When the Night Comes Knocking by Katherine Daniel

In this Appalachian horror novel, two estranged siblings become trapped in a convenience store under attack by a monster from the mountains who feasts on guilty hearts.

Rattle, rattle in the dark…

The mountain’s bones seek out a heart.

Jane has not spoken to her brother Thomas since the accident that nearly killed them both. Their drive from college through the North Georgia mountains is uncomfortably silent, until they stop at a roadside convenience store, where a man stumbles in with a mutilated body, claiming to have been attacked by a monster.

At first, no one believes the man’s ravings, but when the next person to leave the store is brutally killed, they fear that local legend might be true:

There’s a beast in these mountains who feasts on guilty hearts… and someone among them has lured it out of hiding.

Jane and Thomas each harbor secrets, but so do the other patrons, and as the monster claims more hearts, the survivors turn on each other, desperate to save themselves by uncovering the guiltiest among them.

If the siblings can’t overcome the rift between them, they’ll surely become the monster’s next victims…or worse, become monsters themselves.

 

Jane and Thomas are estranged siblings, thrown together for the first time in months on a forced road trip to spend an uncomfortable Thanksgiving with their parents. What is meant to be a quick stop at a convenience store on the way turns into the stuff of nightmares when they become trapped with a small group of strangers by a supernatural creature that feasts on guilt.

How much did I love this book? Let me count the ways!
The strained relationship between Jane and Thomas pulled me in immediately and kept me guessing why and how Thomas could possibly hold Jane responsible for a car accident when she was not the driver.

The claustrophobic feel of being trapped in the store with no means of escape and never knowing who the monster's intended victim was, since everyone in the store has a secret guilt it can feed on. 

Folk horror, grief, trauma and suspense! The creature itself, a shape shifting monster said to be the very bones that hold up the mountain, seeking a guilty heart to take its place. 

I don't usually do comparisons, but if you enjoyed The Mist by Stephen King, this is definitely for you, but without the sci-fi element, it's pure horror.  

My thanks to Berkley for the e-ARC.

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Mercy House by Adam Cesare

Harriet Laurel notices the odor the moment she steps inside Mercy House, brought to the retirement home against her will by her son and his wife. In the early stages of dementia, Harriet has grown to resent her daughter-in-law for not providing grandchildren. Yet as she crosses the threshold, she notices her mind begins to sharpen. Then her hate begins to grow. . . .

Arnold Piper, an eighty-five-year-old ex-Marine, has always prided himself on self-reliance. But betrayed by his own body, he’s learning that surviving war-torn Korea was easier than facing the daily indignities of old age. And his worst trials are still to come.

Sarah Campbell, an idealistic nurse, is already stretched thin at the chronically understaffed Mercy House. Now her duties are about to take a terrifying turn. Can she survive the night. . . and her patients?

This is a re-release to be published by Del Rey tomorrow. It was originally published in 2015 by Hydra 

Don and his wife Nikki have decided it's time for his mother Harriet to move into Mercy House. Harriet has never been easy to get along with, but the dementia has removed what little filter she used to have. The other residents in this home have begun a strange transformation just in time for Harriet's welcome dinner. It isn't long before this change overcomes her as well.

What follows is a cannibalistic, blood-soaked gore fest as the staff tries to survive the residents who have turned into rage filled killing machines who occasionally take a break from the murder and mahem to engage in geriatric orgies.

Let me warn you that this book is gross. It won't be for everyone. If you prefer your horror more scary than stomach churning, this will not be for you. This is something that would have given me pause before I accepted an invitation to read this book, had I known ahead of time.

I went along for the ride during the first half of the book, but the repetition began to get to me about the halfway point and by the end I was feeling frustrated at the lack of explanation for what was referred to as the "healing" of these previously weak and feeble residents who were suddenly increasing in strength and size. You may enjoy it more than I did. It's probably a case of it's not you; it's me. This is just not my type.

My thanks to  Del Rey for the e-ARC

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The Witching House by John Everson

 Angry and alone, Gianna tests an urban legend and writes the name Madelyn in blood on the mirror of the Witching House. When the ghost actually answers, she gains an unexpected friend. But soon Gianna learns friendship isn’t what the dead girl wants the most. Madelyn wants revenge for her murder. Can Gianna stop her before half the town is dead?

When Gianna is forced to move out of her school and away from her friends because of her father's new job, it feels like the end of the world. Her pregnant stepmother is treating her like Cinderella, her brother is no help, and the new school is full of bullies.

After a particularly cruel incident, she visits the "Witching House" a burned out shell where 20 years ago a group of vigilantes dealt with the witch in a Freddy Krueger-esque manner. It is rumored that writing the witch's name in blood will call her to you. You can probably guess what happens from there.

I liked Gianna but was not a fan of any of the other characters. Her father especially grated on my nerves as the type of half assed parent you just want to smack and say wake up! This is mainly a supernatural revenge story, so if you enjoy seeing bullies get what they deserve, including some fairly gruesome outcomes, this may be for you.

There are some chilling and creepy scenes, but nothing really fresh or original. Towards the end, it made me think of what it would have been like if, after Carrie had been bullied and tormented, Stephen King had her take an attitude of Oh well, never mind; let's just let bygones be bygones.

My thanks to Flame Tree Press for the ARC

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Marrow - Movie Review

Scatena & Rosner Films (S&R Films) has acquired worldwide distribution rights to “Marrow”, the latest horror feature from writer-director Mitch McLeod (“Silhouette”), starring Jessica Dawn Willis (“The Woman Under the Stage”, “Death 4 Dinner”) alongside legendary genre actors Danielle Harris (the “Halloween” franchise) and Michael Ironside (“Scanners”, “Total Recall”). The deal was negotiated by Zach Stampone, VP of Distribution at Scatena & Rosner Film, and Executive Producer Carlos Cortez on behalf of the filmmakers. 

Based on a series of real-life police files regarding a stalking in small-town Texas, “Marrow” follows Jamie Foster, a formerly successful vlogger who attempts to revitalize her career by inviting her stalker onto the show—knowing he may be the serial killer responsible for murdering a string of influencers. Although Jamie’s views go up, she begins to realize more than her life is at stake when the stalker’s identity—and humanity—come into question.

I was invited to watch an early screener of Marrow, starring Jessica Dawn Willis as a popular true crime vlogger. As her viewership numbers begin to wane, she takes a bold chance on a mysterious caller who may be responsible for a string of deaths. 

The movie gets off to a slow start with lots of talk and little action. But the creep factor intensifies with the gradual reveal of this mysterious caller's intentions and why Jamie is obsessed with true crime. While the role Danielle Harris plays as Jamie's aunt is smaller, it adds significant impact with a wild backstory.

In a world of social media. blogs, vlogs, and influencers this movie begs the question: how far would you go for followers, comments, and views?

This is a fun watch provided you don't expect to take it too seriously. I rated this a 7 out of 10 stars on IMDB.

View the trailer here

Director 

Mitch McLeod

Writers

 Preston Fassel, Mitch McLeod, Jessica Dawn Willis

Stars 

Jessica Dawn Willis, Danielle Harris, Michael Ironside