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Hello horror fans. We have re-launched this horror blog under a new name: OCCULT CONCEPT. We will be reposting reviews and articles from this website as well as new promotions and reviews of independent horror movies and books. Please feel free to head over to our new site at this address: https://occultconcept.tumblr.com/
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As you may have seen last week in our news feed, we are officially stopping updates on A Slice of Horror in the coming months. Well, this week, we are making on last post. We've had the privilege of interviewing horror author David Bernstein, author of the new horror story collection A Mixed Bag of Blood. I of course, had the chance to read A Mixed Bag of Blood prior to the interview. I can tell you now, if you are a fan of 80s style horror you are going to love this book. A Mixed Bag of Blood has a wide variety of stories within its pages. From something as simple as a booger gone wrong, to samurai warriors fighting off zombies. This collection has a little bit of everything any fan of strange or goofy horror might like. It almost perfectly balances comedy with horror. Now, we were able to learn more about David Bernstein and his inspirations for his work. So, let's have him tell us about himself and the new book in his own words. First off, David, tell us a little about yourself as a writer. I love to write a variety of horror fiction just as I enjoy watching and reading slasher horror, atmospheric horror, dark psychological horror, sci-fi horror . . . Hell, I like it all, and that’s why I write in all these subgenres. My first drafts all wind up in a notebook—I write longhand. Then, when I transfer it to the computer it becomes the second draft. I only use one beta-reader who also proofreads and edits. I have a lot of time to write at my job so I’ve learned to write in short snippets as well as for long periods of time. There is no excuse not to write—even if it’s just a little each day. Tell us a little about your latest book release: A Mixed Bag of Blood. It really is a mixed bag of tales. I threw every kind of story into this one, from atmospheric, to gory and blood-filled to zombie, to historic, to funny, and then flat out gross. A Mixed Bag of Blood is a smorgasbord of my work and shows the variety of stories I like to write. How did A Mixed Bag of Blood come to fruition? John Foley was the short fiction editor at Thunderstorm books and contacted me asking if I had a novella or short story collection that I’d like to submit for possible publication. I’d had a number of short stories published over the years so I picked the ones I hoped would represent the kind of stuff I like to write and would appeal to a broad audience. Luckily for me, Thunderstorm liked the collection and published it in two limited editions. Then, Sinister Grin Press published the paperback and e-book, adding an Intro from author Kristopher Rufty. It seems obvious, by the diverse amount of stories in A Mixed Bag of Blood, that you have many inspirations and tastes. What are a few of your main inspirations for your writing? I really do enjoy a variety of genres. I’d say horror and action are the two most influential in my writing. They go together quite well, but I’m not opposed to anything. It’s almost as if I can’t decide what I enjoy the most so I delve into it all. I mostly read horror and thriller, but when it comes to viewing a TV show or movie, I’ll watch almost anything. I do watch a ton of horror and sci-fi, but recently I watched the movie Brooklyn and loved it. The Intern was great too. There might be snippets of these types of genres in my writing, but mostly I get an idea and let it take over. People make fun of Lifetime movies, but I really get into them. It’s like once you sit down and start one you can’t stop. I consider my novella, Surrogate, to be a Lifetime movie on crack. So bottom line, I think I take a little inspiration from all over. Do you have a favorite story from A Mixed Bag of Blood? That’s a tough one. I think my top three are The Booglin, Potty Mouth and Samurai Zombie Killer. But if I HAD to pick one, I’d say Potty Mouth because it’s such an outrageous story and it falls back to the old “soap in the mouth” threat from moms, only this tale is much, much, much more severe. What other projects are you currently working on? A novel called Episodes of Violence for Sinister Grin Press. It revolves around a group of older teens who take mailbox baseball to the next level by going after bikers, joggers, and whoever using machetes, bats, crossbows, and whatever else. Then also, a novella called The Sludge for Great Old Ones Publishing. That one is a B-movie horror book about a bank robbery, toxic waste being dumped, backpackers, and a bloodthirsty creature. And finally, a novella called Retch from Bizarro Pulp Press about a man who is cursed to vomit every time he has sex. Any new releases horror fans should look for in the near future? All the titles I listed above. They will all be out this year, but I believe The Sludge will be out very soon. Anything else you want to tell readers? I’d like to thank everyone who’s ever read any of my books whether they’ve liked them or not. And leaving reviews is like giving an author gold! I will be attending Scares that Care again this year so bring your books and get them signed by yours truly! You can learn more about David and follow along with each new release at the following his author website, his Amazon author page, and on Facebook and Twitter. Today, we are bringing you the solemn news that A Slice of Horror.com is officially closing its doors for good. It has been a fantastic 4 years here on the blog. A Slice of Horror, which started out as nothing more than a passion project, has exploded into something wonderful. In our time on the web, sharing horror news and reviews, we've been approached by countless horror authors, filmmakers, and artists looking to just extend their reach a little farther. We loved helping them get more publicity and word of mouth. We've worked with some giants such as Anchor Bay Films, Paizo Publishing, and TOR Books. We've also worked with countless small and independent companies including Icon Studios, Wild Eye Releasing, Artsploitation, and more! We are grateful to all the companies and individuals we had the privilege of working with. We are also greatful to all of our readers who visited our website for the newest news, reviews, and updates. We couldn't have done this fantastic project without you. But, at this point, it is time to move on from this project. We feel we can no longer set aside enough time to give A Slice of Horror the care it deserves. So, it is best to retire the project. The site will remain up so all readers can reference all old reviews and news posts. Additionally, if the time presents itself, we may return to do special marathons once or twice a year (specifically during June for our favorite Summer Camp Marathon and in October for a Halloween Marathon). But besides that, weekly posting and all other normal updates will cease. Thank you all again for the support you've given to A Slice of Horror. Stay scary. Modiphius Entertainment is in the final hours of their Kickstarter for the definitive Conan Roleplaying Game. If you're a fan of Conan the Barbarian, the works of Robert E. Howard, or the sword and sorcery genre now is your chance to join in supporting this game and become a part of Conan history! There have already been multiple fantastic new source-books and expansions, in addition to the core rule book, announced for the game. Additionally, the team behind the game and working very hard to remain true to the original source works of Robert E. Howard for this game and all its expansions. If you contribute to the game now, not only will you have first access to the game, but you can also get many bonuses as well. To tell us more about the game, the Kickstarter, and how you as a fan and reader can get involved, we've interviewed Jason Durall. First off, Jason, tell us a little about Modiphius and about what you specifically do for the company? Modiphius was founded by Chris Birch in 2012, with the Achtung! Cthulhu game line on Kickstarter. After that successful launch and in the subsequent years, Modiphius has expanded dramatically, with Mutant Chronicles 3rd Edition, the Infinity RPG, the Thunderbirds boardgame, Dust Adventures, and other fine games, like the in-development Conan game. As for me, Chris and I first started talking about working together on Mutant Chronicles, but the timing wasn't right. I later came on to take over Assault on the Mountains of Madness, the big Achtung! Cthulhu campaign that was the planned final Kickstarter release for that game line. From there I was one of the earliest writers and editorial voices for the Conan game, and took over as line developer back in September of 2015. Since then I've been recruiting writers, editing, writing, playtesting, promoting, demo-ing, revising, and providing editorial guidance for the writing team and assisting Chris as best I can. How did the concept for doing a new Conan themed RPG come about? I am not actually sure, but I believe it came about through Chris' initiative. His experience with licensed products in his previous line of work gives him a lot of access to licensors and a keen understanding of bringing IPs to the tabletop. For readers who aren't familiar, tell us a little about how the 2D20 system works. Simply put, the core system has players rolling 2d20, trying to reach a target number equal to or under than a value based on Attribute + Skill Expertise. If a result is under that, it's a success. Skills can also have Focus, which means that a skill rolling the Focus or below gets an extra success. Tasks are usually rated at difficulties, ranging from 0-5, with each difficulty rating the number of successes required to succeed. For example, a character might have an Attribute like Awareness at 10, Skill Expertise in Observation of 3, and Skill Focus of 2. This means that any toll of 13 or less will yield a success, and a roll of 2 or less will yield an additional success. Additional successes beyond the required result are turned into Momentum, which can be spent immediately to add additional effects or improve the quality of the result, or they can be placed in a shared pool for all the players to draw from. Momentum can then be used to roll additional d20s for tasks, up to a maximum of 5d20 allowed per roll. Players use Momentum, while the GM uses Doom, a counter-mechanic that works in much the same way, being spent to activate or improve NPC abilities, upgrade enemies, and increase the difficulty of an action the PCs are undertaking. It can also be spent for other things, like giving NPCs additional dice to roll. Player characters are also rated with talents, which usually have an in-game benefit towards specific actions or avenues of activity. How do you feel the 2D20 system will work with and benefit the theme of Conan? Quite well, as I've seen from numerous playtests. In what ways are you making efforts to stay true to the original works of Conan by Robert E. Howard? Can fans of Conan expect a true adaption of the works? We are hewing exclusively to the original Howard works, and ignoring the pastiche entirely. We are also working in close consultation with some leading REH scholars, and in every case we're going back to the source material for fresh interpretations rather than relying on a general impression shaped by a wildly-inconsistent variety of pastiche. I think it's safe for us to say that this absolutely the most authentic treatment of the Hyborian Age in games, and head-and-shoulders closer than most of the pastiche material. It shows on the Kickstarter that there will be many exciting source books to add more flavor, resources, and options to the game. What are some of the most interesting or exciting source books players should look forward to? I'm particularly excited most by the Kull of Atlantis sourcebook, which was the first thing I suggested when we started discussing the line. The Book of Skelos and Nameless Cults are also very dear to me, thematically, as are the bestiary and the ruins books. I think the lineup of Conan the ... sourcebooks will be particularly awesome, and I'm also completely excited with what we'll be doing with for a few projects we haven't even announced yet, and may not be announced for a while. It seems like you've got some fantastic artwork in the samples you've already shown online and in the quickstart rules. Tell us a little about the art team and the visual vision Modiphius created for the game.
Thanks! One of the big goals we're doing is to draw from the top drawer of established Conan artists, including many whose work has never graced an RPG, and bringing some new and original artists into the mix with an attempt at creating a Hyborian Age that feels lived-in. I will confess that while many of these covers are awesome, some of my favorite artwork we're doing are the environment landscapes... amazing portrayals of the countries and places that make the Conan setting resonate with so many fans. What kind of writing/editing team do you have on board for the books? I'm the line developer, and I am ably assisted by Chris Lites. The writing and editorial team consists of (at this point) dozens of people, including system designers Benn Graybeaton and Nathan Dowdell, Conan experts Jeffrey Shanks, Mark Finn, Chris Gruber, and Patrice Louinet, and adventure and sourcebook writers like Tim Brown, Vincent Darlage, Jeb Boyt, Jesse Scoble, Richard August, Steffie de Vaan, Mark Carroll, Jennifer Baughman, Helena Nash, Kevin Ross, Anne Toole, Rachel Cruz, Elle Goff,Todd Woods, Miri Weaver, Lou Agresta, John Snead, Jack Norris, Matt John, Gareth Skarka, Andrew Peregrine, Dirk Vandereyken, and others I apologize for forgetting. In addition, I have a variety of other writers I'm in discussions with, ranging from well-known names associated with other adaptations of the Conan IP to fresh and new talent. Finally, is there anything special readers and gamers should know about the upcoming system? I would rather have folks judge it for themselves, downloading the free quickstart adventure available from Drivethrurpg.com, and trying it out. We want to thank Jason so much for his willingness to answer a few of our questions about one of the most anticipated games currently in the roleplaying community. Now is YOUR chance to get invloved. Head over to the Conan RPG Kickstarter page and give them your support now! If you're a fan of 80s slasher movies as much as we are then you will definitely need to have a look at indie film company: Slasher Studios. Slasher Studios is a small company that focuses solely on recreating films in the style and spirit of the slasher movies from the golden era of horror. While many film studios are attempting to do the same thing, revitalize the slasher genre, Slasher Studios stands out for its attention to details in its recreation. A few months back we reviewed their newest movie, Dismembering Christmas. This week we have the pleasure of interviewing the company creator and director Kevin Sommerfield. In your own words, just what exactly is Slasher Studios? When we founded Slasher Studios in 2011 we wanted to bring the fun back to the horror genre. It seemed as though the marketplace was being flooded with torture flicks and remakes. We said to ourselves, “Why not make our own slashers?” It started from there with our first short Teddy. Now, five years later, we’ve released five films (three shorts and two features) and currently run our own website which focuses on slasher reviews as well as updates (as well as an online store) for our upcoming films. Why the name Slasher Studios? We knew we wanted to focus solely on slasher films and thought that there would be no better name than Slasher Studios. With our company, we deliver just what the name says: a return to the slasher genre. All practical effects and a hard working cast & crew help make every film run as smoothly as possible. The fan base took to it immediately and we couldn’t be happier. What does the company do to contribute in and among the horror community? We try to go to as many horror conventions and film festivals as we possibly can. The horror family consists of some great filmmakers along with determined actors and actress to deliver something to the devout horror fans who live and breathe this genre. We love seeing our filmmakers in the genre succeed and we try to do whatever it takes to help spread the word. This is one family that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. How did Slasher Studios get started up as a company? In 2011, our Teddy director Steve Goltz was assigned a thesis film to complete for his senior year. It had to be a short film under 15 minutes that had a limited cast & crew and told a linear story. That’s how we came up with Teddy, a slasher revenge tale involving some troublesome college students who get more than they planned when they mess with the wrong family. Funny enough, this film ended up being banned from the school it was scheduled to premiere at. This caused some controversy and ended up bringing more people to the film. Tell us a little about each of the films you currently have out. Teddy is a 12 minute hit-and-run slasher. A Friday the 13th meets I Know What You Did Last Summer tale that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Popularity Killer is a 19-minute whodunit slasher in the vain of the late 90’s thrillers with homages to 80’s slashers as well. Someone is murdering the popular kids in school and a group of teenagers meet up one night to try to solve the crime. Blood Brothers is our quick 8-minute noir homage. It involves the tale of two brothers who meet face to face after a number of years and are forced to relive their painful past. Don’t Go to the Reunion is our first slasher feature, think of it as a mix between Slaughter High and Scream. With Reunion, we tell the tale of a picked on boy in high school and a reunion 10 years later that proves that anyone can be “Dead of the Class.” Our newest film is Dismembering Christmas, a holiday horror involving a group of teens on winter break who are staying at a house with a past as well as many secrets. It oozes Christmas atmosphere and without giving too much away, every death is either related to the holiday season or winter in general. How often can fans expect new films to be released? We just started writing a treatment for our newest horror film, Irrational Fears. It’s a psychological slasher involving a group of therapy patients who slowly realize their irrational fears CAN kill them. Is there a way for fans of the company to follow along for the newest updates? Make sure to check out www.slasherstudios.com as well as like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. All of our films are for sale at Slasher Studios and all three of our shorts are included on the Dont Go to the Reunion DVD. Do you provide other services or products besides the films you put out? We run a podcast once a week at Blog Talk Radio called Slasher Studios Horror Podcast. Each week is a different topic and we go live on the air at 10PM central every Thursday. The podcast is also available on itunes and we are always taking requests for future topics. Anything else you want to tell readers and horror fans about the company? We love what we do and we love each and every one of you. Horror is a special community and we are honored to be a small part of it. Don’t give up on the genre and the genre will never give up on you. As long as people are still digging slasher films, we’ll keep making them! Well, there you have it horror fans. To get your modern day slasher fix make sure to check out Slasher Studios. Head over to their website today and support them by buying one of their movies. Stay tuned to A Slice of Horror. Next week we will be taking a look at their movie: Don't Go to the Reunion.
If you are, or ever were, a fan of pulp style fiction it would be pretty hard to miss out on Robert E. Howard's work--either in the Horror genre or in the Sword and Sorcery genre. And, if you were a fan of Robert E. Howard in any way you would be hard pressed to not already know of, and be a fan of, his most seminal contribution to the world of literature (and geekdom): Conan the Barbarian Over the past year or so, Modiphius Entertainment has been working non-stop on creating an official Conan the Barbarian pen and paper role playing game. Well, all the work they've done is finally coming to a head and YOU can contribute to its realization! Right now the official Kickstarter for the Conan RPG is in full swing. There is only 19 days left for you, as a fan of Conan, a fan of Robert E. Howard, or even a fan of pulp fiction in general, to get in on that action. It is the perfect opportunity to become a part of Conan history and also get first chance at the full blown RPG! If you still aren't sure you want to support this project, don't worry! Right now you can try out the new RPG for FREE by downloading the quickstart rules from Drive Thru RPG! Then, once you've played a round with your friends, head over to the Kickstarter page and contribute now! Keep tuned to A Slice of Horror, or subscribe to Modiphius on Twitter and Facebook, for more information on this project. We will also be reviewing the quickstart rules in the coming weeks. If you have been on A Slice of Horror before you may already know of our passion for nostalgia--especially for VHS and video rental. Last month we spotlighted Lunchmeat Magazine, a publication dedicated to the collectors and lovers of VHS. This month we are excited to have the chance to interview Tim K.C. Canton, creator and owner of Rotten Rentals. Rotten Rentals is a mystery box company, part of the new wave of horor mystery boxes on the market, that specializes in nostalgia. Their mystery boxes arrive at your door in a clam shell VHS case with the classic VHS cover of your choosing. And they have a plethora of horror movie art--old and new--to choose from. Inside these "VHS Packs" are an assortment of nostalgic goodies. Most notable is the inclusion of classic vintage trading cards! Additionally, there are little toys such as cockroaches, zombies, and more. And to top it off, they sometimes include exclusive items that you can usually only get at conventions. This is the ultimate throwback to the good ol' days of rental stores and collectible items. But enough from me. Let's hear about this awesome company from Tim himself. In your own words, Tim, just what exactly is Rotten Rentals? Rotten Rentals are nostalgia tucked away in a throwback VHS case that contains 2 - 5 packs of vintage trading cards spanning from 1975 - 2010. Each VHS case also includes a miniature zombie figure chomping at the bit to break out of its black plastic grave. But that's not all - you’ll also get randomly inserted movie promo items. Think of them as horror grab bags - you never know what unique item might be waiting for you as you crack the case open. With each purchase of Rotten Rentals at an event you’ll have a chance to pull redemption cards for larger prizes such as autographs, movie collectibles and toys. Whatever is shown on the card you win! Why the name Rotten Rentals? I was trying to capture something that took us back to the video store and the grimy authentic experience that local video stores often projected. They had a certain smell and feel about them. I started thinking of melted VHS tapes left in the sun too long and the typeface developed from that idea of a melting rotten liquid. Teaming up with the rental store feel and the name ROTTEN RENTALS was born. What does the company do to contribute in and among the horror community? It brings back the old artwork we loved. While some VHS movies are being lost due to the lack of digitizing them, the artwork continues to live on. Something I personally love about them is each person seems to buy them for a different reason. Some people use them to protect their old cardboard VHS clam shells since they fit into our plastic clams. Other customers buy them for the artwork to display on the shelf of their movie room. I personally like them because it's an item you can have signed at a horror convention that I can display on my shelf instead of a poster that I have to frame and takes up a lot of wall space. So I would like to think Rotten Rentals contributes to the horror community in many different ways outside of just the items inside the box. How did Rotten Rentals get started up as a company? I had seen subscription boxes starting to rise to prominence but at the time there wasn't anything really catering to the horror fan. Rotten Rentals first started in January of 2012 during a special screening of My Bloody Valentine. The VHS packs were used as prizes to the fans that showed up to our V-Day party. About a year later we started setting up at events and local conventions. They went over so well I created a website in a couple of days over Thanksgiving weekend. Later that week FearNet ran an article on it to help spread the word and things just sorta blew-up after that. The original idea that came to mind was to start something like Loot Crate but combined the conductibility of Mondo posters and artwork. Tell us a little about your product service. The original idea was to release series of Rotten Rentals with themes. So Series 1 might be "Terrible Teens", Series 2 might be "Evil Dead Legacy" Series 3 might be "Summer Camp" etc. However, one week I decided to offer all the covers I had in my library and it was far more popular with customers. After that week I continued to offer the full collection and have so ever since. I briefly experimented with a Video of the Month Club subscription service but since it's a one man show it became overwhelming filling subscriptions, daily orders and running an entertainment site (Boom Howdy) and planning a yearly flim festival (Panic Fest). Not to mention my full-time job as an interaction designer. Due to these contributing factors I decided to go back to offering our single VHS pack service where you can pick from over 100 covers. I see a lot of online reviewers try to compare our VHS packs to other subscription services which is a bit unfair. Most subscription boxes are much bigger than the VHS clam shell that our items come in. Due to that factor they can often fit more in their box and much larger items. I like to think our box is just as collectible as the products we put in them - so for that fact they are unique compare to most subscription box services. What kind of audience is your products and service most geared towards? Mainly the die hard horror and science fiction fans that long for the nostalgia of the video store experience. From the cover art to the VHS clam shells I wanted to bring back memories we all had as a kid going into the video store and picking a movie based on the cover art. How often can fans expect new VHS packs to be released? I try to release a few new packs every couple of months. However there is not set schedule for new releases mainly because I like to surprise customers. Something else I like to do is collaborate with fellow artist to create original VHS covers that are limited to #25 or #50 VHS packs. They often cost between $20 - $35 per VHS pack. Many people think more items come in these boxes and most do include more items but the cost is higher mainly because you are buying a limited edition run. The clams feature original artwork - so when they sell out we don't carry that particular cover anymore. Is there a way for fans of the company to follow along for the newest updates? Mainly through our Facebook and Twitter channels. @RottenRentals Do you provide other services or products besides the VHS packs you put out? We do provide custom VHS Packs for special events or indie films. There is a minimum order of 25 VHS packs and you can choose if you fill them with our goodies or if you just want the VHS cover created and clam shell. When I setup at events and conventions the Rotten Rentals table features a "trading card bar" full of vintage trading cards along with action figures and movie promo items. Anything else you want to tell readers and horror fans about the company? Just want to thank everyone that has placed an order, told a friend or that did a product review for Rotten Rentals. I truly appreciate your support and would ask you continue to support indie horror companies. Whether it is film studios or toy designers it is the fans that make this fun for us and let us continue to create things we love. We may have some big news coming soon about Rotten Rentals - but I cannot comment on specific details at this time. Stay tuned and "Stay Rotten!" Thanks again, Tim, for this look into the awesome and exciting world of Rotten Rentals! We hope for many more exciting and interesting VHS Pack releases to come! Make sure to support Rotten Rentals by buying a VHS Pack today!
The craze for monthly mystery boxes has really skyrocketed in the last year or so. It seems that every couple of months there is a new horror mystery box for fans to try out. Well, if you are a collector of horror DVDs and Blu-rays then this newest addition to the world of horror themed mystery boxes may well be just what the demented doctor ordered. Horror Pack is a monthly subscription that ships out 4 randomly selected horror DVDs or 4 randomly selected horror Blu-rays to you, the subscriber, each month. The DVD subscription option is 19.99 and month, and the Blu-ray subscription option is $24.99 a month. The monthly price is slightly cheaper the more months you sign up for at once. This particular horror box is a great option for fans seeking an easy way to expand their horror movie collection. It is also a great mystery box for fans who don't care for the "swag" or merchandise that fills most other mystery boxes. If you're still unsure whether this is a good fit for you than watch the informational trailer below and head over to the Horror Pack website to learn more and sign up. |
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