Please allow me to present:
TOP FIVE GIFTS TO GIVE DURING HALLOWEEN
2013
(In no order)
I've long been a fan of J.D. Wilkes' music. The frontman for both Th' Legendary Shack Shakers and The Dirt Daubers has explored and translated every nuance of Southern music: bluegrass, blues, swamp, country... to name a scant few. Not only is he an accomplished musician, but a filmmaker,
Illustrated by Wilkes himself, the book contains graphic renditions of murder ballads, ghost stories and folklore relating to Western Kentucky, where he lives. He recounts the story of Roderick Ferrell through sheet music accompanying his hit, "Blood on the Bluegrass." Lots of Southern horrors abound!
Wilkes financed Grim Hymns via a successful Kickstarter campaign. Not only did donors receive a copy of the "Kentucky-Fried Folklore" book, but their names were listed inside the cover. The first issue is still available on his website, while supplies last.
We here in the South don't need sparkly vampires or hunky werewolves to scare the hell out of each other. We got plenty things to spook us all twelve months of the year. Out here, things bite. Spiders, black snakes, rattlers... We got crazy people, crazy people that do all sorts of crazy things. We got ghost stories, juju witches, and drunk uncles. We've got plenty to scare us without making our vampires glow in the dark.
Southern Gothic is a genre that rests on the state line separating horror from grotesque. It brings reality and blends it with mysticism. Southern Gothic should scare the hell out of you because it can really happen. I've written about my views on Southern Gothic before.
One excellent gift this Halloween is The Southern Gothic anthology by New Lit Salon Press. Brian Centrone and Jordan M. Scoggins spent the early part of 2013 reading and selecting stories they felt best captured the genre. From the spooky to the surreal, they feature top-notch fiction ranging from Hardy Jones' "Visiting Cormierville" to Zachary Honey's "Her Prince Charming" to "Instrument" by Mark Pritchard. Original art by Nathan Mark Phillips raises the bar, making it perfect for any coffee table.
Oh... and my short fiction piece "Them Riders," which is a horror update on Robert Penn Warren's first novel, Night Rider.
It's available in both e-formats and print and would make the perfect October gift.
I've written before about my adoration for Khalid Patel's prose in his debut novel, Hollow Shotguns. "Dr. Craine's Body" recalls the best of Edgar Allan Poe's fiction. "Red," a skillful update of a children's tale, leads us into Riverstones City, a crime-ridden Gotham. Patel recently edited work from an outside author with "June in July," a taut, tense stroy from Hunter Heath.
Since the release of that horror classic, he's gone on to produce several short novellas in the gothic tradition that bridge the gap between horror and literary.
Patel represents a new age in fiction. He examines traditional fiction and turns it on its head with technology and innovation. His voice is one that will be heard for a long time.
In Tucson, Arizona, you can have Halloween all year long, thanks to The Mission Creeps. While previous generations got The Misfits, The Cramps, and The Meteors, we have our own inductees to the horror rock Hall of Fame walking among us. Their first album, In Sickness and Health combined horror noir and blues riffs with twisted lyrics and wicked bass. They followed up with Dark Cells which offers what Ennio Morricone may have sounded like if he liked scaring the shit out of people. Last year's Halloween gives us creepy music for any haunted house.
But their latest release, Midnight Blood, is where it's at. Their ballad to "Johnny Cash" makes you miss the original Man In Black. The biting satire in "Can't Find Any Brains" actually makes you feel sorry for the flesh-eating undead. And "She's My Witch" updates the old Kip Tyler classic. You can't go wrong with this album, so buy it today and stick it in a loved one's stocking Jack-O-Lantern.
We all know foodies, don't we? They order the best wine, know everything about food and constantly pine for more bacon. Nothing scares me more than a table full of foodies because I have no doubt they wonder what kind of wine goes best with my flesh and meat.
How long would they let my bones simmer in the pot to get the best stock?
Which organ would they pair with stone-ground grits?
Would they certify me organic?
These questions and more are realized in the dark comedy, horror cult classic "Foodie," starring Nick Karner, Tracey Coppedge, Meredith Sause and an uber-talented ensemble cast of hilariously spooky actors.
Released in 2012, it screened in over fifteen film festivals across the country and received top prizes for seven of them (and counting). You've heard about the film, but have you actually seen it? Buy the film today, and let me know how you would prefer to cook a loved one!
Am I missing any awesome Halloween presents? Please let us know what they are in the comments below!
