Last month I did the 31 Days of Terror Challenge where I comprised a list of horror films to watch for every day in October. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to follow the list either because the movie was no longer streaming or because I needed to watch a film for PaleoCheeze Podcast or because of those godawful Amityville movies with author/podcaster Jason Brant.

That being said, I did watch at least one horror film per day, totaling 33 films in all. Here's my top best and worst of the month (featuring only films I hadn't seen before).

Best:
1. It Comes at Night
2. The Greasy Strangler
3. Borgman
4. Zombeavers
5. Jennifer's Body


Worst:
1. Death Bed: The Bed that Eats
2. Found Footage
3. Invasion of the Blood Farmers
4. The Giant Spider Invasion
5. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things

If you're familiar with my work, you may be surprised at the simple theme I tackle in this one. I'll admit it's atypical of what I normally write, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. While I'm not necessarily marketing the book as YA (young adult), it most definitely could be classified as such, and I believe those who regularly indulge in YA will take to the series.

I'm not ready to spill a full synopsis yet, but I will say The Hemato Pages treats vampirism as more of an affliction rather than something supernatural. The protagonist is a female tattooist in Los Angeles, CA who struggles with life after being "turned" one year ago, trying desperately to feed only on those who meet the criteria based upon her moral code. There's bloodshed, suspense, and even romance, within. 

Bloodletter, the first book in the series, will be available December 2020. 

Artwork by Zach McCain (who also did THE SAME DEEP WATER AS YOU, OUT BEHIND THE BARN, THE PALE WHITE as well as the Thunderstorm limited editions WORMWOOD and HALO OF FLIES).

Following the lead of my buddies Hunter Shea and Jack Campisi over at Monster Men, I'm accepting the challenge of watching a horror movie every day in October.

Hunter and Jack made their horror to-do list randomly by using the 31 Days of Terror: Halloween Horror Movie Dice Game wherein they rolled dice to determine their categories as well as films they'll be watching. Because I didn't want to get stuck watching films I just recently saw, I copied the categories they randomly rolled and filled in the blanks with movies I either have never seen before or haven't seen in 30+ years (with the exception of Halloween 2018, which I've just been wanting to get at again).

Below is the list I curated, along with the platform where they can be streamed. Join us, and let me know which movies you'll be tackling during October.

*Where it says "Best Horror Movies" I left for whatever it is I'm in the mood for that day (TBD).

3. Mutant Horror - COLOR OUT OF SPACE (Shudder)

Like a lot of readers who frequent Goodreads, I set a goal this year. I failed that goal. Chalk that up to a mixture of being too busy and not carving out enough time to read. But I would like to make a small list highlighting my 5 favorite books I did read this year, in no particular order:

PARADISE SKY - Joe R. Lansdale
I don't necessarily like westerns. I don't hate the genre, but I'm just not that interested unless it's films like TOMBSTONE or THE HATEFUL EIGHT or BONE TOMAHAWK. Something with nontraditional grit, which Lansdale has done here expertly so. PARADISE SKY is the epic adventure of a black cowboy and his quest for redemption, survival, and revenge. It's dark. It's hilarious, and it's a must read. Don't let the western tag fool you if you tend to steer clear of that sort of thing. I'm seeing a boost in mashup westerns (the weird and the horrific), with John Boden's WALK THE DARKNESS DOWN (see below) helping pave that way again.

WALK THE DARKNESS DOWN - John Boden
You can check out my review on Cemetery Dance Online, but here are a few of my thoughts from said review:  Boden presents unique, otherworldly visuals and characters in this Wizard of Oz-esque, Tolkienish adventure that feels more like Joe Lansdale-meets-80s-body-horror-meets-Gunsmoke. The pages turn easily and quickly as we wait to see what other oddball characters or events he presents. And of course, there’s justice that needs bringin’, and any reader who’s started the read will be anxiously awaiting that outcome...This feels new, unpredictable, and fresh.

PEACEABLE KINGDOM - Jack Ketchum
Not only one of the best books I read this year but in my top 4 single-author collections ever. It's both brutal and heartbreaking. If you've ever read Ketchum then you know how disturbing a single line in one of his stories can be, and this book proves it time and time again. I learned a lot about short storytelling from PEACEABLE KINGDOM.

MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM - Grady Hendrix
A female-centric coming of age set in the 80s regarding a group of girls and one of them becoming possessed. Again, I'll point you to Cemetery Dance Online for my full review, but there's an excerpt: The aging punk rocker in me should hate this book. The testosterone-fueled machismo in me should be chopping wood or building car engines while reeking of onions and beer to compensate for the time spent reading about a group of young girls toting Trapper Keepers and spooning plushies in their rainbow-filled bedrooms. But here I am, singing its praises with my Dayglo flag held high. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Tis the season for horror. Our month to shine. A lot of us read and watch horror year 'round, but October is a great excuse to turn others onto what they might be missing.

To celebrate the Halloween season, I've put together a list of 10 overlooked films, movies that are sadly underrated, and it's a shame aren't more popular. 




1. NOVEMBER (Shudder): Breathtakingly stunning cinematography in crisp, modern B&W. This is folk horror at its finest. Imaginative, unsettling, and original.
2.  DEAD AND BURIED (Shudder): This one's from the 80s with one of the best last lines of a film ever. The special effects are top notch. A true cult classic.
3.  THE INVITATION (Netflix):  Hypertensive and brooding. This is always my go-to when someone asks me for horror recommendations streaming on Netflix.
4.  TERRIFIED (Shudder):  Unique, creepy, and contains one of the single most disturbing scenes in a film ever. The shower scene makes PSYCHO look like a romantic comedy.
5.  THE BABYSITTER (Netflix): Nothing scary here. Just good fun. Coming-of-age with plenty of gore and humor.
6.  HIGH TENSION (Amazon Prime): Great name for this film. Dark, unsuspecting, and it'll stay with you for a while.
7.  BUG:  A sadly overlooked William Friedkin (Exorcist) film full of disturbing paranoia.
8.  BOXING HELENA:  This one takes obsession to the next level. When I saw Kevin Smith's TUSK, all I could think about was this movie and how much better it is.
9.  GOODNIGHT MOMMY (Amazon Prime):  Twins are always creepy...and so are bandaged moms.
10.  THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE (Amazon Prime):  Another psychological one that toys with your mind and keeps you on edge.

I’ve told the story before, but in case you hadn’t heard it, in 2014 author John Boden and I entered the same flash fiction contest which was being hosted by a blog out of the UK. We were to write short stories using the same picture prompt. John placed in the contest and I did not. I read John’s story, loved it, and told him so in the comment section. The next thing I know he’s reaching out to me on Facebook, and we bonded immediately. If you knew how much we had in common you’d see how much sense it makes that we sometimes collaborate.

We wrote the novella OUT BEHIND THE BARN together, a piece of flash fiction titled HOURGLASS published by Crystal Lake Publishing in their Shallow Waters Vol. 2 anthology, and another story called THE WORST LIES which will be published in 2020. On top of that we’ve been picking away at our next book, and since Boden recently spilled the beans in an interview, I’ll also mention briefly that together we are writing a book with Bob Ford.
 
I asked John if he was up for interviewing each other, and he was all about it. The initial plan was to do a live stream with the two of us, but technology is sometimes the devil and didn’t want to make it easy on us, so I present to you the transcript of our Google Hangouts chat.
 
LUTZKE: You just had a beautiful weird western novel come out recently (WALK THE DARKNESS DOWN). One of the most appealing things for me in that book was the mutant sisters kept in a pouch. Do you have a cool story behind that? Maybe an influence you drew from? Or just one of those things that pops into your head you think would be a good idea?
 
BODEN: That was a weird angle, for sure. No real back story to it. I kind of wanted the stereotypical orphan sidekick, but being me I wanted it as weird as I could get it. I don't want to elaborate too much on the sisters, so as to not spoil them for those who haven't read it, but what they are has been a weird fact obsession of mine since I was quite young and looked at my mom's medical books.
 
Also, thanks for saying it's beautiful.
 
LUTZKE: I picture them like little Madballs. If that were you wandering around in the desolate West, what would you feed them?
 
BODEN: Maybe they don't eat, in the sense that we do?
 
We've been friends for what now, nearly 5 years...it feels like forever. I can honestly say that knowing you and getting to read everything you write has definitely influenced me in a lot of ways, outwardly and inwardly, yet I don't think we intentionally end up in the same spaces. So, I wanna know: How do you write? What rituals or rites do you perform before you commit that Lutzke magic to the page?
 
LUTZKE: Nothing exciting, nothing traditional, and nothing ritualistic. I'm a horrible procrastinator, so sometimes it takes me a bit to actually sit down long enough to start writing. Sometimes I pace, either outside or in my living room, and talk out loud, spit ideas into the wind so to speak. I was doing this just the other day. I'd been stumped on a conclusion for the crime noir thing I'm finishing up (THE NEON OWL), and I talked myself into a twist that I had no idea was coming. I will say that often times my environment will affect my proficiency. If I'm sitting at a cluttered desk I'm less likely to get things done.
 
BODEN: I hear that. I'm notoriously procrastinative, did you know that? I can't work with people around or too much noise or too quiet.  But whatever you're doing works...you're blowing up. I'm super proud. I’m glad we fell in love.
 
LUTZKE: Thanks, man. And me too. This whole writing thing wouldn't be half as much fun if it weren't for you, amigo.
 
BODEN: (Regarding THE PALE WHITE) How was it writing from the perspective of females, and young females at that...and enduring such horrible events? I mean, I know this already, as we talk all the time but for those who will read this.
 
LUTZKE: A bit nerve-wracking, particularly the last half of the book where so many scenes deal with the youngest girl who happens to also be mute. It was challenging to build her character with zero dialogue, and it was also a bit scary overall in general because of the circumstances surrounding the trauma in the book. I'm not a woman, but I've seen the aftermath, more than a handful of times, on what they go through when dealing with something like this and it's never something that goes away. Just because the abuse is no longer happening doesn't mean the clouds have cleared. They linger, and it was important to convey that with sensitivity.
 
BODEN: Well, as the fella who got to read the book before the rest of the world (lemme pause here so I can hear the throng calling me a bastard) you nailed it. Nailed it! This book is great.
 
LUTZKE: Thanks, man. It's been nice to see female reviews coming in that point out the touchy subjects are handled with care. That was really important to me. I didn't set out to trigger anyone but to tell a story using something that unfortunately exists and the effect it can have
 
BODEN: You done good, Son. I'm proud of you.
 
LUTZKE: You've written two books with Bob Ford (RATTLESNAKE KISSES and CATTYPWAMPUS) and are working on a third, you've written one book with me (OUT BEHIND THE BARN) and we're working on our second, and recently you spilled the beans that the three of us are all writing a book together now. That being said, do you purposefully seek out long-haired authors to collaborate on books with? Any chance Bob and I can get you to grow your hair back, at least while we're working on our thing? There's power in there.
 
BODEN: Not a chance. I'm seriously thin up top and a skullet is never a good look. My hair days are long behind me. I do love writing with you guys though.
 
We both seem to like to take almost traditional tropes or ideas and turn them sadly sideways. We've got signature styles and all that. But I often have wondered--What is something you'd love to write about but you don't think you will, for whatever reason, maybe the idea is kinda cliché or maybe it's too wild or just different.
 
LUTZKE: I may lose some horror points for this, but I'm a big fan of romance films, be it romantic comedies or drama, particularly indie films. The formula is usually always the same, but I somehow don't mind it. They entertain me. Maybe it's because I'm watching people go where I've been several times before. Love is the worst. And it's the best. I think I've got a good romance book in me, but I know it'd probably go dark. THE SAME DEEP WATER AS YOU was kind of my attempt at a love story, and there are some bleak moments in it. I don't think I would ever go full Nicholas Sparks, but I think I'm capable.
 
I think I know the answer to this already, but what do you think of writing sequels of your own work? Even if there is an obvious high demand for it?
 
BODEN: I'm not an avid fan of direct sequels. Personally, I like more of the shared universe idea. that's what Bob and I do with our series. I've done it in my work by having characters from one book show up in another. But I very rarely labor it with story, just ask folks to accept it. Life rarely works sequel-ready.
 
LUTZKE: I'm not a fan either. People have asked for sequels to OF FOSTER HOMES AND FLIES or SKULLFACE BOY, and to me the story has been told. For anything else, use your imagination.
 
BODEN: Exactly. I think that a lot of people need to be spoon-fed and I find that sad. I like to imagine. I like to fill in blanks. I like making the leaps and bounds.
 
LUTZKE: Yes. There are some who certainly appreciate absolute closure with every avenue completely explored. I like some open ends. They keep me guessing.
 
BODEN: Yep. I have books or stories that I haven't read in over 20 years that still bubble up in my brain for evaluation from time to time, because they were not sewn up tight.  There were nooks and crannies to ponder.
 
We vent to one another often, and this is a popular "behind the scenes topic" so let's do an out-and-about edition. If you could change one thing about the genre/small press horror…what would it be?
 
LUTZKE: That they all had the bar raised a bit higher and not settled with subpar stories just to put books out. I think it'd help in a few areas. It would help those who are struggling with their craft and motivate them to get better, and it would allow for readers to trust the smaller guys more. I'm grateful that so many readers do dig deep for their horror, but I think if the quality of some of these other presses went up then we'd see an uprise in readership.
 
What about you?
 
BODEN: I think that the horror genre is the strongest it's been in a long time. The wealth of great authors and books coming out is awesome. I read a lot and am rarely disappointed. I mean, some things don't wow me but rarely am I displeased to the point of bailing. I like that there are many different presses catering to the niche needs and tastes of readers. One thing I would like to see is more neighborly behavior...more holding one another up and less tripping each other to get out the door first when the bell rings kinda stuff.
 
LUTZKE: While there are those who stir trouble, for the most part I recall being pleasantly surprised at the lack of "competition" in the genre than I'd first anticipated. Everyone has their bouts of jealousy. We all want Netflix movies and bestsellers, but I think most of us tend to celebrate when one of our own gets a break, whether that be an award, a book deal, or just a nice new cover.
 
BODEN: Sure, there is. But there is always room for more hugs.
 
LUTZKE: Speaking of covers. What is your favorite book cover and album cover?
 
BODEN: My favorite book cover of all time is the book CROOKED TREE. Specifically, the 80's pulp paperback with he cutout cover. It’s a green tree with a bear peering out from between the branches and when you opened it it was actually a naked woman with a bear's head poised over a dead, bloody body. 
 
LUTZKE: I'm familiar with it. That's a good one.
 
BODEN: I can't pick a favorite album cover....so many good ones.
 
LUTZKE: Give me three.
 
BODEN: Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies....Nazareth's Hair of The Dog and Jane's Addiction's Nothing's Shocking.

LUTZKE: All stellar picks....and great albums with no filler. Now tell me what one of your favorite albums is that you know I probably hate.
 
BODEN: Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger is a perfect album and you should absolutely love it.
 
LUTZKE: Ewww...no thanks
 
BODEN: Give it a shot, trust me.

Since we were kinda of talking about how things are as opposed to how we thought they'd be, if you could go back in time and tell young Chad something Adult Chad learned the hard way, would you and what would it be?
 
LUTZKE: That youth doesn't last forever, and one day you're really going to value your mind so don't pollute it. Also, start reading and writing now. You'll be glad you did.
 
BODEN: Haha, same. I'd tell myself not to stop writing for 20 years. Also, not to expect to make a lot of money. I never much polluted my mind with anything other than loud music, though.
 
If you hadn't come to writing as an outlet for your ideas, what do you think you'd be doing now?  Painting and music?
 
LUTZKE: Definitely painting and music. I've been doing both for decades longer than writing. Music is more therapeutic, I think, particularly when playing live, but it's a different type of therapy. It's fleeting and over quick. Writing has a long-term effect.
 
I've asked this same question about 5 years ago, and you never really gave me a straight answer so I'm asking it again. Your writing can get downright poetic with your metaphors and similes. What author/s book/s is responsible for that?
 
BODEN: I always say the same thing...I can't really say. Probably a steady diet of Bradbury helped, but I think my life-long obsessive love of music and lyrics probably informed it more. It's not even a thing I think about, they just kinda happen. 
 
Before I go. Thanks for asking me to do this with you. I mean it when I say our friendship is a thing I treasure and to you, the people of Earth--buy THE PALE WHITE!
 
LUTZKE: Thanks, buddy!
 

A quick disclaimer: I'm no perfect writer. I'm absolutely under no impression that my shit doesn't stink. I've got a lot to learn myself. But I like to share what I have learned, and I like to see people succeed.

Last year, with open arms, I was invited to join the team of Shock Totem Magazine as a contributing editor. It's a general title, because basically I'm there to help in anyway I can:  Reading slush, sending out acceptance and rejection letters, soliciting authors for stories and interviews, to contribute my own piece and to offer creative input. While there, I've cultivated some relationships I really value. That alone makes the whole experience worthwhile. But it's the task of reading through the enormous slush pile that has taught me a lesson on what to do and what not to do as a writer.

During the open call, we received over 800 submissions. I've read slush before for an anthology, but never to this extent. Thankfully, I wasn't alone. ST is filled with a small team of readers and writers who, for the most part, are looking for the same thing in a story. There were the occasional stories that put hearts in one person's eyes, and rolled the other's. That's bound to happen. We're different people with different life experiences which give us different tastes, even different guilty pleasures. But a lot of what we unanimously rejected were often stories that just lacked simple storytelling.

Prose is one thing. There are many different styles. Some dense, some lean. But prose can only carry you so far. if your idea of being a good storyteller is using an impressive vocabulary and having an exceptional understanding of grammar, you're really going to want to reevaluate that.

I liken this to being a guitarist. Bear with me on this.

You've got your virtuoso in one corner. Your Yngwie Malmsteens. Their dexterity is mind-boggling. Their understanding of the fretboard and music theory comes from countless hours of practice and dedication, and in a technical matter of playing, not many can hold a candle to them. But can they write a catchy song? Something soulful? Something that gets stuck in your head all day? Not really. Aesthetically, as good as their playing is, their ability to write a great song is subpar when standing next to others who have a fraction of the talent.

In the other corner you've got your guitarist who has just enough understanding of their instrument to actually write a good song. Something memorable, something anthemic, something with a hook. In that corner you've got your Kurt Cobains and Glenn Danzigs (and before you wave your finger at me, yes Glenn plays guitar and wrote all those Misfits songs you can't get out of your head using one). Neither players are anywhere near the top of the chain in their field, and whether you like Nirvana or the Misfits, you can't deny the fact that those songs are straight up catchy and memorable. I understand that music is subjective, so I'm really hoping you're setting personal taste aside and catching the illustration here, which is creating something flashy versus creating something with substance.

Okay, enough with the music lesson and back to writing.

When there is an open call for stories to any anthology or magazine, particularly to those with a large fan base (I believe Cemetery Dance had close to 2,000 stories submitted for their last open call), it's impossible to read every story that comes in from beginning to end, and it shouldn't be expected. If an editor/publisher can tell right away the story is just not good, then there's no reason to keep going. The discontinuation of a story can happen for two reasons: The person just can't write, period. There are errors, horrible prose, awful storytelling. The other reason is there is just no story there. There's fancy dancing. There's Yngwie Malmsteen and his 20-minute solo in your face.

We've all heard some writing "rules" from authors. Some we all agree with, some we don't. Some should be written in stone, some shouldn't. One that I don't necessarily agree with is "Never start a story with someone waking up." I've broken this rule twice. Once in OF FOSTER HOMES & FLIES and once in STIRRING THE SHEETS. I think that rule is BS.

Which of these would have the tendency to pull you in and keep reading?: 

"On the first day of summer, I woke with blood on my pillow."

or

"The bruised clouds gave way to an azure sky while the New York wind carried rust-colored leaves across the lush lawn, tiny whispers of winter approaching."

One is more impressive than the other, from a technical standpoint. But one already has you asking a question right away, with a desire to know the answer. Blood? Why is there blood there? What happened?

By the way, the above sentences were not from any story read in the slush pile. I wrote them for the purpose of this article.

Raymond Carver is great with opening lines. His stories are sometimes senseless and really go nowhere, but you keep reading and you're not sure why. Here are a few examples of some of his opening lines:

"I am sitting over coffee and cigarettes at my friend Rita's and I am telling her about it." (about what?)

"That morning she pours Teacher's over my belly and licks it off. That afternoon she tries to jump out the window." (Why? What happened?)

"I was out of work. But any day I expected to hear from up north. I lay on the sofa and listened to the rain. Now and then I'd lift up and look through the curtain for the mailman."

Simple aren't they? But they force you to ask questions and instill a desire to know what's going on. That's Kurt Cobain in the corner strumming the same 4 notes on his beat-up Fender, but now you're humming along.

The last example above could have started with a description of the rain but it didn't. We know what rain sounds, smells, and looks like. We've experienced it. And those past experiences allow us to help personalize the story. There's a time and a place for description, but don't do it on your first page.

If there is a rule on how NOT to start a story it should be with talking about the weather, or ANY type of description. That first paragraph is absolutely essential to keeping the reader's attention. Especially that first reader: The editor. The publisher.

If the first thing you're offering your reader is a page full of description or info dump of any kind, you've already lost them. Save the description for organic moments, later on. In the meantime, give them a reason to keep going, because weather, hairstyle, clothing style, house style isn't gonna do it. That editor, that publisher, they're more than likely moving onto the next story regardless of how well your story may have paid off in the end. It's too late.

A story without description (and I'm speaking of description that isn't absolutely essential to the story) is filled in by the reader by default, something they don't have to try and do. It's effortless and freeing. If it's important later on, then share that info. But organically is the keyword here.

I've seen too many writers waste too much space focusing on how beautiful they can bring to life the vision in their head rather than throw the reader in the car, hit the gas and speed down the road for a wild ride. Let the reader look out the window on the way there. They'll get it. Don't sit behind the wheel and tell them every single thing they're seeing. 

In a nutshell, make that first page come alive with story. Not description. And keep clear of info dumps. Allow things to unfold naturally. Hook the reader at the beginning.

Best wishes on future submissions, wherever you may send them.

Out Behind the Barn has been nominated for a This is Horror Award for best novella. Here's a link where you can see all nominees for each category and place your votes for your favorites. Voting ends April 29th.