A Solid Collection

THE HAUNTED HOUSES SHE CALLS HER OWN by Gwendolyn Kiste (to be released 4/14/26 by Raw Dog Screaming Press / 168 pages)

Since her debut collection nearly 10 years ago (2017’s AND HER SMILE WILL UNTETHER THE UNIVERSE), Kiste has been raking in awards for her novels and novellas, and now delivers this second impressive set of 16 short stories.

Among my favorites are ‘The Eleven Films of Oona Cashford,’ which is written like a handout you’d get at a film festival, and deals with a cult film director and the people who go missing during Cashford film screenings. A fresh take on the cursed film subgenre, I wouldn’t mind the author expanding this into a novel. In ‘All the Hippies are Dying,’ a woman who attended the original Woodstock festival and continued to listen to the soundtrack album her whole life learns the music itself has led to a bizarre body horror. This one would make Cronenberg smile.

Other highlights include ‘Melting Point,’ where we find a woman caring for her mother in the shadow of a partial nuclear meltdown near Three Mile Island. Symbolism abounds as our protagonist (and a neighbor) meltdown in their own ways. Vampires are a hard sell for me, but it’s easy to see why Kiste won a Stoker Award for ‘The Eight People Who Murdered Me,’ about a woman who becomes one of the undead after a meeting with Dracula. Written in a diary-entry style, this was arguably the most satisfying read of the collection.

It doesn’t get stranger than the dark fantasy ‘Lost in Darkness and Distance,’ in which a reanimated (and still decapitated) Marie Antoinette meets up with Mary Shelley, who helps put her back together. This would make a fantastic segment in an anthology horror film.

All of these HAUNTED HOUSES feature women dealing with deep, dark, personal struggles, from parental fears in ‘A New Mother’s Guide to Raising an Abomination’ to an easy to identify with bullied runaway in ‘The Last Video Store on the Left,’ and there’s even a wicked take on the Black Dahlia.

HOUSES can easily be read in a sitting or two, and is another solid release from an author who continues to bring the goods.

Little’s Latest Delivers

CITY HALL by Bentley Little (2025 Cemetery Dance / 438 pages)

Paul is a young man living at home with his mom when he lands a job at his local city hall. His co-workers are a bit strange and while things seem oddly off, he eventually finds his place. Things get increasingly weird, and Paul discovers, along with his new co-worker girlfriend, just how bizarre city hall is.

In the same town, a school teacher named Gavin runs for a seat on the city council, wins, and learns his election had been ordained by the powers that be.

And being this is Little’s 31st novel, the powers that be, as in many of his “industrial” novels, are as off-the-wall as it gets, from menacing office bosses to brainwashed elderly employees who consider sex and murder a simple part of the job. And while some readers may feel Little has told this tale before, *somehow* things feel fresh, especially during the twisted finale, which blends demented horror with cult film-like action, with the most frightening aspect being the resolve of our protagonists.

CITY HALL delivers the goods to the author’s fans, and may lure in many new converts.

4 1/2 / 5 stars

 

DARK DREAMS up for pre-order

 

My second film book from the UK’s Headpress Publishing, DARK DREAMS: AN OBSESSIVE LOOK AT ROMANO SCAVOLINI’S NIGHTMARE, will be out this fall. This is a deep dive into one of the most notorious slasher films of the 80s, and features some rare interviews and guest essays. Plus, it’s in FULL BLOOD-SOAKED COLOR! On Amazon now for pre-order, and will be on Headpress.com soon in several formats including hardcover.

Suburban Grindhouse Magazine Issue 5

 

SGM Issue Five features the 84th edition pf "Suburban Grindhouse Memories", a look at films celebrating their 50th anniversaries, The Resurrection of Frank by Jamie Chimino, Interview with NYC horror film host Horror Boobs, Loads of film, disc, book, and zine reviews. Cover by Dave K. Grab your copy here: SGM Issue Five

Transformation Through Suffering

 

WRETCH by Eric LaRocca (to be released 3/24/26 by Saga Press / 288 pages)

Depressed and grieving over the death of his husband, Simeon begins attending meetings with an unusual support group. The group doesn’t accept him, but one member points him in the direction of a mysterious figure known as Porcelain Khaw. It seems Khaw has the ability to let people spend one last time with their deceased partner, and of course there is a price to pay.

As Simeon attempts to get additional meetings with Khaw, he is interrupted by his ex-wife, who continually tries to get him to spend time with their son. Despite their divorce, she’s still there for him when he needs her, even as his life goes on a haunting, downward spiral.

This is yet another dark study of grief, suffering, and loss, which ends with a clever twist and a terrifying personal transformation. LaRocca continues to deliver some of the best horror in the business, always managing to dig under the reader’s skin while taking them to some truly dark and disturbing places.

Back to the Moon

 

CATHEDRAL OF THE DROWNED by Nathan Ballingrud (to be released 10/21/25 by Tor Nightfire / 144 pages)

This second novella in Ballingrud’s Lunar Gothic Trilogy picks up right after the bizarre events of CRYPT OF THE MOON SPIDER, as Dr. Cull joins forces with a brutal woman gangster named Maggie. She brings some intense violence to this surreal take on monsters, the mob, and the strangest substance in the universe.

Taking place between one of Jupiter’s moons, Earth’s moon, and Brooklyn in the early 1920s, we follow characters from the first novella albeit in altered forms, which adds to the series’ overall weirdness. Charlie/Grub’s dual personality is highlighted, which comes to a head in the thrilling, brilliantly written (and lengthy) sixth chapter. The Irish vs. Sicilian mob story briefly pulls readers back into reality, but things here are never fully what they seem.

There are a lot of things happening here, so new comers are urged to read the first installment before venturing into this trippy, grotesque, multi-genre series. The finale here is as horrifying as it gets, yet oddly beautiful, and the descriptions of alien-like creatures will fuel nightmares.

The final chapter can’t get here fast enough.

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble…

 

COCKFIGHT: A FABLE OF FAILURE by Kier-La Janisse (2025 Fab Press / 296 pages)

For her latest deep dive into cinematic obscurity, Janisse (HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN) not only spent time with director Monte Hellman, but also several years attending a brutal (now illegal) sport in person, bringing COCKFIGHT: A FABLE OF FAILURE to a whole new level of monographic ingenuity.

After an early 2000s viewing, COCKFIGHTER (1974) sunk its spurs into the author and set her on a mission to dissect this controversial and (initially) poorly received film (the director himself is not even a fan). Before I finished reading the first chapter, a look at the 1962 novel by Charles Willeford which the film is based on, I was inspired to get a copy. After scoring a 1974 movie tie-in edition, I went back into COCKFIGHT and was continually amazed at the level of research and exposition on display in each chapter. From personal experiences to the strangest mined-nugget of detail, Janisse leaves nothing unturned in her quest to bring not only the film, but the meaning of the sport itself into understanding.

With a great look at star Warren Oates as well as the women of the film, an interview with the legendary Roger Corman (and others from the cast and crew), details about its release, premiere, and legacy, COCKFIGHT once again displays Janisse’s skill in creating interest (and importance) around a film most may have never heard of. You get the feeling this book doubles as the author’s own sparring match with the reader in getting them to want to watch (or reassess) this now cult-status 70s gem. I know I’ll be revisiting the film as soon as I finish Willeford’s novel.

Fab Press has presented this work in its second edition (the first was a limited run in 2024 from the author’s own press) on high quality glossy paper, full of eye-catching graphics (my only gripe are the footnotes, which are so small I’ll bet those with perfect vision will need to squint). Even if you’ve never seen (or heard of) COCKFIGHTER, this book is must reading for those interested in film commentary of the highest order.

(Available from FAB PRESS now and on Amazon July, 2025)