Diabolical Radio

Slime City Massacre part 1

2011-08-09T21:42:00.002-04:00

The first Diabolical Radio show since December. Kicking it off with guests Greg Lamberson, Robert Sabin, and Debbie Rochon in part one of a possible three part series. Another special treat is author, Jeff Strand co-hosting with Krist.

Diabolical Radio is no longer a part of Blog Talk Radio.

Review: TRADE SECRETS by Ray Garton

2011-06-20T21:17:00.002-04:00

I was first introduced to Ray Garton when I became a member of the Leisure Horror Book Club. The first two books I received were Bryan Smith’s THE FREAKSHOW, and Ray Garton’s NIGHT LIFE. I put them on a book shelf, knowing I would return to them at a later date, I was reading a lot of Richard Laymon and Bentley Little at the time, so I decided to save them when I took a break from those others. See, when I discover an author I’m not familiar with, I read a lot of their books in one large cluster, and then move on to something else, coming back to said author and reading two or three in a row again. It’s how I do it, I’m not sure if that’s odd or what, but that’s just how I roll.

Anyway, flash forward a couple years. My family and I moved to a new a house, and I had the dreadful task of packing/unpacking all of my books. While going through them and putting them in order by author, I realized that I had four Garton books that I hadn’t even read yet. So, I decided to read NIGHT LIFE, finally. I was hooked instantly, but knew right away it was a sequel to a book he’d written back in the eighties. Finally, after a crucial character was killed, I closed the book and said I have to go read LIVE GIRLS before I move any farther. And, I did.

I haven’t stopped reading Ray Garton books since. This brings me to my review of TRADE SECRETS.
Amazon’s plot rundown:
One rainy night, Gerry Brady discovers a beautiful woman with heartbreaking eyes hiding in his garage. The moment he sees her, he is struck by an involuntary thought he does not understand: I've found you. She is a woman in danger. He does not understand why he feels so powerfully drawn to her, but he feels compelled to help her, even though doing so puts his life and the lives of his friends in jeopardy. Gerry's relationship with Kendra draws him into a conspiracy too horrifying to believe...a conspiracy rooted in his own past. As he falls in love with a woman he doesn't know, he learns more about himself than he ever suspected. TRADE SECRETS is a riveting, emotional thriller that features the most memorable and terrifying villain Ray Garton has ever created.

The last line of that synopsis couldn’t be any truer than that. Ms. Macomber is an awfully evil minx that makes Annie from Misery look like Betty Crocker. Seriously, I wanted Macomber to die horribly reading this book. What she does to an innocent family is atrocious, and Garton doesn’t pull any punches when writing it. Some people might be turned off by this, but I found it brilliant that he was able to take something so disturbing, but write it in such a way that you want more…you NEED more.

Now, don’t be confused, this is NOT a horror novel, but it is full of horrific moments. I haven’t read a book that fast in a long time. I was actually becoming worried that I was getting burnt out on reading books until I began reading Ray Garton’s novels.

If you’ve never read Garton, start with this one, then choose from the myriad of novels he has. I believe he’s published sixty, maybe more, so you have plenty to choose from. I look forward to reading his entire library. I’m hooked.

Fangboy - by Jeff Strand

2011-06-01T08:07:00.001-04:00

Fangboy is quite the departure from Strand’s other books. Less horror-comedy, and more drama-comedy with some horrific moments. This isn’t a bad thing, in fact, it’s quite the opposite.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the plot, here’s a rundown:
Nathan Pepper seemed like an ordinary baby...except for a mouth full of scary sharp teeth. Because his life began with his grandmother strongly recommending that he be destroyed as soon as possible, it's safe to say that Nathan was not destined for a typical existence. He hated the nickname "Fangboy," but nobody could deny that he was the most frightening little boy in town. And he would have adventures of every sort. Tragic adventures, like what happened to his parents. Dangerous adventures, like his encounter with the sinister Professor Mongrel. Thrilling adventures, like the part where he's on an out-of-control horse and he can't make it stop running and you think "Well, he should just jump off," but he CAN'T because it's going too fast and he could break a leg. And, yes, one particularly gruesome adventure, though it is not described in great detail. Will things end happily for Nathan? Will he bite somebody? Gather your family and your most deranged friends, make some chocolate chip cookies, and share the dark comedy treat of FANGBOY, a bizarre yet heartwarming yet rather tasteless saga that-all ego aside-will define a generation.

Strand goes about this story the correct way. The lead character is a child; so naturally, it’s told from the child’s point-of-view, but from an adult narrator. Think of it as this story had been written a century ago by someone like Charles Dickens or Mark Twain. I loved this aspect of the book. I felt while I was reading it that someone was actually telling me this story, and not that it had been written by hand.

Sure, there were a few plot points that I didn’t enjoy where they took me, but once the story ended, I thought overall, they made sense, and Strand had been building them up almost perfectly throughout.

So, bottom line, a little bit of drama, some humor, with a tad of horror sprinkled on top – Fangboy is a nice way to spend a weekend. A heavy departure from his usual fare, but if you enjoyed books like Dweller, then you should have no problem with this one. Just don’t expect a lot blood and chills; this is an old-fashioned story, told by an author that knows how to share a story.

I’m really curious to find out if Fangboy will return in another book of some capacity. He was a good character, a reader’s hero if there ever was one. I pulled for him throughout the story and would love to see if he has another adventure to take us on in the future.

Population Zero

2011-03-02T23:44:00.004-05:00

Anyone that’s listened to Diabolical Radio knows that I was an avid reader of the books published through Leisure. Not just the horror, but the western line also. When they announced they were dropping their mass-market releases and only publishing in Ebook format with a possible trade paperback edition to follow six months later, my favorite authors took their ball and went home. How could you blame them for it? It was hard enough making ends meet in the mass-market, now to be only distributed in a flooded marketplace, how were they expected to survive? Easy. They weren’t. This bombshell was a slap in the face to not only their loyal authors, but to their devoted readers.

So, where did they go? The authors I mean. Some of them have yet to resurface, a slim few remained with Leisure, although, I’m not sure as to why. Maybe bastard-like clauses in their contracts, or maybe it’s actually not a bad place to write for. I don’t know personally. But, several of the Leisure soldiers emerged at Deadite Press.

Wrath James White was one of those that crossed over.

As of now, he has published two books through Deadite. A new print of his short story collection, Book of a thousand Sins, and the novella about to be reviewed, Population Zero.

The plot summary on Amazon is as follows:
An intense sadistic tale of how one man will save the world through sterilization.
When Todd was just a child, he learned that sometimes it was necessary to sterilize or euthanize animals in order to keep their population from growing too rapidly. It was the humane thing to do, the best thing for the environment. Yet, every day at his job at the Welfare Department, Todd sees the dregs of humanity multiplying unchecked, overburdening the earth with a tidal wave of waste, abuse, and cruelty. But if he can convince them not to reproduce, if he can convince everyone to voluntarily sterilize themselves, then he might just prevent the coming population explosion. And those who can't be convinced...
Population Zero is the story of an environmental activist named Todd Hammerstein who is on a mission to save the planet. In just 50 years the population of the planet is expected to double. But not if Todd can help it.

White is one of my favorite authors. He has a gift for writing a disturbing story in a way that isn’t exploitive. He never skimps on the gore, but it’s not there for the sake of it, or a cheap thrill. It’s all a vital part of his craft. He doesn’t pull any punches. Nor, does he in Population Zero.

The main character, Todd, has a different outlook on life than most. Although, once you’re inside his head, it’s almost easy to understand why his thought process is as damaged as it is. Overpopulation of our planet Earth. It’s happening, and when you read the statistics – which White points out in the book – you’ll be terrified. But, I hope you don’t take the route to stop it as Todd does in the book. Plant a tree, start a garden, or USE CONDOMS, not kidnapping impregnated crackheads, and forcing them to have caesarian sections. Or tricking a jobless man with several kids he’s paying child support to, to come to his house so he can give them an influenced hysterectomy.

Todd is so obsessed with saving the planet that he will go to any lengths he deems necessary to see it through.
And he does not discriminate who he chooses. There are no limits to his madness, and that is frightening.

Wrath James White takes the reader through a dark journey with Todd, and yes, you’ll like him and hope he does the right thing, but his idea of right probably doesn’t agree with yours.

Population Zero is definitely worth picking up. If you’re a fan of Wrath James White, or if you’ve never read his books before, start here and then backtrack to Succulent Prey and The Resurrectionist, and Yaccub’s Curse, plus Scabs and Book of a thousand sins.

The Sinister Mr. Corpse

2011-03-02T23:39:00.002-05:00

I was introduced to Jeff Strand by J.A. Konrath. Being a member of the now redundant Leisure Horror book club, I had already received Strand’s book Pressure, although I hadn’t read it upon my conversation with Konrath. He told me that Strand was one of the few authors out there that did a great job of blending humor with horror. I was excited to begin reading his work. Fast forward a couple days later when I read the last page of Pressure. I thought to myself, where’s the humor? Pressure was an INTENSE book. I didn’t laugh much throughout. But, I was hooked, and had to have him on the show.

I had just come off an interview with a female horror writer, who will remain nameless (not out of fear that she’ll read this, but out of fear that YOU might be tempted to read her work), that left me questioning my own goals as a writer. She was obnoxious and very full of herself, and I decided that if I had to act like her to become a published author, then they can keep it. I don’t want it that bad. Needless to say, I never aired the interview. I had already set up a time slot to interview Jeff Strand when I recorded the dreadful interview with Lady Writing God. I was afraid Mr. Strand would be just as intolerable. And, thankfully he was not. He was a blast, although, I showed my ignorance when I didn’t realize the extent of his writing credentials.

The next book I read was Kutter – another intense story – yet heartwarming all at the same time. This one did have some humor in it, but not what Konrath had proclaimed Strand was known for.

Then came Dweller. Okay, we’re getting there. More humor, but still another intense book – also my favorite book of 2010.

So, I went back and started reading his backlist.

Benjamin’s Parasite. When I finished this book, I then understood Konrath’s comments. Strand took a disturbing and sickening story about a parasite, but somehow managed to make it an absolute comedic treasure.

With The Sinister Mr. Corpse, Strand is unleashed. The plot summary on Amazon is as follows:
Zombies…
Sometimes they rise from the grave, hungering for human flesh…
Sometimes they’re created by a mad scientist intent on forming an unstoppable army of the undead. Sometimes the zombie plague is transmitted by a horrific virus……and sometimes, they’re resurrected in front of millions of viewers as part of a live primetime television special.
This is the story of Stanley Dabernath, zombie. A regular guy who dies, is brought back to life as a ghastly walking cadaver, and becomes the international sensation hailed by the press as The Amazing Mr. Corpse. Fame! Wealth! Groupies! Despite his ghoulish appearance, Stanley finds himself living the dream.
But in many ways, it’s harder to be a celebrity than a zombie. The suits behind Project Second Chance want to tell him how to behave in public. It’s difficult to enjoy a simple restaurant meal in peace. There’s constant pressure coming at him from all sides--not to mention that many people consider him a vile blasphemy that should be erased from existence.

And does Project Second Chance have Stanley’s best interests in mind, or is the real reason behind his reanimation something much more...sinister?

Sounds interesting, does it not?

Stanley Dabernath is not a successful man and he knows it, which made him an even sadder character. A pathetic failure that takes breaks to cry into a pillow. When he is accidentally killed (a glorious demise) and not until he’s brought back to life, does he become somewhat loved. This is where the story progresses to the small guy that hits the big time cliché, but Strand doesn’t recycle what’s already out there, his vision is original and welcomed. At first Stanley is humbled, if not ashamed, of his rebirth. But, then, as the story continues, he begins to absorb his own bullshit and truly believes that he is phenomenal. Of course there are those that adore The Amazing Mr. Corpse and others that fear him enough to kill him. Then there are those that know a sweet prize when they see it and want nothing more than to exploit him.

I don’t want to delve much deeper into the plot out of fear of giving too much away. But, I’ll say this. Jeff Strand threw an outstanding cast of characters, plot turns, and knee-slapping humor into a blender and hit mix. There are others out there that attempt this, but no one, and I mean absolutely no one, can pull it off quite like Jeff Strand. His writing is unique and all his own. I don’t understand why his books aren’t out there more than they already are.

I like that a lot of authors are now self-publishing some of their books on the Kindle. If you’re like me, and I know I am, there are a lot of authors out there that we adore, and after the Leisure collapse, there was a fear we’d never get them again at an affordable price. Now, thanks to Ebooks, we can get them quickly and cost efficient. The Sinister Mr. Corpse was only $2.99 and once I clicked Buy I had it three seconds later.

Go to Amazon, get The Sinister Mr. Corpse, and while you’re at it, pick up some of Strand’s other books. You won’t be disappointed.

Didn't you have a radio show or something???

2011-03-02T21:21:00.002-05:00

Yes. There was - and still is - a radio show known as Diabolical Radio. In fact, it was going strong again until the first of the year. What happened you ask? Well, BlogTalk Radio decided to shake things up and make it impossible for their "favorite" shows to be hosted. How did they do that you ask? I can't say due to legal reasons, but I promise you, they weren't being the easiest of people to work with. So, Diabolical Radio, much like several other podcasts, left. We weren't going to sign any contracts, and we definitely were not going to pay to host our own shows. Have you noticed that this blog hasn't been updated in almost a year? Well, with BlogTalk, there was no need to keep this blog going, all the updates could be handled there.

My thought process in leaving was it should be easy to find a new host site, right? I mean, podcasts are everywhere. YES! They are everywhere, but if you look at the dates under their episodes, you'll notice that most of them are over a year old. The reason for this is they, much like BlogTalk, are trying to steal from their shows. Oh, well, back to the drawing board.

Now, Diabolical Radio is going Christian Slater in Pump in the Volume with podcast. I have taken two laptops, microphones, some audio recording/editing software, and have started pre-recording shows. They will be posted on this blog as well as shared through email(the DR fanlist is a long one), Facebook, and on my file site. So, Diabolical Radio isn't going away. In fact, it's coming back sooner than later with a fantastic show and guests that I will be announcing soon.

Also, look for some book reviews to be posted this weekend if not sooner. Thank you loyal listeners for not wanting this show to be dust in the wind.

JoyRide preview

2010-05-10T23:24:00.001-04:00

Friend of the show, Jack Ketchum, has a re-release coming at the end of the month from Leisure Publishing. Here's a sneak peak for you readers.

Carol and her lover, Lee, knew there was only one way to get rid of Carol’s abusive husband for good. They planned every detail. And they thought they had committed the perfect crime. But a stranger named Wayne saw what they did, and he was thrilled. Now Wayne wants to be their friend. He wants to share the excitement of murder with them. He wants to take Carol and Lee on a road trip straight to hell so his new friends can enjoy an all-out killing spree that can only end one way….

The Frenzy Way - A review

2010-05-08T23:57:00.003-04:00

The Frenzy Way by Gregory Lamberson

Let me start off by saying I love werewolves. My favorite supernatural monster and has been since I was kid and saw The Howling for the first time. As I've grown older I've seen my fair share of awful movies and read just as many if not more awful books. Some of the few books that I've enjoyed are all three books of The Howling series and The Wereling. Now, I can add The Frenzy Way to that list.

A rundown of the plot:
Anthony Mace, the heroic captain of an NYPD homicide unit, is a media darling because of his successful record in apprehending serial killers. However, the trail of murders he's investigating now are in fact caused by some..thing that isn't human.

I read another one of Lamberson's books, Personal Demons a few months back, and thought it was a good book with good build up to a powerful climax - This title was originally written several years ago. After reading The Frenzy Way, his most recent work, I must say he has seriously grown as a writer. His prose soars across the page without being repetitive or boring. I don't like it when writers tell a story in such a way that they appear to be saying: "Read this....see? I'm a writer!!!" There are several authors that make this mistake. Lamberson wrote a lengthy book here without falling into that circle. I was very impressed at the amount of detail and obvious research that he put into the story. That is something truly lacking in a lot of books today. Most of them are just page-turners without much build up and what backstory that is put into some of these books is rushed and incoherent.

Thank god that Greg didn't take this route. He wrote a powerfully exciting book, with a great monster, and a realistic hero. For once after reading a book I'm actually "hoping" for a series to develop with the character of Anthony Mace. I was rooting for him all the way through.

Be sure to pick up this book when it's available in June through Medallion Press.

Dweller - A review

2010-05-06T00:47:00.001-04:00

Dweller by Jeff Strand

A soon to be classic in Horror fiction. Mark my words, I said it last year after reading Strand's previous Leisure release, "Pressure", and I'm saying it again. Jeff Strand will soon be recognized with the greats like Stephen King and Dean Koontz as a master. I'll be brief with my plot description: Toby meets the monster as a young boy, then reconnects with him as a teenager where a serious friendship is formed. In the book, we follow Toby as he grows to be a family man and senior citizen while trying to keep his friendship with his best friend, Owen.

There aren't many stories like this anymore. One that truly sucks you in as a reader. When I was reading this book I didn't feel like I was reading a novel, it felt more like a true memoir of a boy and his best friend. There are moments where it's downright scary and others where you want to cry. Some could call it a drama wrapped in a horror package. I call it flawless story-telling. I don't want to give anything away by picking certain scenes and dissecting them, but there is a moment in this book, where Toby has to make the ultimate decision, and at first, I didn't agree with the choice he made, but as the pages turned, I began to realize that Strand was absolutely correct with where he took the story. An amazing read, hands down the best book I've read of 2010, and I've read A LOT! I'll also say this, in a market that's flooded with sexy vampires that are misunderstood and just looking for love, Strand was very brave with writing a story about a monster. This book definitely stands out above many of the other titles flooding the book-shelves. Original in its perspective and finale.

2009 was a good year for me as a reader, I was introduced to many authors that I hadn't previously had the pleasure of reading. Jeff Strand was one of them, and in my opinion one of the best.

Pick up a copy of Dweller at your local bookstore, or anywhere books are sold.

The End?

2010-05-06T00:16:00.003-04:00

For awhile, yes. In this crazy world of podcasts many have come and gone. We are thankful that Diabolical Radio has been one of the few to stick around. A few years back this show started as a "fun hobby" by Krist and Joe Grotesque, slowly it grew to become a fun cult show surprisingly adored by many horror fans as well as comic book nerds and avid book readers. The range of our listeners is pretty impressive. But sadly, the show must leave for awhile. Schedules conflict, people get older, kids get older, school's nearly drain you, and there are movies to be made and stories to be written. So, for a short while, Diabolical Radio will be gone. Well, not really, there are three years worth of archived episodes for you to enjoy.

Thanks again to all the guests and all you dear listeners that has made Wednesday nights so much damn fun.

- The Diabolical Radio Team.

Year in review!!!

2009-12-17T09:49:00.004-05:00

What a year for Diabolical Radio. So many guests, so many good times. Please check the archives frequently and relive these wonderful moments. We wrapped up our year on December 9th with a Night for Richard Laymon. Guests included: Brian Keene, Jack Ketchum, Deborah LeBlanc, Mike Oliveri, and Brett McBean. A great look back at Laymon's work and the guests told wonderful stories about the man himself.
We also supported the mission to get The Video Dead a DVD release. Last we heard, the future looked bright. Let's hope it happens.
We will return at the first of the year with more mayhem. Hope everyone's holidays are wonderful!!!

- D. Radio

Wow, been awhile.....

2009-10-13T08:39:00.003-04:00

Much going on in the world of Diabolical Radio. Great guests, shows, and more!! Tune in Wednesday nights at 11pm from now through the end of the month for your chance to win tickets to the upcoming Full Moon Roadshows near you!!! Charles Band(director of many fright films) will be on tour promoting Full Moon films as well as giving you, the fans, a chance to be killed in Gingerdead Man 3!!! How cool is that?

Take a look at the flier and see if it will be near you soon.

John Saul archived!!

2009-07-30T13:54:00.002-04:00

It's archived!!

2009-07-16T01:06:00.002-04:00

Announcing the line up for Horror Author Spotlight: Series Two

2009-06-30T00:09:00.013-04:00

Book Review: Darkness, Tell us by: Richard Laymon

2009-06-10T22:37:00.004-04:00

At an end-of-term college party, six students come across a Ouija board. When a spirit called Butler tells them of a fortune hidden in the mountains, they head off on a two-day hike into the wilderness, where any danger may lie in wait to cut and slice and tear them limb from limb.

Wow.  Where do I start?  Knowing that Laymon can not write a bad book, I was well aware I would be getting a treat when I read this.  However, I was not expecting it to be as fantastic as it turned out to be.  Nor, did I assume there would be as many curveballs and twists thrown in for good measure.

The book begins with the 6 students, consisting of, Howard(the book's lead), Angela, Lana, Keith, Glen, and Doris, at Professor Dalton's house for an end of the semester celebration. Not really a party, but just a get together to have some fun.  Professor Dalton, Corie, is a widow who lost her cop husband during a store robbery.  At the party, Lana finds Corie's Ouija board hidden away on a shelf and breaks it out for some harmless fun.

Yeah, right.  Not in a Laymon book.

From the moment Butler sends them to the mountains things go from Bad to worse in no time.  Being chased through the woods by a madman, our students do not give up on their quest.  Also, we get to witness Howard and Angela falling in love through the course of the book.

Chad, Corie's ex-brother-in-law pops up in the book after being out of Corie's life for five years.  Love sparks fly, and then they join up to track the students down, and end up being pursued by the madman as well.

The final act is nail-biting, and intense.  A true page turner, much like all of Laymon's books.

I can't delve too deep into the book for this review because I would give too much away.  Dear reader, you must read this for yourself to experience the terror.

And no matter what, protect A.L.

- Krist

Dream Machine Trailer

2009-06-08T21:45:00.002-04:00

Last week on the show Krist picked The Dream Machine as his obscure movie. Here is the trailer that falsely advertises the movie as a comedy.

The trailer for Chace's pick, Midnight Madness, has yet to be found on line. We're still looking though.

Hobgoblins 2 trailer

2009-06-04T00:54:00.001-04:00

Hobgoblins 2 part Interview with director, Rick Sloane!!!

2009-06-03T22:25:00.007-04:00

Tonight is part one of the two part interview with Rick Sloane, director of the Hobgoblins series, as well as: the Vice Academy movies. Tune in tonight!!!

Plus we discuss two other obscure flicks that no one has ever heard of.

The Lost Show

2009-06-03T09:54:00.000-04:00

This show originally aired in December during our Jim Wynorski Outtake series. But, due to a technical glitch on our host site, it went down. But, luckily we were able to save it, and now here it is. Enjoy.

Free Download!!!

2009-06-03T09:37:00.005-04:00

Jack Kilborn will be on the show in a few weeks, but wanted us to give, to you dear listeners, a free download of some of his work. Teaming with, Blake Crouch, together they wrote the novella, Serial. You can download it for free, right here: http://www.blakecrouch.com/serial.shtml

That's right, a free novella. The download also comes with excerpts from some other work available by each author. Available on, Sony Reader, Amazon Kindle, and in a PDF format for you PC users. Take a gander, enjoy, but be sure to read the disclaimer. Serial, is not for the faint of heart!!

Look for our interview with J.A. Konrath(aka. Jack Kilborn) and special guest, Blake Crouch coming soon.

Book Review: In the Dark - by Richard Laymon

2009-05-29T09:35:00.004-04:00

In the Dark, by Richard Laymon starts off rather quickly. A brief introduction to a later disturbing scene involving a dead dog, then we are introduced to Jane Kerry, a simple woman, head Librarian in the small town of Donnerville. Not much happens in the way of her life, but that soon changes in the first chapter. She finds an envelope addressed to her, encased inside is a 50 dollar bill and a note that tells her to "Look homeward Angel" and is signed by the 'Master of Games' - MOG. The chain of events has begun.

Looking inside a Thomas Wolfe novel she finds yet another envelope, this one contains a 100 dollar bill, and another note, again, signed by MOG. In the process of searching the library after hours, she comes across a man by the name of Brace. Teaming up, they decide to track the clues together and go on the hunt for more money and more sick and twisted games conducted by Mog. Brace, being a college professor is not without mystery, and Jane often doubts if he can be trusted or not, or possibly, he may even be Mog himself.

This book was a real page turner, much like all of Laymon's work, it's an easy read, and leaves a deep impression once you're through. Just when you think you've got it figured out another twist is thrown in to kick you off base and make you question it all over again. The games that Mog likes to play are dark, yet humorous. The places and adventures he sends Jane on are nail-biting and you find yourself asking what you would do in her situation. As the payments get higher and higher, the games become riskier - to the point Jane is questioning if there isn't anything she won't do for money.

By the time she is sent to a house based off a note of clues mentioning S. Vile, the book takes an even darker, and grotesque twist that you would never see coming. By the time you reach the end, twists and turns throughout the story will have your mind swarming and your nerves jumbled.

I have read a lot of Laymon books, and still have many to go, but so far, this is one of my top three favorites. I enjoy his stories immensely, all the characters are true to life, none of them read as false or made up, and one could easily identify with the protagonists. The way Laymon writes the inner conflicts and battles of subconscious with his lead characters is powerful and most readers will fall in love with them.

So, grab a copy of In the Dark, flip open the pages, turn to chapter one, and let the games begin. You won't be sorry.

- Krist

Archived!

2009-05-28T02:01:00.002-04:00

Listen to it in the sidebar.

inFAMOUS on PS3

2009-05-28T00:36:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine at work told me about this little game the other day. It's an exclusive to the PS3 which is my current gaming system of choice.

I was a little skeptical, then I watched the following video. I figured I'd give it a shot, and I LOVED IT. I almost called in today so I could play it some more. It's THAT good!

So click below on IGN to see their review, and just in case you wonder after watching it....yeah I'm choosing evil every time.

-Chace

IGN Video: Infamous PlayStation 3 Review - Video Review

Shared via AddThis

William Butler returns to Diabolical Radio!!!

2009-05-24T22:32:00.003-04:00

Wednesday, May 27th, 11:00 pm Eastern.

William Butler comes back to Diabolical Radio to discuss what he's been up to since last being on the show, working for Disney, making horror films, and offering any and all advice he can. Great guy, great interview.

2009-05-24T21:47:00.015-04:00

This week Chace and Krist will discuss two movies that a lot of people for some reason or another have never heard of. The both of them have mentioned, in conversations with others, the titles of these movies only to be met with blank faces and confused responses. These two flicks are something that our co-hosts feel should be seen, even if you have to track down a bootleg.* The first movie will be: The Video Dead. An 80's zombie movie. Low budget, pure fun, great gore, and an ending you don't see coming.

The second is: My Science Project - A sci-fi comedy from the 80's starring Dennis Hopper, John Stockwell, and Fisher Stephens. This gem takes you on a true adventure through time and the halls of the high school. The jock, the nerdy, yet hot chick, and science freak all team up to battle Dinosaurs, cannibals, and Dennis Hopper is thrown in the middle of it all!!!

*Diabolical Radio does not support or endorse the purchasing of bootlegged content or bootlegging your own.

The pic that's caused all the chaos!!!

2009-05-10T19:51:00.003-04:00

Here is the picture of Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's H2(which has now reverted back to Halloween 2). Krist has mentioned it on the show on a few occasions and the emails that we have received expressing their opinions have been pretty mixed. Here's the pic, you be the judge. Here is Krist's opinion: "I for one truly believe taking something and making it your own is the way to go. But, with an icon such as Myers, it almost seems as if Zombie is treading on thin ice. He's too well known and popular to change drastically. He's taking a big gamble by making his iconic mask look like this. Having said that, I guess it's really no different than taking Jason Voorhees and turning him into a zombie killer like Tom McLaughlin did in Friday the 13th part 6 - Jason Lives, So I'll hold out on commenting until the end of August when the movie is released."

We here at Diabolical Radio wish for the best and hope that there is enough left over to repair the damage that may or may not be caused when horror fans go to the theaters at the end of the Summer.

2 more weeks to go!!!

2009-05-08T21:17:00.004-04:00

Coming up is our two-parter with Gary A. Braunbeck and that will wrap up our continuing series known as Horror Author's Spotlight.

Horror Author Spotlight: Richard Laymon - by Krist

2009-05-08T20:01:00.011-04:00

There are a few names that come to mind when one is asked what Horror Authors have you heard of. Most would answer with the obvious ones such as: Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, and John Saul. All of them great writers, all them bestselling authors. There's another slew of writers that are quite well known by many avid readers. These guys are: Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, and Bently Little, plus our past guests of the Spotlight - Brian Keene, Deborah LeBlanc, Gary A. Braunbeck, and more.

There's one name of a bestselling Author known worldwide except for the country he resided in, America. That name is: Richard Laymon. Author of over thirty books and double that for his short stories.

Richard Laymon was born in Chicago in 1947. He grew up in California and has a BA in English Literature from Willamette University, Oregon, and an MA from Loyola University, Los Angeles. He has worked as a schoolteacher, a librarian and as a report writer for a law firm.

While working those jobs he also managed to develop such amazing stories as The Woods are Dark, a book that was released in America with a terrible green-foiled cover and horribly edited due to content. However, the version released in the UK didn't suffer the same fate which began his rise to fame in England, France, and all over the globe except for America.

Richard's own daughter, Kelly, explained in the forward of TWAD the rough life it had in it's original release through Warner Books. She explained how he often referred to it as the book that ruined his career. Due to the heavy edits and rewrites they demanded he had long thought the book would never be released as it was in his original manuscript. Thank's to the painstaking amount of work Kelly put into getting that book back to it's original version, it was finally released in America last year through Leisure Books.

Through the years he continued writing novels which eventually lead to him being able to do it full time. Sadly, America didn't get to participate in his rise to fame like Europe did. As of today, the internationally bestselling author only has had around half of his books released in America. Though, all of them are available overseas. Thanks to Ann and Kelly Laymon teaming up with Leisure Books, his work has finally seen the light of day here in the states.

His influence is often seen in a lot of today's writers work. Most of them admit to using his work as a guidebook on how to write great fiction. After reading much of Laymon's stories, I agree. It's like Dean Koontz says: "Laymon takes it to the extreme and no one writes like him, you're going to have a good time with anything he writes." The quote by Koontz that's proudly displayed on the covers of many of Laymon's books is probably my favorite. Not only was Koontz and Laymon colleagues; they were friends.

A lot of the bestselling authors most of American readers have grown to love all have quotes on Laymon's covers, such as Stephen King: "If you've missed Laymon, you've missed a treat." Readers, you have no idea. Bently Little has a blurb that's seen in the reviews section of Laymon's titles, he stated: "I've always been a Laymon fan."

From titles such as Endless Night, The Stake, After Midnight, and Dark Mountain, you've really missed a treat if you haven't read any of them. His Beast House Trilogy, which is some of his most popular work is worth the time to read as well, The Cellar, The Beast House, and The Midnight Tour - plus they'll leave you sleeping with the lights on. A novella that takes place in the Beast House will finally be released in America - Friday Night in Beast House - is coming soon thanks to Leisure Books.

The Stake is the most recent novel of Laymon's I've had the pleasure to read. Some would say it's almost autobiographical because of the characterization of the main protagonists. A horror writer becomes mixed up in a thirty year old murder mystery that may or may not have to do with vampires. A lot of characters, a lot of stories, all great writing, that leads up to an explosive climax that leave the reader breathless.

I can't say enough about Laymon's plethora of work in one blog. I have decided to write a couple of extended reviews about some of his books. Look for them over the next couple of weeks. But, even doing that seems as if it would still be an injustice to the creator. Richard Laymon is by far my favorite author and many others favorite as well. Sadly, he passed away in 2001 leaving behind his amazing wife Ann, and wonderful daughter Kelly. From what has been said about them by friends and fans, they are a lot like Richard as well, nice, loving people, who would bend over backwards for you if you needed it. Not only is it rare to find a writer who writes like Laymon, it's even more rare to find people as kind-hearted as the Laymon family.

Michael Laimo

2009-04-30T08:28:00.002-04:00

Keeping in the spirit of Horror Author Spotlight we dig deep, very deep, into the archives the very second show ever produced by Diabolical Radio. A one on one chat with Michael Laimo, author of the books, Deep in the Darkness, Dead Souls, Fires Rising, and more.

Conducted by Krist, the interview is pretty lengthy but delves into Laimo's work, advice to upcoming writers, and all things horror.

Check it out:

Diabolical Radio as the Summer approaches.

2009-04-29T00:05:00.004-04:00

Having seen a lot of the teasers and trailers of the upcoming Summer movie slate, it seems that May is going to be crammed full of the most of them. Other than Transformers 2 and GI Joe, the rest of the Summer seems a little scattered. In May we have three highly anticipated releases such as: Wolverine - which kicks off the Summer movie mayhem, Star Trek, and Terminator: Salvation - even though Christian Bale has been labeled the "Dick" of Hollywood, it's still going to be a balls out good time. Probably the best of the franchise since the original. Who knows? It could be terrible, but I highly doubt it.

The Halloween 2 trailer has debuted on the net and has fallen upon mixed reviews. Some like it, some don't. From the images in the teaser, I find it very confusing. With all the stills that have been popping up, it seems like Zombie has taken Myers in a totally different direction from his original direction. Not sure what the movie will hold, but from what is out there so far, all I can really say is: WTF?

We have been booking our guests for the Summer months and have come up with quite the slate so far. We will announce the list as the Horror Author Spotlight nears it's end. A few more weeks to go and we'll be wrapping up the Author extravaganza.

That's all for now. Just keep listening, there's a lot more to come. And, a lot of movies to love or hate!!!

- Krist

Horror Spotlight Continues!

2009-04-09T00:49:00.004-04:00

We'd like to thank the listeners and fans of our featured authors for tuning in to the shows so far and making them a success. Our list includes:

Deborah LeBlanc
Brian Keene
Joe Knetter
Sephera Giron

and upcoming guests include:

Gary A. Braunbeck
Sarah Pinborough

Listen to the archives and check out the new ones as they come every Wednesday night at 11:00pm Eastern.

Redneck Zombies Anniversary show and new featured show of the week!!

2009-02-19T01:01:00.002-05:00

Thank you to Pericles Lewnes and Edward Bishop for celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their movie, Redneck Zombies with us. It was a great show and good time. If you haven't listened to the successful show yet, please do so by clicking on the link to the right side of the screen.

Also, this weeks featured show is the classic Herschell Gordon Lewis show. Have a listen!!

This weeks featured show.

2009-01-29T00:22:00.006-05:00

We dig through the archives to find this oldy. Larry Zerner who is known wordwide as Shelly from Friday the 13th part 3-D. His character introduced the infamous Hockey Mask to the series only to have Jason slit his throat and take it.

This was a fun interview and a good time. It was also done in the original show format with just straight forward interviews and wrap up, back when we did the show live. Also this show was Diabolical Radio, BC. *Before Chace*

The Problem With FanBoys by Chace Ambrose

2009-01-26T23:01:00.004-05:00

Hey kids,

When Krist first started this blog page he wasn't sure exactly what to do with it. So far its been a good place to put our shows and whatnot, but since he foolishly allowed me to have the password, I've decided to add some other content.

I WAS going to do a review of a couple of movies I watched today while home sick from work (Amusement and Behind the Mask) but in starting to write the reviews I felt it necessary to make disclaimers for the hardcore horror fan-boys, which led me on a huge tangent which was more interesting than the reviews themselves....which I'm sure I'll do on the radio show.

Anyway every genre' has fanboys. When you hear the term you usually think about sci-fi, but there are horror, anime, comic, and many other types of fan-boys. (you know the guys that go to the Green Bay Packers games in bodypaint shirts? FAN-BOYS!)

Simply BEING a fanboy is not a bad thing. Usually it means you support the subject of your fandom by buying merch. and you know quite a bit of useless information about the topic. Before I go any further I think its important to point out that I myself am a fanboy of several different things. To put it simply I have 3 Star Wars tattoos, drive a Ghostbusters car every day, and have a screen used Jason mask along with quality replicas of Michaels Meyers mask, Freddy's head and glove, and the Hellraiser box.

EVERY town has an Elm St.!

But the problem with fanboys is this. Nothing new is EVER good enough. Think about that for a minute.....NOTHING NEW IS EVER GOOD ENOUGH. Now I'm not writing this to excuse the endless remakes the Evil Hollywood Mega-Conglomerates are shoving down our throats. But as soon as some films are announced...G.I. Joe as an example, immediately the fanboys jumped on the interwebs complaining about how much its gonna suck. I mean it might...but that's just not the attitude to have GOING IN to a film. Another example is the Watchmen. There are QUITE a few things that could be done wrong in putting this masterpiece on film, but all the pics and videos look FANTASTIC! Still fanboys bash it continually.

Krist is a horror fanboy. My theory is he doesnt enjoy any new cinema because he, like most fanboys, won't let himself. See a fanboy BECOMES a fanboy (usually) by being exposed to a genre' or film at a certain age. It's magical and new. Like the first time you do black tar heroin. And like heroin you'll spend the rest of your life trying to recapture that magic feeling but you NEVER will, and eventually you'll find yourself curled up in my Aunt Edna's bathtub rocking back and forth and crying for my mommy. Wait-what? Oh yeah, when you watch something like Hatchet which I LOVED and Krist HATED, your not going to get the same feeling you did when you first watched Friday the 13th because you aren't 12 anymore.

The other part of that is that often the subject if fandom is romanticized. As stated before I'm a huge fan of the Star Wars saga. Most SW fanboys hate the prequels. Well I'll say it here and now. Episodes II and III are better movies than IV. I know its the original, but they're just better flicks. I'd even put them both ahead of Jedi...or as I like to call it, "Too Many Muppets" (Empire still rules all, and Episode I, while important, is the worst of the saga....unless you count that CGI Clone Wars cartoon movie crap)

So in closing, just try to keep an open mind when watching a new movie, a "Special Edition", or even GASP a remake!

Don't be like Steve Beaver, pictured here.
He's the one with the long red beard and the look of intolerance. Steve hasnt liked any film made after 1995...
Be like the friendly ethnic fella beside him. He's not afraid of change.

Trent Haaga went to see the 3-D remake of My Bloody Valentine (which Krist said was "O.K.") here's what Trent told me about the film, "MBV3D - They had me at 3D gore. They took it home with 3D boobies." 3D BOOBIES!!!! That's worth the price of admission RIGHT THERE!!!!!

On another semi-related topic, my friend David Atchison is doing a comic book based on the film The Warriors. MTV did an interview with David about the comic, which premires at the New York Comic-Con. You can check out the interview by cutting and pasting this stuff.

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/01/26/exclusive-preview-the-warriors-1-comes-out-to-play-writer-david-atchinson-gives-us-the-scoop/

Latah Bitches!
-Chace

Kevin Tenney Part 1

2009-01-25T20:59:00.001-05:00

We aired part 1 of the 2 part interview of Kevin Tenney. Be sure to take a listen. Thanks a lot!!!

This weeks featured show.

2009-01-16T09:01:00.004-05:00

We dig into the archives of Diabolical Radio and find a show from the past. Jon McBride, the director of the shot on video classics from the 80's, "Cannibal Campout", "Woodchipper Massacre", and the co-director of the video hit "Feeders".

Angry Video Game Nerd

2009-01-15T09:42:00.002-05:00

Last night on the show we aired the interview Krist conducted with James Rolfe, The Angry Video Game Nerd. It was two nerds in love with video games, movies, and more. One of our highest rated shows, but sadly there were more server problems and at the end of the show the hosts couldn't wrap things up, however the entire interview played and the response was positive. The Nerd has many followers and they followed him to our little radio show last night. Thanks James!!

For fun here are two of The Angry Video Game Nerd's classic videos.

Trailers!!

2009-01-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

Here are some upcoming Horror movie trailers. Most of which are remakes and will be covered on the show. Amusement seems interesting and fun.

Friday the 13th

Amusement

Diabolical Radio goes blogical

2009-01-14T00:15:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Diabolical Radio blog where you can listen to past shows, current shows, and have your fix of all things Diabolical. This is something new we're trying, so please subscribe to our show at www.blogtalkradio.com/diabolicalradio

The future looked slim awhile back for Diabolical Radio, but through the fire and ashes the show has survived and has a slew of guests coming and more news, reviews, and video game updates to come.