Some thoughts on the possible impending release of a new Boogeyman movie

It’s been a minute since I’ve written anything about horror movies but this all struck me as worth delving into this morning (I’ll also be sharing it over on Facebook). Maybe this means Halloween is officially on the way. Anyway.

The Boogeyman/The Devonsville Terror Double Feature DVD

The other day I happened to see an interview with the late Ulli Lommel on a documentary I was watching and it got me poking around online, and I’m seeing some reports that Boogeyman: Reincarnation is set for a 2022 release. I’d really like to see this happen and I am wondering if the release date is legit. The original Boogeyman was Lommel’s contribution to the early-’80s slasher boom and made the Video Nasties list at that time. It was out of print and hard to find for a long time and I ended up finally getting a DVD copy and seeing it about eight years ago. While it tends to get dismissed as an also-ran, I think it’s got more going on than it gets credit for. Lommel brings to the supernatural slasher a surrealist’s preoccupation with mirrors, very specific Freudianisms that seem to show up all over the place in Lommel’s horror movies, and some other stuff that lends an idiosyncratic, auteur-esque vibe to the flick, albeit a slight one. I don’t know if I would say this all necessarily sets the movie above a lot of the other mid-rung body count flicks of the era so much as it sets it apart from them, and it does make it worth a watch or two.

A few years ago when I heard news that Lommel was going to be directing a new episode in the franchise, it struck me as a fascinating prospect. It’s nice to see old creative works have their internal mythology actually extended by the creators, as an alternative to the reboot-mania that was sweeping horror a while back, and I especially like the idea of something as under-the-radar and low budget as Boogeyman getting a new chapter added to it (while in 2016, when news originally broke about Boogeyman: Reincarnation, was a little early for this type of thing, we are starting to see more such labors of love actually get wrapped nowadays — the upcoming Mutilator 2 being a prime example). Thematically, it also struck me that Boogeyman had a particularly apt conceit for the era in which it was to be revived. There is an aspect of “virality” to how the violent supernatural force spreads itself around in the original movie. I cannot imagine that contemporary resonance was lost on the director.

Sadly, Lommel died during the filming of Boogeyman: Reincarnation, which from what I understand may have also been planned as a multi-part anthology show (and again, given how the murderous force “jumps,” I think that could have made a uniquely good fit). I assumed that meant it was going to be a shelved project, which struck me at the time as really unfortunate. While I guess in his later years Lommel was directing no-budget direct-to-DVD movies that weren’t particularly well received (or from what I understand, particularly watchable, I haven’t seen them so I can’t say) between the thriving indie horror festival circuit of the immediate pre-pandemic world and the explosion of streaming content happening alongside it, it seemed like the perfect time and environment for a bit of a Lommel rediscovery, if not an outright Lommelpalooza.

That last phrase, by the way, is one I came up with during my last planned run at doing a series of Halloween horror movie reviews which did not materialize. Early in the pandemic I picked up the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-Ray of Lommel’s Olivia AKA Prozzie, which got me thinking about his work again. I like artists who “bridge” scenes in a particular way (those who have seen Olivia may appreciate an unavoidable bad pun there) and Lommel certainly did that. He was all over the place — getting his start appearing in the early films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder in Germany, hanging out with the Warhol set in NYC in the mid-’70s and then taking the plunge into genre filmmaking (at one point even finding his way to Wisconsin to make movies in Bill Rebane territory). Not a career path you hear about every day and one I might write more about if I do continue writing about horror movies in any capacity.

At any rate, you may hear more news and thoughts about Boogeyman: Reincarnation here if, indeed, it is on the way in the near future and the tentative release date I’ve seen is not merely a well-propagated glitch.

-M.

P.S., since this is my author blog and all, I should mention that you can read my new science fiction/horror story A DAZZLING WORLD in the just-released xenobiology anthology from JayHenge Publishing, and pick up my irreverent Lovecraftian rom-com AFTER THE AFTER PARTY reprinted in the Lovecraftiana: Magazine of Eldritch Horror Omnibus Edition #5. Both available at those links in any format you could hope for (besides maybe a scroll). Get into ’em!

A DAZZLING WORLD now out in Professor Feiff’s Compleat Pocket Guide to Xenobiology…

Hey everybody, M. here,

Happy to say that my new story A DAZZLING WORLD is now available in the new anthology from JayHenge Publishing, Professor Feiff’s Compleat Pocket Guide to Xenobiology for the Galactic Traveller on the Move. You can see the cover of the anthology below. Good stuff!

What can you expect from this archaically-titled tome? My story is a work of grim if colorful sci-fi horror about an insect not generally regarded as scary, and about the spirit of the Age of Reason giving birth to its obsessive obverse — I think? Check it out and judge for yourself!

And you can also dig the work of a wide array of other contemporary authors exploring weird flora and weird fauna from this planet and beyond — I haven’t checked out any of the other stories yet but I can only imagine there are some wild ones.

As I mentioned before, I am super excited to be appearing in a JayHenge anthology for the first time — I strongly encourage you to pick this one up right here, in whatever format you so desire and see what it’s all about.

Spent the wee hours of the morning wrestling with WordPress to make this post happen and now it’s time to get my day started. More news should be on the way soon, take care everyone!
-M.

Two new stories on the way!

Hey everybody, M. here,

It’s been a very busy and once again unremittingly hot week over here at M. Stern Headquarters, so I am just now sufficiently hydrated (mostly with coffee, but hey liquid is liquid as they say) and getting around to posting this update.

I’m happy to share that I got a couple of acceptances last month and now that the contracts are all signed I can spread the news. First off, my short story SONG TO… will be appearing in the upcoming cosmic horror anthology Strange Aeon: Hopeful Monsters, the third in a yearly series by MKeaton Presents.

And my short story A DAZZLING WORLD will be appearing in the Enlightenmentishly-titled anthology of weird flora and fauna forthcoming from JayHenge Publishing, Professor Feiff’s Compleat Pocket Guide to Xenobiology for the Galactic Traveller on the Move.

I’m thrilled to be in both of these and can’t wait for them to hit the shelves — more updates to come on these ones here (and over on Facebook) as things develop.

Take care everyone!
-M.

AFTER THE AFTER PARTY reprinted in Lovecraftiana Omnibus #5

Hey everybody, M. here,

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the new omnibus edition of Lovecraftiana: The Magazine of Eldritch Horror is now available on Amazon in paperback, e-book, and — for the truly hardcore lover of big books and weird tales — hardcover. This one collects four full issues from 2020 and 2021, and includes my ribald romp of a cosmically horrific rom-com AFTER THE AFTER PARTY. Snag yourself a copy over on Amazon; it’ll look good on the shelf next to all your other eldritch tomes, and give you a ton of Mythos madness and cosmic craziness to warp your mind with.

And since you’ve got Cthulhu on the brain right now, I should also mention that we’re slowly but sure creeping closer to my return to the pages of Lovecraftiana with a tale a bit different in tone from AFTER PARTY — my upcoming story THE STUDY OF WORMS, which is slated to appear early next year. It’s a story of weird science, elder gods, obsession, adventure in odd dimensions near and far, and a bunch of other mindbending goodness. Just you wait!

Anyway keep an eye out for that one and follow me on Facebook for more updates!
-M.

 

M. Stern slated to startle again in Startling Stories #35!

Hi everybody, M. here,

Just a quick update to let everyone know — I signed the contract the other day and I am thrilled to announce that I will be returning to the pages of Startling Stories for the next issue with my science fiction story titled PHARMAKON, PHARMAKON. As always I’m tempted to reveal way too much about this one but no! I’m keeping this zone as spoiler free as possible. Should have more information on the magazine for you here (and on Facebook) as it gets closer to go-time. Take care everyone!
-M.

New interview about beauty in horror up at Black Gate!

Hey everybody, M. here,

“Beautiful and Repulsive Butterflies: An Interview with M. Stern” now up at Black Gate. Photo by: H. Lindberg

What beauty is there to be found in the grisly, gross and gruesome world of horror? Author and editor S.E. Lindberg has been asking authors of weird horror, sword & sorcery and other sub-genres this question in an ongoing interview series published over at Black Gate, and I was recently honored with the opportunity to add my two cents.

It was a super fun question to kick around, and on top of digging into a bunch of my beautifully horrific favorites and trying to figure out what makes them tick, I also got a chance to go in-depth discussing one of the images in my story “Birth” which appears in Weirdbook #44. I hope the resulting interview makes for a fun read — check it out here!

I should also add that it is well worth your while to dig into the rest of the series for a range of unique takes on the topic, including perspectives from genre fiction mainstays like Darrell Schweitzer, John C. Hocking, and John R. Fultz.

Take care everyone!
-M.

Cosmic Horror Monthly #19 is here! (and other recent developments…)

Hey everybody, M. here,

Just a quick recap of what I’ve had going on lately. For those who have not yet seen this in all its print glory, I got my copy of Cosmic Horror Monthly #19 in the mail right as I was ringing in the New Year (which is to say, hiding in my apartment while the New Year happened around me).
As you can see from the picture, this is one damn fine looking slab of weirdness as promised, and I can verify that the ominously pulsating innards are just as impressive. Of course I’m biased and think you should pick it up for the sake of having a copy of my flash fiction tale of ghastly gourmands and suffering shoggoths, “The Singular,” immortalized in print. But there’s plenty more to recommend: this issue contains a hotly anticipated Laird Barron story featuring his Coleridge/Robard duo making their debut in a new, medieval, possibly post-apocalyptic, definitely gory segment of his multiverse, Geoff Gander‘s tale of an artist inspired all the way to madness by an artifact that demands sacrifice, a slice of classic-style esoteric weird fiction with a capital-W From Erik McHatton, flash fiction from Matt Bliss that infuses the Santa Mythos with the grim, eldritch horror of the Cthulhu Mythos, and more! So grab one of these if you haven’t — supplies are limited!

Two M. Stern Stories On Tangent’s 2021 Recommended Reading List
In other news, a week or two ago I was thrilled to receive word that I have two stories appearing on Tangent Online’s 2021 Recommended Reading List. Both “Payload” from Startling Stories #34 and “Birth” from Weirdbook #44 made the yearly list, which this year consists of 235 short stories, 53 novelettes, and 12 novellas selected by the critics at Tangent from the gazillions of genre fiction stories they read and reviewed throughout 2021. Much thanks to all those who dug the stories and congrats to everyone else who made the list!

Anyway that’s all I got right at the moment — follow me on Facebook for up-to-the-minute announcements, shenanigans, observations, and the occasional meme. And you can also sign up for my email list somewhere on this blog (and maybe some day I’ll actually start sending emails out to that list.)

Happy New Year and here’s wishing everyone well in the deuce-ought-double-deuce. Take care!
-M.

Cover reveal for Cosmic Horror Monthly #19 (January 2022 Issue)

Hey everybody, M. here,

The New Year is on its way and so is the first 2022 issue of Cosmic Horror Monthly. Like I mentioned a few weeks ago, CHM #19 will contain my flash fiction story “The Singular” which was one of the winners of CHM’s Micro Madness flash fiction contest.

This insane cover art for the issue just dropped yesterday and, as you can see, this one features a brand new story from none other than Laird Barron!

Cosmic Horror Monthly #19

More on this one soon, take care everyone!
-M.

Flash story on the way in Cosmic Horror Monthly!

Hey everybody, M. here,

My piece of horror flash fiction titled “The Singular” placed in Cosmic Horror Monthly‘s Micro Madness contest and is slated to appear in the January issue of the magazine, and will be available online shortly before that. I have to say that I am completely thrilled to be making an appearance in CHM — it has quickly become one of the coolest, slickest looking weird fiction magazines out there.

So while you’re waiting to get your hands and eyeballs on my quick and crazy tale of evil aesthetes gone even eviler, check out the CHM website! They’ve run some absolute scorchers in the past couple of issues and I highly recommend that any horror fan grab a copy.

Hope those in the U.S. had a good Thanksgiving — follow me on Facebook and you can see the Cthulhu cookie I decorated in celebration of this heartwarming holiday. Take care everyone!
-M.

Reviews, podcast appearances, updates and more

Hey everybody, M. here,

It’s been a minute since my last blog post, so here are some quick updates on what has been going on over the past few months here in my secret headquarters on the dark side of the moon:

Review of “Birth” from Weirdbook #44 in Tangent
Toward the end of the summer Victoria Silverwolf at Tangent Online reviewed Weirdbook #44 and had some very nice things to say about my story “Birth.” Here’s an excerpt:

“…the author manages to make many disparate elements come together into a unified whole. The story’s structure provides an unusually profound character portrait of the protagonist. The ending is unexpected, and offers strange beauty as well as cosmic awe and wonder.”

Check out the rest of the review (and see what she has to say about the rest of the stories in the issue)! And if you have not picked up a copy of this issue of Weirdbook, it is still available to buy in print wherever weirder books are sold — and in e-book wherever weirder e-books are sold.

Talking Weirdbook and more on Apocalypse Cinema!
I was back on the Apocalypse Cinema podcast and had the opportunity to go in-depth about some of the stories I have had released in 2021. Listen to the discussion here! On this one me and Rob talk about the limits of what can be known with certainty, the relative presence or lack thereof of authors in their stories, why clowns are or are not scary, ideas being like viruses, and a bunch of other stuff.

The First Page of “Gus”
“Gus” has been available for a few months in the Funny as a Heart Attack anthology from Schlock! Publications, and I realized that I neglected to post a teaser of the first page here when I got my copy. Look no further:

Gus

Grab yourself a copy of the anthology today if you have yet to pick that one up, there’s a bunch of good stuff in it.

As a side note, right after the story came out I had a plan to possibly revisit the world of “Gus,” or reality, or realities, or segment of the quantum multiverse I guess you could say, for one more story, but I have put that idea on hold until I can find the right way to get it out there. But maybe it will happen some day.

Anyway, time for me to  go tend to this segment of the quantum multiverse I’m dealing with here, in all its mad glory. As always, if you’re digging my stories feel free to follow me on Facebook if you haven’t yet  — and join my email list in case Facebook dies, because it might. Take care everyone!
-M.