Must See Events for October

Greetings all and Happy October!

Over here in New Jersey, USA, it’s hurricane season, which means the winds are blowing and the skies are deliciously overcast. Rain falls, mist gathers and there’s fog in the mornings. A perfect start to October, wouldn’t you say?

So what are these must see events, you’re asking? With no further ado, let’s get the list going.

Black Speculative Fiction Month

Speculative fiction: (according to Wikipedia):
Speculative fiction is a broad category of narrative fiction that includes elements, settings and characters created out of imagination and speculation rather than based on reality and everyday life. It encompasses the genres of science fiction, fantasy, science fantasy, horror, alternative history, and magic realism.[1][2][3] It typically strays strongly from reality and so may feature fictional types of beings like mythical creatures and supernatural entities, technologies that do not exist in real life like time machines and interstellar spaceships, or magical or otherwise scientifically inexplicable elements. The term’s popularity is sometimes attributed to Robert Heinlein, who referenced it in 1947 in an editorial essay, although there are prior mentions of speculative fiction, or its variant “speculative literature”.

Easy enough, right? This is by no means a complete list, just something to get you started.

Good Reads LIst – Black Speculative Fiction

Speculative Fiction by Authors of Color

Black Women Horror Writers

Colors in Darkness Halloween Event

This is the second year of the mighty successful Halloween Party from last year.

You’ve got to attend. And why not? It’s going on the whole weekend. At least stop by to have a little fun.

Click the pic to be taken to the event.

Black Girl Magic Lit Mag’s ALL HORROR ISSUE will hit the virtual stands on October 15, 2016. Don’t miss getting your copy!

Charred Remains Horror Trivia 2016:

Char of Charred Remains Treat for Trivia Horror Game. Beginning end of September through October 31st. A test of player’s horror knowledge. High scores will win prizes. Game rules on www.charredremainsreviews.com

Six week event!

Click this link to be taken to the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1145943362142469/

Blogtoberfest, my yearly fun of things scary, creepy and Halloweeny, is now located at darkindigohearts.com. Click the pic to be taken there!

Looks like this October will be a busy one!

Dahlia

Horror Movie Review: Final Girl

Title: Final Girl
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Tyler Shields
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2124787/

HERE MAY BE SPOILERS

Portions of the movie may or may not be revealed.

Synopsis:

A man teaches a young woman how to become a complete weapon. Later she is approached by a group of sadistic teens who kill blonde women for unknown reasons. The hunting season begins.

For goodness sake.

I knew it was all going wrong when Wes Bentley appeared on my iPad screen. That deadpan expression and that draggy way of talking he has. So, I was eye rolling within the first few minutes of the movie.

Then the training sequences began and I became intrigue. Was she going to be a spy? Was she going to hunt serial killers?

This movie was highly stylized and seemed to take on the characteristics of a play being presented on film, much like Glengary Glen Ross or Oleanna. The staging was stilted and the costumes and sets were very….play like. But I stuck with it.

These four guys in tuxedos are supposed to be serial killers. They take blondes into the forest, give them a head start, then chase and kill them. Apparenlty, no one cares about these girls enough to report them missing – high school girls no less – and there is not one whisper of a police presence in the town.

killers from final girl — Who dry cleans their tuxes after a night out hunting?

Okay, I think, suspending disbelief. No problem, I wanted to see how she was going to fight all these strapping young men and become “FINAL GIRL” (roll credits).

Boy, was I in for a sorry disappointment. The concept was good, but the acting and the sets and the lackluster fight scenes…I couldn’t suspend everything.

I will say this. I did like the style of the movie, the use of color and the bizarre lighting of the forest. The visuals did keep me interested in the end. However, the story didn’t hold enough water for me. The dialogue was rather boring.

I don’t regret watching it, but it left me kind of meh.

Grade: D

Thriller Movie Review: Bound to Vengeance

Title: Bound To Vengeance
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Director: Jose Manuel Cravioto
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230213/

HERE THERE BE SPOILERS. HERE THERE BE SPOILERS. HERE THERE BE SPOILERS.
Do not read this review if you don’t want portions of the movie revealed.

This movie was recommended to me by an author friend of mine. Given that I don’t shy away from the sometimes terrible thriller/horror movies on Netflix (except the ones that are CLEARLY Lifetime movies), I didn’t hesitate to give this one a shot.

Synopsis: A young girl, chained in the basement of a sexual predator, escapes and turns the tables on her captor.

First of all, the protagonist was a young woman, not a young girl. Young girl implies to me a ten year old. Second, after I viewed the movie, I went back to the imdb listing and discovered that two men wrote the screenplay, which didn’t surprise me at all.

One big thing for me with this film: Black woman dies first. WTF? We haven’t got past that yet? Seriously? Enough with this already.

Basically, young woman escapes, then realizes dude has women trapped up all over the place. He tells her, if he dies, they all die since he’s the only one who knows where they are. So, young woman makes the choice to try to rescue all the women.

One complaint I read about the movie was that if she’d just escaped, she’d be all about going to the police. I give the movie a pass, because, her decision to go rescue the other girls hooked me into the movie.

So, like I said previously, she goes to rescue the black woman first, and she dies by accident. The second rescue goes just as badly. But even as stuff went down, I found myself asking “Why are you letting the psycho dude do all the talking? You know these women must be a little nuts…at least TRY to talk some sense into them, don’t just sit back and let him run his mouth.”

These two incidents happened at the beginning of the action and kind set me against the movie. The flashbacks are interesting, but reminded me of Cloverfield. As a woman of a certain age, I was like “why the heck is all this being filmed, how boring”, even as I knew it was being filmed for a payoff at the end. Chekov’s video footage, if you will.

The confrontation with the secondary villain was just strange and not very compelling.

I will say that the main actress played the part to the hilt and she did an excellent job. The issue of sex trafficking and kidnapping is made real without being super obvious. The material itself, however, was not up to par and parts of the movie had me scratching my head.

This could have been much more than it was. I wouldn’t give it a second viewing, but I don’t feel it was a waste of time.

Grade: C

Blogtoberfest – Weird New Jersey

It’s only fair, since I’m writing about scary stuff this month, is to highlight some spooky places in New Jersey. Despite being the Garden State, there’s a ton of mysteries surrounding some of the horse pastures and lovely farms.

So light the lantern and let’s take a closer look behind the cobwebs.

The Jersey Devil

From Wikipedia:

The Jersey Devil is a legendary creature or cryptid said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey, United States. The creature is often described as a flyingbiped with hooves, but there are many different variations. The common description is that of a kangaroo-like creature with the head of a goat, leathery bat-like wings,horns, small arms with clawed hands, cloven hooves and a forked tail. It has been reported to move quickly and often is described as emitting a “blood-curdling scream.”^[1]^[2]

From Me:

I’ve seen some pictures of the Jersey Devil that looks my dog trying to dress up for Halloween. There is even reported “video” of the Jersey Devil. Obviously, is a legend and a kinda corny one at that, but still, it makes me laugh to see the claims. If you happen to see the Jersey Devil while you’re wandering around in the Pine Barrens, give him (or her) a carrot and a cube of sugar.

Clinton Road

Snippets from the New York Daily News:

“It’s like a dark highway into people’s innermost fears.” That’s how Mark Moran, publisher and co-creator of the Weird NJ magazine and website, sums up Clinton Road, a quiet and twisty stretch of road roughly 55 miles northwest of New York City.

“People definitely play on the legend [of Clinton Road],” said Mark Moran. He mentions the menacing black truck that lurks on the road. Appearing out of nowhere, the truck gets extremely close to your rear bumper, flashes its lights, and then suddenly disappears into the night.

From WeirdNJ.com

This rugged ten mile stretch of deserted road is so rich in lore that it has been attracting late night visitors for generations. The stories that these sightseeing sojourners have brought back with them of their adventures are sometimes harrowing, often terrifying, and almost always intriguing. Many of these tales of midnight joyrides may seem unbelievable, while others leave one wondering just where truth ends, and an overactive imagination begins.

If you ever decide to travel down Clinton Road at midnight, stop at the bridge by dead man’s curve. As the story goes if you sit on that bridge and throw pennies into the river, the ghost of a young boy will throw them back to you. –Anonymous

My friends and I decided to find out for ourselves what is true and what is not. We went to the bridge and threw a quarter off. Not but a minute later you hear the bloop, as if you dropped the quarter in again. The water filled with ripples and a child’s reflection appeared. I flew back to the car. That scared all of us. –Dina, West Milford

The Devil’s Tree

From Wikipedia:

Local legend suggests the tree is cursed: those who damage or disrespect the tree (usually by urinating on it, or making disparaging remarks about it while nearby) will soon thereafter come to some sort of harm, often in the form of a car accident or major breakdown as

they leave.^[1] The tree’s history is surrounded by superstition, and common theories claim that Bernards Township was one of the central headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan in New Jersey and that the tree had been used to lynch African Americans and rebellious slaves since Colonial times.^[2]^[3]^[4] Another theory claims that a farmer hanged himself from the tree after killing his family and that anyone trying to cut the tree down will “come to an untimely end”.^[5] Other urban legends surrounding the tree allege that visitors who get too close to the tree will get chased by a black Ford pick-up truck that will then disappear at a certain point, or that anyone who touches the tree will find that their hands have turned black if they try to eat at a restaurant.^[4]^[6]

In winter, the ground beneath the tree is allegedly free from snow, no matter how much has fallen or how recently.^[1] A nearby boulder called “Heat Rock”, and sometimes the tree itself, are said to be warm to the touch regardless of the season or time of day,^[7] and is believed to be a portal to Hell.^[1]

The township’s plans to develop the land might have required the tree’s removal, but it decided to protect the tree and keep it intact. In 2007, a sign was posted at the site stating when it is open to the public. The Devil’s Tree is currently surrounded by a chain-link fence due to vandalism.^[4]

There are so many other scary/haunted places in New Jersey! Check out WeirdNJ.com if you want to read more.

Blogtoberfest – Recipe: Fudge Skeletons

I love an easy recipe and this one you can make in the microwave!

Ingredients
8 oz (about 3 cups) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white candy coating or white chocolate chips, to decorate
Gingerbread man cookie cutter
Yield: 12-15 Fudge Skeletons

Preparation

1. Prepare a 9 x 13 by lining it with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Spray the lining with non-stick cooking spray. Make the paper/foil overhang the pan to use as handles later.

2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, condensed milk, and salt.

3. Microwave the bowl on high for 1 minute, then stir with a spatula. If the chocolate chips are not completely melted, return the bowl to the microwave and heat for another 15-30 seconds, then stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. It is very important not to burn the chips. Stir, stir, stir, stir!

4. Add the vanilla extract, and stir to mix it in. Scrape the fudge into the prepared pan and smooth it into a thin, even layer.

5. Let the fudge set at room temperature for 2 hours, or in the refrigerator for 1 hour, until it is firm.

6. Lift it from the pan using the foil as handles, and then use the gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut out body shapes from the fudge. Depending on the size of the cutter, you will probably get about 12-15 men from one batch. You can save the scraps to munch on, or chop them up to use them in cookie or brownie recipes.

7. Melt the white chocolate candy coating or white chocolate chips. Make a paper cone and pour the candy coating into the cone, or alternately, pour it into a zip-top plastic bag and cut off a small corner of the bag to use as a makeshift piping bag. *I use Wilton Royal Icing for this.*

8. Use the melted candy coating (or candy frosting) to decorate your fudge men with bones and skulls so that they look like skeletons.

9. Let the coating set completely, then the Fudge Skeletons are ready to serve.

Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Recipe courtesy of about.com