Review: The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks edited by Tom Deady

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 23, 2024October 14, 2024ReviewsDave Simms, Reviews, Stephen King, The Rack, Tom Deady1 Comment

cover of The Rack The Rack: Stories Inspired by Vintage Horror Paperbacks edited by Tom Deady
Thomas E. Deady (September 2024)
Reviewed by Dave Simms

Who in their right minds (okay, readers of a certain age) hasn’t been excited to walk into a drug store or supermarket to find THE rack. That spinning metal beast of wonder that held so many amazing covers; some cheesy, some over the top, and others that make your head spin. It always signaled that fun times were on the way as we turned and swiveled and reached behind the book in front to find an even better book behind it. Many found it more exciting than heading to the Waldenbooks or Borders Books (different eras, but same good times). The thrill of discovering a frightening story with cool cover prompted so many of us to ride our bikes, walk, or drive on over on the day when we knew the manager would break open the new stock. Finding treasures behind that first book was even better, possibly hid by another horror fan to buy at a later time.

Bev Vincent explores ‘Salem’s Lot (2024)

Bev VincentSeptember 27, 2024September 26, 2024Reviews, Stephen King News from the Dead Zone'Salem's Lot, Bev Vincent, Christine, News from the Dead Zone, Reviews, Stephen King, Stephen King News2 Comments

The Show Begins at Sundown

Back in 2011, Screem magazine commissioned me to write an article about ‘Salem’s Lot and its adaptations. (1) That led me to revisit the 1979 miniseries, starring David Soul, that had so terrorized me at the time. I had just started reading King a couple of months earlier, and two scenes in particular—ones that will be familiar to anyone who’s seen it—haunted me for a long time thereafter. Even though the original miniseries doesn’t stand the test of time—even in 1979, Soul didn’t have the gravitas required of the role and I find the adaptation almost painful to watch now—those scenes do hold up. I would say that the miniseries is better as a memory than as an actuality. I found a lot of flaws in it when I wrote about it for Screem and I doubt I could make myself watch it again today. (2)

Stephen King: News from the Dead Zone #235

Bev VincentAugust 5, 2024August 2, 2024Stephen King News from the Dead Zone'Salem's Lot, Always Holly, Bev Vincent, Columns, Holly, It, mike flanagan, News from the Dead Zone, Stephen King, The Dark Tower, The Institute, The Life of Chuck, The Long Walk, The Monkey, The Running Man, The Shining, The Talisman, Welcome to Derry, You Like It Darker1 Comment

I can’t believe it’s been a year since I last wrote one of these columns (except for a couple of book reviews). I refused to believe it until I verified it three different ways. It’s mind-blowing. Where has the time gone? Oh well, I’m here now and we have a few things to talk about.

No, not hurricanes or the Olympics or the forthcoming election. We’re here to talk about what’s new in the Stephen King Universe, so let’s get to it.
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Bev Vincent explores You Like it Darker by Stephen King

Bev VincentMay 20, 2024May 19, 2024Reviews, Stephen King News from the Dead ZoneBag of Bones, Bev Vincent, Cujo, Dreamcatcher, Duma Key, Fair Extension, Flight or Fright, Laurie, News from the Dead Zone, Rattlesnake, Reviews, Revival, Stephen King, Stephen King News, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, The Turbulence Expert, You Like It DarkerLeave a comment

“Lack of belief is the curse of intelligence”

It’s a short story collection. No, it’s a novella collection. No, it’s two…two…two things in one! OK, you have to be really old to get that reference to an old Certs commercial. They don’t even make Certs anymore, I’m displeased to discover.

Anyhow, You Like It Darker is a hybrid of two types of books we’ve come to expect from Stephen King. It’s a collection of the seven short stories published since The Bazaar of Bad Dreams but it also contains five brand-new long works ranging from a novelette (“The Dreamers”) to novellas (“The Answer Man,” “Two Talented Bastids” and “Rattlesnakes”) to a story long enough to be considered a novel by the SFWA and other awards criteria (“Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream”).

Anthony Northrup on Stephen King’s Dollar Babies

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 6, 2023October 1, 2023InterviewsAnthony Northrup, Interviews, Rick Hipson, Stephen KingLeave a comment

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cover of Stephen King - Dollar Baby: The Book Anthony Northrup is a Stephen King enthusiast who puts his pen where his mouth is. Okay, maybe not literally, but he certainly backs up all his acclaimed King passion by a long shot. Anthony has hosted two Stephen King Dollar Baby film festivals in addition to playing cohost to Stephen King Rules film festivals on top of essaying his King fandom (as well as celebrating other writers and filmmakers) via regularly published articles in his local newspaper. He also founded and maintains a fun and popular group on Facebook called All Things King (ATK).

Most recently, he published a behemoth of a book titled Stephen King – Dollar Baby: The Book. Released in 2021 through BearManor Media, it weighs in at a whopping 576 pages. Suffice to say the book is chock full of everything you might want to know about Stephen King Dollar Babies, but were afraid to sacrifice the time and sanity to find out.Continue Reading

Bev Vincent explores Holly by Stephen King

Bev VincentAugust 29, 2023August 21, 2023Reviews, Stephen King News from the Dead ZoneBev Vincent, Billy Summers, Carrie, Holly, If it Bleeds, Mr. Mercedes, News from the Dead Zone, Reviews, Stephen King, Stephen King News1 Comment

“No one will believe it really happened”

Stephen King doesn’t hide the identity of the murderers at the center of Holly Gibney’s latest case in the novel that bears her name. In 2012, Emily and Rodney Harris, professors emeritus at Bell College, tricked a colleague named Jorge Castro into helping them resolve a roadside issue. They drugged him and took him to a dungeon in the basement of their presentable home in a respectable part of town.

Why did the elderly Harrises kidnap him, why do they force him to eat something unpalatable, and what are their plans? Since Castro knows the identity of his abductors, it doesn’t seem likely he’ll be released. The popular consensus is that he packed up and left town abruptly, although his lover doesn’t agree.

Stephen King: News from the Dead Zone #232

Bev VincentAugust 11, 2023August 11, 2023Stephen King News from the Dead Zone'Salem's Lot, Bev Vincent, Christine, Columns, Gerald's Game, Holly, It, King on Screen, mike flanagan, News from the Dead Zone, Pet Sematary, Stephen King, The Boogeyman, The Dark Tower, The Life of Chuck, The Long Walk, The Monkey, Welcome to DerryLeave a comment

It’s hot. Oh, so hot. Ever so effing hot. As many of you probably know, I live in Texas. Some years we get by without a single day with a temperature above 100°. This year, we’ve been “blessed” with almost nothing but triple-digit days, with “feels like temps” over 110°. It’s relentless.

So, while the world is melting down, what else should a person do but stay inside, with the A/C turned up high, reading and writing and watching television?
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The Cemetery Dance Interview: Revisiting Richard Chizmar

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 21, 2023April 16, 2023InterviewsInterviews, Richard Chizmar, Rick Hipson, Stephen KingLeave a comment

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On the heels of reading Cemetery Dance’s recent publication of Stephen King: Revisited Volume One, I was loaded up with tons of questions, the first of which was who would be daring enough to go back in time and re-read every Stephen King book in order of publication? Richard Chizmar, that’s who. As a best selling author and publisher of Cemetery Dance, Chizmar has published several King stories and books over the years and would not only become a friend of King’s but also a collaborator who’s written books with King — the Gwendy trilogy. So yes, I was curious to chat with Rich about his take on King over the years given his unique perspective.Continue Reading

The Cemetery Dance Interview: Bev Vincent Revisited

Cemetery Dance OnlineMarch 17, 2023March 12, 2023InterviewsBev Vincent, Interviews, Rick Hipson, Stephen King, Stephen King RevisitedLeave a comment

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I was super pumped to be able to sit down with none other than Stephen King historian and scholar, Bev Vincent, who provided his fantastic historical contribution to Stephen King Revisited Volume 1 from Cemetery Dance. The book is the culmination of author/Cemetery Dance founder Richard Chizmar’s decision to revisit every single Steven King book in order of publication. This first volume discusses King’s work between Carrie and Eyes of the Dragon and includes tons of special guests to go along with Rich’s interpretations from the first time he read each book to his most recent. But of course this conversation is all about Bev Vincent who is kind enough to provide a fascinating glimpse into Stephen King throughout the years. Without further ado, let’s get this ball rolling, shall we?Continue Reading

Stephen King: News from the Dead Zone #231

Bev VincentJanuary 24, 2023January 24, 2023Stephen King News from the Dead Zone'Salem's Lot, Bev Vincent, Columns, Doctor Sleep, Fairy Tale, Flight or Fright, Gerald's Game, Gwendy's Button Box, Holly, It, mike flanagan, News from the Dead Zone, Stephen King, The Boogeyman, The Dark Tower, The Long Walk, Welcome to Derry1 Comment

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and pleasant holiday season. I know a lot of people had travel issues, so I hope none of you are still stuck in an airport somewhere (if you are, Mr. King and I have an anthology to help you pass the time) or trying to track down your luggage.

Will 2023 be a good year? Hard to say, but I know one thing for sure: we have a new King book to look forward to in September and a movie adaptation that has the studio’s confidence.
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Stephen King: News from the Dead Zone #230

Bev VincentOctober 3, 2022October 11, 2022Stephen King News from the Dead Zone'Salem's Lot, Bev Vincent, Chapelwaite, Columns, Cujo, dark tower, Fariy Tale, Flight or Fright, Holly, Mr. Harrigan's Phone, News from the Dead Zone, Rattlesnake, Stephen King, The Boogeyman, The Dark Tower Companion, The Regulators, Welcome to Derry, Willie the Weirdo1 Comment

Time for another Stephen King news update, don’t you think? Recently we saw the publication of King’s latest novel, Fairy Tale, and I have news about the next adaptation, which launches this week. In addition to those items, I’m going to talk about two associational projects, one of which involves yours truly and the other that involves someone from New Brunswick in Canada—and it’s not me!
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Bev Vincent: Documenting the King of Horror

Cemetery Dance OnlineSeptember 12, 2022September 7, 2022Interviews, Stephen King News from the Dead ZoneBev Vincent, Interviews, News from the Dead Zone, Stephen King, The Stephen King Illustrated Companion, The Stephen King Ultimate CompanionLeave a comment

cover of The Stephen King Ultimate Companion Bev Vincent is living the life that most Constant Readers can only dream of.

Bev has written volumes documenting Stephen King’s work, from career-spanning books like The Illustrated Stephen King Companion to more focused works like The Dark Tower Companion. He co-edited an anthology with King called Flight or Fright. He gets early copies of King’s books, which he reviews for us here at Cemetery Dance as part of his “News from the Dead Zone” column. And soon he’ll have a new book out: The Stephen King Ultimate Companion: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences.

Recently, I fired off a few questions about this new project, which Bev graciously took the time to answer.Continue Reading

Bev Vincent explores Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Bev VincentSeptember 2, 2022September 1, 2022Reviews, Stephen King News from the Dead ZoneBev Vincent, Cujo, dark tower, Fairy Tale, Gunslinger, News from the Dead Zone, Reviews, Stephen King, Stephen King News, The Green Mile, The Talisman2 Comments

“There are other worlds than these”

Traditionally, in stories modeled after the Hero’s Journey, the main character receives a call to action, which he or she initially resists. Take, for example, Bilbo Baggins, who is cajoled out of his comfortable, quiet life to go on an adventure by Gandalf. In Stephen King’s fantasy stories, the characters are self-motivated. No one has to urge Jack Sawyer to light out for the Territories—he has a good reason to embark on a perilous journey. Similarly, Roland Deschain chooses his mission to find and save the Dark Tower, even though it will take him on a wild journey for the rest of his natural days. No one conscripts him. (Although, to be fair, sometimes his characters are yanked into a quest without being given any choice in the matter.)

In Fairy Tale, Charlie McGee[1] Reade also decides for himself to go on a magical adventure although, when he sets out, he has no idea what dangers he will face and what will be asked of him while he attempts to achieve his goal.

Video Visions: Happy 40th Birthday to Creepshow!

Cemetery Dance OnlineAugust 26, 2022August 24, 2022Video VisionsColumns, Creepshow, George A. Romero, Hunter Shea, Stephen King, Video VisionsLeave a comment

Black background with spooky lettering that says Hunter Shea Video Visions and the Cemetery Dance logo

I want my cake, Bedelia!

Hard to believe that one of the greatest horror anthologies of all time hit theaters forty years ago. In that span of time, I’ve had two dogs, three cats, two turtles, at least seventeen hamsters, three hundred goldfish and beta fish (most of them lasting two days), one salamander and one dwarf rabbit that grew to be the size of Gunnar Hansen. A big fuck you to the pet store clerk who sold me that bill of goods. Dwarf my ass. Oh, and I went from a virgin to way not a virgin, got married and had two amazing children.

And now back to the real story. When I watched the coming attraction for Creepshow on TV and saw that it was the love child of Stephen King and George Romero, I believe I had a Bob Rossian happy accident in my skivvies. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead had rewired my brain a few years earlier and King was feeding me nightmare fuel every night before I hit the lights. His cocaine and booze years made for my caviar and champagne days and nights. Continue Reading

Dead Trees: Stephen King: The Art of Darkness

Cemetery Dance OnlineJune 10, 2022June 7, 2022Dead TreesColumns, Dead Trees, Douglas E. Winter, Mark Sieber, Stephen King, The Art of Darkness1 Comment

banner reading Dead Trees by Mark Sieber

cover of Stephen KIng: The Art of Darkness Enter the Wayback Machine and go back to 1984. I was still shrugging off the science fiction habit I had all my life and becoming a full-fledged horror fan. I read authors like Grant, Straub, Wilson, Etchison, Campbell. And of course Stephen King. When I finally got around to reading him, my reading life changed forever. Pet Sematary had just been released in paperback. Ahead were wonders like The Talisman, Thinner, Skeleton Crew, and It.

Horror was in a state of flux. In the movies, the slasher era was cycling down. In ’84 we had The Mutilator, Splatter University, The Initiation, and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. A Nightmare on Elm Street was ushering in a new breed of horror. Stephen King adaptations were in a bit of a lull, as disappointing productions like Children of the Corn and Firestarter hit the screens. Bigger and better things were ahead.Continue Reading

The Show Begins at Sundown

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