Horror Highlights: HELLRAISER / GHOSTBUSTERS Crossover Pins, THE TURNING Excerpt, FORBIDDEN BRIDES, EL TERROR, MODEL HUNGER

• https://www.amazon.com/Turning-Micky-Neilson-ebook/dp/B01I7JX7Q4?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc

Excerpt:

There was something moving in the darkness at the base of the stairs. Whatever it was, it was big. And as far as he could tell, it wasn’t human. As Brandon’s eyes adjusted, he was just able to make out a dingy coat of gray fur, almost ghostly in the dimness. He could hear the thing sniffing. Brandon kept the flashlight aimed at the floor, not wanting to alert the animal. Was it a bear? Couldn’t be. No such thing as a gray bear. Just then the thing looked up at him, blue eyes cutting through the gloom—the eyes of some kind of dog. But no dog could get that big. This thing had to be a freak of nature. A freak of nature that had mangled Jon Adams Beckett.

First, a growl rumbled from deep in the thing’s throat; then those piercing blue eyes were in motion as the beast raced up the stairs.

Oh fuck.

No sense in running for the office; there was no way out from there. A second passage ran perpendicular to the stairs Brandon was now on, and at its end was a doorway. Maybe he could get to a window or a closet. Buy some time. He backed up and ran hell-bent for leather…

Through the doorway was a large room lit only by the moonlight through a few tiny windows. Brandon turned and slammed the door shut, catching just a glimpse of those bright blue eyes speeding through the darkness. The wooden door rocked with a massive impact, knocking him to the floor. He shined the flashlight frantically; around him was an enclosed space with some furniture, a TV set, a rug… and a dumbwaiter, set against the far wall.

Another impact and the door rocked again. Wood splintered. He popped to his feet and sprinted to the dumbwaiter. Luckily the car was there. Brandon squeezed himself into the relatively tight space as the room’s door came apart. He fumbled with his shaky left hand on the wall for the call switch, hit a button, and heard the motor engage.

The beast didn’t give Brandon time to slide the dumbwaiter door shut. The animal was impossibly fast, rushing to the opening just as the car’s descent cut off Brandon’s view of it. Claws raked the top of the car, and the sound of its bark was deafening in the cramped channel.

With agonizing slowness, the car continued down… and down further, past what could only have been the first floor. Brandon must have hit the button for the basement.

Finally, the car stopped at a closed door.

Brandon rammed the door open and untucked himself into another large room, sweeping the flashlight out. His heart hammered in his throat when the beam revealed a snarling bear reared up on hind legs. His thundering pulse subsided only slightly when he realized the beast was the work of a taxidermist.

A fan of the light revealed more stuffed game: pheasant, turkey, mountain lion. He was in a hunter’s trophy room. At the far end of the nearest wall was a set of steps leading upward. Tempting, but what if that thing was waiting for him? Brandon didn’t want to ascend without some kind of defense.

Closer in on the near wall, mounted moose and buck heads flanked a double barrel shotgun. Within two quick strides, Brandon was on his toes, using the flashlight to help dislodge the shotgun from the wall. He hit the release to open the double barrels and shined the flashlight in. Empty.

Hurry.

To his left, the flashlight revealed a large basket in the corner, thronged with several spears.

Better than nothing. Brandon dropped the shotgun and hurriedly snatched a spear. He had made his way to the staircase and was prepared to launch himself up when he heard a rumbling growl.

It was coming from inside the room.

The beam wavered jerkily from the shaking of Brandon’s hand as he swept it over the far wall, across a deer, boar, and then… an immense, primeval creature, like something out of a Robert E. Howard adventure story. It had gray fur and blue eyes and the features of a wolf, right down to the fangs. These fangs, however, were the size of steak knives and dripped a foamy saliva. The beast was crouched on all fours, and then, in the shaking light, it stood.

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Neil Gaiman's Forbidden Brides Announced by Dark Horse: Press Release: "MILWAUKIE, Ore., July 14, 2016—Dark Horse is excited to announce Neil Gaiman (Sandman) is returning to one of his darkly complicated short stories in Neil Gaiman’s Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire. Originally published as a short story in Gaiman’s collection Fragile Things, Forbidden Brides has been adapted by Shane Oakley into a stunning hardcover graphic novel. Gaiman’s most recent graphic novel, How to Talk to Girls at Parties, debuted at number three on the New York Times bestseller list.

This haunting example of satirical gothic literature tells the story of a writer struggling to compose nonfiction on a dark, stormy night. Wishing to create serious stories about frail women in white nightgowns, mysterious bumps in the night, and the undead rising to collect old debts, the author is unsuccessful because of his tendency to insert comedy into his dark tales. Talking ravens, family disagreements, and interruptions from his creepy butler further hinder his literary efforts.

Writer Neil Gaiman explained the overarching theme of Forbidden Brides and the aspects of this story that influenced Sandman: “It’s about what fantasy is, and why we write it, and what it would mean to write fantasy if you lived in a Gothic universe. Some of it prefigured things I’d do in Sandman four years later.”

Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire goes on sale January 25th, 2017. The hardcover graphic novel is available for pre-order from Penguin Random House and Amazon."

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Details on Fullscreen and Crypt TV's El Terror Contest: Press Release: "LOS ANGELES, July 14, 2016—Fullscreen and Crypt TV want to unearth the most inventive new voices in the horror genre with “El Terror.” Today kicks off a call for 30-second teasers that have the chance to chill and thrill horror fans from around the world on the Fullscreen subscription video-on-demand platform. To participate, creators can visit elterror.com and upload their 30-seconds or less horror teaser by Thursday, September first.

“’El Terror’ is open to anyone with a wild imagination and a smartphone,” said filmmaker Eli Roth. “We’re not looking for perfection, the best idea and execution will win. Crypt TV is the #1 provider of digital scares and we’re so excited to partner with Fullscreen which has an amazing platform for filmmakers to tell stories. They care as much as we do about giving the next generation of storytellers a platform to do what they do best. We’re excited to find the scariest series ever made--if you can scare Danny Trejo, Julia Kelly and myself, you know it’s terrifying!”

An exciting opportunity for horror fans and producers alike, “El Terror” submissions will be vetted by judges who know a thing or two about terrifying entertainment—visionary genre filmmaker and Crypt TV co-founder Eli Roth (CABIN FEVER, HOSTEL, THE GREEN INFERNO), social media sensation Julia Kelly and inimitable actor Danny Trejo (MACHETE, MACHETE KILLS, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN). Together, they’re seeking surprising, original and terrifying new horror stories—from psychological thrillers to swamp things, mysterious masked men and beyond.

"Crypt TV has been a fantastic partner for Fullscreen, and we couldn’t be more aligned with our goal to tell innovative stories that will scare the cases off our viewers’ phones,” said Polly Auritt, VP of scripted development. "Fullscreen aims to be the go to destination for young creators, and can’t wait to tap into Crypt TV’s network to help identify the next great horror mastermind."

Ten finalists, who will be announced later this fall, will win cash prizes to develop their concepts into series, and on Halloween, one grand prize winner will be awarded $50,000 to create a series with Crypt TV to premiere exclusively on Fullscreen’s new SVOD platform. Terms and conditions do apply. For more information on “El Terror,” visit elterror.com and to subscribe to Fullscreen, visit fullscreen.com"

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Model Hunger Signing at Dark Delicacies Bookstore: "B-movie legends Lynn Lowry (Shivers, The Crazies, Cat People) and Tiffany Shepis (Tales of Halloween, The Violent Kind, Sharknado 2) headline as two women on a deadly collision course. Supported by Brian Fortune ("Game of Thrones"), Suzi Lorraine (Wrath of the Crows) Carmine Capobianco (Galactic Gigolo) and Voltaire (ABCs of Death 2), the feeding frenzy begins July 12th nationwide on DVD and Digital HD.

Former pinup model Ginny (Lowry) had been cast aside by the heartless and exploitative modeling industry. Ginny didn't take rejection well and grew into a revenge-seeking, bloodthirsty, broken woman. When her new neighbors Debbie (Shepis) and Sal (Capobianco) move in, Debbie begins to notice strange things going on. Sal believes she is mentally unstable, but Debbie becomes determined to figure out what secret life Ginny is leading. Her new nosy neighbor throws a damper on Ginny's private life: her cannibalistic addictions and ever-growing body count. Both women become determined to put an end to the other's obsession."

Model Hunger's composer Harry Manfredini and cast members Lynn Lowry and Michael Varrati will be in attendance at the cast autograph signing at Dark Delicacies bookstore in Burbank, California tomorrow afternoon (July 16th) at 2 p.m."