Dracula Dad by Graham

Blood Not Included

 

Vampire-Powered Piston Engine

 

Vampire-Proof Bedroom?

 

Vampires!

“Stay away, you spawn of hell” by D3vilusion

Artwork by Alexander Ovchinnikov

Santa the Vampire

Book Review - The Matriarch by Kevin Ranson

Glenville Normal School - 1919
Sarah Louisa "Sis" Linn, class of 1877, is brutally murdered in her home on the school's campus. No motive or murderer is found. 

Glenville State College - 2013
Nearly 100 years has passed since Sis Linn's unsolved murder. The school's name has changed, and the story of her death and tales of her apparition have become fodder for frightening incoming freshmen. But a century is merely a moment for a spirit - and less than a blink of an eye for even more sinister entities that endure beyond the grave. Student Janiss Connelly will soon learn that not only are some ghost stories true, but that there are greater things to fear in life - and in death - than ghosts.

This is one damn spooky book.

To say anything about this book would be revealing too many plot points, but let me make a few things clear. 

First, I'm not a big fan of vampire stories because for me that old saw had long lost its teeth. Too many authors simply write the same thing over and over. Or so I thought until I read this book. Mr. Ransom has spun his own unique version of these toothy beings, and he's created creatures who are both believable and who fit perfectly into this modern world. 

Second, you are taken further into the story from the vampire's perspective. You see their side of immortal living, from the pain suffered when they are hurt, to the comforting unconsciousness of lying skin-to-dirt in a grave. 

Third, there are good vampires, and there are bad vampires, and sometimes they fight each other because of what they are, and because of what they believe in. Some are ruthless, portrayed as soulless like their movie counterparts, but others are struggling to cope day to day with their existence.

I bought this book on recommendation, and I'm delighted with what I discovered. Get your own copy. And when you do, throw away any previous beliefs you had about these undead beings, and enjoy!

Next Time You’ll Know Better

 

Have you ever walked into a room and found a vampire?

No, not the sexy kind, but a foul creature with bony limbs and ashen skin? The kind that snarls as you enter, like a beast about to pounce? The kind that roots you to the spot with its sunken, hypnotic eyes, rendering you unable to flee as you watch the hideous thing uncoil from the shadows? Has your heart started racing though your legs refuse to? Have you felt time slow as the creature crosses the room in the darkness of a blink?

Have you shuddered with fear when it places one clawed hand atop your head and another under your chin so it can tilt you, exposing your neck? Have you squirmed as its rough, dry tongue slides down your cheek, over your jaw, to your throat, in a slithering search that’s seeking your artery? Have you felt its hot breath release in a hiss against your skin when it probes your pulse—the flow that leads to your brain? Has its tongue rested there, throbbing slightly as if savoring the moment? Have you then experienced a sinking, sucking blackness as you discover that not all vampires feed on blood—some feed on memories?

Well, have you?

Maybe not. But let me rephrase the question:
Have you ever walked into a room and suddenly forgotten why you came in?

Be Sure You Get Your Daily 8 Ounces

Oh, Yeah! I'd Go See That Movie!

The Drink of Choice

Stock Photos

Alas, Poor Yorick (the Vampire)

Awesome piece of work.

What's Coming to Get Us

A handy guide. According to science fiction, horror and paranormal movies and TV shows, here's the biggest dangers in each state. (Click for a larger version.)

Thanks, Dani!

Monday Movie Review - DYLAN DOG

I reeeeealy wanted to like this movie, and in some ways I did. It's very tongue in cheek, and Brandon Routh looks hawt, especially with his shirt off. But for some reason it just fell a bit flat.

Routh plays Dylan Dog, a protector of the dead, including vampires, werewolves, zombies--you know, the usual. But a past personal incident has made him swear off the job, and instead become a normal private investigator tracking unfaithful spouses and such.

Right off the bat his close friend and partner is killed, along with a very prominent man, and immediately Dylan realizes the two deaths are related. Soon afterward, his now undead partner emerges to rejoin him, and the rest of the movie is a visual connect-the-dots taking the viewer from one locale to another, since this all takes place in New Orleans.

To me, the best part of this movie was Marcus, the undead sidekick, played by Sam Huntington. There's a lot of wise-cracking going on. The gore is minimized, which is surprising considering the theme of the movie. The whole thing is played for laughs, even though most of the jokes fall flat.

However, I know that, eye candy-wise, when it comes on one of the movie channels, I'll probably watch it again. Which why my recommendation is that you also

TV Show Review - DEATH VALLEY

There's a new show on TV, on the MTV channel, called DEATH VALLEY. The premise is simple: a few years ago zombies, vampires, and werewolves invaded Los Angeles, forcing the police to form the UTF, the Undead Task Force.

It's a comedy. It's a mockumentary. It's COPS vs the paranormal. It's only a half-hour show, and a ton of fun.

Monday Movie Review - PRIEST

Dystopian. Futuristic. Post-apocalyptic. Western. VAMPIRES.

In the future, the world's populace has gone behind walls, protected by The Church and its Priests who've gained super abilities to fight the vampires that have nearly decimated mankind. But there are still pockets of civilization living in small towns out in the Wasteland. When one Priest discovers that his brother and sister-in-law, who live in one such town, were among some of those civilians ravaged by a new crop of vampires, and that his niece was taken hostage, he leaves the church to save her.

I went into this movie just wanting to be entertained, and I got my money's worth. The vamps in this flick are not the kind we are accustomed to seeing. They reminded me more of the creatures in "The Descent". The revelation of who the bad guy leader was surprised me, but it made sense. I only wish he hadn't gone for the Clint Eastwood imitation.

Think "Blade Runner" meets "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral", and throw in some "Starship Troopers", and you have this movie.  And because it kept me fully immersed, my recommendation is that you...

To Ensure Your Eternal Sleep Remains Peaceful

As explained in this link, "This is a grave from the Victorian age when a fear of zombies and vampires was prevalent. The cage was intended to trap the undead just in case the corpse reanimated."