Return of the Living Dead (1985)

     So recently I lucked into having this little gem of horror cinema cross my tv guide, and decided to DVR it.  Upon looking it up on rotten tomatoes and imdb that good feeling was only cemented further.  Certainly I have no issue watching a terrible zombie movie, and have several times in the past, but the opportunity to watch one with critical success is not a chance I will often let go.  So last night I decided to take in my viewing of the aforementioned piece.
     I must say that it wasn't what I was expecting at all from a movie that got such good ratings, but it kind of reminded me of the best of comedy horror which is one of my favorite movie genres.  The characters are all ridiculous, unfortunately I had taped it from a normal channel and thus they censored out all of Trash being naked, but I definitely got a good idea of the kinds of individuals involved.
     The bumbling fools at the chemical company were especially important to the running of the movie as it is their idiocy that caused the creation of the zombies.  The pseudo-science throughout was explained enough to make it seem somewhat plausible.  I especially liked it when the zombies began to rise and the whole feeling of the end being nigh arose heavily.
     The zombies were of the intelligent, fast, strong variety and were capable of speaking intelligently and perpetuating terrifying situations.  Their voice acting was also done in a good way that gave them plenty of personality.  Their thirst for brains was even explained by one of them, and though it doesn't make a whole ton of sense I was glad for an attempt made to breach that subject.
     Overall however I definitely enjoyed this movie, it had a certain aspect that permeated all of it, being a goofy take on a horrific topic and having enough substance to still have a few scary scenes.  I loved the set up and the zombies creation and the siege laid on the town very much.  The only part I really wasn't a big fan of was the ending, which seemed like a bit of a cop out to a situation, but even that was realistic given the situation.  It was just disappointing to me that so much tension was raised and it all ended all of a sudden like it did.  However considering how much trouble the townsfolk were in I don't really know if there would've been a better explanation for how to get out of that situation, so I suppose it shouldn't really detract from it much. 

Easily the movie is a 9/10 and the reason its not perfect is really hard to look at cause its very good in a lot of ways.  I love this style of movie and film-making and will be looking for any opportunity to see the 2 sequels when they come out.  I know that they were less well received but I have heard they maintain the same punk attitude and kind of perspective and that's exactly what I look for when I'm watching movies.

Two Fisted Tweets - Twitter Fiction James Hutchings

     I had heard of tweet length fiction before, and actually had tried poorly to write some of my own.  This was an interesting exploration of some better examples of the "genre".  Its not all with dark undertones but some of them definitely are so I don't feel like it doesn't belong here.  Each of the 30 stories contains enough information to provide a story setting and some sort of conflict.  It is definitely amazing what can be done in such a short amount of space, I must admit I am a fan of this style of microfiction and that James Hutchings did a solid job of writing it.  4/5 because some of them are weaker than others, but in terms of the limited space a few of the individual entries would be worthy of top marks.  Recommended to anyone with at least 2 minutes to kill and an open mind.

The Gentleman with the Lamp - Andrew Grillet Short Story

     So one day I came across this being free on amazon and decided to pick it up because I've been in a short story mood for a while now.  It is written in the same way as an old fashioned ghost story and is just short enough to give it that same feeling where not a whole lot of questions are answered.  I read it in about 10 minutes but I must say that those were pretty enjoyable times because the author did a good job of describing the setting and the scenery which is where it really excelled.  The descriptions of the characters were short but still gave enough information to make it functional.  The ghost part was pretty generic as was the ending however and I understand that it might be generic because people know that's a good way to do a story but I would be looking for something a little more innovative.  I will give it credit for leaving a bit of questioning for the reader as well in the way that those old classic stories often would.  I would give it a 3.5/5 considering the above points, but because the time investment is so minimal to read it I'd recommend it to almost anyone who wants a little bit of spookiness. 

Gore Magazine Volume 4 Ultraviolence Edited by Matt Demers

    This one was available for free on amazon, and as a sucker for extreme horror I decided I would see how a magazine entirely based around the subject would turn out.  I didn't figure it'd be as disgusting as Genital Grinder, and as I'd read some Edward Lee in the past I'm ok with most anything else.  So here goes nothing.

Breaking Point - Astro Klutz
     This is probably one of the more enjoyable experiences with this kind of literature I've ever had.  Its short and to the point, and in the end manages to make you happy despite the horrific turn of events.  Sometimes there are really annoying people and sometimes you feel like taking out all your anger on them.  I really commend Astro Klutz on making such a taboo subject into a story where you were rooting for the outcome the whole time.  Easily 4.5/5 especially considering how short it was and how little room there was to add in a whole lot of information, I got everything I had to in the short period of reading it.

My Name is Dave and I am Dead - Matt Demers (The editor)
     Not really a gory story, but the editor did mention that fact in the introduction and as such I really wasn't too disappointed to find it.  As the title informs, its about a guy who is dead but still has the capability of speech, hence the telling you he's dead.  I enjoyed the interesting take on being a dead guy in the kind of world we live in.  Honestly it really hit a chord with me because I've felt kind of like the dead guy did even while I'm still being alive.  It had a pretty nice ending as long as the reader has empathy with the dead guy and honestly I found it pleasant and enjoyable.  4/5

Craigslist Cannibal - Matt Demers (yet again =P)
     An interesting story of how the ability to communicate with people all over the world so easily has changed a lot in the way things work.  Now you really can find someone wanting to do anything within a couple days.  I had been familiar with a real story somewhat similar to this one before reading it and was not disappointed.  I must say that it really wasn't that gory, but in a sense that almost made the story better because it had a lot more of the mental side of the situation.  I would definitely recommend this to basically anyone who's interested in weirder parts of the human psyche.  The ending brings the main arc of the story full circle and gives it a satisfying ending as well.  4/5

Designer Dentata - Sean Avery
     This was kind of a disappointment to be quite frank.  The characters were flighty and tacky and uninteresting except for the doctor, and the gore wasn't compelling enough to save it by that merit alone.  I suppose part of this came from the fact that the subject matter lent the characters to being unlikable, but they were just caricatures in the worst way.  I will give it 3/5 though because the main character had an interesting perspective in everything, and the ending made it definitely better as you start to realize that there is something else going on as well.

Saw Erotica - Luke Lafferty
     Kind of worried when starting this because it becomes clear that this is something that mainstream media does not want people to be able to read.  Then of course I realized that that wasn't really a deterrent cause it'd have to try awful hard to go too far for me.  So it was off to the reading.
     Ok that was a slightly unexpected story for such a name.  It really wasn't too disgusting or anything, and just entirely talking about the sexual side of things.  There were some kind of bizarre ritualistic mentions that weren't explained too well so the reader was left to wonder what caused the perpetrator to do what he was doing.  I guess I didn't really take too much out of this, once day one was over the rest of them seemed fairly formulaic.  It did have an ending with a bit of a twist which made it significantly better because when you're reading a short story that is where you can make the most impact.  I still give it a 3/5 because of the previous downfalls.  I'd be interested in whether someone who was unaccustomed to such stories would react however. 


Overall 3.7/5 and recommended to anyone who was possibly interested in pursuing extreme horror but not really ready to jump in head first.  The last story was the only one I could see being really disturbing to anybody. 

The Demon Version - Caleb Casey Short Story

     So I have decided as a part of this blog that I will also do some reviews for stories that were free on Amazon to give them recommendations such that people can check out the authors work and eventually work up to buying their other works.  This obviously is the first of said looks at a work and its at this short story by Caleb Casey, who via some exploration on amazon is revealed to have quite a number of stories on Amazon, so getting an idea of what his writing is like was pretty high on the list.
     As the story is such a quick read there isn't a whole lot of plot points, basically its an exploration of the effects of demonic possession set against the every day grind on a college campus.  I enjoyed the story because despite the coverage of heavy subjects such as possession it never lost the inherent humor that was still there.  The three main characters were identifiable and their friendship dynamic was the type that someone could legitimately see as being realistic.  The rest of the characters are relegated to bit parts basically as there isn't a whole lot of time to build them up but they are still given enough persona to keep the book moving alone. 
     I definitely enjoyed the author's writing style as well.  It wasn't bogged down by being overly wordy or anything, and flowed very well.  For such a short story you wouldn't expect it to take a long time to read regardless but I was done a lot faster than I expected because I still wanted to see the kinds of situations that would happen next.  In terms of the paranormal aspect I enjoyed the means of the possession and the way that it eventually was removed, it was a short part of the story that didn't really leave anything up for discussion.  Its nice when plot devices can be so simple that they are easily understood without spelling everything out.
     I would certainly recommend this story to anyone who is interested in getting their feet wet with a new author without spending a whole lot of money on it.  I am personally going to keep an eye out for any more of his stories that go on sale because I enjoyed this one quite a bit.  4.5/5

Mortician - Chainsaw Dismemberment - Theatrical Brutal Death/Grindcore

     Not going to do a song by song critique of this album because they have songs that are fairly formulaic.  Generally each of them begins with a clip of a fairly well known horror movie, though not all of them do.  That kind of sets the tone for the album as it's working to be like a horror movie.  After that it goes into fast playing with detuned buzzsaw guitars and ferocious rhythm sections.  The drumming can certainly hold its own as well.  The bass keeps up as well but is slightly overshadowed in the mix by the other instruments.  While most of it is at a relentless rate of speed there are also some very deliberate slower parts, such as the opening instrumentation on mauled beyond recognition.  The vocals are very low growls that are barely audible over the rest of the music.
     If you're looking for a very technically sound band, or one where there are a lot of variations throughout the music, this is not likely the one for you.  This recording is fairly old so the problems with the mixing might've been repaired by now so at least there's that.  What it does manage however to do is give you a really fun brutal death metal band.  With the horror intros and gore lyrics its very theatrical, and the guitars being downtuned past the point of no return in combination with vocals nearly outside the realm of human hearing only advances that point.  They are a fun band that has a cheesy focus and go all out towards creating their vision.  I personally am sometimes in a mood for something like that and will likely listen to this periodically.  I am also interested in looking into their newer recordings to see if some of the issues I had seen were dealt with.  However even looking at this project I will give it 3/5 because though it doesn't do much, its pretty good at what it tries to do.

Prowler in the Yard Inspired Flash Fiction Ideas

Prowler in the Yard Flash Fiction Prompts

Jennifer:  The exhibit sickened him to his very core, depraved acts of sadism frozen in time and space, on display for all to see.  Come see an extreme art presentation, the flier he had received under his door had said.  Internet reviews he had perused promised things that no one would imagine, a perspective from an artist with an eye for the obscure, and the obscene.  This on the other hand, this neither was art nor contained any comparable qualities to it, his nausea building as his eyes darted amongst the figures.  “This is sickening, this is pornography of the worst kind,” he complained to no one in particular as he began to turn away.  Out of the corner of his eye one of the figures in the display detached himself from the machine that was seen dismantling him piece by piece.  His skin hung in tatters off of the open wounds, but the stark conviction in his eyes revealed a determination that was disturbing to the onlookers.  “This is art,” he stated plainly, no sense of derision in his voice.  “This is what I and my companions volunteered to live, and to die for.”

Cheerleader Corpses:  “They’ll be back on their knees in no time,” Kyle joked as he saw two girls in cheerleader uniforms maneuvering in matching wheelchairs.  He had always held contempt for that particular vein of people, their wanton sexuality and his inability to achieve sexual relations with any of them creating a conflict of interest in his head most teens wouldn’t bother to deal with.  A pair of pops rang through the busy shopping mall as an armed gunman shot the two of them through the head.  Kyle scoffed, they’d never live to meet their depressing adulthood, and perhaps it was better that way.

Scatology Homework:  I love the color purple, not the movie but the actual color.  It’s the color of my room and all of my favorite clothing.  Whenever I visit a new place I attempt to gain a souvenir of purple to add to my collection.  I wrapped a purple scarf around my boyfriend’s neck.  I think I need a new one, he’s a wonderful shade of blue, but purple is what I really want.

Trojan Whore:  I empty the vessel into my bloodstream to feel the rush once more.  The drug hits my bloodstream and reignites my fire.  And yet I feel the unseen soldiers rush towards my vital organs once again.  It’s difficult to knock the comparison, it’s the horse to my Troy, and one day it’ll be my undoing.

Ghost of a Bullet:  Angel wings sprouted from my shoulders as I looked on in amazement.  Beautiful in design with pure white feathers and strong musculature underneath there was no doubt I could fly away right then.  No question I’d be able to lift off and leave this situation behind.  I almost forgot the bullet lodged in my heart, the quick countdown to my death.

Heart and crossbones:  I always liken chlorine and acid together in my mind.  Both take dirty things and make them clean and spotless again.  I asked my girlfriend if she’d like to go swimming.  She got the acid and I got the chlorine.  I can’t wait to see how clean we both are together.

Strangled with a Halo:  Religious practitioners continue on attempting to find some purpose, some role they can play in the grand design of their particular God.  To receive eternal blessings they burn their life savings on forgiveness.  Who could know their savior is busy elsewhere and not listening.  The fish tank has been left behind and the filter is broken, it’s only a matter of time before we all suffocate in the dirty water.  Keep praying father.

Intimate Slavery:  He had grown up bad, in a terrible neighborhood marred by violence and drugs, and in a family suffering tragedy on a nearly regular basis.  His father had once told him that he would tell him everything he knew, unfortunately that was exactly the case.  25 to life doesn’t sound as scary when you’re 18 and invincible.  Where did he get the idea to do that to that poor girl?

Mapplethorpe Grey:  Everything in the name of progress.  They don’t feel, they don’t see, they don’t talk, or listen, the subjects are cattle, they are fodder, and they are nothing.  Emotions are unnecessary when all you have is to eat, sleep, and fuck.   Taking the choices away sure limits the coordination headaches.  I just hope they learn to go fat and complacent… and tasty.

Evacuating Heaven:  The revolution was never going to be televised, it was explained away, it was nothing.  The rolling black outs came as a surprise to no one.  Even in a world with no light the blind were subservient.  The meek never inherited the earth, they remained unnecessary bothers. 

Tickets to the Car Crash:  The car was going too fast, just the way she liked it.  Wind whipping through her golden locks and blowing her dress askew to reveal just one perfectly shaped shoulder.  She expertly guided the vehicle through the numerous twists and turns, knowing full well who was watching.  Her laptop with webcam set up to display the journey and she the actress of all the viewers dreams.  She never saw the 18 wheeler until it was too late, her perfect body exploding into the firestorm with the rest of the crash.  Ratings skyrocketed, trauma is sexy.

1 Shot 100 Word Micro Fiction Inspired by In Flames

                Werewolves had long since been a fixture in the local lore and legend, even to the point at which the mayor had hired the cleverest scientific minds to create a moonshield over their entire shire.  “It’s working just fine,” the young scientist said as he transformed before the mayor’s eyes.

                The rhythmic movements were unlike any previously seen in all the lands of his empire.  He knew that the jester was just a man in a mask, but during the dance he was much more.  He was so distracted; he didn’t notice the knife’s blade plunge into his chest.

                The floods came without any notice, water black as pitch raining from the heavens onto the sleeping figure of Earth below.  Its imperfections giving it preservative qualities as eventually it filled everything freezing them in twisted faces of death.  Perverse artifacts left for extraterrestrial perusal, everlasting in their looks of agony.

                The plague struck overnight, in the morning hundreds lay dead where they’d been sleeping.   She knew she was the last remaining survivor, a tremendous sense of dread washed over her consciousness as she began coughing up blood.  In the distance the last remaining flower of December started wilting and dying.

Mafia - Fleshgod Apocalypse Classical Technical Death Metal

     I had been a fan of more technical music since I could remember, but the first time I ran into Fleshgod Apocalypse was because of their music video for The Violation.  As I have become a pretty big fan since then I'm going to do a review for each of the 3 CDs I've had the luxury of hearing.  Mafia is their 5 song EP and packs a lot of musicality into a fairly short effort.

Through Our Scars:  Brutal intro with a quick violin section and surprisingly audible bass over buzz saw riffs.  Moves into a chuggy riff which eventually gains vocals that are of a fairly deep and somewhat raspy tone.  Drumming keeps up its intensity.  Bass remains audible despite everything.  Interesting vocal shifts including what sounds like them echoing themselves.  Moves into a neoclassical section with beautiful sweeps and soaring clean vocals over the same powerful drum beats.  After that back to a chuggy section for a bit, followed by a very melodic bridge with no vocals at all, its one of my favorite portions of the song.  I really appreciate the mixing here where each part of the music is audible at all points in time and you never have the chance to forget about any of it.  That goes back into another clean melodic solo which is just wonderful and builds a tremendous amount of tension into another heavy riff.  The neoclassical sweeping returns again with the same soaring vocals and its made to fit perfectly in the mood of the song. That continues on into another chuggy riff as the vocals exit and the outro finishes with the same ferocity of the beginning of the song.  Easy 4.5/5, really showcases their classical influence and adeptness of death metal as well.

Abyssal:  Starts off with a really heavy set  of riffing from the instruments but a very pleasant overriding melody.  Goes into the vocals with very fast guitar riffing and drumming evident like before.  The chorus is one of my favorite parts of the song, it just feels really aurally pleasing.  The buzzsaw guitars continue on into more vocals which are back into the repeated chorus part.  The mixing is still amazing in this, though I miss a little of the audible bass from before.  The layered vocals are great too.  It moves into a break with a very nice guitar part and some dramatic drumming with the vocals removed.  A spoken word section begins over this as the music slowly builds tension and gains steam.  This leads into a beautiful sweep section with the layered growly and raspy vocals over each other.  That is followed by a slow melodic riff that is very pleasant over top of the fast and relentless drumming.  The vocals start again with a very powerful riff with some good usage of pinch harmonics.  Goes into an interesting section with a different guitar section and what almost sounds like a call and answer between the vocal types.  A stop briefly stays the assault before it blasts back into the groove of it.  The song seems to get more vocal oriented as they get stronger in the mix, and then it moves into a melodic guitar riff over the always constant frenetic flurry of drumming.  This truly is a band that knows how to combine brutality and melody in a way that is quite memorable.  The outro loses the driving forces in the background giving way to a peaceful classical section for the end of the song. 5/5

Conspiracy of Silence:  A very intense intro with significant vocal strain leads into the fastest riff I've heard from this band, there's a bit of a lead and a stop leading into the vocal section.  They continue with the mid range growl and some call answer sections.  The rhythm section remains as consistent as ever, driving the song along.  A beautiful neoclassical section arrives in the middle of everything and its clearly visible despite the amount of notes going on behind it, the mixing is fantastic.  That leads into more blasting and choice pinch harmonics and the return of the vocals.  The leady riff from before is followed by another section of frenetic drumming with the presence of a nice slower melodic guitar line that's completely audible.  It proceeds into a more solo section with some very nice notes.  I'd say this is my favorite portion of this song.  That goes into a break with clean vocals over clean guitar and keeping the intense drum beat and bass underneath all of it.  That melodic section gains the harsh vocals from earlier which seem even deeper and more forceful than ever.  The tension is broke and led back into another buzzsaw riff with some strong vocal action over it.  Neoclassical returns and they continue their practice of putting incredible musicianship in the middle of the song and making every portion remain listenable.  The outro is a display of the drums as the vocals give a memorable performance there too.  4.5/5

Blinded By Fear:  At the Gates cover, its a song I was already really fond of so I wondered what this band would do to it.  Intro is kept pretty constant from the original with their own personality added.  The drumming seems more intense, but the guitar does a great job of echoing the inspiration.  It just seems heavier and that suits the band fine.  The vocals are the continuing midrange growls from the rest of the music, but they sound just fine and the vocals are still understandable like in the original version.  The more melodic break is given great treatment and the mixing of this album remains one of my favorites as every level is there clearly.  Everything sounds so clean and brutal its a wonderful cover.  Audible bass even makes its presence known near the end of the song.  4/5

Mafia:  I wouldn't be as huge a fan of this band if I couldn't also enjoy the classical sections in addition to the death metal influence.  This is a 3 minute piano outro to the album that is simply divine and demonstrates the bands ability to write music in more than one mode.  I simply adore this and even though its not my favorite song of the album it'll be the highest rated because there is nothing I can look at and say it needs more of this or that for.  5/5

Overall 4.6/5 a great listen and one I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in taking a leap into technical death metal or even just death metal but doesn't want to lose much of a sense of melody.  They do this genre different than a lot of bands out there, but its fantastic the result. 

Sam Whittaker - A Dolls House - Short Horror

     This is a small work of fiction that I managed to read in about 20 minutes.  I'm reviewing it to show that I have no problems with story length as long as they remain entertaining and spooky.  Unfortunately that is where I have to argue that this in particular fell a little short.  Everything in the story was so short and rigid as though the narrator just listing off the various events as they occurred.  There was little to help with putting the reader in the shoes of any of the protagonists as they were given very little personification.  I would compare it to what you might expect in a work of micro fiction or flash fiction, but this story was long enough it could've used more exposition.  The descriptions of the areas that the protagonists were on their journey however did manage to be creepy and eerie enough to give the story more character.  I appreciated the descriptions of the chosen monsters and indications of their origin as well.  It was the kind of creepily familiar beast that anyone could see themselves lulled into a false sense of security.  The ending reverted back to not given enough detail, however the very last section was rather clever and gave it a suitable ending.  Overall I would give this story a 3/5, but would definitely suggest that people read it because the time investment is quite small and its a glimpse into a nightmarish landscape.

Genital Grinder - Ryan Harding Gross Out Horror Collection

     Prior to reading this book my only real experience with gross out fiction was Edward Lee's Brain Cheese Buffet so I was itching at a chance to get my feet wetter with the subject.  As he had done the forward for this book I figured that this would be a good place to look.  Even the introduction was disturbing and disgusting.  If Edward Lee spends 20 pages telling you how messed up somebody's imagination and subject matter is, but at the same time how true he stays to the art of writing and the amount of skill used it should get your attention, it certainly did mine.

Bottom Feeder:  I suppose this was exactly what I signed up for.  A description of slightly depraved behavior that simply does not stop increasing the direness of the main character's situation.  The flashbacks do a good job of placing the experience at the end of a night full of bad life decisions.  However nothing had prepared me for the ending, and the image is certainly sticking with me for a while after reading.  Disturbing but not too over the top til the end, 3.5/5.

Damaged Goods:  First introduction to the notorious pair of Greg and Von, and lets just say that these are two sick cats.  I can't really describe anything more without giving away the story but there is definitely a scene of perversity that almost made me nauseous just thinking about it.  For gross out value 5/5, for story telling more of 3/5.

Sharing Needles:  A heartfelt father son story distorted in a way such that the family resemblance is simply uncanny.  A son's efforts to blackmail his father lead to the father outsmarting him in a serious way.  Good juxtaposition between files being read and the events of the present.  4/5 and thankfully a little less disgusting than the last one cause genital grinder was next.

Genital Grinder:  A snuff film in 5 acts:  Act 1, we are reintroduced to Greg and Von fresh off their activities in Damaged Goods, as they assemble an ensemble cast for the creation of the first real life snuff film as the notion of real life killings on cameras remained an urban legend.  Act 2, the first scene of the movie begins and some rather unsavory activities revolving around a disgusting disease and vomiting occur.  Act 3, the first sex scene set up goes awry because of the presence of something entirely unexpected.  Torture shows up as well in ways that by all means sane people probably wouldn't have the capability to envision.  I simply hope that I will be able to forget all about it.  The ensuing rape and human dismantling really doesn't give any more effect as its already at such a high level of depravity.  Act 4, the culmination of the film continued down the territory of the previous installments, acts in direct violation of nature almost seeming passe in comparison, the death scenes a welcome sight.  Act 5 simply is the least satisfying conclusion I could've come up with, but in the setting of the story it really fits pretty well.  I'd say that this was almost too much for me but definitely held true to the promise of Harding, easy 3.5/5.

Development:  A 20something named Alex developing film catches on to a criminal mastermind of the sick and depraved variety.  He inserts himself in the situation as some kind of second in command, with blackmail supporting him, and dreams of becoming the top dog.  A surprise ending later and the story makes a satisfying close.  4.5/5

Emissary:  A bizarre account of a film company famous for shocking real footage of death and destruction grabs the attention of a perverted video store employee. Things escalate rather quickly and it ends in a way that would've been impossible to predict at the beginning.  Definitely one of the less disgusting and better stories in terms of narrative its also one of my favorites. 4.5/5

It is at this point that I have decided for my intestinal fortitude to stop reading the stories.  They are bloody and visceral and detached.  They are the instruments of splatterpunk for sure.  But for this reader, it was just a little bit of an overload, the kind that probably won't bother me in a while.  All the stories took place in the same area, the same references throughout, and that was a nice touch.  

Final grade 4/5

Pilo Family Circus - First Real Introduction To Bizarro Horror

     So the main reason I created this blog was so that I could share the books I had read and recommend them.  I had been lurking in a horror group on Goodreads the last couple days and because of that gained some insight as to good books for myself to read based on my previous preferences.  Somewhere along the way I encountered a substantial amount of praise for Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliot.  It was this unabashed praise combined with the strange synopsis of the book that made it nearly impossible for me to pass up.  Luckily the purveyors of these opinions did not let me down and I shall continue to delve headfirst into unfamiliar waters.
     The first thing that really struck me about this story was how easy it was to relate to the story of the main character despite the fact that the events are so bizarre to the point of making a significant disconnect with the reality that we hold so dear.  I believe it was the author's ability to enable me to put myself in the shoes of Jamie, the protagonist throughout the immensely strange events that really drew me to read the book even more. 
     Secondly Elliot understands that there are more characters than the main one who's presence has a profound impact on the story as a whole.  The majority of the events are told from the perspective of the Jamie, but in the interest of not subjecting the reader to his narrow frame of reference there are passages that occur with other characters that are of substantial importance to the story.  These characters are fleshed out enough such that the reader can easily decipher their motives and personality and they personally can feel when those characters are undergoing some level of stress or unusual experiences. 
     The setting is yet again a boon to the skills of Elliot as he does a masterful job of providing just enough information for the reader to follow what is happening during the story while holding enough that later events can still be surprising to behold.  Jamie's house that he shares with his roommates and his life prior to the Circus are peppered with atmosphere and mood that draws from his own personal senses of where he's at in that time in his life.  The circus itself is given an air of mystery throughout, and though a sense of understanding is gained through the descriptions there is always a trick hiding somewhere. 
     I feel as though the most important facet however is the amount of imagination that is shown throughout.  As someone who had not been accustomed to bizarro fiction it was truly a treat to see the various humans and humanoids who called the circus their home.  Their hopes and dreams are shown in such a way that the reader hardly bats an eye when the means to their respective desired end involve concepts outside of the usual realm of discourse.
     This story is a great exploration of a dark carnival world, where the carnival is even sometimes shown in a more positive light than the world outside.  Along the way the reader is kept turning the pages at a torrid pace as they attempt to stay up with the events that eventually lead to its apt and satisfying conclusion.  I would highly recommend this book to anybody with an open mind and who leans even slightly towards the horror categories in their entertainment choices.

5/5

Unnecessary Introductory First Post

     Hello all, I am a senior studying computer programming at Eastern Michigan University.  I have been long interested in many forms of entertainment, most trending towards the darker end of the spectrum.  I'm a big fan of horror movies and dark comedies, variations on death metal, and extreme/bizarro horror fiction.  My tastes do alter slightly at times and I can appreciate fantasy and science fiction as well but those are what I normally stick to.  This blog is going to be my free attempt at sorting out my reviews and opinions on those topics and see if I can get my thoughts out there and recommend some great reading/music/movies to anybody.

Thanks,
     temptingfateagain