Tag: Horror

Posted in Adult, Fantasy, Horror

Let’s Get Gothic

Posted on by Sydney Anderson

October may be over, but I don’t think there’s ever a bad time to recommend something gloriously grim.  When you’re craving the decaying splendor and unspeakable secrets of a gothic novel, nothing else will do.  Each of these selections puts a unique contemporary spin on the gothic genre, and all will be an excellent accompaniment to the cold days and long nights coming right around the corner.

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

Jane Shoringfield is aware that her hasty marriage to Dr. Augustine Lawrence is highly irregular. Dr. Lawrence insists upon certain unusual rules – particularly that Jane never set foot in Lindridge Hall, the Lawrence family’s ancestral home.  But when Jane finds herself with no choice but to break her husband’s prohibitions, she realizes her marriage comes with more than she bargained for: magical secrets and the very literal ghosts of Augustine’s past.  In The Death of Jane Lawrence, Caitlin Starling has deftly crafted a gothic novel that feels like the classics while speaking directly to what modern readers want.  At first, this book appears to be a fantasy-influenced homage to gothic mainstays, such as Rebecca and Jane Eyre.  But gradually, alongside the heroine, the reader comes to realize that this is in no way the story that they were expecting.  The ending was one of the best twists I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year.  Naturally, I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it.

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Posted in Film, Horror

Just Some Good Horror Movies

Posted on by Sydney Anderson

There’s nothing like watching a scary movie when fall is in the air.  Every year, horror buffs look forward to the countdown to Halloween, when it’s socially acceptable to binge-watch as many horror movies as you want, and even the squeamish might give the genre a try.  Today’s list isn’t complicated.  It’s just a selection of horror films, all available at Mead, that I really liked, and that I hope you’ll like too.  One quick note: these are the preferences of a long-time horror aficionado – viewer discretion is advised for all of these selections.  With that out of the way, let’s get started!

Stopmotion

Stopmotion follows Ella, creative assistant to her mother Suzanne, a celebrated stop-motion animator.  Ella yearns to find her own artistic voice, but she’s been smothered by Suzanne’s personal and professional mistreatment.  When Suzanne’s health takes a turn for the worse, a mysterious young girl begins to haunt Ella.  The apparition encourages her to abandon her mother’s unfinished film and tell a different, very macabre story. Ella thinks she’s found her chance to come into her own – until the film begins to haunt her.  Stopmotion is a brilliant work of psychological horror – I was literally on the edge of my seat by the end.  I really appreciate how the film doesn’t overexplain itself.  It’s left up to interpretation whether the haunting represents Ella’s abusive upbringing, the toll of her devotion to art, fear of mortality triggered by her mother’s failing health, or something else entirely.  Furthermore, the stop-motion animation sections of the film impress, both on a technical level and in scare factor.  Stopmotion is a good story well told, capable of sending shivers up a jaded horror buff’s spine, and it absolutely deserves a place on your watchlist.

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Posted in Film, Horror, Uncategorized

Vampire Cinema

Posted on by Sydney Anderson

In my opinion, it’s never too early to start thinking about the scary movies you’re going to watch in the lead-up to Halloween.  Vampires are having a bit of a moment right now, so there’s no better time to explore the history of one of the most iconic and enduring subgenres of horror cinema.  Unfortunately, it would be pretty much impossible to cover the entire history of vampire movies in a single blog post: there are just too many great ones!  So, with the acknowledgement that any short list of vampire movies will also necessarily be an incomplete one, I’d like to use this space to talk about a few of my favorites.  Let’s get started!

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula is indisputably the grandfather of the modern vampire story, and I thought for a while about which of its’ many, many cinematic adaptations should go on this list.  Should I spotlight F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, the loose adaptation of Dracula that invented the vampire film genre as we know it today?  Or should I highlight the legendary performance of Bela Lugosi?  How about Christopher Lee?  While those are all great options, in the end I decided on this 1992 adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola.  Forget what you’ve heard about Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, because this movie also features excellent performances from Gary Oldman as Dracula, Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, Winona Rider as Mina Harker, and Tom Waits (!) as Renfield.  This take on the story departs from Stoker’s novel in that it explores the idea of a potential romantic connection between Dracula and Mina Harker. No matter how you feel about the adaptational changes to the original story, this film is undeniably stylish.  With Coppola’s directorial touch, a haunting score by Wojciech Kilar and gorgeous Oscar-nominated costumes by Eiko Ishioka, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is nothing short of an unforgettable cinematic experience .

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Posted in Adult, Horror, Mystery, Staff Picks, Thrillers

Thrills and Chills: My July Thriller and Horror Reads

Posted on by abbiebourelle

I have found that while I read a bit from just about every genre under the sun, I tend to go through what I like to call “genre phases”. Last year I was in quite the science fiction phase and the bulk of my reading was focused in that genre. This summer has seen me in quite the horror and thriller phase. Like a ravenous undead beast I have found myself devouring whatever dark tome I can get my hands on. The following recommendations are books that I have digested over the month of July. Please, enjoy the menu!

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

S.A. Barnes is a wonderful author that skillfully blends the genres of science fiction and horror. In this particular novel we find ourselves with a scrappy crew of astronauts who work at the outer edges of explored space repairing communication relays. They are due to return to the company soon and be shipped off to different assignments. Before that can happen, they follow a strange distress beacon to a discovery that embroils our crew in a decades long unsolved mystery.

The Aurora was one of a kind. No ship was built like it before or since. It was supposed to be the Titanic – but in space: a state of the art cruise vessel for the rich and famous. It disappeared years ago and no one alive knows what happened to it. Hoping that the find will bring them fame and fortune, our crew boards the Aurora. The scene aboard is one of blood and violence. What happened on the Aurora that drove the passengers to their doom? Are there survivors lurking on this ghost ship? Read Dead Silence and prepare for a wild ride full of jump scares and horror worthy of a big screen movie. This is exactly what I want when I pick up a horror novel!

Click HERE to request Dead Silence!

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Posted in Adult, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Staff Picks, Teen & Young Adult, Thrillers, Uncategorized

Abbie’s Recent Reads for July

Posted on by abbiebourelle

Dear readers, welcome back and thank you for letting me share with you the books that I have been enjoying. As usual, I delight in a diverse range of genres. This month’s reads come from the genres of non fiction, fantasy, and horror. I greatly enjoyed reading these titles and I hope one of these catches your eye!

FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven

A shout out to my fellow librarian, Aubrey, for recommending this title is in order. Thank you Aubrey! If you are looking for a book that stays with you long after the closing page, this one is it! It has been a week or so since I finished this book, but I still find myself thinking about it. Dear reader, this book is a work of fiction, but it could very easily be set in the real world present day. FantasticLand is a theme park in Florida built by an eccentric billionaire. What sets FantasticLand apart is that it is designed to be many mini theme parks in one. There are different sections of the park. All are designed to be their own unique world. There are places like The Pirate Cove, The Fairy Prairie, and so on. Everything is great until a super hurricane hits. In theory, the staff that stay behind to care for the park should be fine. There is enough food and water for everyone. Dear reader, if that were the case we would not have a story. What results is something that resembles a slasher movie as the young people trapped in the park turn on each other. Each faction fights for dominance as supplies dwindle. The sordid tale is told from the point of view of interviews with those who made it out alive. Only the survivors can tell the tale of what REALLY happened inside FantasticLand. What keeps me thinking about this book is that this is no ordinary slasher. It poses psychological questions about the effects of phone addiction on our young population. Yes, it is a fiction, but it makes one wonder.

Click HERE to request FantasticLand!

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Posted in Adult, Film, Horror

Horror Movies for Mother’s Day?

Posted on by Sydney Anderson

Hear me out.  There are a couple reasons why you might want to watch a scary movie on Mother’s Day.  Firstly, maybe your mom just likes horror movies!  But if I may put my film nerd hat on for a second, one of the most important tricks in the horror toolkit is taking something people typically think of as safe and comforting and making it frightening.  When a director or a screenwriter focuses on familial relationships alongside or within the scares, they can reliably create a memorably chilling cinematic experience.  The following films include scared moms, scary moms, and sometimes both, and all of them are excellent picks for any horror fan at any time of year.

Alien

The Xenomorph, the iconic creation of artist H.R. Giger, is technically only doing what comes naturally for the propagation of her species.  Unfortunately, that involves using the crew of the Nostromo as hosts.  Only Ellen Ripley may have the strength not only to survive, but to fight back.  In the forty-six years (!) since this film’s release, Alien has become the gold standard for sci-fi horror.  Anchored by Sigourney Weaver’s unforgettable protagonist, the film provides both spine-tingling suspense and heart-pounding adrenaline rushes. The Xenomorph may be one of the all-time feats of cinematic creature design.  As far as the film’s applicability to Mother’s Day, the sequel just so happens to contain one of the most iconic Mama Bear one-liners in all of cinema.  You know the one.

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Posted in Adult, Audience, Fantasy, Fiction, Genre, Horror, LGBTQI+, Science Fiction

But What If?

Posted on by Sydney Anderson

I’m going to be talking about a somewhat niche subgenre today, so bear with me – I think these books are really interesting!  Retellings are a huge deal in genre fiction right now, unfailingly popular with fans.  Retellings of myths and fairy tales tend to get the most hype, but there’s another kind of retelling that tends to go overlooked: retellings of literary works in the public domain.  I think these are particularly interesting when they add genre fiction elements, such as science fiction, fantasy, or horror. Sometimes, they even elaborate on a genre fiction element that was present in the original work.  Who doesn’t love an old story made new again?  I’m here today to talk about four new-ish books that offer fresh takes on older works of fiction.  I hope you’ll love them just as much as I do.  Let’s get started!

The Stars Undying by Emery Robin

What if Julius Caesar and Antony & Cleopatra were set in space?


In a faraway galaxy, the fate of the Ceiao Empire and its neighbor Szayet rests on the shoulders of three extraordinary people.  Ceian military superstar Matheus Ceirran and his loose-cannon right-hand woman Anita become entangled with Altagracia, the charming and ambitious princess of Szayet.  What begins as a political alliance blossoms into genuine affection, but the machinations of Ceirran’s enemies will soon interrupt their plans.  You probably already recognize this story, and this first volume of a planned trilogy takes its characters all the way to the fallout of the Ides of March.  Reading this book was the pure pleasure of a good story well told.  I really enjoyed some of the twists Robin put on their historical and literary inspirations.  The second book in the duology, The Sea Eternal, released just this past month, and while I haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet, I personally can’t wait to spend more time with these characters.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Abbie’s Recent Reads

Posted on by abbiebourelle

Dear Readers, welcome to another installment of Abbie’s Recent Reads! Over the last few months the main genres I have been reading have been Nonfiction and Horror. The Nonfiction reads have ranged from the true crime genre, ballet, to Polar exploration. Prepare for a wild ride through time, space, and the globe as I share some of my recommended books I have read recently!

The Stowaway by Laurie Gwen Shapiro

I will read any book I can find on Antarctic Exploration or North Pole Exploration. While awaiting my hold of Madhouse at the End of the Earth on Libby, The Stowaway was recommended to me as a similar read to enjoy while I waited. (I am still awaiting my hold of Madhouse at the End of the Earth to come in.) I am really glad I read this one. As I have read many books on Polar exploration, I have always wondered what it would be like to be along with the explorers on their grand adventures. Apparently a lot of other people at the time of these explorations were thinking the same thing! The Stowaway is the true story of Billy Gawronski, an ordinary teenage son of Polish immigrants living in New York. In the 1920’s Billy has grown up on adventure stories and dreams of going off on one of his own. He becomes obsessed with Captain Byrd and the expedition being planned to explore the Antarctic. Billy’s father and mother do not approve of their son’s dreams as Billy is expected to take over the family upholstery business. Billy feels he has no choice. If he wants any chance at adventure he is going to have to stowaway on Captain Byrd’s ship! The plot sounds like something out of a kid’s adventure novel, but this is a TRUE story! I took great delight in following Billy through his adventures and cheering him on along the way. As I followed Billy’s story I found myself asking on more than one occasion “could I be that brave and daring?” I greatly recommend this for anyone who loves reading about history, exploration, and scrappy underdog characters.

Click HERE to request The Stowaway!

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Posted in Uncategorized

Author Highlight: Books by Jennifer McMahon!

Posted on by abbiebourelle

During the Halloween season I was browsing Libby/Overdrive searching for the perfect spooky book. Earlier that day a patron had asked me for help finding The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon. I admit at the time I did not know The Winter People was a scary book! It looked from the outside like your typical winter time read. I should know never to judge a book by it’s cover! Just a few hours later my Libby/Overdrive suggested that I would like The Winter People if I was looking for something scary. It could not be a coincidence that the same book would cross my path in one day! I decided I MUST read that book! Well ever since I have gobbled up everything by Jennifer McMahon I can get my hands on. She doesn’t just do horror, she is also a terrific thriller writer! Each book that she writes is a stand alone thrill filled with unpredictable twists and turns that leave you wanting more, more, and more! I may have a slight Jennifer McMahon addiction right now.

(As I covered The Winter People in my October Favored Frights post I will be only covering the other books I have read from her to date. I have loved each and every one!)

Promise Not To Tell by Jennifer McMahon

Promise Not To Tell is the first novel written by Jennifer McMahon. One thing I LOVE about Jennifer’s books is that they often take place between the past and the present. Flashbacks to the past often help to fill in clues as to what is happening in the main storyline.

When Kate Cypher was a teenager she made a promise to her friend. She promised not to tell a big secret. Kate was loyal and never told a soul. Now Kate is all grown up and has to return to that same small town to care for her aging mother who has Alzheimer’s. While staying with her mother a teenage girl is murdered in the woods close to their home. The girl is murdered in the same way that Kate’s friend was all those years ago. The single witness claims that it was The Potato Girl that killed her friend. “The Potato Girl” is what the town bullies called Kate’s friend. Could The Potato Girl’s ghost be seeking revenge? Could Kate hold the clues that will solve both murders? Find out in Promise Not To Tell.

Click the title to request Promise Not To Tell

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Posted in Uncategorized

Favored Frights

Posted on by abbiebourelle

Happy October everyone!!! I have always been a fan of anything scary. I grew up in the middle of the Kettle Moraine in a small house surrounded by woods. I spent a lot of time in those woods wondering what spirits or monsters lurked within. I saw something once when I was very young, something that I still cannot explain come out of those woods. That is a story I only relate to those I am close to, though it caused my 6 year old self to scoop up every book on Cryptozoology I could get my little hands on. My interest naturally led to anything I could read about ghosts and spirits. Being the season for frightful tales, it seems like a good time to share some of my favorite spine tingling reads!

The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations by Chad Lewis and Terry Fisk

I felt that this one would be a good title to open this blog with. Personally I am an armchair horror fan. I LOVE to read about other people’s ghostly experiences…but only went actual ghost hunting with a team once. (That was enough for me). For those braver readers out there I present The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations! Pack your flashlight, EMF meter, salt, and holy water and prepare to hit the road! This road guide takes ghost hunters to paranormal hotspots throughout the state of Wisconsin. Each entry includes directions on how to get there, details of the haunting or story, and sometimes even a dare meant to stir up the ghostly activity! Good luck, keep safe, and happy hauntings! (Even if not intending to set out it is still an enjoyable read for the less brave like me.)

Click the following link to request this title! The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations

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