Halloween Movie Selections

For the week of Halloween, GGE kicks off a weeklong movie marathon (7 movies at least, might watch more). The goal being to establish a good Halloween mood.
(On a side note, Green's commercial Haunt, Haunted Caverns at Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, TN has been selecting as the #6 Haunt in the nation by Rand McNally. Way to go Green and all the guys and gals at Fear Connection!)

Back to our Halloween movie marathon (I'll list 10 just to capture our 3 runners up in case we watch more than 7)

1. Bram Stoker's Dracula
2. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
3. The Exorcist
4. Halloween (the new Rob Zombie version)
5. Nightmare on Elm Street (the new one)
6. Resident Evil (Any)
7. Skinwalkers (Need a good werewolf movie in here)
8. Saw (3D)
9. The Monster Squad (if you haven't seen this, do yourself a favor and pick up this cult classic)
10. Van Helsing (Kat Beckinsale...need I say more?)

What are some of your favorites?

Horror for your Reading Pleasure

It's just a fact that there are not a lot of publishers who specialize in horror fiction. There are some publishers who do it, but not many that specialize in it. It's not a surprise since horror is a pretty small piece of the pie in terms of publishing.
Having said that though, it is certainly clear that there is a niche out there for people who know horror and know it well. Were someone to come along and specialize in good horror, and make sure they told that story well and stayed in their lane, then eventually fans of the genre would trust that publisher to produce things they like. It would be a "win" for the publisher because people might come to them first for their horror novels. It would certainly be a "win" for the reader since they would now have a place to go where they would be reasonably assured of having their horror-fix satiated.
GGE, of course, writes some horror...and good horror at that. "The Forsaken" is our first novel-length horror and it is currently with some folks for consideration.
If I were submitting it today, or if I were just looking for a good horror book to read, I would certainly consider Snuff Books and Severed Press.
Both tell their story well and the website and titles give the reader assurances that, if you are looking for a horror novel by someone who understands horror, then you have come to the right place.



('’)

Deadspace: Downfall

Just watched "Deadspace: Downfall" which is a tie-in animated movie for the video game "Deadspace". My typical experience shows that video game tie-in movies pretty much suck. Deadspace: Downfall is quite an exception. It was really cool and had some great visuals. I enjoyed the sci-fi meets fantasy bits a little bit. Of course, like any horror movie, there were the "don't go through that door!" moments, but still, a very cool movie and it definitely has me wanting to play the game (and I am not a huge gamer).
So...looking for a good sci-fi/horror movie? If you don't mind animated films (and nobody at GGE minds animation! Heck...we LOVE it!) then Deadspace: Downfall goes on the official "GGE Recommends list" (just as soon as we make an official "GGE Recommends list...so much to do!)
Later
JG

Genre

The great thing about genre is it leads to some built-in expectations. For example, if you read a western, you expect a gunfight or two. If you read a horror novel you expect some chilling scenes and possibly some gore. In sci-fi you'll probably see some spaceships and some faster than light travel. Fantasy of course and you expect to see some sword and sorcery.
So, the great thing about picking a genre is you can fit right in. Louis Lamour, in many ways defines the western. Of course there are other giants in that genre (Zane Grey, et al). Stephen King is horror. R.A. Salvatore is fantasy. If you write like these people, then are you going to automatically succeed in the chosen genre? Maybe not. I would say probably not. The best thing in the world to do is to pick a genre and include all the formulaic pieces, but also to have something uniquely yours. What's a great example? JK Rowling. Clearly fantasy. Wizards, swords, trolls, dragons, wyverns all that jazz, but it is quite a bit different as well. And JK Rowling has birthed a whole new industry of young adult fiction.
So, find your genre...be an expert in it...and then put your uniqueness to work and watch what happens!