Splatter

by E. Stuart Marlowe

Splatter horror film director Jonathon Gale is desperate for a hit. But his production seems plagued by problems. Innocuous at first. Then one of his actresses is shot dead by her boyfriend, and Jonathon is forced to accept that he’s facing not only a series of unrelated mishaps, but in fact, a full-blown curse.

The violence escalates: demonic possession, blood-thirsty zombies, creatures from another world.

Someone wants this film to stop.

When the skittish financial backers begin to pull out, Jonathon considers dropping the project, cutting his losses, though doing so would surely lead to his shameful exile from the film world.

And so he resolves to press on despite the chaos—even if it risks death—making his film while searching for the one who has cast the sinister curse.

Paperback

About the author

E. Stuart Marlowe is the Amazon bestselling author of Menagerie and Call of the Kaiju. He is also an award-winning filmmaker, who has directed two features, Blood Rush and Horror House. Splatter is loosely based on his experiences producing these films. His third feature, Abruptio, stars Robert Englund, James Marsters, Sid Haig and Jordan Peele. He resides in Southern California.

Reviews

[Karen Siddall · Rating 4 out of 5]

British ex-pat, Jonathon Gale, has made a career in Hollywood as an envelope-pushing horror film director, and his current project, Incendiary, promises to be as on-the-edge as its predecessors. But before the first scene is even committed to film, weird things and tragic accidents begin to plague the production, and soon the rumor of the “curse” of Incendiary is born. With financial backers fading from the picture and accidents continuing to plague the cast, Jonathon realizes that he keeps running into this one particularly bitter and malevolent actress he had never chosen to cast in his films, at odd, random times and locations. Wondering if she may somehow be responsible for the troubles on and off the set, he decides to track her down for a confrontation. Pushing ahead with the wrap of the film within reach, the “curse” really starts to amp up.

Splatter was a roller coaster of a read for me; I couldn’t put it down! Even though I started out disliking the main character, I changed my mind as the story flew by. His partners, cast, and crew were interesting individuals, all with their quirks and well-written personalities. The simple mentions of places in Hollywood and LA were fun, and I loved the horror film standards used, such as the cabin in the woods for the story's climax and film’s resolution. The author and the “curse” throws everything at you!

I recommend this book as a fun take on the horror film genre, and I understand that there is a lot of realism in the depiction of the film industry for those interested in that. There is blood, gore, and adult situations, so this one is not for the kiddies.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.