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(Book Review) Russel James–Dreamwalker

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What if you could make shit happen in your dreams? I mean, some of us get that sometimes, right? You make some sort of slumber-minded decision to hang out just a little bit longer with that girl in your dreams. Maybe you even hold her hand. Maybe you almost kiss. Whatever the case, you wake up before it goes any further. Years ago, I dreamed of the perfect girl. We hung out all night, talked, stared into one another’s eyes, and yes, we even held hands. It felt so real. I remember us sitting on the floor, her head on my shoulder. And then…I woke up. I can’t even express to you how bad I wanted to climb back into that dream. I wanted her to be real.

What the hell am I rambling on about?

I’ll tell you– Russell James’s brand spankin’ new novel from Samhain Horror, Dreamwalker.

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In Dreamwalker, Russell James gives this amazing dream power to a young college fella named, Pete. In the real world, Pete has trouble with direction. He gets mixed up by signs, and he’s not really into what his life has to offer. In his dreams though, Pete has it goin’ on. Okay, it’s not like he’s a Don Juan there or anything, but he’s entrusted with the lead role in each and every adventure. And he has a leading lady who he refers to as Dream Girl. There’s a really fun little dream sequence near the beginning of the novel featuring these two. I won’t get into it, but it is definitely more Indiana Jones than the horrors that await Pete and Dream Girl in Twin Moon City. In his dreams, Pete has a mansion on a hill, designed and built from scratch with his unique powers. The thing is Pete isn’t even aware of the full scope of the gift he possesses.

Pete wakes up one day and feels something pulling him–a calling, if you will. Despite his lack of direction, Pete leaves school and catches a bus headed east. Armed with just a few hundred dollars, Pete lands in New Jersey and quickly finds a cheap apartment and a job. It isn’t very long before he realizes that there’s more to his dreams than he originally thought.

 

 

 

 

Over the years, New Jersey has been home to some pretty nasty things: those Jersey Shore scumbags, Chris Christie, the Menendez Brothers, and maybe the worst….the Jonas Brothers!  But James introduces us to another real bad motherfucker by the name of Jean St. Croix.

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We’re brought into St. Croix’s ruthless drug lord way of life with a great, cringe-worthy scene featuring a man by the name of Manuel. St. Croix runs drug business under the guise of a taxi company. As wicked as he is the real world, St. Croix, who is possessed by the evil spirit of the petro loa, is even worse in the dream world. He has even created his own nightmare-developing community called, Twin Moon City.

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Here, St. Croix has trapped the countless souls his nightmares have  destroyed, including a Dreamwalker. I also have to give Russell James props for a great job of giving us the background on how and why  St. Croix, back in his home country (Haiti) comes to be possessed by the petro loa that goes by the name, Cauquemere.

The only threat to St.Croix?  The Dreamwalker.

St. Croix, and his wicked dream persona, Caunquemere, set out to seek and destroy this Dreamwalker before he realizes the full extent of his powers.

Can Pete uncover who and what is after him before it’s too late? Will he reach his full potential as a Dreamwalkerin time to stand against the rising force of darkness that seeps its sinister trade in both the dream world and in ours?

Russell James takes our hand and brings us along for a terrific adventure filled with plenty of suspense, chills, blossoming love, and a surprising bit of tragedy…..oh, and did I mention St. Croix’s army of zombies?

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Seriously, read this novel. I’ve read a few of James’s works. He’s a great writer, and this is definitely his best so far. I can’t see it not making my top ten of the year (a bold statement considering it’s only the third week of 2015!).

 

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 Russell James Website

Russell James, Author Page @ Samhain Horror

Russell James Amazon Page

 

 

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Movies

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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