Meet Skeletina

If you "Like" us on Facebook, you may have seen my post on the Haunted Paper Toys. Well, while surfing the Internet tonight, I came across this. I've always liked skeletons...especially if they're in funny dresses.

Courtesy of Pritty Litter: Paper Dolls & Me

Kickass Trailers: "I Spit on Your Grave"

A beautiful woman from the city, Jennifer Hills, rents an isolated cabin in the country to write her latest novel.

Soon, a group of local lowlifes subject Jennifer to a nightmare of degradation, rape and violence. Left for dead, she returns for vengeance. Trapping her male attackers one-by-one, she inflicts acts of physical torment upon them with a ferocity that surpasses her own ordeal. 

When the carnage clears, victim has become victor.

The synopsis is courtesy of the official Web site where you can learn more about this remake of the 1978 film of the same name:

Summer 2010 Issue Now Available

Featuring stories by Allen D. Reed, Theresa Nienaber, Donna Burgess and D.A. Hernandez; poetry by Adelaide Windsome; artwork by Simon Walsgrove, Lawrence Boos a.k.a. Undead Ed, Adelaide Windsome and J. Toogood; and features by Jim Kennedy and Tim Yockey.

The Summer 2010 Issue of Tainted Tea is available for download on Lulu.com with a free preview on our Web site.

For a taste of what's in the Summer 2010 Issue, read an excerpt of "The Host" by D. A. Hernandez here. Or grab a free cup of Tainted Tea here to celebrate one year.

You read about them in Tainted Tea, now watch the trailers of the films that Jim Kennedy Spotlights in the Summer 2010 Issue:

Devil

Buried

Summer 2010 Cover

Available for download this week. Artwork by Shane R. Toogood.

Kickass Trailers: "Wes Craven's My Soul to Take"

In the sleepy town of Riverton, legend tells of a serial killer who swore he would return to murder the seven children born the night he died. Now, 16 years later, people are disappearing again. Has the psychopath been reincarnated as one of the seven teens, or did he survive the night he was left for dead? Only one of the kids knows the answer…

The film is set for release on Oct. 8, 2010.

Kickass Trailers: "The Last Exorcism"

To learn more about the film, visit the official Web site.

Kickass Trailers: "Black Swan"

Not sure what this film is entirely about except that we know shit's going down.

Watch out or the Trekkies might just "Klingon" to your limbs

As Kris and I anticipate our first *ahem* trek to Monster-Mania 15, I have been extremely dorky the past couple of days with my reading Batman comics and watching nostalgic films and TV shows like TailSpin, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Back to the Future. So, while applying for an internship (which is not dorky), I came across the novel Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stallon on Quirk Book's Web site.

I've never been a fan of Star Trek; just never watched it. However, I've always respected Trekkies and their devotion to the deep-space phenomenon. However, I am a fan of horror, zombies being one of my favorites, so I can't wait to read this. The cover, in the style of a Hardy Boys (side note: look at this!) or Nancy Drew novels, is particularly striking. Who doesn't love dead Spock holding an arm doing the Vulcan salute (yes, I had to look that up)?

 The Facebook fan page has this to say about Night of the Living Zombies:

"This sci-fi/zombie/comedy/adventure follows a group of rag-tag Trekkies getting together for the fifth annual GulfCon (billed as the 'largest Starfleet Convention in the western Gulf Coast region').

"Of course you don't understand. You don't have the brains to understand.  All you have is printed circuits...and I'll eat them, too!"

Our heroes are dressed in homemade uniforms and armed with prop phasers-but soon find themselves defending their hotel and convention center against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Suddenly, all of their useless knowledge about particle physics and old Star Trek episodes has genuine real-world applications! And while hotel employees and regular civilians are dying left and right, our Trekkies summon strength and courage by emulating their favorite starship-voyaging characters.

Packed with hundreds of gags referencing Star Trek, Star Wars, comic books, and fan conventions, Night of the Living Trekkies reads like the strange lovechild of Galaxy Quest and Dawn of the Dead. Journey to the final frontier of zombie science-fiction satire!"

"Live long and prosper...but not for long!"

 

Spierig Brothers to Direct 3D Power of the Dark Crystal

Note: This may not be deemed "horror," but it scared the shit out of my brother when he was younger.

In a joint announcement by Omnilab Media's Christopher Mapp and The Jim Henson Company's Lisa Henson, Australian based Omnilab Media is teaming up with The Jim Henson Company to bring the fantasy sequel Power of the Dark Crystal to the big screen in stereoscopic 3D.

Power of the Dark Crystal will be produced by the Australia-based production arm of Omnilab Media, Ambience Entertainment. The Jim Henson Company's executive producers are Brian Henson, Lisa Henson and Jason Lust. Omnilab Media's executive producers are Christopher Mapp, Matthew Street and David Whealy. Cinemarket Films' Peter D. Graves (Terminator Salvation) rounds out the executive producer team.

Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig, writers and directors of Undead and most recently, Daybreakers, have come aboard to direct the screenplay written by Australian Craig Pearce (Moulin Rouge!, Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet) based on an original script by Annette Duffy and David Odell. The legendary fantasy artist Brian Froud will reprise his role as conceptual designer of the film, which will use a mix of live action and traditional puppetry combined with visual and special effects produced entirely in Australia. Omnilab-affiliated Iloura (Where the Wild Things Are, "The Pacific," Don't Be Afraid of the Dark) has already begun work on the film's complex CGI elements. With this team in place, next steps will be to secure worldwide distribution.

"Power of the Dark Crystal is an exciting and ambitious undertaking and, having worked on previous projects with the top-notch talent and crews that Australia offers, we know we have assembled the right team to deliver the sequel to one of the most enduringly popular titles in the Henson library. Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig are sure to create a film that will continue the legacy of the original and exceed the expectations of our loyal fans," said Lisa Henson, CEO of the The Jim Henson Company. "We are especially enthusiastic to be working with Omnilab Media, a strong and growing force in worldwide film finance and production."

"We are very pleased to be producing this wonderful and fantastical film in Australia. Power of The Dark Crystal will showcase the depth of talent Australia has to offer up on the international stage, including the extremely gifted directing team of Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig. The Jim Henson Company has consistently delivered an amazing range of entertainment over generations and is an iconic creative studio that we are proud to have partner with us," added Christopher Mapp from Omnilab Media.

Michael Spierig said, "We feel a tremendous amount of responsibility in telling this story with the same meticulous care that Jim Henson and Frank Oz gave the 1982 original." Added Peter Spierig, "This is a chance to take the world of puppetry into the modern age by using modern techniques (like motion capture CGI) and the tried and true methods (like puppetry and animatronics) to create a one hundred percent real world that is unique to The Dark Crystal."

Set hundreds of years after the events of the first movie when the world has once again fallen into darkness, Power of the Dark Crystal follows the adventures of a mysterious girl made of fire who, together with a Gelfling outcast, steals a shard of the legendary Crystal in an attempt to reignite the dying sun that exists at the center of the planet.

Source: Omnilab Media, The Jim Henson Company

For those of you unfamiliar with the 1982 film, watch the trailer below:

Daily Dose of Monster (It's like coffee only better)

How did we miss this Web site The Daily Monster?

"Monster Mania: A Deadly Good Time" by Jim Kennedy

Being the awesome editors that we are, we failed to post Jim Kennedy's blog about his trip to Monster-Mania 14. Kris and I are attending the event tomorrow, Saturday August 21 and will be covering that as well. Here's what Jim had to say:

In 2007 I was given an official poster from the movie theater where I work for Rob Zombies Halloween. I was then able to get it signed by Daeg Faerch, Danny Trejo, Danielle Harris and Kristina Klebe, some of the cast from that film. So, this Monster Mania was exciting for me because attending the convention this year were Malcolm McDowell and Scout Taylor-Compton, who played Dr. Loomis and Laurie Strode in the remake. Other big names at this years con were Gary Busey, Eric Roberts, Italian horror director Dario Argento and cast reunions from the original My Bloody Valentine and the classic horror gem Night of the Creeps.

Besides the autographs, the convention is also good for fans to be able to search for any kind of horror/sci-fi merchandise they can usually find only online. I was able to purchase two DVDs, one for the British horror comedy Doghouse and the other a horror film titled Pig Hunt. 

The next Monster Mania convention will be held the weekend of August 20-22 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. On the slate guest wise as of right now is A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 reunion as well as genre veteran Julian Sands and Barbara Steele. If you’ve never been to one, attend, you don’t know what you’re missing!

Puppets from the film series The Puppet Master

Jim and actor Malcolm McDowell

Jim and actress Scout Taylor-Compton

Free Download for Our Anniversary

Even though it's not October yet, the editors are celebrating their One Year Anniversary early with a free download of the first issue. Click here for the PDF.


A big thank you to all our readers and contributors. We couldn't have made it this far without you.

Invention of Sin

This past weekend was gorgeous with the sultry, fall crispness glazing the air. Had fall come early? Well, one can dream. This summer heat is suffocating, deadly and just plain ridiculous. The fall teaser put me in the mood to pull out my Clive Barker anthology In the Flesh and get in to the Halloween spirit. Clive Barker writes in the short story "In the Flesh:"

"At the present he was reading about sin. Now there was a subject. In his time he'd heard so many explanations of how it had come into the world, from probation officers and lawyers and priests. Theories sociological, theological, ideological. Some were worthy of a few minutes' consideration. Most were so absurd (sin from the womb, sin from the state) he laughed in their apologists' faces. None held water for long."

Masaccio's Adam and Eve Banished from Paradise (c. 1427) Photo by Shane R. Toogood

Pandora

I had never given any thought as to where sin originated. Growing up as a non-practicing Catholic, I was told that it was Adam and Eve's temptation in the Garden of Eden where the Serpent--who was "slier than every beast of the field"--led them to eat from the Tree of Life. Did Pandora really open up a box, sending demonous, winged evils into the world save for hopelessness?

Mark Twain wrote in a letter to his sister Pamela A Moffett that "One could...say that God is the personage who should shoulder the blame for the sin that is in the world (& suffer the punishment) because He made sin attractive & put it in the reach of the sinner." 

Hell, some people thrive on sin. (Anyone ever hear of that devilish fiend Satan?) As for me, I'm not really sure what sin is (perhaps greed is the root of all evil) as it's really just something that goes against ones own morals, but I do believe in Karma.

Is sin just a "religious thing?" I mean, what is religion but a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of life while incorporating moral codes and attempting to give answers to life's most difficult questions (among other things). This could be a fun prompt: where did sin originate?  It's kind of like The Invention of Lying.

"The Flower Feast"

by Brian Cook

Purchase this painting and others at Society 6.

For information on artist Brian Cook, visit his Web site.

Excerpt from "The Host" by D.A. Hernandez

Hard to believe hours ago this man was apprehended, drenched in blood and chewing on a chunk of human heart, the Detective thought sifting through the photographs.

The nameless man had a vaguely normal appearance, clean and composed in his plain white shirt and pants. He had freaky eyes though and this troubled the Detective. Eyes, more than anything else were a good indicator of a man’s nature, but the nature of this stranger bewildered him. The John Doe had eerie blue eyes that gleamed with an ominous glow as if his sockets were fixed with glass lenses concealing neon blue bulbs sparking behind the pupils.

His stoicism was uncomfortable to tolerate as well. The Detective and his team of officers found the stranger in a similar fashion seated at the dining room table of his latest victim, using a knife and fork to mince the half eaten remains of the victim’s heart. He relished his meal with unfathomable eloquence, each bite savored as fine cuisine.

The stranger sat staring at the various photographs with similar fascination.

The Detective cleared his throat, “Have you had enough time to deliberate over your handiwork?”

“The time has been sufficient, yes.”

“So you’re ready to talk then?”

“You may ask your questions and I will do my best to answer.”

The stranger was nothing, if not polite.

“Tell me why you killed all these men.”

“I should think that would be obvious.”

About D.A. Hernandez:
David Alan Hernandez is a native-born Texan currently working on his bachelor’s degree in creative writing/education. His work can be found published in various online horror and fantasy Ezines including, The Harrow, Sonar4, Flashes in The Dark, Sex and Murder, Microhorror and the college literary journal, The Rio Review. In addition to a number of other projects, he is currently keeping a blog at www.truthiscreation.blogspot.com showcasing a dark fantasy web novel, "Dividing Canaan: The Journals of Canaan Quintanilla".

To read more of "The Host" and other stories, download Summer 2010.