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Waylon’s Top Seven Best Horror Books of 2019
It’s almost hard to believe that 2019 is coming to an end. It seems like only yesterday I was writing up my list of the Best Horror Books of 2018! Yet here we are, with only a few days left in December, and it’s time again to reflect on another amazing year in publishing.
As a whole, 2019 brought an outstanding mix of non-fiction books and novels from established authors as well as debuts from brilliant new voices in the genre. So, without further ado, let’s count down my picks for the best the year had to offer.
#7 The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher
Dark and, well, twisting, The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher, a pen name for Hugo Award-winning novelist Ursula Vernon, is an amazing novel with an interesting tie back to the work of legendary author Arthur Machen.
The story centers on Melissa who goes by the nickname Mouse. When she’s asked to go and clean out her grandmother’s house after her death, Mouse agrees thinking it will be an easy job. What she failed to grasp was that her grandmother was a bit of a hoarder and the house is filled to the brim with piles of seeming trash.
While trying to complete her task, she finds a journal kept by her late step-grandfather, Frederick Cotgrave, with whom she’d never been especially close. What she initially deems as chaotic ramblings soon takes on a much more sinister tone, however, when she discovers that the strange creatures and beings he had written about are real and live in the surrounding woods.
That’s where things get really interesting.
Some of you may have already picked up on it, but Cotgrave was the name of a character in Arthur Machen’s “The White People,” a tale which H.P. Lovecraft considered one of the greatest horror stories ever written. In The Twisted Ones, Kingfisher creates a reality in which this character was actually Mouse’s step-grandfather and his journal becomes a historic record of terror.
In the hands of a less talented author, all of this twisting and turning could easily fall apart, but Kingfisher handles it beautifully, creating one of the most memorable books of 2019. If you haven’t read it, I cannot recommend it enough. It’s available in multiple formats on Amazon!
#6 Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky
When one is looking for a great horror novel, the author who wrote The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not necessarily who comes to mind, and yet Stephen Chbosky created one of this year’s most interesting and compelling literary horror novels.
The story focuses on Kate and her son, Christopher, on the run from her abusive relationship. When they settle in a small town in Pennsylvania, she finally feels she might be able to relax, until Christopher goes missing and returns six days later with a mission and an imaginary friend.
Imaginary Friend is horror with the fantastic qualities of fairy tales blended in, and it is an epic read that you won’t soon forget. Pick up a copy today and see for yourself why Joe Hill (Horns, NOS4A2) said, “If you aren’t blown away by the first fifty pages of Imaginary Friend, you need to have your sense of wonder checked.”
#5 A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill
Shaun Hamill’s A Cosmology of Monsters is one of the best debut novels from an author that I have ever had the satisfaction of reading.
Noah’s family has been perilously close to a world filled with monsters since long before he was born. His father, before his death, built a shrine to them in the guise of an immersive haunted attraction which became a family business. His sister had glimpses of them right up until the day she vanished. And Noah? He eventually befriends them.
What’s more, Hamill’s imaginative writing and terrifying landscape forces us to define and redefine “family” and “monster” as his tale unfolds. What begins has an out-stretched hand inviting you into his world, soon becomes a deadly claw ready to rend flesh to keep you reading, which you will, right up until its bold ending.
You will question your own life, your choices, and wonder just how close you’ve come to monsters along the way as you navigate A Cosmology of Monsters, and by the end you will not only have been terrified and entertained, you will be changed.
Don’t believe me? Pick up a copy on Amazon and see for yourself.
#4 The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
This is the debut novel from Starling, and she proves herself a careful and crafty plotter, telling a story with just two characters and a single setting–a cave on an alien world–with a remarkable amount of tension.
Gyre has lied to get hired for a job in the hopes of making enough money to take her off world in search of her long-lost mother. Em is her guide and she’s got an agenda beyond what Gyre understood as the mission. Even though Gyre “knows” she’s alone, she can’t shake the feeling of being followed and the terrifying truth will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The novel plays out like a cross between Annihilation and Gravity, and it should definitely be on the reading list of anyone who, like me, enjoys the dead space where horror and science fiction intersect.
If you haven’t read The Luminous Dead, check it out today!
#3 The Invited: A Novel by Jennifer McMahon
Jennifer McMahon’s The Invited: A Novel has one of the most interesting premises I’ve found as a reader in a long time creating a scenario where a couple does not buy a haunted house, but instead manages to build one. It’s a novel that would make Shirley Jackson proud.
Helen and Nate decide to leave their suburban life behind, purchasing a large plot of land with the intention of building the dream house. Helen soon discovers that the land itself has a dark past tied to a woman named Hattie Breckenridge and the three generations of Breckenridge women, all of whom died in rather suspicious ways.
Helen becomes so fascinated by local history that she begins bringing artifacts into the home such as a beam from an abandoned school house and the mantle from an old farm. Unfortunately for her, she brings along the energy from those places to her new home as well.
It’s a captivating story that will chill you to the bone. If you’re a fan of ghost stories, The Invited should definitely be on your reading list.
#2 The Institute by Stephen King
At 72 years old, Stephen King still reigns as the master of horror with more movie adaptations of his work than you can shake a stick at and no end to the stories he seems ready to tell.
The Institute, which hit bookshelves back in September, became an instant hit and in many ways feels like old school King in the best of ways with his story of psychically gifted children forced into a prison known as The Institute where a woman named Mrs. Sigsby and her staff attempt to extract these gifts by whatever extreme measures they deem fit.
Luke Ellis, who was taken in the middle of the night and brought to the Institute, soon finds himself in a fight for survival as he attempts what no one has ever succeeded in doing: escaping the Institute.
It’s a pulse-pounding novel that will have you on the edge of your seat rooting for Luke and his fellows as he rockets toward an ending you have to read to believe.
If you haven’t read it yet, there’s still time to put The Institute on your wish list for the holidays.
#1 Monster, She Wrote: The Women who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kroger and Melanie R. Anderson
I thought long and hard about including Monster, She Wrote on this list as I know most are looking for novels to read when they click on these lists, but really, that’s the beauty of this incredible book by Kroger and Anderson.
You see, they don’t simply list the incredible women who have helped shape the genre we love, providing background on their lives and how they came to write their own particular brands of horror and speculative fiction. They take it a step further, recommending stories and novels by these authors and a list of other writers who the reader might enjoy if they are fans of a particular author.
It’s an incredible book that takes the reader on a journey through the building blocks of the genre, spotlighting well known authors as well as those who may have never been on your radar.
If you’re interested at all in the authors who shaped what we read today Monster, She Wrote is definitely the book for you!
HONORABLE MENTION: Ghost Stories: Classic Tales of Horror and Suspense by Lisa Morton and Leslie S. Klinger
This is one of those collections that should be on every horror reader’s shelf. The only reason why I did not include it on the list proper is because everything collected here has been published any number of times.
However, there is an art to putting together an anthology and Klinger and Morton prove themselves artists with Ghost Stories. Each tale included in the collection is from a master storyteller, but they were careful to include those stories that were, perhaps, less well known.
What emerges is a catalog of chilling tales from Edith Wharton, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Mark Twain to name just a few complete with notations about the story and the author.
This makes an excellent gift for the reader in your life, and is perfect for those gloomy evenings of winter settled in next to a fire with coffee, tea, or perhaps a large brandy. Pick up a copy on Amazon.
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Movies
‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt
Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.
In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.
This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.
Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.
“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”
The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”
The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.
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Movies
‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time
It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?
It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.
Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.
Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.
The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.
It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.
The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.
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News
Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween
Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.
The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.
This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.
This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.
“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”
But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.
This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.
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