Issue 1/ January 2015

www.horrorgeeksmagazine.com

Neen
Interview with

UK Gore Model

Plus:

Books, Movies, Editorials,

Interviews, Music
and MORE

Neen
UK

Letter from the Editor:

If you are a fan of all things horror: movies, literature, art, photography, music,
then you are in for a real treat. The first issue of Horror Geeks Magazine is
finally here. With exclusive interviews, captivating editorials, spot on reviews, as
well as a unique and truly needed look into the world of indie horror that is often
forgotten about.
If you want to know what is going on in the dark realm of the horror world, then
allow Horror Geeks Magazine to lead you through our obsession.
Thank you for supporting
HorrorGeeks Magazine,

Jaimie

- Editor In Chief

EDITOR IN CHIEF
Jaimie Duel

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Daniel Duel
Jamie Golson

CONTENTS
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
Neen UK
Izik Bell

16
28

MOVIES
Tusk Review
Babadook Review
Witching & Bitching
Mr. Jones
Revelations (Short Film)

36
38
14
15
26

COPY EDITOR
Veronica Smith

WRITING TALENT &

CONTRIBUTORS
Edward Brock
David Owain Hughes
Rosa McBroom
Sebastyan Smith
Dan Dillard
D.F. Noble
William Belyeu

SPECIAL THANKS
Neen Hunter
Izik Bell
Horror Geeks Magazine is a Horror Geeks
Magazine publication. All photography in
the magazine is held by the individual
photographer or license holder concerned.
All rights reserved. You may not copy,
reproduce, distribute, publish, modify,
plagiarize, transmit, or exploit any of the
materials in this
publication.

MUSIC
Slipknot
Butcher Babies

24
25

BOOKS
Beer Run of the Dead
Walled In
Crawlspace
Hounds of the Lord
Orphans
Barrys Walk

8
9
20
20
21
21

EDITORIALS
Zombies: An Epidemic
Remakes
Cult Classics

10
22
39

CREEPING CRAWLING CINEMA

Prologue
Them(1954)

32
33

HORROR GEEK TOP 5

Horror Comedies
Classics

6
40

Horror Geeks Top 5

Horror Comedies

Written by: Jaimie Duel

Horror Comedies used to be the outcast of the horror genre. I can only assume it started with the mass
of bad horror movies that were so cheesy that they couldnt be taken seriously and needed a home.
Eventually it seems the industry took advantage of the ability to mix humor in with a dark premise and then
after a few drinks and some *wink wink* the true Horror Comedy genre was born. We love horror
comedies, they mix black comedy, sarcasm, satire, and demented subjects together. Its beautiful.
Here are Horror Geeks Magazine's top 5 picks for favorite Horror Comedies:

1. Army of Darkness(1992)
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert
A man named Ash (Bruce Campbell) is accidentally transported to
1300 A.D., where he must battle an army of the dead and retrieve
the Necronomicon so he can return home. This film is cheesy and
funny in all of the right ways. To watch a man who is completely
out of his time, have to figure out how to navigate through a land
where the primitive people have never even seen a gun aka BOOM
STICK, is truly hilarious. His survival and elevation to bad ass
mo-fo is entirely based on the fact that he has the knowledge of the
future that the primitives do not.

2. Shaun of the Dead(2004)

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are geniuses, period. Every movie they
have made has been entirely enjoyable. Shaun of the Dead is about
Shaun (Simon Peg) and Ed (Nick Frost) and how their mundane lives
suddenly become adventurous and dangerous due to the zombie
apocalypse. Shaun is constantly battling with those around him in his
day to day life regarding his monotony and uninspired pace and it
seems it is no different surrounded by zombies as he plans to take
car, go to Mums, kill Phil, grab Liz, go to the Winchester, have a
nice cold pint, and wait for it all to blow over.

Horror Geeks Top 5

3. Zombieland(2009)
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma
Stone, Abigail Breslin
Zombieland is set in America, post zombie outbreak and
centers on Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody
Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail
Breslin) who through survival, go on a journey together to find
their humanity in each other. There are ups, downs, a high
zombie kill count, and a very funny Bill Murray cameo with
full nod to classic Ghostbusters. What isn't there to love?

4.Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Starring: Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson
Killer Klowns from Outer Space is about aliens that invade a small
town. No one takes these aliens seriously, even though they are
capturing and killing the towns people because they look like
clowns. It then comes down to a small group of kids, who realize
the danger, to save the town with their ice cream truck

5. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)

Starring: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden
Two hillbillies (Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk) buy their
dream fixer upper fishing cabin. Unfortunately their bliss
is interrupted by a group of ignorant teenagers who assume they are inbred killers. Ironically the teenagers seem
to keep dying on their property in ways that make Tucker
and Dale look like crazed murderers.

Book Reviews
Written By: Jamie Golson

Beer Run of the Dead

By: D.F. Noble & Arthur Graham

black comedy zombie apocalypse

tale that has you belly laughing one
moment then packs a punch with shock
and gore at the very next.

Beer Run of The Dead is a black comedy zombie

apocalypse tale that has you belly laughing one
moment then packs a punch with shock and gore
at the very next. D.F Noble paints the proverbial
picture of the end of the world through the eyes of
the ultimate nerd and two beer guzzling tools who
band together to ultimately save the world. D.F is
perverse as well as vulgar however this is not your
run of the mill hard knock life- misery- end of
days story. I for one could not put this book
down! It screams feature film worthy of cult
classic status with one liners that just wont stop
until the last drop.
The story follows Kip, the definition of nerdom,
who woke up on the day the world ended, in little
town in Illinois. Hes worried about zits and
dungeon and dragons or winning the attention of
the hot girl, not battling zombies. After
discovering the way things will be, he battles
through courage to seek refuge and stumbles upon
two beer guzzling douche bags named Rock and
Steady.
Their main thrill in life is to have the ultimate
party, rock star status and to compete on how
many chicks they can nail. The three discover the
solution to saving the world one beer (or five) at a
time.
On one of their necessary beer runs, the three run
into Russ, Beth, and Anne as well as Mr. Nibbles,
Beths purse dog.
The gang of fearless, yet not altogether
companions decide to embark on their journey to
cross the country after partying until the supplies
begin to dwindle. They hope of better resources
and to share their cure of the zombie plague
known as the Lazarus Virus. With the ultimate
prized plan set up by the youngest and most
unlikely hero, Kip formulates this genius escape
route.
Will the three hair-brained heroes make it to save
the world from the demise of zombie take over?
You will have to pick up this book that you wont
put down to see how the party ends!

Book Reviews
Written By: Jaimie Duel
David Owain Hughes describes a scene in a way that
could make a person with a strong stomach cringe.
His latest book Walled In is written in such a way
that the reader can accurately visualize the scene as
the writer has intended them to, including every
graphically gory and unpleasant detail. I enjoyed his
book greatly and appreciate the talent that is required
to invoke such a passionate reader response. He
seems to grasp the forgotten concept of
psychological terror that used to be prevalent in the
genre. Although there is still plenty of gore to suffice
a zombie/infected concept as well, with constant
action, danger, and fear.
Walled In opens to a family who is seemingly safe
from the new dangers of the outside world after just
narrowly escaping death. They have finally found an
abandoned home to claim refuge for the night. Their
sanctuary is cut short though and terror ensues as the
family is confronted with a depraved and murderous
psychopath. A psychopath, that is far too happy that
there are intruders in his home.
Meanwhile, we are introduced to Ollie and Roxie
with their small biker gang that has been fighting the
infected. They happen to stumble upon the same
psychopath and the remaining members of the
tortured family. They then come in contact with Jeff
and Maria who are on a mission of their own, but
chances of survival are much greater if they stick
together.
Jeff has access to a plane, a plane that can fly them
away to the hopefully safe world away from Cardiff
and its surrounding towns. They have no idea at this
point how far the epidemic that the government has
classified as the flu has spread. The flu that turns
its infected into raging homicidal maniacs who crave
human flesh and are smarter than anyone had feared
possible.
They are not only trying to survive a plague, but the
tactical attacks of the undead that have maintained
their ability to use weapons and problem solve. The
following is a story of survival in a world taken over
by the infected, unstable, and depraved that will
leave you constantly rooting for the survival of the
characters that are in a seemingly hopeless situation.

Walled In
By: David Owain Hughes

A STORY OF SURVIVAL IN A WORLD TAKEN

OVER BY THE INFECTED , UNSTABLE , AND
DEPRAVED , THAT WILL LEAVE YOU CONSTANTLY ROOTING FOR SURVIVAL IN A
SEEMINGLY HOPELESS SITUATION

Zombies : An Epidemic
Written by: D.F. Noble
I was infected when I was just seven years old. It was
1991, and it was Halloween. By then, I was a firm fan
of the horror genre, partly because I had a lot of freedom as a kid. I didn't have a whole lot of stipulations
on what I could or couldn't watch and thank the heavens for that, because it led me to that infection. I
loved Freddy, Hellraiser, and even their more humorous friends like Gremlins and Ghostbusters.
I liked all kinds of stuff: nerdy stuff, action stuff, fantasy and sci-fi, but horror?
Horror was the lifeblood, the beacon, THE CATNIP.
So, seven years old (hell, maybe eight years old) and
looking much like the kid from The Christmas Story,
myself and my cousins sat around a TV going over
our spoils from a night of trickery and treats. PBS
was on, and they were showing horror movies.
Something caught my attention and excited me. They
mentioned they'd be showing a remake of Night of
the Living Dead. I'm pretty sure I'd seen the old black
and white one by that point, but... Well it was black
and white, and I was a kid. It just hadn't clicked yet.
But that 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead bit
me, and it bit me hard. I watched that movie hypnotized. No other film up to that point had captured me
so completely. If you would have asked me back then
why it was so enthralling, I would've just told you Because it's cool.
But I've had some years to think about it. What was it
about NOTLD that sent me on a quest to devour
every zombie movie I could

10

get my grubby little hands on, from all of Romero's

flicks to Fulci's? What keeps me coming back to the
genre? Why can't I quit it, when we all know the
zombie thing has not only become over-saturated, but
most of the time just really, really bad?
I have some ideas.

We are still animals

Strip away our civilization, our culture, and

you'll find there is still a beast lurking in our
machinery. That beast rears it's ugly head quite a bit
still- in every robbery, every time a man strikes his
wife or kills another man, in our sports and every
night on the news. We are fine-haired primates of a
sort (The world essentially is Planet of the Apes) and
our history tells us we roamed this earth barely
clothed, at some point without many verbal skills, and
with our prime directive mainly focused on reproduction and consumption.
Some thousands of years ago, our ancestors were not
much different than zombies themselves. Pure instinct
with some higher functions. We had some things going for us, like a larger brain, opposable thumbs, but
like all creatures we are ingrained with a purpose. All
life must feed upon other life, it is at the core of our
being.
Hunger. Insatiable hunger. And this comparison
doesn't make the us of today much different from our
ancestors, or the walking corpses of today's popular
fiction.

(continued.)

We have forgotten that

we are animals

We're pretty lucky these days. We don't have to get

our hands dirty. We no longer really have the need to
hunt and scavenge the wilds for sustenance. I'm sure
you've noticed most of your food comes from grocery
stores, farms and other manufacturers. Those skills, the
early nitty-gritty ones, are slowly disappearing from
most of western culture. Our existence is more built
around social survival skills these days.
Can I keep my job? Do people like me? How do I pay
these bills? Do I look fat in these pants? What if no
one notices I changed my profile picture on
Facebook?!
But our primal self is still alive, and I think this is part
of the allure of the zombie craze.
Why? Because even if it's subliminal, the zombie
mythos proposes a question: Could you survive?
How many times have you sat around with your
friends or family and discussed what you would do in
case of a zombie outbreak? If civilization broke down,
if law and order disappeared, would you have the wit,
the skills, and the determination to make it in a world
where all the safety nets were slit?
The zombie genre inevitably becomes entangled with
Prepping culture and survival tactics. It's like the
whole world is waking to the fact that one day they
just might wake up and flip the switch and the light
won't come on, the faucet won't produce water, the
food in the fridge has all gone bad and you've got a
single can of peas and the streets are full of hungry and
crazed people.
For a lot of folks it's just a nice, dark little fantasy but
there are lots of other people at this very moment
gathering weapons, storing food and getting ready for
this ol' house of cards to fall.
Think about all that stuff you could steal after
everybody is dead. Wooooo boy!
Porsche? Don't mind if I do.

Our existence is more built around social

survival skills these days.
Can I keep my job? Do people like me? How
do I pay these bills? Do I look fat in these
pants? What if no one notices I changed my
profile picture on Facebook?!
But our primal self is still alive, and I think
this is part of the allure of the zombie
craze.

(continued on next page..)

11

(continued)

We are infatuated with

death and more so, the
apocalypse.

Probably not long after civilization began, one of our

grizzly ancestors piped up and said, It's all over,
man! It's all going down!
I've only been alive for thirty years as a human being,
but even as a child, I heard rumors about the end of
the world. And so did my parents, and their parents
and... You get the point. We seem to have a hard time
thinking about our own personal mortality, but the
end of civilization and the world as we know it?
FAIR GAME.
There's something terrifying about it, and something
entrancing too. Maybe because our primal self longs
to return to the wilds and swing from trees, bash other animals about their skulls with a club and eat them
raw. Maybe it's because we're bored, and the dull,
day in and day out routines society has created for us
leaves us wanting

"It's like we're almost

willing something to happen."
C'mon already, Apocalypse... Hurry it up a bit, you
think as you sit in traffic for two hours.
There are times we all get fed up, we get tired of this
world we've constructed. We get tired of milling
about a dead-end job, of mowing the lawn, paying
the bills, the kids, the husband/wife complaining, the

12

in-laws, and all of this on rinse and repeat till sweet

merciful death takes us. Sometimes, we're not much
more than automatons. In a certain light, we're not
that far off from the zombies...
And if we're honest with ourselves, our species is
pretty brutal. As much as we speak out against violence, we kind of secretly enjoy it. At least, most of
us do. We may never raise a hand to another person
our entire life, but do we wish we could sometimes?
Yes. Do you like horror movies, and action movies?
Probably.
If you're reading this magazine, you probably crave
the good ol' blood and gore of movie magic. Seeing
the real stuff, the really, real stuff, may shock you to
the core, but the fictional stuff you love, because in a
way, it feeds that old, snarling beast in you, but it
feeds it through a cage, from a safe distance.
We live vicariously and the zombie genre (and horror
in general) fills up a missing part of you. Sure, horror
movies that include vampires, werewolves and ghosts
and goblins may touch on our fears and tickle our
survival instincts, but a well constructed world,
something like The Walking Dead presents, is a little
bit more believable. It's a somewhat conceivable extension of an already shitty world. The zombies are a
problem, but anybody who really enjoys a show like
the Walking Dead is coming back for the human
characters.
How are they going to survive? How are they going
to deal with it? That's the real draw, because the
Walkers are essentially a backdrop to our character's
problems.
We live vicariously and the zombie genre (and horror
in general) fills up a missing part of you.

(continued)
A good zombie flick includes zombies, but the real
good stuff, the stuff that sticks with us, has great
characters. It's the human drama with all the creature comforts erased. We come back because we
live through those characters, we understand them,
we love them. They are reflections of us, and
through them we get to taste a slice of that primal
pie... from the comfort of our couch of course.
And the zombies... The zombies are the constant
reminder that we are going to die no matter what,
they are the slow death-march of inevitability.
Zombies remind us that we are also the real monsters, and the real problem with the world.

"Humans are scary shit, homey."

So yes, the zombie genre is full to the brim and
bursting, yet The Walking Dead still continues to
be the number 1 show on television. Zombies are
slow to the party, and it took them almost half a
century to get to where they are, but look at them
now. The world is in the midst of a zombie craze,
with no signs of it slowing down. It's too late, the
infection has spread.
And sure, the fervor might die down in a few years,
but I get the feeling we're not dealing with the ol'
slow, shambling Romero zombies with this phenomenon. I get the feeling we're dealing with those
pesky bastards from Return of the Living Dead.
You can chop 'em up, squash 'em, and shoot 'em in
the head

But they're just going to keep on

coming for you, buddy.

Half
page
Ad

Netflix Recommendations
Acting: A+
Special F/X: A
Story: Insanity. Just insanity.
" this goddess comes stomping in, fifty
feet tall and with the biggest pair of
jugs you never wanted to see. And then
theres madness."

Witching & Bitching (2014)

Written by: Dan Dillard
If you havent heard of lex de la Iglesia, slap
yourself. Twice. Get over your fear of subtitles and
get out there and enjoy what other countries are
producing because they are kicking our American
asses when it comes to horror.
A while back, I stumbled upon a film entitled The
Last Circus by this writer/director and was blown
away. Unexpected is a gross understatement. He
puts things on screen in waysthere were things
it lookedId never seen anything like it! It also
introduced me to my newest girlfriend (shhshe
doesnt know this yet), Carolina Bang (who is also
the directors wifeBoo!). apologies to my own
spouse So go watch that one, but we arent here to
talk about that one. Last year, I heard about another
little movie with the title Witching and Bitching.
Great title, right?
I was excitedbut it was directed by lex de la
Iglesia and also starring Carolina Bang, so I freaked
out a little. And last week, thanks to the magic of
Netflix, I didnt have to fly to a foreign country,
blow a wad of cash going to some obscure film
festival in Omaha or gaspwait for
some crappy US remake.
The story (slight spoilers ahead, tread carefully):
A divorcee takes his young son to a robbery. Father
of the year, right? Well, this robbery is special and
involves SpongeBob, Jesus and a plastic army man.
........ No, Im not kidding.

14

4 out of 5

They go into a busy downtown area in their (stolen)

costumes and rob one of those We Buy Gold type
shops. Things go awry, but they get the gold and
make their escape in a hijacked cab.
Plans foiled, these idiots decide to drive to France to
make their getaway and live off the money theyll
make fencing these rings. These men piss and moan
the entire drive (hence the bitching portion of the
title).
Little do they know, they have to drive through a
town named, Zugarramurdi, which is inhabited by
the biggest coven of witches (the witching portion)
youve ever seenand these are some creepy
women.
Waitbank robbers trapped in a secluded location
inhabited by violent, supernatural creatures?
From Dusk Til Dawn, right? Okay, Ill give you
that similarity, but there it ends.
The robbers fall into the clutches of the coven and
whats worse? The little boy turns out to be the
chosen one. Why cant I be the chosen one
Mizzzz Bang plays a young witch withwell call
them issueswho immediately falls in love with
Father of the Year and she sides with the robbers.
The rest of the coven wants the boy so they can
perform a ritual to bring their goddess out of hiding
and take over the world. Women rule! This is where
de la Iglesia shines The ritual works and this
goddess comes stomping in, fifty feet tall and with
the biggest pair of jugs you never wanted to see.
And then theres madness. I cant tell you how it
ends, only that the ride is grand.

Netflix Recommendations
Visuals A+
Audio: BStory: A good twist on the beat to
death cabin-in-the-woods idea
" The ending gets weird, unsettling and
hard to follow, but it was imaginative."

3 out of 5
Written by: Dan Dillard
Not the Richard Gere filmand not the Counting
Crows song. Nope, this is a found footage flick
triple fthat I picked out of the Netflix catalogue
purely on the strength of the cover art (and the fact
that Im home sick from work today). Now, I have
been burned by this in the past many times, but
again, this film was a pleasant surprise.
A young couple, Scott (Jon Foster, Life as a House,
Terminator 3) and Penny (the lovely Sarah Jones,
Sons of Anarchy, Vegas), go out into the woods to
work on his documentary. Nothing new there. They
stay in a cabin. Nothing new there. Bad things start
to happen. Nothing new there. Spoilery goodness
follows.
Heres what was cool about this movie. Scott is a
lazy piece of shokay, Ill give him the benefit of
the doubt. At first, he lays aroundbe it boredom
or creative block, or maybe Penny just isnt that
interestingbut he lays around to the point that
she has to smack him around and get his ass in
gear.
A couple of months into their woodsiness,
someone or something makes off with Scotts
backpack while he is filming and hes pissed
because his car keys are in there! He follows the
hooded figure and ends up at another cabin on top
of a hill and suddenly he is jazzed. Hurriedly he
grabs Penny, who is trying to put her shirt on and
drags her back to the cabin, busts in the door and
goes exploring. Like, down in the basement
exploringAt this point, the adult in me was like
where did all this energy come from Scott? And
really?

Mr. Jones (2014)

Youre just gonna go busting into this place and go
down in some hillbillys basement? But the fifteen
year old in me was screaming and hiding behind
my fingers because what they find down there are
sculptures of some nasty looking scarecrows. And
Penny recognizes the work.
Now, they have a documentary. The scarecrows are
the underground work of an artist known only as
Mr. Jones. No one knows who he is or where he is,
but he has a cult following (no pun) in the art
community and there are people who are willing to
pay seven figures for new pieces of his work. So
Scott goes off to New York to do some interviews
and leaves Penny behind. What a guy.
She finds more of the scarecrows and begins
photographing them for a would-be coffee table
book when Mr. Jones happens upon her. She tries
to talk to him, but once she gets a look at his face
(not pleasant), she changes her cheery tune. Her
obsession shifts from the work to the man himself
and when Scott gets back in town, they investigate
further.
The gist of the story is that there is a natural world
and a dream world, both very real. The dream
world, however, must be quite dangerous because
Mr. Jones may be trying to protect us from falling
into permanent nightmare.
Does the movie portray this perfectly? No, because
it wouldve been a lot better if it had. Still, I was
impressed and creeped out on more than one
occasion. Mostly in the middle third. The ending
gets weird, unsettling
and hard to follow, but
15
it was imaginative.

Exclusive Interview:

Neen
Written by: David Owain Hughes

Neen Hunter is a U.K-based glamour/gore

model, who loves nothing more than playing
with blood and guts! But, in her own words,
shes Firstly a Mum, Sister, Auntie, Grand/
Daughter and Friend! Work comes second,
and so it should.
Neen has a very active career in the modeling
world, having worked for such giants as Vogue,
Elle, Bizzare and many others. Shes recognized
world-wide, having worked in the U.S and
Australia. Shes also won many accolades and
acknowledgments alike, with many magazines
featuring her work, along with interviews and
articles.
Special Thanks to:
Jenny from Jacksons Murderous Make-up (Special Effects Credit)
and Nick Hunters Photography (Photography Credit)

716

Neen is the face of three independent businesses

across the U.K, with residency in Girls of Gore
U.K.
Not only this, but she is trained in mixed
martial arts, spray painting and cheerleading.
Shes also in the middle of sorting out her own
magazine BeYOUtiful which will help all
those who dont fit into 'societies beauty
standards.
Currently, Neen, the self-confessed trousertrumper and football fan, is dabbling in the
field of TV and radio presenting, which she
feels shes gaining lots of experience in. Along
with all this, Neen finds the time to throw in
horror conventions as a gore model, having
recently attended Horror in the East (U.K).
At SCARdiff, a horror convention held in the
U.K, I had the pleasure of witnessing the
stunners work firsthand. Modeling for the
incredibly talented Jenny Jackson, Neen posed
as a zombie. The work was breathtaking.
What follows is an interview I conducted, along
with Neens most recent photo shoot
(exclusively for Horror Geeks Magazine), so we
could all get to know her slightly better here.

UK

A HORROR
BEAUTY ABOVE
THE REST

HG: Having done glamour and gore

modeling, which is the best and why?
Neen: GORE!!! With Glamour comes the right lipstick,
heels, foundation. They even draw on your darn eyebrows!! Then everything has to fit perfectly normally
stopping you breathing rightthen you
catch your death of cold because they
want the winter backdrop!
Then we have GoreI have only ever
worked with Jenny on our gore projects
and we are like sisters, as our relationship grows, so does our less than normal next project ideas! & there is yet to
be a project I can moan about! Jen and
I are so humbled by the reactions and
feedback we get. To us we are just
playing in the comfort of our own
homes!
..So the round up..
Glamour: fussing about, worrying
about vanity issues that shouldnt even
be an issue and wearing a ton of make-up!
Gore: AMAZING FUN ALL ROUND! All the time!!
HG: Tell us about the Gore girl
industry?
Neen: Ok, well Id be lying if I said it was easy! In fact
its harder to move forward in the gore genre than it is the
glamour! BUT, if you have two people (a model and a

Gore modeling
wont ever make you
rich but WILL make
you happy!

make-up artist) who enjoy with a passion the imagination

needed to put forward the next reason to gag, then you are
on the right path! Gore modeling wont ever make you
rich but WILL make you happy! (which makes you
even richer in my values) ..You must be prepared to get
your hands dirty and do things the
average person would maybe be sick
comprehending!! Jenny and I often
start a chat with things such asShall
we rip your face off next time or
what if we removed the eyeball and let
maggots crawl around. This may
seem odd to many but thats the awesome part of the bond we have created!
Gore modeling is very often frowned
upon due to the taboo nature of many
project results, so you really have to be
sure of your own state of mind to
choose to forward this genre! People
literally gag in your face or/& turn lovely and complimentary shades of white
and green! Gore is also more difficult to
move forward in if you keep your clothes on! Many are
happy for a naked woman covered in blood to shoot for
them but we like to stay as far away as possible from
the people who stay in the box with their ideas! We hit
gore hard with our clothes ON and it seems the fans love
it! We are inundated with requests, ideas and victims!

17

HG:Tell us more about this photo

shoot with Jenny Jackson ?
Neen: After a chat with your wonderful Jaimie, we
spoke of three separate shoots that would be done
exclusively for Horror Geeks! I wont ruin the
surprise by the detailBut it is safe to say they will
be horrific! We went with the idea Jaimie seemed
most excited about first, the Zombie! Im sure you
can see we dont play by the book!! We like to bring
ourselves out in what we do and try to create
something never done before (or at least an element
of it.) Jen is absolutely amazing and I often just sit,
smile (when the latex allows it!) and
giggle away while Jen does her
thing! She often asks my views and
opinions on certain things but in
complete fairness, she is completely
amazing without any input required
by me. So some festive music, a few
flicks of the kettle, a trip to a fishing
tackle shop and some cackles later..
you have our end result!
HG: Are those live maggots
in your mouth?!
Neen: Of course!! No point messing
aroundIf youre going to do
something, do it right! Anyway,
coming from a fishing family its
actually quite normal to warm up
the maggots in your mouth. So it
really wasnt anything weird at all!
Although the guy in the tackle shop felt rather
differently after we explained why we needed them,
ha-ha!
Hg: Tell us about BeYOUtiful
Magazine?!
Neen: Ok, well after being in the picture for nearly
two years now I have noticed a horrible
factSociety is blinded from REAL beauty and
replace it with pretend perfection! Well I have
seen just about enough of this discrimination and
have chosen to act on it!
BeYOUtiful will aim to

718

showcase and publish REAL BEAUTY! People who

are proud to be their own unique selfTattooed,
modified, un-photo shopped and REAL! I want to
share inspiring stories showing that for whatever
nasty bumps life has given, that with the right
support, there IS a light at the end of the tunnel! I
also want to ensure the readers are left with
something to smile about, whether it was a story
shared, and set of nondiscriminated images, some
silly jokes or even just the fact that we havent
allowed society to make our rules!! Real beauty is
the way forward! And by goodness do I intend to
share it!!
Hg: Is there any kind of
monster or theme you
havent done, but would
love to?
Neen: Well, as youve asked!!
Im yet to make someone actually
sick! So theres plenty of room for
monsters. Id love to do an
Alternative version of some wellknown cartoon characters, just
because its odd!
Also, when Im able to find the
right sponsors, my dream is to
be a mermaid! Its ok to laugh! Id
LOVE to have an underwater
shoot as a mermaid. The tails are
very, very expensive and finding
someone and somewhere to do
this would not just cost a small fortune but its very
hard to come by! So there it is. A real, underwater
mermaid shoot! This would make every ounce of
Neen smile :D.
Hg: Does the attention you receive at
horror conventions ever get
overwhelming?
Neen: Honestly, I stay very humble (this is very
important!) so its not overwhelming as in my view,
I could be anybodyIts Jens work that has to be
accredited. Its very surreal sometimes having
people know my name without a name badge or
staff badge on! I love being able to help showcase
Jens work!

Why tattoos and gore?

Good question! Ive been asked this a few
times and most interviewers expected
me to be more glamourthey obviously
knew little of me, ha-ha..
Why tattoos?
Well, as a teenager I had anger and because I have been trained in martial arts
from a very young age, I had to find
something other than fighting to express
myself! (self control and discipline
were practiced in abundance during this
period in my life, but sometimes.. it just
wasnt enough!) So I drew, wrote poetry
and found solace in music (music has
been a VERY BIG part of my life!) After
a while drawing and writing just didnt
fulfill my anger issues. I found body art!
And it began! I drew my feelings and ideas and had them made to wear! Whenever
I was angry beyond self help I would
draw my problem and ink it out! I
promised myself after each tattoo I would
never again let that problem be a problem anymore! I also found tattoos great
ways to feel that I had loved ones with
me always. Sentiment and anger are the
reasons for my tattoos! I no longer get my
art for anger problems, but Im hooked!
Many people hang their art upon their
walls. I like to wear mine.
Gore?
Why not!! Its an awesome way of being
creative, expressing topics that society
has decided is taboo and also blood,
guts, goo.. It says Neen all over it, ha-ha.
Honestly, I love to be different and in reality Im so far from girly it may be unbelievable! So gore leaves the lipstick,
heels, designer clothes and false nails at
home! Now thats my kinda shoot!! Haha
Horror Geeks Magazine would like to thank
Neen from the deepest part of our dark hearts
- we look forward to Part 2 and 3 of Neen's
(also Jenny and Nicks ) beautiful work.

19

Book Reviews

Reviews by: Rosa McBroom

Crawlspace is a paranormal ghost story by John Gregory

Hounds of the Lord: The Son Rises is Book 1 of the

Hancock. We start off with the psychic Ethan Novotny

(who prefers to be called sensitive) and his girlfriend Patricia
on their way to the airport. We immediately see how strong
his abilities are and also how debilitating that they can be
when Patricia has to pull the car over so he can be sick. Patricia is not happy with what the investigations he participates in do to him physically and mentally. Ethan is on his
way to work for a television program called Extreme Occult
Adventures, they are investigating the Dorchester House.
The house has a troubling history with multiple disappearances over the years. The Extreme Occult Adventures crew
have been called in due to some very unsettling things happening in the house and with the familys daughter. Ethan
finally manages to make it onto the plane only to be wedged
between two large men and his extreme claustrophobia
kicks in, requiring him to take a cocktail of medications. We
then start meeting the other characters of this book Ubinti
the Narungu of the Orang, the little orphan girl Cara, and
Sgt. William Belyeu. This house draws many of the characters because of the abilities that they possess. There is an evil
in this house older than time itself. Follow along as the characters battle and try to win freedom from the evil of the
house. This book leaves us wanting more, we need to know
what happens next.

Hounds of the Lord Trilogy by S.C. Stewart. Now first off let
me mention this book does contain some sex scenes, however, this is in no way erotica or a romance book for that matter.
The Author fully informed me of this prior to my reading the
book, the instances of sex reveal the true nature of the participants. This book also is not a Zpoc book so you should not
go into it looking for zombies, they are not there. What this
book does have is an amazing array of other components that
will not only keep you captivated but will leave your mind
questioning so many things long after you have finished the
book.
We start this book following the movement of Father Johnathan. He has become disenchanted with his place in life and
basically decides to leave it behind and start anew. Along the
way to his destination unforeseen events occur that reveal to
us his true nature when the wolf is let loose. We then learn
about Jerahmiel/Jeremy; who is he? He is one of the seven
fallen angels who was banished for sleeping with the daughters of men. I would love to tell you about his story and of the
others but then there would be no reason for you to read the
book, would there? Next up we meet Ben, Ben is a teacher
and comes into this story because of his daughters encounter
with Azrael.
This book has werewolves, the Bible, the involvement of the
Church, the fallen angels and yes there is blood as well. What
more could you ask for?

20

Reviews by: Rosa McBroom

Book Reviews

The Orphans : Author Mike Evans gives us a unique

Barrys Walk is book 2 of the Gone Feral series by

take on the Zombie Apocalypse. Imagine Red Dawn meets

TWD and that is the closest comparison I can make regarding this book.
The story begins with Shaun Fox and Ellie Randall who is
Shauns crush. We soon meet both Shauns father Frank Fox
and Ellies mother Karen Randall, who take a fancy to each
other and immediately make plans to meet for coffee. Shaun
and his father have a very volatile relationship because his
father was away in the Army while his mother underwent
cancer treatment. Frank fully intended to be home before the
final treatments, but she slipped away sooner than expected.
Frank was released early and sent home to a very angry little
boy. Frank is a chronic workaholic and their relationship had
not improved in the past nine years. Soon Frank and Karen
are dating hot and heavy which really throws a wrench in
Shauns aspirations of dating Ellie. Then Karen learns that
she has cancer and will have to start undergoing treatments.
Frank cannot lose another woman to cancer and decides to
work on a cure. He delves into his old research for the Army
to prepare a cure using notes from the X-74 project. Franks
lab assistant Harry Rogers soon goes rogue and the annihilation of most of the worlds population begins.
Stay on board as these children fight to stay alive in a world
without parents.

breakout author Ted M. Nulty. The first thing I would like to

point out is that this is not a sequel to Gone Feral this is more
of a parallel book about one of the characters from Gone Feral. Barry Metzler is like any other 12-year-old boy, having
water gun fights with his best friend, spying on his extremely attractive teacher and then making plans in his fort. Barry
heads home from the fort to find that his dad has a surprise
for everyone. Barrys dad, Dale Metzler had a wise investment pay off and after paying outstanding notes, bought
gifts for his family. Leaving Walmart with his bags he
stopped and took a long drink from a public water fountain,
never realizing that he had just ingested enough toxin to poison a horse.
When Barry called his dad to dinner he noticed the red
splotches on his face and neck and pointed them out. Mrs.
Metzler was a mother hen of sorts and immediately noticed
them as well. In the excitement of receiving their gifts the
rash was forgotten. Barry woke up before everyone else the
following morning and took off to the fort. As he was sitting
there drinking a bottle of water he heard the emergency
broadcast on the old radio they had put in the fort. And this is
where the country is advised of the toxin in the drinking water for many it is too late, for others the fight to survive is just
beginning. It is a wild ride as Barry fights to survive and
overcome his new world.

21

Remakes: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Written by: David Owain Hughes
So, do remakes work? For me, they dont.
And I think I speak for a lot of horror fans. Even
though we know theyre there, we still try to ignore
them. But we cant. Our curiosity keeps getting the
better of us, and each time we have our hopes, dreams
and dark sides crushed and sneered at. Damn Them, I
say. I was prepared to hold my tongue on this subject,
but having seen the latest remake, Evil Dead (2013); I
felt it was time to speak up. To have my say. To help
fight back for us lovers of true horror, and to show
what it means to us. For far too long now, the horror
fan has remained silent in the shadows. Hes watched
and wept, as one by one, the classics have been
turned into something grotesque and unfathomable.
But why, why do we sit in silence and not cause uproar? Because maybe, just maybe, we are waiting for
the day the filmmakers give up, go home, and put it
down to a bad job. In my humble opinion, I dont see
the need for all these remakes. Why try fixing something that isnt broken? Give the world new horrors,
and not breathe life into classics that dont need it!
When the Evil Dead remake was hyped up and finally
released, I was truly excited. It looked to be something sharp and grown-up. A film which seemed to
have moved away from what the original did, even
being billed as one of
227
the scariest films of the

year
No, Im afraid not. A better tagline would have been,
A Sleep-inducing-Train-Wreck, with its bad acting,
shambolic storyline and cheesiness. Its one to avoid,
along with Scary Movie 5 (2013), I may add! *Insert
head shaking at Charlie Sheen here*.
Rubbish.
But, even though Evil Dead was a poor remake, in
my eyes, The Fog (2005), will be hard pushed to be
beaten. With a dire score of just 4% on Rotten Tomatoes and a lowly 3.5% on IBM, it helps prove my
point. Whereas Carpenters film is a triumph to the
cinematic world of horror, Wainwrights version is
nothing more than a blight. Its one Ill never be able
to shake from my memory, no matter how hard I try.
Sticking with Carpenter, it has to be said, Rob Zombie did a fine remake of Halloween (2007). However,
he did drop the ball come part two. Sorry, Rob. But
we still love your music.
The Fog is a great example of an ugly remake,
whereas Evil Dead was a bad one, and so too was The
Hitcher (2007) sorry, but I could not take Sean
Bean seriously as John Ryder, after seeing his character in Ronin (1998) breakdown and cry, like a little
girl. You remember these things, trust me.
Day of the Dead (2008), is another stinker. Mena Suvari? Really?! Come on, guys. Please. She must have
got bored in between the American Pie films, to have
signed up for this pile of junk.

Other films to make my list of bad and ugly are: Night

of the Living Dead 3D (2006). Enough said. A
Nightmare on Elm St (2010), Fright
Night (2011), Prom Night (2008), Death
Race (2008), 2001 Maniacs (2005), The Wicker
Man (2006), Piranha (2010), The Omen (2006), April
Fools Day (2008), Amityville Horror (2005), One
Missed Call (2008), The Shining (1997), The Hills
Have Eyes (1&2 2006/2007), The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre (2013) and Psycho (1998) Vince Vaughn,
what were you thinking?!
To be honest, the list is pretty inexhaustible. Many of
these films flopped at the box office, with awful
reviews and write-ups online. Who in their right mind
would try to remake A Nightmare on Elm St? Let
alone Fright Night! Its unthinkable, to be frank.
The films I have listed and spoken about above, in my
opinion, are the worst. But, having said this, there are
a handful of good remakes that spring to mind, which
show a better side to this subject matter.
In 2010, Breck Eisner produced a fine remake in the
form of The Crazies a rip of George A. Romeros
effort from 1973, which isnt Romeros best work. Its
a slow and boring movie, which hardly gets going. I
hate to say this, as most of Romeros work is topnotch, such as Martin (1976), Night of the Living
Dead (1968) and Day of the Dead (1985). In this case,
Eisners update works and works well. He took
Romeros vision, and worked with it. He gave the film
pace and edge, with the casting of Timothy
Olyphant and Joe Anderson paying off well. Both
actors bounce off each other, and give you a want for
their survival.
Another of Romeros revivals, which I thought was
done well, is Zack Snyders reinvention of the cult
classic, Dawn of the Dead (1978). In Snyders 2004
remake, the mechanics of the film are pretty much the
same: a group of people hide in a mall as a zombie
apocalypse goes on around them.
The original is still much better, but Snyder does
manage to pull off a great job. Romeros boots are
very big to fill at the best of times, but trying to
reinvent Dawn of the Dead would have been a suicide
mission for anyone. Luckily for Snyder, he pulled it
off, and avoided being crucified had the project gone

south. Eisner and Snyder are not the only pair to have
pulled off great remakes. John Carpenter achieved it
with The Thing (1982). So too did David
Cronenberg with his version of The Fly (1986)
and Damian Shannon didnt do too bad a job of
Friday the 13th (2009). And, of course, as mentioned
the Zombies version of Halloween was also solid. So,
are retakes of classics really that bad? Even though
Ive managed to find a few that are pretty decent, Id
still have to say yes. More than not, they get hacked
and ruined by people Im too nervous to see what
type of botched job has been made of Maniac (2013),
with Frodo wielding a knife terrifying! Who did the
casting for that one. Stevie Wonder?!
And With talks of Childs Play, Carrie, Killer Klowns
from Outer Space (this one along with The Monster
Squad really annoys me), It, Army of
Darkness, Shocker and Scanners on the cards, with
scores of others, it brings a tear to my eye.
Its time to stick our fingers up to the people
ruining our films. And to take our genre back, people!

23
3

Music Reviews

Written by: Sebastyan Smith

.5: The Gray Chapter (2014) is the fifth

major label studio album by American heavy metal

band Slipknot. Its also their first studio album since
the death of founding member, bassist Paul Gray who
passed away back in 2010.
Slipknot have never failed to maintain a feeling of sincerity with their songs. Despite their revelry in the
grotesque their lyrics have always been genuine and
sometimes had a vulnerable quality to them. The
opening track is a perfect example of this. Always a
supportive voice for the downtrodden and defeated XIX is part plea, part anthem, all about getting up
and carrying on, even if you dont want to. Instrumentally speaking this track is relatively minimalist.
The use of distortion and the gradual build of noise
paves the way for Taylors clean vocals.
Its very much an introduction to Slipknots most appealing attribute counterbalance. They have always
been able to temper their anger with a sense of control.
They maintain a sense of flow whilst never losing
track of the melody that drives the song. Its a certain
nuance that theyve been able to perfect over the years
and this album showcases it perfectly. If anyone is
concerned that this means theyve lost their edge
then Sarcastrophe and AOV should reassure you that
the band hasnt lost their ability to bring the big guns.
These tear along without much coming up for air.
If XIX was an invitation to dance then these tracks
kick your door down and insist that you start a mosh
pit. Its The Devil in I where something new happens.
For me this is where the album hits into its stride and
brings something new.

24

The Devil in I,Killpop and Skeptic all have a fresh

feeling to them a certain degree of focus and intention. Perhaps partly due to the loss of Paul Gray. The
album is titled with him in mind and in many ways its
an ode. Skeptic in particular is a song of grief and rage
with Gray clearly as its subject, although the emotions
are universal. This is an album with a clear drive
Slipknot must prove that they can carry on without a
founding member, whilst accepting that theyll never
be the same without him.
Nomadic is a high point for me a perfect melding of
classic Slipknot with their newer work whilst still able
to throw a few curve-balls. The surprises keep coming
with the poem-esque opening of Custer but get reined
back into place with The Negative One which wouldnt have sounded out-of-place on Iowa (2001).
If XIX was an introduction then If Rain is What You
Want is a outro. Its perhaps the least Slipknot track
on the whole album. For me it was the only weak
point in an otherwise strong and confident offering.
Even so it is still an interesting song and doesnt bring
the album down.
All in all .5: The Gray Chapter proves that Slipknot
still has a lot to give. Slipknot has always tackled deep
emotional issues head on and in this regard they are on
top form. Each song is a study on the darker side of
the human psyche. So if you want a trip through violence, fear and the truly monstrous then .5: The Gray
Chapter is very much for you. To quote Taylor in the
opening track:
Walk with me,
Dont let this fucking world tear you apart.

Music Reviews

know were having

fun, are you having
fun? thats hard not
to enjoy. It teeters on the edge of cheesy without quite
toppling in. Grim Sleeper puts thing back on track
with a more straight-edge feel and a few little nods
towards Slipknot (one of the bands influences) which
I sincerely hope were intentional. This track feels a
little rougher but its better for it. The title
track Goliath is similarly rough and ready and full of
touches that make it stand out from the usual fare.
Butcher Babies arent afraid to mix things up and do
so without ever ruining the flow of the song a
commendable feat in itself. The album does suffer
from blurring a little. Whilst individually each track
contains a number of little innovative touches they
have difficulty in standing out from each other.
Lyrically speaking theres definitely a feeling of
playing it safe with some of the tracks seeming a little
lazy I only remember Denial and Give Me
Reason because both titles are repeated a dozen times
each within each song. Denial in particular felt a little
Written by: Sebastyan Smith
grating and uninspired. Theres certainly a sense of
self-criticism here that opens the band up. It gives a
The Butcher Babies, comprised of front-women
glimpse at something more personal and genuine a
Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey, guitarist Henry
Flury, bassist Jason Klein and drummer Chris Warner glimpse I really wasnt expecting. The Death
have received a fair amount of flak for their use of sex Surround returns to the edge of clich, but doesnt
appeal. Many people could see this and dismiss them stop being fun.
as one-dimensional, which is
also a shame. The band has gone
on record as saying the more
adult nature of their presentation
is more of a fuck you to
expectations rather than an
attempt to reel people in. But as
with everything sex sells. They
have also coined the music as
Slut-metal, which cant have
helped to shake that perception.
But lets push all that aside and just look at the music The final track of the album: Axe Wound, was the first
track on their EP and whilst being a decent track
(call me old-fashioned).
Goliath (2013) is their full length follow-up to their doesnt feel nearly as balanced as the rest of the
album. Nonetheless it still maintains the same level of
self titled and self released EP in 2012. I Smell A
energy and revelry that permeates the album.
Massacre sets the tone straight away with an ear
All in all Goliath, is interesting. Its a confident
rending guttural roar. The band favors that two-tone
vocal approach of intertwining clean/harsh vocals and offering that is definitely more good than bad. It
surprised me for the better and I have high hopes from
the result is quite effective. I Smell A
them in the future. I definitely feel that they have
Massacre certainly manages to hit that balance
potential. If they can produce more lyrically
perfectly. Magnolia Blvd is more of the same with a
challenging tracks whilst maintaining that high-octane
bit more diversity. These opening tracks exhibit the
kind of boundless energy that Butcher Babies excel at. rush of energy then Ill be all over their next album.
Musically speaking the band has a very polished feel So Goliath perhaps isnt Goliath, but its certainly a
this can be a compliment or a criticism depending on drunk David expertly wielding catapults. Which
your preference. Everything fits together well. There sounds more fun to you?
is that element of showmanship to their style. Not
7
25
quite tongue in cheek, but certainly a sense of: We

Independent Short Film Spotlight

Revelations
Written by: Jaimie Duel

726

Some of the best movies I have ever come across, have

been Indie short films. They get down to business quickly
and pack a powerful punch in a short time frame.
Revelations had huge expectations to live up to and I can
honestly say that I was absolutely delighted by this short
horror film. In 10 minutes director Roger Sampson
managed to build a back story and a plot that made it
impossible to not be completely engrossed in the film.
Not only was there the signature short film surprise, but
there were some huge revelations. In Revelations. I was
did not expect the plot twists at all. It was a fantastic
watch.
Sheri Davis (Snake with a Human Tail) plays Mary the
mother and Gracie Whitton (The Town that Dreaded
Sundown) plays the daughter Lily. The father is played by
actor Lance Eakright (Mortal Dilemma). Revelations is
the first film of a 5 film anthology series written and
directed by Roger Sampson called The Forces of Horror
Anthology Series which looks extremely promising after
viewing the first film.
Take a few minutes and watch Revelations, now available
for a short time on YouTube. You will not regret it. I
personally look forward to seeing the 2nd short film as
well, which according to Sampson will start filming in
January 2015.

Interview:

Izik Bell

Written by: Dan Duel

HG: How long have you been

drawing? Do you have
formal training?

Izik Bell is an artist

whose work we should
all be looking out for.
Currently working on a
new comic series and
his custom horror deck,
he has been gathering a
lot of attention lately.
Horror Geeks Magazine
decided to take the
opportunity to get to
know Izik better so that
we can begin to
understand the man
behind the genius
artwork that we have
been admiring lately.
28

Ive been drawing for as long as

I can remember. I asked my
mom and she said I started when
I was around four. Hm, formal
training? Well, I dropped out of
art school. Twice. Does that
count?

HG: What is the best thing/

part about being an artist?
The worst?
There are a lot of great things
about being an artist. Im almost
32 and I still have this huge
imagination that has only grown
as Ive gotten older. I create
entire worlds inside my head
just to entertain myself. They
talk about fully explorable
environments in video games,
well, thats what I have going on
in my head. As for the worst
part of being an artist, I mean,
often times I have a lot of
trouble relating to people, which
definitely leads to some
awkwardness. But thats just
part of who I am and Ive made

peace with that over the years.

Nowadays, I celebrate my
awkwardness.

HG: What is your favorite

piece to draw?
I love to draw anti-heroes and
fantasy/horror characters. My
style is very dark and visceral,
which I have to hold back on
quite a bit when Im working, so
it feels great to just let go and
draw some really evil looking
shit.

HG: Who or what is your

inspiration?
Growing up there was this group
of artists who left mainstream
comics to form their own
company: Image Comics. Those
guys were like the rock stars of
the comics industry. The comics
they produced were insane; I
grew up idolizing those guys.
Their work was pure style, it had
a darkness to it that reflected the
state of the industry at the time.
Almost everything Ive ever
done artistically has been
directly influenced by them.

HG: Do you have any new and exciting

projects coming up?
Absolutely, right now Im working on an indie
comic series called Earthling for creator Dave
Brink. Its been a blast to work on, all of the
characters are really well designed so theyre a lot
of fun to draw, and Dave has been amazing to
work with. I feel like he and I are really on the
same page about a lot of things, which has made
for a really smooth working relationship. The
book is slated for a February release date, so keep
your eyes open for that.
The other big one right now is my custom horror
deck. This project has had a tremendous response.
People LOVE horror characters. I was amazed at how
much excitement the cards generated. People got
really involved and the whole project became very
interactive. I was getting tons of requests for certain
characters to go in the pack, so I made a list of all of
them and Im basically using that to decide which
characters to use.

HG: If you could do work for anyone, who

would it be?
Well, honestly, I want to work for myself. Thats my
end goal. Of course, to get there, I need to really
make a name for myself, and Id like to do that in the
comics industry, working for companies like Image
Comics, Dark Horse and IDW among others. And of

course, Id love a chance to work at Marvel or DC.

HG: Who is your favorite artist?

Growing up my favorite artist was a guy by the name
of Stephen Platt. His style epitomized the Image era
of comics. The detail in his work was stunning. As an
adult, I have a lot of favorites. Im always kind of in
awe of the art thats out there these days. You take a
look at what people are doing and its just amazing
how the envelope continues to be pushed to its limits
and beyond.

HG: The horror deck- first off, amazing work!

But why cards? Do you plan on doing all 52
cards? Thank you, and yes, I definitely plan to do
the whole deck. With everything thats going on, Im
not sure how long that will take,
though. I dont think Im even
halfway finished.

HG: What are your plans

when the deck is completed?
Im working with a good friend
and associate Brian Moore to
print a limited run of the decks.
Theres been a big demand for
them, so I want to make sure that
theyre available to everyone.
(continued on next page)

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(continued from previous page.)

Interview with Izik Bell

HG: What is it that got you into horror in
the first place?
When I was younger, it was definitely the cool
looking characters. I always loved monsters like
Frankenstein or werewolves. As an adult, Im
fascinated by the psychology behind it. Horror is
a mythology expressing the dark side of our
species, what could possibly be more
interesting?

HG :What is it you think that makes horror

so important to people?
Horror, as a genre, represents everything we fear
about ourselves. That darkness is there, whether
we acknowledge it or not. Horror allows us an
outlet, and I think theres something very
healthy about that. After all, its not the weirdo
with all the tattoos and black t-shirts and huge
collection of horror movies that you really need
to worry about. Its the upstanding member of
society that gets caught with all the dead kids
hidden in the crawlspace in his basement. Its
the middle class, handsome, white, heterosexual
male at church every Sunday who shoots his
wife in the head for the insurance money. Its
our beloved political leaders that commit mass
murder.
(End)

AD Space

Creeping Crawling Cinema Series Written By: Edward Brock

CREEPING CRAWLING CINEMAA Prologue

was working under the blanket of fear that every American
Be they giant spiders, swarms of bees, blood-sucking ticks, was feelingfear that the a-bomb would be our destruction.
slimy worms or intelligent ants, the Killer Bug movie has Is it any surprise that many films of the decade were subtle
always been a particular favorite of mine. Beginning in the (and not so subtle) commentaries on those fears? It was
1950s and continuing into the new century, the Killer Bug
film has faded, only to rise again. Perhaps its that inherent

inevitable that those fears would find themselves on drivein screens and inside movie theatersmanifesting in the

phobia of things with 6 legs, 8 legs, 1000 legs, or no legs at form of giant ants, spiders and other bugs. The phobias
alland our attempt to face those fearsthat keeps us
already existed within us, so why not combine the two,
coming back for more. Far better to watch them terrorize
someone on the big screen, than have to face them in our

Hollywood thought. Well, they did just that, giving us films

that merged our atomic fears with the all too familiar and

own bathrooms, bedrooms, backyards, city streets, or under common bug phobiasand had us watch as those tiny
our skin. Whether its Arachnophobia (fear of spiders),
creatures turned into killers. The Killer Bug genre
Myrmecophobia (fear of ants), Apiphobia (fear of bees),
Vermiphobia (fear of parasitic worms), or the all-

continued to evolve. Those phobias and bugs found new

ways to terrify usnature gone wild, scientific

encompassing Entomophobia (fear of all insects)most of

us have experienced some form of that icky, skin-crawling

experiments, insect intelligence, infectious diseases, and

even bugs from other worlds made their way to the screen.

feeling when a bug lands on you, or you walk into a spider

web, or find a bite on you and not know how, or when, it

It seems there was no place to hide once these tiny

creatures took aim at us.

got there. Though most of the time the fear is merely

psychological, there are those moments when they are very

What I hope to do with this multi-part article is familiarize

you with this very fun and sometimes, frightening niche.

justifiedthe Brown Recluse spider, the disease carrying

Starting in 1954 and landing in the middle of the B-level
tick, swarms of killer bees, skin-burrowing parasiteswell, offerings on networks like the SyFy channel, Ive chosen a
you get the idea. Now imagine swarms of these crawling on selection of movies I believe are essential viewing for
you in an attempt to eat, kill or change you. Or, imagine
anyone interested in experiencing the sheer lunacy, silliness
seeing them become the size of cars, becoming large
enough to swallow you whole. Enter the Hollywood

32

filmmaker.
In the 1950s, Hollywood

or goose-bumpy happenings in these films. Some will make

you cringe, some will make you laugh, and some will make
you groan. But, its still a fun little nichethat I hope never
goes away.

THEM! (1954)
An Endless Terror! A Nameless Horror!
Director- Gordon Douglas
Writers Ted Sherdman / Russell S. Hughes (from a
story by George Worthing Yates)
Starring James Whitmore / James Arness / Joan
Weldon / Edmund Gwenn
Studio Warner Bros.
Released June 19, 1954
(First DVD releaseAug. 6, 2002)
Although the Charlton Heston filmThe Naked
Jungle (directed by George Pal)was released three
months earlier, Them! is still considered the
granddaddy of the killer bug genre. The first of the
nuclear monster films, it was the foundation on
which all other big bug films stood and that would
terrify movie-goers throughout the 1950sand
forward.

Story:
After two New Mexico state troopers (Ben
Petersonportrayed by James Whitmore) and (Ed
Blackburnportrayed by Chris Drake) find a little
girl wandering in the desert, they return her home
only to find the mobile home, where her family is
staying, is torn apart. Her family is missing and only
a single animal track is found.
Soon after, the troopers find a local a store owner
dead, outside of his general storewhich is also torn
apart like the mobile home. Peterson leaves to check
on the lost girl. Blackburn remains and soon hears a
strange sound which seems to be growing closer. We
hear his screams off camera as he becomes another
victim.
After sending a plaster cast of the strange footprint to
Washington, D.C., an FBI Agent (Robert Graham
portrayed by James Arness) arrives to investigate
because they have no idea what the footprint is. He is
accompanied by a doctor (Harold MedfordEdmund
Gwenn) and his daughter (Pat MedfordJoan
Weldon). After returning to the little girls campsite,
Pat Medford encounters a giant ant (over eight-feet).
Her screams bring the others running and the police
fire on it. Dr. Medford yells, Get the antennae! Get
the antennae! and the police finally kill the giant
creature after machine gun fire destroys the antennae.
Dr. Medford is convinced that a colony of ants have
mutated because of the radiation from the nearby
atomic bomb tests before the Second World War.
Eventually, the ant colony is found and poison gas
bombs on dropped on them. The ants are killed, but
Dr. Bedford believes two queens have escaped. One
is found in the cargo hold of a freighter and
destroyedthe other has found its way to California.
The final act of the film finds the military and our
intrepid heroes battling the giant insects in the drainage
system of Los Angeles. During the battle, trooper
Peterson is killed, and Graham is trapped in a cave in
but manages to hold off an attack by the giant ants until
he is rescued. The queen and her brood are finally
destroyed using flame throwers.

33

(continued from previous page..)

The first film to merge the effects of the atom bomb

and one of our tiny little neighbors, Them! was a surprising success. During the films early run, many
film-goers were unprepared for what they were about
to seeas promotional material kept the storyline
vague (even releasing the poster with nothing but
text). They walked into the theater and after watching
what seemed to be a crime thriller, were surprised
and thrilled, apparentlywhen the first giant ant
makes an appearance. It worked, as movie fans
flocked to it, making it one of the most successful
films of the year for Warner Bros.
Like many monster movies, the actual creatures are
not even seen until a quarter of the way in. The film
was originally planned as a full-color, 3-D film, but

34

numerous equipment malfunctions and budget cuts

forced the filmmakers to use black and white
(although the opening credit sequence still maintains
the bright red title THEM!).
As there was no CGI to rely on, the
special effects crew (supervised by
Ralph Ayers) built full-size props, and
combined with some trick photography
and miniatures, worked some magic
that, although dated, holds up well as a
representation of what quality effects
could be in the 1950s. Though, as any
special effects unit will tell you, the
film was not without its screw-ups.
The most blatant being a moment during the final battle where the mechanical innards of one of the ants can be
seen (it was fixed in the DVD release).
The film was very popular amongst
film-goers, which seemed to convince
other studios to produce their own big
bug movies. Today the film is looked
upon fondly by monster movies fans
and sci-fi fans alike. And because it
didnt play for laughsas so many big
bug films do these daysit is still one
of the best representations of the atomic era monster movie. A solid beginning for the killer bug genre.

Cool Stuff:

The screenwriter, George Worthing Yates, also

wrote several more sci-fi films after Them!
including It Came From Beneath the Sea, Earth
vs. The Flying Saucers, The Amazing Colossal
Man, Earth vs. The Spider and Frankenstein
The film was nominated for an Oscar in Special
1970.
Effects (it lost out to 20,000 Leagues Under the
Leonard Nimoy has a small role as an Air Force
Sea).
officer.
The loud, piercing sound the ants make upon
Actor James Whitmore (58) wore lifts to make
approach is actually the amplified singing of
up for some of the height difference of the
tree-frogs.
towering James Arness (who is 67).
The famous Wilhelm Scream was used during
Edmund Gween (who plays Dr. Harold Bedford)
some of the action scenes.
also played Santa Claus in the 1934 film, The
Miracle on 34th Street.

(Images copyrighted by Warner Bros)

35

TUSK
Written by: Dan Dillard
Everybody knowsyou never go full walrus.
So lets suspend disbelief and talk about Tusk. Yes, this is
a film from Kevin Smith. If youve seen Red State, you
know he can deliver suspense and a chillyou also know
he works well with Michael Parks. Whatever you think
you know about Kevin Smithyou arent expecting this
film. Not even a little bit.
That said, there will be spoilers here. Tusk is available on
demand, if youre like me and missed it in theaters.
Watching it with a crowd is recommended however, its
that kind of movieand youre going to want to talk about
it afterward.
This movie is weird, and not just because Im taking
medication for a recent surgery. Strange in the best way.
Is it comedy? Is it horror? Is it a joke?
Okay, heres what I think it is: I think its one hour and
forty-one minutes of the Smodcaster himself
masturbatingmetaphoricallyIf you stay through the
end credits youll get to hear some of the foreplay and you
will want a shower after its over. This is not entirely a
bad thing.
Smith fans, especially those who also like the strange and
unusual (thank you Lydia Deetz) will enjoy his darker
side. Those who dont like him may still dig this film
because as I said, its weird. For those who complain
about the lack of originality, especially in horror, you
should greet this with open arms. Is it brilliant? Not as
brilliant as Smith thinks, but its fun and I need another
word for weird. This flick is weird.

7
36

So Justin Long (Jeepers Creepers) is Wallaceno play on

words hereand he runs a podcast with Teddy (Haley Joel
Osment, The Sixth Sense) called The NotSee Party (big
play on words there). They find a YouTube-like video
where some poor slob with a sword accidentally lops off
his own leg. Then, as is customary on their podcast,
Wallace takes off to find the legless wonder and talk to
him in person. He travels up to Canada and we are
bombarded with a load of cornball jokes about Americas
hat. Some hit, some miss, but it sets an odd tone for what
is to come.
So the legless kid has finished the job with the sword and
is dead. So much for the scoop of the century. What does

Everybody knows.
you never go full walrus.
Wallace do? He drowns himself in some LaBatts and then
decides to take a piss. Thats where he finds a handwritten
letter from a man named Howard Howe (Michael Parks)
posted on a bulletin board. Howard, a lonely old man,
wants to exchange room and board for someone to talk to.
Wallace jumps at the chance.
The two gentlemen meet, and while Wallace makes an
arrogant ass of himself, Howard begins to regale his new
friend with tales from the sea, including an in-person
meeting Ernest Hemingway. Hes also fed Wallace some
drugs in a cup of tea. Wallace passes out and then the fun
begins.

(continued..)
Howard wants a friendone that reminds him of the
most beautiful creature he has ever laid eyes on, a
Walrus named Mr. Tusk, and he has plans to turn his
visitor into the animal. When Wallace wakes, he
finds one of his legs is missing (just like sword boy
but that never pans out). Fans of The Human
Centipede should enjoy the rest of the
transformation, although its a suit, he doesnt
actually fully turn Long into a walrusbut it is a suit
made of human skin, so points there.
This portion of the tale is all horror and Michael
Parks really shines, as usual. A cross between
Hannibal Lecter and Walter White. Cool, calculating
and vicious, eyes always on the plan.
Teddy and Wallaces girlfriend, Ally (Genesis
Rodriguez, Entourage) go looking for their friend,
retracing his steps and finally joining company with
Johnny DeppI meanGuy Lapointe, in a role that
youll either love or hate. I loved it. When they find
their friend, they are just as shocked by how the film
has transpired as I was.
Im going to give Tusk an extra skull in my rating
because of the amount of balls it showed. Theres
really nothing else out there like it. And whether or
not watching Kevin Smith stroke his own manhood is
your cup of tea, I would still suggest giving this a
peekit really is a great piece of work. If I had a
couple of complaints, the first is typical of his writing
every character sounds like Kevin Smith is
speaking. They all have his delivery, his vernacular,
his attitudehe doesnt always let his actors create
their character. This was painfully obvious in some
of Justin Longs scenes and a few of Miss
Rodriguezs as well. It just doesnt feel natural at
times. Michael Parks took the part and ran away with
it. Johnny DeppI mean Guy Lapointe also made the
role his own. I wish the rest of the cast had. As for
Haley Joel Osment, well, he just didnt get a lot of
screen time.
The second complaint is the timelineit doesnt feel
like more than a few days passes, but walrus boy is
pretty agile on stumps, sewn-up arms and in a giant
skin suit. I smell bullshit -Haley Joel Osment
(paraphrased), but again, suspend your disbelief and
enjoy. Remember, it is a
dark comedy. I think.

37

The Babadook (2014)

appointment (stupid HMOs) and although the doc gives her
Written by: Dan Dillard
It is so rare that a film lives up to the hype and this one in

the medicine, the creature attacks and things start to get

really wicked. Samuel makes a promise to his mother that

some ways exceeded the hype, kicked my ass and Im

going to watch it againsoon. I viewed this one with my

he will protect her if she will protect him. She agrees, but it
is a promise that will take her to places she doesnt want to

teenage daughter to get two perspectives. OkayI have to goas promised in the bookand maybe even over the
settle for one perspective because she peeked from behind a edge. I thought the ending was clever. A lot of folks wont
fluffy pillow the whole time and ran to bed when it was
over, opting to sleep with her little sister. So, well done

like it, but I challenge them to make it better (and not

clich). I was happy it wasnt a jump scare that said, Look

Jennifer Kent, well done. By the way, Mizzzz Kentwho

are you and where have you been hiding? Please make

at me! Im going to be a sequel! Just remember this little

ditty: If its in a word or its in a look, you cant get rid of

more films with the same care and attention to causing

therapy that you did with this movie. It has been a long

the babadook. Im not convinced the Babadook isnt as

much a real demon as it is the manifestation of Amelias

time since I felt uncomfortable after a movie endedbut

each time I woke last night, I cringedworried for just a

inner demons viewed through the eyes of an almost sevenyear-old boy. It doesnt matter. Either way is just as

moment that I might catch a glimpse of Mister Babadook

or worsehear his awful voice.

horrifying. In a word (or in a look!) this film is brilliant.

Essie Davis is a breath of fresh air playing vulnerable,

Samuel (Noah Wisemanwho is a force in this movie) has terrified, sad, exhausted, funny, as well as monstrous,
the distinction of knowing his father, Oskar (Benjamin
menacing, scary and evil with equal skill. She is
Winspear), died in an auto accident while driving his
mother to the hospital to give birth to him. Thats a lot of

mesmerizing. You will feel sad with her, lost with her, you
will laugh with her and be terrified by her by the end of the

crazy to tote around when youre only six. He is a sad, but

also creative and loving boy. He just wants to be

movieit is really her movie. She has to share much of the

screen time with young Noah Wiseman and he is up to the

acceptedhe wants the father he never met backbut

task. They really make you believe they are mother and
there are also monsters in his life. These monsters keep him sonand that monsters are real.
up at night and therefore keep his mother, Amelia (Essie
Davis), up as well...

FilmmakersMore films like this, please! Old school

scares that last. Actual scary. Not jump scares happening to

They go to the doctor and she all but begs for sedatives so
they can sleep. The doctor recommends a psychiatrist for

vapid thirty-year-old teenagers while they have sex in a

cabin. Give us characters to care about. Give us originality.

the boy and mom agrees. I agree as wellthe kid is wack. Im not sure there was a beat in the film that wasnt
Unfortunately, there is a two realistic or nerve-wracking.

7
38

-week wait for his

Watch it. And best of luck getting to sleep.

Cult Classic: You have to love them

Written by: Jamie Golson
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult
classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following.
Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate
fan base, an elaborate subculture that engage in
repeated viewings, quoting dialogue, and audience
participation. Many horror movies in our lifetime
have become cult classics in our eyes. How many
movies I can think of right now that have engaged
me so efficiently that not only can I tell you the
actors, the year it was made, and the plot, but I can
also quote many lines and sequences. Now where
there are some cult classics that received box office
blowouts, others were just short of a B class that
many fans still thoroughly enjoy. Whether it be the

infamous Halloween or Texas Chainsaw Massacre

that captivated audiences worldwide with slashing
and skin peeling hysterics, or Nightmare on Elm St.
with the snarky dream master himself, each has a
special place in a horror fans heart. Then there are
the other sides to this, the not so popular but still
epic to many in its own rights, such as Sleepaway
Camp and Happy Birthday to Me. So many movies
can be classified as a cult classic in just the way it
captures its viewers,. If you are going with the most
quotable horror movies, well then most can agree
the Evil Dead franchise can take that cake. But if
you are looking for a more horrific killing franchise
than the classic Friday the 13th Jason will cut that
cake and your head too.
These are just a mere few in the bazillion cult
classics out there, each day a new one is born!

39

Horror Geeks Top 5

CLASSIC HORROR
Horror Geeks Magazines Top 5 Pre 1965 Non Monster Picks

Written by: Jaimie Duel

1. 13 Ghosts (1960)
Starring: Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner
A family inherits what proves to be a haunted house, but a special pair of
goggles allows them to see their ghostly tormentors.

2. House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Starring: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Alan Marshal
A millionaire offers ten thousand dollars to five people who agree to be
locked in a large, spooky, rented house overnight with he and his wife.

3. The Body Snatcher (1945)

Starring: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Henry Daniell
A ruthless doctor and his young prize student find themselves continually harassed
by their murderous supplier of illegal cadavers.

4. The Haunting (1963)

Starring: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson
A scientist doing research on the paranormal invites two women to a
haunted mansion. One of the participants soon starts losing her mind.

5. House of Wax (1953)

Starring: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk
An associate burns down a wax museum with the owner inside, but he survives only to become vengeful and murderous.
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Prepared by MagCloud for Chuck Rios. Get more at hgmagazine.magcloud.com.