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Trembling With Fear

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Trembling With Fear 5-5-24

Greetings, children of the dark. I’m writing this fresh off my happy place: a f*cking awesome gig in a great venue. Live music is a real lifesaver for me, and totally helps to replenish the batteries – something that’s much needed right now. (My therapist says I’m totally burned out and need a break, but when has that ever stopped me 😂)

I’d love to hear more about how you get creatively recharged – drop a comment below, or hit us up on social media! I’ll leave all the tagging details at the bottom of this week’s missive.

But before we get to the good stuff, I’ll repeat this plea:

Our drabble cupboard is looking awfully bare right now. Thanks to everyone who saw the plea and sent some in—it’s all much healthier now, and you definitely hit that arbitrary goal I set last week. Thank you! But it’s a neverending task, and a very hungry beast. We need more, and more, and more. Bloody insatiable! Keep it up, keep subbing, keep being brilliant. 

And speaking of submissions, I’ve noticed a few subs for the summer special starting to drip through. That’s great, but you’ll be waiting a while for any sort of feedback—Shalini won’t even start thinking about the summer special for another couple of months. Maybe keep them on the backburner for a little while longer? 

Anyways, this week’s TWF menu is inadvertently on a theme, for the most part. We start with the beautiful lamentation on loss (until it’s… not) that is Chip Houser’s short story. That story is followed by the short, sharp speculations of:

  • Alan Moskowitz’s apocalypse,
  • Evelyn Morgan’s denial, and
  • Sean MacKendrick’s escape

Feel free to jump onto socials and have a chat – about your creative recharging, the stories you’ve read this week, or just to say hi!

  • Twitter: @horrortree / @novicenovelist 
  • BlueSky: @horrortree.bksy.social / @laurenwrites.bsky.social    
  • Instagram & Threads: @horror_tree / @lozthewriter 
  • Mastodon is just me! @[email protected] 
  • Or follow HorrorTree on Facebook

Over to you, Stuart.

Lauren McMenemy

Editor, Trembling With Fear

 
 

First things first, please support our latest sponsor! Get 99 horror stories that range from quiet horror, hinting at the things buried there in your psyche – the thing that will come out to play after dark, and visceral horror that leaves no doubt what lies in a bloody heap in the middle of the floor. This UNHOLY TRINITY combines three of L. Marie Wood’s horror collections, Caliginy, Phantasma, and Anathema.

Order a copy today directly from Mocha Memoirs Press or Amazon!

 
***

Thanks for taking a moment to read that and hopefully order a copy as well! Okay, I’ve made some real progress on my two overdue outstanding items and hopefully that means you’ll be seeing some changes soon. Also, there has been further discussions internally on a few ways that we’re looking to expand the site and we’ve brought on a new book reviewer, interviewer, and am back in talks on someone who may be helping with our YouTube channel. More on everything, soon!

Now, for the standards:

  • We have Patreon who raised their monthly donation; THANK YOU! The more Patreons we get the closer we are to lowering even more the amount of ads we have to display! WHEW! (We should also be cutting back when the new theme eventually gets launched.)
  • Belanger Books has a cool new Kickstarter worth checking out! They’ve previously had some neat open calls that we’ve shared so wanted to let the authors and readers who follow us know about it!

Offhand, if you’ve ordered Trembling With Fear Volume 6, we’d appreciate a review! 🙂

 

Stuart Conover

Editor, Horror Tree

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Articles

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May 2024 Horrorscopes: Femme Fatales

May’s set of horoscopes embrace the wonderfully wicked world of wayward women. Get ready to be outsmarted and outgunned by these fierce femme fatales!

Disclaimer: These are mock horoscopes and are meant for entertainment purposes only, and are not specifically representative of any particular person or people.

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Trembling With Fear

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Unholy Trinity: Skin & Fur by Jack Reigns

Our church worships at the altar of the Unholy Trinity. Its gospels are delivered as a trio of dark drabbles, linked so that Three become One. All hail the power of the Three.

 

I.

 

Dan walked the row of kennels, reviewing each dog up for adoption. Most of the pens were filled with either a snarling chihuahua or a smiling pit-bull. Evie said she’d kill him if he brought home a pit-bull. An idiotic looking lab mix was licking the concrete wall. The last kennel held a dog like he’d never seen before. A mix of black, red, and brown, the eyes were bright yellow and staring up at him, inquisitively. “Hello” Dan said, picking up the info sheet. The dog smiled, as if greeting him. He smiled back. “Says here you’re a kelpie.”

 

II.

 

Evie picked up another stuffed animal and threw it into the toybox. Since her husband had brought home that fucking dog, she had to be extra vigilant about not leaving things out. She hadn’t agreed, but he brought it home, the kids squealed, and that was it. She didn’t hate all dogs, there was just something so off about this one. It made her skin crawl, the way it stared, like it understood everything. She rounded the corner into the kitchen. The dog was standing on its hind legs, rummaging in a cupboard. She gasped and it turned to her.

 

III.

 

“MOMMY!” The screaming made both Dan and Evie sit straight up from a sound sleep. In a microsecond they were bounding out of the bedroom in search of the source. Their youngest stood in the entryway to the kitchen, screaming and pointing. Dan flicked on the overhead light. Blood painted the walls and floor, dripping off every surface. The stench was overwhelming. At the far end of the room sat the dog, yellow eyes glinting, perfectly clean. Its lips curled back, somewhere between a snarl and a smile. It got up, then continued to lift its body until standing upright.

 

Jack Reigns

Jack Reigns was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest but has lived and travelled all over the United States. A lifelong horror fan, Jack would get in trouble for scaring family with stories as a child and is thankful to now share them with willing participants. Jack is the author of The Reigns of Terror series of short horror collections, and a proud member of the Seattle Chapter of The Horror Writers Association. Available works can be found at jackreigns.com.

Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: The Dead Spot by Angela Sylvaine

Disclosure:

Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: The Dead Spot
Author: Angela Sylvaine
Genre:  horror, short story collections
Publisher: Dark Matter Ink
Release Date: 21st May, 2024

Synopsis: The dead spot: a corner drenched in shadow; an earthquake’s epicenter; the part of a roller coaster ride where the car rounds the final curve and all force dissipates, leaving those trapped beneath the safety bar feeling sick and hollow.
From the beloved author of Frost Bite and Chopping Spree comes this heartbreaking horror collection about girls and women trapped by circumstance, manipulation, and obsession. The book includes a moving introduction by J. A. W. McCarthy (Shirley Jackson Award finalist for Sometimes We’re Cruel) and seventeen stories by Sylvaine.
The stories include: Astronaut Dreams, The Bride, New Hue, Playing Tricks, Sorry, We’re Open, Antifreeze and Sweet Peas, If Heard, Please Call, Starved, Return of The Wilderness Girls, Night Maere, The Dead Spot, Burnt Embers and Bluebirds, Mr. Chew, Crimson Clover, Unrestful Dogs, Clutching Air, Edge of Decay.

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Articles

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Indie Bookshelf Releases 05/03/2024

Got a book to launch, an event to promote, a kickstarter or seeking extra work/support as a result of being hit economically by life in general?

Get in touch and we’ll promote you here. The post is prepared each Thursday for publication on Friday. Contact us via Horror Tree’s contact address or connect via Twitter or Facebook.

Click on the book covers for more information. Remember to scroll down to the bottom of the page – there’s all sorts lurking in the deep.

 

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Events / Flash / Flat Amount / Magazine / Poetry

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Taking Submissions: The First Line – Fall 2024

Deadline: August 1st, 2024
Payment: $25.00 – $50.00 for fiction, $5.00 – $10.00 for poetry
Theme: Story must begin with: “When she was eight, Alice Henderson briefly held the world record for filling her mouth with marbles.”

Fall:
When she was eight, Alice Henderson briefly held the world record for filling her mouth with marbles.
Due date: August 1, 2024

We love that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we’ve notified you as to our decision (usually four weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don’t want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line.

Also, we understand that writers may add our first line to a story they are currently working on or have already completed, and that’s cool. But please do not add our first line to a previously published story and submit it to us. We do not accept previously published stories, even if they have been repurposed for our first lines. And, just to be clear, we do not accept simultaneous submissions.

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Events

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The Haunted Casino: Movie Review

The Haunted Casino: Movie Review

 

There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when making a good horror movie that can draw in a large audience and be appreciated by critics. From themes to actors, images, to the title and the musique, each element counts. The best element of a horror movie should be a perfect blend of thrilling moments of fear and comical relief, ushering viewers to a sensational climax. 

 

What does an average viewer expect from casino movies? Glamour? Luxury? Suspense? Complex characters? Tension? It is a specific genre that, mixed with the wrong themes, could be a total failure and waste of money. 

 

The Haunted Casino is an interesting storyline directed by Charles Band and Domonic Muir. The movie is based on Matt Dragna, the main character of the movie, who inherits an old rundown casino from his late uncle. His close friends, including his girlfriend JJ, then decided to check out and investigate the casino. Perhaps they should have stayed home and played fun casino games at Bovada, but if they did, we wouldn’t have this scary movie!

 

At first, the movie is all love and light as the characters enjoy themselves in a casino setting. However, it gets dark as the movie unfolds, with the characters discovering violent and revenge-seeking spirits that haunt the casino. These are the spirits of ruthless Las Vegas mobster, Roy Donahue, and his devious right-hand man, Gil Wachetta. 

 

Now, the pertinent question that lingers in the movie is: Can Matthew and his friends survive an evening at the casino with these bloodthirsty, revenge-seeking ghosts?

 

In-Depth Review

Its well-written script, with shocking blood, gore and well-timed jump scares make The Haunted Casino a watchable movie for any fans of the horror genre. The first two-thirds of the movie are filled with dialogues and the audience is given the storyline behind the group with clear backgrounds of each character. However, the real interesting parts of the movie are not the dialogue but the scary ghosts. 

 

While the movie is about haunted casino ghosts, they barely show up until the midway point of the movie, but their sudden appearance saved the narrative. Disappointingly, while Sid Haig’s name is plastered all over the movie posters, he only appears in only a few scenes as the ghostly leader of the group, and he played his role to perfection. 

 

Even worse, Michael Berryman only got a few lines and never got the chance to do anything but look silly standing around with Haig. Thankfully, Robin Sydney, who featured in almost every Full Moon movie in the 2000s, was able to own the lead role as Mathew’s girlfriend JJ. Except for the few explosions of anger and swear words that seem unnatural, no one can put a fault on her character. 

 

Jessica Morris, who later starred in two more Full Moon’s films, The Dead Want Women, and Reel Evil, released in 2012, also appeared as Melissa. She played the role of a promiscuous slot girl, bringing all her star power to the movie. 

Despite an intriguing premise, the plot suffers from a lack of clarity and depth. The reasons behind the hauntings and the means to stop them remain vague, leaving viewers with unanswered questions. 

The Haunted Casino has its moments and a nostalgic charm for fans of Full Moon productions, but it struggles with pacing and character development. Most importantly, the film could have benefited from a tighter script and more screen time for its veteran actors.

On the other hand, the production design is decent enough given the film’s budget, and we can’t complain about the script given it is an independent movie. The Haunted Casino is a good choice for anyone who loves the Full Moon and wants to relax on a Friday night.

 

Indeed, there is no doubt that horror movies centered around a casino setting are always a favorite for watching a movie at home or with friends or family members. It is not hard to see why horror casino movies are appealing because the viewer is presented with a bizarre combination of fear and suspense with the luxury of a casino. 

 

Haunted Casino is action-packed and fast-paced and can be highly entertaining to both horror and movie viewers. The feeling of horror that many people seek when watching horror films is definitely achieved by this movie. 

 

When creating the mood for a horror movie, we are naturally drawn to darkness and creepiness, while casinos portray glitz and fun. In this movie, the two worlds clash, making the Haunted Casino quite interesting and engaging. 

 

The Haunted Casino also presents another noteworthy aspect besides the generally thrilling and exciting attraction. Its mood, mixing tension and suspense, makes it even more fitting for the theme of the movie. 

 

The unpredictability of the casino setting increases the unpredictability of what’s going to happen next, and this makes viewers even more curious about the events portrayed in the film. 

 

Finally, the excellent action sequences in this movie give a perfect touch to this adventurous and very amusing script with a good cast and originality. We believe this subgenre is a powerful horror of the year contender.