Bob Pastorella

Author's posts

American Horror Story: Roanoke, Chapter 8: Blood and OxyContin

AHS Season 6 - promo

The bloodbath has begun. With just ten episodes total and only three to go, there’s a lot of shit to wrap up. A lot of people who had better show up as ghosts. A lot of people whose skulls are still in need of cleaving (the disclaimer that “everyone died, we found this stuff” has …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/american-horror-story-roanoke-chapter-8-blood-and-oxycontin/

Book Review: The Parts We Play by Stephen Volk

The Parts We Play - Stephen Volk - cover

“Stephen Volk is gradually earning the label as a master of the British horror short form. If ‘Monsters in the Heart’ gave us a glimpse of this excellence, then ‘The Parts We Play’ has blown the screen door wide open.” There seems little left to add about the quality of writing Stephen Volk has produced …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/book-review-the-parts-we-play-by-stephen-volk/

Book Review: Savages by Greg F. Gifune

Savages - Greg F. Gifune - cover

“Gifune rockets you through the book at runaway freight train speeds and you’ll find yourself at the end of this shockingly brutal tale long before you expect to be there.” With more than twelve novels, several screenplays, and two short story collections under his belt, Greg F. Gifune is arguably one of the most prolific …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/book-review-savages-by-greg-f-gifune/

Book Review: An Ideal Retreat by Michael Griffin

An Ideal Retreat -Michael Griffin - cover

“Griffin’s command of language is clear: his prose is exquisite, his descriptions divine.”   An accomplished and renowned author of Weird Horror, it is clear to see that Michael Griffin is going places. With short stories in Black Static, Apex and Strange Aeons to his name, as well as stories in the Shirley Jackson Award-nominated …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/book-review-an-ideal-retreat-by-michael-griffin/

AHS: Roanoke Chapter 7: Happy Late Halloween!

AHS - Roanoke Murder

As I’m typing this, Halloween has not yet plastered me in Karo syrup mixed with food coloring, or glitter, but by the time you read this I should be crying and still trying to wash the sticky, sparkly Halloween goodness out of my hair while praying to the Tooth Fairy that my teeth survived the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/ahs-roanoke-chapter-7-happy-late-halloween/

Book Review: The Madness of Dr. Caligari, edited by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr.

The Madness of Dr. Caligari - cover

“A collection of some of the best writers in horror expressing their own takes on the story of the somnambules, hypnosis, and the darkness within our own minds.” ‘A Twisted World of Madness’ by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. is an introduction to the insanity in store for the reader, or is it more of a …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/the-madness-of-dr-caligari-edited-by-joseph-s-pulver-sr/

The Devil is in the Details: Halloween Parties from a Horror Writer’s Perspective

Halloween Pumpkins - wallpaper

It’s that time of the year again when the breezes begin to cool, the leaves make the trees look as though they’ve caught fire, and everywhere you go you smell the scents of cinnamon and apple candles. For many people, it’s time for a Halloween party, which does take a little planning. There are a …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/the-devil-is-in-the-details-halloween-parties-from-a-horror-writers-perspective/

Book Review: Yeti. Tiger. Dragon. by Daniel Braum

Tiger. Yeti. Dragon. by Daniel Braum - cover

“This is the kind of well-crafted character-driven storytelling that is serving, and will continue to serve, Daniel Braum well as he continues to make a name for himself in the genre.” Daniel Braum’s short stories run the full spectrum of speculative fiction, from horror to science-fiction to fantasy and blends of two or more of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/book-review-yeti-tiger-dragon-by-daniel-braum/

AHS: Ch6 Return to Roanoke: Three Days in Hell (A.K.A. Yes I Know I Said Evan Peters Fifty Times and I’m Comfortable With That)

Return to Roanoke

We are now fifteen minutes and counting from the script-flip super major mid-season twist that Ryan Murphy won’t shut up about! I think he spent so much energy on the Fight Club rules premiere that he just can’t help himself: “Now everything will be different but have the same cast!” “Finn Wittrock is going to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/ahs-ch6-return-to-roanoke-three-days-in-hell-a-k-a-yes-i-know-i-said-evan-peters-fifty-times-and-im-comfortable-with-that/

Book Review: Muscadines by S.P. Miskowski

Muscadines - SP Miskowski

“Its Southern Gothic aesthetic is filled with allusion, and with suggestion, allowing for a measure of interpretation. And yet where it defines its darker aspects, it does so with both restraint and power.” Muscadines are a type of grape, native to the south-eastern and south-central regions of America, and are also often used in the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/book-review-muscadines-by-s-p-miskowski/