News

Out Today: The Vines by, Christopher Rice

Published

10 years ago

October 21, 2014

Spring House, a beautiful and storied plantation, sits in the quiet, lush flora of southern Louisiana. Caitlin Chaisson, heiress and current owner of the big old house, creeps upstairs as the guests of her birthday party file out into the darkness of night. At the top of the stairs, through the slightly opened bathroom door, she spies her husband in the arms of another woman. He is tearing at her clothes, his mouth on her earlobe. Caitlin slowly backs down the stairs before sprinting out of the back of the house, grabbing and breaking a champagne flute as she heads for the gazebo. She slices at her skin, and as blood falls to the floor and seeps beneath onto the ground, an ancient evil rises that has slumbered in the soil since a slave woman named Virginie Lacroix unleashed hell on the slave owner and overseer who had broken their vows to her and her people.

This is only the beginning of the journey we take with author Christopher Rice in his new novel, The Vines, released today. What follows is a novel about revenge and the myriad ways we are changed by it. Rice has proven time and again that he is a masterful storyteller and this latest work is no different. Indeed, when I first settled in to read The Vines, it was about 11pm at night and I thought I’d read for an hour before heading to bed. At 3 in the morning, I was finishing the novel as emotionally exhausted from the roller coaster of emotions I felt while reading as I was physically from staying up well passed my bedtime.

You see, reading a Christopher Rice novel is deceptive because the characters are so multi-faceted. In The Vines, you think you know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are from the beginning. Viriginie Lacroix and her connection to Caitlin via their need for revenge on those who have harmed them quickly plant the seeds of sympathy in our minds. It doesn’t take long for Caitlin to begin making decisions that force us to question that sympathy. She has certainly been a victim, but does making victims of others right the wrongs against her? Certainly she was mistreated by those around her, but she was no slave in a place and time without options for redressing those wrongs.

On the other hand, Caitlin’s gay former best friend Blake, who we discover was the victim of a violent hate crime in his teens, would seem like the one to take the violent action to seek vengeance on those who caused the death of his very first love. Instead, we find him examining the situation and the people involved and making different decisions. This may seem a bit vague, but I really don’t want to give too much away. I hate spoilers, and this is a novel that must be experienced without too many preconceptions, but at every turn of the page I was asking myself, “Would I be capable of this? Could I commit these acts even if I thought, deep down, that they were deserved?”.

I will tell you this, some of the scenes in this book brought on such a visceral response in me. Mr. Rice’s horror spawns from nature and natural places and the titular vines come to serpentine life that makes the flesh crawl, especially if you’re as phobic of snakes as I am. Insects take on a sinister quality in swarms of roaring, winged vengeance. And the very earth shifts and changes under the feet of the characters as these horrors come to life. It is a thrill ride from start to finish. The ending is ambiguous enough to leave you not only wondering when the next volume will be released but also anxiously anticipating it. If you’ve never read any of his work before, this would be a perfect introduction to Christopher Rice

If I had one complaint about the novel, it was that I found I wanted more as I read, especially about the slave woman’s story. One gets the feeling there is much more that Virginie has to say and I can’t help feel that the story would have taken on even more depth with a longer visit to this character’s time and circumstances. I can only hope that Mr. Rice will come back to this character in the future and give us more of her story.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of The Vines today. It’s available in trade paperback at major booksellers and on Amazon.com for direct download to your Kindle and other devices with the Kindle App.

A final word, I am excited to announce that about a month ago, Mr. Rice agreed to an interview with me for iHorror.com. It was a great pleasure working with him on this interview and it’s a great opportunity for you to hear, in his own words, some of Christopher’s own thoughts about horror, writing and his fantastic characters. Make sure to check back here on Thursday for the full interview!

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News

Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

Published

13 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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Movies

New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

Published

17 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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News

Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello