Slash Through Summer With These Horror Book Recommendations!

Summer is whack. It’s hot and hot and also hot. Three things that are… you guessed it! Whack. 

Skip all that garbage by grabbing yourself a scary horror book, specifically one set during the hot summer months, and live vicariously through the lives of people fighting for theirs with these summer horrors book recommendations to help you beat the summer heat! 

Fantasticland - Mike Bockoven

When a hurricane hits the coast of Florida, a group of employees find themselves trapped inside of a theme park, where social structure and sanity quickly deteriorate, and chaos ensues. 

Described as Lord of the Flies meets Battle Royal, Fantasticland is told through investigative interviews with the characters involved. The ones that survived, that is. 

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight - Kalynn Bayron

When the employees of an interactive, slasher-themed summer camp start turning up dead, it’s up to the “final girl” to fight for her survival while protecting her coworkers and loved ones. 

Summerside Lake Massacre - L.R.J. Allen

Following a timeline that bounces back and forth between the 1950s and current-day 1980s, this summer camp slasher weaves a tale that reveals a town's dark past in the bloodiest of fashions.

The Devil All the Time - Donald Ray Pollock

This Southern Gothic tale interconnects a number of storylines that, to put it lightly, are sleazy and completely disturbing. You can feel the sweat and grit with each page turn. There’s a film adaptation, with a terrific cast, on Netflix that might be okay if you haven’t read the book. But please, read the book instead. 

The Blonde Dies First - Joelle Wellington

In this meta-supernatural slasher, a group of lifelong friends accidentally release a demon that begins stalking them on the hot Summer streets of Brooklyn, New York. 

Home Is Where the Bodies Are - Jeneva Rose

While this one is more thriller than outright horror, the book revolves around a trio of siblings who, after being reunited to deal with their mother’s passing, discover a VHS tape that reveals a horrible family secret.

That does it for me. If you’ve read any of these books, then I’d love to hear your feedback. If you haven’t, then, well, hopefully one of these tickles your sweaty summer pickle. 

Dracula Live From Transylvania TV Spot - 1988 Halloween TV Special

Dracula Live From Transylvania is a live Halloween TV special hosted by George Hamilton. The special, which focuses on both the history and mythology of Dracula and vampires alike, aired on October 25, 1988. 

 I was lucky enough to catch it live on channel 20 WTXX-TV, an independent station out of Connecticut. I actually recorded the special and still have that tape, complete with commercials. The special is a lot of fun and really hits those nostalgic feels for me. There are copies of the special floating around on YouTube, so if you are looking to dig into something spooky, kitschy and fun during Summerween, Halloween, Springween, Christmasween, or any other ‘ween you can think of, then I definitely recommend giving Dracula Live From Transylvania a TWIST! Sorry. 

This TV spot advertising the special was taken from Dailymotion, which I actually cleaned up a bit. Please enjoy. 

P.S. Hi! It’s been a bit. Maybe I’ll post something later on so we can catch up a little. Love you. 

The 2023 Halloween Party Music UBER MEGA-MIX!

Darkness is abound, completely taking over

As your senses are filed with the smells of October

The blackness is unavoidable as it continues to swirl

So best to embrace it and get ready to twirl

As the sounds begin to pulsate, you feel your heart rate

Continue to rise from its once resting state

The wind howls loudly as it begins to whip

To the spooky sounds that come from the 2023 Halloween Party UBER MEGA-MIX!!

I may not be around much these days, but CNAMB is always in my heart (especially during Halloween), and I’ll be damned if I will not always make an effort to, at the very least, drop the most recent, most sickest, most INSANE Halloween music playlist ever made my a human named Matt who runs a blog titled Chuck Norris Ate My Baby. As always, this Halloween playlist is always evolving and always growing, and I try to mix the videos up so there is variety from one song to the next. I’ve added quite a few new videos this year, and did my best to track down any that may have been pulled from YouPorn, I mean Tube. Well, at least if I notice. I should probably keep track of what I have on this list, but that would be smart. Who the fuck does smart things?

Okay, hope you are all having a sick a TWIZTED Halloween so far, and feel free to send me cash if you feel like it. Bye. Love you.

Salute Your Shorts: Jack Attack 2013

It’s Halloween night in a quaint neighborhood where a young boy named Jack (Tyler Rossell) and his babysitter, Elizabeth (Helen Rogers), are headed home to do a little pumpkin carving. It’s obvious that this is Jack’s first experience partaking in this beloved Halloween tradition, and Elizabeth does a great job making it as enjoyable as she can for the young boy. After they finish with their jack-o-lantern, Elizabeth bakes some pumpkin seeds while Jack gets ready to go trick or treating, and despite the fact that Elizabeth’s boyfriend is MIA, all seems about as perfect as can be on this Halloween night. 

Throughout the first half of this 8-minute short film, there are some genuinely sweet interactions between Elizabeth and Jack, with both actors giving solid, believable performances. It’s almost heartwarming watching the two enjoy the traditions of Halloween together. There’s even a cute little dog to hammer home the warm, cozy feelings. While this charming first half very much feels in line with the lighter, more familial side of Halloween, I think we all know that Halloween isn’t always so sweet, and things suddenly take a dark turn for both Jack and Elizabeth.

Without giving away any of the horrific goods, I will say that If you have a fear of choking or are sensitive to seeing young children in peril, you might be a little turned off by some of the situations that unfold in Jack Attack. But most of you, myself included, will find these elements to be quite effective. There are moments where Jack Attack goes into some pretty gruesome and even frightening places, but It’s not done in a mean-spirited fashion. In fact, Jack Attack blends a tasty mix of horror and fun, which is really the perfect recipe for capturing the spirit of Halloween.

Written and directed by Bryan Norton and Antonio Padovan, Jack Attack features an impressively high level of production value, which is matched by great sound design and gruesomely satisfying special effects. In many ways, Jack Attack almost feels as if it could live in the same world as Trick r’ Treat and feels very much in line with the FEARnet (RIP) Trick ‘r Treat holiday shorts that were being released back in 2011. It hits that Halloween vibe so nicely, and it does so without much time invested, making it the perfect thing to throw on in between that 46th rewatch of Halloween 4 and 5.

The 2022 Halloween Party Music UBER MEGA-MIX!

 

Get ready to put on your dancing shoes all you spooky ghouls

As once again it’s that time of year filled with creaks and boos

Despite the creepy setting and all that comes with it

The beats will hit so hard that there’s no way you’ll be able to sit

While all the children are out enjoying their night of treats and tricks

It’s time for us to kick off the 2022 Halloween Party Music UBER MEGA-MIX!

Salute Your Shorts: I Love Sarah Jane (2008)

Like most 13-year-old boys, Jimbo (Brad Ashby) has that one girl he is crushing on hard, and despite there being this whole “zombie apocalypse” thing going on, he will do whatever it takes to win the affection of Sarah Jane (Mia Wasikowska).  

Written by David Michôd and Spencer Susser (who also directed), I Love Sarah Jane is an Australian lensed short film that focuses on a group of children living their day-to-day lives in a world that has been ravaged by zombies. While the details are minimal, the kids are left to their own device likely because their parents were killed at some point. To pass the time, some of the kids screw around with a captured zombie and do other things that kids without parents around are apt to do. But this is not the case for Jimbo, who is more concerned with spending time with Sarah.

I Love Sarah Jane looks at young love through the dingy windows of the zombie apocalypse, and does so in a way that is effective in its simplicity and genuine approach. The short features some very high production value with a backdrop that perfectly conveys a world ravaged by an apocalypse, all of which is brought to life by some great looking cinematography. Furthermore, the film has some incredible looking makeup effects on display, specifically with the short’s main zombie (non) threat. 

I Love Sarah Jane clocks in at about 14 minutes, and it’s a wise way to spend 14 minutes of your time, as this is a fantastic little zombie flick that adds a level of humanity that doesn't feel manufactured or generic. Check it out below. 

The Contraption (1977): Despite All My Rage

"Out of all the men in the world, I ended up marrying a bloody mouse."

Written, produced and directed by James Dearden, this 1977 UK made short film stars Richard O'Brien as The Man and Charlotte Cornwell providing the short's only line of dialogue. The Contraption is one of a handful of horror shorts that would appear as filler for various late night programming on the USA Network back in that wonderful era known as the 80s. I first encountered The Contraption at a pretty young age; an age when I was really falling in love with the horror genre, and seeing something such as this at that time in my youth left quite the memorable impact.

When it comes down to it, much of that impact would have to do with one thing, and that is simply how well made The Contraption is. It's effective in its simplicity and grabs your attention only to lead you down a path to a very dark place. The music as well as the sound design are nothing short of terrifying, and with the intricate sounds so amplified - so exaggerated - it is difficult not to get roped into what this man might be doing. With each intense turn of a screw, with every rip of the hand saw, with every smack of the mallet, there is a certain impact that each of these individual moments have in what they collectively lead up to.

The setting is nothing more than what appears to be a poorly lit basement, where the only light that is cast comes from a single lamp above. The darkness of this man's surroundings engulfs his project, making it seem as if he is in an alternate place where all his focus is on the task at hand. In many ways, this dark and empty setting speaks incredible relevance as to where he is emotionally, as he is a man who is working to take his own life, a man who is currently engulfed by the darkest of moments.

Watching a man carefully craft his own demise is quite impactful, seeing him actually do it just furthers that, but what really sets this short on the top shelf of quality is that one little line of dialogue. "Out of all the men in the world, I ended up marrying a bloody mouse." It's that last little touch that adds volume to what was just witnessed on screen. That line of dialogue makes you wonder why he has done this, and in a way, it adds depth to the situation and character, leaving quick theories to stew in the brain for a few moments afterwards. It's what kept a short like The Contraption embedded in a young horror fan's mind for many years to come, and even now, after so many years have passed, it still carries its weight in horror gold.