Vivienne Moss, caretaker at Out of the Shadows, kindly invited me to join the ever swelling ranks of the rank, the Minions of Misery. To be a good Minion, for my end of the bargain I have to share some misery:
1. Choose a dark book
2. Choose a dark film
3. Reveal a dark secret about yourself
4. Pass it on to 3 of the darkly inclined
Dark Book
I would pick The Ones That Got Away by Stephen Graham Jones.
Compared to a lot of the short story collections I have been reading lately, this one really stood out. Jones’ writing style, in a lot of my favorite stories, had a kind of Carver minimalist touch, meaning always just the right touch. Rare that I find a collection with so many keepers, and yet: Lonnegan’s Luck (zombies in the Old West), Father, Son & the Holy Rabbit (grisly survival tale), Monsters (some vampire action), and Wolf Island were all great. Wolf Island, for example, pits a werewolf against some crafty marine life. (Maybe a little reminiscent of the zombie vs. shark scene in that one movie I can never remember the name of.) I wouldn’t say the stories are scary, though. There are certainly elements of horror, some gore and monsters of course, but very often these same stories reach down into deeply poignant territory along the way. I like my horror with a little heart.Dark Movie
I have to give credit where credit is due, to one of those old films that marked me, helped make me the ghost story loving freak I am today and that film is Tormented.
This is one of those old films that, when you watch it light years later, makes you cringe. By today’s standards, and probably even standards back in the 60s when this was made, it has epic suck written all over it.It’s a Burt I. Gordon film and has been (big surprise) through the MST3000 grinder. However, I first saw it when I was about 6 or 7 and it scared the shit out of me. Enough so that I never forgot it and 46 years later, bought the DVD. Richard Carlson (from Creature from the Black Lagoon) plays the male douche bag lead. I don’t want to give anything away if anyone reading is brave enough to watch (endure) it, but in amongst the cheese, there’s a lighthouse scene that has haunted me forever, and a church scene that takes the ‘wedding crasher’ concept to a whole new level.
Dark Secret
I have a record.
And, the Minions to Be are:
Sicko, at Sicko Psychotic
Giovanni, At the Mansion of Madness
Alymer, at Unflinching Eye
Your Dark Secret has me intrigued.
ReplyDeleteit's nothing, not like eyes turning red I mean--now that is intriguing
ReplyDeleteThank you for selecting SP. I must say that I do like the dark corners where your twisted mind lurks. "The Ones That Got Away" by Stephen Graham Jones sounds like the perfect read for the rainy weather we have been having in my area; and "Tormented" deserves a second look for how strange and unusual the film is. Elvira has recently shown it on her new Movie Macabre.
ReplyDeleteThanks Keith, I am honored to be considered darkly inclined and I humbly accept this title. Unfortunately, I am a bit busy now but I do plan on sharing some dark misery soon and I will be sure to mention your site when I do.
ReplyDeleteAlright, I just wanted to let you know that I've shared my misery on my blog. Check it out if you get the chance. Thanks again!
ReplyDelete