The Shuddering Breath Before Oblivion by Taylor Grant

In his final collection of short stories, once again we are invited into Taylor Grant's unique and macabre imagination. A man discovers a portal in his basement that offers him an infinite variety of alternate lives he can live. A woman seeks revenge on the man who destroyed her life. In treating a young man's haunted memories of a childhood trauma, a psychiatrist uncovers terrifying possibilities. A property speculator gets more than she bargained for when she buys an unsellable house in a small town with a morbid obsession with Halloween. And in the collection's title story, a journalist fights to solve the mystery of a world of disappearing people. Come on in and explore the dark labyrinths of the human mind and what it's capable of, if you dare.
 

    I'm sad to say I was not familiar with this author's work before he passed away. Sadder still that the world has lost an incredible storyteller.

Not all of these tales are horror, but I was surprised to find that one in particular that had absolutely nothing to do with horror is one of my favorites in this collection. A Whiter Shade of Christmas is a story of grief and loneliness that gets harder to bear in the holiday season. Who can't relate to that? I envy anyone who can't. This year, a widower is deeply moved by a dinner invitation from a homeless man. I loved this poignant yuletide tale.

Another of my favorites was Don't Open Your Eyes, about a house flipper who moves into the last house on Willow Lane near Halloween. So what of the previous owners disappeared without a trace, as did the owners before? Surely it's just a coincidence that nobody has ever lasted through Halloween in this house. Or is it?

Red Christmas was an excellent story about a little girl who is grieving the loss of her grandmother, especially now that she is left alone with her bickering, abusive parents. I'm sensing a theme here, I must really enjoy holiday stories. Anyway it just might be possible that Grandma has a final gift from beyond the grave.

While not every story was my preferred genre, they are all skillfully written and engrossing tales. These were my favorites, but all were good.

My thanks to Crystal Lake Publishing.

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Movie Review- Brute 1976

Cinephobia Releasing is proud to announce the Summer release of director Marcel Walz’s (That’s A Wrap, Pretty Boy) and writer Joe Knetter’s (George A. Romero’s Twilight of the Dead) latest feature Brute 1976. The film is set to release in select theaters this August, followed closely by a digital, VOD release on September 30, 2025

It is currently opening in the below markets:

Laemmle Glendale - Los Angeles, CA - 8/26 - Premiere

Laemmle Glendale - Los Angeles, CA - 8/29 & 8/30

Alamo Drafthouse - Indianapolis, IN - opens 8/29

*more markets TBA

An homage to ‘70s horror cult classics The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. Brute 1976 takes place in 1976, when Raquel and her girlfriend have car trouble and break down on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. At the same time, a group of people are in the desert for a photoshoot. Soon, they stumble upon an abandoned town where a family of masked psychopaths reside.

I was invited to watch an early screener of Brute 1976, and being a fan of horror in that setting and the cult classics of that time, I jumped at the chance.

The movie opens with a car broken down on a hot desert road where a woman had been driving her girlfriend to model in a photo shoot. Beginning with car trouble on a lonely stretch of road is an oft used but still effective horror trope, so as the ladies approached a cave to get out of the relentless sun I was already yelling at them to not go in there. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew is arriving at the designated area and wondering what happened to their other model. The search for a phone leads to the discovery of an apparent ghost town where they decide to take some additional photos before heading out and giving up on their no show model. The town is not so empty as it first appears, and they are welcomed by the owner to look around. Unbeknownst to them, they are about to meet a family of psychotic killers. Will anyone survive?

This movie pays homage to films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, and even Wrong Turn in the way that finding yourself in the wrong place at the right time can lead to murder and mayhem by reclusive, off-the-grid lunatics with power tools. A fairly predictable plot was brightened by good acting and horrifying masked psycho killers. Dazelle Yvette shines in a brilliant performance as Mama Birdy. She manages to convey a mother's love and a quiet sort of evil all with one look and a smile. If you like Indie horror, this is one to watch. I gave this an 8 out of 10 stars on IMDB check it out!

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Brute 1976 stars Adriane McLean (Miracles of Christmas), Sarah French (Blind), Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Dazelle Yvette (Garden of Eden) and Adam Bucci (NCIS Los Angeles). From production company Neon Noir, Marcel Walz, Joe Knetter, and Sarah French produced, with Dirk Schürmann and Tobias Schürman serving as Executive Producers. Robert Kern III (Prey, Creepypasta) provided makeup effects, and Marcus Friedlander (The Getback) served as Director of Photography. 
 

How to Survive Camping #1 The Man With No Shadow by Bonnie Quinn

Welcome to Night Vale meets The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook in a campy, cozy horror novel that will appeal to creepy folklore aficionados and spooky story lovers alike.

I am a campground manager. I don’t have a list of rules because I’m trying to ruin your fun…I’m trying to keep you from doing small, simple things that could result in your horrific and most agonizing demise.
Goat Valley Campground has killed generations of Kate’s family. The land is old, passed down through generations, but the campground’s reputation doesn’t just draw campers year after year. Creatures from folklore and horror have made Goat Valley not just their home, but their hunting ground.

As campground manager, Kate has rules to protect her campers—if the man with the skull cup offers you a drink, accept it or you will die a gruesome death; don’t buy ice from the children with no wagon; and of course, never ever follow the lights. Still, not every camper follows the rules…which means not every camper survives their stay. Soon decapitated and exsanguinated campers are the least of Kate’s worries; one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the campground is determined to claim the land for himself. Meanwhile, something in the land is shifting, the tides are turning, and the curse that hunts members of her bloodline begins to close in…

When I received an invitation to review this book, I nearly ignored it because I saw mention of "cozy horror" in the description. I don't do cozy. Having never heard of this author and knowing only that she writes on reddit also gave me pause. Then I said to myself, don't be such a horror snob, you could at least read a few pages before you decide whether to continue or not. I'm glad I did. A few pages were all I needed to get pulled in to this wild woodsy campground where supernatural creatures will get you if you do not follow the rules. 

"There are some benefits to being an early riser. Solitude. Seeing the sun rise. Finding the human torso lying in the middle of the road before anyone else."

Kate is the current manager and will likely remain so until she dies a horrific death like her parents did and generations before them. The rules are many, and the consequences for breaking them are dire. If the monsters in the woods don't eat you, Kate is not above killing you herself, all for the good of the town of course.

There are beings I recognized from folklore, like the dancing fairies and the Yule Cat who will tear you to shreds if you don't get new clothes for Christmas, and many that are more unfamiliar and terrifying than that.

Maybe my understanding of cozy has been skewed? I assumed it meant happy endings, a bit of mystery and romance, with mild, low-intensity scares.

I'm not sure that finding body parts or a decapitated head on a stake qualifies as cozy, and that was fine with me!  

Told from Kate's point of view with humor, and sarcastic wit, this is the most fun I've ever had being scared of camping. If this is cozy, count me in.

My thanks to Saga Press for the e-ARC

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About the author

Bonnie Quinn is a senior software developer in Columbus, Ohio, with a degree in computer science and an MBA. Currently, she is an active contributor of series and short stories to the r/NoSleep community on Reddit, where she is writing a spin-off series: How to Survive College.

 

Cubby by Jyl Glenn

When Emma and Caleb move into an old farmhouse, it feels like the perfect home for their growing family.

Then they find something unexpected in the attic.

It’s soft, adorable, and stitched together with something that calls itself love.

As the days grow shorter and Emma’s due date draws near, strange things begin to stir in the shadows. The dog growls at empty corners. The baby’s room never feels quite right.

And the thing they found in the attic? Some things get left behind for a reason.

Tense, layered, and quietly horrifying, Cubby weaves past and present into a dark tale of family, fear, and the things we carry—whether we mean to or not.

 

Told on two timelines, Cubby is the story of an evil toy and its demand for human sacrifice. In the present day, happy couple, Emma and Caleb, are moving into their new home and preparing for the birth of their first child. When Emma finds a soft, cuddly teddy bear hidden away in the house, she thinks it would be a perfect addition to the nursery. She was wrong.

In the not too distant past we have the former occupants of the house, a neglected, bullied child named Richard and his abusive, alcoholic mother. On one particular birthday, Richard's mother storms into his dilapidated room and throws down a gift of a soft cuddly teddy bear. It looks clean and brand new. He has never been given anything that didn't look used before. He names it Cubby, and it becomes the only companion he has ever had, but there is a steep price for this friendship.

Spooky occurrences and a weird neighbor tie the present day to the past.

This was a quick but chilling read that left me wanting more. I hope there will someday be a Cubby origin story because I have lots of questions. Did Richard's mother give him this bear because she knew it was evil? Or did the bear become evil because the mother was.  Did something dark get called to prey upon Richard's trauma and possess the bear? Was it Richard himself who wanted to hurt people, and his using the bear as justification for so long gave it life?

If you like creepy toys with fiendish intent, this is for you. In the back of my mind, I can hear Chucky's voice coming from Cubby's plush furry body, threatening to be my friend til the end.

4 out of 5 stars.

My thanks to Jyl Glenn for the e-ARC

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About the author

Steel Machines by Dan Franklin

Prague, 1945

Eight year old Otto Braum is the sole survivor of the massacre that claimed his parents and left him sustaining himself as best he can in the ruined attic hideout above his childhood home.

But Otto is not alone.

His father had a secret—a creation, unfinished, that he left behind. A secret that is pitiless in nature, relentless in design. A secret with the heart of a steel machine.

From the Amazon best selling author of Down Into the Sea and These Things Linger comes a horrifying reimagining of the story of the golem. Part I Am Legend and part Caging Skies, STEEL MACHINES is an unrelentingly tense tale of haunting, of vengeance... and of survival at any cost.

 

In 1945 eight year old Otto Braum had been hiding in the attic with his parents for so long that he could barely remember what it was like to feel the sunshine or eat a decent meal. Subsisting on crackers and canned goods, he may be too young to understand war and hate, but he does know fear of the men with the ugly black windmill symbol. His father believes they will be protected if their hiding spot is found because he has built a golem, not of clay and earth but of metal with intricate cogs and gears, a massive thing that he believes will defend them. After they are discovered, Otto is the only survivor.

There was a constant feeling of imminent danger before the violent confrontation that left Otto an orphan, but once he is on his own in the attic, the risk of starvation is added to the odds against survival. Strange visions and mysterious sounds made me wonder if the house was haunted or if Otto was losing his mind due to trauma, isolation, and hunger. I won't tell you if it was either, or neither of these things. I will just say that when it is revealed, the ending is brilliant.

My favorite time period for historical fiction is the 1940s, and specifically anything to do with World War II and its aftermath. My favorite horror subgenre is folklore. Steel Machines combines these into one spellbinding tale deeply rooted in Jewish folklore and mysticism surrounding the Golem of Prague. It was a suspense-filled and heartbreaking read with just the right touch of authenticity to make the impossible feel real.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to the author for the e-ARC

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Movie Review - No Tears In Hell

 

In the frozen darkness of an Alaskan winter, a mother and son turn their home into a house of nightmares, luring victims into a twisted web of abuse and cannibalism.

Based on the true story of notorious Russian serial killer Alexander Spesivtsev, the film stars Luke Baines (Shadowhunters, A Dark Place) in an uncompromising portrayal of the brutal Spesivtsev, whose heinous crimes in the early 90s earned him the nickname the Siberian Ripper, and the late Gwen Van Dam (Star Trek: Generations) as Alexander's enabling and overbearing mother.

I was invited to watch an early screener of No Tears In Hell, which will be released on VOD on August 12.

As Norman Bates once said, a boy's best friend is his mother and that holds true in this harrowing portrayal based on the real-life psycho killer Alexander Spesivtse, known as the Russian Ripper and his mommy dearest.

"A mother takes care of her children no matter what."

Luke Baines is so convincing as the Ripper that I might run away if I ever spotted the actor in real life.

In the film, Alex is an admirer of Jeffrey Dahmer and a hater of the homeless teens who congregate not far from his apartment. He scopes out his victims there and preys on their desperation, sometimes relying on the help of his mother to lure them back to his home, where he tortures and kills them before using them as food.

What stands out above other films that claim to be "based on a true story" is that this movie is made all the more brutal by sticking close to several of the actual events. At times it was difficult to watch and I had to look away from one of the more gruesome scenes.

True crime aficionados and fans of slasher movies should give this a watch.

I rated it an 8 out of 10 stars on IMDB

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Bloody Bones by Garrett Boatman

YOU CAN'T KILL WHAT'S ALREADY DEAD.

Listen... do you hear the squeaking swing? Bloody Bones is on the porch, and he's coming to get you.

Thirty years ago, the stranger came to the sleepy southern town of Farnsworth, and the killings began. Wearing a black suit and passing himself off as a traveling preacher, the Dark Man targeted children. But when he took the daughter of the local hoodoo woman, she exacted a terrible revenge.

Listen... do you hear the creaking door? Bloody Bones is in the house, and he's coming to get you.

Bound to a ploughshare at the bottom of a quicksand hole and unable to die, the Dark Man raged as his body rotted to bones. Three decades later, a murder and a gruesome burial resurrects the stranger. Now, two boys, a witch, and a deputy will attempt to keep the Dark man from sating his monstrous appetite. Listen! Do you hear the blood dripping on your bed? Bloody Bones is here, and he's...GOTCHA!

Bloody Bones is a jarring, distressing, occult horror. It made my heart hurt.

I am not even going to talk about the plot. I am only going to say that it concerns an abomination from the past that is reawakened by a depraved act 30 years later, told in graphic detail.

It is very dark, disturbing, and upsetting. I feel like I watched someone's soul get crushed when their hope was ripped away by evil. I have always said the best horror can make you feel something.

The writing is skillful, the storytelling is excellent, and I'm sitting here stunned. Never have I ever, until Bloody Bones, read a book that made me wish with all my might that the children in it would die. To be clear, I didn't just want them to die I wanted them to suffer first. Even the thought that they might get away with what they did filled me with such rage that I had to take a break and check my blood pressure.

Even though this is likely to end up on my best horror of the year list for 2025 I would cautiously recommend it to those who think they can handle it. It strained my own boundaries very close to the breaking point.

My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the e-ARC.

5 out of 5 stars

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