Author of sci-fi/fantasy, horror and adventure/thriller fiction

MAD GOD (2022)

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The magnum opus of veteran animator Phil Tippet, MAD GOD (2022) is a surreal stop-motion animation horror trip that’s beautiful and puzzling, rolling out like an artist’s scream, a filmmaker’s dream project that amazes you that it somehow got produced.

Currently watchable on Shudder, the film begins with the Assassin descending onto a ruined, mutant, horrible world on what may be a suicide mission under orders from the Last Human. He passes through bizarre landscapes populated by tortured souls, monstrosities, terrible machines, and endless war, and runs afoul of the Surgeon, producing a chain of events leading to the Alchemist creating a new universe that only falls into the same state of decay. A form of decay that never quite dies, one that becomes a malignant ecology of its own.

If that doesn’t make sense, that’s okay. Most of the fun of this creative wonder is simply in beholding. The rest is up to interpretation, if you’re up for it: themes about humanity being prone to its own self destruction, religious allegory about every renewal leading to corruption. Visually, the film is nothing short of astounding in what it achieved technically and aesthetically. MAD GOD rolls out like something Hieronymus Bosch, the painter of the famous landscape of Hell, might have produced if he had the means to produce stop motion animation and a budget.

Otherwise, there’s the emotional impact, which infiltrates more than punches. MAD GOD is nihilistic, sad, horrible. Everything dies, everything is self-absorbed, everything fights everything else to get what it wants, everything beautiful eventually falls into ruin.

Definitely check it out if you’re into–I’m not sure. Something beautifully bleak, horribly interesting, engagingly savage.

THE CHILDREN OF RED PEAK Available for $2.99!

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The Kindle edition of my cult horror novel THE CHILDREN OF RED PEAK is being promoted by Hachette and Amazon with a Kindle Monthly Deal. Until June 30, you can pick up the novel for just $2.99.

They escaped the cult, but are they free?

David Young, Deacon Price, and Beth Harris live with a dark secret. They grew up in an isolated religious community in the shadow of the mountain Red Peak, and they are among the few who survived its horrific last days.

Years later, the trauma of what they experienced never feels far behind. When a fellow survivor commits suicide, they reunite to confront their past and share their memories of that final night.

But discovering the terrifying truth might put them on a path back to Red Peak, and escaping a second time may be impossible…

Click here to get it now.

LIMETOWN

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I love a weird mystery, the weirder the better, and so I was curious when LIMETOWN showed up on one of my streaming services. Based on a podcast of the same name, it chronicles a radio journalist’s exploration of the bizarre violence and mass disappearances occurring at Limetown, a corporate-owned town populated by neuroscientists working on a secret project. The result is Very Serious Fluff, but it’s well put together, well acted by Jessica Biel and Stanley Tucci and the rest, and overall delivers a good deal of fun.

Fifteen years ago, a visionary corporate leader with incredible financing built a town and populated it with neuroscientists with the goal of developing a revolutionary technology that might change the world. Instead, the townspeople disappeared, leaving behind signs of panic and violence and otherwise a mystery that was never solved. Fast forward to the present, and public radio journalist Lia Haddock (Biel) is digging into the story to try to find the truth, as she had a strong personal connection in her childhood to one of the people who disappeared.

In each episode, we see Lia uncover clues leading to pieces of the puzzle slowly fitting together until forming a grisly whole. The pacing and reveals are pretty well done, particularly as each person she interviews not only shares information but has interesting side stories to tell that add to the general weirdness and mystery while shedding light on some vital part of it.

Other things I liked: the overarching story that once completed is great, the artistic direction that sets the mood perfectly, the suspenseful pacing, the terrific acting, and an overall titillating experience. Though it relies pretty heavily on convenience and frustratingly vague answers so that Lia only gains the truth drip by drip, the way it all comes together is good storytelling as far as plotting.

The only problem for me was the protagonist. Biel is a stunning woman and has really come into her own as an actor, but I’ve always found her a bit wooden, and the shallowness of the character she portrays does her no favors. Lia’s sole defining characteristic seems to be her obsession and nastiness toward anybody even slightly getting in her way or offending her, and aside from a few weird “broken” traits to appeal to the Gone Girl market and other strange fixations, there’s honestly not much to her, and she comes across as actually unlikable. We know she has a girlfriend, though their relationship goes nowhere and barely serves a purpose other than to provide her a sounding board. We know she has a complicated relationship with her parents, though it’s barely explained or explored. Another grating part of the script is a motif following the TV trend of characters telling female protagonists how smart and awesome they are (for a really good example of this, watch Apple TV’s INVASION). I find smart and awesome female protagonists to be wonderful, but I’m a grownup and don’t need to be told in every episode, just once will do and preferably when it matters, when the protagonist needs to hear it. Otherwise, Lia doesn’t seem to be all that great at her job; she allows vague answers, she abuses coworkers, she’s blatantly unethical in her journalism, and she actually threatens her boss. She’s so Karen, in fact, that during the times she’s nice, I don’t quite believe it.

I haven’t listened to the podcast, which I understand was very popular, but I think my problems with the show stemmed from translation. In a podcast, you can dump creepiness on the listener, and they’ll enjoy it for what it is. When you do the same in a show, you need a protagonist who does more than deliver mystery, you need one the viewer can empathize with. Besides that, for willing suspension of disbelief in the TV medium, you need to flesh out the creepiness so it doesn’t fall apart with some critical thinking. As a result, I found myself enjoying the story of Limetown far more than Lia’s story of discovering the story of Limetown.

Okay, enough bitching on my part. Despite some flaws I found pretty glaring, I did stick it out, and overall I enjoyed it, quite a lot in fact, so much so I’ve found it sticking with me after watching. Recommended for those who like creep and mystery that solidify around a satisfying story coming to light.

SHEPHERD (2021)

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In SHEPHERD (2021), a man mourning the loss of his wife accepts a job as a shepherd posted on a remote British island, only to find it a personal hell. There’s a whole lot to admire in this stylish horror film, though I found the basic story wanting. Let me explain…

Eric Black is bereft after the death of his wife. Barely able to function, he decides to escape for a while by taking a job as a shepherd on a remote British isle. A creepy boat pilot brings him there. The house where he’ll be living is a mess, but he makes it home and tends to the sheep. Then odd things start to happen … frightening visions, a mystery, and something that appears to be hunting him.

There’s a lot to like here. The acting is solid, with pros like Greta Scachi and Kate Dickie rounding out the minimalist cast. The setting of the windswept, barren, and dreary island is fantastic and lovingly displayed. The slow trickle of reveals about Black’s past punctuate and assist rather than drag down the central conflict. The horror elements deliver creep and punch in equal measure. Thematically, the film is about loss and the personal hells it inflicts on the mourning, particularly when there’s a sense of guilt attached.

Unfortunately, for me, it all comes undone in the last act. I mean, from a technical perspective, the story comes together perfectly, wrapping everything up and revealing what is really going on. It just doesn’t work, at least for me. Just as horror and comedy are kissing cousins, horror and justice are often directly related, and that is absolutely the case in SHEPHERD–it’s an explicit part of the theme. My problem is the guy didn’t really deserve this hell, it’s that simple. And the writer seemed to go out of the way to make me believe this. The result is a view of grief and guilt that’s way more nuanced than the movie presented itself as, not to mention bleak, as it implies redemption doesn’t mean you’re free.

Minor spoiler/trigger warning about an animal dying: I should also add a warning for those squeamish about animals being hurt, particularly pets. Black has a dog, and from the first scene, you think, oh, that poor dog, he’s probably a goner. If you think that, you’d be correct. You don’t see the death occur, but you see the aftermath, and it’s kind of a gruesome scene.

Overall, I liked SHEPHERD for its acting, excellent artistic direction, brooding setting, ominous atmosphere, strong horror elements, and overall story, though I left feeling fairly unsatisfied by the story itself, notably in its conclusion. I’d still recommend it for horror fans, as again there’s a lot of good here–frankly, as a whole it’s a cut above average–and you may get more out of the ending than I did.

LIKE RUM-DRUNK ANGELS by Tyler Enfield

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In Tyler Enfield’s LIKE RUM-DRUNK ANGELS, a boy goes on a journey across the Old West to seek his fortune and win the girl of his dreams. Guided by his heart and the utter confidence it gives him, he becomes an outlaw, possibly guided by an ancient spirit that will give him what he desires but only if he truly grows up and earns it. I really enjoyed this book, it was quite an experience.

I used to be a very eclectic reader, though I leaned on offbeat sci-fi as a preference. When my writing career started to take off, though, something weird happened, which is I found myself constantly reading books in the same genre as I was writing in. Back when I was writing zombie books, for example, I read one zombie book after another, and when I switched to writing WW2 and horror–you can guess what happened then. Reading in the stable, so to speak, kept me in the mood, and I found it useful to see how other authors handled topics I was tackling both for inspiration and to ensure I was carving my own path through similar ground. Very useful, for sure, though also a bit of a curse, as I missed reading whatever I wanted.

Then recently, I was between writing books, and the curse lifted, at least for a time. I started to grab books off the shelf for the sole fact they looked interesting. Ending up in the Western section (the horror shelves at my local big box have shrunk so much it’s easy to move right past it and find myself facing Westerns), I figured I’d give one a read, as I’d read Westerns in the past and benefited from the experience. One book leaped out at me for its jaunty cover and title: LIKE RUM-DRUNK ANGELS.

Written by Tyler Enfield, who turns out is a neighbor of mine, living in a city in the same province a few hours north of me, it proved a quirky, fast moving, charming, and overall good fun read. The plot is a basic hero’s quest with allusions to ALADDIN, set in the West with its familiar tropes but with a few magical elements thrown in, adding a touch of fantasy to it. The voice is poetic but quick, with short chapters. The characters are all likeable, especially our protagonist Francis, who is brash and charming. The overall tone is offbeat, drawing comparisons to the Coen Brothers and Thomas Berger’s LITTLE BIG MAN. While a strength for me, this latter aspect of the book might turn off some readers looking for a traditional Western, as this ain’t 100% that.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this one and recommend it for readers looking for something different, a Western with a likeable protagonist, an overall quirky tone, and a tale that feels traditional and modern, hinting throughout at far bigger themes.

LOVE, DEATH, AND ROBOTS, Season 3

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The first season of LOVE, DEATH, AND ROBOTS (Netflix) wowed me with its anthology of stunning, action-packed, and titillating animated stories. Season 2 upped the production quality though at the expense of story, and I feared the show had become nothing more than a series of self-promo resume reels for its creators. Season 3 put all those fears to rest, delivering a really terrific series of animated shorts that fire on all cylinders. I loved it.

In “Three Robots: Exit Strategies” (written by John Scalzi), three robot tourists from the first season revisit Earth to learn about its apocalypse; this time, we learn it was climate change that killed everyone, and we see how different strata of society reacted to the end, with the have-nots fighting each other and the haves secluding themselves until they died out. Poignant, funny in a harsh “haha, we’re a really stupid species” kind of way.

In “Bad Traveling” (David Fincher’s animation debut), a massive shark-hunting sailing ship runs afoul of an intelligent sea monster, forcing the crew to make a decision about whether to save themselves or a nearby island full of people. Brutally satisfying.

In “Night of the Mini Dead,” we see a condensed zombie apocalypse from a bird’s eye view, looking down at tiny people and cities. Funny and quirky.

I intended to only describe the ones I really, really liked, but I’m now realizing that’s almost all of them. I was really impressed with the consistency of quality across the entire anthology this season. I’ll skip the others with a recommendation to just watch if it you have the chance, but I should talk about the finale, “Jibaro.” In this fantasy story, a squadron of warriors and priests pauses to rest by a lake in the wilderness, only to draw the attention of a local siren. The catch: Her charms don’t work on Jibaro, who is deaf. Thus beings a game of attraction and repulsion between the two, a tale of violence and greed. It’s simple with frenzied, exquisite action and visuals, and it’s quite beautiful and stirring to watch. Even if you discover this season of LOVE, DEATH, AND ROBOTS isn’t for you, I hope you’ll at least give this episode a crack.

Overall, I found this season brilliant, different, and giving me plenty of reasons to hope for a fourth season.