Exorcisms ... are they the new black?

Ok... given my forthcoming book Torment is centred around an exorcism, I just had to see The Last Exorcism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOQTxalr334

Despite feeling a little let down by the ending, there is a hell of a lot to like about this film.

The story: disheartened and maybe a little disillusioned Reverend Cotton Marcus sets out to debunk the "demonic possession" phenomenon by inviting two film students to accompany him to a farm in Louisiana where a young girl is believed to be possessed by Satan himself.

The mockumentary style, like The Blair Witch Project, works in the movie's favour. As the horror escalates, the viewer is drawn in - trapped with the characters.

The acting IMHO is the real highlight. Ashley Bell who plays Nell is perfect, playing innocent one minute and frightening the next. Patrick Fabian, who plays Reverend Marcus is also believeable, playing the role of the con-man of the cloth with controlled strength.

The middle section of the film is when the film really shines, as the "demon" takes control of Nell and terrorises  everyone in the house. One scene where the "possessed" Nell borrows the camera is particularly unsettling.

The Last Exorcism is probably one of the most well-acted horror films I have seen for some time and certainly  deserves a place alongside Blatty's The Exorcist. Let's just hope they don't spoil it by jumping on board the sequel train. But hey, that's just my opinion.

The E-Book revolution

E-Books are all the rage in publishing at the moment, with many publishers, including large publishers, using the instant digital world as a marketing tool.

Take the novella The Painted Darkness, written by Brian James Freeman and published by Cemetery Dance Press.

I was lucky enough to be able to download a free PDF version of the title before its impending release. The Painted Darkness is a fine piece of dark fiction that pulls at the heartstrings at a very visceral level. The story revolves around Henry, an artist tortured by something horrible that happened during his childhood.

The concept of imagination - and whether truth is real or make believe - that runs through Freeman's story, certainly resonated with me and the climax of the story was very rewarding.

Freeman weaves the tale well, shifting from past to present, the horror always there, waiting. But what he has really capitalised on is the e-book phenomenon; by giving people his book in electronic format for free he has proven his book is worth buying in print form.

With my novella Torment (to be published by Damnation Books in e-book and print formats from March 2011), I was a bit hesitant at first about publishing it electronically. However I can now see how the instant PDF version can very quickly and easily get the good word out about your book.

Therefore I can’t recommend e-books enough and it is certain there are many more to come.www.brianjamesfreeman.com