#and as such men can be a much more insidious creature than any monster he contend with!

[starringvincentprice]

Terror mutuals you won and I finished the show now.

anyways

[brokehorrorfan]

Best New Horror Movies on Netflix: Summer 2017

I know there's an overwhelming amount of horror movies to sift through on Netflix, so I've decided to take out some of the legwork by compiling a list of the season's best new genre titles on Netflix's instant streaming service.

Please feel free to leave a comment with any I may have missed and share your thoughts on any of the films you watch. You can also peruse past installments of Best New Horror Moves on Netflix for more suggestions.

1. Clown

Before Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theaters, watch director Jon Watts' feature debut. Beginning as a faux-trailer that went viral, Clown was essentially willed into existence with the aid of genre favorite Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) as a producer. Andy Powers (Oz) stars as a dad who comes across an old clown costume to wear to his son's birthday party, only to find that he physically cannot remove it. He then develops an insatiable hunger for children, soon learning that he must sacrifice five kids in order to remove the suit. Laura Allen (The 4400) plays his wife, while Peter Stormare (Fargo) provides the ancient, demonic history of clowns. Not your typical killer clown movie, Clown combines classic monster movie motifs, body horror elements, supernatural undertones, and gallows humor into one coulrophobic package. Read my full review of the film here.

2. Beyond the Gates

Beyond the Gates was clearly made by horror fans for fellow fans. The 80-minute romp can best be described as Jumanji meets The Beyond. Estranged brothers Gordon (Graham Skipper, Almost Human) and John (Chase Williamson, John Dies at the End), along with Gordon’s girlfriend, Margot (Brea Grant, Halloween II), find and play an old VCR game. They must obey the tape’s host (Barbara Crampton, Re-Animator) in order to solve the mystery of their father's disappearance. It's slightly hindered by a limited budget - the set-up is slow and the ending is a tad anticlimactic - but it's so spirited along the way that the faults barely register. First-time director Jackson Stewart taps into the VHS nostalgia to create a film that would feel perfectly at home on a mom-and-pop video store shelf in the late '80s. Read my full review of the film here.

3. The Eyes of My Mother

The Eyes of My Mother is too pensive for horror fans look for typical blood and scares, but those who appreciate arthouse fare are likely to get wrapped up in its unsettling tone. Writer/director Nicolas Pesce makes an impact with his debut, utilizing stark black-and-white photography to explore a character study illustrating the repercussions of murder. The story is told in three chapters, which each one showing a significant familial moment in a woman's life that shapes her into the disturbed individual she ultimately becomes. It’s a slow burn, even at a mere 76 minutess, but every moment is spent ruminating in its dark tone.

4. Backcountry

Backcountry is based on a true story of a black bear attack. The predator doesn't show up until two thirds of the way through the film; the rest of the time is spent developing the relationship between Alex (Jeff Roop) and Jenn (Missy Peregrym, Reaper), who embark on what's supposed to be a romantic and relaxing weekend hike through the woods. Tensions first rise upon the introduction of an Irish backpacker (Eric Balfour, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), then again when the couple gets lost in the dizzying forest. It finally takes the form of a suspenseful survival thriller when the ferocious bear begins attacking their campsite. The investment in character development is worthwhile, as it causes the viewer to care about them, thereby making the final act even more harrowing. Real bears were used during production, adding to the ripe intensity.

5. Dig Two Graves

The first act of Dig Two Graves could be mistaken for a coming-of-age drama - not only thematically but also stylistically - as a young girl (Samantha Isler, Captain Fantastic) from a podunk town attempts to reconcile with her brother's death. Things really heat up when a trio of creepy men tell her they can bring him back to life... but someone else has to take his place. The story is structured in an interesting way, sprinkling in flashbacks that contextualize the actions taking place in the present. Isler delivers a brilliant performance, as does Ted Levine (The Silence of the Lambs), who plays her grandfather, the town's sheriff.

6. XX

XX is a horror anthology made up of four segments written and directed by females, each one strong and unique. “The Box” by Jovanka Vuckovic adapts a Jack Ketchum short story about a boy who's forever changed upon seeing the contents of a mysterious box. “The Birthday Party” by Annie Clark (better known as musician St. Vincent) is a darkly comic tale about a woman who finds her husband dead on the day of her daughter's birthday party. “Don’t Fall” by Roxanne Benjamin (Southbound) turns a serene hike into a blood-thirsty creature feature. “Her Only Living Son” by Karyn Kusama (The Invitation) finds a mother learning a deep, dark secret about her son. There's not much of a through line outside of them all being female-led (3/4 of which are maternal roles), though neat stop-motion animation wraps around the tales. Several familiar faces populate the cast, including Melanie Lynskey (Heavenly Creatures), Natalie Brown (The Strain), and Mike Doyle (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit). It's no secret that we need more female voices in film, and XX is a potent declaration that's impossible to ignore.

7. Stake Land II: The Stakelander

Despite a terrible title that could be mistaken for a joke, Stake Land II: The Stakelander is a sequel to Stake Land, Jim Mickle's impressive 2010 vampire film (which you should watch first; it's also on Netflix). Mickle resigns to executive producer, but his co-writer, Nick Damici, returns to pen the script. Damici also reprises his role as Mister, reuniting with Connor Paolo as Martin. The vampire slaying duo embark on a journey across a Mad Max 2-style post-apocalyptic wasteland infested with ferocious vampires, which resemble zombies more than your traditional bloodsuckers. As is often the case, it's the other humans that prove to be the real threat. Like its predecessor, the film finds a rare balance between drama and intensity. It's not as effective as the original, but fans won't be disappointed by the follow-up.

8. Tag

Tag (also known as Riaru onigokko) is not for everyone, but it's too gleefully weird not to warrant a recommendation. Written and directed by Sion Sono (Suicide Club), the Japanese film opens with a bus full of school girls getting sliced in half in one fell swoop. It only gets stranger from there as the infinite possibilities of multiple universes are explored. One girl survives each time, continually awakening in different realities after watching all her friends get killed in gory fashions - including a teacher mowing down her class with a mini-gun. I thought it might be adapted from a manga, as it has that bizarre, fantastical feel to it, but it's instead based on a novel. It's dreamlike and absurd but not without heart.

9. The Windmill

The Windmill (formerly known as The Windmill Massacre) is a slasher film from the Netherlands, although it's (mostly) in English. It follows a guided bus tour of Holland that breaks down near a mysterious windmill. One by one, the passengers are picked off by a cool-looking killer armed with a scythe. With glossy production value and a dark tone, it feels more like a throwback to late '90s slashers rather than the golden age of the '80s - but there's still some solid gore and practical effects. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but the film offers a slightly more involved plot than the average slasher, including flawed characters and supernatural elements. It's also gleefully mean-spirited to the very end.

10. Man Vs.

As you may have guessed from the name, Man Vs. uses a survival reality show as the framing device for a creature feature. Doug (Chris Diamantopoulos, Silicon Valley) is the survival expert/host, filming himself in the Canadian wilderness - only to learn that he's not alone. It would have been cheaper to make a found footage film, but it's more effect as a traditional movie - though there are some shots from Doug's gear. The set-up is a bit slow, however you may learn some survival tips along the way. The story essentially becomes Survivorman vs. Predator in the final act. Unfortunately, the CGI creature is Syfy-level bad, preventing the big reveal from having much impact, but Diamantopoulos delivers a solid performance nonetheless.

11. Abattoir

Abattoir is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-IV, Repo! The Genetic Opera), based on the same named graphic novel he created. It follows a real estate journalist (Jessica Lowndes, 90210) and a detective (Joe Anderson, The Crazies) as they investigate a series of houses in which tragedies occurred having the offending rooms torn out. They end up in a Twin Peaks-esque town where a local (Lin Shaye, Insidious) tells them of Jebediah Crone (Dayton Callie, Sons of Anarchy), an enigmatic reverend attempting to build a gateway to pure evil. Although set in the present, the picture is an unabashed love letter to film noirs of the 1940s and ‘50s. While the execution of the fascinating concept is lacking, Bousman manages to create a wonderfully imaginative neo-noir universe rife with spooky atmosphere. Read my full review here.

Bonus: The Keepers

If you were among the throngs of viewers morbidly captivated by Making a Murderer, The Keepers will be your new true crime fix. The Netflix original documentary series is every bit as compelling and frustrating as Making a Murderer, but the heinous crimes are even more stomach churning. The story revolves around an unsolved murder case of 26-year-old nun in 1969 and her then-students who have teamed up decades later to try to get to the truth. There appears to be a cover up that involves sexual abuse at the hands of a priest. The show consists of seven hour-long episodes. It probably could have been shaved down to five, but it's structured in such a way that make you want to keep binge watching.

Bonus: Riverdale: Season 1

Riverdale is like Twin Peaks meets Pretty Little Liars by way of Archie Comics. It reinvents the classic Archie characters for a modern audience with an interesting murder/mystery plot. I'm admittedly beyond the key demographic for the trashy teen drama that ensues, but the first season is fun enough, albeit inconsistent, to hook me. Several of the younger actors deliver great performances, given the heavy-handed material, but it's even more fun to see the parents played by '90s stars like Luke Perry (Beverly Hills, 90210), Mädchen Amick (Twin Peaks), Robin Givens (Head of the Class), and Skeet Ulrich (Scream). If you enjoy MTV's Scream, you'll likely get a kick out of this one as well.

[weekendwarriorblog]

WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND January 4, 2019 – Escape Room

Happy New Year!

Thankfully, we’re getting a fairly light first weekend to the year, which is good, since I was ready to retire after last year’s sucky year. But it’s 2019, a new year and hopefully one with new opportunities. In fact, I wrote something previewing the 2019 box office for my old boss at VitalThrills.com, which you can read here.

As far as this weekend, and as has been the case a few times over the past few years, the year is kicking off with a horror movie.

ESCAPE ROOM (Sony)

This high concept horror movie is the sole release of the weekend, and why not? After all, the film’s director Adam Robitel kicked off 2018 with Insidious: The Last Key, which he directed, and that opened with $29.6 million on its way to $67.6 million domestic and $100 million overseas.

There’s actually a pretty long history of horror movies kicking off the New Year with big business, even though most studios are afraid those returning to work/school after the long holiday might be too focused on work/school to go to the movies.  Usually, these horror films are fairly low-budget, so there isn’t much danger, but there have a few substantial hits in the first weekend of January like Taken 3 and Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Revenant.  In 2012, Paramount opened the high-concept horror The Devil Insideto $33.7 million, and that movie cost a cool million so it was instantly profitable. Another early January hit was 2005’s White Noise from Universal, which opened with $24.1 million; 2013’s Texas Chainsaw 3D also opened with $21 million.  Few of these movies are expected to stay around very long and few of them last beyond opening weekend.

As with many horror movies, the cast doesn’t do much to sell the movie, as Robitel stars in this one along with Deborah Ann Woll (Netflix’s Daredevil), Taylor Russell (Lost in Space), Tyler Labine and others whom I’ve never heard of.

At one point this had the generic title of “The Maze,” so it was a wise move to change the movie’s title to something that’s easy to understand (and works on a couple levels), since most young people that might be interested in the movie will know what an escape room is and may have even taken part in one or two.

Being the only new movie this weekend should help it bring in some of its projected younger target audience, especially being so different from other options in theaters. Coming out just two days after people are back from vacation may mean their priorities lie elsewhere, but this still should be good for somewhere between $12 and 15 million this weekend, and it should be able to make between $30 to 40 million depending how much it gets destroyed once Glassopens in two weeks.

MINI-REVIEW: Assuming you already know what an escape room is or have participated in one, then you’ll already know what to expect from this high-concept thriller that’s more about tension than gore. Then again, if you’ve seen Cube,Saw II or are even vaguely familiar with Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians, then you’ll also be ready for this idea of strangers thrown together into a puzzle game of survival.

Personally, I prefer comparing it to Final Destination, my favorite horror franchise, as that also throws people together into situations where they have to work together to survive, the winner being promised $10,000. From the very first room, which turns into a giant oven, it’s obvious that it’s going to be harder to escape with one’s life.

In most horror movies, the characters are mostly stereotypes, including a-holes and idiots alike, who you’re eager to see killed off. In the case of Escape Room, there are actually likeable people including Taylor Russell’s shy science nerd Zoey, Deborah Ann Woll’s Amanda, a veteran of the Iraq War and other equally compelling (or annoying) characters.

What’s good is that Escape Room knows viewers need to be invested in and entertained by these people, which is why you have comic relief in Tyler Labine’s Mike and escape room expert/enthusiast Danny (Nik Dodani). Jay Ellis’ Jason is the clear-cut a-hole finance guy stereotype, while Ben (Logan Miller) is the underdog who never gets a break.

As they go through the rooms, we learn more about their pasts and what links them together, which makes things far more compelling and emotional as it becomes obvious that any of them can die at any time. 

The key to movies like this is when it gets to that third act, and there needs to be some sort of reveal of why these six people are being put through all of this and who is responsible. It’s often the point when movies like this can succeed or fail, and if you’re familiar with other films in this genre of horror, you can probably guess some of those things and probably be right.

If you can get past the decision to leave things open-ended without all the expected answers, Escape Room is equal parts clever and fun, pretty much the movie experience being advertised.

RATING:  7.5/10

This week’s Top 10 should look something like this…

1. Aquaman  (Warner Bros.)  - $24.8 million -53%

2. Mary Poppins Returns  (Disney) - $15.5 million -45%

3. Escape Room (Sony) -  $14.6 million N/A*

4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse  (Sony) - $10 million -45%

5. Bumblebee  (Paramount) - $9.6 million -53%

6. The Mule (Warner Bros.) - $7.1 million -40%

7. Vice (Annapurna) - $4.5 million -42%

8. Second Act (STXfilms) - $4 million -45%

9. Holmes and Watson (Sony) - $3.5 million -55%

10. Ralph Breaks the Internet (Disney) – $3.1 -52%

* After seeing the movie and how well it plays with an audience, I have upped my weekend prediction.

LIMITED RELEASES

Opening on Wednesday at the IFC Center is Oscar-nominated filmmaker Christian Frei (War Photographer) and Maxim Arbugave’s doc GENESIS 2.0 (KimStim), a documentary that profiles the hunters who brave the North Sibeiran Islands looking for rare mastodon tusks and other artifacts that are worth quite a good deal of money. While the tusks are often bought for a substantial resale value, they’re also are being preserved for the Mammoth Museum in Russia, and Frei’s film looks at the scientific efforts of North Korean scientists to find a sample of living mammoth DNA that can be cloned to bring the prehistoric creature back. Much of the film focuses on the Grigoriev brothers, Semyon being a paleontologist who runs the Mammoth Museum; as well as Spira Slepstov, a first-time tusk hunter in it for the “big money” promised by investors;  geneticist George Church, one of the pioneers in synthetic biology; and controversial Korean scientist Woo Suk Hwang, who has cloned hundreds of dogs and hopes to help the efforts to bring back the mammoth. There’s some really interesting science on display in the film which harks back to the documentary work by Werner Herzog with films like Cave of Forgotten Dreams and Encounters at the End of the World. (Frei’s narration isn’t nearly as commanding but it adds to the comparisons.) It also should be of interest for those who enjoy sci-fi films like Jurassic Park, as it explores the real science behind the science fiction. Genesis 2.0 will also open at L.A.’s Laemmle Music Hall on Jan. 18.

Another doc opening at the IFC Center is the Polish Oscar-shortlisted COMMUNION (from director Anna Zamecka looks at the lives of 14-year-old Ola, a Polish teen who must care for her autistic brother Nikodem while preparing him for his first Holy Communion, while also dealing with a lay-about father who relies more and more on his teen daughter. I was generally mixed on the film only because I’m not as big a fan of cinema verité-style documentary filmmaking i.e. just rolling the camera to show the lives and offering no narrative to help viewers understand the story.

Based on true events, Gerard Butler and Peter Mullan (Ozark) star in Kristoffer Nyholm’s suspense thriller THE VANISHING  (Saban Films) about three lighthouse keepers working on a remote Scottish island who discover a wrecked rowboat on which is a chest full of gold, forcing the men to make some tough decisions.  It opens in New York (Cinema Village), L.A. (AMC’s University City Walk) and other cities as well as On Demand this Friday. This is actually a fairly decent film, mostly due to the two lead actors doing a rare smaller film in their native country and accents.

Jen McGowan’s thriller Rust Creek (IFC Midnight) stars Hermione Corfield (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) as ambitious college senior Sawyer who takes a wrong turn on a way to a job interview and ends up in the frozen Kentucky woods pursued by outlaws until she hooks up with an enigmatic loner (Jay Paulson). It opens at the IFC Center and other theaters, as well as On Demand.

The final thriller (of sorts) this weekend is Meredith Danluck’s directorial debut State Like Sleep (The Orchard), starring Katherine Waterston as a widow who receives a disturbing phone call a year after the death of her husband (Michiel Huisman). Also starring Michael Shannon and Luke Evans, it’s in select theaters Friday and On Demand beginning Tuesday, following its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival last year.

From China, the sequel to Xing Fei’s action-adventure film Mojin: The Lost Legend,  Mojin: The Worm Valley  (Well GO USA) once again follows tomb explorer Hu Bayi on a mission looking for the Tomb of Emperor Xian, which is located on an island filled with monsters. It will open in select cities.

James Brolin and Cybill Shepherd star in Rod McCall’s Being Rose with Shepherd playing Rose Jones, a widowed ex-cop who is diagnosed with a life-threatening health issue, so she decided to go on a road trip of the Southwest on her motorized wheelchair. In New Mexico she falls for an old cowboy, played by Brolin.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

The Metrograph has been doing late night screenings most of this year, but this weekend they make it official with Late Nights at Metrograph, running from Thursday through Saturday nights with this weekend starting out with Masaaki Yuusa’s appropriately-titled Anime Mind Game (2005). Things are getting a little more esoteric in the New Year (at least for me) with Pier Paolo Pasolini: A Future Life, Part 1, a retrospective of the Italian filmmaker’s works including Salo, Or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975), The Decameron (1971), The Canterbury Tales  (1972) – the latter two of the three movies in his “Trilogy of Life” -- and more. I’ve heard of some of these but never seen any, so maybe that will change as this runs over the next two weeks. This weekend’s Playtime: Family Matinee is Barry Levinson’s baseball movie The Natural (1984), starring Robert Redford. On Saturday night, the Metrograph is also doing a special event, a screening of Godard’s 2010 film Film Socialisme presented by author Nico Baumbach.

THE NEW BEVERLY  (L.A.):

Tarantino’s repertory theater kicks the year off with a number of double features with Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 classic The Godfather. On Weds. and Thurs, it will double feature with The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight (1971), while Friday and Sat. sees it paired with Richard Fleishcer’s The Don is Dead  (1973).

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

You have to give the Film Society credit for being loyal to the filmmakers who regularly bring their works to the New York Film Festival, and in honor of Roma’s premiere there last year, this week begins Complete Cuaron, which is exactly what it sounds like showing all nine of Alfonso Cuaron’s films including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, although it’s also a great chance to see Children of Men back on the big screen as well as seeing Gravity back in 3D.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

The Rated X series continues this weekend with a few repeat showings, plus the Quad is screening the 1991 film Van Gogh from the Cohen Film Collection. Also, the Quad will be showing a 30th anniversary rerelease of Isao Takahata’s anime Grave of the Fireflies. 

IFC CENTER (NYC)

Hm… no new series announced yet for 2019… :(

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Oscar-winning filmmaker Adam McKay gets a tribute this weekend with a double feature of Vice and The Big Short on Thursday, while Rob Marshall gets himself a triple feature on Friday with his musicals Mary Poppins Returns, Into the Woods and Chicago and Marshall there in person. (The American Cinemateque’s other theater, the Aero, is also showing fairly recent films rather than repertory ones.)

FILM FORUM (NYC):

Jacques Rivette’s banned 1966 drama La Religieuse (Rialto), starring Anna Karina, gets a 4k restoration, while this weekend’s Film Forum Jr. offering is Buster Keaton’s Three Ages  (1923) with live piano accompaniment.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART  (LA):

Friday’s midnight offering is the classic 2001 Anime filmAkira.

MOMA (NYC):

New Year means a new series, and this week begins Modern Matinees: Sir Sidney Poitier  with 1963’s Lillies of the Field(for which Poitier won the Oscar) on Weds, To Sir, With Love  (1967) on Thurs. and Norman Jewison’s In the Heat of the Night (1967) on Friday.

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

The Astoria theater is beginning January with a series rescreening a Curator’s Choice of films from 2018 including Hereditary, The Rider and more.

That’s it for this week, but next week, there are three new movies in wide release, Sony’s A Dog’s Way Home, Keanu Reeves’ sci-fi thriller Replicas and the Bryan Cranston-Kevin Hart comedy The Upside.

[kingsofchaos]

I really liked the line 'the dark side of the king' from your question about enforcers. would you maybe be willing to talk some more about Gavin and Ryan being terrible doing Geoff's dirty work??

TheFake’s might joke that Geoff is a pushover, too adoring of hiscrew-mates to really lay down the law as boss, but in reality thereare few men more feared than Ramsey. Few legends with more ruthlessreputations, more stories of heartless brutality; for those outsidehis limited family Ramsey is nothing less than an unmitigated horror.Still,there are certain things Geoff can’t be seen to be involved in,things he must stay above, be diplomatic about. Times when an issueneeds to be taken care of without the blowback, when there must beviolence without inevitable retribution; ferreting out moles,persuading recalcitrant informants, dealing with a problem whobelongs to a gang the FAHC are supposed to be allied with.It’seasy enough to think that in a crew with a reputation as terrible asthe FAHC there is little need for a designated ‘bad guy’. They’re allthe bad guys, just ask the citizens of Los Santos, just look at thebodies in the morgue, track down the ruins of all who have thought tooppose them. There isn’t a single member with clean hands, isn’t onewho didn’t choose this, who isn’t having the time of their life everysinge day morality be damned. And yet there are still jobs Geoffwouldn’t push any of them into, deeds too dark to be forced onto eventhe most loyal. In those cases that call for abhorrent action Geoffcan’t take on himself there is one pair he tends to turn to.Fewwould truly be surprised to hear that Ryan is one of the two who tickthis box, but that his partner in absolute depravity is Gavin wouldcatch some unaware. There are, of course, members of the crew moresuited to being paired with Ryan for all out violence, and those moreapt to accompany Gavin for subtlety, but together the pair of themare unrivalled in their gruesome innovation, their unflinchingdedication.  Thereis being willing to do the dirty work, and then there is enjoying it.Excelling at it. Relishing in the snap of bones and panickedpleading, in the creativity of cruelty, the intricate art of fear.They are violent and terrible, all wrath and retribution like thestories of old, they are a reckoning. Unlike most others there isn’teven a moment when either of them regret. Not a single hesitationbefore doing whatever must be done, no matter how terrible, howbrutally unforgivable. No threatis too dark, no act is too far, no reaction too extreme. In thisthere are no lines to cross, no moral code to offend or gods to obey.And worst of all, they enjoy it. They have fun,entertain each other, safe in the knowledge that out of sight of therest of the crew, with none but Geoff really knowing what exactlythey are up to, there is no judgement. No one who matters will thinkdifferently of them for unapologetic iniquity when they are eachother’s only witness and their ruin matches up oh so well.Gavinis delightfully petty, can whip out flippant comments and passingjokes from months or even years ago in his monologue, twist them intosome pithy one liner on the fly, like a hollywood villain without anycheesy dialogue to detract from the menace. He knows just how toframe their attack, laying out exactly what infraction has brought onRamsey’s ire and building an awful sense of suspense as hedelightedly meanders around what they are going to do about it.It’snot something that should be appealing, it’s awful really, bitterlycruel, but it makes Ryan’s sense of melodrama sing. Ryan who couldhave chosen any mask in the world but went directly for a blackenedskull. Who drops his already deep voice two octaves when he purrs outthreats and has a terrible habit of laying wait in dark corners untilhe spots the perfect moment to loom in sight. Ryan who’s never crumbled in theface of desperate begging, never seen grovelling as anything butundignified, who can’t help but appreciate the way it merely makesGavin turn up his nose, roll his eyes, toss Ryan increasinglyincredulous looks; Christ isn’t this one pathetic?Theyshare enough languages to communicate in privacy no matter thesituation but even without planning they are synchronised enough towork in tandem, playing into each others proclivities, teasingchatter as much for their own genuine amusement as it is for tauntingtheir prey. There are no hard and fast rules to their partnership-sometimes Ryan’s feeling particularly chatty and sometimes Gavin’sitching to pull out his lovely gold knives- but more often than notGavin wheedles his way into the mind of their victim before Ryanquite literally pulls them apart. Just as Gavin strokes Ryan’s egowhen he leans in and pleasantly explains all the horrific things theVagabond has done, Ryan pander’s to Gavin’s ever vicious whim; dragsthings out, slows them down, get’s disgustingly creative.There’salways been something distinctly animalistic in Gavin, the way heslinks like a predator, grins wide enough to bare his teeth, the wayhe can’t help toying with his food, but in this he isn’t Gavin Free,the Fake’s happy-go-lucky wrecking ball of chaos, isn’t the GoldenBoy, Ramsey’s unbelievably persuasive frontman; this is anothercreature all together. On these jobs Gavin is no less the showman,still all insidious cunning and attention-grabbing flash, but foronce he does nothing to disguise his own decay. Doesn’t inject falseemotion where none exists, doesn’t manufacture empathy, won’t evenpretend to give a solitary shit about anything outside his own world,his life, his people. Amusement as chilling as it is cold-blooded,crushing any hope that he might be the tempering force, that thepresence of the glittering Golden Boy will reign in the Vagabond.AndRyan, good grief Ryan. The Vagabond already has so very many torturedtales attached to his name, already inspires so much fear, but peopledo like to hope his reputation is inflated. Like to think the manbehind the mask can’t truly be as terrible as they say, must sufferthe same bouts of  guilt and mercy as anyone else. Think theVagabond’s greatest secret is the fact that at the end of the day heis just a man. The look in their eyes when they realise they arewrong, realise that while the skull may be a mask Ryanhas always been the monster, is the stuff nightmares are made of. TheVagabond isn’t soft on a good day, but in this role he is ruthless.It would, perhaps, be a relief if he were cold, detached. Would be aneasier pill to swallow if he acted with his usual air ofprofessionalism, but this? This is Ryan in his element. This is theVagabond having fun.It’sa tossup who’s better off; the victims who die slow and painful orthe ones who get to live. The ones who spill their secrets, whosuffer their punishments, and in the end are left to crawl free.Those who never really stop thinking about bloodstained teeth andrazor-blade smirks, distressingly fond banter and cold flateyes. None of them come back right, none of them return the same waythey left, have suffered terror beyond words, experienced horrorsthey will never be capable of explaining. Most wind up leaving thecity, even a passing mention of the Fake AH Crew enough to send themshaking, the possibility of another run in utterly intolerable, butthose who stay only serve to further boost the duos reputation.It’sone thing for anyone with half a brain to fear the Vagabond, it’squite another for well-known crooks to literally flee when heappears, spike classic fear-mongering rumours with far more truthfultales of vicious depravity, go to absurd lengths to steer clear ofthe FAHC at any cost. In the same vein the denizens of Los Santos canonly say Gavin’s name with increased reverence after  a mere winktossed at some thug playing muscle in the background of a meeting hasthe man throwing up all over himself. Can only be more impressed whena slow smile and whispered comment has another back-peddling so fastthe Fake’s make off with way more than they were owed.Which,of course, suits Geoff just fine, reaping the boons of the pethorrors he keeps in his pocket for a rainy day; rare, but undeniablymemorable. To see the three of them at work is a sight to behold,Ramsey strolling along flanked by his most wicked miscreants, one thedarkened menace of death incarnate, the other almost alight with hisown glittering hubris, not a scrap of restraint or morality betweenthem. They are apocalypse, are inevitable disaster, the end of allthings good and holy and with an unseen signal they peel off, leavetheir grinning king to walk alone as they melt back into the night,set free once more to hunt.

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May Sage & Alexi Blake will be revealing art from The Cursed Crown every month leading up to the December 1st release! Today’s art comes from Haloren1st! Check it and an exciting new excerpt out now! Title: The Cursed Crown Author: May Sage & Alexi Blake Genre: Epic Fantasy Illustrator: Gabriela Dea Julia Typography by Sylvia Frost from The Book Brander Boutique Release Date: 1st of December About The Cursed Crown: My lips hitch up an inch as the hulking, slender man bends down to whisper in my ear. “A divided kingdom without a leader is weak. You will fall. You will fail. You will all die without my kindness, little girl.” He expects me to falter, shiver, and drop my gaze to the ground like the flock of gentry buzzing around him. My eyes widen in feigned dismay. “Kindness? Why did no one think to tell me you had any?” I have to allow him that one concession: Rydekar is fun to tease. He doesn’t even smile. I don’t think anyone has taunted him. “I have none. You will beg nonetheless.” I just may, in his dreams. And in my nightmares. No one was ever born less suited to ruling than Rissa, the thorn of the seelie realm—a half-fae so wild she’s spent the better part of a hundred years in the woods. For all her flaws, she’s the last of the high court bloodline, and the southern king seems to think that’s reason enough to slap a crown on her feathered head. He needs her to unify the seelie forces. She needs him to forget about that nonsense. In an effort to aid her people without condemning herself to a lifetime of misery, she sets off on a journey to find the one person with a stronger claim to the throne than hers: the cursed prince. Sealed in the mountains of the Wilderness, under many spells, the heir of the first seelie queen is the only royal strong enough to protect the fae lands from their immortal invaders. Surviving the untamed tribes and awakening a thousand-year-old prince seem a lot easier than ruling an entire kingdom where everyone hates her very nature. And her choices won’t come without consequences. Pre-Order for a Limited Time Sale Price! Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082FS6S5V Apple: https://apple.co/2I0tPNh Nook: http://bit.ly/398w8tQ Kobo: http://bit.ly/2wLAs3E Exclusive Excerpt: The first time the high king sent hunters after me, I terrified them, drowning them in the depths of their worst nightmare. I can get rather bored in the forest, and their fear entertained me for a day or two. The second time, I was less kind. Instead of a handful of men, he sent two dozen. Half returned home, none of them whole. I am no simple beast foreign kings can summon at their leisure. I am no weakling to bow to the will of another court. I am a nightmare. Half a nightmare, if one wishes to be technical about it. No one does, however. The folk like to conveniently forget that I am part gentry. Half a nightmare. Half a child of the Court of Sunlight. Entirely wild. I didn’t expect a third assault. I should have. I may have met Rydekar Bane only once, but it’s enough to understand what kind of king ascended to the throne of Tenebris. A single rider enters my woods this time. Just one man on a pale horse. Yet I bristle. The stems growing inside my veins, sprouting out of my pores, crawl along my arm, protectively wrapping me under their thorns. I feel the feathers on my shoulders flutter. One rider on a pale horse, yet I am afraid. It isn’t in my nature to fear anything. My instincts aren’t prepared for it. Am I to flee like prey? Am I to remain to await my fate? Prepare to fight? I’m so lost I end up doing nothing at all. I’m still perched atop the sturdiest branch of the ash tree I’ve claimed as my home when he appears, standing alone. Rydekar. Somehow, I never expected that he’d come in person. Not here. The first time we met, it was in the dazzling light of the Crystal Keep, right at the core of Court of Sunlight. I was but a child, but already, I knew a predator when I saw one. I knew a fellow monster, too. A hundred years have passed, and nothing has changed at all. He wears layers of black, fashioned in a parody of a court outfit. He cannot fool me. His clothes are light and easy to move in, yet reinforced with spells and iron casts. This is a set of armor if I’ve ever seen one. His hair falls in waves, coating him in a golden halo. Of the number of weapons in his arsenal, his beauty is perhaps the most insidious. From the way he smiles at me as he saunters, there’s no doubt that he knows how to make use of it. “I see you’re tired of sending underlings for me to play with,” I say lightly, eyes closed. Rydekar chuckles. “They tell me you’re a tricky beast to hunt, precious. I thought I’d give it a try. I rather like the chase.” I don’t doubt it. “What do you want, Bane?” I will not call him king, highness, or anything of the sort. His dominion ends at the border of my woods. Rydekar is lord in the south, on unseelie territory. The Darker Woods are on seelie land, and answer to no one. No one except me. “What does any fae want?” “A beating heart for dinner? Endless, boundless entertainment? No, I know.” I glance down at him. “Better clothes. Well, I don’t share my tailor. Find your own.” His laugh is music, another trap meant to endear him to me. “Power, Rissa. I want more power.” I roll my eyes. “And you’ve come here to seek it?” I gesture around me, to the peaceful clearing. “Come down, precious.” His voice is sickly sweet, wrapping around me like a cloak. He aims to seduce me, and if I were any weaker, he might manage, too. Weaker, or stupider. “I’m quite content up here, thank you, Bane.” He sighs with a feigned sadness that makes me smile. “I would prefer not to be forced to make you obey me, Rissa, precious.” I laughs so hard I nearly fall off the branch. “Make me?” No one has ever made me do anything, not as a child, and certainly not now. Some tried. Pixie nurses, imp maids and an endless stream of tutors hired to bleed the wilderness out of me. That I now live alone in the woods shows just how proficient they were in their endeavor. “Make you,” he repeats, ever so softly. “I would prefer for us to have a partnership, if we could. But I’ll get what I’m here for either way.” “Will you, now?” I practically purr. He’s so very delightful. I haven’t had this much fun in an age. I do leap down from the tree, if only because I want him to regret asking for it. He saw me as a child in the Court of Sunlight, back when I hid the nightmare within me. There was only a hint of me showing through, back then. Now, I’m another creature. In the light of the moon, my complexion is sky blue, like that of a drowned corpse. The feathers grow right out of my shoulders, like the twisted twigs on my arms and legs. Back then, I wore long sleeves, hiding what I am as best I could. I’m dressed in a midnight spider silk so fine he might even see through it in this light. Rydekar’s violet eyes take me in, from my dirty, bare feet to my eyes, stopping on every feather, every thorn. Then he smiles, takes one step forward, and snatches my hand before I can recoil. “There you are, precious.” I’m so stunned I let go of my power, and feel the nightmare drain out of my skin. My hand is as warm as his, and has returned to the shade it dons when I’m not defending myself. It’s just like his. The twigs and flowers have retreated back inside my veins, and my feathers still. In this moment, I hate him. He’s taken my shield without any effort. “What do you want?” I repeat. This time, it sounds like a threat. Rydekar is done smiling. He’s dropped the pretense, his eyes flashing with a raw need. I am getting a glimpse of the monster beneath his mask. “You,” he tells me. “Where you belong.” I snatch my hand back. He dares? He dares! I’m about to lash out, pushing every drop of magic in my blood to maim him. He concludes his insult. “On the throne of Denarhelm.” “You’re a spineless, worthless waste of space.” He shrugs. “I’ve heard worse.” “Get out of my woods. I’ll gladly flay you alive if you stay.” And I mean every word, though killing him here would start a war. “Unlikely, but I’d enjoy your attempt.” Attempt? I could—and would—end him with little effort. I imagine freezing him in place and extracting every drop of pain and agony from his mind. “Alfheimr is raising an army, Rissa. Now that the strongest among us have left, we’re vulnerable. Hundreds of thousands of men are arming themselves, and they’ll march on your kingdom first. It’s easy pickings. I could claim it tomorrow if I so wished.” “There is no throne of Denarhelm,” I reply, gritting my teeth. The seelie kingdom has long been divided into the thirteen minor courts. The last high queen ruling over them all left the throne vacant for good reasons. While I do have her blood in my veins, even suggesting that I could claim it is preposterous—and cruel. The Court of Sunlight didn’t even want me to take my father’s place upon his passing. I hadn’t harbored any desire to rule, but the rejection had cut deep. The thirteen courts would never bow to me. I could make them, if I so wish. But I don’t. My lips hitch up an inch at the thought of forcing the thirteen courts to their knees. I’m so lost in my fantasy, I don’t see the hulking, slender man bending down to me until he whispers in my ear. “A divided kingdom without a leader is weak. You will fall. You will fail. You will all die without my kindness, little girl.” He expects me to falter, shiver, and drop my gaze to the ground, like the flock of gentry buzzing around him. My eyes widen in feigned dismay. “Kindness? Why did no one think to tell me you had any?” I have to allow him this one concession: Rydekar is fun to tease. He doesn’t even smile. I don’t think anyone has taunted him. “I have none. You will beg nonetheless.” I just may, in his dreams. And in my nightmares. “Get out of here,” I repeat. This time, to my surprise, he complies, walking back to his silver-white warhorse. “I’ve said my piece. When the time is right, send word. I’ll arrange for your coronation.” I’m confused and out of sorts. He’s leaving, after all this? I don’t understand him. What would he have to gain if I do as he wishes? Wanting a stronger enemy in the north doesn’t make sense. He looks back at me, and smiles one last time. “You were right, you know. I’ll steal your tailor.” That’s a promise and a threat. I don’t doubt he knows I make my own clothes. There’s no one else around, and nothing much else to do with my time. Without another word, the infuriating high king of the unseelie is gone. Stay up to date on teasers and teasers with The Curse Crown Facebook Group! About May Sage: May Sage is a USA Today Bestselling romance writer dabbling in different genres, although the readers who follow every series know they’re all related. When she isn’t writing, she spends her time with her German Shepherd, her two Savannahs, and her black rescue cat, in England. She loves reading, ballet, running, and cake. Mostly, cake. Follow her on Facebook or join her newsletter for the latest update. Connect with May Sage: Website | Facebook | Newsletter | Instagram Connect with Alexi Blake: Facebook | Twitter

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New Release Roundup, 2 June 2018: Fantasy and Adventure

The northern frontier of Britannia, a magical school, a conquered city, and Manly Wade Wellman’s Sgt. “Bible” Jaeger feature in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure.

Desperate Measures (The Valens Legacy #8) – Jan Stryvant

Things are starting to heat up for Sean and for some of his allies as well. The Sacramento Vestibulum council is starting to act in ways that no one had anticipated, and the Gradatim national council is by no means standing idly by either. When several of the councils decide to ban together in a move to eradicate Sean’s followers and remove him as well, Sean has no choice other than to try and teach them a painful lesson.

But those aren’t all the problems that Sean now has to deal with. More and more people are counting on him as the days go by and the burdens he must shoulder are quickly growing. Between the magical work he must do, the people he must lead, the battles he has to fight, and the money he needs to earn, Sean barely has time for his wives, much less himself these days.

And if dealing with the magic users isn’t enough, there are some very ‘mundane’ issues on the horizon that he may soon find himself dealing with as well.

Embers of Empire (Ava’s Crucible #2) – Mark Goodwin

America has fallen and Ava’s band of misfits is all that stands between freedom and absolute tyranny.

Political division in the United States has reached the boiling point and the Second American Civil War is well underway. Communist agitators have been successful in their efforts to intimidate voters from key states and steal the election. A far-left socialist candidate has seized the reins of power and his designs against the republic are absolute. With a sympathetic congress, he will sign in sweeping bans on firearms, criminalize free speech, and institute a new government agency to root out dissenters.

Ava’s group pledges to launch an insurgency campaign against the occupying force in Texas, but they’ll have to watch out for those who have been tasked with purging the patriots. Her team cannot fail in their mission to liberate Texas. If Texas falls, America’s demise is all but certain.

The Encircling Sea (Vindolanda #2) – Adrian Goldsworthy

Flavius Ferox, Briton turned Roman centurion, is charged with keeping Rome’s empire intact. But from his base at Vindolanda on the northern frontier of Britannia, he feels enemies closing in on him from all sides.

Ambitious leaders await the chance to carve out empires of their own. While men nearer at hand speak in whispers of war and the destruction of Rome.

And now new threats are reaching Ferox’s ears. Stories about the boat-dwelling men of the night, who have cursed the land and only come ashore to feast on men’s flesh.

These are just rumours for now. But Ferox knows that rumours stem from truth. And that no one on this isle is safe from the great, encircling sea…

The Family Shame (The Zero Enigma #4) – Christoper G. Nuttall

Isabella Rubén is a traitor – at twelve years old.

Disgraced, abandoned by her friends and shunned by her family, Isabella is sent into exile with scant hope of returning to her former home. Her destination, Kirkhaven Hall; a stone mansion miles from civilisation, inhabited only by a pair of older exiles. Existence as she knew it is over.

But as she tries to settle into Kirkhaven Hall, and a life far from the one she enjoyed before her fall from grace, she discovers that the hall has secrets. Intruders on the grounds, ghostly shadows moving at night …

… and a plot that may destroy everything she once held dear.

Hunted (The Oddyssey of  Nath Dragon #4) – Craig Halloran

Nath, Darkken and Maefon’s relationships grow stronger and they become quite the formidable band of heroes. Still taken in by the deception, Nath journeys with his new companions across Nalzambor to the town of Old Hen. It is there that they begin a desperate search in a bizarre gargantuan crypt guarded by the undead. Within, they hope to find the secret of Dragon Steel, that can be turned into a weapon, that can kill anything.

Brenwar, Slivver and Master Elween pull their forces together in order to track Nath down. Can they find him before Lord Darkken’s deception takes a complete hold on Nath? Will they be able to reveal the insidious Lord of the Dark in the Day’s deception? Or will Nath set his sights on taking over Nalzambor with his brother?

Hunter’s Oath (Changeling Blood #2) – Glynn Stewart

Jason Kilkenny is a quarter-human Vassal of the Queen of the Fae and the neutral arbiter of supernatural affairs around the Fae Court in the Canadian city of Calgary. He has spent half a year building relationships with the existing power structure–but all of that is thrown into chaos when the Fae leadership dictates that Calgary’s Court split into Seelie and Unseelie factions. Backed by the highest authority, the new Lord Andrell is there to build an Unseelie Court from nothing, and he will brook no interference, no challenges.

Meanwhile, a rogue Fae launches a vicious slaughter at Calgary’s largest public event, and Jason is dragged into an investigation and pursuit of a monster far more powerful than he is. The rogue’s Unseelie heritage brings him into conflict with Lord Andrell, and the city’s peace is threatened.

One wrong step could unleash civil war between the new Courts and Jason’s own secrets could lead to lighting the embers of a civil war amongst all Fae–embers that have slumbered since before his birth.

If only he knew what those secrets were…

Magna Carta (The Border Knight #4) – Griff Hosker

The Earl of Cleveland has managed to put himself in King John’s good graces just at the time when other barons decide to rebel. They seek more land and power. The newly appointed Earl is caught in the middle. When the Scots begin to raid once more Sir Thomas is forced to rally the loyal knights of the north and repel them. Following the actual history which led to the Magna Carta and beyond this fast-moving novel moves from Scotland to Wales and Northampton and Lincoln. It culminates in the battle of Lincoln 1217 when the French army attempted to conquer England.

So long as the Earl and William Marshal stand shoulder to shoulder with the boy king, Henry III, then England will be safe!

Party of Assassins – Steven Maurer

The thing about war is that life still goes on.

As rival princes ravage across Aeterna, mustering armies to vie for the throne of the Nutearean Empire, Xanthe’s main concern is getting a date for the upcoming Festival of Favors. Hard for a poor scholar’s daughter, who sees nothing in her looks that would ever attract a suitable boy.

Yet even in the relative safety of northern Thule, the southern interregnum brings danger. Fanatics rise when rulers fall. The Curate preaches that ancient technologies weren’t lost due to apocalyptic battles, but seized as divine punishment for mortals usurping the authority to shape life. Some schismatic zealots go further. Against the law, they murder ‘witches’ – girls with mysterious talents engineered into their bloodlines – hoping to cleanse mankind of its sins.

And Xanthe has a secret…

A Sellsword’s Wrath (Seven Virtues #2) – Jacob Peppers 

Aaron Envelar thought a sellsword’s life was as dangerous as any life could be. He was wrong.

Trapped in a conquered city with a reward on their heads, Aaron and his companions must find a way to elude the soldiers pursuing them while he struggles to understand his bond with Co, a magical creature of myth and the Virtue of Compassion. There is power within the bond, power that could help him protect his friends, if he’s lucky enough to master it before the darkness within the bond consumes him.

But luck, Aaron knows, is a blade reached for in the dark, the man who grasps it as likely to bleed for his trouble as find the handle.

Stalked by Belgarin’s soldiers, Aaron and his companions struggle to find allies before it’s too late. But Belgarin’s army is not the only danger they face, and even should they escape, even should Aaron master his bond with a legendary creature of magic, they may still fail. They may still die.

For there are other legends in the world, other magic. And not all legends are good ones. Not all magic is benign.

Tales of Anyar (Destiny’s Crucible #5) – Olan Thorensen

The Destiny’s Crucible series chronicles the incredible adventure of Joseph Colsco, a college student of no particular importance, who is thrust into an unimaginable fate by an accident that couldn’t happen—but did. Cast naked on the planet Anyar, he forges a new life for himself and rises to prominence and responsibilities he would otherwise never have imagined. However, much is left undone and uncertain. For readers who finished the first four books, many questions were left unanswered, and many stories left untold. This collection of short stories and novellas addresses some of the questions, expands previous books, and points to future directions. The anthology begins not on the planet Anyar but on Earth, with the aftermath of the improbable accident that starts Joseph Colsco on his new life.

Worse Things Waiting – Manly Wade Wellman

Available again for the first time in 45 years, Shadowridge Press is proud to present Manly Wade Wellman’s WORSE THINGS WAITING, one of the cornerstone short story collections in the fantasy and horror genres. Originally published by the legendary imprint Carcosa, Worse Things Waiting gathers 28 stories and two poems, selected from over 100 stories—the cream of nearly a half-century of fiction taken from the pages of Weird Tales, Unknown, Strange Stories and many other Golden Age pulps. Included are such classic tales as—

“The Undead Soldier”- featuring the original ending that Weird Tales considered too horrific to publish.

“The Devil Is Not Mocked” and “The Valley Was Still”- adapted for TV on Night Gallery and The Twilight Zone respectively.

“Coven” and “Fearful Rock”- Wellman’s two novelettes featuring Sgt. “Bible” Jaeger and his battles with diabolical evil in the Civil War south.

—and many more. The very best of Manly Wade Wellman, fully illustrated with over 30 ghoulish drawings by the legendary master of the macabre, Lee Brown Coye.

Cirsova #8 – edited by P. Alexander

For readers who want exciting tales of daring heroes up against impossible odds in exotic settings, the eight issue of Cirsova: Heroic Fantasy and Science Fiction is now hot off the press.

Featuring stories from Nathan Dabney, Jon Zaremba, J.D. Brink, Jim Breyfogle, Amy Power Jansen, Donald Jacob Uitvlugt, Jennifer Povey, Ken McGrath, and J. Manfred Weichsel.

New Release Roundup, 2 June 2018: Fantasy and Adventure published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames