FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

I SAW OBSESSION (2026)

Obsession, not to be mistaken for Brian De Palma's 1976 redux of Hitchcock's Vertigo, is writer/director Curry Barker's impression of John Henry Collier/Robert Presnell Jr.'s Twilight Zone episode, "The Chaser." 

The movie tells the impassioned plight of simp-ish Bear Bailey (Michael Johnston), who desires a young lady, Nikki (Inde Navarette), and to clinch her love, uses (more through frustration than staunch belief) a "snap-in-half" novelty, "One Wish Willow." With it, he makes his errant wish, and eureka, Nikki becomes his gal, but of course, as with anything that's too good to be true, there's a catch. 

In "The Chaser," the desired, young lady does become obsessive in her displays of affection, but in Obsession, Nikki turns full-blown psychotic to keep her man. (The deal with Bear's cat is, well, unsettling to say the least.) So, how then, does Bear break the imperiling spell? In that lies the maddening dilemma (and the melodrama's fuel), for this is one granted wish that's hard (if not impossible) to discard without death knocking.   

Though as indicated, Curry's movie shouldn't be confused with Obsession 1976, let alone Vertigo, it still adheres to the set's depicted agony, all the while referencing W.W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw," Deathdream, Big, The Wishmaster (and its sequels), Possession, Play Misty for Me, Fatal Attraction, Single White Female and The Crush, with perhaps just a dab of The Substance, thanks to Bear's hope that the novelty's manufacturer will reverse the curse. 

Various characters impact the troubling situation, including concerned friend Ian (Christopher Tomlinson); music-store manager Carter (Andy Richter); and Carter's daughter, Sarah (Megan Lawless), the girl who fancies Bear and as such represents an obvious, missed opportunity.

If Obsession works, it's because, in addition to its tip-top performances and fantasy core, it holds identifiable elements, depicting something that could happen and has happened to many people who've fallen into inescapable relationships. And that's why, much like an enduring, sad song that's called upon in times of duress, Obsession will be a soothing crutch for anyone tainted by the savage pangs of love. 

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

 

A BLIND DEAD CURATION: FURTHER DARK FICTION

Per CEO Raffaele Pezzella, Eighth Tower Publications' David Lynch/Twin Peaks, Dark Fiction anthology is set for a June release. In the interim, another curation is being staged, a tribute to Amando de Ossorio's Blind Dead quadrilogy (and the various sequels that followed it). 

My contribution references an altered print of Tombs of the Blind Dead, renamed for the drive-in circuit as Revenge from Planet Ape, a faux "sequel/prequel" to the Planet of the Apes franchise. My tale's lead is, in fact, ape-ish, a throwback of sorts, not quite Dave Prowse in Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, mind you, but a subdued variant, who holds a Quasimodo relegation among the evil knights and later manifests into our modern world through alchemy. 

In the story, I acknowledge de Ossorio's franchise, just as in my Lynch story, "The Greater Goo," I acknowledge Twin Peaks. "The Templar Evolved" is presented in a Wes Craven's New Nightmare manner, but its core (its wretched soul) is sheer, bloodthirsty Blind Dead. 

I'll share more on my fable before long. Consider this post a friendly teaser, one that I hope has whet your morbid appetite.💀

PINUP TIME: RAQUEL WELCH

 

EIGHTH TOWER'S THE BLACK STONE RETURNS: SPECIAL EDITION COMING SOON

Raffaele Pezzella has given me the scoop! 

Eighth Tower's H.P. Lovecraft-inspired, Robert E. Howard-dashed The Black Stone: Stories For Lovecraftian Summonings is set for a revised printing. That's right. It's in the pipeline and coming soon.

There are many fine authors associated with the anthology, and they include Ramsey Campbell; Brian M. Sammons; Glynn Owen Barrass; Lucy A. Snyder; E.A. Black; Chris Kelso; Andrew Coulthard; Stephen Mark Rainey; Kevin Lewis; Richard Alan Scott; Russell Smeaton; J. Edwin Buja; Made in DNA; David Agranoff; Pete Rawlik; Brian C. Short; John Chadwick; David Voyles; Konstantine Paradias; Love Kolle; Edward Morris; Parry Milton; Phil Breach; Garret Cook; Andrew Freudenberg; Sarah Walker; and yours truly, Michael F. Housel.

Be prepared to be thrilled and chilled all over again with this exciting, special edition. More details are to follow. I, for one, can't wait to share!

WISE WORDS: