FrightFest announces line-up for Halloween 2022

Following on from its frightfully successful August five-day event, the UK’s biggest genre film festival is back at the Cineworld, Leicester Square with a bumper all-day Halloween event on Sat 29th October, featuring a six-pack of festive shockers.

Embracing three World premieres, the line-up is headlined by The Soska Sisters latest venture, ON THE EDGE. Taking a departure from medical horror, Jen and Sylvia delve into new ground with this tantalising psychological erotic thriller. ‘The Twisted Twins’, who also star in the film, will be hosting the screening, alongside lead actor Aramis Sartorio.

Also receiving its World Premiere is US actor Joe LoTruglio’s debut feature OUTPOST. This gripping, violent, ever-twisting mountain-set nightmare stars Beth Dover as a fire lookout volunteer forced to face her past demons. Both Joe and Beth will be in attendance for this gala screening.

The third World premiere is TRIPPING THE DARK FANTASTIC, a documentary on the life and work of award-winning composer Simon Boswell, complete with a live performance filmed at Earth, London. The highly regarded composer, who can boast SANTA SANGRE, PHENOMENA, SHALLOW GRAVE, HARDWARE and PHOTOGRAPHING FAIRIES, amongst his credits, will be joining us.

Receiving its International premiere is Charlie Steeds H.P Lovecraft inspired FREEZE, in which an Arctic expedition is attacked by bloodthirsty fish creatures. It’s a chiller in every sense of the word! Leading members of the cast will be joining us including Johnny Vivash, David Lenik, Beatrice Barrila, Jake Watkins and Ricardo Freitas.

What’s the current exploitation hit on the fantasy festival circuit? Well, that would be MAD HEIDI, an action adventure horror comedy featuring death by lactose intolerance, mutilation by Toblerone, fondue torture and cuckoo clock death traps as our intrepid Alpine heroine battles a human cheese-fuelled machinery of dystopian hate. And FrightFest is pleased to welcome actor Alice Lucy, MAD HEIDI herself, to introduce the UK premiere, alongside the directors, Johannes Hartmann & Sandro Klopfstein, plus other leading cast and crew.

Completing the line-up is the International Premiere of THE OFFERING. Director Oliver Park’s shocker, in the tradition of THE VIGIL, turns the European legend of ‘Abyzou: The Taker of Children’ into an edge-of-the-seat, emotional rollercoaster ride with eye-popping special effects.

Alan Jones, FrightFest co-director, said today: “We’re thrilled to announce our Halloween Saturday extravaganza. We’ve assembled a six-pack of shocks to make this year’s Halloween a happy haunting ground with all treats – no tricks – to sate your jaundiced appetites”,

Passes and tickets go on sale at noon on Saturday 1st October.

Prices: Full pass: £55, single tickets: £15 + booking fees

To book: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/2022halloween/frightfesthalloween.html

(Online booking only)

FULL LINE UP:

SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER

10:45 TRIPPING THE DARK FANTASTIC (World Premiere)
Director: LG White. With: Simon Boswell, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Dario Argento, LG White. UK 2022. 93 mins.

Showcasing a live performance at Earth Theatre, London in 2021 and interviews with the artists he has collaborated with from over 35 years of scoring horror, fantasy and genre films, TRIPPING THE DARK FANTASTIC is a stunning record of musician Simon Boswell’s career. An exciting trip through such classics as PHENOMENA, DEMONS 2, STAGE FRIGHT, SANTA SANGRE, PERDITA DURANGO, LORD OF ILLUSIONS, SHALLOW GRAVE, HARDWARE and many others, peppered with interviews by the likes of directors Dario Argento, Alejandro Jodorowsky, the concert features Simon with his 12 piece band, Caduta Massi, filmed by acclaimed DOP Vince Knight.

13:10 FREEZE (International Premiere)
Director: Charlie Steeds. With: Johnny Vivash, Ricardo Freitas, David Lenik, Jake Watkins. UK 2022. 90 mins.

H.P. Lovecraft goes Arctic! On a rescue mission to the North Pole to retrieve an old friend and his lost expedition crew, Captain Mortimer gets more than he bargained for when his ship is frozen into the ice sheet and set upon by bloodthirsty fish-creatures. Mortimer and his surviving crew flee the ship, beginning a treacherous journey to find safety in an ice-bound desolate wilderness. Suffering from starvation, frostbite and a slow madness, they find shelter inside a snowy mountain, but are they as safe as they think, or have they entered the heart of the creatures’ lair?

Contains: threat, blood, gore and fantasy monster mayhem

Plus… GNOMES (Short) (UK Premiere)

Director: Ruwan Suresh Heggelman. With: Moïse Trustfull, Duncan Meijiring. 6mins.

Unknowingly, a girl enters the habitat of a tribe of killer gnomes during her daily run. Lured by mysterious glowing mushrooms, she'll soon wish she'd stayed on her usual tracks.

Contains: Contains splatter / gore.

15:35 MAD HEIDI (UK Premiere)
Directors: Johannes Hartmann, Sandro Klopfstein. With: Casper Van Dien, David Schofield, Alice Lucy, Leon Herbert. Switzerland 2022. 92 mins.

From the producer of IRON SKY, an action adventure horror comedy and the first Swissploitation film ever made. In a dystopian Switzerland under the rule of a fascist cheese magnate, Heidi lives a simple life in the mountains protected by her grandfather. Soon her longing for personal freedom sparks a revolution after abduction by brutal government storm troopers. Escaping prison, and the roving eyes of muscle bound inmates, the naïve Alpine girl must battle a human cheese-fuelled machinery of hate.

Contains: comedy violence, splatter slapstick, offensive language, nudity and sexual innuendo.

18:00 OUTPOST (World Premiere)
Director: Joe Lo Truglio. With: Beth Dover, Dallas Roberts, Dylan Baker, Ato Essandoh. USA 2022. 84 mins.

Veteran character actor Joe Lo Truglio, most recently owning the cult sit-com ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’, makes a stunning feature debut as writer/director with this high concept, ever twisting mountain nightmare. Kate seeks recovery from a violent assault by taking a job as a fire lookout, but becomes increasingly overwhelmed by her isolation and tragic past. A story about pain, what happens when you run from it, how it always catches up and controls what you see, hear and governs what’s real. It commands what you do. If you don’t face your demons, the demons will come to face you.

Contains: domestic abuse, violence, serious threat, menacing suspense.

20:15 ON THE EDGE (World Premiere)
Directors: Jen & Sylvia Soska. With: Aramis Sartorio, Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska, Mackenzie Gray. Canada 2022. 114 mins.

Family man Peter gets more than he paid for when he books a 36-hour session with the sadistic Mistress Satana who seems more intent on making him suffer for his sins. Is it blackmail? Is it torture? Or is it the Devil come for his soul? Will Peter’s faith save him from his own personal Hell or is he already damned? A brilliant depiction of how Kink Culture can heal past trauma and be a source for shocking redemption.

Contains: Strong language, sexual content, violence, sexual violence, nudity,

23:00 THE OFFERING (International Premiere)
Director: Oliver Park. With: Nick Blood, Alan Corduner, Paul Kaye, Emm Wiseman. USA 2022. 93 mins.

In the tradition of THE VIGIL comes the European legend of ‘Abyzou: The Taker of Children’. Hoping to reconcile with his orthodox father, Art, the son of a Chasidic funeral director returns home with his pregnant wife Claire. But his intentions are put to the test when the family morgue receives the body of a mysterious corpse containing an ancient entity with a sinister plan for his unborn child. Blending authentic Jewish demonology and deep Kabbalistic secrets with classic horror, THE OFFERING provides super shocks and an all-stops-out chilling climax.

Contains: supernatural threat, bloody imagery, body horror.

For full programme details: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/

COMPETITION: Win The Twin (A Shudder Original) on Blu-ray

The Twin released on Blu-ray on 3rd October.

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 3 copies to give away.

Synopsis: 

Prepare for double the trouble as we come face to face with The Twin – a disturbing and terrifying psychological horror from Finnish director Taneli Mustonen (Lake Bodom, Reunion). Midsommar and Hereditary fans will be thrilled with this unflinchingly eerie and spine-chilling Shudder Original, arriving on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital 3 October 2022 from Acorn Media International.

In the aftermath of a tragic accident that saw their son killed, Rachel (Teresa Palmer – A Discovery of Witches, Lights Out, Hacksaw Ridges) and Anthony (Steven Cree – Maleficent, Outlander, Brave) decide to move to the other side of the world to focus on their surviving twin son, Elliot (Tristan Ruggeri – The Witcher).

What begins as a time to heal in the isolated Scandinavian countryside turns into a desperate battle for the very soul of their child. When an entity claiming to be his dead brother possesses Elliot, Rachel must embark on a deadly and disturbing journey to unravel the horrible truth about the twin. Forced to confront the unbearable truth, Rachel’s nightmare is only just beginning... 

This horror promises twists and turns galore and sinister shocks aplenty that will keep viewers guessing until the very end.

Dare you meet The Twin in this highly atmospheric and unrelentingly tense thriller?

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3BGhvNI

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 10-10-22
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

LEGEND reveals slate of horror, sci-fi and action premieres for October

 

October weekends will be haunting, horrifying and hair-raising as Legend presents a premiere-packed month of must-see movies, headed up by the Channel premieres of THE DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES, a rare Hammer swashbuckler, starring Christopher Lee, Darren Lynn Bousman’s twisted ST. AGATHA, which pushes the boundaries of “nunsploitation”, Xavier Gens’ beautiful and dark COLD SKIN and the stirring action thriller BOILING POINT, starring Wesley Snipes and Dennis Hopper.

There are also first time showings for action thriller MOTHER LODE, directed by and starring Charlton Heston, SWEENY!, a Brit action crime drama, inspired by the ITV series The Sweeney, and white-knuckle ride VEHICLE 19.

Plus, two channel premieres head up the popular VINTAGE VAULT strand. Nightmarish chiller FIEND WITHOUT A FACE and the blood-thirsty FIRST MAN INTO SPACE are part of the terrifying Sunday night double-bills – cult masterpieces from the B-movie world of strange creatures, alien invaders and lurid horror.

The vault is unlocked on Sunday October 2nd with subterranean monster thriller THE MOLE PEOPLE. This is paired with Nathan Juran’s Ray Harryhausen-inspired 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH.

The following Sundays include the beastly mutant classic THE DEADLY MANTIS, Fred F. Sears’ saucer-invading caper EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS, spell-binding horror fantasy THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN, THE MONOLITH MONSTERS, in which the world is attacked by thirsty giant crystals, the brilliant Hammer horror, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957) and the hypnotically sensual DRACULA (1958).

And the second season of hit series KNIGHT RIDER, in which Michael, K.I.T.T. and gang return for more roadside adventures, has its channel premiere.

Full film details in transmission order:

Saturday 1 October @ 21:00 – THE DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES (1964) *Channel Premiere
Christopher Lee stars as Captain Robeles, a Spanish privateer in charge of the galleon 'Diablo'. When he realises that Drake has won the battle of Armada, Robeles escapes with his cut-throat crew to a lonely inlet on the Cornish coast. He manages to make the villagers believe that Drake has been defeated and he and his men begin to terrorize the locals.

Sunday 2 October @ 21:00 – THE MOLE PEOPLE (1957)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
John Bentley (John Agar), leads a Middle Eastern expedition in search of a lost tribe of Sumerians. He and his cohorts follow a tunnel deep below the surface of the earth, eventually coming across a tyrannical tribe of albino Sumerians, who use the semi-human Mole People as slaves. Aware of the danger the scientists pose, the subterranean High Priest wants them eliminated.

Sunday 2 October @ 22:30 – 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
A manned space flight from Venus crash lands in the Mediterranean, losing its most precious cargo: reptilian eggs from the planet's surface. Italian zoologist (Frank Puglia), his American granddaughter, Marisa (Joan Taylor), and returned astronaut Calder (William Hopper) must battle to the creature before it destroys everything in its path.

From Wednesday 5 September @ 19:00 – KNIGHT RIDER, Season Two (1993) *Channel Premiere
In the second season of this hit series, Michael, K.I.T.T. and gang return for more roadside adventures. Whether in a drag race or fighting Michael's evil half-brother Garthe and his behemoth truck, this duo of man and super car are driving straight for thrills and excitement! At full speed!

Saturday 8 October @ 21:00 – BOILING POINT (1993) *Channel
Premiere
Making money is to print it. That's why everyone wants to get in on the act. As the "money men" blow away their rivals, they're sending smoke signals out to the cops. Cornered in a hotel stake-out, the mobsters have to choose between rubbing out their biggest rival and saving their own skins. Stars Wesley Snipes and Dennis Hopper and Viggo Mortensen.

Sunday 9 October @ 21:00 – THE DEADLY MANTIS (1957)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
When a giant insect attacks several people in a remote Arctic region, Col. Joe Parkham (Craig Stevens) swings into action. Parkham and his associates, Dr. Ned Jackson (William Hopper) and Ned's assistant Margie Blake (Alix Talton), track the predatory mantis as it heads southward to Washington DC.

Sunday 9 October @ 22:35 – EARTH VS THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956)
*Part of TheVintage Vault
UFOs from a doomed star system invade Earth with plans of world conquest. Surrender is not an option so the human race must fight to the bitter end. Special effects are by Ray Harryhausen.

Saturday 15 October @ 21:00 – SWEENY! (1976) *Channel Premiere
When one of his informants is murdered, Detective Inspector Jack Regan (john Thaw) is drawn into a deadly political game. He is soon a marked man and, after being framed, is suspended from duty. This doesn't stop him and Detective Sergeant Carter (Dennis Waterman) searching for the truth.

Sunday 16 October @ 21:00 – THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (1957)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
An adaptation of a drama by Nigel Kneale, creator of the Quatermass series, this horror fantasy stars Peter Cushing as scientist John Rollason, who, ignoring his wife's objections, joins an expedition lead by American Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker). They are searching for the legendary yeti in the high Himalayas - a quest with deadly consequences.

Sunday 16 October @ 22:40 – THE MONOLITH MONSTERS (1957)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
A meteor crashes in the desert, leaving behind huge black chunks. While being analysed in a science lab, the crystalline stones are accidentally drenched with water and begin to grow to gargantuan dimensions. The monoliths grow to unimagined heights. Can the world be saved by the saline solution which the scientists are hurriedly developing in the lab?

Saturday 22 October @ 21:00 – VEHICLE 19 (2013) *Channel Premiere
A parolee unwittingly gets in the wrong rental car at Johannesburg airport with terrifying consequences. He soon realises that not only is he a stranger in inhospitable surroundings, but is the target of an entire police force that will use any means necessary to stop him and the tied-up female passenger he discovers in the back of the vehicle.

Sunday 23 October @ 21:00 – FIEND WITHOUT A FACE (1958) *Channel Premiere
A scientist's thoughts materialise as an army of invisible brain-shaped monsters (complete with spinal-cord tails!) who terrorize an American military base in this nightmarish chiller.This independently made British black-and-white cult classic was directed by Arthur Crabtree and stars Marshall Thompson, Kynaston Reeves, Michael Balfour, and Kim Parker.

Sunday 23 October @ 22:30 – THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)
Scientist Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) will stop at nothing in his quest to reanimate a deceased body and assembles a hideous creature (Christopher Lee) out of dead body parts. He succeeds in bringing it to life, but the monster is not as obedient or docile as Frankenstein expected…

Friday 28 October @ 22:45 – ST. AGATHA (2018) *Channel Premiere
In 1950s Georgia, a pregnant woman on the run from the police, seeks refuge in a desolate convent, only to be met with an unsettling and horrendous evil waiting on the other side. Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, the director of Saw II, III and IV.

Saturday 29 October @ 21:00 – MOTHER LODE (1982) *Channel Premiere
A couple of adventurers go into the wilds of British Columbia in search of a lost colleague, but when their plane crashes they find themselves at the mercy of a crazy miner who has lived in isolation searching the mountain caves for a chamber of long lost gold. Kim Basinger stars.

 

Sunday 30 October @ 21:00 – FIRST MAN IN SPACE (1958) *Channel Premiere
*Part of The Vintage Vault
Brash U.S. Navy test pilot, Lieutenant Dan Prescott, hungry for fame, rockets himself beyond Earth’s atmosphere on test flight Y-13, only to become encrusted with cosmic dust and return to earth as a blood-drinking monster. Directed by Robert Day, it stars Marshall Thompson, Marla Landi, Bill Edwards, and Robert Ayres.

Sunday 30 October @ 22:30 – DRACULA (1958)
*Part of The Vintage Vault
On a search for his missing friend, Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen), vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is led to Count Dracula's (Christopher Lee) castle, where he finds an undead Harker in Dracula's crypt and discovers that the count's next target is Harker's ailing fiancée, Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh). With the help of her brother, Arthur (Michael Gough), Van Helsing is determined to protect Lucy and put an end to Count Dracula's parasitic reign of terror.

Monday 31 October @ 22:45 – COLD SKIN (2017) *Channel Premiere
On the edge of the Antarctic circle, a steamship approaches a desolate island. On board is a young man, poised to take up the post of weather observer, to live in solitude far from civilization. But on shore he finds no trace of the man he has been sent to replace, just a deranged brute in the lighthouse who has witnessed a horror he refuses to name. Then night begins to fall…

TV: Sky 148 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 41 / Freesat 137

COMPETITION: Win They Live in the Grey on DVD - Starring Michelle Krusiec and Ken Kirby

They Live in the Grey DVD - Released on 26th September

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 2 copies  to give away.

Synopsis: 

Get ready for unrelenting terror with They Live In The Grey – a stylish and terrifying paranormal thriller with echoes of paranormal big hitters The Sixth Sense and The Conjuring. Written and directed by The Vang Brothers – best known for Bedeviled – this scare-you-senseless supernatural Shudder Original is set to arrive on DVD and digital on 26 September 2022 from Acorn Media International. 

When clairvoyant social worker Claire (Michelle Krusiec – Hollywood) is handed a new child protection case, a young girl called Sophie (Madelyn Grace – Don’t Breathe 2), she notices the child is covered in scratches and bruises. Sophie says they’re from reckless skateboarding, but it’s not long before Claire senses there’s something else in her house… something sinister.

As Sophie and her parents, Giles (Ken Kirby – Good Trouble, Dynasty) and Audrey (Ellen Wroe – For All Mankind, Shameless), are tormented by an evil spirit, Claire realises that to save the parents from losing custody of their child, she must confront her fears and stop the malevolent force... before it’s too late.

Suspenseful, chilling, and at times heart-wrenching, this emotionally packed, nerve-jangling paranormal thriller promises to put audiences through the wringer.

They Live In The Grey delivers an enthralling and potent exploration of grief and makes for a compelling, captivating must-watch.

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3QV1hWz

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

COMPETITION

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 03-10-22
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

Interview with Ayvianna Snow

 

Is there a horror film that scarred you as a child?
I have always been terrified by 'The Shining.'

What is your favourite horror film, and why do you love it?
My favourite horror film is 'Little Joe', directed by Jessica Hausner. The cinematography has a Kubrickian quality; lots of long, slow pans zooming into two characters talking and then creepily continuing past the actors, focussing on the background as if the actors are only incidental to the scene. The camera is forever peering round corners, giving us the impression of eavesdropping on conversations we weren't meant to hear.

What I love about this film is that it's a slow burner; it's not all jump cuts and gory, bloody deaths; instead, Hausner manages to build a growing sense of unease. The film is disturbing and unsettling rather than flashy. There is a question over whether the lead character, Alice, can truly trust her own perceptions.

In terms of working in independent film, what are the most creative or funny things you or cast colleagues have had to do to make a scene work / be scary?
When I made 'The Lockdown Hauntings' with Howard Ford, he was acting as a one-man camera crew to comply with the Covid restrictions, which meant he had to do every job himself. I remember him having to pull a bit of string to make a door close on cue while also having to operate the camera, record the sound and say the other actor's lines! When the ghost appeared behind me briefly in one scene, he had to set the camera up, put the mask on and then play the ghost himself!

What appeals to you about working in the horror genre?
I think it is such a versatile genre. Many different topics can be explored through a horror lens. And horror has traditionally featured strong leading roles for women.

You recently narrated Orchestrator of Storms, a documentary about the life and work of Eurocult director Jean Rollin…
As an actress who works mainly in the horror genre, I am thrilled to be involved in Orchestrator of Storms, as Jean Rollin is, in many ways, the father of modern horror. His influence on horror has been so far-reaching.

What else do you have coming up?
'Video Shop Tales of Terror' is out in January 2023

Links
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ayviannasnow/
Spotlight: https://www.spotlight.com/5817-5640-0092
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6757384/

COMPETITION: Win The Last Thing Mary Saw on DVD

The Last Thing Mary Saw - Released on 19th September

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 2 copies on DVD to give away.

Synopsis: 

Every family has its secrets, and The Last Thing Mary Saw is a frightening secret audiences will want in on. From Edoardo Vitaletti, in his directorial debut, this gothic horror features a stand-out cast, including horror favourite Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Rory Culkin (Signs), Stefanie Scott (Insidious 3) and Judith Roberts (Orange Is the New Black, You Were Never Really Here), who give showstopping performances. Having premiered at the 2021 Fantasia International Film Festival, this dark and enchanting Shudder Original is now set to arrive on DVD and digital on 19 September 2022 from Acorn Media International.

We begin in Southold, New York, 1843, where we meet a young Mary (Stefanie Scott) with blood trickling from behind the blindfold tied around her eyes, as she is interrogated about the events surrounding her grandmother’s mysterious death.

As the story flashes back, we witness Mary, raised in a repressively religious and eerily claustrophobic household, finding fleeting happiness in the arms of Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman), the family’s maid. Her family, who believe they are seeing, speaking, and acting on God’s behalf, view the girls’ relationship as an abomination to be dealt with as severely as possible, inflicting brutal punishments.

The couple attempts to carry on in secret, but someone is always watching or listening, and the wages of perceived sin threaten to become death, with the tension only heightened by the arrival of an enigmatic stranger (Rory Culkin) and the revelation of greater forces at work...

The Last Thing Mary Saw oozes with palpable oppression, suspense, and sin. This dark and dread-filled horror promises to sate genre fans' thirst for supernatural twists and innate terror. Audiences should get ready to witness The Last Thing Mary Saw, a painfully tense, heart-wrenching, and impossible-to-forget film.

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3RTOHrw

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 26-09-22
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

Interview with David Kempf - By Jon Donnis

So this is lucky Number 13?

Yes, Jon, it is. Counting all the plays and the kids' books plus the novels...this is my 13th book. 

Starting with Dark Fiction all those years ago, this is my 13th book. The Wager of Sin is the sequel to Dark Fiction and Damned Fiction. It is the conclusion of the trilogy. Although it does have the character of Andrew from Travel Bug who is somewhat loosely based on my son Andrew. It also has Christopher from Dark Fiction and Damned Fiction.

And of course, Dr. Henry David Wells. 

Yes, of course. He is my most heavily used character. He is a professor, a writer, has lived an unnaturally long life, and holds many deep, dark secrets. He is a mystery that is gradually solved over the course of every book and this one is no exception I promise you. The first one (Dark Fiction) was about his Faustian deal with the Jinn. The second book (Damned Fiction) was about his competition (with his former student Sarah Nolan) to write the Devil's life story. This one continues the tale of the last story but it also concludes the trilogy. 

That is some title. 

Coming from Romans 6:23 in the Bible, "the wages of sin is death," I think it was an interesting play on words for their competition to write the Devil's life story. The story gives the full meaning of the title at the conclusion. 

Sounds like a twist. 

Yes, and I consider it the best twist ending to a novel or short story that I have ever written. 

Is the character of Satan as important in this one?

No, it is actually much more about the inner minds and souls of our competitors Dr. Wells and Sarah Nolan. The short stories featured in the novel also reflect what is going on in our world now. The relationship problems between men and women, economic uncertainty, freedom of speech, and the way horror films have deteriorated into the masked boogieman who, of course, has nothing to do with us.

Does this book feature more or less humor than Damned Fiction?

Less humor and more pure horror to speak of. It feeds off exhilaration and terror as Ray Bradbury might have said once. My last novel They Laughed at Me was very dark but filled to the brim with humor because it was about a comedian on house arrest. The horror within these pages is more about the human condition than the supernatural elements of some of my other stories. It would be like a haunted house story but one that was more concerned with haunted people than what invisible forces occupy the house itself. 

I assume there are still supernatural elements within the story.

Oh, yes, sinister forces are at work indeed. 

Do you have a favorite blurb?

"Two writers vie to tell the Devil's story. One pens the tale, the other dies horribly. The writer who dies is the lucky one."

— Gary Raisor, author of The Old Black Hat and Occupational Hazzard 

That's a good blurb.

Your blurb is also my favorite.  

"With The Wager of Sin, David completes his trilogy with a remarkable twist ending worthy of Psycho and The Twilight Zone."

— Jon Donnis, Editor Masters of Horror U.K. 

Speaking of humor. We never did an interview for your novel They Laughed at Me.

Well, that was a fun book to write. It was a novel that concentrated on humor, but is a dark sort of gallows humor. It was a story about an alcoholic comedian on house arrest. He snuck out of his apartment to do his comedy routines even when he was on house arrest. Jack Lively the main character was featured briefly in my novel Damned Fiction but They Laughed at Me is a prequel and he is in every conceivable way the center of attention here. It was very cathartic to me and I quit drinking myself around this time. And, of course, Dr. Wells has a little cameo in it as he does in almost all of my books. 

Finally getting a review from Kirkus was nice, and thank goodness it was a good one.

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-kempf/they-laughed-at-me/

Tell us about Four Murder Mystery Plays and your interview with NBC Radio's House of Mystery

Well, I am a huge fan of Ira Levin's DeathTrap and Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap. It's no secret what a huge fan I am of Edgar Allan Poe so the detective character in the play is a distant relative of Dupin. Poe is, after all, the father of the modern detective story. That way I could put some gothic horror moments in the four stories, they are all different one-act plays but all feature that one character. Andre Dupin is sort of my theatrical equivalent of Dr. Henry David Wells in my novels of fiction. The amazing thing is that people who are actually in rehab have been enjoying reading these plays in group and that means a lot to me since all four stories deal with addiction in some form. The plays have received mostly positive reviews but the best I have done in play competitions is winning semi-finalists. My friend Jeffrey Oliver helped me get connected to Al Warren and David North Martino to be on their radio show NBC's House of Mystery. It was a great experience to talk about my plays as well as my favorite authors, and of course my own novels.

https://shows.acast.com/houseofmysteryradio/episodes/david-kemp-four-murder-mystery-play

A sense of accomplishment. 

Yes. In concluding the trilogy, there is a great sense of accomplishment. 

Your book covers are getting more and more amazing. Why is that?

My cousin Heather started a publishing company called Graylyn Press. She does book covers and editing. She's also a writer. She wrote a murder mystery trilogy called The Element Mysteries. They are Element of Secrecy, Element of Danger, and Element of Truth. You actually interviewed her and it is on this site. I love the cover she did for this new novel. 

What's next?

Well, I've worked with some wonderful people like you, Jon. I already mentioned my cousin Heather who is a great editor and collaborator.  My other editors have been wonderful as well—A.L.Sirois, a wonderful writer as well, Erin Potter, a great talent, and the playwright Colette Freedman who helped me write four plays I am quite pleased with. 

Ultimately, this trilogy and my other work have been the fulfillment of a dream to tell the best stories about the human condition that I could. I loved horror books and movies as a kid and when my number is up someday, I am happy to say that I did it. I told the best stories that I could. In the meantime, I will be working on a box set of my trilogy with Graylyn Press. Other than that, we will just have to see. I go wherever my imagination and my muse guide me.  

https://www.graylynpress.com

Get The Wager of Sin Kindle Edition by David Kemp at the link below.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BCS7D1CH/