Petrified Bystanders

It was raining violently outside; piercing through leaves and even making some smaller trees go bare faster than usual in the fall. The small backwoods town of South Creek was known for its rain, but this storm was peculiar. It had never rained so hard on the small town in recent memory, but little known to the residents, this storm was not a normal storm. Something was about to happen in South Creek that hadn’t happened in nearly 2 centuries. A medium sized old man, by the name of Harold Barton, known for taking his nighttime strolls on a nearby trail in the woods just behind the town; was on his daily ritual.

Harold was an odd man, he loved long walks only when it was raining outside, but not light rain; it had to be heavy rain. While on his walks, he’d go for about 3 miles and reach a small clearing, sit on a stump in the center of it, and stay there anywhere from minutes to hours. Abruptly he would get up, turn around, and head back. Many of the town’s inhabitants throughout the years have noticed this bizarre behavior, but never thought much of it.

It was mid-June 1990. This particular night, Harold was extra enthralled about this storm; he had never seen it rain so hard in his life. He savored the distinctive feeling of water rushing down his clothed body as he walked. About half an hour passed and he reached the clearing. He sat down upon the lone stump, still enjoying the rain. The clearing had never seemed to emit so much energy. Not like this night, and Harold had never heard the voices so clearly.

–

Above is an excerpt from my short story I’ve been working on/off since 2013. It’s completed and around 22 typed pages, but it has a really complex plot for how short it is. I’m currently in the editing process with it still. The story is entitled ‘The Clearing’. This portion is part of the prologue, and it’s the first time I’ve publicly published any part of it.Let me know what you think in the comments below!

~J. A. Ross

Halloween

On October 31, 2015 By Rossj781In blog, Halloween, horror, poem, poems, poetry, tankaLeave a comment

Full moon has risen;

werewolves howl, witches cackle;

skeletons rattling;

ghosts floating amongst their graves;

All Hallows Eve has arrived.

My Top 10 Favorite Horror Films

On October 31, 2015November 1, 2015 By Rossj781In article, awesome, creepy, entertainment, Halloween, horror, humor, writingLeave a comment

Here they are, and not in any particular order as I love them all in their own way! *some possible spoilers.

The Shining

“Here’s Johnny!” Cries Jack as he peers through the damaged bathroom door. How could you not love Stanley Kubrick’s adaption of the Steven King novel about a family staying the winter in the Overlook Hotel. Though it has several differences from the book (a roque mallet is used instead of an ax, and there isn’t a maze for instance), Kubrick made an absolute masterpiece with this 2.5 hour flick made even better by Nicholson’s devious performance!

Evil Dead -1981

Sam Raimi’s 1981 cult classic has to be on this list! There’s no exceptions to this one. It sounds basic enough at first; just 5 friends visiting a cabin in the woods for some fun, when boom! One of them read from a cursed Book of the Dead and all hell breaks loose! As eerie as this film is, it can also be devilishly hilarious as Ash fights to save the day, and take care of of this unspoken evil.

The Hills Have Eyes -2006

A family going through the desert on a little road trip, what could go wrong? How about mutants that sabotage your vehicle leaving you stranded in said desert; that’s exactly what happens! From the moment of the incident to the merciless ending, this movie will certainly mess up the weak willed, and make you grimace as the mutants claim their victims.

Halloween -1978

John Carpenter introduces the undying Micheal Meyer’s in the film that gave us this murderous legend. I even got a picture of him hanging in my living room (big fan of course!). We’re now at a time where most older horror films don’t seem to have the same terrifying effect as the once had; with all the new technology that has encompassed today’s films. But this movie can still catch you off guard, and still can make your heart rate rise with it’s intensity. Also, if you see a tombstone saying Judith Meyers in you bedroom, you might want to get the hell out of there!

The Mist

Of course I’ll have more than one Stephen King horror film on this list. The guy is a master of horror! We have a father and son go to the grocery store to pick up a few things after making it through a violent storm the previous evening, while the mother waits at home. Well out of nowhere a thick and very dangerous mist surrounds the town, and those two, along with the rest of the store find themselves trapped. Soon monsters and people in the market alike, wreck havoc and all sorts of crazy shit goes down. The movie is also infamous for it’s much more shocking ending than what the book offered. Even King himself wishes he had it as the original ending for the book.

Evil Dead -2013

In this, in many ways, alternate take on the original classic will make you shudder and shake in your seat as this grisly modern horror classic giving us a much darker and brutal view of what the deadites truly are. The element of humor is near void, but many original themes, and scenes from the original are remade. This film does star a female (Mia) as our hero, as opposed to first film. This is easily one of the most tense horror films in recent years and from start to an ending that rains blood (literally!).

Sinister

An author moves into a home of murder victims in this creative horror film. He finds a box of snuff tapes in his attic and then the fun starts. He watches in horror as he watches a family getting hanged on the tree in his back yard, a family getting drowned, throats slashed, you name it. He then discovers Baghul, a menacing demon who enjoys possesses children and causes all sorts of ruthless hi-jinks! Not to mention it’s just so goddamned creepy!

The Exorcist

Watch Linda Blair’s iconic character become a head turning, backwards walking up stairs, possessed extortionist. I’ve actually had the chance to meet her in person and she was a kind lady, and just talking to her it was hard to believe it was the same person! Even though I’m not a religious fellow, this movies still makes my top 10 horror film. For the early 70’s, this film is purely badass simply put. Paramedics were even present at some theaters due to people fainting. Watch as we see demon filled Regan battle it out with two priests.

30 Days Of Night

Screw Twilight and all those other pansy vampire movies! This one re-invented it with these swift and merciless vampires that turn a small Alaskan town into their own personal human cattle farm. Not only do they have superhuman strength, they also have a mouth full of sharp teeth. They use them to tear out their prey’s entire throat to get their bloody fill. The days of two puncture holes on the neck are over. From start to end this movie will have you on the edge of your seat, and possibly rooting for… the vampires!

Scream

Drew Barrymore may only be in this film for right around 10 minutes, but it is definitely one of the most iconic performances of 90’s horror films as she talks on the phone with the murderer, who taunts and ultimate sends her to her untimely The town of Woodsboro gets sucked back into the nightmare as two murders occur on the one year anniversary of Sydney Prescott’s mother being murdered. The film ingeniously blends horror, and comedy making it a thrill ride horror flick with a lighter side. There’s also a great twist ending for any unsuspected first time viewers.

And there you have it! My top ten favorite horror movies. Even though these are the cream of the crop for me, there are many others I wish I could’ve added on here. Perhaps a part 2 will be made soon? Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite horror flick in the comments section!