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Laura Long is a Tennessee-based journalist and horror fan. She recently attended MoCon 7 and was gracious enough to share her observations with us.


MoCon. Indianapolis. Cinco de Mo Yo. Where do I begin?

From the perspective of an outsider, not a published author of fiction (or a horror/sci-fi artist, comic book writer, film maker, etc.) the experience of attending a writer’s convention to observe and listen can be overwhelming and scary, to say the least. But having attended this exceptional event recently (May 4-6, 2012) I asked Mark Sieber if I might share some thoughts from my convention journal for the folks at our beloved All-Things-Horror-And-Then-Some watering hole, Horror Drive-In. He said (since Mark is pretty open to new ideas and a wide variety of perspectives), “Sure, send it to me and I’ll look it over.”

So here it is. This is what I learned; a few of the best things I came away with.

HORROR WRITERS ARE CRAZY.

No surprise there, right? And I mean it in a very good way. Horror writers, sci-fi writers, writers of fantasy and sorcery and magic (and all points in between) are a unique breed. They are highly creative, interesting, compelling, and they ALL have a crackerjack prize deep down inside – a red and white striped package of twisty-bendy that make them, in my opinion (and yours, too, probably, if you’re reading this) the most desirable companions in this weird-ass journey of life that you could ever hope to share the planet with. They dream big. They argue. Some of them have egos so big they had to pack a suitcase just for swagger. Some of them are so painfully shy they had to pinch their own hands and keep resisting the urge to avoid conversations and slink back to the hotel. Horror writers tend to laugh loudly while they share balls-to-bone fears and grief and wonder with each other and of course, (sooner or later) with their readers. They tend to enjoy all the cultural aspects of living, from a cold beer (mostly, some didn’t drink) to good food, movies, music, history, design, technology and the list goes on and on.

They are the crazies. And they are the party.

WRITING IS STILL HARD WORK

Mary Robinette Kowan gave a presentation about readings, and about the value of it to introduce and market new work. She talked about the importance of vocal volume and projection, about reading slow enough to give the listener time to create a mental image. “This is the first time they have heard the words,” she said. “Slow down.” She talked about vocal distinction for each character in the story, and about giving people a complete emotional experience. Even though her instructions were about reading work out loud, I thought that the advice could also apply to writing in the first place. The point being that novice writers could and should take time to really think about the words, to slow down, and to work towards providing the reader with a complete emotional experience. I was reminded of the effort and diligence required to write a good story, and about how it is still hard work, very hard. And how slowing down might be good advice for a beginner. I’m grateful for this reminder.

LOVE IS A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE

I would not presume to understand anyone’s world view or spiritual perspective on the basis of one panel presentation, but there were some things said that made an impact on me at MoCon.

The first quote is from Bob (“The Occult Detective”) Freeman. He was standing outside the front door of Trinity Church chatting with me when another person came up and joined the conversation. She pointed out his necklace, mentioned she shared she shared his world view, and then Bob said, “Pagans, REPRESENT!” He said it so joyfully that I was glad for him, truly glad that he felt comfortable enough at MoCon to celebrate his own view without having to defend or explain it. I had been told that this was the flavor of MoCon, and that was my first opportunity to appreciate it. I did feel that persons from all walks of life were able to be there, to take part in a little discussion or a lot, to (as Bob put it) “represent.” It sure felt good and right to me.

Other memorable quotes made during the panel presentation on spirituality that made it into my MoCon journal were these:

“There is nothing holding any of (the material world) together, which lends credence to the theory of central intelligence.”---Gary Braunbeck

“Sometimes it’s just more important to be human.” ---Nate Southard

“What if God is the thing that wakes your dog up to tell you that the house is on fire?” ---Mary SanGiovanni

“If there is a universal mind, who says it has to be sane?” ---Tim Waggoner

I don’t think it would be wrong for me to include my observations of the panel on “The MisEducation of the Writer” under the “Love Is A Spiritual Experience” heading. Here is why I think it’s appropriate.

The discussion that had to do with improving relationships among different races, at the end, pointed to love and patience as the only thing that was going to ever make a difference. John Lawson made us realize we sure had plenty of work left to do. Maurice Broaddus declaring that his family believed “Jamaicans are like a whole different race altogether,” got laughs from the audience but the thought occurred to me that we are all like that. We ALL tend to focus on how special our own lives are when what we could really benefit from is a commitment to relating to one another.

It hurt to hear Chesya Burke say that all minorities had some kind of dual lives, living their lives in two worlds and not ever really being accepted in either one. I know that is the truth, and it hurts.

I told John Allen that I thought improving race relationships was like dancing with someone for the first time. It’s really awkward at first, and it may have missteps and stumbling along the way, but if we keep trying, it can get smoother, it can be really good if we relax a little bit (without compromise) and keep going.

And that kind of commitment to genuine relationships will be good for my writing, too. I’ll be richer for it, be more genuine, and write from that place.

(cue theme from JAWS)

That’s what I hoped MoCon 7 would be for me. It was.

--Laura Long


The Mo-Man himself, Maurice Broaddus

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I was slightly disappointed that Richard Matheson's I am Legend took The Vampire Novel of the Century award at The Stokers this year. I mean, that novel is a classic, a masterpiece. I first read it as a little boy and I loved it. It literally changed the way I felt about genre fiction.

Had King's Salem's Lot won, I wouldn't have been too disappointed either. It's a terrific novel that played a huge role in launching King's career.

I would have been disgusted had Interview With the Vampire won, despite how influential it was.

As for Anno Dracula, Hotel Transylvania, and The Soft Whisper of the Dead, they are solid novels, but did not deserve the honor.

My own choice would have been an easy one. My favorite vampire novel of all time is George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream. By a wide margin.

Fevre Dream is now back in print, no doubt due to the small screen success of Martin's A Game of Thrones. This should get people reading more of his work and they can do no better than giving Fevre Dream a try.

On the other hand, what do I know? I haven't read the Fantasy work of George R.R. Martin and I might possibly like it more than his Horror.

Nah.

Fevre Dream is a masterpiece, plain and simple. It works as well as a historical novel as it does a work of Horror. It's also an epic tale of friendship, of honor. The novel deals with a riverboat captain in 1857 who makes a deal with a curiously pale individual. Their union brings forth an adventure that spans many years and the length of the majestic Mississippi River.

For me, Fevre Dream makes the very shortlist of greatest horror novels ever published. So if you like A Game of Thrones, please, please consider buying and reading Fevre Dream. Best of all, it's an inexpensive paperback that should be available everywhere.

While you're at it, another great Horror title by George R.R. Martin is back in print: The Armageddon Rag, which deals with a demonic rock group. It's no Fevre Dream, but it's still better than 99% of the other stuff out there in the genre.

In the highly unlikely event that Mr. Martin is reading these words, please come home to Horror, Sir. We miss you.

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I'm not talking about the creator of everything, but this was almost as good.

I speak of the God of Horror Movies. Not Romero. Not Craven. Not Dario. Not Carpenter. And I damn sure am not referring to Rob Zombie. I met the director of the most shocking, brutal, controversial, amazing horror movies ever released. I met Mr. Ruggero Deodato.

Deodato unleashed movies such as Cannibal Holocaust, House on the Edge of the Park, Jungle Holocaust, Cut and Run, and The Washing Machine (which I still haven't seen. Can someone hook me up?) upon the world.

I wasn't able to get to the Blood on the Beach convention until Sunday. This was the first year of it and I was most impressed by everything I saw. Of course there was a certain amount of chaos. That's part of the fun of any con. But everything seemed to go incredibly smoothly. And attendance was high. I spoke with the guy who runs it and he seems like a damned good dude.

I approached him with an offer to help bring horror writers and horror fiction to future Blood on the Beach cons. And this one was so successful that there certainly will be more to come. The great news is, he was very receptive to the idea. He knows how much attendance the writers bring to Horrorfind. We plan to get together sometime soon to make some plans. So, writers, if you're interested in being involved, get in touch with me.

I wish I had gone to Blood on the Beach all weekend. There's nothing quite like a convention. How crazy is it to walk by Michael Rooker in a hallway, or members of The West Memphis Three? Ernie Hudson. The cast (sans Coreys) of The Lost Boys. Joe Turkel. Michael Biehn. Kane Hodder. The Sleepaway Camp cousins. Tony Todd. And so many more.

The shittiest convention is fun as long as you have a con buddy. The best is a little lonely when you don't. I didn't know anyone at Blood on the Beach, though I did talk to a lot of people. Everyone was cool. And the place was still hopping on Sunday, which is very good.

As for Ruggero Deodato, I went up to him as I would a King. I told him I liked his movies and he smiled and shook my hand. I asked about Cannibal Holocaust 2 and he said he hoped it would happen and it is still a possibility. Then I told him that I really liked his movie, The Barbarians.

When I mentioned The Barbarians, Deodato jumped up and exclaimed, "The Barbarians! I'm-a so glad that you like that movie!". He thrust his clenched fist to his heart and passionately said, "I love-a that movie! Not like Cannibal Holocaust---funny! Funny!"

I'm not one for signed 8X10 photos. I had two before today: Forrest J Ackerman and Dick Miller. Does that give you an idea of how selective I am about it? Now the visage of Ruggero Deodato resides on my mantle. He signed it thusly: "To Mark, My Fan to BARBARIANS and Cannibal Holocaust, Ruggero Deodato" I am humbled.

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I came of age in the last gasps of the classic exploitation age. I was lucky enough to see some holdovers from the gritty days of down-and-dirty horror and exploitation. I greatly enjoyed watching things like The Beast Within and Ulli Lommel's The Boogeyman at drive-in theaters. But the times were changing and a new era was ushering in.

By the mid-1980's, it was becoming hard to find a serious horror picture. The genre had become self-aware and jokey. Horror comedies ruled the day, and a lot of so-called serious horror fans decried the trend. Me, I liked it a lot. But then I liked the harder-edged horror movies too.

Trends in the genre come and go. In recent years things got pretty brutal again. Torture Porn became prominent, and filmmakers tried to take things as far as they could. Movies like The Human Centipede and A Serbian Movie shocked and polarized fans and audiences. In a way this was a good thing. Controversy is healthy. Yet something had to give.

Maybe it's time for a shift in tone again. I recently stated on the Horror Drive-In Message Board that, despite many fine novels coming out in the genre in this new Millennium, there haven't been any true game-changers. Well, maybe a game-changer has come in the world of the horror movie.

A true game-changer can't be some obscure, underground thing. It must by definition attract audiences outside the rather small pool of the horror community. I truly hope that The Cabin in the Woods will be the movie that brings in a new era of fun horror.

God, did we need this movie. It's fresh, yet drenched in horror/gore movie tradition. Who can keep track of all the references to horror films in it? There are dozens. Perhaps hundreds.

I didn't really know who the smuck Joss Weldon is. I know he was responsible for Buffy. I never saw the show, but I heard it was good. Yeah, right. He did Toy Story, which I sat through. I suppose it is a decent movie, but it most certainly is not my cup of tea. What else? Alien Resurrection? A truly horrible motion picture. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog? Let's just say that the name, Joss Weldon, did not exactly inspire me with hope for a good horror movie.

I certainly didn't expect something so hip and savvy as The Cabin in the Woods to come from him. Or anyone, really. This movie feels fresh and familiar at the same time. It's a beautiful gift for horror fans. Bu the audience I saw it with were not all horror fans, but they all loved it. They shrieked and howled all through the movie.

The Cabin in the Woods is one to see with an audience. A lot of people have gotten away from watching movies in theaters, but with something like this there is an energy, almost electricity, in the auditorium.

And if you give the slightest shit about horror movies, you'd better get your ass out there and see it. At least once. I plan to see it again.

If you have or are considering downloading The Cabin in the Woods illegally, a plague upon you and your offspring. Go out, get your ticket torn and support the damn thing. Every horror fan should do so.

Surely it won't please all fans. I've come to realize that no movie, no matter how good, will be embraced by everyone. Nor, astonishingly, is anything so bad that a few won't like it. The thing is, every fan should see it for themselves.

And there is so much to see in it. There are some computer effects, yes, but there are so many traditional ones in it. It's nice to see model-makers in the credits. Puppeteers. Hands-on makeup work.

Like I said before, a gift to the true horror fans.

I unabashedly adored The Cabin in the Woods. It's easily my favorite horror movie of this decade so far. Let's hope for an extras-packed, unrated DVD.

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It looks like the long-mooted Susperia remake is actually rolling now. Of course, fans are apoplectic about it. Practically swallowing their tongues with seizures at the very idea of someone desecrating a masterpiece. And I do feel that Susperia is a masterpiece.

But I'll go against the grain, as usual. I think it could turn out to be an interesting project. It's not like Joe Multiplex is going to ever watch Susperia. He wouldn't make it past the opening credits.

Of course it could go either way, but it's heartening that a talented guy like David Gordon Green is directing it. Green has done some great films, such as the amazing Snow Angels and All the Real Girls. Green has also done some iffy comedies, like Pineapple Express and The Sitter. And he has done at least one abomination: Your Highness.

Let's just hope he leaves his obnoxious college buddy, Danny McBride, on the sidelines for Susperia.

The last time I saw fans so pissed off about a remake was with Dawn of the Dead. Not everyone agrees, obviously, but I thought that one turned out pretty good. Maybe Susperia will too. I'll judge it after seeing it.

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A number of years ago the music industry finally embraced the technology of downloading songs. Previously downloading had mostly been done illegally, but a new revolution was in the works. One of its battle cries was this statement: Music was a product, now it is a service.

The idea was to gradually eliminate the compact disc and focus on downloads. Service providers like Amazon, itunes, Pandora, and the now-legit Napster would provide music downloads which enabled users to store them in their portable devices to enjoy wherever they went.

Let's go back even further. Sony developed the first compact disc, or CD, in 1976, but it wasn't until the mid 1980's that they began to be used as a popular format for storing and distributing music. Compact discs were touted by the music industry as being superior in every way to the vinyl record. CDs sounded clearer, were easily accessed, and would theoretically last forever. Most importantly to the music labels, the compact disc was much cheaper to manufacture than vinyl records. Yet the price for CDs nearly doubled the price of records.

We were duped. Making a digital file of a piece of music requires it to be compressed. The clarity of the sound suffers, so to make up for that music is commonly recorded louder for CDs. The truth is, the average vinyl record sounds clearer and much more distinct than on a compact disc.

I'm not trying to come off as superior here. I bought the whole thing hook, line, and sinker, just like almost everyone else. We all fell in love with the shiny new technology.

Things were going quite well for the music industry. Punk Rock had been sterilized and sanitized for the masses. People were buying CDs all the time. Myself most definitely included. Then something came along and turned things on its head.

Another shiny new technology surfaced and became very popular. The Internet caught on like wildfire and soon enough, mainly through a company called Napster, music lovers were sharing their files over the world wide web. While the music label executives began shitting themselves.

It was funny to see those pricks getting their comeuppance, but illegal downloading isn't the right answer either. I did it some when Napster was new, but I quickly began feeling dirty about the whole thing. Just because we could get away with getting music at no cost doesn't make it right. How are my favorite recording artists able to continue to make albums if they aren't being paid for their work? I only wish more people shared my view on it.

A few years ago I began to rekindle my love of vinyl records. To actually have a big cover in my hands and enjoy the artwork and photography. The joy of taking the record out of its sleeve and place it on the turntable. And for those who like to have enhanced enjoyment of music, a gatefold record jacket is a perfect place to clean four twenty.

I've been seriously collecting vinyl for the past few years, and I have over three hundred in my collection at present. My tastes are wildly diverse. I like punk, new wave, funk, jazz, reggae, Hawaiian, polka, surf, swing, ragtime. Pretty much anything goes, but I'm not exactly mad about the music of my generation: Dreary blues-based classic rock. That shit bored the pants off of me.

Others around my age have been re-experiencing the joys of vinyl. It really does sound better than digital recordings. But aging geezers like myself do not make the trends in the music industry. Nor do the executives of the labels. Nor do the artists. The ones who move and shake are the same who've been doing it all along, and will always continue to do so: The kids.

I knew that vinyl was on the upswing. Most of my favorite artists are releasing their works, past and present, in the LP record form. I'm friends with the guy at a local record store, and he says that in the last year vinyl sales have gone up around 25%. And it's becoming harder to find decent records at the thrift shops all the time.

But it was last past weekend, while I was in Raleigh, NC, where the resurgence of the vinyl record was most evident to me. I went to the local record store, Schoolkids, which is right by the University. I know that the owner has been struggling to stay afloat for the past decade or so. But on Saturday evening the store was crawling with kids. Students mostly, I'm sure. They were pouring over the new record section. I could hardly fight my way in to get a look at them myself.

The kids are enjoying the greater audio clarity of vinyl records. They like actually owning a record, and looking at the pictures, liner notes (that you can actually read), and lyrics. Collecting records has become cool again.

This is good news for Schoolkids Records, and for other great stores, like American Oldies Records, in Newport News, Virginia.

Some people are happy to give all of their business to Amazon or itunes. Or to listen for free at Spotify, which I signed up for and promptly deleted from my computer mere days after getting it. Since my conversion back to vinyl, digital recordings sound weak to me.

A lot of times you can get the best of both worlds with one pop. In quite a few cases I've bought the vinyl release, and included with the record is a card with a download code where the buyer can download MP3s of the same release for free.

But isn't it much easier for a struggling independent artist to get a CD release than the far more costly process of making a vinyl record? Of course it is, but with today's technologies, the rules for creating, manufacturing, and distributing music are rapidly changing. Artists are getting their fans to actually invest in the creation of a project with global funding platforms like Indie a Go Go and Kickstarter. Interested parties can invest at various levels, with different perks for the amount given.

I find it all to be terribly exciting. It's good for the economy to get more workers involved in the distribution of music, books, movies. Sure, it's not as convenient for the typically lazy American, but I think that the end results are worthwhile to those that genuinely care about books, music, movies.

So please, join the vinyl revolution and let's turn music back into a product. Dust off that old turntable and those records you've got stored. Just make sure you get a new needle. Or if you're younger, join the cool kids and invest in a decent system. Take my advice and don't get any of that cheap crap out there. I paid a hundred dollars for my Sony turntable, and it plugs right into a USB port, where you can play it through your existing computer system. Or you can get an amplifier and tabletop speakers and kick it old school.

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A lot of people didn't like it, but I thought that Starship Troopers was one of the best films of the 90's. Having endured a bitch of a week, with record pollen levels and mega-stressful overtime at work, I was in need of something to watch that I know and love. Hence the choice of Paul Verhoeven's adaptation of Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers.

It was a stroke of genius to reunite Robocop's director and writer for Starship Troopers. I think some of us might forget how groundbreaking Robocop was. In terms of special effects, stylized violence, and biting satire, Robocop stands damned near alone at the top of the list of futuristic action movies.

A lot of people were excited about the release of Starship Troopers, and few were more enthusiastic as I was. Heinlein was my first favorite writer, and while Starship Troopers isn't my favorite of his books, it's far from the worst. Imagine if Verhoeven had chosen to adapt Podkayne of Mars, or The Number of the Beast.

There was a cloud of controversy surrounding the release of Starship Troopers. Despite the almost staggering amount of violence in the film, it could have squeaked by with a PG-13 rating, thus ensuring greater box office returns. Apparently the MPAA was much more lenient on bloodshed that involved aliens than that of human against human. The thing that the ratings board would not allow to get the PG-13 were scenes of men and women soldiers showering together. Verhoeven stuck to his guns and refused to excise the scenes, which were critical to the vision of Robert A. Heinlein. Heinlein felt that men and women would be completely equal in the future. Sadly, even though Starship Troopers earned its production budget back in worldwide revenue, it was considered a box office failure.

It did not fare much better from the critics. Some caught on and enjoyed the ride, but many dismissed it as trash. Roger Ebert praised aspects of it, but he was put off by the level of violence in Starship Troopers.

My hopes were in check when I saw Starship Troopers in the theater in 1997, but I was completely satisfied by it. I thought that the movie pulled off a neat trick. It captured the philosophies of Heinlein nearly perfectly, but it also managed to be an ironic parody of the fascist themes of the source novel. I think a lot of people took it too seriously. To me Starship Troopers works well as a comedy and a nail-biting action story.

I thought that the cast was uniformly excellent. Casper Van Dien portrayed the everyman heroic Heinlein protagonist beautifully. What happened to that guy? I thought he might move on to the big time after Starship Troopers. Denise Richards, before she was Sheened, played a love interest well, and Michael Ironside lived up to his name as the iron-willed Heinlein avatar character. Clancy Brown memorably played a hard-as-nails-with-a-heart drill instructor. Lunkhead actor Jake Busey was perfectly cast as "Ace", the lovably dorky best pal of Dien.

Despite lukewarm ticket sales, Starship Troopers has enjoyed a nice life in home video, TV, and cable. It was the first DVD I ever bought (along with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). It spawned to forgettable direct-to-video sequels and an animated series.

As for director Paul Verhoeven, Starship Troopers marked another notch in the descent of his career as a Hollywood filmmaker. It's too bad, because I always thought that he was one of the most interesting directors in the world. His early European movies like The Fourth Man and Soldier of Orange are great, but prior to Starship Troopers he made the movie that everyone loved to hate: Showgirls. I thought it was a ridiculously enjoyable movie, but it was a huge flop. I don't know who first made the statement that Showgirls was the Beyond the Valley of the Dolls of the 90's, but I think that's a perfect comparison.

Sadly, Verhoeven's final film in America is the only one I have no use whatsoever for. I found Hollow Man to be wholly abysmal, with no redeeming factors whatsoever. Previously Paul Verhoeven made fun trashy movies, but Hollow Man is merely ugly, stinking trash. He now makes films movies in the Netherlands.

Thought the special effects in Starship Troopers now look dated, the movie has aged well, I think. To date I consider it to be the best Heinlein adaptation by far.

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One of the best things about attending any convention is the friends you make. Every time I go to one, I am reunited with some wonderful friends, and I also make new ones.

At The Horrorfind Weekend last year, I made the acquaintance of a smart, funny, lovely woman by the name of Sheri White. We ended up at the same tables in the bar and in addition to her other attributes, I was impressed by her ability to hold her booze. This is an important quality to have while at any respectable convention.

Sheri is also a talented writer and, of course, a fan of the horror genre. At some point in the convention I asked her if she would like to become a reviewer for Horror Drive-In. She immediately said yes.

But you have to understand: People make all sorts of promises while they are grappling with the grape at cons. Most often nothing comes of them. I hoped that Sheri would want to be a reviewer here. Nothing happened for several months, until recently when she contacted me and asked if the offer was still on.

It's not like the rest of us here at HD-I are knocking reviews out. I hold no blame for anyone for it. The pay here isn't bad---it's nonexistent. People have lives and commitments. I can't talk either. I haven't been doing much in the way of reviews. I hope to pick it back up soon. 2012 hasn't exactly been the best year of my life, as I talked about earlier here.

For now, please welcome Sheri, and read her review of the newest book by the always-enjoyable Paul-Melniczek, The Unseen.

I want to publicly thank Sheri and welcome her to the Horror Drive-In family. I hope that she will be here, sharing her knowledge and insights into the genre for a long, long time.

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Well, Samhain Publishing has been in operation as a horror fiction specialist for a while now, but I finally got one of their books: The Sorrows, by Jonathan Janz. It is high up on my reading list.

In a way, Samhain was born out of the rubble that was left as Leisure collapsed. And what a tragedy that was. Leisure published some of the best horror fiction available. From hardcore authors like Brian Keene, Edward Lee, Bryan Smith, and Jack Ketchum, to some of horror's finest stylists like Ramsey Campbell and Thomas Tessier. In retrospect it was a golden time for the genre. Then it all went away.

It was bad enough that Leisure/Dorchester Publishing went under, but it did so under the worst and most painful circumstances. Reports of unpaid royalties flourished. Rights to books were reverted to authors, but stories of Dorchester continuing to sell them were flying. A half-assed attempt to start e-book and trade paperback lines were started, but I don't think anyone believed that they would go far. And they didn't.

Leisure's editor, Don D'Auria, was a big part of why the company was so beloved by the community. By all reports he treated the writers right and he made a lot of shrewd editorial decisions. Through all of the animosity and vitriol, I have not heard one bad word uttered about Mr. D'Auria.

Now Don D'Auria is the editor of the horror branch of Samhain and this is cause for rejoicing. He is once again bringing some of the best talent in the genre to readers. And they seem to be servicing both the electronic and print fiction devotees. E-Books as well as trade paperbacks are being published by Samhain.

Some of the first releases by Samhain are by celebrated veteran Ramsey Campbell. This should bring joy to every lover of horror fiction (but it won't). Other familiar names to those of us who live for horror fiction are coming out from Samhain as well: Ronald Malfi, Greg Gifune, W.D Gagliani. Plus quite a few lesser known writers are seeing the light of publication under the Samhain banner. I plan to check out some of these newer writers, and I hope that you do as well.

Is it a perfect situation? Well, sad to say, not for me. I don't do the e-book thing and I never will. Call me what you will, but I read real books. The smaller, digest-sized edition of paperback which I always cherished is not being used. I hate it that this format seems to be dying. Samhain is doing the increasingly popular oversized trade paperbacks. And the copy of The Sorrows that I have looks to have been done with POD technology, which does not bode well for bookstore distribution. I realize that this is a damn tough business and that publishers must do whatever it takes to survive, but I think it sucks. I hate ordering online by pushing buttons. I like the old way, where we went out and bought books among the public and actually had to communicate with human beings. Gee, how old fashioned.

Still, one cannot complain too much. Samhain looks to be doing some really nice books and we need a company like them out there. We're all told that we must support the small press as much as we can. And that is certainly true. But we should also support mass market publishers when we can. The success of a company like Samhain can be a boon to the market. Not only to the writers who need their work distributed, but to us, the readers.

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When film critics write about so-called Great Movies, they tend to bring up things like Casablanca. Citizen Kane. Rebecca. Lawrence of Arabia. That sort of thing. Here at Horror Drive-In we like a more visceral viewing experience. Oh, we do enjoy cerebral movies now and then, but we mostly enjoy exploitation fare. We're more likely to talk about Jaws than Schindler's List. Dementia 13 than The Godfather. Boxcar Bertha than Raging Bull.

In 1984 a movie about dislocated young punk rockers was released. Written and directed by Penelope Spheeris, who would later go on to be a major Hollywood player, Suburbia is a gritty, sometimes shocking, sometimes funny, sometimes touching story of a group of homeless kids who call themselves The Rejected (TR for short). They have taken up residence in a haunting version of suburbia. Fallen into disrepair, the once-stylish community is now abandoned. Except for various squatters and feral dogs.

Just as The Rejected have been rejected by society, they have rejected the values that were supposed to nurture them, but only failed them. They have no use for the fraudulent 1950's family values of TV sitcoms, or phony baloney 60's hippie optimism. The hedonistic, feel-good 70's hold no appeal to these angry kids either. Life is hopeless, there is no future, love does not exist. Except for the bond they have with one another.

One of the things I love about Suburbia is how the kids are not presented as poor, misunderstood little darlings. A girl is viciously humiliated by them early on in the movie. The Rejected not only steal in order to survive, but they vandalize out of spite. We see signs of racism and homophobia. They are far from perfect, which makes them all the more believable.

Suburbia is bookended with brutal scenes of violence involving children, so if that presses your buttons, be forewarned. The opening is especially shocking.

Roger Corman backed Suburbia, and it was a perfect film for him. In his illustrious career he documented Beatniks, Bikers, and Dopers. The Punk movement was a natural progression for him.

Fresh off of her punk documentary, The Decline of Western Civilization, writer-director Penelope Spheeris made Suburbia. Spheeris also made another of my favorite movies called The Boys Next Door. That film showed how so-called normal kids turn into cold blooded killers. Later she made it big in Hollywood, helming things like Wayne's World. In 1987 she made a movie called Dudes. Being familiar with her previous work, I was excited about Dudes and I told my friends that it was going to be a great film. I don't think I'll ever live that one down. Dudes is a major embarrassment.

Big budget fare and a couple of turkeys along the way do not negate the brilliance of Suburbia. It is a powerful film that has lost none of its ability to shock and to move the viewer. Those who think Punk is crap like Green Day need to go back and see the real thing. It's all in Suburbia.

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I've done a lot of soul-searching in the last week or two. Looking at my life and its surroundings. The fact is, I have debt that I need to get rid of. And I have a lot of books. A whole lot of books. Many are valuable. Some are not. But I plan to unload a lot of them in the coming weeks.

Collecting is wonderful, and I will not be selling everything, but I will be selling a lot of books. Possibly movies and compact discs too. I don't even care if I make pennies on the dollars at times. This will not only clean out my life and help with my debts, but it will also keep my time occupied.

If I sell a book you wrote or you gave me, please, please do not be offended. I need to do this.

I'll be doing announcements for my sales at the forum and at Facebook, but keep an eye on Horror Drive-In Books at Ebay. Everything I sell will start at ninety-nine cents and I'm sure that some will be getting some unbelievable deals.

Also, every sale I make comes with some sort of freebie. It might be a book or a DVD or possibly a magazine. The buyer may already have it, or he or she might not want it at all, but I try to give a little extra to everyone. If I sell a 40 dollar limited edition for a buck, I'll probably just throw in a an old paperback or something. If I make out good on a sale, the freebie gets better.

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I've always used my position as a message board moderator and a website owner as a sort of confessional. It seems to help me, and people have been kind enough to tell me that they enjoy it. So let me tell you about the worst week of my life.

I guess it was inevitable. Twenty years of being a machinist, struggling to hold tolerances, when any wrong move can mean a catastrophic error. I don't know many older machinists who are not either addicts or absolutely bugfuck crazy.

Add to that a childhood with precious little emotional support. I have always been fiercely independent. A rock. Being the arrogant ass I was, I dismissed those with mental or emotional problems.

Of course all my friends know that I lost my loved ones a few years ago. I haven't gotten over it, even though at times I felt as though I had. Too many miserably lonely nights. Too many tears. You can't go on forever like that.

Then there were a couple of incidents recently where my life was in danger. One was an accident at work, and another was a gunfight in a WalMart that happened right in front of me.

My father died recently, and even though we were far from close, it had a huge effect on me.

Now, even though I knew it was coming, my darling stepdaughter India will be moving to California. I know it won't be impossible to visit, but it will be damned hard. And damned expensive.

Too much loss. Too much stress. Not enough spirituality. Not enough love. I was headed for catastrophe. And it happened last Wednesday night.

I woke up at 2 AM in the midst of the worst fear, terror, panic, of my life. I jerked awake and jumped out of bed. Staggered around the house, alone, in the thralls of absolute panic.

It was, of course, a classic panic/anxiety attack. I had heard about them, but I had no idea how completely debilitating they can be. It's like you are dying. Or having a nervous breakdown.

It subsided, as least to a degree. But I can't shake it. I still feel fear, dread, and overwhelming anxiety all the time. Work has been very hard.

I never thought that I would ever see a therapist, but I made an appointment and saw the doctor on Thursday. She's a nice lady and the talk helped. She doesn't think I need medication. I'm not so sure. I'm going to see her again this coming Thursday and probably for more visits after that.

I'm not so bad off when I'm with people, but when I'm alone, I get the shakes and the anxiety. I can't stop thinking of death, disease, madness.

So I haven't been reading anything. Or watching any horror whatsoever. There's no way I can deal with it for now.

I hope to get better. The analysis is helping, but what's an hour a week?

I don't know what is going to happen. Things seem hopeless right now. They can't stay like this forever. Can they?

---

Robert McCammon. Sometimes I want to pinch myself. To make sure that I'm not dreaming and that Mr. McCammon is indeed publishing again. I know, it's been nearly ten years since he returned to the field. He was gone for ten years though, and that was a long dry period. He was so sorely missed. Despite many fine writers emerging in and out of the genre, no one could even come close to replacing Robert McCammon.

When I heard that McCammon's first book after his absence was a historical novel, I was only slightly disappointed. Historicals were never my favorite type of book to read. But it was McCammon.

I should not have had the slightest misgivings. Speaks the Nightbird is arguably the best book that Robert McCammon had published to date. It's a vividly realized portrait of the turn of the seventeenth century, and it also introduced readers to a wonderful protagonist named Matthew Corbett. Corbett was a magistrate's apprentice in Speaks the Nightbird, but he has gone on to more interesting career paths in the three books that have featured him since then. Corbett is now a professional 'problem solver' in 1703 New York City.

Yes, McCammon is doing his first series with the character. Corbett has been featured in three other books since Speaks the Nightbird: The Queen of Bedlam, Mr. Slaughter, and now The Providence Rider. The great thing about this series is that each novel has its own personality. When many writers do a series, the books are essentially the same story with details changed. Not so with Robert McCammon and the Matthew Corbett series.

In The Providence Rider, Corbett is launched quite literally into his most exotic adventure yet. Already targeted by the nefarious "Emperor of Crime", Dr. Fell, Corbett is taken against his wishes to an island where the Doctor reigns supreme. Though Fell has previously marked Corbett for death, he now needs the young problem solver to help him with some of his own troubles. So young Mr. Corbett is off on a perilous journey across the sea, where he will find danger, intrigue, romance, and genuine evil. Far from his comfortable home in America.

What makes this series work so, other than McCammon's flawless depiction of the past and the exquisite language he conjures it up with, is the basic decency of Matthew Corbett. The young detective is intelligent, tenacious, honorable, and simply a good human being. Yet no man can face the evils Corbett faces in these books and remain wholly innocent.

The publisher states that The Providence Rider is a perfect entry point for new readers of the Matthew Corbett books. And it is. But if you haven't read the first three, take my advice: Get them all and take a month off from work and read them all in order.

Subterranean Press has pronounced 2012 to be The Year of Robert McCammon and that is a very fine thing. The Providence Rider will be published in May, and other classic reprints are to follow. I can think of no better home for the incomparable fiction of Robert McCammon.

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Not so long ago I was watching an old favorite movie with a friend. It was Of Unknown Origin. Remember it? Peter Weller played an urbanite who lives in a beautiful restored brownstone. His idyllic life is shattered by the intrusion of a very large, very intelligent, very aggressive rat. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's pretty good.

Anyway, at one point Weller is at a library researching rats. My friend made the comment, "That was back when people went to the library".

I didn't think about it a lot at the time. I was engrossed in the movie, even though I had seen it a few times before. But later it kind of haunted me. Back when people went to the library...

My friend was right, though. It's true. People don't go to the library much anymore. And why should they? Everything is available on their computers and e-books are cheap. Who needs to go to the library?

I do. I've always loved libraries. I've spend countless hours in them. Roaming among the books, reading magazines, just enjoying time among the words. Not to mention getting plenty of free reading materials.

I think it's sad. I've always considered libraries to be the cornerstone of any civilized community. So much is there to be had, and for free. Knowledge, entertainment, art, culture.

Libraries offer so much. The local ones near me offer free tax consultations. Free computer lessons. Clubs and events. Movies. Writer groups. Events for children.

But people simply aren't going to libraries anymore. Some are, sure, but not like before. Programs are cancelled because of lack of interest. Some people don't even want to read books from libraries because they fear that someone has soiled them somehow. I've heard that people have found boogers in library books, but of the hundreds I've borrowed I've never seen evidence of that. I'd be more concerned about touching door handles and credit/debit card machines. Not that I am. That way lies madness.

There could conceivably come a day when libraries become obsolete. Everyone content to stay at home and do all of their reading, researching, and even socializing at their computers and other electronic gadgets. It sounds like an Orwellian nightmare to me.

When is the last time you spent any time at your local library? I can't speak for all of them, everywhere, but all of the libraries I've been to have been filled with great people and great books.

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A strong message is going out to Hollywood: Horror films do not need to be made with obscene budgets that would feed a third world country. I hate the look of those high tech movies that appear to have been made on computers. Ingenuity, performances, and screenwriting are far more effective than endless mind-numbing special effects. Especially when it comes to the overused CGI technology.

The first Paranormal Activity was reportedly budgeted at an astonishing $15,000. In theaters alone it brought in nearly two hundred million dollars in box office revenue. This is before home video and television sales.

The second Paranormal Activity was made for quite a bit more money, but still a pittance in comparison to nearly any other movie that gets a wide distribution. Three million dollars to make it, and it earned seventy five million dollars at the box office. Not quite the hit as the first PA movie, but not so shabby either.

The third Paranormal Activity movie was the biggest success of all of them. Made for five million dollars, it made $203,148,425 worldwide.

As always, fans were divided about these movies, but I liked them all. And I'm most heartened that I felt that the third Paranormal Activity was easily the best in the series so far. With these kind of profits there will certainly be another in the series this Halloween. Let's hope that the filmmakers can keep the same kind of quality up that we've seen in them so far.

Released in August 2010, The Last Exorcism was budgeted at merely 1.5 million dollars. It wasn't as lucrative as the Paranormal Activity films, but it brought in nearly seventy million dollars. Not a bad haul for its backers. I really liked this one, too. It's one of my favorite horror movies of the last decade.

Last year's Insidious had the same million-and-a-half dollar budget that The Last Exorcism had, but it was even more profitable. Insidious made over ninety million smackers home. I did like Insidious, and I felt that the first half had some seriously intense moments. It kind of fell apart in the end for me, but not enough so that I hated it. Insidious is a pretty good horror movie. I sure as hell have seen a lot worse.

Now we have The Devil Inside. It has only been in theaters for a couple of weeks, but it has brought in almost fifty-million dollars so far. And that number is rising. Its budget? One million dollars.

I have not seen The Devil Inside yet, but I plan to before the week is over. The trailer looks pretty damned good to me.

I know that a lot of independent, low budget horror movies are made, but the movies I have talked about here have gotten wide theatrical releases and they have all been huge money-makers. I'm not talking about Avatar-type money, but for the relatively small investments, they are, in my opinion, just as successful.

We've all seen big budget horror done well. The Exorcist, The Silence of the Lambs, and Scream come immediately to mind. But for most longtime fans, the most effective horror movies have been done in the low budget arena. Big budget horror in recent memory has been acutely disappointing: The Wolf Man, Van Helsing, and that Underworld crap come immediately and painfully to mind.

I urge everyone to get out and see The Devil Inside. As well as any other low budget horror movies that come to theaters near you. I know it's hard to tear yourself away from your beloved home entertainment systems, but we need to continue to send the message to Hollywood.