Tag: Horror

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PC PlayStation 5 Video Games Xbox Series S Xbox Series X

“Post Trauma” Hands-On Preview

 

When Capcom and Konami released their respective remakes of their classic survival horror games Resident Evil 2 and Silent Hill 2, they not only updated the graphics, but the movement and camera controls as well, replacing the fixed position cameras and tank controls for a third-person, player-controlled approach. Which seemed to work out, given how some people — myself included — really appreciated these updated versions.

So it was rather surprising when, last week, I got the opportunity to play the upcoming survival horror game Post Trauma, and was told by producer Paul Wilson that it has controls and cameras similar to the original Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, not the remakes. And that it was done intentionally.

What follows are my impressions of my time with this game… and its controls.

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Books

Exclusive Interview: “The Teeth Of Dawn” Author Marina Lostetter

 

With The Teeth Of Dawn (paperback, Kindle, audiobook), author Marina Lostetter is concluding the epic fantasy with “a dash of horror” trilogy The Five Penalties that she launched in 2021 with The Helm Of Midnight and continued two years later with The Cage Of Dark Hours.

In the following email interview, Lostetter discusses what inspired and influenced this series and this final installment.

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Books

Exclusive Interview: “Death On The Swayback” Author Chris Panatier

 

We all wrestle with the mistakes of the past, even when they weren’t our mistakes.

It’s this conflict that drives the main character of Death On The Swayback, a limited edition novelette by author Chris Panatier which he calls “supernatural horror disguised as psychological horror.”

With Swayback now available as either a signed numbered edition or a signed lettered edition, both directly from Rapture Publishing, I spoke to Panatier via email to find out what inspired and influenced this story, as well as what film studio he thinks could make a really good movie based out of it.

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PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Video Games

“Silent Hill 2” (2024 Remake) Review

 

When we talk about survival horror games, the first name that always comes up (rightfully so) is Resident Evil. Which is somewhat ironic given that while those games certainly have you trying to survive horrific situations, they’re usually not that scary.

No, for survival horror that’s scary — like, shit your pants scary — you have to go to the second name that always comes up: Silent Hill.

And no Silent Hill ever scared me as much as the second installment, 2001’s Silent Hill 2.

Granted, it was because I was playing it late at night, with my windows open, when two cats got into a fight just outside, but that still counts.

It’s why I didn’t play the new updated remake of Silent Hill 2 (PlayStation 5, PC) at night, with my windows open, or within 50 miles of any cats, angry or otherwise. Good thing, too, because this remake is just as shit your pants scary as the original.

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Books

Exclusive Interview: “A Light Of Little Radiance” Authors Keith Anthony Baird & Beverley Lee

 

While there are many kinds of vampires — scary, sparkly…fuzzy — they usually share a similar origin story, one that involves being damned by God or infected by a disease or parasite.

But in the vampire novella A Light Of Little Radiance (paperback, Kindle), the bloodsucker at the center was born of a different kind of possession.

In the following email interview, co-authors Keith Anthony Baird and Beverley Lee discusses this scary story, which the latter calls, “… a historical, dark vampire fantasy with horror elements.”

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Books

Exclusive Interview: “A Gathering Of Weapons” Author Tracy Cross

 

We all have dreams, some grander than others. I wanted to be Jimmy Page but, alas, that job was taken.

For Pee Wee, one of the main characters in Tracy Cross’ historical fiction horror novella Rootwork, the dream is to be, as Cross puts it, “…the greatest conjure woman ever.”

It’s a dream Pee Wee continues to pursue in Cross’ new novella, A Gathering Of Weapons (paperback, Kindle).

In the following email interview, Cross discusses what inspired and influenced this second installment, as well as her plans to conclude Pee Wee’s quest.

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Books

Exclusive Interview: “Revenant-X” Author David Wellington

 

At a time when you have to actively try not to be reachable, the idea of not being able to contact someone can be frightening.

So imagine if it wasn’t someone you couldn’t reach, but ten thousand people, and they all lived so far away that it would take more than a year to get there.

This is the problem that kicks off author David Wellington’s sci-fi horror / space adventure series Red Space, which he launched last year with Paradise-1 and now continues with Revenant-X (paperback, Kindle, audiobook).

In the following email interview, Wellington explains how Revenant-X picks up this story, his plan for this series moving forward, and the surprising author who influenced this middle installment.

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Books

Exclusive Interview: “One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years” Author Mark Leslie

 

Twenty years ago, horror author Mark Leslie assembled a collection of his stories and poems he called One Hand Screaming because, as he explains in the following email interview, he wanted, “…an actual book with my name on it.”

Well, now Leslie apparently wants an updated and expanded book with his name on it because he’s releasing One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years (hardcover, paperback, Kindle), which not only adds new stories and poems, but some behind-the-scenes info as well.

In the following email interview, Leslie discusses both the original version of Screaming and this new edition, as well as the alcoholic beverage that pairs well with this book.

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PC PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Reviews Switch Video Games Xbox One Xbox Series S Xbox Series X

“Camp Bloodbrook” for “Pinball M” Review

 

To fans of video game pinball, the good people at Zen Studios are best known for creating original tables based on movies (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Princess Bride), TV shows (Battlestar Galactica, Twilight Zone), and other video games (Goat Simulator, System Shock), as well as accurate recreations of classic real pinball machines by Williams (Funhouse, Dr. Dude And His Excellent Ray).

But they’ve also, on occasion, put their considerable pinball design skills to use on original ideas, such as 2022’s Wrath Of The Elder Gods.

Which is where we find them again with Camp Bloodbrook, a new table for their horror-themed pinball simulation system, Pinball M (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One, Switch, PC).

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