08/16/2026 Horror Happenings: Industry News, Reviews, and More!
- Candace Nola
- 24 minutes ago
- 4 min read
This week's Upcoming Events, New Release news, and Publisher Reviews! These industry relevant posts will be shared every other Sunday, right here on Uncomfortably Dark! If you're an indie with news to share, let us know!
*Email us your news to share at editor@uncomfortablydark.com.
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UPCOMING EVENTS 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!
A CURSE THROWN FROM THE HANGING TREE
by Rebecca Cuthbert
A CURSE THROWN FROM THE HANGING TREE is an amazing collection featuring 21 incredible poems. This collection was curated to perfection. The themes of fairytales and folklore, along with eco horror and so much else. It’s brilliant and beautiful along with intense and full of all the horrors. Poetry is hard for me to review, simply because I typically don’t, and I am unsure of the standard for it.
All I can say is that I cannot recommend this collection enough and believe everyone should go ahead and take a chance on it. Cuthbert is an author people need to read more of, for more reasons than I could ever possibly list. If any of the above themes are something you gravitate towards, I suggest grabbing this book asap.
With 21 poems, it would be hard to speak about all of them, but the ones that really resonated with me are: It’s Always a Demon, All the Havoc We Never Meant to Wreak, Face Her, Choose Your Own End, Penelope’s Resignation, and No Grave Marker Needed
Grab the book here:
THE CASE FOR CRYPTIDS
by E F Schraeder
Published by: Raw Dog Screaming Press
“Upon reflection, I’m certain these accounts are legitimate. They are too varied to be false, too persistent to be intentionally misleading. In short, I believe them.”
Well, this collection is an absolute gem. Two things I never thought I would have a mash-up. Cryptids and poetry but let me tell you something… it works beautifully! This collection was so incredible that I literally read it all in one sitting. The poems had such a wide range in tone, subjects, etc. It was so unique, and I want to scream it from the rooftops! This was my first time reading this author, but it will not be my last.
This book was beyond clever, beyond different, beyond a lot of things and yet another book this year that I cannot recommend enough.
The poems which stood out to me most were: Confirmation Bias at the Cryptid Con, Pseudo Science, Lesser-Known Facts First, They’ll Say A Unicorn Explains the Grammar of Invisibility, Sasquatch Crowdfunds His Healthcare, Two Sides to Every Story, Says Troll Fa(k)e News
THE CASE FOR CRYPTIDS releases on August 20th but is available for preorder now using the link below:
TERMINAL
by Brian Keene
I’m not equipped with the academic knowledge of human psychology to properly review this novel in the manner in which it deserves. On its surface, it’s a wild bank robbery gone wrong, centered around one desperate man and his friends. But is it?
Terminal is an intense study of the human mind processing grief at its deepest level. A young man, a husband and father, whose life is being unfairly cut short by a terminal illness, trying to come to terms with it, with the fear of what will happen to his family after he’s gone. Dealing with a poor economy, a nearly depleted bank account, and the emotional toll of his own mortality, TERMINAL gives us an intimate, heart-wrenching view of the internal struggle within one man, while he attempts to navigate the days he has left in a manner that he thinks will be most beneficial to his family.
Keene brings the reader along as one man faces his worst fears, his most vulnerable emotions, his shortcomings, as well as questions his faith, while forcing the reader to confront those same things within themselves. An entire psychological study of our own humanity, wrapped into a novel, and offered to the public as entertainment. Emotional damage is an understatement. This one will gut you.
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!
Brian Keene-The man, the myth, the legend. Decades of advice, stories, and more!
Scarlett Anomaly Reads-Indie news, interviews, and reviews!
Dan Shrader: Horror author currently doing big things on Substack with his Death Watch series. Join up now to get caught up!
Kimberly Ramsawak-Horror Concierge: all things horror including deep dives, movie talk, essays and more!
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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