Introducing THE ROOK

Ladies and gentlemen, please permit me to introduce to you my creation, my character, The Rook. I’ve gotten to know him well over the past three years. I’d like for the world at large to get to know him, too. I had just finished watching the Roland West silent film masterpiece THE BAT (which, by…

Of Legos and Real Estate

I’ve been posting a bit as of late about the upcoming big screen remake of Stephen King’s IT. Last week I reported on the fact that King’s character from the book, the Turtle, who is the enemy of Pennywise and features in King’s DARK TOWER series (And such a shame it was that the movie…

Sir No-Face comes to Huntsville

This makes me sad. There are these guys, paranormal investigator-slash-writer-slash-director Chad Calek and producer Justin Holstein, who have this documentary entitled SIR NO-FACE, which is touted (by them) as providing incontrovertible proof that ghosts exist. The documentary is touring the country, like a comedy show or rock band, and is making a stop in Huntsville,…

Meet the new Ripper; same as the old Ripper

When the “secret” diary of Jack the Ripper came out two decades-and-change ago, Ripperologists were nigh universal in laughing at it. Guys like retired police detective turned respected Ripper scholar Donald Rumbelow have referred to it the whole thing as “ridiculous.” Yet now the diary is in the headlines again. Purely by coincidence, the guy…

Dracula in Turkey

Let’s not try to sugarcoat the facts. Vlad Dracula hated the Turks. Passionately. And he had every reason to. The Turks had held him captive for years, all throughout his childhood, and who knows what tortures they subjected him to? Dracula spent his entire adult life at war with the Turks. They were his enemies,…

SCARY STORIES Getting Re-released

I didn’t know they’d ever been NOT released, honestly. A couple’a years back, my lovely better half bought me a complete collection for Christmas. It came complete with all the original artwork. This latter, provided by artist Stephen Gammel, is the true selling point of the books. The stories are simple–interesting, but simple–and it is…

Preview: THE STRAIN Season 4, Episode 5–Belly of the Beast

THE STRAIN -- "The Born" Ep. 207 -- Pictured Rupert Penry-Jones as Quinlan. CR: Michael Gibson/FX

Mayhap I spoke too soon, lamenting as I did in my latest post about he lack of Quinlan this season on the show. It looks like we’ll get to see him again in the next episode, after all, as he and Fet continue their quest for the Holy Grail–I mean the unholy nuke. (Hey, if…

Review: THE STRAIN Episode Four, Season Four

Another episode without Quinlan. Ho-hum. This one was a tad more engaging than the last Quinlan-free offering, at least. Dutch’s perils in the baby-making factory haven’t been doing much for me, honestly, but some stuff finally started happening this week. All along she’s been inside one of those concentration camps we saw last season. But…