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Mike Thorn Brings Illumination to the “Darkest Hours”

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If you ever want to have a truly fascinating conversation, ask an author about his or her work.  Seriously, there are few things more riveting than listening to the inspiration and their personal process of writing, and even more, the subjects that sparked an author’s imagination that brought a story to life.  Fortunately for me, I get to do that a lot, and Mike Thorn, whose recent debut anthology Darkest Hours just released, had plenty to say about his work and his process.

This particular anthology came together for the author when he answered a call for unsolicited manuscripts.

“Most of the stories I pulled together had been written over a period of two years,” Thorn says.  “I realized that there were certain recurring fixations and thematic tones that I thought worked well together in a close, concentrated way.”

Consisting of sixteen stories, eight of which had previously been published previously, Darkest Hours was soon well on its way to publishing.  The collection delves deep into the human psyche, specifically into the realm of obsession and anxiety, with a deft and practiced hand.

“I always talk about my writing as a defensive thing,” the author explains.  “I figure if I’m feeling a certain anxiety or negative impulses then these are things that other readers can relate to, as well.  Mainly what I’m trying to do for myself and them is trying to fight off the things that terrify us.”

The author fulfills that promise sixteen fold.  Each tale pushes the reader to confront those things that make us uncomfortable with the author as our personal Virgil leading us through the Inferno he created.

Take for instance the very first story in the collection simply titled “Hair”.  It centers on a young man with an unhealthy fixation on hair.  His fetish sends him to unhealthy lengths that all begins with finding his own hair wrapped around the asparagus he’s eating for dinner.

“It came from a desire to write something that was specifically about addiction through the lens of genre horror.  Going into it, I didn’t know that it would turn into the kind of body horror piece that it became,” he says, “but I did pick up on that phobic reaction, kind of like an automatic affective reaction of finding hair in unwanted places.  And it also dawned on me that I hadn’t seen anyone deal with that before in a horror story so I thought it was a great opportunity to explore addiction in a unique and disturbing way, as you said.”

Then there’s “The Auteur” in which a video store clerk finds out what true horror is when he’s made the subject of his co-worker’s film.

“Part of that was me reflecting back on a time when I worked as a video store clerk in my teens so I wanted to write about that environment,” Thorn points out.  “The vibe of a video store is distinct and it’s now kind of a relic and so I wanted to write about that, but I also wanted to write about my love for horror films.  I think there was also an unintentional homage to a Kathe Koja novel called The Cipher in there, as well.  I wasn’t aware of it at the time, but looking back, it’s definitely there.”

The author has a whole host of writing influences and authors who inspire him.  From obvious choices like Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe to the reclusive Thomas Ligotti and the prolific Joyce Carol Oates, the great authors have informed his work and yet his voice is entirely unique.

Darkest Hours is currently available on both digital and paperback formats from a whole host of online sellers including Amazon and you can keep up with all the latest updates from the author about his future work as well as his own critiques and reviews of horror films and fiction on his website.

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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