Books

‘My Friend Dahmer’ Director Marc Meyers: The Horror News Network Interview

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Serial killers have been a staple of horror films ever since Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.  Unfortunately, most films use the serial killer as a generic madman and we rarely get character driven stories that explore the genesis of someone with an abnormal psychological make-up.  Recently, there have been more attempts to tell more realistic, and yet no less harrowing, tales of people afflicted with madness such as David Fincher’s Netflix series Mind Hunter.  Another of these current films is the restrained, thoughtful My Friend Dahmer by director Marc Meyers.  Myers was able to take some time to speak to us about his film, the challenges in adapting a successful graphic novel, his phenomenal cast, and what it was like peering into the dark soul of Jeffery Dahmer. read more

‘American Gods’ Artist Scott Hampton: The Horror News Network Interview

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Hot on the heels of the second story arc of Dark Horse Comics’ adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods entitled “My Ainsel”, Horror News Network was able to interview series artist Scott Hampton about his work on the project, the challenges in adapting a novel to a comic book, and his previous work with Clive Barker.

Horror News Network: You have worked on a number of projects with Neil Gaiman. How is American Gods different from some of the other projects?

Scott Hampton: American Gods is so dense and textured with so many colorful characters and such an amazing story arc it feels like a singularity to me. read more

Cover Art and Release Date Revealed for R.L. Stine’s Next ‘Return to Fear Street’ Book

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While most people know R.L. Stine for his beloved Goosebumps series of books for children, Fear Street is where it all began in 1989! The literary franchise was aimed at older kids than the target audience of Goosebumps, and many of its memorable titles served as a gateway between the “kid’s stuff” and the more grown-up works of Stine’s contemporaries. This summer, Stine will be returning to Fear Street in the aptly-titled franchise, Return to Fear Street! The new series first hit store shelves in 2014 after a 15 year hiatus following the end of the original series. The next book will be called, You May Now Kill the Bride, and it will be available in bookstores on July 24th, 2018. read more

‘Horror Noire’ Author Robin R. Means Coleman: The Horror News Network WiHM Interview

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Professor Robin R. Means Coleman, the author of Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present, grew up in the right time and place to become a horror fan, namely Pittsburgh in the 1970s.  It would have been almost impossible to avoid being bitten by “the zombie-bug” in this era in Pittsburgh, when some of the greatest and most influential horror films were being created in and around the city by the legendary George Romero.

Luckily, Means became a horror fan due to this influence, because if she didn’t, none of us would be able to read her critical dissection and history of the role of Black actors, writers, and directors in horror films.  Horror News Network had the pleasure of interviewing Means Coleman about her book and recent developments in the genre, most significantly, Jordan Peele’s smash success of 2017, Get Out. read more

Amazon Developing ‘Conan the Barbarian’ Television Series

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According to Deadline, Amazon is developing a new drama series based on the original Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard.

The project is being produced by Colony co-creator Ryan Condal, Game of Thrones director Miguel Sapochnik, Fargo and The Handmaid’s Tale executive producer Warren Littlefield.

The series will be written by Condal and directed Sapochnik, and will “...retell(s) the classic character’s story via a return to his literary origins. Driven out of his tribal homelands, Conan wanders the mysterious and treacherous world of civilization where he searches for purpose in a place that rejects him as a mindless savage.” read more

Disney’s ‘Hocus Pocus’ to Be Continued in Upcoming Two-Part Novel

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Women in Horror month continues with the exciting announcement that every 90s kid’s three favorite witches are returning to the public spotlight! Some fans were left wanting a little more nostalgia after the Septermber announcement that the upcoming Hocus Pocus TV movie on the Disney Channel would be a remake rather than a direct sequel to the popular 1993 film. But now, Disney has announced that the famous Sanderson sisters will also have a new adventure of their own this year!

Oh My Disney reports that a new book entitled Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel will hit store shelves on July 10th, 2018, just in time for the 25th anniversary of the original movie! The novel will be composed of two parts, with the first section devoted to a “fresh retelling of the original film,” and part two being a direct sequel which will continue the Hocus Pocus storyline. The following is the cover art for the upcoming book: read more

Horror Novelist Jack Ketchum Dead at 71

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Horror News Network is sad to report the news of Jack Ketchum’s untimely death at the age of 71.

The news was reported today on Ketchum’s official twitter page today by his webmaster.

As a teenager, Ketchum was mentored by Psycho author Robert Bloch and eventually made a name for himself in the early 1980’s with such novels as Off-Season and The Girl Next Door.  The author was known for his realistic and terrifying fiction, staying away from the supernatural, and instead focusing on maniacs and terrible displays of human nature.  Many of his novels were turned into films and his short story “The Box” was recently adapted by director Jovanka Vuckovic’s  in the horror anthology XX. read more

Director of ‘I Am Legend’ Wishes He Made a More Faithful Adaptation of the Novel

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Were you disappointed with the most recent adaptation of Richard Matheson’s seminal vampire apocalypse tale I am Legend?  Well, it turns out that the director of the film agrees with you!

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, director Francis Lawrence admitted that he would have preferred making a more faithful adaptation of Matheson’s novel.  Lawrence told Screen Rant that “…we could have just done basically the story of the novella straight up and made the same amount of money in terms of ticket sales because people went I think for the last man on earth. They would have accepted the nihilistic ending, they would have accepted vampires instead of people with infections.” read more

‘Dexter’s’ Michael C. Hall to Narrate ‘Pet Sematary’ Audiobook

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Entertainment Weekly broke the news today that the star of Dexter, Michael C. Hall, will narrate Stephen King’s 1983 novel Pet Sematary.

Stephen King said in a statement that “Readers have been asking for this audiobook for a very long time.  I know the listening experience will be worth the wait with Michael as narrator.”

Simon & Schuster Audio president and publisher Chris Lynch was also happy to share the news, saying that the company was “…thrilled to finally bring Pet Sematary to King’s audiobook fans.  Michael C. Hall is a perfect match for this timeless story, which has long deserved an unabridged production.” read more

Original Stephen King Books and Manuscripts Ruined by Water Main Break

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This just in from Bangor Daily News, Gerald Winters’ rare book store, Gerald Winters & Son, in Bangor, Maine, suffered a devastating blow when a water main burst that flooded his basement, soaking the pages of dozens of first and limited-edition Stephen King books, galleys, signed copies, prints in different languages and rare ephemera.

Winters said he estimates he lost about 2,000 books, and as many as seven of King’s original typed manuscripts. These include Dolan’s Cadillac, Maximum Overdrive and The Eyes of the Dragon. He also collected rare and signed copies of works from J.R.R. Tolkien, some dating back 80 years. read more