My
friend, author Alicia Dean, is here to talk about my least favorite
topic. Fright. Halloween is NOT my favorite time of year. Except for
kids in costumes. And candy. Oh, yeah. Candy. But scary movies is not my
idea of fun. It is Alicia's, so here she is.
Do you like to be scared?
I know it’s strange, but I do. I love the adrenaline
rush that a good scare can give, although, admittedly, I don’t enjoy true
scares, like being afraid for my children, being involved in car wrecks, or
literally getting murdered.
I loved scary movies as a child and my three children
all grew up watching scary movies. They love them to this day. As a matter of
fact, the three of them and I are planning to get together this Halloween
season for a night of horror movie watching.
As a child, I loved ‘Psycho,’ ‘The
Birds,’ ‘Night of the Living Dead.’ Remember those movies? Some of my favorite
movies as an adult are the Halloween franchise (minus Halloween 3, which
shouldn’t have even been part of the franchise), ‘IT,’ ‘The Shining,’ and a
movie that not that many people are familiar with. It’s from the early 80’s and
it’s called ‘Visiting Hours.’ Very scary! Loved it.
I don’t like gratuitous gore. To me, gory doesn’t
equate with scary. And, I usually don’t care for movies with unrealistic
creatures. I never understood the ‘Alien’ craze. For me to really be
frightened, I have to know that it’s at least remotely possible that the horror
could happen in real life.
What about you? Do you like scary movies? Which ones
are your favorites?
A Halloween Anthology – Six Stories by Six Authors
MYSTERIES OF THE MACABRE
Authors Alicia Dean, Leah St. James, Alexa
Day, Renci Denham, Rohn Federbush, and Elvy Howard share Halloween mayhem in 6
short stories:
A masked stranger ~ Teen angst ~ Ghostly appearances
Hot Halloween sex ~ A tropical nightmare ~ Visions
from the past
My story is Scarred:
Gothic romance
Blurb:
Sometimes, the most haunting scars are the ones
beneath the skin.
When Natalie Jayne
moved away from her home town ten years earlier, she left behind painful
memories, along with Simon, the man she loved. Now, she's back on Halloween
night to attend a memorial marking the one-year anniversary of the tragic
passing of her childhood friend, Jessica. Rumors that Simon was responsible for
Jessica's death unnerve her. Even more disturbing is her unsettling attraction
to a masked stranger she meets at the event. Her gift may be the key to unlocking
the truth, but will it also lead to heartbreak?
Excerpt:
In spite of her
intent to go inside, Natalie remained rooted in place. There was something
intriguing about this man, something that made her want to know more about him.
Not badly enough to remove her gloves and use her gift, however. She’d sworn
off that, other than for emergencies. But she had to admit she was tempted to
get the answers to the questions spinning through her mind. Who was he? What
did he look like beneath the mask? What would it feel like to touch him…?
She shook her head. What an insanely inappropriate
direction her mind had taken. She couldn’t allow herself the luxury of touching
others. Not if she wanted to keep her secret…and not if she wanted to keep from
learning the secrets of others. Besides, this man was a stranger…a masked stranger. She should be afraid…or at
least wary. But she found she was neither.
BIO
Award-winning, multi-published
author Alicia Dean began writing stories as a child. At age 11, she wrote her
first ever romance (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley, and
who happened to share the name of Elvis’ character in the movie, Tickle Me), and she still has the
tattered, pencil-written copy. Alicia is from Moore, Oklahoma and now lives in
Edmond. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends
and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has
also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals. She is a
freelance editor in addition to being an editor for The Wild Rose Press.
Other than reading and writing, her
passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or
all three into her stories) and watching her favorite televisions shows like
Vampire Diaries, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, New Girl, The Mindy
Project, and Dexter (even though it has sadly ended, she will forever be a
fan). Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Lee
Child, Lisa Gardner, Sharon Sala, Jordan Dane, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder,
and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.
Find Alicia here:
Website: http://aliciadean.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alicia_Dean_
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/aliciamdean/
Ooh! Sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI loved a good scare when I was 12, but these days, I just don't scare. Not really. You get to a certain point and learn the scariest thing is losing your loved ones. Then all the horror tales just pale in comparison. ;)
So agree with you. My son is facing an early death. He's 51.
DeleteThat is so true, Crystal. Although, I still enjoy a good false scare. :) Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteOh my gosh, Rohn. So sad. I'm very sorry.
DeleteI'm so sorry, too, Rohn.
DeleteThe scary movies from my childhood, like the Birds weren't that scary compared to today's films. I loved The Birds but to this day cannot watch The Shining! My son has told me it's not that bad though. He thinks I can handle it! I'm looking forward to reading Scarred!
ReplyDeleteLOL. No, not bad by today's standards. My kids would laugh hysterically if they watched it, I'm sure. Although, Psycho and Night of the Living Dead hold up pretty well, I think. Hmmm...The Shining is pretty scary, but I bet you could handle it. :) Thanks so much...hope you enjoy!
DeleteLove scary movies . . . as long as they aren't slasher flix (even though my son forces me to watch some of them). Monsters, ghosts, extraterrestrials, voodoo, hoodoo whatever they do is on my list!
ReplyDeleteYes, I adore a good ghost story. But, I'll have to say, I love the slasher films too. Good for your son! LOL. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI have to vote with Diane B. here. Scary isn't really my thing. But Scarred sounds intriguing!
ReplyDeleteHaha, oh well, to each his or her own. :) Thank you. It's not scary at all, so perhaps you'll enjoy.
DeleteI STILL plug my ears and close my eyes at the scary parts of movies! Scary, for me, though, is anything supernatural. I love action flicks, I love books and movies with magic, and I love the rush of suspense or a good whodunit, but only when the bad guy can get his comeuppance. Anything with too much horror or paranormal (or gore, I'm with you, Alicia, on that one), and I get all squinchy. I've been known to stand in the hallway out of sight of the TV until the scary parts are over! Scarred looks great, though. Her "gift" sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I turn my head at the gross parts, but scary, I can watch. Yes, I adore supernatural and action flicks, love it when the bad guy gets his comeuppance too. So satisfying. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI'm like Alyssa--closed eyes & ears. LOL
DeleteAs a kid I watched all the Frankenstein, Wolfman, and Dracula movies. They were played on Shock Theater on Saturday night, and I loved them. One of the scariest movies I've ever seen remains The Haunting (the original), Shirley Jackson's tale of a haunted house. Black and white. Still gives me the chills.
ReplyDeleteI loved those too. Wolfman was my favorite. The 1931 Dracula is showing Oct 25 at a theater in town. I would love to go see it. :) Hmmm. I've never seen The Haunting, but I bet it's good. I'll have to see if I can find it. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWhat an awesome post! I love scary movies with a twist... for example House 2:The Second Story... it's more humorous than scary. Best of luck with your book. Sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa,
DeleteI've never seen House 2. I love twists too, though, so I'll have to check it out. Thank you!
I went through a phase where horror movies were the in thing to watch...but not anymore and not for a long, long time. I don't even watch TV series with murders, etc... just too hard on my soul.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and God's blessings!
PamT
I understand, Pamela. It's not for everyone. :) Thank you!
DeleteYou're right that gore doesn't equate to scary. Some of the most frightening movies have no gore -- like "Psycho" and "The Birds," or so many of Hitchcock's classics. Speaking of "The Birds," I saw it when I was a little kid and was TERRORIZED. To this day I get creeped out when I see a large number of birds hanging out, for example, on a telephone line!
ReplyDeleteYes, I was terrified as a child too. I would love to watch it again, just to see how it makes me feel. I watched a recent clip. It looks pretty fake now.. LOL. Yeah, that can be pretty scary!
DeleteI avoid scary movies as much as I can. My dreams are too vivid! I admire people who can watch them, though. I wish I didn't get scared. It would have made those slumber parties so much easier! Good luck to you!
ReplyDeleteHaha, yes, I imagine it would have. I do get scared, but I like being scared and it's not a 'true' fright, so I can handle it. :) Thank you!
DeleteGrowing up I was terrified of scary movies, then I met my husband- who adores all things gory and scary. Starting me off with Nightmare on Elm Street (when I lived...on Elm Street ;)....but now I do love a good psychological thriller, anything paranormal and watch the scary ones with the hubs...just closing my eyes when I need to. ;)
ReplyDeleteYay for your husband! Ha! Love that you lived on Elm Street. :) Yes, psychological thrillers are probably my favorites. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteNot just scary movies freak me out--so do scary books. After reading THE EXORCIST, no way could I watch the movie. Same with JAWS (I love the ocean too much). Now, that doesn't keep me from writing Gothics. Go figure!
ReplyDeleteI love scary stories, but I can't take the graphic stuff. I prefer the kind of horror story where everything is left to the imagination, rather than the violent, gory stuff.
ReplyDelete