"Creeping Shadows"
by Alan Draven, Brandon Ford and Jessica Lynne Gardner
CREEPING SHADOWS is a smart idea. Here we have three writers who have combined their individual novellas into one book, making it a better buy for the reader and combining their talents to support each other.
Still as a reviewer, I had to approach them separately. A blanket statement would be that all three writers are worthy of being published here and the novellas are well-written. But their stories are so different it would be unfair to throw them into one community blurb.
Draven begins the book with his novella ‘Vengeance is Mine.’ It’s about Jack the Ripper and while it’s historically accurate with the accepted liberties, the subject matter is also its biggest flaw. There are literally hundreds of books, articles, documentaries and movies about the world’s most infamous serial killer. It takes daring to tackle this saturated topic because of the intense pressure to bring something new to the table. And although Draven has a twist, it’s not strong enough to warrant a full novella.
If you don’t have a clue about the facts behind Jack the Ripper, you’ll enjoy this. It’s sharp and descriptive. But if you do happen to know any details about the Whitechapel murders, you’ll be robbed of any suspense. The murder victims have been public knowledge for over 100 years. And Draven tells you who he thinks the Ripper is in the first paragraph. Because he brings nothing new to the mystery or provides any character insight as to why his Ripper does what he does other than the obvious, it’s unfortunately easy to skip pages to seek out Draven’s one original spin.
I would love to see what Draven’s talents could do with a story that’s not so overdone.
Same goes for the next novella, ‘Merciless’ by Brandon Ford. This is a tough one to review. There is no denying Ford is a writer to keep an eye on. His words flow smoothly, his characters are powerfully three dimensional and he captures a reader. But again, it comes down to subject matter. His novella is about the brutal beating and raping of two teenage girls. It is not a part of the story. It is the story. Yes, there is a message of survival and the bond the girls are forced to share but overall it is simply abusive. I won’t get on my soap box too much other than to say I personally don’t understand why anyone would deem this an entertaining way to devote a few hours. Again, I fully acknowledge there are some who enjoy graphic rape as horror and there’s no denying it’s a frightening and very realistic one. But it’s not something I can endorse.
I can only say I will definitely pick up future Brandon Ford stories from now on. I simply disagree with his choice of subject matter here.
That leaves Jessica Lynne Gardner. Unlike her partners, her story ‘Sugar Skull’ is fresh and creative. I don’t think she is as polished as Draven or Ford but the talent is there.
I enjoy how Draven continues to put together books that are left of center in their packaging and CREEPING SHADOWS is a worthy follow up to his 2008 anthology SINISTER LANDSCAPES. My difference of opinion with some of the story subjects here are my own. But I can definitely say these works are among the best these three writers have ever done. You won’t be disappointed at all on that account.
Mutants
Directed by: David Morley
Starring: Helene de Fougerolles, Francis Renaud, Dida Diafat, Marie-Sohna Conde, Nicolas Briancon, Luz Mandon, Driss Ramdi, Gregory Givernaud, and Justine Bruneau de la Salle
First: "You have to clean and disinfect. Now."
Second: "The virus does not spread well."
Third: "Some cannibals attacked us and we fled as children."
It's a zombie movie! Whee hoo, what a surprise, yes? Hehee.
So, I enjoyed this movie. There is lots of action and moving drama. This was done very indie, very low key, and very well. The story is pretty simple, a case of survival in a remote area when the zombie apocalypse breaks out. Very powerful, raw and full of emotion, these characters jump out at you and wanna bite ya.
Off the top, I've heard and would agree, that a lot of parallels will be drawn between this flick and the 28 Days movies. Justifiably, there is a lot of the same level of gritty, in your face action, dramatic intrigue that can keep your attention front and centre. Like in 28 Days, the zombies are infected as opposed to walking dead; but, hey, all's fair in zombie and monsters, yes?
Yes, it's a French movie. Yes, I didn't (and still don't) recognize any of the actors involved in the movie. Get over it! Hehahaha. (If you don't know me by now, you'll soon come to realize that I think some of the best horror comes from outside of the
The opening premise of the movie starts strong, starts quick, and without much preamble. Right at the beginning, it is ON! Survival is a question of how much can you do to escape, to find a good location, or, better yet, how do you get to the military base? The virus has broken out in remote mountainous areas. Those few who survive the initial onslaught, have but one hope: Get to the base, where the military guys can take charge of things.
PS: The opening scene is brutal! But well done.
Thus, then, there, that is where the fun begins. The whole story revolves around Sonia's attempt to get to the safety promised by the mysterious base. We find Sonia and friends trying to get away from the problems of the events happening, and they get into trouble, meet some people, meet some mutant zombies, some people die, some zombies die, snow gets moved around and then we have the military guys! Hoo rah! (Minus the hoo rah. Insert appropriate smiley face here!)
There are some issues that I had with the movie in this regard, of how suddenly parts of the story puzzle just show up, without any explanation. Things like, how does an ambulance driver know that the base is there? The fact that Sonia is suddenly, you know? It was a small handful of plot points that (probably) have better bits to explain themselves. They're not hard to guess, but you have to kind of be really thinking with the old bug brain to connect a couple of things.
The other thing that bugged me was the occasional shock effects and shaky camera activity. They were pretty much predictable and unnecessary (at least in my opinion.)
Other than those two things, I enjoyed the movie. I laughed, I cried (not really), I rooted for the, you know, the "good guys". Heha! Some really cool shots and gory visuals, too. Oh, and the dubbing is amusing at times.
I recommend this to anyone who's looking for a good, indie level grit filled zombie much like 28 Days. It's worth watching.
REVIEW BY ZOMBIE ZAK
I have always found
The main character Jack is not a guy who has a red carpet laid out before him in life but he does have something that means everything to him- his girlfriend Gina. And that makes him the luckiest guy in the world. That is until the morning he goes out to grab them some quick food and returns to find Gina missing. The normal questions go through his head but his worst nightmare is confirmed when he gets the phone call. Gina has been abducted. And the kidnapper wants to play a game. He’s going to torture her until Jack can find them. Vague clues are given and the clock starts ticking.
The story is emotional and sucks you under as you dread each new phone call and every new riddle right along with Jack. Prunty mixes in madness that very slowly (and wisely) takes the reader into a world that can’t possibly exist. Due to his skill, Prunty never loses us. Our heads spin and we get to grab onto the same anchors of reality that Jack finds along the way. It is a full fledged trip down the Rabbit Hole and the only thing the reader can care about is finding Gina in time.
That’s a testament to Prunty’s writing. No matter how far out there he takes us in his warped imagination, he ties us to the pure fear that Jack may lose Gina forever. It forces you to truly think about whatever levels of hell you’d go through to save the one you love. Your spouse. Your kids. The crazier a picture Prunty paints, the more you become rooted in the only quest that matters.
The other thing that Prunty does is he keeps his sentences simple. Direct. He doesn’t overload you with extra descriptive words to punch the images or intensity home. He lets his story do it on its own. This formula sets up an amazing pace that builds and builds as the chapters fly by.
JACK & MR. GRIN is a very simplistic story wrapped in a limitless imagination. It’s insane but all the pieces fit together perfectly (Call it ‘Controlled Insanity’ if you need a label). When I finished this book, I couldn’t help but think that Rod Serling would have loved to have scooped up Prunty for his stable of Twilight Zone writers.
I found that much like many of the writers I enjoy, it is unfair to slap a label or category on Prunty. I know the Bizarro patriots will scream that he belongs to them but I’m afraid they must share. Every dark fiction horror thriller collection should have JACK & MR. GRIN on its shelf.