2025 October Horror Challenge #4 "Twilight"

I'm sure most if you don't consider this to be a horror movie either, but it's got werewolves and vampires in it, and bloody deaths and sue me, it's horror. I'm also sure most of you don't like it respect this movie or the book upon which it's based. i fell in love with the Twilight books when i read them, and i still think they're fluffy and fun. i also like how they focus on a teenage girl who owns her sexuality and knows what she wants and goes for it. and what she wants is a hunky guy. good for her. i hate how things that are primarily aimed at women and girls are often coded as frivolous and mocked mercilessly. screw that. girls are awesome, so books aimed at them can be awesome too, snd i won't spologize for loving them. got it?

2025 October Horror Challenge #3 'Fight Club"

The Things you own end up owning you. I am Jack's complete lack of surprise. There are other quotes from this movie that i love, but they give away the wnding, so I'm not going to post them here. i like to think that if i saw this movie for the first time today, I'd know the twist before it's revealed to us. it seems pretty obvious to me now, and i am extra movie savvy now, so i probably would get it today. this overlooks the fact that i became so movie savvy by watching movies like this one in the first place, though. the thing is, the twist isn't even why i liked this movie so much when i first saw it. yes, it surprised me, but even more than that it freaked me out. You see, this movie made me think too. it made me realize that i was really two different people, hiding who i really was for fear i wouldn't fit in, and i realized that i needed to stop doing that to muself or i was going to snap and lose my mind. seriously. this movie and Avril Lavigne's song "Complicated" had a huge impact on me and made me realize i needed to stop hiding my true self before it was too late. as for why i consider it a horror movie when im sure most of you don't, it's violent snd dark and bloody and gory. it explores rhemes of violence in society and why counterculture people don't feel that they fit into the world. it's pretty deep, and it's witty and sarcastic and subversive and harsh, and it's always screwmed horror to me, so i dig it

2025 October Horror Challenge #2 "Casper"

Remember kids, Cinderella got to stay up past modnight, but Cinderella wasn't 12. This movie is cute.

2025 October Horror Challenge #1 "Silver Bullet"

Classic werewolf stalking prey through the bushes scenes in opening sequence. reminds me of the stalking scenes from Val Lewton's classic "Cat People." Look at little Corey Haim! He was so young! Gary Beusy was young too. we all were young once. I love this movie.

The Stonehurst Saga

Here's another book I'm working on. The title of my shifters novel is The Stonehurst Saga. The main character Nick Cavenaugh is a werepanther and everyone knows it. He and his wife have no children. He is fiercely protective of his friends and family. He is a police officer who has gained a modicum of fame for his bravery. In this world, weres are known as shifters. They are a protected class of people who live among humans as their own race.They are accepted into society, but as you can imagine there is prejudice and distrust surrounding them. Holly Cavanaugh is Nick’s wife. She is not a shifter, but her sister was. Shifters can come in any family at any time even if the people in the family have no history of being shifters. Wendy Lindenmuth was Holly’s sister. She was a werepanther who ran away ten years ago. She lived on an island off the coast of where Holly’s parents lived. Stanley Stonehurst is a weresnake. He and Holly have been friends since they were kids. She trusts him but Nick hates him. He thinks he’s abusive and a liar. Stanley used to date Wendy, and he kept her from her family and wouldn't let her see them. They didn’t know the truth of what Stanley was like. Ten years ago when Wendy ran away, there was a big fight and Stanley told Wendy she could never see her family again and she would have to live on the island with him and only him. He gave her an ultimatum that if she didn’t listen to him he would leave her, and she loved him, so she agreed to sever ties with her family and live on the island with Stanley. Holly and her parents don’t know about the ultimatum, they just know that Wendy said she was severing ties with them and moving to the island and she never wanted to see them again. She disappeared that night and no one has seen her since. Holly’s family are very hurt by her betrayal, and they no longer visit the island where Wendy lived. Wendy’s father told her she was disowned on the night she severed ties with her family. Again, they don’t know that Stanley is responsible for Wendy’s betrayal, so they tolerate him as an old friend of Holly’s, but they don’t really trust him. Sarah is an empath. She is 23, which is ten years younger than Nick and Holly. She was friends with Wendy and is the only other one who knew about Stanley’s ultimatum the night Wendy disappeared. Sarah has never trusted Stanley’s version of events on the night Wendy disappeared. She doesn’t like Stanley either, and wants Holly to stop seeing him, but Holly still sees Stanley as an old friend who has always been there for her and wants to stay friends with him. She feels like he is the last connection she has left with her sister Wendy. She doesn’t know that Stanley is responsible for Wendy’s betrayal of her family, and Sarah is afraid Holly won’t believe her if she tries to tell her, because she was so young when Wendy disappeared. When the story opens, filmmakers are doing a documentary about shifters in society, and Nick is one of the stars, so Holly is there as his wife to provide background story, and she starts talking about her sister Wendy and how she disappeared, and the filmmakers start asking questions, and that's how the story comes out. Holly's parents don't like to talk aboiut it, so she's got all these pent-up feelings about missing her sister and she's not allowed to talk about it, so she kind of explodes and overshares when she's finally able to start talking about it, and the filmmakers think it's crazy - your daughter disappears and you just stop talking about it? Nick chalks it up to rich people being weird and mysterious, and Holly's parents have always been really private so they're just like "we keep these things in the family" type of people. My family is like that too, though we're not rich, lol. But once the story starts to come out that's when we meet Stanley Stonehurst, and he's the antagonist (or he becomes one, at first he's just a guy who's friends with Holly's family, but when the whole story about Wendy's disappearance comes out, all the animosity Nick feels toward Stanley comes out too, and that's when we meet Sarah, who was a friend of Wendy's and knew the whole story about how Stanley was pressuring her to cut ties with her family, and she didn't want to do it because she loved her family but she loved Stanley too so she basically chose him and it led to her disappearance. The Stonehurst Saga – Novel Framework Worldbuilding Shifters (aka weres) are a protected class. Think of them like a recognized minority — legally protected, but socially distrusted. Some humans see them as dangerous, others exotic. There are laws regulating transformations (especially in public), and shifters are subject to stricter scrutiny in law enforcement, media, and politics. Public awareness: Shifters aren’t hiding in this world. Everyone knows they exist. A shifter cop like Nick becomes a symbol of “integration” — respected, but also controversial. Cultural Tension: Humans whisper about whether shifters are “safe.” Shifters argue about assimilation vs. independence (stay in human society, or create isolated communities). --- Main Characters Nick Cavenaugh (MC) A werepanther, police officer, protective, courageous, carries quiet rage. Conflict: Resents Stanley, but his wife’s loyalty to her “friend” forces him into uncomfortable proximity. He wants justice and truth, but must tread carefully as Stanley is powerful and manipulative. Theme: How far will he go to protect family? Holly Cavenaugh Human, loyal wife. Torn between past (sister Wendy) and present (husband Nick). Conflict: Wants to remember her sister with love, but feels betrayal. Keeps Stanley around as a “connection to Wendy,” blind to his toxicity. Theme: The lies we tell ourselves to hold onto the people we’ve lost. Wendy Lindenmuth (missing sister) Werepanther. “Vanished” 10 years ago after breaking family ties. Conflict: In memory, she’s both traitor and victim. The truth of what happened to her (and whether she’s dead, alive, or something worse) drives the suspense. Stanley Stonehurst (Antagonist) Weresnake. Charismatic, manipulative, controlling. Keeps Holly close as leverage. Conflict: Hides his abuse and coercion under the guise of friendship. His history with Wendy is dark and twisted. Theme: Control vs. freedom — he believes love means ownership. Sarah (the empath) Youngest, idealistic, emotionally perceptive. Knew Wendy’s truth, but silenced by fear. Conflict: Wants to tell Holly what she knows, but fears not being believed. Her gift makes her both powerful and vulnerable. Theme: The burden of truth — and the courage to speak it. --- Plot Structure (Book One) Act I – The Documentary Sparks Old Wounds Filmmakers interview Nick, positioning him as the heroic face of shifters in society. Holly is interviewed too — cracks under pressure, overshares about Wendy’s disappearance. Family tensions flare. Holly’s parents are furious she spoke about it publicly. The filmmakers want more: Wendy’s story is compelling. Act II – The Past Returns Stanley reenters the story, drawn by the renewed attention. He pretends to be supportive but subtly manipulates Holly. Nick and Stanley clash, tension boiling over. Sarah appears, nervous but determined. She hints to Holly that Wendy didn’t leave by choice. Strange occurrences suggest Wendy’s fate isn’t what everyone thinks (sightings, rumors, perhaps supernatural signs). Act III – Secrets and Threats Sarah confesses the truth: Stanley coerced Wendy into cutting ties. Holly is torn — loyalty to an old friend vs. the possibility of betrayal. Nick investigates Stanley, but Stanley has allies, influence, and a carefully constructed image. Sarah becomes a target — Stanley tries to silence her. Act IV – Revelation Evidence of Wendy’s fate comes to light. (Alive but captive? Dead but haunting? Transformed into something darker?) Stanley’s control unravels. Holly finally sees his true nature. Nick must choose between justice (law) and vengeance (shifter instinct). Climax Confrontation on the island where Wendy lived with Stanley. Truth revealed — Stanley’s abuse, Wendy’s suffering, and the full weight of Holly’s loss. Sarah plays a key role (her empathy senses Wendy’s lingering presence/trauma). Nick and Stanley’s final clash — panther vs. snake — primal, brutal, symbolic. Resolution Holly mourns her sister, but with truth instead of betrayal. Nick’s reputation as both shifter and cop is tested — did he follow the law or his instincts? Sarah finds her voice, becoming a bridge between past and future. Stanley’s downfall is sealed, but the scars remain. --- Themes Family & loyalty — What do we owe those we love? Truth vs. silence — The damage secrets cause over time. Control vs. freedom — Stanley embodies toxic control; Wendy’s tragedy is about losing her voice. Acceptance & prejudice — Shifters as a metaphor for otherness.

Ray Garton was Amazing! Rest in Peace, Good Sir.

I had the immense pleasure and great honor of interviewing one of my heroes earlier this year. Back in February of this year, I made a post on Twitter about how The author Ray Garton had touched my life with his writing and how I would be forever grateful to him, and how I had written a blog post about one of his stories, a novella called "Monsters," and to my great surprise and pleasure, Ray Garton himself replied to my post and thanked me for my kind words and consented to do an interview for my blog. I was blown away. I mean, I got to talk to one of my heroes who's writing I had admired for years, and here he was, talking to little old ME. I'm still geeked about it. But that's just the kind of guy Ray Garton was. He was amazingly humble and willing to reach out and encourage other writers on their journey. He was a big horror nerd, and he loved talking about horror as we all do. He loved cats too. I told you the guy had good taste. It was a blast interviewing him. Little did I know this would be one of the last interviews Ray Garton would ever do, as he died of complications from stage 4 lung cancer on April 21st, 2024. With his passing, we lost one of the greats of splatter-horror and his voice will be greatly missed in the horror world and indeed in the world at large. Here I present to you my interview with Ray Garton in hopes that it gives you a glimpse into his life and his writing and that it shows you what a cool person he was.

Where did you first hear about my blog Out Of The Box?

I read your blog post and was kind of blown away that my story "Monsters" had such an impact on you. It was written at a hugely emotional time in my life and tells a story very similar to my own.

Would you mind sharing your story for those of us who don't know what the novella is about?

I was living in Angwin, California, which is a Napa Valley village occupied by Pacific Union College, a Seventh-day Adventist college. Adventists don't believe in fiction. They think its wicked, just lies, all of it. But horror fiction is the absolute end-all worst.

I maintained my sanity growing up in my uneducated, strictly Adventist family by watching horror and monster movies on TV, reading horror fiction, and then I finally started writing it, almost obsessively. It was all I did in my spare time. I got an early start and sold my first novel just a couple of years out of high school. I attended all Adventist schools, including a boarding school for the last two years of high school. Trying to fit in was traumatizing. For the entire 12+ years I was in those schools, I was putting on a performance. I was not me, not at all. By college, I was angry, fed up, and exhausted. So I walked away from all of it. It was when I went back later to live in that village that the trouble started. Word got out that my first horror novel was being published. People stopped talking to me. They crossed the street when they saw me coming. I was vandalized. Threatened. I finally left and moved to Los Angeles. But that kind of shit sticks to you. It follows you everywhere. Becomes a permanent part of your life. It has haunted me forever, the idea that I'm a useless worm without their interpretation fo God. They were an apocalyptic cult and I spent half my life living in abject terror of the Last Days.

So it would be fair to say your experiences left you with a bad taste in your mouth regarding religion?

I came out of it hating religion. I am not a believer. I think religion does more harm than good and I speak out against it at every opportunity. I do not hold it against believers, I still have friends who go to church, who believe in God. But they know not to bring it up with me. It's when people start shoving it at me that I get nasty.

So I can already see similarities between your experiences and those faced by the main character in the story "Monsters"

"Monsters" is an exaggeration of stuff that really happened. And given the emotional state I was in when I wrote it---I wrote it while still living in that village---I guess it's not surprising that it had an emotional affect on someone.

I can't tell you how delighted that you got some good out of it. Thank you for sharing that. You've made my whole month.

Talking with you has made my whole month, definitely! You're one of my heroes and it has been an honor chatting with you. Is there anything else you'd like to share?

By the way, that line---"They always win."---belonged to the protagonist of the story. That was his world view. It's not mine. They don't always win. Although when I watch the news, that's getting harder and harder to cling to.

"Monsters" is stupidly out of print and ridiculously hard to find, like all the books I love it seems, If you want to read it, I'll let you borrow my copy. Just you have to promise to return it! I read it every few years and it reminds me why I'm doing what I'm doing here in my life, why we have to keep showing the true God of love to people through our actions, because people have been hurt and scarred by the worst the church has to offer and that is scarrier than any horror story out there. If you want to check out one of Ray Garton's books that is more readily available, I suggest the book "Bestial" which you can get here:

https://a.co/d/0fw5b3Qh

If you want to read the blog post I wrote about "Monsters" to which Ray Garton is referring in this interview, it's right here:

http://youcanhaveabigbox.blogspot.com/2024/02/in-end.html

Here is a poem I wrote about the novella "Monsters"

Monsters

If you call a man a monster, he becomes what you say

Dark that won’t dissipate in the light of day

Nightmarish visions, grotesqueries abound

Terror filled visages too many to count

So he takes pen to paper in an attempt to tame

The hideous countenance he cannot name

A modest success, his foot in the door

Yet shunned by his family who call him a whore

For propagating darkness instead of the light

They twist and turn scripture to defend what’s not right

Yet he marches on to a drum of his own

Finds himself a companion, a career, and a home

Til a voice from the past casts his present in doubt

He’s possessed by a demon he thought he’d cast out

Harsh violence and murder return to his door

Tormenting him til he can’t take anymore

He tries to run but he cannot hide

Water sinks ships once it is let inside

So he cowers in fear, contemplating his plight

They hunt him down, pitchforks and torches alight

And I heard him exclaim as he drew his last breath

“This judgment of God is a fate worse than death!”

The Green Girl and the Serum review

Buy "The GreenGirlandtheSerum" Here!

"The Green Girl and the Serum" review

What would you do if you suddenly had super powers one day and could do things you had previously only dreamed of doing? That's a question Stacey Robert's has to answer when one day she gets injected with a Serum that gives its host superhuman powers. Suddenly, Stacey is beautiful beyond her own imagining, and she's also green, and has these amazing powers which enable her to fight crime. But Stacey can't decide for herself how to use her powers, because someone is controlling her. You see, Stacey was injected with the Serum by the British military so she could be used as a weapon in their ongoing war with insurgents.

Stacey escapes her captors and goes on the run for years. This allows her to decide how to live her own life away from the control of her captors. After many years, she is reunited with Ben Fox, a young man who, like Stacey, was injected with the Serum for use as a weapon of warfare. With the help of Ben Fox and his group the Mega Human Haven, Stacey is able to fight back and gain her freedom. This battle with the military takes many years, during which time Ben and Stacey fall in love.

Their happy existence doesn't last, however, as it is soon threatened by another faction of super humans, known as The Outcasts and led by Surge, a mysterious figure from Ben's past who wants to use the Serum to create an army of mega humans with the intention of helping him and his faction take over the world. You see, like Stacey, Surge was fighting the British military for his freedom, but instead of using his powers for good, he let them go to his head and decided to try and take over the world. Does Surge know some secrets from Ben's past that could tear him and Stacey apart?

Is Stacey up for all these battles? Will she survive fighting for her own peace and happiness against what seem like insurmountable odds? And what role does her father play in all this, as Stacey soon discovers a secret about her own past and her father's connection to the origins of the Serum that threatens everything she thought she once knew?

Remember the X-men, and how Professor Xavier and Magneto were both mutants who started out on the same side but ended up splitting when the power went to Magneto's head and he decided to try and take over the world? The power corrupted him into becoming like those he first wanted to fight. I thought about that a lot while reading this book. I used to dream about what I would do if I had super powers, but I always pictured myself doing good, I never thought about what would happen if I started to use my powers to hurt those who hurt me and I became evil. It's such an easy step. First you try to fight evil, then you're fighting those who hurt you, and before you know it, you're using your powers for your own personal gain. I identified more with Surge than I was comfortable with while I was reading this story. He was injected with the Serum just like Stacey, by those who wanted to use his powers to benefit them, and in turning against his captors, he soon turned against everything that is good and right, and became just like everything he used to hate. That's why I like this book. It made me think. I've heard from other reviewers that they thought this book had a lot of typos and that those distracted them from the story, but that wasn't a problem for me, and I graduated with a degree in English literature, so I can spot a typo a mile away. I was so engrossed in this story that little things like that didn't bother me. I've seen more typos in some professionally done works by major publishers.

This is an independent book, and as such it needs your support for the story to continue and grow. It doesn't have the backing of a major publisher yet, so if you want to hear more of Ben and Stacey's story, you have to help the author out! Buy the book, read it and review it, tell your friends and get them on board too! Word of mouth is so important in indie publishing. I hope you check this book out, and I hope you check out the author's GoFundMe campaign to help this book gain the exposure of a major publisher, and help spread this story to more people across the world! We have a chance to get in on the ground floor here and be a part of something bigger than ourselves! Let's use our powers for good and help spread the word about this great story! Long live The Green Girl!

Donate to the GoFundMe page Here!