Strange Ramblings of an Independent Writer
CBS All Access I know these reviews may seem like a broken record at this point but it has to be said again: I really don’t like the direction the creators decided to go with for Stephen King’s The Stand (2020). Episode Three, titled “Blank Page”, continues the non-linear storytelling that was used in the … Continue reading The Stand (2020) Episode 3 Review
CBS All Access When I approached the new version of The Stand, I was hopeful. My hopes were quickly dashed in the first episode, which I’ve reviewed here. The second episode, titled “Pocket Savior”, did very little to restore my hope for the series. By choosing to continue the flashback narrative structure, the series keeps … Continue reading The Stand (2020) Episode 2 Review
CBS All Access The Stand is one of Stephen King’s crowning achievements as an author. Combining the King’s love of the supernatural with the terrifying mundanity of a global pandemic, The Stand still has the power to terrify readers, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic showed how precarious society really is to face something like the … Continue reading The Stand (2020) Episode 1 Review
Source: IMDB As a child of the 1980s, I have an unabashed love for a good portion of the films released during that decade. One such film that is made up of one-part machismo and two-parts science-fiction horror is the original Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since that time, the Predator franchise has had some serious … Continue reading A Wise Hunter – Review of “Prey”
Source: IMDB When I heard that Netflix was producing a live-action series for the Resident Evil franchise, my hope was that it would turn out better than the last property to come out of that franchise, the animated miniseries Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness. Sadly, Resident Evil (2022) is an unmitigated disaster with a single bright … Continue reading A Total Waste – Review of “Resident Evil (2022)”
Book Cover for "The Venus Complex", Available on Amazon If you enjoy this review, consider signing up for my Patreon or click the Buy Me a Coffee button to the right. Supporters gain early access to reviews like this, as well as exclusives only available through these sites. Literary serial killers are a strange conundrum … Continue reading The Mind of a Twisted Killer – Review of Barbie Wilde’s “The Venus Complex”
I shall write it again for you, Doctor. My dog wouldn’t stop barking. I threw back the covers. The air cycled by the ceiling fan brushed my exposed torso. The chill in the October night raised small goose bumps. I fumbled a couple of times to put my sandals on, the dog barking incessantly. Wandering … Continue reading Closed Circle – Short Fiction
Cover Art for "Hellbound Hearts" Having recently reviewed Clive Barker’s The Hellbound Heart, I was informed that there were other print stories (none by Barker himself unfortunately). Hellbound Hearts is not a true sequel to Barker’s original tale of sexuality and brutality. Instead it is an anthology of stories from other authors tied into the … Continue reading All the Sins of the World – A Review of “Hellbound Hearts”
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0061452882/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0061452882&linkCode=am2&tag=thekingssquar-20&linkId=dcf9bc25ed0ee081b1041076c4f465a6 The line between pleasure and pain is often so thin as to be completely nonexistent. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of sadomasochism knows that receiving and inflicting pain can be a singularly euphoric experience. Few books ever explore this dichotomy as openly as The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker. Barker managers to plum … Continue reading The Horror of Depravity – A Review of Clive Barker’s “The Hellbound Heart”
Cover art for "Seed" by Ania Ahlborn Southern Gothic stories are tricky to pull off. On the one hand, they can be atmospheric in mood and tone. On the other hand, these stories can be the scene of high camp. An example of the latter would be the admittedly tongue-in-cheek Sookie Stackhouse mystery novels. A … Continue reading Nightmares in the Deep South – A Review of “Seed” by Ania Ahlborn