THE GOLDEN LIGHTNING ROD

An Interview With Author Christopher Golden


At this point in his prolific career Christopher Golden needs no introduction to readers of dark fiction. But in case you've been living under a rock for the past 15 or so years, he is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as THE MYTH HUNTERS, WILDWOOD ROAD, THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN, THE FERRYMAN, STRANGEWOOD, OF SAINTS AND SHADOWS, and (with Tim Lebbon) MIND THE GAP, which arrives in bookstores this May and is a must-read. Golden co-wrote the lavishly illustrated novel BALTIMORE, OR, THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER AND THE VAMPIRE with HELLBOY creator/artist Mike Mignola, which they are currently scripting as a ... (more…)

Jonathan Maberry, whose novel Bad Moon Rising is now in bookstores, sent along word that his next book, ZOMBIE CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead, "will be released by Citadel Press (a division of Kensington Publishing) in August. I interviewed a total of 250 experts in forensics, law enforcement, medicine, science, the military, the legal profession, journalism, and pop culture for the book. It's a hell of a lot of fun."

Pictured is the bloody good cover and below is the skinny:

When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth....

And law enforcement is ready to take them down!

What if zombies were real? What would happen if, tomorrow, corpses across the nation began ... (more…)

Is it possible for you to think of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein without picturing Boris Karloff as the monster? Even with one hundred million dollars at his disposal, was Stephen Sommers able to make Arnold Vasloo as memorable as Karloff's Mummy? Does Lon Chaney, Jr.s "enhanced" visage come to mind when you hear "Wolf Man"? While many actors, writers and directors contributed to the classic films that have come to be known as the Universal Monsters, one man contributed to nearly all of them.

After Lon Chaney, Sr., "The Man of 1,000 Faces," Jack Pierce (1889 - 1968) is probably more responsible for creating classic cinema creature designs than any other man in history. A sampling of Pierce'... (more…)

Capcom's DEVIL MAY CRY 4 is a big, loud, garishly goofy game.

It's stupid fun.

It's cotton candy.

It's pure sugar and brilliant color, frenetically spun until it looks huge and appetizing and substantial.

One taste, two, and you're smiling from ear to ear. Three tastes, four, and the immediate sugar rush tightens your smile into a line. Five tastes, six, nausea begins to rise.

I liken the game to a Jerry Bruckheimer production, big and slick, a well-oiled entertainment machine that dazzles with its bells and whistles and tries so hard to deliver on its promise of sheer spectacle that it just ends up numbing us into quiet submission. No brains, no soul, just empty thrills. Not to ... (more…)

CLOSET SPACE (2008 dir Mel House)

*Pre-Release Festival Edition Review

A professor and his students doing research in a house out in rural Texas believe they have a found a doorway to the other world in a closet inside the house. After the professor and the students mysteriously disappear into the closet, a group of highly experienced researchers take a trip out to the house to find out what happened to the group. Behind the closet door is a dark tunnel with different passageways. The group gears up to go on an expedition through the tunnel to find the professor and students. Soon enough, the group is beset by bizarre occurrences and eventually they have run-ins with slimy, tentacled ... (more…)

You watched him read his short story, "Noodlers Nab Naked Nymphs". You read his interview with Brian Keene. You thrilled to Richard Hipson's in depth interview with him and exploration of his Werewolf Saga. Hell, you may even have watched his Werewolf Saga Book Trailer right here!

Now you can hear what high school teacher by day, horror author by night Steven E. Wedel had to say to Fear Zone's Gabrielle Faust at Texas Frightmare Weekend. Don't worry, Gabrielle didn't have to press charges; Steve is nothing but a gentleman beneath all that long hair.

Pictured is Steve's ghost story novella, Seven Days in Benevolence, available for $9.95 (I love it when novellas don't cost $40...). ... (more…)

Fear Zone wishes contributor Norman Rubenstein a speedy recovery following a pair of emergency surgeries he underwent in the last week. Norman has been one of our most prolific reviewers, and now has his own FZ column, Macabre Musings, which recently helped him qualify for membership in the Horror Writers Association.

Okay, in case you haven't figured it out, that's not's not a photo of Norman Rubenstein; it's a photo of Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in PSYCHO II. But we don't have any photos of Norman Rubenstein, and I'm sure the thought of being coddled by Meg Tilly will cheer our Norman up.

Get well soon, Norman! (more…)

Ready for some Tuesday Terrors? Brian the Bad Movie Guy is still on vacation, but his evil, sound alike doppleganger has a greed to fill in for him while destroying Brian's life piece by bloody piece. Will Brian return from his JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN to recover his horror DVD Podcast Show? Only Gerry Anderson knows.

Today Brain Damage Films releases FRIGHTWORLD, a fetish horror film based on a popular Halloween attraction in Buffalo, New York. Ye old editor would like to recommend this film (which he hasn't seen) because several of his friends worked on it; unfortunately, they all say it sucks! Besides, Brain Damaged promised to add us to their screener list and never did. ... (more…)

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, I know--reviewing a superhero movie like IRON MAN on a horror site like Fear Zone is a stretch; at least THE INCREDIBLE HULK and BATMAN embrace iconic horror imagery. But, just as we review video games that aren't necessarily horror, we will occasionally embrace films, novels and comics that many would categorize as belonging to other genres. THE TWILIGHT ZONE, after all, dramatized SF, fantasy and horror, and I think most of us are geeks at heart.

Well, this year's "summer blockbuster" season has begun with the release of Jon Favreau's superhero flick IRON MAN, and I've got to admit, things are off to a good start. I'm glad because, as a lifelong Marvel Comics fan who ... (more…)

I've been friends with Weston Ochse for a few years now and it's always great (in a "I hate you" sort of way) to watch your friends blow up. Luckily, he still remembers who I am. His novel, Scarecrow Gods, won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in First Novel, and is about to be re-released as a trade paperback by Delirium Books. All of this made for a great excuse for me to pester him with a few questions.

Which do you prefer writing: short stories or novels? Do you recommend writing short stories as a way to break into the industry?

Writing a novel is such a long commitment of time and creative energy. For me, writing a novel is more fulfilling, but there are stories that ... (more…)