Billed as the largest convention of horror and paranormal in the United States, Scarefest brings thousands of fans and plenty of professionals to the Bluegrass every year. Ghosts, ghouls and even Jason Voorhees and Leatherface attended the 2009 Scarfest in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, on Sept. 11, 12 and 13.
One big draw for fans were the many special guests who attended. From the horror field, just a few of those who made an appearance at 2009's convention were Kane Hodder who portrayed mass murderer Jason Vorhees in four Friday the 13th films, Gunnar Hansen who played killer Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Doug Bradley who was Pinhead in the series of Hellraiser films. Some of the guests from the paranormal field included Zak Bagans of the Travel Channel's "Ghost Adventures" television program, psychic Chip Coffey of the TV show "Paranormal State" and ghost hunter and author Patti Starr.
Plenty of events were lined up for the 2009 Scarefest, including a class on special effects makeup, movies at the nearby Kentucky Theatre and the Nightmare Haunted House. Dealers of all sorts had tables available, and many of the guests were available for autographs and seminars. A couple of the really grand events included a costume party the night of Friday, Sept. 11, and a VIP party for Saturday, Sept. 12.
So, fans of ghosts and goblins, get ready to have some fun in Bluegrass country come September! Tickets are available now for the 2010 Scarefest!
Showing posts with label Horror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Horror. Show all posts
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
10 Web Sites for Horror Writers
Horror Writers Association
The Horror Writers Association is mainly for members, but the group's Web site has plenty of information for those who don't qualify for membership. Of course the site has plenty of information about the association and how to become a member, but there are also market listings for writers, tips for writers and more. Another nice thing is the HWA site is home of the Bram Stoker Awards, annual awards for outstanding horror writing.
Horror Find
Horror Find is a search engines just for things horror and Halloween related. If you need it, you can probably find it here, at least as long as it's something gruesome. There are even classifieds at Horror Find, in case you're looking for something that's difficult to get your hands on.
Horror World
Horror World's site offers plenty for fans and writers, but it's probably best known for its active forum community. Plenty of professional authors, beginning writers and fans come to Horror World just to chat and catch up on things, and all the thousand other reasons people hang out in online forums and chat rooms. There are also interviews and reviews to be found here, and much, much more.
Masters of Horror
This is another Web site with an excellent online community and plenty to keep you busy. There are also a good number of groups to join, if you are interested. This is also an excellent site for beginning writers to post about their works in progress.
Horror Web
Horror Web is a great place for keeping up with horror-related news. If you need to know about a new movie or book or game, this is the site to head to first. The site also has contests and giveaways from time to time, so you have a chance of winning something horrific. And there's plenty of news on Horror Web about the latest horror conventions.
Asian Horror Encyclopedia
This Web site is a little out of date and not the best known out there, but it definitely offers a different perspective for horror writers and fans of horror literature. Movies aren't the focus here, so this isn't necessarily the place for fans of that medium. Still, there's tons and tons here from folklore, mythology and history related to horror and Asia. Definitely worth spending some time checking out.
Buried.com
The Buried.com Web site has a little side headline that reads "Everything That is Horror ..." and this is pretty much true. Movies. Novels. Reviews. Interviews. Information on conventions. Links. All kinds of stuff, and I've just touched on the tip of the iceberg. Really, if you like horror, you could find yourself spending hours and hours on this site. If you become a site member, you can even post your short stories here for others to see.
Dark Markets
Writers are always looking for places to submit and sell their stories, so Dark Markets is a good place to start that search. Here you'll find all kinds of listings for magazines, book publishers and contests where you can submit your work for publication (and hopefully a little money, too, right?).
Really Scary
Where do you go for your horror news? You could do worse than Really Scary, believe me. Updated every month or two, this Web site offers news mostly about horror movies, though every once in a while there's news about the dark literature. Here you can also find a good number of links to other Web sites featuring horror-related material.
World Horror Convention
Didn't know there was a World Horror Convention? Well, now you do. The WHC is an annual gathering of mostly professionals within the horror field, though plenty of fans often make it, too. The convention moves around every year and is in Brighton, England, for 2010 and Austin, Texas, for 2011. This would be a great convention for writers to attend because it gives plenty of opportunities to make connections in the horror field.
The Horror Writers Association is mainly for members, but the group's Web site has plenty of information for those who don't qualify for membership. Of course the site has plenty of information about the association and how to become a member, but there are also market listings for writers, tips for writers and more. Another nice thing is the HWA site is home of the Bram Stoker Awards, annual awards for outstanding horror writing.
Horror Find
Horror Find is a search engines just for things horror and Halloween related. If you need it, you can probably find it here, at least as long as it's something gruesome. There are even classifieds at Horror Find, in case you're looking for something that's difficult to get your hands on.
Horror World
Horror World's site offers plenty for fans and writers, but it's probably best known for its active forum community. Plenty of professional authors, beginning writers and fans come to Horror World just to chat and catch up on things, and all the thousand other reasons people hang out in online forums and chat rooms. There are also interviews and reviews to be found here, and much, much more.
Masters of Horror
This is another Web site with an excellent online community and plenty to keep you busy. There are also a good number of groups to join, if you are interested. This is also an excellent site for beginning writers to post about their works in progress.
Horror Web
Horror Web is a great place for keeping up with horror-related news. If you need to know about a new movie or book or game, this is the site to head to first. The site also has contests and giveaways from time to time, so you have a chance of winning something horrific. And there's plenty of news on Horror Web about the latest horror conventions.
Asian Horror Encyclopedia
This Web site is a little out of date and not the best known out there, but it definitely offers a different perspective for horror writers and fans of horror literature. Movies aren't the focus here, so this isn't necessarily the place for fans of that medium. Still, there's tons and tons here from folklore, mythology and history related to horror and Asia. Definitely worth spending some time checking out.
Buried.com
The Buried.com Web site has a little side headline that reads "Everything That is Horror ..." and this is pretty much true. Movies. Novels. Reviews. Interviews. Information on conventions. Links. All kinds of stuff, and I've just touched on the tip of the iceberg. Really, if you like horror, you could find yourself spending hours and hours on this site. If you become a site member, you can even post your short stories here for others to see.
Dark Markets
Writers are always looking for places to submit and sell their stories, so Dark Markets is a good place to start that search. Here you'll find all kinds of listings for magazines, book publishers and contests where you can submit your work for publication (and hopefully a little money, too, right?).
Really Scary
Where do you go for your horror news? You could do worse than Really Scary, believe me. Updated every month or two, this Web site offers news mostly about horror movies, though every once in a while there's news about the dark literature. Here you can also find a good number of links to other Web sites featuring horror-related material.
World Horror Convention
Didn't know there was a World Horror Convention? Well, now you do. The WHC is an annual gathering of mostly professionals within the horror field, though plenty of fans often make it, too. The convention moves around every year and is in Brighton, England, for 2010 and Austin, Texas, for 2011. This would be a great convention for writers to attend because it gives plenty of opportunities to make connections in the horror field.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Five Weapons to Have for a Zombie Apocalypse
Everyone has their favorites, but here are my five suggestions for the weapons you should have when the zombies rise.
Barret M107
Yes, this big rifle is a lot to carry around, but you'll want it when you need it. And really, this thing is made for placing on a rooftop where you can safely blast away at the walking undead below. Comes in .50 caliber, would should be more than enough to drop some zombies. If you don't have a scope, check out your local Wal-Mart or gun-supply shop, that's if you can get there through the zombie horde.
Atchisson Auto Assault-12 Shotgun
Rumor is, this excellent shotgun can fire in full automatic, but I kind of doubt it. Maybe, but it sounds like an urban legend to me. Anyway, this things packs a hefty 12-gauge wallop at close range and definitely comes in semi-automatic. This would be a great firearm to have for close-up work, especially if you can get 20-round drum or the 32-round drum. But even if all you've got is the 8-round or 5-round magazine, you'll still be able to deal out lots of damage. Just remember to aim high for the heads when you're fighting zombies.
Smith & Wesson 586
Yes, I realize this is a revolver, which might turn off some folks who like the higher bullet capacity of a semi-auto handgun. But really, during a zombie apocalypse, a handgun is a last-resort weapon. By the time you're down to having to use a handgun when facing zombies, you want accuracy and plenty of boom-boom, you don't want the spray-and-pray action that semi-autos can lead to. This firearm comes in .357 magnum, which is powerful enough for closeup zombie work. Anything more powerful can distort your aim, and even if you're out of .357 shells, this thing will fire .38 specials, too.
Machete
Actually, a better suggestion might be a big, two-handed sword, one that is really, really heavy, or a battle axe. But I decided upon the machete because it's easier to find and easier to use for those unskilled with similar weapons. What you really need is a heavy chopping weapon, something with a little length to it that keeps you away from gnashing teeth and clawing fingers. Other good choices for melee weapons would be a spiked mace, a spiked war hammer or something similar. You want something that can chop, but you really need that blunt-force trauma, a weapon that can punch through skulls and hit the brain. So, go for heavier instead of sharper, but a spike or heavy point will be useful.
Yes, this big rifle is a lot to carry around, but you'll want it when you need it. And really, this thing is made for placing on a rooftop where you can safely blast away at the walking undead below. Comes in .50 caliber, would should be more than enough to drop some zombies. If you don't have a scope, check out your local Wal-Mart or gun-supply shop, that's if you can get there through the zombie horde.
Atchisson Auto Assault-12 Shotgun
Smith & Wesson 586
Yes, I realize this is a revolver, which might turn off some folks who like the higher bullet capacity of a semi-auto handgun. But really, during a zombie apocalypse, a handgun is a last-resort weapon. By the time you're down to having to use a handgun when facing zombies, you want accuracy and plenty of boom-boom, you don't want the spray-and-pray action that semi-autos can lead to. This firearm comes in .357 magnum, which is powerful enough for closeup zombie work. Anything more powerful can distort your aim, and even if you're out of .357 shells, this thing will fire .38 specials, too.
AR-15
This is your medium-to-long range weapon. This should probably also be your primary weapon of choice. The other firearms listed above are more for specific ranges or situations, but this is a good one for all-around purposes and should be on your back or in your hands at all times once the zombies are shuffling around. Comes in .223 caliber or 5.56 NATO. I like both rounds, so you can choose your favorite.
Actually, a better suggestion might be a big, two-handed sword, one that is really, really heavy, or a battle axe. But I decided upon the machete because it's easier to find and easier to use for those unskilled with similar weapons. What you really need is a heavy chopping weapon, something with a little length to it that keeps you away from gnashing teeth and clawing fingers. Other good choices for melee weapons would be a spiked mace, a spiked war hammer or something similar. You want something that can chop, but you really need that blunt-force trauma, a weapon that can punch through skulls and hit the brain. So, go for heavier instead of sharper, but a spike or heavy point will be useful.
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