1. The Shout
This hidden gem from the 70s completely surprised me. Amazing acting with a unique premise. I can't believe more people don't talk about this movie.

2. The Lie
Edge of your seat, screaming at the TV kind of movie. It makes you ask the question "What would you do?".

3. Birdemic: Shock and Terror
If you love to watch bad movies with a friend, it really doesn't get better than this. I laughed nonstop while watching it with my co-host of PaleoCheeze Podcast. You've gotta see this with your B-movie buddy.

4. The Clovehitch Killer
Super tense. A great coming-of-age thriller.

5. Leatherface
Let's face it. This franchise is loaded with stinkers, and I had low expectations going into this one. What I got was so much different than your average TCM movie. This was a gory action thriller epic in size.

6. Halloween Kills
If you know me, you know Michael is my favorite killer. I knew there would be stuff I didn't like about this movie, but when the franchise is loaded with as many rotten eggs as this one, all it really takes is getting the mask right and some great edits. (So far only 2 movies have gotten the mask right since the first two originals: 2018 and Kills). When this finally came out, I think I was smiling the whole time watching it.

7. Lake Mungo
Two things got this movie on the list: The subtlety and the acting. I've never seen acting this good in a found footage movie.

8. Midnight Mass (mini series)
Great dialogue, acting, and concept. And to think it's actually a love story when it comes down to it.

9. Come True
This is not  a movie you can turn your brain off with. You need to be paying attention to every detail. And you're probably going to want to watch it at least a few times. I did. One of the best soundtracks I've heard in a while. Also, we got a chance to hang out with the director Anthony Scott Burns for an episode of PaleoCheeze Podcast. (Episode airing soon).

10. Caveat
One of Shudder's best. Great concept, creepy atmosphere.

1. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
Heartfelt, dramatic, adventurous. My wife turned me onto this book a few years back. So glad I got around to it.

2. Something Rich and Strange - Ron Rash
Rash is like a tamer Ketchum and a harsher Raymond Carver. This thing is packed with amazing lessons in storytelling.

3. Where All Light Tends to Go - David Joy
Crap hits the fan in this Appalachian noir tale with some great characters.

4. Moon Lake - Joe R. Lansdale
Lansdale through and through. No uncharted territory, just an old pair of comfortable shoes, as Joe might say.

5. Pearl - Josh Malerman.
It shouldn't work but did. Creepily. Some unsettling visualization in here. NEEDFUL THINGS meets CARRIE meets CHARLOTTE'S WEB and ANIMAL FARM. Every bit of it thrown in a blender and served with fried potatoes, eggs, and brimstone.

6. Chasing the Boogeyman - Richard Chizmar
What  THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT did for cinema, this book may do for crime fiction. A pseudo crime bio turned murder mystery.

7. Creature - Hunter Shea
Heavy on real-life drama with something in the woods. Shea does a masterful job at filling the pages with the drama without it being boring, which is what could happen in other hands.

8. Off Season - Jack Ketchum
I was late to the game on this one. Brutal, excellent characterization in a believable savage story.

9. In the Scrape - James Newman and Mark Steensland
Feels like Appalachian noir like Rash or Joy. A lot of tension here and the perfect length. It went by fast.

10. The Strange Thing We Become - Eric LaRocca
I was sent this one for a blurb. Offering one was an easy decision. Some excellent transgressive stuff in here. If you're one of those who didn't like his novella THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE because of the format, this book will make you a fan. This is where LaRocca's prose really shines.