The Mosherpit

FNF 7

2021-04-30T11:57:00.003-04:00

Greetings, friendos.

I have started writing the next installment of the Friday Night Frights series. It's tentatively called PROM NIGHT thought that may change as I feel like I need something a little different to help offset it from the movie of the same name. Things are going well on it and though it may be one of the shorter books in the series it is almost wall-to-wall horror goodness. The boys aren't getting much of a breather this time around. It also says goodbye to one of the beloved members of the cast, but I'm not telling who.

No set publication date but I'm hoping to have the first draft finished before the summer so we're looking at a possible early 2022 release.

Hope you are all staying safe and well out there and don't forget to check out my other site http://www.fridaynightfrights.monster/

Friday Night Frights: The Website

2021-02-23T16:27:00.001-05:00

Hi there! It's been awhile but I wanted to let you know that in addition to my home page, I also have a brand new site that I launched for the Friday Night Frights series over at http://www.fridaynightfrights.monster/ . It's basically a fun place for me to put my horror movie reviews, series news, videos and more. If you like horror movies, BBQ or just want to kill some time, check it out!

D&D Portraits

2020-08-24T12:23:00.002-04:00

One of the things that has been saving my sanity while in quarantine has been playing D&D. Since we play on Fantasy Grounds, we can use a custom portrait for our characters. Usually I just paste in something I found on the web that is "close enough." Then I saw Steam was having a sale on RPG Maker and it came with a character creator too so I plunked down a few bucks for it as I had been wanting to try to make a game anyway. Really enjoying the ones I've made for my Yuan-Ti Pureblood Paladin so far. Can't wait to use them in the game this week.

All Night Horror Show Now Available!

2020-08-10T12:05:00.003-04:00

Nuff said. Order it here: https://www.amazon.com/Night-Horror-Show-Friday-Frights-ebook/dp/B08C6RDQMG/

All Night Horror Show Available for Pre-Order

2020-07-02T13:39:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody! Just wanted to let you know that ALL NIGHT HORROR SHOW (Friday Night Frights Book 6) is now available for pre-order on the Kindle. If you want to pre-order it, head on over to Amazon. The paperback version will be available on August 1st.

Thanks and stay scary!

Friday Night Frights Vol. 6: All Night Horror Show Trailer

2020-06-30T09:34:00.001-04:00

I know I've been quiet, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. I'm happy to present the first look at the cover for my newest book, All Night Horror Show. I hope you like it!

I Still Function

2020-04-28T16:21:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. Just wanted to let you know I'm still around and have been working diligently while in quarantine on the final draft of Friday Night Frights Book 6. It's ready for beta-reading now and I hope to have that out tomorrow to them. Once that's done, it'll be ready for publication. The cover has been finished an approved and I hope to share that with you shortly.

Stay safe out there and keep reading!

Review: Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

2020-02-13T15:23:00.003-05:00

Ever since I first saw Pulp Fiction in high school, I’ve been a Tarantino fan and have sought out all of his work. I always enjoy his movies though for the longest time, I couldn’t find one that matched up to Jackie Brown, which was my favorite of the bunch so far. I must say that search is now over. Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is an amazing film in just about every way imaginable. From direction to the cast to the production design to costuming to music, the film is firing on so many cylinders at once it is a pure delight.

The story isn’t the most intricate one. Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a TV actor who fears his career is on the decline. He used to be the star of his own series, but now works in guest starring roles that aren’t doing much for his popularity. His best friend, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) is his stuntman who is also having trouble finding work, though that stems from rumors that he killed his wife. Moving in next door to Dalton is Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), a young movie star who is going places. We follow them through several days in their lives, where Rick works on finding a way to revitalize his career while guest starring in a new show, Booth is running errands and meeting hippies that turn out to be the Manson family and Tate is enjoying her budding stardom. Eventually, their stories all culminate in an encounter that might not be how we were expecting the story to end.

It’s a very meditative movie, allowing us to spend time with the inhabitants and get into their heads and live in their lives. There is indulgence on display, as the camera lingers on scenes and vistas, but it never feels slow like it would in art film where the camera is moving that way just because it can. No, this all has purpose, building up the scene one piece at a time. We are getting to know the characters and following them about their days closely, reveling in their triumphs and cringing at their failures. Along the way we meet some of the personalities of the time, helping us engage this slice of Hollywood’s golden age that much better. Rick’s story is a sad yet inspiring cautionary tale on how to handle fame and take control of your talents to try and achieve something greater. Cliff’s tale is one familiar to those in the industry, where stunt men aren’t taken care of in the industry and barely get by compared to the men and women they double for. Tate represents someone untainted by life and the industry, where she can still find joy in something as simple as seeing herself on the screen. Each arc could probably be a movie on its own, but the way they intertwine is what makes it all interesting.

The film feels like the most un-Tarantino film, yet is maybe his most Tarantino-like film. The violent excess of some of his previous films is toned down, limited to TV shootouts and a brief ballet of cathartic violence at the end. The words are all his, from name dropping shows and actors to the easy, stylish rapport they have with one another, it is Tarantino all over. And the soundtrack might be the best one yet as well, chock full of tunes from the era in an array of styles.

Despite being almost three hours long, the movie never feels like it has outstayed its welcome. I even found myself wanting it to be longer so I could hang out with Rick, Cliff and Sharon for a few minutes more.

Check it out.

New Site Design

2020-02-08T13:42:00.000-05:00

If you visit here via www.mosherpit.com, you may have noticed a brief outage and then a new design. Don't be alarmed. I just decided that Blogger alone wasn't suiting my needs and I wanted something I had a little more control over. This blog will still be here at its base address, but you'll be able to access it from the new site as well as I've incorporated the feed into it. Have a great weekend!

Happy Belated New Year

2020-01-21T15:32:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year (really, REALLY late)! Been dealing with some personal issues but still plugging along on the novels and I'm so close to finishing the fantasy novel I can taste it. That one has been a bit of a task at times and I understand why George R.R. Martin takes so long. Creating a whole world like that is no joke. This year should see me finish that, as well as publish two more books--Friday Night Frights Book 6 and Astrogirl Book 2, the latter of which should be out this Spring/Summer. That's all for now. Thanks for all of your support!

Review: Deadly Games aka Dial Code Santa Claus

2019-12-13T09:09:00.001-05:00

Had some time on my hands last night so I decided to spend it watching a Christmas movie. I wanted something new so I fired up Shudder to see what they had and boy, was that a great idea because I found a gem.

DIAL CODE SANTA CLAUS is a crazy little Christmas horror film from France that plays like DIE HARD meets HOME ALONE (but predates the latter) with a little bit of THE STRANGERS mixed in for good measure. It's equally bizarre and charming and I love how the kid is kind of a little shit but you are still rooting for him the entire time against the deranged Santa that is stalking him. Lean and mean, too, with little fat on it and keeps the scares coming at a fast pace. It also might contain the first instance of the dangers of online chat in a horror movie too.

The plot is simple enough. A kid and his grandpa are home on Christmas Eve as the mother has to work late. The kid decides to stay up and see if Santa is real. When a deranged maniac slides down the chimney instead, what should have been a bit of childhood whimsy becomes a fight for survival. There's more to it than just that of course, as there's a good half of the film to help set the stage, but that's the gist. And let me tell you, it is amazing. If you have Shudder, you should definitely check it out.

Have a Very Friday Night Frights Christmas!

2019-12-10T11:49:00.000-05:00

Looking for a Secret Santa gift or a stocking stuffer? The Friday Night Frights series is perfect for the horror fan in your life!

Check them out at https://www.amazon.com/Eric-Mosher/e/B005O9FAMK

New Covers are Live!

2019-10-28T15:34:00.000-04:00

Just a polite reminder that the new covers for the Kindle AND paperback version of the Friday Night Frights series are now live on Amazon.com! Check them out here!

Review: One Cut of the Dead

2019-10-01T08:57:00.002-04:00

It's not easy to do horror comedies. For every Shaun of the Dead or Return of the Living Dead, there are dozens that don't quite stick the landing. So when you find one that does it right, it is a real treat and speaks to the movie's quality. One Cut of the Dead is just such a film.

The premise is simple. A film crew is making a zombie movie in a remote location when real zombies suddenly appear and all hell breaks loose while the obsessed director wants the camera to keep rolling the entire time, regardless of whether or not it is safe for his cast and crew. Also, the whole thing is filmed in one long take (which happens to be one of my favorite gimmicks as it requires a lot of planning and practice to pull off and I enjoy trying to find out where they hide the cuts.)

Oh, and as if zombies weren't enough, there's a twist around the 30 minute mark that turns the whole movie on its head and really ups the craziness on set. That's really all one can say about the plot without spoiling some of the greatness of the movie.

If you've ever made a low budget movie of any sort, you know the sort of craziness that can happen on set, and zombies aside, One Cut of the Dead really captures that mayhem that threatens to make the entire movie fail. There's the obsessed director, diva actors, crew with very exacting meal requirements and more. It really is amazing to watch everyone work together to try and stay on target even as everything seems to be falling apart at the same time. Even with horrific things happening, the movie manages to capture a heartwarming feeling of camaraderie that makes you feel good and care for the plight of those making the movie.

It is an ambitious movie and one that writer/director Shin'ichirô Ueda manages to stick the landing on. Sign on for the gimmick and stay for one of the best horror comedies that we have seen in recent years. It's currently streaming on Shudder and I wholeheartedly recommend checking it out.

Last Revamped Cover Reveal

2019-09-27T12:30:00.000-04:00

And finally, we have the last of the revamped covers in the VHS style--SHE WOLF TAKE A BOW. This one is done as a homage to the old Midnight Video VHS tapes. I always loved that dapper skeleton (which probably explains my love for the Social Distortion skeleton too but that is neither here nor there) so trying my own hand at it was a no-brainer. Look for this one to be released with the others in October, though the Kindle versions will hit earlier as they require less work.

The next cover reveal will be much later on for the next book in the Friday Night Frights series, which is still being written. Had a little computer issue I had to sort out but I am back on track with that.

Cheers.

Three More Covers

2019-09-16T16:48:00.003-04:00

Here are the next three of the redesigned covers. The cover for THE MADMAN OF LAKE MONGAWONGA is based on the old WB tapes. I WAS A TEENAGE SEX ROBOT takes its inspiration from 20th Century Fox rental versions. Finally, CHEERLEADERS OF THE BLIND DEAD takes cues from the CNR Video releases of the Netherlands.

One more left and then I'll put putting them up online for order.

Until next time.

New Covers Incoming!

2019-09-04T17:18:00.000-04:00

Because I can never just leave things alone, I have been designing new covers for the Friday Night Frights series. At first I was only going forward with the publication of ALL-NIGHT HORROR SHOW next year. Then it got into my head that they should all look alike. Thus, the new VHS-styled covers were born. It only makes sense considering this series is inspired by all of those weekends spent renting horror movies at the local video store. All of the covers will drop at the same time. I've attached the finished version of THE DEAD NEXT DOOR for your viewing pleasure and will be posting the others as I finish them.

And as I remember.

Until next time, be kind and rewind.

New Logo

2019-08-16T17:00:00.000-04:00

The Friday Night Frights series is probably my favorite thing to work on. However, one of the things I feel the series has been lacking is a logo. So I came up with one. It is going to be making its debut on the the new novel and then I'll be redesigning the others to utilize it as well. That should keep me busy.

Fun fact: this picture is actually from the cover of the new book. I'll be revealing it in the future and it is my favorite of the ones I've had done so far.

Friday Night Frights 6: In Progress

2019-08-14T09:35:00.002-04:00

I'm happy to report that last night I finished the outline for All-Night Horror Show (Friday Night Frights Book 6). Then, thanks to traffic coopering, I managed to get into work early enough to start work on it. No idea when it will be done just yet as I'm only a 1000 words in but it should be on track for release in 2020.

In addition to writing, I'm sending out The Last Giant Killer and John and Deety Save Christmas to agents and publishers to see if I can get some nibbles on them. I was close on J&DSC but things fell apart at the end but I'm hopeful that one will find a home somewhere.

Sorry I've been slacking on reviews but I honestly haven't been watching that many movies lately. I'm hoping to catch a few this weekend so I should have something to post.

Until next time.

How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation

2019-07-31T12:30:00.000-04:00

'Nuff said.

Ok, I can say a little more. I've officially begun work on the outline for Friday Night Frights Book 6, tentatively titled ALL-NIGHT HORROR SHOW. I've done considerably more than just the title page and I'm sitting around 20k words so far on the outline alone. That's a hell of a lot more than usual but this one is going to have a lot going on as big changes are afoot in the world of David Gale and friends. It'll also be a great jumping on point for newer readers who may not want to dive into the first five books just yet so I'm trying to make it rewarding for readers new and old. There's no release date as of yet but I'm looking at early 2020 if all goes well.

I even have a cover for it already. Want to see it? Well, you're going to have to wait but I'll be doing a cover reveal sometime in the near future, so stay tuned.

Before I go, I wanted to thank everyone who purchased a copy of SHE-WOLF, TAKE A BOW. I'm glad you are enjoying my labors of love and I hope you are looking forward to the next one as much as I am.

Until next time.

FNF 5: She-Wolf Take a Bow is Out Now!

2019-06-28T09:22:00.000-04:00

Hey there, Friday Night Frights fans. The newest novel in the ongoing horror series, She-Wolf, Take a Bow, is now available both in paperback and for the Kindle. To get your copy, head on over to Amazon and order today.

Happy reading!

Review: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

2019-06-03T12:00:00.001-04:00

If you’ve been following my blog even a little, you know I’m a pretty big Godzilla fan. It’s been that way since I was a wee lad watching movies on rainy Saturday afternoons on WPIX and the Thanksgiving marathons on WWOR. There was just something so powerful about the imagery used as this gigantic monster blazed a trail of destruction through the city. The giant battles against colorful foes didn’t hurt either.

While the first American attempt at a Godzilla movie didn’t go over well, the second one in 2014 was a masterful kaiju movie that really brought home the size and scale of the creatures involved and featured some great designs. Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the sequel to that second film and builds upon a world that has discovered monsters and is honestly a blast.

Five years after the events of the first film, Godzilla is nowhere to be seen and humanity is still recovering from discovering that they now live in a world where they are the ants. Monarch, a secret scientific organization, has been searching for and cataloguing the locations of more of these monsters, which they have called Titans. One scientist in particular, Dr. Emma Russell (played by Vera Farmiga) is working on a device that uses the bioacoustics of the monsters to tame them or enrage them. She and her daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown), witness the device’s effectiveness first-hand when the Titan egg they are studying hatches a giant caterpillar named Mothra and manages to placate it when after it attacks the soldiers around her in self-defense.

Just as they are celebrating that the device, ORCA, works, a group of eco-terrorists breaks into the lab and kidnaps Emma and Madison. Monarch, looking to find them and recover their missing employee and the ORCA, brings in Mark, Emma’s ex-husband and co-creator of the ORCA to track them down before the terrorists can fulfill their plan of waking up all of the Titans around the world and ushering in an age of monsters. Unfortunately for all, one of the monsters they awaken isn’t from Earth, and it is going to take the combined powers of humanity and Godzilla to defeat it.

Whereas the first movie limited the amount of exposure we got to Godzilla and the battles he has with the monsters in that film, G: KOTM jumps right in with the kaiju combat as we see Godzilla, the firebird Rodan and even Mothra as they try to fight the invading Monster Zero, aka King Ghidorah, a golden three-headed hydra from space. These fights are all-out brawls, harkening back to those we saw on Saturday mornings with the Showa era films, but this time it isn’t men is rubber suits but gorgeously rendered 3d models that claw and bite and blast their way across the screen. Each action set piece is bigger and better than the last, culminating in a multiple monster fight unlike any ever seen in the series.

In between the moments of spectacle, we follow the human portion of the cast as they try to stop terrorist and monster alike. Whereas in the first film this portion seemed reactionary more than anything, in the sequel, they are much more proactive in dealing with the monster threat and are constantly working to try and stay ahead of their foes. The cast is great and bring a lot of heart to the film and their story is entertaining and draws you in so you aren’t just marking time until the next bout of kaiju fighting. The score is top notch too, with Bear McCreary doing some of his best work in crafting new themes and mixing in the old that originated with Akira Ifakube.

I feel like a monster brawl like this was a long time coming and it was well worth the wait. The designs are awesome, the story is good and the action scenes will melt your face like a blast from Godzilla’s atomic fire. Long live the King…of the Monsters.

Check it out.

2019-05-24T15:01:00.001-04:00

Attention all Friday Night Frights fans! Just wanted to let you know that the fifth book in the series, She-Wolf Take a Bow, is now available for pre-order for the Kindle. Both this version and the paperback version come out on June 21.

Pre-Order Here

Thanks for being a fan and I hope you enjoy it!

Review: Suspiria (2018)

2019-05-24T10:58:00.000-04:00

How does one remake a horror classic? For those adapted from a novel or story, like with The Thing (1982), you hew closer to the source material instead of the original Hawks film or like with The Fly (1986), you keep elements but go off in your own direction. When the movie you are remaking is from an original script and a beloved film, as is the case with Suspiria, there is a fear that you are either going to tread too closely ala Halloween (2007) or end up being so inferior that people will wonder why you just didn't make a different movie in the first place. So when the Suspiria remake was announced, it was understandable that there was some concern about how it might turn out. After all, that film is highly regarded by horror fans and started off Argento's Three Mothers trilogy that consists of Suspiria, Inferno and The Mother of Tears. The Three Mothers include Mater Lachrymarum (Our Lady of Tears), Mater Suspiriorum (Our Lady of Sighs), and Mater Tenebrarum (Our Lady of Darkness), for those unfamiliar with his work.

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I have to say that it was bloody brilliant.

The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino from a script by David Kajganich, keeps some elements of the original but diverges enough and fleshes out the world around it enough to wholly separate it from yet build upon the mythology of the Dario Argento original. It also subverts some of your expectations, much like Night of the Living Dead (1990), so you have no way to expect what might exactly come next.

The plot focuses on the arrival of Susie Bannion at the Helena Markos Tanzgruppe in Germany in 1977, and Dr. Josef Klemperer, a psychotherapist who in investigating the disappearance of one of the dancers in the group who had been a patient of his. As Susie rises the ranks in the dance group and is plagued by nightmares and odd happenings, Dr. Klemperer discovers that the matrons in the dance group may actually be a coven of witches.

That's all I can really say without delving into too many spoilers, and this is the type of movie you want to watch without knowing much in advance so you can absorb the atmosphere and get taken along for the ride the same as the characters on screen are. It's a re-imagining of the Argento original that takes some cues and adds new ones as the tale is woven to its climax.

As Susie, Dakota Johnson display a great physicality that mesmerizes you with her dance and an emotional distance of a stranger in a strange land, of which a Berlin torn by the efforts of the RAF, as well as the intimate need to find a new mother after losing hers. In the role of Madame Blanc, the famed instructor that Susie has come to study under and also the role of Dr. Klemperer is Tilda Swinton, whose ethereal mutability throws her into the two different parts and two different genders. Swinton is one of the finest actors working today and it shows as Blanc where she can turn from severe when instructing her students to almost motherly when helping Susie along on her quest.

The lurid colors of Argento's original have been eschewed for a muted palette that mirrors the bleakness of the world outside the dance studio. It's a bold choice and one that works, as trying to imitate Argento or outdo him would be too easy a decision. This pays off in the few moments where color is allowed to come out and cover the frame and results in some stunning imagery. Equally few are the moments of grisly murder, allowing the ones we see to stand out and shock us with some rather spectacular special effects. Instead, we are allowed to bask in the escalating tension that pervades each scene as we wonder what will become of Susie in her dealings with the coven.

All-in-all, this is a worth addition to the world of horror remakes that builds upon, rather than supplants the original. At nearly three hours (six acts and an epilogue) it does feel a little long at times, but there weren't many points where I was sitting and hoping they would get to the next scene as there is world-building going on and few run longer than they have to, so there is a conscious effort to keep things moving. I was impressed enough to wonder how Guadagnino would handle the other films in the Three Mother's Trilogy and hope we get them in the future.

Suspiria is available on Amazon Prime now and is a great way to spend a night.

Check it out.

Review: Detective Pikachu

2019-05-17T14:07:00.001-04:00

Once upon a time in college, I was pretty heavily into Pokemon. The first game had just come out and I picked up the Red version and my buddy got the Blue one and we'd battle and trade and had a blast. Hell, we even watched the cartoon. As much as I enjoyed the game, I never really got into the followups to it and I moved on to other things. I still loved those OG Pokemon though and their designs.

Going into Detective Pikachu, I wondered if nostalgia would carry me through the movie or if there would be enough substance to entertain me as well as my family. I am thankful to say that in addition to the joy of seeing those Pokemon favorites rendered in lifelike CG, the story and acting carried the movie and kept us all enthralled.

In the world of Detective Pikachu, most people have a Pokemon of their own. Some are trainers that battle with them while others just keep them as pets or friends with potentially deadly abilities, such as people do. Tim Goodman, however, is not one of those people. He used to want to be a Pokemon trainer but gave up that dream and never got a Pokemon of his own, even when friends try to help him capture one. When he gets the call that his father has died in an accident, Tim travels to Ryme City, where Pokemon and people live as equals. When he stumbles upon his father's Pikachu that he can somehow understand and that his father may not be dead after all, Tim is drawn into a plot that may bring Ryme City crashing to the ground.

While the Pokemon are admittedly the draw of the movie, Justice Smith and Ryan Reynolds provide the heart of the movie as Tim and Detective Pikachu, respectively. Smith is great as Tim, a boy from a broken home who is trying to find his place in the world and regretting some of the decisions he's made in the past in terms of his father. I never though Ryan Reynolds as a wise-cracking pikachu was just what I needed the world but it turns out it hit the spot with humor that edges close to being a Deadpool-lite but never really crossing that line but still providing the laughs.

There are few bumps here and there but all in all it was a solid film that will be sure to delight Pokemon fans young and old.

Check it out.