Final Women

Every horror fan has them. The inevitable victims that we just weren't ready to see die. The ones who, if we were making the movie, would have made it to the final credits. This is Part 2 of my list of them. Note: I'm not including animals on this list, because, once again, it should go without saying that I NEVER want the animals to die. If I made the rules, no animals, fictional or real, would ever die. Note 2: Spoiler Alert. Obviously Click here for The Ones I Would Have Saved: Part I. Dillon (Dave Sheridan), Victor Crowley He's sweet, goofy, and ultimately heroic. Plus he reminds me of a good friend of mine. R.I.P. Dillon Tracy Jarvis (Joan Freeman), Friday the 13th IV: The Final Chapter She's such an awesome mom! R.I.P. Mrs. Jarvis Kate (Julia Rehwald), Fear Street: Part One - 1994 and Simon (Fred Hechinger), Fear Street: Part One - 1994 The central romance of Deena and Sam is wonderfully sweet and the soul of the film, but, let's face it, these two were the mo...

Jayson Robert Ducharme's Come Forth in Thaw is a beautiful, haunting book about loss and grief, as well as survival. It begins with Eleanor Jackson venturing into Adrienne Forest State Park (a fictional location based on Aokigahara Forest in Japan - known as a popular place for committing suicide). Ellie's convinced her son has come here to kill himself, and she ventures into a surreal world, filled with ghosts of the dead and other forest spirits, to look for him. Ellie's experiences in the forest play out like a dark, tragic version of Alice in Wonderland . The places and inhabitants are surreal, and I was particularly enchanted with the Donneur Vie, a tree like spirit and soul of the forest. Ducharme is excellent at describing Ellie's dreamlike experiences in the forest; as a reader I could clearly picture every place and creature. The novel is equally adept in its depiction of grief and suicidal ideation. I've suffered from depression since I was a child and am...

My first encounter with S.H. Cooper was reading her collection Corpse Garden , and while I really enjoyed that one, I think I loved All That’s Fair more. Cooper has a way with creepy imagery that is showcased in her best stories here. And while there were certain stories that stood out the most in this book, there wasn’t a single clunker in the bunch. All were worth reading. Two of the creepiest stories, “The Limping Woman” and “The Shy Lady” revolve around urban legends and how two women escape them. “Cruel Inheritance” is initially creepy, but ultimately bittersweet. “What Became of Lavinia Cartwright” and “The O’Sullivan Song” are both also filled with unsettling imagery, and I could picture both of them translating successfully to the screen. “The Wandering Woman” gave me chills. “Self-Made” and the superb final story, “The Hardest Lesson” feature abusive men getting what they deserve. I can not recommend this collection enough. With it, Cooper has solidified herself as an instant...