which enabled me to grow as a writer and submit my work to another market, where it was usually accepted.

After several stories found homes in various magazines, I challenged myself to send stories to anthologies and have been published in several. Such an honor when Editor Billie Sue Mosiman invited me to submit a story to Fright Mare, an all-female author anthology published in 2016, that featured stories by: Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Elizabeth Massie, Kathryn Ptacek, Loren Rhoads, Lucy Taylor, just to name a few. Twenty authors in all. It’s a fantastic compilation that demonstrates that women can write frightfully-good fiction!

As a female horror author, several male authors have asked how I manage to write men so well. They’re curious about my process for capturing different nuances and mannerisms. My answer is shockingly simple: I write from experience — the men in my life, past and present provide ample inspiration for my characters. Over the years, I’ve based male characters in my novellas and stories on co-workers, ex-boyfriends, or family. No man that crosses my path is safe from scrutiny.

Whether it’s his piercing blue eyes, the scuff of his beard when he kisses me, or the quiet desperation of a homeless man camped out on the sidewalk in front of his cardboard condo, rattling— clink, clink, clink — a dark, blue paper cup full of grimy change and crumpled dollar bills that says, IT’S OUR PLEASURE TO SERVE YOU in wavy, white letters that rise like steam, I’m always focused on minute details. A casual passerby that interests me starts out as a character sketch in a little, red notebook I carry with me everywhere, and if he’s interesting enough, I’ll flesh him out and work him into my latest novella or story.

I’ve been a published horror author for over twenty-five years, and while I’ve had my fair share of successes, there have been a few daunting experiences, too. I despise the misconception that only men can write effective horror. During the mid-1990s, when I started to attend conventions, I was one of a handful female horror authors there, part of a vast minority. We women banded together, seeking camaraderie.

When I first started out, I felt a bit intimidated by all of the male horror authors gathered together. I had male horror authors come up to me and ask, “Who are you here with? Where’s your boyfriend?” I would muster up some courage and say, “I’m here promoting my work. Come check out my reading at 3:00 p.m.” And some of those guys would show up and admit afterward that I’d managed to scare them.

The horror genre is a bit of a boy’s club, no doubt about it. The odds are stacked against female authors, but creative, ambitious women will always find a way to run with the boys. Besides me, over five hundred successful horror authors come to mind: Megan Abbott, Maria Abrams, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Linda Addison, Erin Al-Mehairi, Ania Ahlborn, Christy Aldridge, Viotlet Allen, C.S. Alleyne, Scarlett R. Algee, Scarlett Amaris, Gemma Amor, Meghan Arcuri, Kristen Arnett Margaret Atwood, Carmen Baca, Eugen Bacon, Suzanne Baginskie, Patty Barrué, Meghan Ball, Zuzanne Belec, Nico Bell, Jennifer Bernardini, Carina Marie Bissett, T.L. Bodine, Ava Black, Joanna Ho Bradshaw, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Theresa Braun, Jennifer Brody, N.M. Brown, Tiffany Michelle Brown, Jennifer Brozek, Nadia Bulkin, Liz Butcher, Chesya Burke, R.A. Busby, P. D. Cacek, Shelly Campbell, Somer Canon, Tracy Carbone, Ann Dávila Cardinal, Christa Carmen, Elsa Carruthers, Clare Castleberry, V. Castro, Catherine Cavendish, Autumn Christian, Zen Cho, Jennifer Preston Chushcoff, Kristin Cleaveland, Donyae Coles, Jen Conley, S.H. Cooper, Tracy Cross, Jennifer Crow, Elizabeth Crowens, Nicole Cushing, Nina D’Arcangela, M. Lopes da Silva, Victoria Dalpe, Chelsea Davis, Randee Dawn, Sandy DeLuca, Kristi DeMeester, A.K. Dennis, Shawnna Deresch, Amanda Desiree, M.M. De Voe, Theresa Derwin, Ellie Douglas, Tananarive Due, H.B. Diaz, Denise Dumars, Sarah Duck-Mayr, Megan Jauregui Eccles, Inna Effress, Tori Eldridge, Meg Elison, Stephanie Ellis, Kelly Evans, Destiny Eve, Tracy Fahey, Gabrielle Faust, Alyson Faye, Epiphany Farrell, Kelly Florence, Geneve Flynn, Gillian Flynn, Dona Fox, Sara Gran, Graylin Fox, Lara Frater, Fran Friel, Laura Frost, Doungjai Gam, Holly Rae Garcia, Rhonda J. Garcia, Cate Gardner, Kristin Garth, Lisa Garvey, Fiona Maeve Geist, Christine M. Germain, Emma J. Gibbon, Megan Giddings, Jill Girardi, Sephera Giron, Larissa Glasser, Elana Gomel, Jewelle Gomez, Jennifer Anne Gordon, Courtney Gould, Misha Green, April Grey, K.C. Grifant, Taylor Grothe, D.M. Guay, Jessica Guess, Carol Gyzander, Meg Hafdahl, Polly Hall, Elizabeth Hand, Eve Harms, Rachel Harrison, Meghan Hart, Rachel Sadie Hartmann, Maria Haskins, Shannah Heath, Wendy Heard, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Nicole Henneman, Christina Henry, Karen Heuler, Laurel Hightower, Alicia Hilton, Rowan Hill, Jennifer Hillier, Nancy Holder, Kat Howard, Claire C. Holland, Emily Hughes, D.K. Hundt, June Hur, Tonya Hurley, Natalie Ironside, Vanessa Jae, Ruthann Jagge, Serena Jayne, Kenzie Jennings, Miranda Jewess, Heddy Johannesen, Carole Johnstone, B.F. Jones, Lisa Jones, Rhonda Jackson Joseph, Mona Kabbani, Magda Kaluzynska, Jo Kaplan, Alma Katsu, Laura Keating, Erinn Kemper, Caroline Kepnes, Cassandra Khaw, Nancy Kilpatrick, Gwendolyn Kiste, E.V. Knight, Gini Koch, K.H. Koehler, Kathe Koja, Samantha Kolesnik, Stevie Kopas, Jean Hanff Korelitz, Barbara Krasnoff, Naomi Kritzer, Monica Kuebler, Debbie Kuhn, K.P. Kulski, Laura Kurtz, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Carrie Laben, Red Lagoe, N.R. Lambert, Angela LaManna, Charie D. LaMarr, Jess Landry, Michelle Lane, Sarah Langan, Marie Lanza, Tara Laskowski, Estelle Laure, Shannon Lawrence, Deborah LeBlanc, Heather Levy, Beverley Lee, Ginger Lee, Lindsay Lerman, Susanne Leist, Tonya Liburd, Patricia Lillie, Livia Llewellyn, Lori Lopez, Erin Louis, Lynn Love, Leslie Lutz, Donna Lynch, Sian MacArthur, Carmen Maria Machado, L.L. Madrid, Katie Manning, Caitlin Marceau, Chris Marrs, Gretchen Felker-Martin, Rena Mason, Laura Mauro, Catherine McCarthy, J.A.W. McCarthy, Angel Leigh McCoy, Kathryn E. McGee, Seanan McGuire, Jessica McHugh, Mandy McHugh, Claire McKenna, Angel McCoy, Jennifer McMahon, Lauren McMenemy, Gale Meadows, Maryse Meijer, Claudette Melanson, Melissa Mendelson, Helen Merrick, Toni Miller, Renee Miller, S.P. Miskowski, Villimey Mist, Archita Mittra, Carole Ann Moleti, Hillary Monahan, J.H. Moncrieff, Sarah Moorhead, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Briana Morgan, Christine Morgan, Tiff Morris, Laura Morrison, Lisa Morton, J. Motoki, Cheryl Mullenax, Amy-Jean Muller, Allison Mulvihill, Iseult Murphy, Ksenia Murray, Lee Murray, Mae Murray, Ilana C. Myer, Natasha Nafrini, Fergal F. Nally, Victoria Nations, Annie Neugebauer, Mari Ness, T.J. Newman, Heidi Nickerson, Thana Niveau, Christi Nogle, Columbkill Noonan, Rachel Nussbaum, Joyce Carol Oates, Ihuoma Ofordire, Nnedi Okorafor, Nuzo Onoh, Mallory O’Meara, Cindy O’Quinn, Marie O’Regan, Kelli Owen, Kathy Palm, Adele Park, Ash Parsons, Joanna Parypinski, Alison Peirse, Cynthia (Cina) Pelayo, Mocha Pennington, Jessica Peter, Kate Reed Petty, Lydia Peever, Sarah Pinborough, Sarah Pinsker, Janine Pipe, Hailey Piper, Charlotte Platt, Molly Pohlig, Dea Poirier, Cherie Priest, Lydia Prime, Lisa Quigley, Monique Quintana, Stephanie Rabig, Mary Rajotte, Gina Ranalli, Tonia Ransom, Tina Rath, Sarah Read, Paula R. C. Readman, Dixon Reuel, Kelly Robinson, Zin E. Rocklyn, Marsheila Rockwell, Betty Rocksteady, Eva Roslin, Eden Royce, Sian Rosé, Diana Rowland, Karen Runge, Erica Ruppert, Lindy Ryan, Sumiko Saulson, Veronica Schanoes, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Cat Scully, Barrington Smith-Seetachitt, Ali Seay, Lora Senf, Priya Sharma, Deborah Sheldon, Natashia Sinclar, Jennifer Soucy, Yolanda Sfetsos, Katherine Silva, Hildy Silverman, Marge Simon, Natasha Sinclair, Angela Slatter, Zhanna Slor, Angela Yuriko Smith, Farah Rose Smith, Christina Sng, J. Snow, Lucy A. Snyder, Monique Snyman, Jennifer Soucy, Jessica L. Sparrow, Zoje Stage, Caitlin Starling, Jessica Stevens, Jan Stinchcomb, Roni Stinger, J.A. Sullivan, Madeleine Swann, Morgan Sylvia, Angela Sylvaine, Mitzi Szereto, Anna Taborska, Denise N. Tapscott, Sonora Taylor, Sara Tantlinger, Cassandra L. Thompson, Brenda S. Tolian, Gaby Triana, Dani Trussoni, Ash Tudor, Elle Turpitt, Mary Turzillo, Tlotlo Tsamaase, Lisa Tuttle, Cameron Ulam, Gina Urso, Genevieve Valentine, Emily Verona, L.C. von Hessen, Roxie Voorhees, Damien Angelica Walters, Wendy N. Wagner, Holly Walrarth, Colleen Wanglund, Holly Lyn Walrath, Antonia Rachel Ward, Catriona Ward, Kyla Lee Ward, Kaaron Warren, Erica Waters, Vera West, Kimberly White, Sheri White, Tara Stillions Whitehead, Marie Whittaker, Hannah Whitten, Leslie Wibberley, Monica Wilcox, Fran Wilde, Emma-Claire Wilson, Mehitobel Wilson, Nicole Willson, Cassondra Windwalker, A.C. Wise, Kimberly White, Christa Wojciechowski, Nicole Wolverton, L. Marie Wood, T.L. Wood, Alex Woodroe, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Lou Yardley, Mercedes M. Yardley, Pauline Yates, Joy Yehle, and Jessica Ann York.

I’ve gotten to know many of these lovely ladies at various conventions and also on Twitter. I’ve noticed that we have several personality traits in common: We’re all extremely ambitious and self-assured — we’re not afraid to speak our minds — we’re also very outgoing and savvy.

At StokerCon™, in historic Providence, Rhode Island, I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel comprised solely of female horror authors. In addition to myself, panelists included Meghan Arcuri, Mary Ann Back, April Grey, andElizabeth Massie. We packed the room and had a lively discussion about the trials and tribulations of not only how we survive in the male-dominated horror genre, but how we manage to thrive! Our legions are growing — we know no bounds…”

I am so proud to be a part of this!!

Come on girls, sharpen your pencils and voodoo quills. You’ve got work to do!

 

https://crimsonscreams.medium.com/dangerous-dames-women-who-write-horror-daf6dabbade8

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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May 25, 2021 · 1:54 pm

The 2021 StokerCon Horror Writing Convention

Merry meet all,

I’m writing this post to share my experience at StokerCon with my dear readers. It was the most inspiring, badass, and educational event of my life. It was so cool to sit there ( and I had to, as it was virtual and I seriously hurt my back) with other like minded people. The organizers, panelists and attendees were so nice! 

The event began on May 20th to May 23rd. The Horror Writers Association used Hopin for a virtual platform. Over four hundred and sixty people attended the convention. Hopin was a very interactive platform. There was a live chat which I just loved. Breakout sessions, live discussions, and the Ann Radcliffe conferences which was several live videos and discussions of themes related to horror were also offered. I watched almost every single Breakout session. There were so many to choose from.   Someone could pitch to an agent/ editor and participate in the Bram Stoker hangout bars or the Mary Shelley hangout bar, the Shirley Jackson hangout bar or the Edgar Allan Poe hangout bar. 

The Breakout sessions are discussions shared by panelists online. I was able to watch them in the discussion. Live chats made it easier to partake in the session. I watched the following sessions: The Current State of Publishing, A Genre by any other Name, Professional Etiquette: The Business Side of Publishing, The Appeal of a Good Scare, Tone and Setting, Thrilling Communities with Chilling Experiences, How Dialogue can Make or Break a story, the Guest of Honour Reading: Joe Lansdale, Totally Bloodless Horror Promotion, The Scary Truth about Horror reviews, Nightfire Fall Spotlight, How to Make a Career of Writing, Interview with Joe Lansdale, the Interview with Steve Tem, Mentorship in the HWA, What makes a book cover Good, History of the Gothic Horror Folklore, the Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony and the Sixth Annual Final Frame Short Horror Film Competition. But I loved the most the Breakout sessions!! I also viewed the American Female: Gothic, Classic Horror’s Timeless Appeal, the Panel on The Author-Editor relationship in The Horror Genre Author Newsletter as well as a few author readings. 

I also watched the Bathing Beauty: Violence and Vulnerability in the Showers of Horror, Blood Milk and Teeth, It’s Still Alive, Alive!, Real Vampires: The Reflection of Otherness in the lBloody Mirror, “That so wicked mouth”: Rabies, Nymphomania, and the Monstrous New Woman in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Why is this Possession Different Than All Other Possessions: Jewish Exorcism Films. Those videos were fascinating. So many people let themselves believe that a dybbuk box is actually possessed by a demon or even that Annabelle doll. I don’t believe they are. The Possession video proved it. 

A few more highlights of the convention were the Film Competition and the Bram Stoker Awards. On Saturday night I watched the Final Frame 6th Annual Short Horror Film Competition. The videos were all scary and amazing! The sound and audio quality were amazing!! I voted for the best film I watched. 

The Horror Writers Association is proud to announce the winners of our Final Frame Film Festival that took place during our first virtual StokerCon.

The Final Frame Film Festival is chaired by Jonathan Lees, Final Frame Director and our Director of Film Programming, StokerCon.

This year our judges were ALEJANDRO BRUGUES, GRADY HENDRIX, BECK KITSIS, CARLEN MAY-MANN, LISA MORTON, and ED POLGARDY. 

The GRAND PRIZE goes to Tony Morales for Abracitos

1st Runner-Up to Brian Sacca for Joanne Is Dead

2nd Runner-Up is to Trish Harnetiaux for You Wouldn’t Understand

Best Writing in a Short Film is a tie!

Brian Sacca for Joanne Is Dead

and Trish Harnetiaux & Jacob A. Ware for You Wouldn’t Understand

Audience Award goes to Tony Morales for Abracitos

You can read more about Final Frame here:

http://stokercon2021.com/?p=141

Abracitos used almost no music. That made the fear of the actors in the movie far more real. In fact, the lack of sound was extremely effective at making the fear unbearable and real to viewers because all you could hear was their breathing. Wow. Amazing film. 

Here are the winners of the Bram Stoker Awards: 

Announcing the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards® Winners

Los Angeles, May 22, 2021

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy, announces this year’s Bram Stoker Awards® winners at a virtual ceremony during StokerCon™ 2021. “This year’s winners reflect a deep range of works from a competitive field,” said John Palisano, HWA President. “The winners and finalists truly represent a broad spectrum of titles in horror and dark fantasy. HWA members and awards juries have shown dedication and objectivity to the selection process for outstanding works of literature, cinema, non-fiction, and poetry.”

We proudly provide the list of talented winners along with the finalist nominees. 

Superior Achievement in a Novel

Winner: Stephen Graham Jones – The Only Good Indians (Gallery/Saga Press)

Also nominated:

Alma Katsu – The Deep (G.P. Putnum’s Sons)

Todd Keisling – Devil’s Creek (Silver Shamrock Publishing)

Josh Malerman – Malorie (Del Ray)

Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Mexican Gothic (Del Rey)

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

Winner: EV Knight – The Fourth Whore (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Also nominated:

Polly Hall – The Taxidermist’s Lover (CamCat Publishing, LLC)

Rachel Harrison – The Return (Berkley)

Ross Jeffery – Tome (The Writing Collective)

Kate Reed Petty – True Story (Viking)

Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel

Winner: Adam Cesare – Clown in a Cornfield (HarperTeen)

Also nominated:

Daniel Kraus – Bent Heavens (Henry Holt and Company/Macmillan)

Monique Snyman – The Bone Carver (Vesuvian Books)

Aiden Thomas – Cemetery Boys (Swoon Reads/Macmillan)

Erica Waters – Ghost Wood Song (HarperTeen)

Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel

Winner: Nancy Holder, Chiara Di Francia, and Amelia Woo – Mary Shelley Presents Tales of the Supernatural (Kymera Press)

Also nominated:

Steven Archer – The Masque of the Red Death (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Jennifer Brody and Jules Rivera – Spectre Deep 6 (Turner)

Rich Douek and Alex Cormack – Road of Bones (IDW Publishing)

Alessandro Manzetti and Stephano Cardoselli – Her Life Matters: (Or Brooklyn Frankenstein)Independent Legions Publishing)

Steve Niles, Salvatore Simeone, and Syzmon Kudranski – Lonesome Days, Savage Nights(TKO Studios)

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

Winner: Stephen Graham Jones – “Night of the Mannequins” (Tor.com)

Also nominated:

Gabino Iglasias – “Beyond the Reef”(Lullabies for Suffering: Tales of Addiction Horror)(Wicked Run Press)

Gwendolyn Kiste – “The Invention of Ghosts” (Nightscape Press)

Jess Landry – “I Will Find You, Even in the Dark” (Dim Shores Presents Vol. I)(Dim Shores)

Sarah Pinsker – “Two Truths and a Lie” (Tor.com)

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction

Winner: Josh Malerman – “One Last Transformation”(Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors)(Written Backwards)

Also nominated:

Meghan Arcuri – “Am I Missing the Sunshine?” (Borderlands 7) (Borderlands Press)

Kurt Fawver – “Introduction to the Horror Story: Day 1” (Nightmare Magazine Nov. 2020, Issue 98)

Cindy O’Quinn – “The Thing I Found Along a Dirt Patch Road” (Shotgun Honey Presents, Vol. 4: Recoil) (Down and Out Books)

Kyla Lee Ward – “Should Fire Remember the Fuel?”(Oz is Burning) (B Cubed Press)

  

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection

Winner: Lee Murray – Grotesque: Monster Stories (Things in the Well)

Also nominated:

Kathe Koja – Velocities: Stories (Meerkat Press)

John Langan – Children of the Fang and Other Genealogies (Word Horde)

Patricia Lillie – The Cuckoo Girls (Trepidatio Publishing)

Anna Taborska – Bloody Britain (Shadow Publishing)

Superior Achievement in a Screenplay

Winner: Leigh Whannell – The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, Goalpost Pictures, Nervous Tick Productions)

Also nominated:

Scarlett Amaris and Richard Stanley – Color Out of Space (SpectreVision)

Misha Green – Lovecraft Country, Season 1, Episode 1: “Sundown” (Affeme, Monkeypaw Productions, Bad Robot Productions, Warner Bros. Television Studios)

Misha Green and Ihuoma Ofordire – Lovecraft Country, Season 1, Episode 8: “Jig-a-Bobo” (Affeme, Monkeypaw Productions, Bad Robot Productions, Warner Bros. Television Studios)

Angela LaManna – The Haunting of Bly Manor, Season 1, Episode 5: “The Altar of the Dead” (Intrepid Pictures, Amblin Television, Paramount Television Studios)

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

Winner: Lee Murray and Geneve Flynn – Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women(Omnium Gatherum Media)

Also nominated:

Michael Bailey and Doug Murano – Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors(Written Backwards)

Samantha Kolesnik – Worst Laid Plans: An Anthology of Vacation Horror (Grindhouse Press)

Sara Tantlinger – Not All Monsters: A Strangehouse Anthology by Women of Horror (Rooster Republic Press)

Mercedes M. Yardley – Arterial Bloom (Crystal Lake Publishing)

Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction

Winner: Tim Waggoner – Writing in the Dark (Guide Dog Books/Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Also nominated:

Florence Kelly and Meg Hafdahl – The Science of Women in Horror: The Special Effects, Stunts, and True Stories Behind Your Favorite Fright Films (Skyhorse)

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas – 1000 Women in Horror (BearManor Media)

Brian Keene – End of the Road(Cemetery Dance Publications)

Alison Peirse – Women Make Horror: Filmmaking, Feminism, Genre (Rutgers University Press)

Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr. – The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Adaption(McFarland)

Superior Achievement in Short Non-FictionWinner: Tim Waggoner – “Speaking of Horror” (The Writer)

Also nominated:

Rhonda Jackson Joseph – “The Beloved Haunting of Hill House: An Examination of Monstrous Motherhood” (The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Adaptation)(McFarland)

Cynthia Pelayo – “I Need to Believe” (Southwest Review Vol. 105.3) 

Kelly Robinson – “Lost, Found, and Finally Unbound: The Strange History of the 1910 Edison Frankenstein” (Rue Morgue Magazine, June 2020)

Christina Sng – “Final Girl: A Life in Horror” (Interstellar Flight Magazine, October 2020)

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection

Winner: Christina Sng – A Collection of Dreamscapes (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Also nominated:

Alessandro Manzetti – Whitechapel Rhapsody: Dark Poems (Independent Legions Publishing)

Jessica McHugh – A Complex Accident of Life (Apokrupha)

Cynthia Pelayo – Into the Forest and All the Way Through (Burial Day Books)

Sara Tantlinger – Cradleland of Parasites (Rooster Republic Press)

Named in honor of the author of the seminal horror novel Dracula, the Bram Stoker Awards® are presented annually for superior writing in eleven categories including traditional fiction of various lengths, poetry, screenplays and non-fiction. Previous winners include Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, George R. R. Martin, Joyce Carol Oates and Neil Gaiman. 

So, as you can see from the above, StokerCon was a smashing success!!! Four hundred eighty five people attended the virtual convention with a ninety percent turn out!! Two thousand eight hundred people have subscribed to the Horror Writers Association Quick Bites newsletter. The Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony had a grand total of twelve hundred views with over four hundred people who watched!! There were 18,000 views and chats during the whole convention. There were a total of one hundred forty votes for the Film Competition. These shy high statistics reveal a growing enthusiasm for horror in all its ravenous blood thirsty forms. Horror has not died! The beast is alive and well and tugging at its’ Damascus steel chains!

I hope this continues into the future, however horrifying that may be!!

Horror was never meant to be compartmentalized, confined, or stamped, shipped and packeged into one solid predefined shape. I now know that like the fanged vampire, a convulsing werewolf or mummy in shreds it changes form, breaks out of its cage and along iwth the changing times, it changes. It pulses and breathes, drinks blood and yet invites us along as it keeps changing with the times.

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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October 12, 2020 · 12:43 pm

Writing Modern Horror

Merry meet all,

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Here is my blog post that I wrote for the Horror Writers Association annual Halloween Haunts blog post event. 

Enjoy.

Horror has a seductive hold on us. Horror is like a tentacle crawling from the crypts of our darkest dreams to suck us into horrific nightmares. If done properly, it casts a dark magic, sending chills down readers’ spines.

Now is the time, now is the hour. In my opinion, horror movies such as Insidious 1-2, The Possession of Hannah Grace, and Sinister aren’t scary to me. I am an avid writer of horror fiction and I am well read. In order to give readers or viewers the fright royale, readers should be too afraid to not leave the lights on all night and hide under the covers. And curse the writer because they can’t put the book down.

The writer must make extra effort to horrify jaded readers. There is a difference between horrifying and terrifying. One of the two you experience more deeply. Terror is more potent. I won’t watch The Exorcist which deals with similar themes as the movies mentioned above. The Exorcist doesn’t turn away from the revolting horror, it stares it in the eye. It makes you look too, when you don’t want to. -and doesn’t let go. The same is true for Silence of the Lambs. But it doesn’t need to gross readers necessarily just to be scary.

Novels such as Dracula and Frankenstein reflected the time or era in which they were written. In Victorian times, darkly romantic fanged noblemen were scary because the society had different fears and beliefs about death than now. Those fears wouldn’t faze us today. Anne Rice made vampires intimidating and sexy. That is why the novels were successful. Today, writers like Suzanne Collins draw from what they view in the world today. We are more sophisticated now yet desensitized at the same time.

If you are interested in penning a horror story, I suggest the following tips: Get out of your own comfort zone. Change the environment where you write. Bring your writing pad, coffee, and lurk in a cemetery, visit a haunted location or a morgue, or research the folklore of your hometown. You might create something original, which can be helpful. Go on a trip to a quiet seaside town that has a paranormal history. Be safe as you explore new eerie cemeteries or towns. Getting out of your comfort zone breathes new life into your writing. Buy a tarot deck to inspire you, read dark poetry of a poet you never heard of.

Trust in yourself. If you’re fearful while writing the story, there’s a good chance your reader will be too. Pay attention to your dreams. Often dreams reflect our daily lives and what is hidden in our subconscious. Heed your insights and flashes of inspiration. I penned a dark novel based on a flash of inspiration that I would never have dreamed up otherwise. Learn all you can and be open minded. Then when you have created your villainous monster, you can make him or her or it the main character. Be true to your creation, your own monster. Your readers will recognize the true effort you put in.

We have global communication today. We can see the world events on the Internet. The Internet opened a window into the savage truth that we could be in the grip of an almost impending apocalyptic doom. Now that is scary.

The following books are helpful such as On Writing by Stephen King, On Writing Horror- the collection of essays by the Horror Writers Association, The Horror Writer by HellBound Books, Writing Monsters by Phillip Athans, and writing the Paranormal Novel- Techniques and Exercises by Steven Harper. These books go into real detail about writing about the paranormal. Within this genre, there is more freedom to create what you want whether that be a sparkly vampire, toothy werewolf, or chain rattling ghost.

After you read these books, highlight the advice, and incorporate the advice into your writing. For a good story about a ghoul of choice to be believed, it must be believable and written well. All stories benefit from good writing. Be consistent about the traits, superpowers, or awesome abilities your monster has. We all know vampires hate garlic and sleep in coffins, but maybe a coffin-shaped bookcase could be their nesting spot during the daytime.

Clean your writing/ office space. Light some sage and clean the energy to allow for the creative energies to flow unimpeded. Light a candle or incense. Play music that inspires you as you create your ghoul or axe-wielding maniac. Create a special playlist and soundtrack. Buy a new set of highlighters, pens, white out, a binder, paper, and a fresh bag of coffee. Do what it takes to make you commit to the writing for the long haul.

Keep a routine when you sit down to work on your story. Reach into the deepest darkest part of your imagination. Free write a scene of confrontation between your protagonist and your monster. Or the monster is the protagonist? These days your demon or ghoul needs to be ORIGINAL. Everything in the paranormal novel realm has been done … or has it? That part is up to you. Know your monster! Make it consistent and believable. It must be original. If you are seeking more inspiration, clip and keep newspaper articles. Read widely in your chosen genre. That will let you know what has already been written by other authors.

Allow yourself to imagine, you may invent something that no one has done before. That is a huge advantage in the field of writing and publishing. Being original and true to your monster is extremely important. The world wants to read a story that has never been written before. They do not want thirty knockoffs of It or The Babaduk. For example, I published a short story about pumpkins that can eat people. The vines can extend themselves and the pumpkins were toothy and bloodthirsty. Talk about a real twist on our favorite squashes!

The Horror Writers Association has helped me as a writer. There are many others out in this crazy world who crave a good horror story as much as I do and I don’t feel so alone. They prove readers still want to be scared.

Audiences and readers today have seen everything. A novel can be successful still, but writers must be unabashedly original to truly terrify their readers. Look at what is happening in society. The monsters of yesterday are not the monsters of today. It worked for Stephen King and Thomas Harris and with luck, it can work for you too. I hope you have enjoyed reading this. It might spark an idea or two and you would then be on your way to writing a Gothic novel like Northanger Abbey or something like the Pit and the Pendulum by Poe.

My writing has appeared in Ghosts, Spirits and Specters Volume 2, Samhain Secrets, Wax and Wane: A Gathering of Witchy Tales, One Night in Salem, Untimely Frost; Poetry Unthawed, One Hellacious Halloween Volume 1 by Horror Novel Reviews, The Dark Ones: Tales and Poems of the Shadow Gods, The Queen of the Sky who Rules over All the Gods: A Devotional Anthology in honor of Bast, Crone Newsletter Ezine, Eternal Haunted Summer Ezine, Witches and Pagans Magazine, Essential Herbal magazine, Circle Magazine, Naming the Goddess and Paganism 101. 

My blog can be found at: https://theparanormalquill.wordpress.com.

My Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ghosts.spiritsandapparitions

BB Spiderwitch

Links of interest: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1482843348577084

https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-vampire-movies-all-time/

 

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January 22, 2020 · 3:51 pm

Writing Horror Fiction in Today’s World

 

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Merry meet all,

Writing Horror Fiction in Today’s World

Horror has a seductive hold on us. Horror is like a tentacle crawling from the crypts of our darkest dreams to suck us into horrific nightmares. Horror, if done properly, casts a dark magic, sending chills down readers’ spines.
Now is the time, now is the hour. In my opinion, horror movies such as Insidious 1-2, The Possession of Hannah Grace, and Sinister aren’t scary enough for me. I am an avid writer of horror fiction and I am well read. I know that in order to give readers or viewers the frights royale, readers should be too afraid to not leave the lights on all night and hide under the covers. And curse the writer because they can’t put the book down.

The writer must make extra effort to horrify jaded readers. There is a difference between horrifying and terrifying. One of the two you experience more deeply. Terror is more effective. I won’t watch The Exorcist which deals with similar themes as the movies mentioned above but does a much better job. The Exorcist doesn’t turn away from something revolting, it stares it in the eye. It makes you look too, when you don’t want to. -and doesn’t let go. The same is true for Silence of the Lambs. But it doesn’t need to gross readers necessarily just to be scary.

Novels such as Dracula and Frankenstein reflected the time or era in which they were written. In Victorian times, darkly romantic fanged noblemen were scary because the society had different fears and beliefs about death than now. Those fears wouldn’t faze us today. Anne Rice wrote about vampires and made vampires intimidating and sexy again. That is why the novels were successful. Today writers like Suzanne Collins draw from what they view in the world today. We are more sophisticated now yet desensitized at the same time.
If you are interested in penning a horror novel or short story, I suggest the following tips. Get out of your own comfort zone. Change the environment where you write. Bring your writing pad, coffee and lurk in a cemetery, visit a haunted location or a morgue, and research the folklore of your hometown. You might create something original, which can be helpful. Getting out of your comfort zone and exploring new things breathes new life into your writing. Here are a few more tips.

Buy a tarot deck to inspire you, read dark poetry of a poet you never heard of until now. Go on a trip to a quiet seaside town that has a paranormal history. Be safe as you explore new eerie cemeteries or towns.
Trust in yourself. If you’re fearful while writing the story, there’s a good chance your reader will be too. Pay attention to your dreams. Often dreams reflect our daily lives and what is hidden in our subconscious. Heed your insights and flashes of inspiration. I penned a dark novel based on a flash of inspiration that I would never have dreamed up otherwise. Learn all you can and be openminded. Then when you have created your villainous monster, you can make him or her or it the main character. Be true to your creation, your own monster. Your readers will recognize the true effort you put in.

We have global communication today. We can see the world events on the Internet. The Internet opened a window into the savage truth that we could be in the grip of an almost impending apocalyptic doom. Now that is scary.

Audiences and readers today have seen everything. A novel can be successful still, but writers must be unabashedly original to truly terrify their readers. Look at what is happening in society. The monsters of yesterday are not the monsters of today. It worked for Stephen King and Thomas Harris and with luck, it can work for you too.

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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