Happy Kiss a Ginger Day 2025!

Posted on January 12, 2025 by Steven

According to the calendar site Happy Days 365, today is International Kiss a Ginger Day, a holiday created in 2009 as a “karmic counter event” intended to offset negative comments made about fiery-haired people (e.g., that gingers have no souls, that someone who’s unpopular is treated “like a redheaded stepchild”).

What’s the best way to observe this unusual holiday? Well, around here at ’Warp Central, we celebrate it by honoring our favorite redhead: the flame-haired succubus Lorelei, StarWarp Concepts’ first lady of horror, who stars in three comic books and a graphic novel, and who does quite a bit of kissing of her own—after all, how else is she supposed to steal the souls of her prey?

Lorelei #1: The 30th Anniversary Special Edition is a reprint of the comic that helped launch StarWarp Concepts in 1993. Written and created by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), and drawn by David C. Matthews (Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa), it introduced readers to celebrated professional photographer Laurel Ashley O’Hara, on the day that would change her life forever: a day when a major exhibition of her work was opening at a prestigious New York museum…and the day she unfortunately met the charming but dangerous Arioch—a lord of hell! It features cover art by Louis Small Jr., artist of Harris Comics’ Vampirella, Vampirella/Lady Death, Vampirella/Shi, and Vampirella Strikes; DC Comics’ Codename Knockout and Batman 80-Page Giant; and Continuity Comics’ Ms. Mystic; and the cover artist for SWC’s Lorelei Presents: House Macabre.

Lorelei: Sects and the City is Lori’s critically acclaimed graphic novel adventure, in which she battles a cult of Elder God worshipers who are trying to unleash their monstrous masters on the world. It’s a tribute of sorts to classic 1970s horror comics and movies, from writer Steven A. Roman and artists Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual, Stargate Universe), Steve Geiger (Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Kraven’s Last Hunt, Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: Going Gray), and Neil Vokes (Tom Holland’s Fright Night). Cover art is provided by the legendary Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna: Come Together), plus there’s additional art from two more legendary artists from the Warren Publishing era: a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Werewolf by Night, Ghost Rider) and a history of succubi illustrated by Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld).

Lorelei Presents: House Macabre is Lori’s first outing as the hostess of a horror comic anthology, in this digital one-shot special that contains four tales of horror, behind an eye-catching cover art by fan-favorite artist Louis Small Jr. “The Old, Dark Manse” is written by me, penciled by Uriel Caton (JSA Annual, Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa), and inked by “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Harvey Kurtzman’s New Two-Fisted Tales), and has Lori welcoming readers to this special. “All in Color for a Crime” is another tale from me, with art by Lou Manna (T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Young All-Stars), in which two comic book collectors clash over a rare back issue—and only one of them will be adding it to their long boxes! “The Basilisk,” from me and artist John Pierard (Graphic Classics: Horror Classics, My Teacher Fried My Brains), is a “Lori’s Feary Tale” that examines the history of a supernatural creature that’s a cross between a deadly snake and a…chicken?! Wrapping up the special is “Requiem for Bravo 6,” by New York Times bestselling author and comic writer Dwight Jon Zimmerman (She-Hulk, Steve McQueen: Full-Throttle Cool) and artist Juan Carlos Abraldes Rendo (Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror), in which a special-ops team goes on a life-or-death mission…but will they be prepared for what awaits them at mission’s end?

And Lorelei: Genesis is a 24-page, one-shot digital comic that collects the original small-press Lori stories that I wrote and drew back in the late eighties and early nineties. Behind a brand-new cover drawing by yours truly (colored by Eliseu Gouveia), you’ll find a pair of stories: “Lorelei” is an 8-pager from 1991 in which Lori journeys through the streets of New York on an important mission: to pick up her dry-cleaning! It’s followed by “In the Midnight Hour,” the 1989 story that introduced horror-comic fans to our favorite redheaded succubus, who steps in to rescue a couple being menaced by a street gang. If you’re curious about Lori’s early days as a horror heroine, then be sure to order yourself a copy!

Lorelei: Sects and the City is available in print and digital formats; Lorelei Presents: House Macabre, Lorelei #1: The 30th Anniversary Special Edition, and Lorelei: Genesis are digital exclusives. Visit their respective product pages for ordering links and sample pages.

So if you’re a ginger, or if you know a ginger, be sure to celebrate National Kiss a Ginger Day with the gift of reading!

Posted in Comic Books, Dark Urban Fantasy, Digital Comics, Graphic Novels, Holidays, Horror, Lorelei | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Happy Kiss a Ginger Day 2025!

Welcome to 2025…and to StarWarp Concepts!

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Steven

Happy New Year! StarWarp Concepts—in case you’re wondering who we are—is a publisher of dark-urban-fantasy, horror, fantasy, and science fiction titles that are available for sale in brick-and-mortar stores and through select online booksellers and distributors (as well as our own webstore, of course).

We launched in 1993 with the release of the comic book Lorelei, Vol. 1 #0, which introduced readers to the world of Laurel Ashley O’Hara, a woman destined to become the soul-stealing succubus called Lorelei, and over the three decades that followed we’ve grown into a publisher of novels, comic books, graphic novels, sketchbooks, nonfiction books, and classic reprints.

Currently, our backlist spans the following genres:

Dark urban fantasy: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback is a young adult, dark-urban-fantasy novel series written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!). It stars a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets a shape-shifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, in the first novel, Blood Feud, that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. But before Pan can learn more about what she can do, she and her parents are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans that leads into Blood Reign, the second action-packed novel, in which Pan must deal with even greater threats.

Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is author Richard C. White’s collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia. From a sexy chanteuse who literally turns into a beast when the moon is full to a string of pearls that kills its owners, and from the ghost of a dead woman seeking justice to the Grim Reaper’s little girl seeking her stolen chicken, Theron Chase certainly has his hands full—of danger, death, and dames!

Nonfiction: Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is perfect for budding authors as well as RPG fans interested in building their own fantasy and science fiction environments. In this how-to book, author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. It’s become such a popular book that it’s even become part of the syllabus for the Interactive Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts!

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman, is a nonfiction history of Vampirella that takes an extensive look at her early days, from the debut of her series in 1969 to the death of Warren Publishing in 1983. In addition, you’ll find the tale of Hammer Films’ unproduced film adaptation of the 1970s that was to star Barbara Leigh and Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin of Star Wars); an in-depth guide to all her Warren stories; a checklist of all her Warren appearances; an overview of the six novelizations by pulp sci-fi author Ron Goulart that were published in the 1970s by Warner Books; and a look at the awful 1996 direct-to-cable-TV movie that was made, starring Talisa Soto and Roger Daltrey.

Fantasy adventure: For a Few Gold Pieces More is a novel told in short-story-collection form by Richard C. White. Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), as a Rogue With No Name travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did). Harbinger of Darkness is Rich’s original novel in which a thief named Perrin steals an extremely valuable—and magical—gem from the evil king ruling her home country. With thugs and fellow thieves and the king’s assassins hot on her trail, Perrin finds just staying alive is becoming a full-time occupation, which directly conflict with her secret life—and identity—as a humble bookseller’s daughter. It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!

Comic books and graphic novels: Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel involving a succubus battling a cult of Elder God worshipers, written by Steven A. Roman and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia, Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man Omnibus, Vol. 1, Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: Going Gray), and Neil Vokes (Tom Holland’s Fright Night). Lorelei Presents: House Macabre is an anthology comic containing tales written by Steven A. Roman and Dwight Jon Zimmerman (She-Hulk), with art by Uriel Caton & Chuck Majewski, Lou Manna (Young All-Stars), John Pierard (My Teacher Fried My Brains), and Juan Carlos Abarldes Rendo (Bloke’s Terrible Tomb of Terror). Lorelei: Genesis collects Lori’s original small-press comic appearances from 1989 and 1991, written and drawn by her creator, Steven A. Roman, whose digital-only title Heroines and Heroes collects the superhero comic stories he’s drawn.  

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1 features stories by author Steven A. Roman and comic writer Sholly Fisch (The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries), with art provided by Eliseu Gouveia, Elizabeth Watasin (Charm School), and comic-art legend Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld). Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa is a free three-issue 1990s miniseries “prequel” to Pandora Zwieback that introduced monster hunter Sebastian Mazarin in her “bad-girl comics” days, written by Steven A. Roman, with pencils by Uriel Caton (JSA Annual), Holly Golightly, aka Holly G! (Archie Comics), and David C. Matthews (Satin Steele), and inks by Alan Larsen (Femforce) and “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Harvey Kurtzman’s New Two-Fisted Tales).

Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a graphic novel starring a group of supernatural superheroes for hire on their first mission, written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. and Joni M. White, with art by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman. And The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special is a digital-only, 48-page pirate-fantasy adventure by writer Richard C. White and artist Bill Bryan (DC Comics’ House of Mystery).

Comic art books: The Bob Larkin Sketchbook is a collection of rarely seen pencil drawings by the acclaimed cover painter for Doc Savage, Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel Comics, Planet of the Apes, Conan the Barbarian, and our own Saga of Pandora Zwieback. Included is a pair of original Doc Savage–related pinups done especially for this book.

Classic literature: Know a reader with a passion for old-school genre literature? They might be interested in our line of Illustrated Classics. A Princess of Mars, by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, is the science-fantasy adventure of Civil War veteran John Carter, who finds love and adventure on the planet Mars by winning the heart of the beautiful Martian princess Dejah Thoris, and includes black-and-white illustrations by Eliseu Gouveia. King Kong is the 1932 novelization by Delos W. Lovelace that adapts the screen story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper used for the classic monster movie, enhanced by six black-and-white illustrations by Paul Tuma. Carmilla, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu, is a 19th–century paranormal romance between a vampire and her next intended victim—or lover—that contains six black-and-white illustrations by Eliseu Gouveia. And Snow White is the timeless Brothers Grimm fairy tale, made even more enchanting by a collection of full-color illustrations first published in 1883.

We also have SWC Horror Bites, a digital-exclusive series of classic tales. White Fell: The Werewolf, by Clemence Annie Housman, is considered the first feminist werewolf story. And Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the Halloween classic about schoolteacher Ichabod Crane and his unfortunate encounter with the terrifying Headless Horseman.

Most of our titles are available in both print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for further information. And then get ready for the titles we’ve got lined up for this year!

Posted in Classic Fiction, Comic Books, Dark Urban Fantasy, Digital Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Horror, Illustrated Classics, Nonfiction, Science Fiction, Sketchbooks, Writing Reference Books, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Welcome to 2025…and to StarWarp Concepts!

Happy Holidays!

Posted on December 21, 2024 by Steven
Posted in Holidays, New York City, StarWarp Concepts | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Happy Holidays!

Nosferatu: Stalking Movie Screens and the Printed Page

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Steven

Christmas is coming, and there’s no better way for horror fans to celebrate the Ghoultide Season than with the gift of vampire movies—specifically, the Christmas Day premiere of Nosferatu, writer/director Robert Eggers’s remake of the 1922 classic silent movie that starred the iconic Max Schreck as the undead Count Graf Orlock.

This version stars Bill Skarsgard—best known for playing the demonic clown Pennywise in It, and the Marquis in John Wick: Chapter 4—as the count, alongside Willem Dafoe, Nicholas Hoult, and Lily-Rose Depp. Based on the trailers, it looks like it’s going to be a good time; I’ll definitely be on line to see it that weekend.

Speaking of the rat-faced, vampiric Count Orlock, you’ll also find him in “Night’s Children,” a short story I wrote that appears in Tales of the Shadowmen 4: Lords of Terror (and was reprinted in Black Coat’s The Vampire Almanac, Vol. 2). In that tale, the great thief Irma Vep—the lead female character and femme fatale of the 1915–16 French movie serial Les Vampyres (The Vampires)—travels to a Berlin museum to steal a painting, only to run into Orlock, who’s intrigued by her bat-themed attire and considers taking her as his next bride—or victim…

Tales of the Shadowmen 4: Lords of Terror is available in print from Black Coat Press; visit its product page for ordering information. With “Night’s Children,” you’ll have something to read while you’re waiting for Nosferatu to start!

Posted in Horror, movies, Steven A. Roman, Vampires | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Nosferatu: Stalking Movie Screens and the Printed Page

Smashwords’ 2024 End of Year Ebook Sale Is Underway!

Posted on December 12, 2024 by Steven

Hey, book lovers! Today’s the day when e-book distributor Smashwords (and its parent company, Draft2Digital) launches its annual End of Year Sale, during which you can purchase thousands of digital books at special prices! It runs from December 12 to January 1—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.

Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can get the following digital titles at 25% off:

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. A bonus feature is an exclusive interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.

Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is my young adult novel that’s perfect for lovers of dark urban fantasy. It introduces readers to Pandora Zwieback, a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets professional monster hunter Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. In Blood Feud, Pan, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father.

In Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2, Pan and Annie face even greater challenges as the vampire clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover! But Pan isn’t about to let some ancient monster win the day, not when the lives of her parents and friends—along with those of every human on the planet—are at stake, so she leads a charge of her own. But whose side is going to emerge the victor remains to be seen…

For a Few Gold Pieces More is Rich White’s collection of linked fantasy short stories about a Rogue With No Name who travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure, romance—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did). Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly).

Harbinger of Darkness is Rich’s original fantasy-adventure novel in which a thief named Perrin steals an extremely valuable—and magical—gem from the evil king ruling her home country. With thugs and fellow thieves and the king’s assassins hot on her trail, Perrin finds just staying alive is becoming a full-time occupation, which directly conflict with her secret life—and identity—as a humble bookseller’s daughter. It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!

And Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is Rich’s collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia. From a sexy chanteuse who literally turns into a beast when the moon is full to a string of pearls that kills its owners, and from the ghost of a dead woman seeking justice to the Grim Reaper’s little girl seeking her stolen chicken, Theron Chase certainly has his hands full—of danger, death, and dames!

Again, the Smashwords End of Year Sale runs December 12 to January 1, so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher page at Smashwords and start your holiday-reading shopping!

Posted in Dark Urban Fantasy, e-books, e-tailers, Fantasy, Gaming, Holidays, Nonfiction, Pandora Zwieback, Reading, Richard C. White, Steven A. Roman, Writing Reference Books, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Smashwords’ 2024 End of Year Ebook Sale Is Underway!

DriveThru’s 2024 Black Friday Sale Is Underway!

Posted on November 29, 2024 by Steven

The Christmas shopping season officially kicked into overdrive, with Thanksgiving Day here in the United States arriving yesterday. Now Black Friday—the biggest shopping day of the year—is upon us, when stores discount prices to generate sales, and Cyber Monday is on the horizon, when online retailers do the same.

E-book distributor DriveThru Fiction—along with its sister sites DriveThru Comics and DriveThru RPG—has joined in on the fun with its annual Black Friday/Cyber Monday Weekend Sale, during which you can purchase a ton of digital books and comics at special prices. It runs from now through Monday, December 2—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.

Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can take advantage of some sweet discounts, on such titles as the supernatural-superhero graphic novel, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; our most popular Illustrated Classic, J. Sheridan’s le Fanu’s vampiric dark-romance Carmilla; the world-building guide for writers and game masters Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; and the nonfiction comics history From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures.

So head on over to the SWC DriveThru Fiction page and get to shopping!

Posted in e-books, e-tailers, Holidays | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on DriveThru’s 2024 Black Friday Sale Is Underway!

Author Richard C. White at PhilCon 2024

Posted on November 18, 2024 by Steven

This coming weekend, genre fans will be gathering in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, for PhilCon, “the world’s first and longest-running conference on science fiction, fantasy, and horror” (according to their website), which is being held at the Doubletree by Hilton. And among the guests you’ll find author Richard C. White!

Rich is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of titles published by us: the writers’ and RPG gamemasters’ aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the swashbuckling adventure novel Harbinger of Darkness; the fantasy-adventure story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; the noir-fantasy story collection Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase; and the pirate-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.

You’ll find Rich in the Dealers’ Room, where he’ll be selling copies of his book—and promoting his three SWC projects planned for 2025—so be sure to stop by and pick up any titles you might have missed.

PhilCon runs November 22–24. For more information on the show, visit the PhilCon website.

Posted in Author Appearances, Conventions, Richard C. White | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Author Richard C. White at PhilCon 2024

It’s National Novel Writing Month 2024!

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Steven

Halloween’s over for this year, in the U.S. this coming weekend it’s time to turn the clocks back an hour as Daylight Savings Time ends, and with the arrival of November comes the annual event called National Novel Writing Month.

To explain what it is, I’ll let this quote from the organization’s website provide you with some background:

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel.

NaNoWriMo, however, became an organization deeply mired in controversy this year, when it appeared to support the use of AI for writing; that decision led to the departure of at least one board member, authors who’d been participating in the event for years, and even a sponsor—all of whom were opposed to the notion of this tech-cheat/theft.

(For the record, I’m against creators’ work being “farmed” for AI usage, either text or art. In fact, a few months back one of our e-book distributors, Draft2Digital, sent around a survey to its publisher-clients to determine if we were okay with a third party accessing our works to aid in AI development, with the potential of being compensated if we agreed. I, like the majority of D2D’s clients, gave them a flat-out no to all scenarios.)

Well, whether you’re participating in NaNoWriMo as part of the event or on your own, it just so happens that StarWarp Concepts has a book that’s perfect for writers!

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (For a Few Gold Pieces More, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.

What you’ll find in its pages is information that’s vital for just about any writer, especially when it comes to world building, and Rich shows you how to do it:

  • Avoiding the pitfalls of naming characters, regions, and countries
  • Applying the technique of “outside in” to develop and then refine ideas for your world
  • Creating a world your readers can relate to, regardless of its technological levels
  • Identify how to create backstories and conflict by observing how your world comes together
  • Adding details to make your story richer without overwhelming your readers
  • Identifying useful resources for research

From its first publication, the book has been a hit with not just fantasy writers, but role-playing gamers as well. In fact, it’s currently being used as a textbook in the Interactive Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts!

“I think Terra Incognito is a solid introduction to the subject of world building. The book succeeds in helping the aspiring writer in creating a skeletal framework for which to hang the moving parts required of a believable fictional setting.”—The Gaming Gang

Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is available in trade paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.

Posted in Events, Nonfiction, Richard C. White, Writing Reference Books | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s National Novel Writing Month 2024!

Happy Halloween!

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Steven

You know it’s really a Mad Monster Party when reporter Carl Kolchak, the Night Stalker, crashes the scene. And look! He brought his own party favor!

Kolchak is a favorite horror character around ‘Warp Central, and if you’d like to read up on one of the genre’s most memorable monster fighters, check out my post from 2017 celebrating the 45th anniversary of his 1972 introductory movie, The Night Stalker; one from 2018 marking the 45th anniversary of its follow-up, 1973’s The Night Strangler; and a final entry from just last month, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1974 series Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

And if you’ve never seen the Rankin-Bass holiday classic Mad Monster Party?, do yourself a favor and check it out. This 1967 animated musical stars horror icon Boris Karloff (Frankenstein, How the Grinch Stole Christmas) as Baron von Frankenstein, who throws a party to which all the best monsters come. If you enjoy stop-motion-animated movies like Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, give Mad Monster Party? a try. It’s streaming on places like Amazon Prime, Roku, and Apple TV.

Beast wishes for a safe and exciting Halloween, from all of us at StarWarp Concepts!

(Art courtesy of bruceshideout)

Posted in Halloween, Holidays, Spooky Season | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Happy Halloween!

Spooky Season: The Final Movie Weekend

Posted on October 25, 2024 by Steven

Today starts the final weekend of October, with the Big Day only a week away. So, here’s a sampling of what’s coming up for your viewing pleasure this weekend, as you make your final plans for Halloween:

Max (formerly HBO Max) continues “No Sleep October” with the broadcast debut of writer/director M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller Trap, starring Josh Harnett as a concertgoer caught up in a law enforcement scheme to corner a serial killer who’s a member of the audience.

Netflix presents Don’t Move, from producer Sam Raimi, best known for his directorial work in the Evil Dead and Spider-Man movie franchises, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. According to the press material, Kelsey Asbille stars as “a grieving woman” who’s injected with a paralytic agent by a serial killer and must find some way to survive before her body shuts down.

AMC FearFeast goes full Jason Voorhees on Friday for its all-day Friday the 13th Marathon, with Parts VI–VIII followed by Freddy vs. Jason (admittedly, my favorite of both franchises), then Parts III, I, and II, and concluding with Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.

Saturday is a Creature Feature Marathon, with a lineup of The Mist, Gremlins, David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake of The Fly, John Carpenter’s The Thing, Gary Busey vs. a werewolf in Silver Bullet, John Carpenter’s Christine, Jeepers Creepers, and Child’s Play, with Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow (1999, starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci) and Eight Legged Freaks (2002; David Arquette and Scarlet Johansson exterminating giant spiders) carrying you through the overnight hours. And then Sunday is AMC’s Michael vs. Everyone Marathon, with Michael Myers wreaking havoc in Haddonfield, Illinois, through Halloween 5, Halloween 4, Halloween II, the original John Carpenter’s Halloween, Halloween H2O, and Halloween: Resurrection.

The Movies! Channel’s expanded Friday Night Frights schedule starts with Forrest Tucker battling The Crawling Eye (1958), followed by Devil Doll (1964); Anthony Hopkins versus his ventriloquist’s dummy in the thriller Magic (1978); Puppet Master (1989) and the 1990 sequel Puppet Master II; Night of the Demons (1988); Tawny Kitaen contending with the supernatural threats of the Witchboard (1986); Adrienne Barbeau fighting off ghostly, bloodthirsty pirates in John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980); and the 1986 anthology Deadtime Stories.

Last but not least, on Saturday, TBS is hosting The 24 Hours of Beetlejuice, in case there’s a rare chance you’ve ever missed seeing the famous Tim Burton-Michael Keaton-Winona Ryder collaboration in the past 36 years. Shamelessly taking advantage of the box office success of its sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice? Absolutely. Overkill? For sure. But what else would you expect from the same station (as well as its sister, TNT) that has been running The 24 Hours of A Christmas Story every year since 1997?

Seems like a good way to pass the time while you’re putting together those little trick-or-treat bags for the little monsters that will soon come knocking at your door!

Posted in Halloween, Holidays, Horror, movies, Spooky Season | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Spooky Season: The Final Movie Weekend