Seems that we are living out our own little horror story here in the real world. Somebody, or some dark thing has stolen our warm weather. It looks like summer is never going to get here. I'm here in my basement with the heater on trying to keep the chill out of the air and the ice off of the floor. The news seems to bear out that I'm not the only one with this problem.

Myths and legends are the stuff of horror stories. From vampires and werewolves to the burned man in the sweater who will kills you in your dreams. Even when they are not the composition of the story itself they can be strong elements that add flavour, depth, and a sense of history. Myths and legends in horror represent a sense of the known that is every bit as scary as the unknown.

In 1968 George A. Romero created an unliving behemoth of a horror icon, Night of the Living Dead. It stirred up a hornet's nest of controversy and got many people in an uproar. It was brutal, it was vicious, it was gruesome, and it sacred a lot of people witless. It was bound to be great. By the nature of being controversial it would gather a loyal following. It was maybe the first real cult classic although obviously it became a mainstream hit and is now one the shining examples of the genre.

Jenny clasped Leonard's hand as they strolled down the street in the big city. The sky overhead was a bright dun coloured reflection of street upon street of arc sodium streetlights. The clouds seemed to soak in the light until they were saturated and they glowed with their own shine well away from the city. On Earth the streetlights cast everything in shades of brown and orange corresponding to shadow to light. The world was changed.

Warning: May be unsuitable for some readers. This story contains graphic sexual scenes and coarse language. Reader Discretion is Advised.

Dust motes drifted through the air in the shaft of sunlight coming through a hole in the curtains. The sun outside was beginning to sink toward the horizon finally. When George came in the air seemed to be almost a tangible thing, thick and tinged with gold. Where it fell, things seemed flat yet vibrant. Inside the musty garage, heady with the smell of oil and gasoline, the ray of light seemed like a terrible invader, a spy watching everything that he did. He watched it over his shoulder. He waited for it to change direction or move too quickly. The work was making him nervous and the rogue light was only heightening the tension.

The Gift is a superbly directed ensemble cast film from Billy-Bob Thorton and helmed by Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Darkman, Spider-man) who never seems to fail to make quality films. The story revolves around a woman going missing and a card reader who has psychic visions related to the event. Things are further complicated by a vindictive and belligerent wife-beater who takes offence to the psychic, and a less than stable young man who seeks her aid from a problem he cannot explain.

Nightbane is a present day to near future horror game presented by the exceptional folks at Palladium Book. The game revolves around a global event known as Dark Day where the sun did not rise anywhere for an entire twenty-four hours. During that time an opening was made between our dimension and a dark counterpart ruled by magical beings of immense power called the Night Lords. Also people at random around the globe turned into shape-changing monsters that reflected their brightest dreams or their darkest nightmares.

He was going to grab the lizard and throttle it, end this nightmare right here and now. The lizard looked right up at him and he held it's golden gaze even as his hands began moving. It stuck its pink tongue out at him like a snake although it wasn't forked. With an inch to go to grabbing the thing there was a loud banging at the apartment door. Paul screamed and threw his arms up in the air. The lizard, quick as lightning darted over his leg and disappeared over the side of the bed.

I write in the dark both literally and figuratively. I live in the dark much the same. Each is part by choice and each is part by circumstance. We all live in a world of darkness. Sometimes though the dark needs a little help. When creating a piece of horror fiction not everything turns out the first try. There can be cracks of light all over in the wrong places. That is where one of the mightiest of monsters steps in, Revise-o, err, Revision.

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