Archive for the ‘horror’ Category

My road thriller novel WHITE KNUCKLE won second place as Thriller Of The Year at the 2020 Planet Awards in Berlin, Germany.

Saturday, November 28th, 2020

I’m honored WHITE KNUCKLE received the Planet Award.

The novel was recently published in a beautiful new German translation edition from Berlin publisher Savage Types.

From the publisher’s description:  “There’s a killer on the road… He’s a big rig truck driver who goes by the CB handle White Knuckle, and he’s Jack the Ripper on eighteen wheels. For thirty years he has murdered hundreds of women in unimaginable ways, imprisoning them in a secret compartment in his truck, abducting them in one state and dumping their dead bodies across the country. Dedicated FBI agent Sharon Ormsby is on a mission to hunt down and stop White Knuckle. She goes undercover as a truck driver with a helpful long hauler named Rudy in a cross-country pursuit that will ultimately bring her face-to-face with White Knuckle in a pedal-to-the-metal, high-octane climax on a highway to Hell.”

Here’s what people had to say about WHITE KNUCKLE:

“Eric Red is the successor to Richard Matheson and Robert Bloch. And he proves it once again here in WHITE KNUCKLE with a “road” story that is every bit as memorable as Matheson’s DUEL. Partly horror with a psycho on the loose, partly police procedural, it’s a taut suspense story, and a welcome return to the road horror story by the man who defined this genre with his screenplays NEAR DARK and HITCHER. There is no padding in the story, the pacing moves as relentlessly as White Knuckle’s black Kenworth truck. Literally, no filler – all killer.”  – Robin Pierce, Starburst Magazine. (9/10 stars)

“The character of White Knuckle himself is one of the most gruesome and terrifying ever imagined. Like Thomas Harris did in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Red demonstrates that the scariest monsters are flesh-and-blood humans we might see on any given day, with an altogether different attitude about the value of life. Eric Red is an author to discover and enjoy, and WHITE KNUCKLE is highly recommended for those who prefer their horror with a huge dose of reality. But avoid reading it before taking a road trip, unless you’re prepared to alter your route before hitting the road.” – Bookgasm.

“Absolutely compelling reading…While WHITE KNUCKLE is punctuated by brutal violence and high action, it’s really powered by its characters. FBI Agent Sharon Ormsby is an effective protagonist that really comes to life, a strong and smart woman with a real life and a past that she will have to confront. The action of the story rests on her able shoulders…You can’t be sure what the future has in store for any character, and you can’t get comfortable with anything or take anyone’s fate for granted.” – Tim Potter, The Horror Review.

“Rip-roaring, knuckle-biting, constantly suspenseful adventure in this riveting mystery thriller by the author of IT WAITS BELOW, WHITE KNUCKLE pits a probationary FBI Special Agent with a sad background and finely tuned intuition against a human monster–a long hauler trucker who began killing and torturing animals at age six and who has slaughtered women and girls in interstate rampages for four decades. Rife with high-octane tension, WHITE KNUCKLE is a Don t Miss, but don’t read while traveling the highways, or sleeping alone.” – Mallory Heart Reviews (Five star review)

“Red’s prose is hammer down all the way. If you’re looking for a good, solid read to wile away a few summer hours, WHITE KNUCKLE is certainly worth a look.” – Cemetery Dance.

“WHITE KNUCKLE is a tautly gripping thriller that keeps you on edge throughout the entire cross-country trek. It’s a heart-thudding thrill-ride that must be taken this summer.” – Arrow In The Head at JoBlo.com.

“WHITE KNUCKLE is one mean mutha truck driver.” – Jack Ketchum.

My werewolf flick BAD MOON makes Bloody Disgusting’s 12 of the Best Werewolf Movies List.

Wednesday, November 18th, 2020

Thanks, guys!

Read the full article at: https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3556748/ranking-12-best-werewolf-movies/

BAD MOON is available in a fully-loaded Blu Ray edition from Shout! Factory at: https://amzn.to/2C3YOIV


Read the first two chapters of my new Joe Noose Western BRANDED in advance of publication for free!

Monday, November 9th, 2020

As a special promotion from Kensington Books and Pinnacle Books, download for free and read the first two chapters of my new Joe Noose Western novel BRANDED two months in advance of publication…We’re betting you’ll want to read the rest!
Download the first chapters of BRANDED at: https://bit.ly/36i2FNG
BRANDED is available for pre-order in Mass Market Paperback and Kindle editions on: Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2YrD8PW

Subscribe to the Official Eric Red YouTube channel.

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

Watch  selected scenes from my movies, original uncut sequences, exclusive making of behind-the-scenes documentaries, book trailers, and lots more fun stuff!  Check it out at: https://youtube.com/user/johnryder12000

The press release for BRANDED, the third novel in my Joe Noose Western series from Kensington Books and Pinnacle Books.

Monday, November 2nd, 2020

View on PRWeb at: https://bit.ly/2TPUxOs

THE MEN WHO WALK LIKE WOLVES horror western series from SST Publications.

Saturday, October 31st, 2020

For Halloween saddle up and take a scary ride into my popular werewolf western novels, THE GUNS OF SANTA SANGRE and the sequel THE WOLVES OF EL DIABLO, from SST Publications!  Available in fine hardcover and trade paperback and well as digital editions at http://amzn.to/2LK48oi

BRANDED to be published in audiobook edition.

Thursday, October 29th, 2020

Great news from Kensington Books that my next two Joe Noose Western novels, BRANDED and THE CRIMSON TRAIL, will both will be released in audiobook editions, joining the first two in the series, NOOSE and HANGING FIRE, for those of you folks who prefer to listen to books.

BRANDED and THE CRIMSON TRAIL are available for pre-order on Amazon at  https://amzn.to/2YrD8PW and https://amzn.to/35IrSAM

The Ultimate Genre

Friday, September 25th, 2020

The Western, I believe, is the ultimate genre.

The epic nomenclature of tough, strong cowboys in big hats with guns and horses pitted in physical and psychological contests of good versus evil fought on rugged frontier landscapes that externally mirror their own jagged internal natures is mythic and timeless. But while the entire world loves westerns, the U.S. owns the brand, and westerns remain our own uniquely American mythology and true contribution to pop culture. Westerns are the American Arthurian Legend.

Born from the harsh realities of the Old West, bred through a century of thrilling popular culture in novels and film that fired the public imagination, imprinted by books and movies that cross-pollinated each other to create a grand mythology that remains popular as ever today; it’s hard to tell now where the reality ends and myth begins with westerns, but cowboy good guys and bad guys are baked into our collective consciousness.

While there is a certain mystery to the mystique of the western, some things are certain: it’s a heroic genre, full of honor and nobility with bigger-than-life heroes and villains; it’s a physical genre, action-packed on the purest level with riding and fistfights and shooting; and it’s a cathartic genre, where morality tales about good versus evil end in a decisive, satisfying showdown at the climax that gives us a vicarious sense of triumph we rarely achieve in our complicated real world where right and wrong is not always clear.

Some part of us needs this as human beings on the deepest level, which is the appeal of all heroic mythologies going back forever. Reading or watching a western, however briefly, we experience the wish fulfillment of becoming the cowboys we played at being as kids and heroes we want to be as adults if only real life were as simple as saddling your horse, grabbing your guns, and riding to the rescue.

One of the things as a screenwriter and novelist I appreciate most about westerns is the genre can absorb every other genre into the storytelling; elements of other genres like thriller, mystery, crime, even horror, all can be injected into a western story. There is even a thriving genre of romance westerns! The classic template of cowboys and guns and horses and landscapes is a canvas that can be painted with many brushes; this very adaptability makes it such an exciting genre for a writer to explore.

While many folks know me for my horror and thriller films and books, in actuality westerns are my favorite genre and the genre I’ve worked the most in, having written and produced western movies, written western novels and even created a western comic book. The movie was an HBO film called The Last Outlaw starring Mickey Rourke, a gritty, bloody adventure about a gang of outlaws pursued by a posse led by their leader who they had left for dead.

Mixing the horror and western literary genres became the inspiration for my novels The Guns Of Santa Sangre and its sequel The Wolves Of El Diablo from SST Publications, about three tough American gunfighters battling several generations of werewolves who are bandits by day in Old Mexico.

My bestselling current western book series, the Joe Noose Westerns from Pinnacle Books & Kensington Books, revolves around the adventures of a tough and complex bounty hunter in 1800s Wyoming. With Noose, Hanging Fire, Branded and The Crimson Trail, the Noose series is on its fourth book with more to come.

My lifelong love of the Western genre continues to inspire me endlessly as a creative open range of possibilities always offering new frontiers in storytelling.

Saddle up.

“An incredibly fast, brutal and exciting thriller that has it all. A wild ride on the highway that the reader will not forget quickly.”

Thursday, July 16th, 2020

Excellent new review on Dark Owl of the German translation of my road thriller novel WHITE KNUCKLE from the Berlin publisher, Savage Types.

bit.ly/2DJxz6Y

Full English translation of the German review:

“From the screenwriter of the films “Hitcher”, “Near Dark” and “Blue Steel.” A serial killer on the highways has been killing his female victims unmolested for decades, leaving a trail of blood and tears. Known under the CB nickname WHITE KNUCKLE, the trucker, who kills with perverse lust, cruelly killed hundreds of women and buried their bodies all over the country. But now the young FBI agent Sharon Ormsby is on his heels to stop him. Undercover, at the side of an experienced trucker, hunts for the killer in his eighteen-wheeled monster. That means one thing above all: a tough showdown on the highway!

A serial killer is up to mischief on the highway. His prey: pretty women. He’s after her and he’s hungry. In his truck he has his own hiding place for his victims, which is very well hidden. Sounds scary? It is. White Knuckle manages to take the reader on an extremely exciting journey right from the start. But be careful, this will not be a smooth ride! This trip is bloodthirsty, dangerous and brutal. You experience the characters up close through very lively descriptions. The reader experiences feelings, such as fears, despair and hopelessness, up close. It feels like you’re right in the middle of it and even in this truck. Goosebumps feeling guaranteed! The book and its story are captivating and action-packed. You can hardly put the book aside. At the end, White Knuckle puts a real icing on the cake, I promise, it’s terrific.

An incredibly fast, brutal and exciting thriller that has it all. A wild ride on the highway that the reader will not forget quickly.”

My ghost movie 100 FEET with Famke Janssen gets a tribute article on Arrow In The Head at JoBlo.Com.

Monday, July 6th, 2020

Huge thanks to Arrow in the Head at JoBlo.com for a terrific tribute video article on my ghost movie 100 FEET. This is the best piece anybody has ever done on the film. Informative, fast-paced and full of great stuff about the flick, it is must viewing for fans of my work and horror fans in general.

https://bit.ly/3f6JucO

During this period of everybody locked down in our homes sharing anxieties of isolation and dread, audiences can personally relate to 100 FEET in a way they couldn’t before, making the movie more frightening than ever. We’re all in lockdown inside our homes just like the movie’s heroine Marnie played by Famke Janssen but her problems are worse than yours since she’s shut in with the violent ghost of her dead husband who doesn’t believe in social distancing. The suffocating claustrophobia of Famke’s situation in the movie is so identifiable to us these days, viewing 100 FEET now may be unbearably intense for some of you, get in your head and give you nightmares. You have been warned.

100 FEET is my personal favorite of the films I’ve made and my best job as a director. It’s easy to frighten people with gore and jump scares but true skill in suspense lies in the creation of tension without any of that. It’s about manipulating audience expectations so just when they think something is about to happen, it doesn’t and when they least expect it, it does. 100 FEET is basically an entire movie with a woman alone in a house with a ghost. The ghost is almost never seen, and when ghost attacks are always terrifying and unexpected. This is a very Hitchcockian film of elevated suspense.

This movie got made during the trend of torture porn horror films so I wanted to go completely in the other direction and scare the hell of the audience without relying on kills or gory violence like everyone else was doing. And it worked. 100 FEET keeps you on the edge of your seat for ninety minutes and there is only one kill in the entire movie! What interested me making 100 FEET was using classic techniques of point of view and visual subliminal suggestion to generate tension and lead you around by the nose rather than hit you in the face.

As a director, it was a wonderful challenge. If you’ve seen 100 FEET before watch it again because you’ll get more out of seeing the film now than you did then. If you haven’t seen it, I would definitely not recommend watching it alone locked down in your house late at night.

Or maybe I would.