#Dracula hanging with a werewolf crime family

[greykolla-art]

I’m just in love with the Lobo family! 😂

they are all horrible people and I wanna study them with a microscope! And for extra spice I’m throwing in the theory of them being werewolves! So I will NEVER know peace!

[postwarlevi]

AOT characters favorite classic horror movies (pre 1970s)

Levi - Island of Lost Souls 1932. A bit of an unknown film that can spark controversy and be unsettling, based on The Island of Doctor Moreau. A shipwrecked man on a remote island meets some of it's inhabitants and soon finds out a cruel scientist has been conducting experiments on now hybrid, half human, half animal creatures. Levi is on the main characters side and finds Dr Moreau a villain for how he treated the hybrids.

Hange - Creature From the Black Lagoon 1954. Filmed in 3D, the film follows an expedition in the Amazon looking for the remains of a fossilized hand of a possible new species. An amphibian humanoid kills a couple crew members when they attack it, and remains unseen by the rest of the crew as it follows them deeper down river. Hange is obsessed! They would love to really find something like this, but also wouldn't want to invade it's habitat if it's just trying to live.

Erwin - Dracula 1931. Bela Lugosi is one suave vampire. Traveling character Renfield accidently makes his way to Draculas castle and is made his slave. He helps Dracula move about and wreak havoc among the women of a new town. Erwin can't help but feel charmed by Draculas character, while feeling bad for Reinfield and also rooting for professor Van Helsing. Fun fact, a Spanish version was filmed at the same time during the evening using the same sets and costumes.

Miche - The Wolf Man 1941. Lon Chaney Jr plays the title character, a man returning to his home town, who wants to impress a lady. He buys a fancy silver walking stick and one night is attacked by a wolf, which turns out to be a werewolf, and now he is one himself. Miche can almost see himself in the big man, whose sympathetic character fortune is not very kind to.

Eren - Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956. The original pod people movie. Starts as a flashback where residents in a town see a doctor insisting their family members are not who they seem. This is dismissed until evidence is found of exact duplicates of people emerging from a greenhouse. It's a scary thing, when those you know might be themselves. Eren can be picky about his black and white movies, but likes this better than the remake.

Armin - Village of the Damned 1960. Randomly one day in a small peaceful village, everyone falls alseep at the same time, and when they wake up, every female of child-bearing age is pregnant. This causes major issues between couples and all the children are born at the same time and have the same bright eyes and blonde hair. They're unusually smart and can read minds and soon deaths of the villagers who don't like the children start happening. Armin enjoys the pacing of this one, and while not exactly scary, he's learned one thing: If you don't want someone to know what you're thinking, put up a brick wall.

Mikasa - The Bride of Frankenstein 1935. The first sequel to any Universal monster movie, it starts when we find Frankenstein and his monster are still 'alive'. The doctor is forced to continue his experiments and make a friend for the monster, who is trying to outrun those who wish to destroy him. You know it's a feat when the title character is on screen for less than ten minutes and still packs a punch! Mikasa feels bad for both monsters who are misunderstood.

Jean - The Invisible Man 1933. Sci fi-ish flick based on an HG Wells novel, about a man researching a dangerous drug that he finds out has a side effect of invisibility. Testing it on himself, he doesn't realize it also causes insanity and goes on a wild violent rampage. Jean loves the invisible effect, the main cast, has a tiny crush on Gloria Stuart, and wonders if the title character subconsciously wanted to commit some of those crimes because humanity just makes him mad sometimes.

Connie - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein 1948. The first of the comedy duo meeting movie monsters, you're in for a lot of laughs. Abbott and Costello are baggage handlers and accidently meet with the real figures (instead of wax) of Dracula and Frankenstein. Dracula controls Frankenstein and needs a new brain for him. Along the way the Wolf Man tries to assist A&C. You're not watching for the plot here, and Connie loves the silly jokes of it all. A great Halloween film for him.

Sasha - The Blob 1958. Almost 30 year old Steve McQueen plays a teenager in a small town where a meteorite crash lands and reveals a gelatin like creature that latches on and absorbs everything it touches. The town can't figure out a way to stop it! Sasha adores this film and the theme song in the beginning is her ring tone.

Historia - House on Haunted Hill 1959. Campy Vincent Price goodness. A millionaire and his wife offer five people a great amount of money to stay overnight in a spooky mansion. Early on we see the couple is not so happy and sinister things start in right away. A fun old fashion horror suspense that everyone can enjoy. Historia likes it even if it's corny at times.

Ymir - Dracula's Daughter 1936. A bit controversial for the time, this female vampire is clearly attracted to other females. The movie picks up near where the original Dracula ended, and his daughter is alive and well. Though she wishes to be free of her bloodlust, she can't help but give in. Ymir loves watching this one with Historia, who squeals when Ymir bites her neck.

Annie - The Cat People 1942. A film that provides suspense with what you don't see. A newly married woman with an obsession with cats insists she's descended from people able to transform into panthers when she's hit with overwhelming passion. It's got a noir feel with lightning that make it almost beautiful. Annie appreciates the technique and storyline.

Reiner - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 1931. The best version if you ask Reiner. A tale of two men, an upstanding doctor, and a violent, amoral man, both stuck in one body. Made before the production code, for a while portions were removed due to content. It's restored, with the sets, costumes, and the shocking transformation scene intact. Reiner really feels for the main character.

Pieck - Diabolique 1955. A French psychological horror about a married woman and her husbands mistress who plot to kill him, but it doesn't go right almost from the start. Pieck likes thrillers to downright horror and figured some of it out but was still thrown by the ending.

Porco - Psycho 1960. Porco loves his Hitchcock films, and this is one of the best. A woman on the run for stealing stops at a small rundown Bates motel and meets the polite and interesting owner. Considered an early slasher film, and a little controversial, there's tense scenes Porco loves seeing others reaction too, especially considering the time.

Niccolo - Nosferatu 1922. Niccolo appreciates silent film, like this German classic that's an unofficial version of Dracula, where we go to Transylvania and meet the peculiar Count Orlok. Though the original music score is mostly lost, this influential film still packs a punch with some creepy scenes.

Colt - Them 1954. An early nuclear big bug monster movie. Giant ants invade a town and start spreading out, leading scientists and others to come up with methods to dispose of them. A bit campy but one of the better giant bug movies. Colt loves watching this one cause Falco can watch too and it's not too scary.

What do you think? Would they like these movies? I hope I gave some ideas for some movie watching. Some of these are in public domain and up for free on Youtube.

If anyone wants to do a newer movie version of this go for it! BTW I really wanted to give Eren Night of the Living Dead but have never been brave enough to watch so... yeah hehe

[askthematsunovs]

Characters

Osomatu Matsunov The eldest of the Matsunov Sextuplets, he is the self-proclaimed leader of his brothers and the current heir to the Matsunov castle. As a result he tends to act like he owns the place, albeit in a very lackadaisical way. Unlike some of his other brothers, he makes absolutely no effort to leave the confines of the castle to hunt or to look into vampiric powers. He playfully mentions things like “nobility having to work should be a crime” when in reality he’s just really lazy, a rather deadly trait for a vampire considering their constant need for fresh blood, regardless of social standing. He’s incredibly shameless but ultimately has a kind heart and wishes the best for his brothers in their search for vampiric powers and skills, becoming genuinely excited for them each time a new one is discovered. Osomatu’s unique vampire power is the ability to turn into a demonic, beastial Old World Vampire form, implying he has incredible potential as the only known vampires able to use an Old World form have been the leaders of the Vampire Consul, including famed former Vampire King, Dracula. It should be noted that while Karamatu also has a beastial form, his is not Old World based and is more closely related to lycanthropy.

Karamatu Matsunov The second eldest of the Matsunov Sextuplets, Karamatu is not quite as boisterous or shameless as Osomatu but still has some un-vampirelike tendencies that make him almost equally useless. Despite not knowing anything about humans, he unwittingly plays into their stereotypes of vampires due to his histrionic and dramatic behavior, usually citing random prose and poetry in an effort to appear “sexy” or “cool” along with randomly posing and throwing basic French words into his everyday speech. He seems to know of the human culture portrayed in a few fairytales but, like his brothers, has absolutely no idea what real humans are like. Instead of learning about his vampire heritage as a child, he chose to read human stories, finding them much more fascinating, though seeing as really only a couple human-written books existed in the Matsunov library, he ended up reading the same couple of stories over and over again, thus making him believe humans were two-dimensional and simple. His mimicking (or rather his idea) of “human behavior” is apparent in his attempts to look at himself in a mirror despite having no reflection. Karamatu’s unique vampire power is the ability to shapeshift into a large, muscular werewolf form. It is not common for vampires to be able to shapeshift into wolves, but also not unheard of as a werewolf was one of Dracula’s many forms. Because of his connection to lycanthropy, Karamatu is able to commune with werewolves without them becoming hostile, like they would with most other vampires, their sworn enemies.

Choromatu Matsunov The third eldest of the Matsunov Sextuplets, Choromatu appears to be the only brother concerned with actually looking into their vampire heritage and vampiric potential after their parents leave for the Capital, not wanting any of them to starve. He also tries to take his research on humans further than Karamatu, focusing on learning about their biology and abilities rather than only reading their lore or poetry. Of course, given the limited source material in the Matsunov library on humans, Choromatu usually just ends up looking like a fool, acting like he knows more about humans than the others when really his knowledge is just as limited. He also tends to be a hypocrite, confidently stating that humans are no more intelligent than cattle only to, mere hours later, grovel somewhat pathetically in the presence of an attractive human woman. He also claims that relying on thralls alone would be dishonorable and yet once he discovers his unique vampire power, relies almost entirely on thralls for blood. Even more damning is his eventual discovery and later fanatical obsession with human opera singers. Despite acting like he’s above the others in terms of honor, intelligence, and nobility, at heart, he’s a Matsunov and trying to pretend like he isn’t doesn’t do him much good. Still though, out of all the brothers, he does end up making the most discoveries regarding vampire powers and ultimately is the most knowledgeable about things like vampire culture, science and humans, even if it’s not by much more. Despite his insistence that a reliance on thralls is dishonorable, Choromatu’s unique vampire power is to create thralls en masse. Thralls are soulless husks of humans that can be used for feeding on, manual labor, and other mindless tasks.

Ichimatu Matsunov The fourth eldest son of the Matsunov Sextuplets, Ichimatu is somewhat of a black sheep, even by vampire and Matsunov standards. Despite his gloomy and morose disposition, he’s actually the most harmless of the brothers and has much less of a desire to feed from humans. His lack of a desire to feed on human blood implies that he has a condition referred to by vampires as Şeptelbea (pronounced “Shep-tel-bee”), in which a vampire is able to maintain their vampiric powers through animal blood alone, usually livestock, at the cost of having general lethargy, sluggishness and overall tiredness. While he can drink human blood (and still does at times) and gain the same benefits a regular vampire would, he doesn’t care for the taste and he doesn’t care for how wired it makes him feel, suggesting that human blood to him is like a large amount of caffeine to a human, energizing him at first but causing him to completely crash, whereas animal blood seems to keep him more balanced. How Ichimatu became a Şeptelbea while his five identical brothers did not is unknown but suggests Şeptelbeaism occurs outside the womb and is not based in genetics or blood relation. Ironically, his favorite things are in fact animals, especially cats and bats. He prefers them much more to the company of both humans and vampires and isn’t much for conversation. In fact, he is the only Matsunov brother with a familiar, a little orange cat that is bound to him spiritually. The cat doesn’t need to be with him at all times though and unlike him is able to survive during the day. His disinterest in human blood also means that despite being seen as “cursed” or “afflicted” by other vampires (except his family of course), humans are much more accepting of him and thus, ironically, he has the easiest time out of all of his brothers speaking to humans without getting “weird about it” as he describes it. Not surprisingly, Ichimatu’s unique vampire power is the ability to command animals to do his bidding. He usually uses bats for this as they tend to be readily available in large groups already, but he wouldn’t mind having an army of cats either.

Jyushimatu Matsunov The fifth eldest and second youngest son of the Matsunov Sextuplets, Jyushimatu is the wildcard of the family. He’s loud, wild, energetic, and seems to delight in confusing the hell out of other people. Deep down though, he really just wants to be able to make people he cares about laugh. Despite being a vampire, his disposition is sunny and cheerful, albeit silly. There really isn’t a way to explain why he does the things he does sometimes. For example, rather than opening the lid of his coffin when he wakes up, he just punches through it, requiring one of the other brothers to have to fix it every sunrise before he goes to bed. Out of all the brothers, he seems to be the most naturally attuned to his innate powers. He’s technically the first to show a vampire power through his super strength and eventually starts floating on his own, changing into a bat randomly, retracting and un-retracting his teeth repeatedly for fun, hanging upside down, etc. He seems to be the most excited to use his powers and is the one to use them the most, even in casual conversation. When is he going to turn into a bat? Who knows! When is he going to just start floating and hitting his head on the ceiling mid-conversation? Who knows! The brothers seem to be pretty used to his behavior though, not really commenting on it or seeing it as anything out of the ordinary for him. Jyushimatu’s unique vampire power is the ability to turn himself into sentient fog. This is especially useful when slipping through otherwise impossibly small cracks or crevices, re-materializing on the other side. He can also turn certain parts of his body to fog while still keeping the rest of his body physical. Although not unique to him, Jyushimatu floats around significantly more than the other Matsunovs and seems to prefer it to regular walking.

Todomatu Matsunov The youngest of the Matsunov Sextuplets, Todomatsu is perhaps the least helpless of his brothers when it comes to behaving like a vampire. He’s well-mannered, polite, sociable, and charming, a stark contrast to the others. On the rare occasions that the brothers speak to other vampires, Todomatu is the one doing the most socializing. He doesn’t mind bending the truth to make himself appear more impressive than he actually is, sometimes lying about his kill counts or about how he’s been doing his own hunts for years. His charm can sometimes be a detriment though, as he often gets himself stuck in situations where he has to keep up a lie or facade. Like Osomatu, he’s not very interested in humans but, unlike Osomatu, is also smart enough to realize they’re a potential real threat and that they shouldn’t be underestimated. It takes him quite a while to get used to the idea of having to hunt his own prey after his parents take their trip. Despite his charm, he can also be quite spoiled and childish when he doesn’t get what he wants, expecting to be pampered as the youngest sibling. He’s an opportunist and often takes advantage of situations in a way that will benefit him most. He isn’t heartless though, and genuinely loves all of his brothers, wanting to help them succeed in attaining vampiric powers and skills. Todomatu’s unique vampire power is blood manipulation or bloodbending. He can psychically manipulate the bodies and blood of any creature, even once it’s outside the body. Though he doesn’t usually, this gives him the power to puppeteer living things and control their bodies, as well as the ability to stop peoples’ circulation and cause heart attacks without ever even touching a person. This arguably makes him one of the most dangerous members of the Matsunov family, but luckily, he doesn’t use his powers very often. For the most part, he’ll use it to levitate blood from across the room to his mouth so that he doesn’t have to get up.

Grand Vampire Princess Ava The somewhat recently appointed ruler of vampirekind, she has yet to be officially coronated due to the Vampire Consul insisting she find a consort in a defensive measure after the tragic “Mortal Uprising” that resulted in the previous king’s death, with the logic being that two powerful vampires would be much harder to kill than one. She had already been chosen as Dracula’s successor shortly after she was born and was thus trained by both him and the Vampire Consul for most of her life, rarely getting to leave the Royal Castle or interact much with other vampires. Just as she came of age (for vampires), the “Mortal Uprising” occurred and resulted in the deaths of King Dracula and prominent members of the Vampire Consul, causing the remaining Vampire Consul members and vampirekind as a whole to go into a panic at the unexpected event. Without much time to plan or coordinate, Ava was quickly appointed as ruler in an attempt to avoid further panic among vampire society. Despite sitting on the throne, she has not been coronated yet and thus remains a princess with little actual power. The Vampire Consul currently takes care of all the political and legal affairs of the vampires and has done so for as long as Ava has reigned, about 50 years or so, which is of course considered very recent in vampire terms. Her current duty given to her by the consul is to find a consort among vampire nobility in order to be officially coronated and become queen.

Emma Emma is a peasant girl who lived in the village by the Matsunov castle with her father, who was also her only living relative, until he mysteriously disappeared while on his way to do business in the Capital. The other villagers figured he was killed by the monsters in the forest and held a funeral for him. Sadly, she could not make enough money on her own to keep the house and ended up homeless as a result, becoming well known for doing odd jobs around the village in return for food or shelter. Villagers noted her failing health from her homelessness and suggested she try to become part of the local brothel like many of the other homeless and destitute women usually did. Scared she would have no other option, her luck turned around when she met Karamatu Matsunov after his inability to kill her. The two made a pact that in return for providing the Matsunovs with blood, they would give her food and shelter. She is the first live human that the Matsunovs have encountered and thus tasks herself with teaching them about humans and human culture due to their inexperience. She also inadvertently teaches the Matsunov brothers that humans are more than just “cattle,” and that they too have sentience and emotions. Since moving to Matsunov Castle, Emma takes care of the place during the day, as well as taking occasional visits to the village to buy supplies for both herself and the brothers. She’ll often return from her weekly visits to the village with human books and souvenirs for the brothers to help them in their quest to understand humans and human culture. So far she has been an incredibly helpful friend to the Matsunovs and in return she is treated with kindness and respect, even to the point of the brothers willing to go hungry if they find out her health is failing from blood loss. However, she must be kept a secret from other vampires as befriending humans is seen as strange and pathetic and goes against basic vampire traditions.

[writinginthesecrettrees]

Halloween

Currently thinking of Henriksen, and he doesn’t have to wonder what the Winchesters are going to be doing on Halloween because they’re already there, killing.

“It was like this last year,” he says to Guntram as they fly towards Oregon, towards Portland and  three bodies with missing hearts in the last two days, apparent animal attacks but there’s a pattern to it that feels human. “Not the hearts and the claw marks and bites. That’s just more Winchester theatrics. No, last year they were in St. Louis. Killed a bunch of folks, made it look like vampire attacks.”

“How?”

“Best guess is they stabbed them with a barbecue fork, drained the blood and left the bodies in alleys. Some they kept, and we found those ones later. After Halloween. Fuckers like to pretend to be classic movie monsters this time of year.”

“So if last year was Dracula, this year is…”

“Looks like Wolfman, from the MO. I don’t even want to know what Dean offered Sam to get him to dress up.”

“You think that’s Sam, in the witness reports?”

“Got to be. Too tall to be Dean, although the witnesses must have been exaggerating somewhat. But a man Sam’s size, in the dark, dressed up as a werewolf… Easy to see why they thought he was seven feet tall.”

“They could think that about Dean, though.”

“Except they also mention seeing a man in a leather jacket, light hair, pale skin, watching as the ‘monster’ attacks. Getting his rocks off watching baby brother maul innocent folks.”

“I dunno, boss. It seems like a lot of trouble to go through for some murder.”

Henriksen laughs, a harsh mirthless bark of a sound. “You’re talking about the brotherfuckers who spent all summer last year kidnapping folks and stashing them God only knows where, only to turn around and murder them, leave their headless corpses in a warehouse that they burned down, and we still don’t know what the fuck they did with the heads. Getting Sammy dressed up like some psycho furry freak is probably an average Wednesday night for those assholes.”

Guntram smiles wryly, conceding the point. “Still, it’s too bad about the moon. Bet Dean’s all sorts of pissed.”

“... the fuck you on about, rookie?”

“Just… the moon was full last night. The 26th. Guess the Winchesters figured it was close enough, but…”

“But Halloween’s not until Wednesday,” Henriksen finishes. He’s silent for a few minutes, mulling over the issue. “Fuck. Shit, fuck, damn, and all the rest.” He stands, starts pacing the aisle, wishing airplane seats could be tossed.

“Sir?”

“This whole charade is just the preshow. They’re gearing up to the grand finale… and we’ve only got four days to stop it.”

-

They land just after midnight on the 27th, and the first thing Henriksen does is look up at the moon, hanging just past full in the sky. “What do you think, rookie? Winchesters gonna kill some other unlucky soul?”

“They did the last two nights,” Guntram says. “Be a crazy break from the pattern if they don’t.”

A detective is waiting for them on the ground, her face grim. Henriksen nods as the team disembarks. “Just take us to the scene.”

-

Another body, covered in claw marks, missing a heart. Mutilated to the point that it’s impossible to tell if it’s male or female, they’ll have to leave that up to the coroner. Blood splashed across the walls of the ill-advised alley shortcut the victim risked earlier that evening, and massive pawprints from the killer - Sam.

Guntram talks to witnesses. No one saw anything, but they heard screaming and “some kinda animal, growling.” Everyone noticed a gleaming black muscle car at the end of the alley, and the handsome man driving it away once the screaming ended, but it’s long lost to the city traffic. Henriksen puts out a BOLO anyway, sets up surveillance on warehouses and motels in the area.

“We’ve got a chance here - maybe our best chance - to catch them. So stay sharp.”

And there’s nothing left to do but wait.

-

It’s not a long wait.

The car doesn’t turn up - the brothers seem to have a sense for when Henriksen and his team are in the area, know to stash the distinctive vehicle and stay under the radar - and they don’t stay in any motels, don’t go near the warehouse district. 

It’s a panicked call from Beaverton that reveals their location, the morning after Halloween, from a family that went on vacation and came back to a crime scene in their garage, obvious burglary in the rest of the house. Henriksen sends Guntram ahead, already talking with state troopers about putting up roadblocks and checkpoints for the next few days because they have to be in the area and he’s tired of playing catch-up.

In the house, in the garage, there’s the body of a woman who went missing three days earlier. She’d been kept alive, collared and chained, subjected to torture. What looks like chemical burns around her neck, up her arms and down her legs, and signs of repeated electrocution, a car battery sitting on the nearby workbench. She’s been dead less than eight hours, killed just before the homeowners returned.

Like all the other bodies, her heart is missing, a gaping wound left that the coroner declares to be postmortem.

And the Winchesters are in the wind.

“Stick around, Guntram. Brotherfuckers aren’t done with this town yet. They’re planning something for tomorrow.”

-

(masterpost)

[aion-rsa]

Top New Horror Books in March 2021

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Where horror meets speculative fiction you’ll find inventive fears and chilling uncertainty. Here are some of the horror books we’re most excited about and/or are currently consuming…

Top New Horror Books in March 2021

Later by Stephen King

Type: Novel Publisher: Hard Case Crime Release date: March 2 Den of Geek says: Stephen King, author of The Stand, The Shining, and many more, needs no introduction. The top name in horror is sure to be the one everyone is talking about.

Publisher’s summary: The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine – as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave. 

LATER is Stephen King at his finest, a terrifying and touching story of innocence lost and the trials that test our sense of right and wrong. With echoes of King’s classic novel It, LATER is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.

Buy Later by Stephen King.

The Second Bell by Gabriela Houston

Type: Novel Publisher: Angry Robot Release date: March 9 Den of Geek says: Horror meets legend in a different take on the werewolf. Author Gabriela Houston has been praised for her character work and mixture of grounded realism and chilling fantasy.

Publisher’s summary: To the world you are an abomination; a monster with unholy abilities. You’re shunned and left to fend for yourself. Your only chance of survival is to tap into that dark potential – would you do it?

In an isolated mountain community, sometimes a child is born with two hearts. Such a child – a striga – is considered a dangerous demon, which must be abandoned on the edge of the forest to protect the community. The only choice the child’s mother can make is whether to leave her home with her infant, or stay behind and try to forget.

Miriat made her choice. She and her nineteen-year-old striga daughter, Salka, now live a life of deprivation and hardship in a remote village, where to follow the impulses of the other heart is forbidden.

But Salka is headstrong and young, and when threatened with losing everything, she is forced to explore the depths of her true nature, testing the bonds between mother and child.

The Second Bell by Gabriela Houston.

Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall

Type: Novel Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers Release date: March 16

Den of Geek says: This YA pick reminds us pleasantly of Twin Peaks or Alan Wake. A spooky setting and a protagonist with a strong hook to its location promises a tightly constructed story.

Publisher’s summary: In 1973, the thirty-one residents of Bitter Rock disappeared. In 2003, so did my mother. Now, I’ve come to Bitter Rock to find out what happened to her–and to me. Because Bitter Rock has many ghosts. And I might be one of them.

Sophia’s earliest memory is of drowning. She remembers the darkness of the water and the briny taste as it filled her throat, the sensation of going under. She remembers hands pulling her back to safety, but that memory is impossible–she’s never been to the ocean. 

But then Sophia gets a mysterious call about an island names Bitter Rock, and learns that she and her mother were there fifteen years ago–and her mother never returned. The hunt for answers lures her to Bitter Rock, but the more she uncovers, the clearer it is that her mother is just one in a chain of disappearances. 

People have been vanishing from Bitter Rock for decades, leaving only their ghostly echoes behind. Sophia is the only one who can break the cycle–or risk becoming nothing more than another echo haunting the island.

Buy Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall.

Top New Horror Books in February 2021

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor

Type: Novel Publisher: Ballantine Books Release date: Feb. 9 Den of Geek says: A spooky thriller set in a small village promises ghostly visitations and weird happenings that a single mother and her daughter need to investigate. Evil lurking in churches and exorcisms are a horror staple, but the historical grounding here gives it a unique texture. Publisher’s summary: A dark history lingers in Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago, Protestant martyrs were betrayed—then burned. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And a few weeks ago, the vicar of the local parish hanged himself in the nave of the church.

Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping for a fresh start. Instead, Jack finds a town rife with conspiracies and secrets, and is greeted with a strange welcome package: an exorcism kit and a note that warns, “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.”

The more Jack and daughter, Flo, explore the town and get to know its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into the age-old rifts, mysteries, and suspicions. And when Flo begins to see specters of girls ablaze, it becomes apparent there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.

Uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village with a bloody past, where everyone has something to hide and no one trusts an outsider.

Buy The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor.

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

Type: Novel Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Release date: Feb. 2 Den of Geek says: Fans of the human side of werewolves or the everyday life of the Addams Family may like this story of a student returning home to a strange place after a taste of the outside world. Written for a YA market, but the inventive concept means it has crossover appeal. Publisher’s summary: Eleanor Zarrin has been estranged from her wild family for years. When she flees boarding school after a horrifying incident, she goes to the only place she thinks is safe: the home she left behind. But when she gets there, she struggles to fit in with her monstrous relatives, who prowl the woods around the family estate and read fortunes in the guts of birds.

Eleanor finds herself desperately trying to hold the family together―in order to save them all, Eleanor must learn to embrace her family of monsters and tame the darkness inside her.

Buy What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo.

Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap

Type: Short story collection Publisher: Small Beer Press Release date: Feb. 23 Den of Geek says: At Den of Geek we’re always looking for horror that mixes with science fiction and fantasy. Isabel Yap does exactly that. A well-established writer with short stories in genre pillars like Tor.com, Lightspeed, and Strange Horizons, her stories are vivid and unsettling. She’s garnered praise from authors including Tamsyn Muir. Publisher’s summary: “Am I dead?” Mebuyen sighs. She was hoping the girl would not ask. Spells and stories, urban legends and immigrant tales: the magic in Isabel Yap’s debut collection jumps right off the page, from the joy in her new novella, “A Spell for Foolish Hearts” to the terrifying tension of the urban legend “Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez.”

Buy Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap.

Top New Horror Books in January 2021

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In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce

Type: Novel Publisher: Berkley Release date: Jan. 19

Den of Geek says: This novel for fans of the line where true crime meets horror follows Belle Gunness, a real life serial killer. This looks like a darkly fascinating portrait of a wicked and deadly woman, showing how the “Widow of La Porte” clawed her way through history, leaving victims in her wake. Publisher’s summary: They whisper about her in Chicago. Men come to her with their hopes, their dreams–their fortunes. But no one sees them leave. No one sees them at all after they come to call on the Widow of La Porte.

The good people of Indiana may have their suspicions, but if those fools knew what she’d given up, what was taken from her, how she’d suffered, surely they’d understand. Belle Gunness learned a long time ago that a woman has to make her own way in this world. That’s all it is. A bloody means to an end. A glorious enterprise meant to raise her from the bleak, colorless drudgery of her childhood to the life she deserves. After all, vermin always survive.

Buy In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce.

In Darkness, Shadows Breathe by Catherine Cavendish

Type: Novel Publisher: Flame Tree Press Release date: Jan. 19

Den of Geek says: Intentionally disorienting fiction can be hit or miss, but in this case it sounds like the non-linear storytelling adds to the intended feeling of a nightmare. Old-fashioned Gothic horror fans with a taste for dark fantasy might enjoy this one. Publisher’s summary: In a luxury apartment and in the walls of a modern hospital, the evil that was done continues to thrive. They are in the hands of an entity that knows no boundaries and crosses dimensions – bending and twisting time itself – and where danger waits in every shadow. The battle is on for their bodies and souls and the line between reality and nightmare is hard to define. Through it all, the words of Lydia Warren Carmody haunt them. But who was she? And why have Carol and Nessa been chosen?

The answer lies deep in the darkness… 

Buy In Darkness, Shadows Breathe by Catherine Cavendish.

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

Type: Novel Publisher: Nyx Publishing Release date: Jan. 31

Den of Geek says: Dracula retellings are common, as are takes on the famous vampire’s wives. This one sets itself apart by focusing on a relationship between the wives themselves, coloring in the classic story with what the author calls “sapphic yearning at the opera.” Publisher’s summary: Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things. Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband’s dark secrets.

With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.

Buy A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson.

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DEATH WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING

No one’s afterlife is as dispiriting as Audrey’s-at least that’s what she believes after waking up dead without her memories and being promptly assigned to hunt demons for the rest of eternity.

She’s convinced God’s made a cosmic mistake; after all, she’d rather discuss the color of her nails than break them on angelic weapons. It doesn’t help that her trainer, Logan, is as infuriating as he is attractive. And just when Audrey and Logan appear close to developing an amicable relationship, a decision made under duress will push their hearts in a direction neither of them saw coming.

Despite her sub-par fighting abilities, an ancient weapon of unparalleled power chooses Audrey as its wielder, attracting the cautious gazes of her fellow hunters and the attention of Satan himself. With Satan’s eyes now fixed on Audrey, a battle for the safety of the living looms in the shadows.

VAMPIRES AND WEREWOLVES SHOULDN’T FALL IN LOVE

Lysandra was born for one reason; to kill shifters. Princess of vampires, the heir to Vlad Dracula’s throne and the last descendant of Princess Anastasia, Lysandra lives in a castle of witches and human slaves,engaged to a dark vampire prince and prophesied as the one who will end the war between vampires and werewolves forever.

Everything changes when Lysandra finds a dying werewolf. She takes him into her care and quickly falls in love, unable to explain the magical connection between them. If she’s discovered, she will be put to death. But how can she stop the war when her worst enemy is her true love?

A heart-stopping love story filled with shocking twists, Court of Vampires is a thrilling young adult fantasy that readers will devour over and over again. The legend of what really happened to the Romanov family is retold in Megan Linski’s newest haunting paranormal romance.

IS SHE HEAVEN’S DEVIL OR HELL’S ANGEL?

Callie is a middle-class, Midwest American girl. And a wizard in training. She works for Roland, a member of the Vatican Shepherds – an elite group of twelve warrior priests who travel the world smiting whatever offends them or their Good Lord.

Callie must learn where she stands as a wizard. Will she hide behind a man, or light Kansas City afire with a name of her own?

Callie soon learns she isn’t just a wizard. Monsters have evidently been hunting Callie her entire life, and now, they’ve finally found her…

THEY SAY DEMONS AND ANGELS DON’T MIX.

I say people should mind their own damn business.

My brother, Damian, has been my rock ever since mom left. Didn’t matter that I’m demon-blooded. I was his and he was mine.

But nothing lasts forever.

He wants me to go to college. I’d rather fight a hundred sentinels than lead a boring, safe life hiding who I am. So when a nephilim goes missing, I go behind Damian’s back to find the teen. Maybe if I can solve the case, he will upgrade me to his partner in crime solving.

As bodies begin dropping, I realize I’m in way over my head. But there’s no way I’m going to admit that, not when my future hangs in the balance. It’s do or die time, and I’m not going down without a fight.

ATLAS MORGAN JUST FOUND THE VILLAIN OF HER DREAMS

A ruthless, demonic army stands ready to attack; to bathe in the blood of all mankind. The only thing that has protected us from them is a mystical river which will run dry by midnight of the winter solace.

The paranormal community— referred to as Shadows—has been given seven chances to complete a quest that will replenish the river. They have failed six times. So, for the seventh and final time, the Shadows look to an unlikely source–seventeen-year-old human girl–Atlas Morgan.

Atlas has just lost the only person in the world that ever truly loved her—her mother. Though she is drowning in grief and sorrow, when she learns she is the chosen one, she gathers up the courage to agree to the quest. However, Atlas encounters something far more frightening than Werewolves, Vampires and Witches—love. His name is Kane and she’s shocked to learn that, like her, Kane has been chosen too–not to save the world but to end it…

FOR CENTURIES, AZRAEL’S SOLE PURPOSE WAS TO FIND HER–AND KILL HER.

And now he has her, just down the hall to be exact! So beautiful and fragile, she is so close he can almost hear her precious blood pumping through her veins. Blood he has been hunting for since the day he fell.

His mind is screaming, “Kill her. Stick to the plan, drain her blood, and ascend to Heaven.” But every fibre of his soul refuses to harm her.

If he won’t kill her, what will he do with the beautiful Lilliah Daniels?

He smirks. He might be an Angel, but he’s never claimed to be a saint.

AN INTRIGUING, MYSTERIOUS, FORGOTTEN PAST

“Whatever it was that caused my strange reaction to him, it couldn’t create energy between us. Or could it?”

I thought I was alone. Nobody else had a forgotten past, mysterious tattooed symbol and extrasensory ability. Then I found others like me in a small Colorado town – others with broken memories and strange gifts.

Among them the dark eyed man I’m inexplicably drawn to. When I’m with him, my body remembers what my mind cannot, but as much as I crave his touch and presence, there’s a restlessness inside me I can’t ignore. I need to know what happened to me.

A NECKLACE CONTAINING THE SONGS OF THE ANGELS IS ALL SHE HAS LEFT AFTER A MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE

Julia spent her childhood putting her life in order after abandonment, but now, it’s all coming unraveled again. Facing an explosion, a kidnapping, and battles in a realm other than Earth, with a Guardian angel who’s as infuriating as he is attractive, Julia has to come to terms with the fact that she’s not quite human, and fending off demons is nothing, once the devil comes for her.

But it may be too late to save the ones she loves by the time she accepts the challenge he’s putting before her.

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