News

DC Comics is unleashing a horror anthology and we’re excited about it. Debuting on October 25th, just in time for the greatest day of the year, DC House of Horrors will be an 80-page, one-shot comic book that tells new horror stories set within the DC Universe. Horror novelists including Brian Keene, Weston Ochse, Edward Lee, Mary […]...

Death and the afterlife are two of the most commonly encountered themes in horror fiction. Apparitions and reanimated corpses are nothing new to fans of the genre; in fact, these images have been exploited so often that they’ve lost their impact. Then there are authors like Poppy Z. Brite, who manipulate familiar images in a way that transcends their meaning. This is put on display brilliantly and horrifically in his first compilation of short stories, Wormwood.

The collection’s original title, Swamp Foetus, is deliciously descriptive of the horrors concealed within. Brite’s writing is deeply steeped in its location: the dark swamps of the American South. Narrators creep through reeking, stinking bayous, full of dark mud that submerges and mist that shadows. What they find there destroys the reader’s idea of the body and the meaning of decay.

Most of the stories revolve around people on the fringes—queer musicians,...

Guillermo del Toro (The Devil's Backbone, Crimson Peak) has contributed two signed items, a copy of Pacific Rim and The Book of Life, to A Cause for Entertainment's auction to fight breast cancer. Also in today's Horror Highlights: Friday the 13th franchise enamel pins from Fright Rags, the list of short films at Fantastic Fest 2016, Dr. West: A Reanimated Parody sneak peek details, and info on the new poetry collection, As the Blade Cuts.

Guillermo del Toro-Signed Memorabilia at A Cause for Entertainment's Auction to Fight Breast Cancer: "Starting bid: $50.00

Oscar nominated Writer/Director Guillermo Del Toro, known for his work on Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth and Crimson Peak, has generously donated a signed copy of his film Pacific Rim and his book “The Book of Life” to support the fight against breast cancer.

Auction starts: October 17th, 2016 12:00 am

Auction ends: November 6th, 2016 7:30 pm...

As far as weird and gross dishes go on MasterChef, I'd say "The Good, The Bad and the Offal" ranks pretty high on the list. Kentucky chef Edward Lee joins the judges for a budget-friendly mystery box challenge, before the Top 14 are put to the test with some cheap and under-used cuts of meat, such as tripe, kidney and liver.

[caption id="attachment_48158" align="aligncenter" width="590"] MasterChef TV show image courtesy of Fox./caption]

Preheat your oven. The seventh season of the MasterChef TV show on Fox premieres Wednesday, June 1, at 8:00pm Et/Pt.

Contestants must impress chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi, as well culinary greats and special culinary guest judges, including Wolfgang Puck, Aarón Sánchez, Edward Lee, Kevin Sbraga and Richard Blais.

Read More…...

[caption id="attachment_46325" align="aligncenter" width="442"] Gordon Ramsay. Cr: Matt Hoyle / Fox. Copyright: Fox./caption]

Fox announces the seventh season of its MasterChef TV show will premiere Wednesday, June 1, 2016, at 8:00pm Et/Pt. Throughout season seven, Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi will welcome celebrity guest judges including Wolfgang Puck, Aarón Sánchez, Edward Lee, Kevin Sbraga, and Richard Blais.

Graham Elliot left the franchise after the most recent season of MasterChef Junior. Encores of MasterChef will air Fridays at 9:00pm Et/Pt, beginning June 3, 2016.

Read More…...

Fox has a date for the next helping of its summer reality staple. The net said today that Season 7 of MasterChef will get cookin’ on June 1 with host Gordon Ramsay and pastry chef Christina Tosi. Wolfgang Puck is among the guest judges along with fellow celebrity chefs Aaron Sanchez, Edward Lee, Kevin Sbraga and Richard Blais. In the season premiere episode, 40 home cooks will travel to Los Angeles, where they will attempt to earn a coveted white apron and move forward to…...

Cartoon Network on Monday announced plans to bring back one of its most beloved series, proving that good things really do come in small packages – and in threes.

The Powerpuff Girls, which originally ran from 1998 to 2005, will return as a brand-new series slated to begin in 2016.

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup were last seen fighting crime in a one-off special that aired in January.

Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…

* Yanked from ABC’s midseason schedule in January after just two episodes, The Assets is returning with new installments beginning Saturday at 9/8c. This weekend’s episode will...

It's been an unusually festive St. Patrick's Day for horror fans between the first footage of Leprechaun: Origins and Vamprechaun's IndieGoGo campaign. But this free online novel may be the strangest and most compelling of them all.

That's right, kids! Leprechaun in the Hood: The Musical: A Novel is serialized horror delivered by some of the best names in genre literature. Join Cameron Pierce, Adam Cesare, and Shane McKenzie as they bring you an all-new novel built around a musical adaptation of Leprechaun in the Hood.

I know what you're thinking: "dafuq" or something along those lines, right? Read on for a little bit more clarification, or head on over to Reddit and start reading!

What the hell is this?

Leprechaun in the Hood: The Musical: A Novel is a serial novel that will be released in weekly installments, for free, on Dreadit, the /r/horror Reddit.

It...

When your press materials lead with a quote from Stephen King calling your book "old school horror at its best," you’d better be confident that the book in question does not fall short. The Troop does not fall short. The book begins with a classic horror setup: the isolation of a group of likable, relatable people, followed by the introduction of a mysterious and deadly force. The group in question is a small Scout troop, a seemingly tight-knit squad of five teenage boys and their scoutmaster, Tim, spending their annual wilderness weekend on tiny Falstaff Island. The force comes in the form of an emaciated man who stumbles into their cabin on their first night with death literally eating its way through his body. What follows is a savage and thorough breakdown of this tiny community, as kids who are accustomed to having adults come to the rescue quickly...

This is going to be less of a review and more of a cautionary tale. I thought I knew what I was getting into when I started reading Sixty-Five Stirrup Iron Road. It is, after all, a collaboration of nine of the hardest-hitting horror authors working in the genre today: Brian Keene, Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, J.F. Gonzalez, Bryan Smith, Wrath James White, Nate Southard, Ryan Harding and Shane McKenzie. These are not guys known for their restraint, and when you bring them all together between the same two covers, well, let’s just say the game of one-upsmanship is taken to a whole different level. I was not prepared for some of the things I read in this book. Clearly I’m no prude (I doubt I’d be writing for Fearnet if that were the case). I’ve pounded down more than my share of horror novels.

The HollyShorts Film Festival is held annually in August, but to keep the momentum going all year, the organizers have monthly screenings of outstanding short films. As it turns out, one of them, The Bighead, was a little too much for the audience to handle. Read on for the details.

The screening of Michael Ling's The Bighead at the November 6 event caused quite an uproar with at least 20 people walking out of the theater because of the film's violence and scenes that were deemed disgusting, vile, and (everyone's favorite buzz phrase) "torture porn."

Apparently it didn't stop there as the festival organizers have been getting many complaints and being questioned on why they would select such a controversial short film. Additionally, people are filing petitions and threatening to contact the MPAA. What the fuck? There hasn't been fallout over a movie like this since A Serbian Film surfaced.

And...

Jack Ketchum and Edward Lee are both masters of the erotic grotesque. Lee tends to go for the gut, figuratively and literally. His plainspoken approaches to sexual and body horror result in novellas like “The Pig,” which delves – deep – into the world of snuff porn, junkies, and bestiality. (Its sequel, “The House,” pulls some punches … but not many.) If you’re into the grossest of gross-out splatterpunk, Lee’s your man.

Walking the same forest but ending up in a different clearing is Jack Ketchum. His infamous The Girl Next Door is hard to read and impossible to put down, the epitome of sex terror that unnerves rather than grosses out. His recent work with Lucky McKee, I’m Not Sam, starts sane and grows unbelievably uncomfortable, the sexuality at its center is less vividly awful than that in The Girl Next Door, but arguably more repulsive.

Sometimes these guys write stories together.

Dread Central recently hosted the online premiere of the brand new trailer for writer/director Michael Ling's upcoming short film Edward Lee's The Bighead, and with its La premiere just a few weeks away, we thought now would be a great time to chat with Lee.

Based on Edward Lee's seminal and wildly controversial 2003 novel Edward Lee's The Bighead, this harrowing tale is set in the West Virginian backwoods where vicious monsters, both human and supernatural, go on a terrifying rampage in search of a special young woman. Their path of destruction uncovers long held secrets and puts the fate of the entire world in jeopardy.

The short film stars Raquel Cantu as the untamable sexpot Jerrica, Carrie Malabre as the shy Charity, Orson Chaplin as the demented psychopath Tritt "Balls" Connor, and Lance Trezona as Tritt's dim-witted accomplice Dicky. Award-winning director of photography Fady Hadid shot the film,...

At the first-ever CineMayhem Film Fest this past weekend, the trailer for indie filmmaker Michael Ling's upcoming short film Edward Lee's The Bighead premiered on the silver screen before the final film of the fest, Resolution.

Now we've got the trailer right here on Dread Central to share with you fiends exclusively!

Based on Edward Lee's seminal and wildly controversial 2003 novel "Edward Lee's The Bighead," this harrowing tale is set in the West Virginian backwoods where vicious monsters, both human and supernatural, go on a terrifying rampage in search of a special young woman. Their path of destruction uncovers long held secrets and puts the fate of the entire world in jeopardy.

The short film stars Raquel Cantu as the untamable sexpot Jerrica, Carrie Malabre as the shy Charity, Orson Chaplin as the demented psychopath Tritt "Balls" Connor, and Lance Trezona as Tritt's dim-witted accomplice Dicky. Also starring...

"Top Chef" really is mixing things up for its ninth season.

In addition to the three-city tour of Texas, the show will now kick off with a record 29 finalists who will vie for a chef's coat. After narrowing them down in the premiere, a chosen 16 will get the coveted title of "chef'testant."

Competition will take the series to Austin, Dallas and San Antonio, where scheduled guest judges include Charlize Theron, Pee-wee Herman, Cat Cora, John Besh, Tim Love and Patti Labelle.

Previously reported additions to the judging table Emeril Lagasse and Hugh Acheson will join returning host Padma Lakshmi, head judge Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons.  And Colicchio has an extra task this season. He'll host  "Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen," a web series where eliminated chefs will face off in an effort to get back on the show before the finale.

Scroll down for details on the 29 finalists...

The 9th season of Emmy-winning Top Chef will premiere on Bravo November 2. Along with that news, the show released the names of 29 Top Chef "hopefuls." Those contestants will be narrowed down to the 16 chefs who will compete across Texas for the title.

Here's the list of the hopeful cheftestants:

Any favorites?

- Nyesha Arrington, 28 – Los Angeles, Calif., Wilshire Restaurant.

- Lindsay Autry, 29 – West Palm Beach, Fla., Omphoy Ocean Resort &Michelle Bernstein

- Jonathan Baltazar, 36 – Long Beach, Calif., Heights Cuisine.

- Ty-Lör Boring, 34 – Brooklyn, N.Y., Spasso

- Molly Brandt, 30 – Hollywood, Fla., Allure of the Seas for Royal Caribbean

- Chaz Brown, 29 – New York, N.Y., Fatty Crab

- Kimberly Calichio, 27 – New York, N.Y., Fishtail by David Burke

- Beverly Kim, 31 – Chicago, Ill., Aria Restaurant

- Chris Crary, 29 – Los Angeles, Calif., Whist Restaurant in the Viceroy Hotel

- Andrew Curren, 32 – Austin, Texas , 24 Diner

- Berenice deAraujo, 33 – Miami, Fla., Sra. Martinez

- Janine Falvo,...

People have been buzzing about the possibility, and then the reality, of Top Chef Texas, for months. Now, finally, Bravo has released serious details about the ninth season of the chef competition. The show will premiere November 2nd, at 10 pm, just in time for National Deviled Egg Day. And Zagat Buzz is reporting that Top Chef Texas guest stars will include Charlize Theron, Pee-wee Herman, Cat Cora, John Besh, Tim Love and Patti Labelle, a distinctly motley crew.

But most importantly, Bravo has released all the names and restaurant affiliations of the season's contestants. It's heavy on chefs from New York, La, Chicago and Seattle. There are even two cooks from one pioneering Windy City eatery, Moto. (Funny coincidence or an ingenious casting director strategy to drum up drama? Despite the Texan setting, there are only two chefs from the Lone Star State, and just a handful of contestants from other states in the South.

At first glance, I’m hard-pressed to pick a favorite when considering the list of amazing horror authors out there. There are plenty of writers in the fray whose work I’ll anxiously devour whenever a new book hits the shelves: Stephen King, Clive Barker, Bentley Little, Jack Ketchum, Skipp & Spector, Brian Keene, Edward Lee – the list is seriously endless.

Having recently acquired a Kindle, I spent the last seven months filling it with the works of my favorite novelists. In reviewing the virtual library I’ve accumulated, I was surprised to find the results so heavily weighted in one particular writer’s favor. From vampires, ancient evils, a recurring anti-hero and a sprawling menagerie of secret and supernatural histories, there is perhaps no writer as ambitious and fascinating as F. Paul Wilson.

Wilson’s first bestseller was 1981’s World War II horror story, The Keep, a page-turner about German...

10th Anniversary Lettered and Collectors editions of Award-winning Author Paul Kane’s first two books – Alone (In the Dark) and Touching the Flame – gathered together in one impressive volume: Shadow Writer. With stunning artwork by David Magitis (above) Brought to you from Mansion House Books, publishers of quality editions of books such as Edward Lee’s The Chosen, Graham Masterton’s The Sphinx, Amarantha Knight’s (Nancy Kilpatrick’s) Dracula: The Darker Passions and Gary Brandner’s The Howling (the novel on which the Joe Dante film was based). Images of the Collectors and Lettered edition of this are below. In February 2011 Mhb Press will be publishing Shadow Writer: the 10th Anniversary Edition of Paul Kane’s celebrated collections Alone (In The Dark) and Touching the Flame, containing all of the stories from the original publications together with three uncollected short stories, uncollected poetry, copies of edited manuscript pages, comprehensive...

Seeking publication in today's advertisement saturated industry can be a bit like wandering into the zombie apocalypse: impossible odds, a sense of isolation, and at times it feels like everyone actually making it out there is in serious need of "braaaaaaaaaiiiiinssss."

It's an upstream swim without a doubt. But author Thom Carnell (who is a longtime contributor to both Fangoria Magazine and the Dread Central site as well as a once upon a time co-creator and writer for the much revered Carpe Noctem Magazine) is tackling both at the same time with his first novel, No Flesh Shall Be Spared (review here). Fueled by zombie-bashing carnage, the novel was released in time for Halloween of 2010.

Ck Burch for DC: Let’s start by asking you about your nom de plume. Why do you write only under your last name?

Carnell: It's really a nod to my family. So much of...

It's that time of year again when the weather is horrifically hot and the sun is just too damn bright for us horror fans. Time to curl up with a good book in the darkness of your home and crank up the AC. With that in mind, here is a hopefully helpful list of "Summer Reading to Chill Your Bones".

This is definitely not a complete catalogue, and I would love to hear from folks who have their own recommendations so please feel free to add your comments below.

And away we go...

1) The Passage by Justin Cronin. This is turning into The book to read this summer, and for good reason. It is one part Stephen King's The Stand combined with Robert McCammon's Swan Song and a soupcon of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. The first part of a trilogy with the movie rights already purchased by Ridley Scott,...

Star Wars: Death Troopers (Del Rey, hc, $24, out October 13) is the first-ever Star Wars horror story. Oh, wait. I forgot about The Phantom Menace. Ba-Da-Bum! But seriously folks, Joe Schreiber’s novel really is the first Star Wars horror novel, and it can be summed up pretty easily: Zombie Star Wars.

The Imperial Prison Barge Purge is transporting prisoners when thruster damage causes it to break down in a remote, uninhabited region of space. They locate an Imperial Star Destroyer that has apparently been abandoned, and a crew is sent aboard to hopefully find the necessary replacement parts. Only some of the team returns to the Purge, though, and those who do return are extremely sick and suffering from a variety of different symptoms: violent expectoration, respiratory difficulties, fever, seizures, hallucinations, hemorrhaging, coma, etc. The disease rapidly spreads throughout the craft, forcing the compassionate Chief Medical Officer Zahara Cody to order a quarantine.

Star Wars: Death Troopers (Del Rey, hc, $24, out October 13) is the first-ever Star Wars horror story. Oh, wait. I forgot about The Phantom Menace. Ba-Da-Bum! But seriously folks, Joe Schreiber’s novel really is the first Star Wars horror novel, and it can be summed up pretty easily: Zombie Star Wars.

The Imperial Prison Barge Purge is transporting prisoners when thruster damage causes it to break down in a remote, uninhabited region of space. They locate an Imperial Star Destroyer that has apparently been abandoned, and a crew is sent aboard to hopefully find the necessary replacement parts. Only some of the team returns to the Purge, though, and those who do return are extremely sick and suffering from a variety of different symptoms: violent expectoration, respiratory difficulties, fever, seizures, hallucinations, hemorrhaging, coma, etc. The disease rapidly spreads throughout the craft, forcing the compassionate Chief Medical Officer Zahara Cody to order a quarantine.

From September 17-20, 2009 if you aren’t already dead-tired of all that Las Vegas has to offer, Fangoria suggests that you attend the 1st annual KillerCon at the Palace Station Hotel/Casino in nowhere else but Sin City.

For all the next coming of age Stephen Kings out there, (Listen up Sean Crenshaw from The Monster Squad; “Stephen King Rules!”) this 1st annual convention is a combination of all the popular genres of fiction writing. Here horror, thriller, and paranormal romance genres fuse together in this inaugural multi-genre writer’s convention. This con is going to be a unique experience because it will be a first where we honor the true masters of horror; horror authors. At their website , they feature a line-up of authors that any reader of the macabre would love to hear from. The con will feature panel discussions, readings, book signings, and author Q&As with guests of honor,...

In the run-up to Prong's hotly anticipated new album Power of the Damn MiXXXer (due on May 12th, but you'll read all about it on these pages very soon), band frontman Tommy Victor will be attending this month's Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors 30th Anniversary show in Los Angeles. More details below the jump! Victor will be joined at the convention by wicked cyber-metal act Skumlove (one of the bands featured on the soundtrack to the XXX-rated Edward Lee comic adaptation Grub Girl), whose in-the-works album The Church of the New Perversion Victor helped write and produce. The artists will be signing autographs in the Schecter Guitar Research booth from April 17-19. Check out this video of Tommy laying...