Tuesday 31 December 2019

The Rotting Zombie's Round-up of Horror News for December - Final Post of the Year


December is often a quiet time for horror and this year was no exception. The sole cinema horror film was Black Christmas which I actually never got around to watching. By all accounts I didn't miss much but I wish I had bothered to see it. It's the end of another year and this blog keeps on moving forward. I have recently split my site index into two halves, as always this can be found at the top right hand side of my blog. My never ending quest to go through my old posts and correct spelling and grammar, replace broken image links, and link to other posts is ever ongoing (not even past 'A' yet so a lot to do). I just need to win the lottery basically, so that I can quit my bill paying job and do this full time!

A quick look at my to-do list and apart from my embarrassing list of eBooks waiting to be read for people (some dating back 7 years) it isn't too bad. There is a podcast to be listened to for review, though I am waiting until every episode is out before doing that. On the film front I have a couple due for reviews in January, and waiting to hear back on a few more. In the world of TV I have quite a few shows that I need to get around to watching, everything from Fear the Walking Dead to the final season of Ash vs Evil Dead and Z Nation. Then with video games I have lots of horror games I started many years back but never got to a point where I could review them. Ones such as Dead Rising 2, Outlast 2 and Five Nights at Freddy's VR: Help Wanted. Also with video games I still have yet to play the DLC for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Fallout 4 and Layers of Fear. With physical books I have literal drawers full of horror books collected over the years from second hand bookshops and so maybe I will get around to reading some of those in 2020.

One last thing before getting onto the news, my 'bests' of the year. Now these are based on media that has been released this year, not ones that I have only experienced for the first time this year:

Best Horror Video Game - Blasphemous
Best Horror Film - Shed
Best Horror Novel - Cannibal Nuns from Outer Space! (Tik in very close second)
Best Horror TV Series - Stranger Things: Season 3

British horror novelist Shaun Hutson has a new book out called Testament. This is a direct sequel to Renegades and takes place thirty years later. Sean Doyle is working as an advisor in Iraq when he learns his old nemesis, David Callahan has returned to life, and he is not the only one to mysteriously be resurrected. The novel is published by Caffeine Nights and is £20.oo in hardback.

Music group Psychostick have done a parody cover of Rob Zombie's Dragula that they have titled Zombie Claus. The comedy metal quartet have changed the lyrics to include nods to traditional Christmas literature and music. After watching it for myself I have to admit it is pretty hilarious.



Emo/post-hardcore quintet When I Say Jump have released a new music video of their latest single King of Thessaly. This video, that was produced and directed by Jaiden Frost is about a cannibal cult that lures its victims in with promises of wealth. The band are currently working on their sophomore record.



Captured is due for release on 1st January 2020. I have previously mentioned this before, but to recap this is about a weekend getaway to shoot a music video that turns into a nightmare when an obsessed escaped convict targets the female leader of the rock band. It stars Kirsten Prout (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse), Brittany Curran (13 Going on 30) and Jasper Cole (Westworld, American Horror Story).



Small Town Monsters have released a trailer for their new miniseries On the Trail of UFOs which is set to take an in depth look at America's relationship with the subject, and is hosted by Shannon Legro and features Seth Breedlove. This series will include Area 51, and filming locations include New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.



The final news of the year, and indeed the decade is that horror anthology An Hour to Kill is now available on DVD thanks to Alpha Video. I said of this film in my review last year that it "worked pretty well".

And that is it for 2019, I hope everyone reading this has a great 2020 full of horror and mayhem (in the fictional sense). See you on the flip-side.

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