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“This Book Hates You” – A Review
“This Book Hates You” is a collection of short stories by David L. Tamarin intended to shock and disgust the reader. Unfortunately, even with the graphic but monotonously repetitive depictions of rape, torture, and murder, the majority of stories fall flat. The characters are interchangeable one dimensional paper people, the story lines are tedious, and the entire collection disregards one of the cardinal rules of writing: show, don’t tell.
The preface is a several page long manifesto declaring the subsequent works as “True Art” and “subversive”. The POV changes randomly, and it’s written in a scramble of past and present tense. This could be construed as establishing an unreliable narrator, but the whole thing reeks of self admiration.
The stories themselves are nearly indistinguishable from one another. There is no change in tone, style, or even characters, who are entirely without interests or any motivation whatsoever excluding rape, drugs, and murder.
In his attempt to shock and offend (an attempt that comes at the price of the book), Tamarin completely disregards all other aspects of storytelling, creating a final product that leaves the reader so disengaged and bored that the recitation of sadism and sodomy leave no impression at all.
There are a few comedic and well placed one-liners amid the sometimes detailed but always detached descriptions of atrocities, and I did find myself nearly laughing out loud a few times. The last line in “A Fistful of Tumors” was a particularly surprising show of wit. Unfortunately, I also found myself rolling my eyes at the adolescent attempts of the author to write “edgy” material. The vague but unrelenting criticism of Christianity, particularly in the first few stories, is so cliche it becomes grating. When the author declares “satanic death metal bands” like Slayer are what Satan himself prefers, I had to double check the year, because that reference was woefully outdated and pitiable. Wasn’t the whole “rock n’ roll is the Devil’s music” thing put to bed in the ’80s? And if it’s going to be used, wouldn’t Cannibal Corpse be a much more relevant reference?
This collection is filled with descriptions of supposed horror in such a passive voice, it amounts to pages filled with “and then this happened.” All in all, ‘This Book Hates You’ is difficult to get through because if Hell is repetition, then Hell can be found in this book. When, or rather, if, a reader finishes this book, it’s not likely to leave any lasting impression at all, and certainly none of the side effects the book flatters itself by listing in the preface (including but not limited to nausea, vomiting, anal rash, impotence, jaundice, immortality, and death).
That being said, I would love to know what other horror fans think. Get it on Amazon and let me know if I hit the nail on the head, or if I’m just an asshole.
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News
Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed
Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.
This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.
The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.
The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.
Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.
Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.
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Movies
‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram
Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.
The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.
Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.
Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.
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News
Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five
Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.
Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.
Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.
So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.
Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?
The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.
Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube
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