Rate This Movie SYNOPSIS: The Duc de Richeleau and his friend Rex discover their young charge Simon has fallen in with the powers of Darkness and is about to be baptized into the service of evil. The Duc is fortunately versed in such matters and finds himself locked in a duel with the deadly Mocata, disciple of the left-hand path. …

The Forbidden is one of the stand-out tales from Barker’s acclaimed Books of Blood series: a genre-redefining collection that prompted the horror high-priest Stephen King to proclaim breathlessly that ‘Clive Barker is so good I am almost literally tongue-tied.’ (For any horror fan not to have read these gory, otherworldly fables is a like a church-goer eschewing the New Testament.) It’s …

The best horror often lurks unseen. Shying away from the bright lights, and the big budgets, and the household names, it sits quietly in the shadows, waiting to spring out and wrap its greasy tentacles around your windpipe. You may not have heard of One Buck Horror. And it’s not hard to guess how much this short anthology will set …

I appreciate that many Horror News aficionados will already have this book assigned to their ‘favourites’ list, but for anyone who hasn’t enjoyed this yet, I reckon this book pretty much has it all. Set in 1960s small-town America, it tells of a group of young friends who experience a summer of terror. The author deftly sets the scene, layering …

 Hands up who likes Sherlock Holmes? If your hand is raised then you’re in for a real treat with this fantastic tribute anthology. It’s a series of tales featuring our favourite cocaine addict and his faithful sidekick, but with an added layer of grotesque Gothicy goodness. In these stories we meet Wendigos and zombies, werewolves and ghouls. Aleister Crowley skulks …

ATTIC CLOWNS When Peter Straub and Jack Ketchum recommend an author you sit up and take notice. Such is the case with Jeremy Shipp. I’ve been thinking how to communicate his unique brand of fiction, commonly labelled ‘bizarro’. And so I’ve decided to use a drug metaphor. Let’s pretend you’re on your way to the fun-fair and to spice things …

A blast from the past this week, with this classic Bram Stoker winning horror tome from the late 80s. I read this on the trusty Kindle. I dread to think how thick the print version is. You could probably hollow it out and live in it. Still, if you’re going to write about the end of the world then you …

City of Hell Chronicles Vol.1 The Ant-Headed Old One ‘The Great Maurr’ has risen and brought hell to earth. The land is scorched and the human race decimated, eaten or tortured. Only three cities remain, a crumbled, dying version of their former selves: London, Moscow and Hong Kong. The Great Maurr’s own City of Hell dominates most of North America. …

ABERRATIONS If you take an interest in horror books (which it’s probably safe to assume you do, as you’re reading a horror book review), then chances are you’ll have read, or have heard of, Jeremy Shipp. If you haven’t, then seek him out. Maybe start here. This is an anthology of creepy shorts that he’s edited and contributed to, all …

Paul Campion is the New Zealand based director of new Kiwi horror film, Devil’s Rock. You can read a review of the film “The Devils Rock.  So…you’re a horror film director – best job in the world? PC: Absolutely! Horror films have always been a huge part of cinema, and its great to be working in the film industry now …

Said my lord to my lady, as he mounted his horse: ‘Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the moss.’ Said my lord to my lady, as he rode away” ‘Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the hay.’ ‘Let all the doors be bolted and the windows all pinned, And leave not a hole for a mouse to creep …

Another batch of pulp horror from the One Buck team. Another excellent collection of short stories to get your teeth into. If you’re wondering what to expect, it’s like an old horror comic without the pictures. It won’t take you long to get through, but as you’ve only paid a buck, you don’t begrudge its brevity. Non-spoiling taster to follow. …

SYNOPSIS: A horror-thriller centered on the last two employees at a haunted hotel that’s going out of business. REVIEW: This was showing as part of the Incredibly Strange film festival (incrediblystrange.co.nz), which is an offshoot of the main New Zealand Film Festival. I noticed it was scheduled for a 10.45pm showing, in one of the smaller, quieter and artier cinemas. …

POSSESSED: SPINE TINGLING TALES The great advantage of the short story is that you can do one in a single sitting. A little shot of pure horror, down in one. None of this laboriously wading through another chapter every night only to discover that the monster was killed and good prevailed. And if you don’t like one author, then like …

WONDROUS STRANGE I’m ashamed to admit that I wasn’t aware of this author until perusing this year’s Bram Stoker nominations. It was an Alice in Wonderland moment. I say this because a short while later, I found myself immersed in the wondrously strange land of Robin Sprigg’s writing. And I’m kicking myself for not having discovered him sooner. As a …