A New Bram Stoker Awards® Category: Superior Achievement in a Middle Grade Novel
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) is proud to announce the addition of a brand new category in the Bram Stoker Awards®: Superior Achievement in a Middle Grade Novel.
For purposes of this Award, Middle Grade novels are defined as novels (see clause IVe) intended for the age group 8-13 with word length beginning at 25,000 words. A Middle Grade novel that is deemed to be a ‘First Novel’ according to Rule IVf may qualify for consideration in the ‘First Novel’ category (see Rule IVr) if the author insists in writing that the work be considered for ‘First Novel’ rather than ‘Middle Grade' novel; otherwise, said novel will remain in the ‘Middle Grade’ novel category. The work may not be considered for both the ‘First Novel’ and ‘Middle Grade’ novel categories concurrently.
Clause IVe defines a Novel in general as a work of prose fiction. It may be illustrated or include symbols or representations other than printed letters but the essential character of the must be prose. Non-linear texts or hypertext novels may qualify if and only if the central narrative—the shortest prose telling of the complete story, beginning to end—by itself, without commentary, footnotes, alternate paths, or other optional adjuncts meets the required word count.
Works published in 2022 will be the first year eligible for the award and will be presented at the Bram Stoker Awards ceremony in 2023.
The Board of Trustees is delighted to add this category to the Bram Stoker Awards®.
For any additional questions, please email: stokerchair@horror.org
‘Out Of The Shadows,’ A Charity Anthology Featuring Horror Icons And PopHorror Writers, Was Released on December 17th
Monster Dugan December 15, 2021
Out of the Shadows is a charity anthology benefitting Mulligan’s Manor, an independent, non-profit home that lovingly embraces its young, at-risk, LGBTQ+ residents that have been abused, neglected, or displaced. Offering hope, guidance, education, and structure is just the beginning of what Mulligan’s Manor offers these kids and why they are the benefactor of this heartfelt collection.
Out of the Shadows contains drabbles (100-word stories) from some of the most talented actors, writers, film directors, and producers in the horror community, including Nicholas Vince (Hellraiser), Debbie Rochon (Killer Rack 2015 – our review), Cortney Palm (Zombeavers 2014 – our review), Adam Marcus (Jason Goes to Hell 1993 – our retro review), Billy “Bloody Bill” Pon (Circus of the Dead 2014 – our review), Richard Rowntree (Dogged 2018 – our review), Zane Hershberger (13 Slays Till X-Mas 2020 – our review), Charles Chudabala (The Gateway – our review) and many more. Some of the PopHorror writers have even gotten involved. The book’s introduction was written by Danni Winn, who also contributed stories. There are also tales from Tori Danielle Romero, Danni Winn, Kenn Hoekstra, Donovan ‘Monster’ Smith, Tracy Allen, and Joe Graciano.
See more HERE
TEN THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT THE MOVIE PHANTASM!
10. The alien dwarves bear a strong resemblance to the Jawas of Star Wars, but the design for the dwarves was already completed before Star Wars was released.
9. A significant deleted subplot involved the character of Jody working in the family bank after he had inherited the job from his father, his clashes with the stuffy manager, and had a bigger role for his girlfriend, played by Susan Harper, who was one of the tellers.
8. In the scene before the funeral, when Jody is confronted by The Tall Man for the first time, Bill Thornbury proved to be nearly as tall as Angus Scrimm, so Scrimm had to perform the scene standing on an apple crate
7. The idea to create the film came about when Reggie Bannister approached Don Coscarelli with the idea to adapt Ray Bradbury’s novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes, which was to star Michael Baldwin. However, the two learned that very week that Bradbury had sold the novel’s rights to Disney, and so Coscarelli sought an idea for a similar type of project.
6. There are several references to Frank Herbert’s Dune, including a bar named “Dune” and a scene where Mike is forced to insert his hand into a black box that inflicts pain as part of a test.
5. The 1971 Plymouth Barracuda was chosen because Don Coscarelli remembered a guy in high school had one, and was a little envious of him. A Barracuda was made to look like the Hemi ‘Cuda. Though in one scene you can see the designation of 440-6 on the hood. Indicating the car had a 440, with a “six pack” (3 two-barrel carburetors).Bill Thornbury then took the car to a friend of his and had it custom striped so it felt like it was really his car. The true purpose of the car was so the brothers Mike and Jody could have a means of bonding. In fact, Michael Baldwin learned to drive in that car, he was only 14 at the time. After the movie was finished, the car was sold, and to this day nobody is sure what really happened to it
4. The “ball” scenes were simple special effects. The sphere was thrown from behind the camera by a baseball pitcher and then the shot was printed in reverse. The ball attaching itself to the man’s head was filmed by sticking it on his head, then pulling it off, and printing the shot in reverse.
3. Although being very tall, standing at 6 feet 4 inches, Angus Scrimm wore suits several sizes smaller and boots with lifts inside that added 3 inches to his height.
2. Don Coscarelli took the title “Phantasm” from the works of Edgar Allan Poe. It is a term frequently used by Poe in his writing
1. This film’s original running time was more than three hours, but writer/ director Don Coscarelli decided that that was far too long for it to hold people’s attention and made numerous cuts to the film. Some of the unused footage was located in the late 1990s and became the framework for Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998). The rest of the footage is believed to be lost.
Horror films are highlighting human rights abuses in Latin America
La Llorona. La Casa de Producción
Drawn in by the supernatural story and the promise of horror and fantasy, Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and The Devil’s Backbone (2001) by Guillermo del Toro brought an awareness of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) to an international audience.
Pan’s Labyrinth taught audiences about the horrors of the human rights abuses committed by the Francoist forces in the 1940s. These abuses were personified through the monstrous fascist, Captain Vidal, and his otherworldly alter ego, the Pale Man. Fairies, a faun and a magical underground kingdom co-exist with the harsh realities of post-civil war Spain. Such fantasy elements successfully drew in audiences who may have had little interest in Spanish history.
Del Toro’s genre-bending and -blending approach to filmmaking allows him to reach a large and varied audience while also providing sharp social and historical commentary on Spain’s fraught past.
Despite their Spanish setting, the Mexican director’s Spanish language films have influenced a swathe of recent Latin American movies that combine realism, fantasy and the supernatural to reach wider global audiences and shine a light on social ills and human rights abuses.
Two such films, showcased on the horror streaming platform Shudder, are Tigers are Not Afraid by the Mexican director Issa López and La Llorona (The Crying Woman) by Guatemala’s Jayro Bustamante. Both films point to a growing genre of Latin American supernatural and magical realist films which also draw attention to political corruption and human rights abuses.
The real horrors of Mexico
As López has noted, Tigers are Not Afraid wears its influence from Pan's Labyrinth proudly. The film ha won praise from del Toro himself as well as Stephen King and Neil Gaiman. As in Pan’s Labyrinth, the protagonist is a young girl, Estrella (Paola Lara) who joins a band of street children. They, like her, were orphaned by femicides – the intentional killing of women because of their gender – committed by corrupt local politician and drug kingpin, El Chino (Tenoch Huerta), and the assassins working for him, Los Huascas.
The horror trope of vengeful ghosts, in this case those of Estrella’s mother and other murdered women, seeking to entrap and kill those responsible for their deaths are visible nods to del Toro’s ghostly tales The Devil’s Backbone and Crimson Peak.
As with these del Toro films, fantasy and the supernatural collide with the horrors of real life. As López explains:
Horror goes directly into our most intimate, primal emotion, so if you can squeeze your way there you have the audience’s heart and ear. Then you can go into their other fears, the ones they really don’t want to go into, the real ones.
The film uses the supernatural to reveal a neglected aspect of Mexico’s corrupt politics and its connections with drug crime and femicide. This provides a way into Mexico’s reality for international horror movie fans.
See more HERE
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