08/02/2026 Horror Happenings: Industry News, Reviews, and More!
- Candace Nola
- 4 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Kicking off August, we have information to share on Upcoming Events, New Release news, and Publisher Reviews!
EVENT SPOTLIGHT!
What is it: GENREBLAST FILM FEST
Where is it: Alamo Drafthouse - Winchester, VA
When is it: Labor Day Weekend - Sept. 3-6, 2026
Why come: Movies! Movies! Movies!
Come join us this September at the GenreBlast Film Festival in Winchester, Va. In its tenth year, this is one of the biggest indie film festivals on the East Coast. Run by filmmakers, for filmmakers, it aims to celebrate the best in genre filmmaking!
Hosted by the Alamo Drafthouse, come on out to see some great movies, pick up some awesome swag including books and movies, and be sure to try the Churro popcorn, (my personal favorite!).
Tickets - Schedule - Information
REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!
New from Flame Tree Press!
Reviewed by Candace Nola
GHOSTS OF CHANTERLANDS
By Catherine Cavendish
Cavendish brings us a slow-burn but chilling tale of long-buried family secrets, uncovered by a young girl visiting her aunts at Chanterlands estate seeking safety and refuge during the war-ravaged streets of her home. Pamela only tries to be helpful and listen to her mother's caution to be polite and kind, offers to clean up the expansive attic space of the home, all while braving eerie happenings in her room at night and around the manor itself, and humoring her oft-eccentric aunt Jilly. Despite her best efforts at being brave, Pamela soon finds there is more to this estate and this family than anyone knows.
For fans of gothic horror, ghost stories, and family betrayal, GHOSTS OF CHANTERLANDS hits the sweet spot with beautiful prose and a haunting mystery that captivates.
Get it here:
New from Wicked House Press!
Reviewed by Danielle Yvonne
THE SHADOW BESIDE HER
By Elizabeth Devecchi
“He once told me that he’d watched a distant relative of his who was a witch help a family cast off a malocchio (curse, or evil eye) set upon them using an image of the family.”
Picture it. Italy. 1944. There’s war. The Americans are coming. Germany is leaving. Things are just wild. This book hits so many levels that I’m not even sure where to start.
The FMC is brilliant. The character development is top tier. The story and character Maria are so insanely engaging that you can’t help but be transformed into the story, feel all the feels, and then the pages as fast as you can to see what will happen next.
This was my first read by Devecchi, but certainly not my last. I cannot recommend this book more. It’s rich in every way possible and offers something all horror readers I think would really enjoy.
Get it here: https://a.co/d/07rWBfWn
Out Now from Flame Tree Press!
Reviewed by Candace Nola
BAD THINGS HAPPEN HERE
by Mark Morris
BAD THINGS HAPPEN HERE is a slow-burn tale of dread and terror, combining supernatural forces with the natural weight of being human, using grief, loss, and all too relatable familial scenarios to increase the tension as each page reveals a new level of darkness and despair. Centered around five friends that shared a terrifying experience during college, the story spans the decades between past and present and their lives in between, while a shadow from the past seems determined to make them confront what happened in Room 55.
With an excellent assortment of characters that you care for, relate to, and root for, Morris brings a story about more than fear to the surface. He brings us face to face with our own flaws, doubts, and regrets while taking us along for the ride as the terror from Room 55 is finally faced.
Get it here:
Out Now from Mocha Memoirs Press!
Reviewed by Candace Nola
IMPRINT
Book Three of the Red Thread Saga
By L. Marie Wood
With Book 3 of her Red Thread Saga, L. Marie Wood introduces us to pain so deep, so violently torn from our soul that we are left crying before we feel the tears well up in our eyes, and that is only Chapter One. With surgical precision, she wields the pen like a scalpel, firm in her grasp, savage in its mastery. The pain does not ease as the pages turn, rather it builds, brick by brick, cut by cut, a master bricklayer rendering their architecture so exact, so measured that nary a crack will show, not now, not ever.
Pain burns across every page, searing the essence of what makes us human, burning righteous indignation into us, outrage for Mia, for Lathan, for Nikhil, a scorching fury so hot that you find yourself holding that breath in, sitting up straight and stiff, fingers turning pages ever faster as you commit to discovering the truth, even as L. Marie Wood buries it deeper within the ink upon the pages.
A truth so horrifying, so disturbing that even as it slowly begins to rear its head and bare savage teeth, you refuse to believe it, if not for the pain. The pain there to remind you that you exist, that they exist, that this moment exists and they deserve the truth. The pain drives you, imprints upon you, until the very end.
L. Marie Wood’s IMPRINT will leave you devastated in a way that only true love can. Masterfully done, and I say again, this is the must-read series of the year. This is my all-time favorite read of the last twenty years centered around a love story so strong that I welcomed the pain that it brought.
Get it here:
AUTHOR SUBSTACKS WORTH A READ!
See below for some awesome author Substack's that we are reading! Great stories, incredible community, and high engagement make these posts worth reading, catching up on and supporting!
Dan Shrader: Horror author currently doing big things on Substack with his Death Watch series. Join up now to get caught up!
Beverly Lee: character-driven, dark fiction author. Tons of advice, essays on craft, on industry, on her books and more!
Jacy Morris: Indigenous punk rock horror author with an excellent catalog. Join his Substack now to see all he has going on!
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