Mark Taylor's "Strange" Review

Hello again, ghosts and ghouls!
It feels like it's been quite some time since I've done a book review, doesn't it?! I'm glad to be back on the bookworm wagon and reading like I used to. I have to say, as much as I enjoy watching horror films, something about reading horror is so satisfying. I think it's the fact that you get to conjure up the stories in your head, and it's like a little nightmare while you're awake. No? No one else enjoys having nightmares? Well, that's awkward.

Anyway, on to the review!

I was very generously sent two works by horror author Mark Taylor, and I'll be honest with you, with the holidays happening and life's natural craziness taking place, I was only able to read one so far. That just means that we'll be getting two reviews, so maybe it's not a bad thing!

I read Strange first, which is a collection of short stories. I have a novel, Shutter Speed, waiting for me when I have a hot second to sit down and get really immersed.
With that being said, that takes me into my first favorite part about Strange- few things make me happier than a nice book of short stories. There's something about being able to read a full story start-to-finish in a day that's just so...gratifying.

The second thing I enjoyed about Strange is that there are a few different types of stories! There are the more psychological types ("Networking"), down to the downright horrifying ("Dead Game").

Typically when it comes to book reviews, I try desperately to not give too much away, which is what I'll do here. My favorite in the book is definitely "Dead Game"; it's weird, disturbing, and definitely my type of story. It involves death, so it's kind of a given.

As far as the book itself, the stories are quick and fun reads, so for someone in a rush or someone that's impatient with letting a story unfold, you're in luck! These stories average around 40 pages each.

There's something for everyone, as I said previously, from sci-fi to horror. Strange delivers a fun alternative to sticking to one long story that you may not feel connected to- instead you have the choice to read the stories out of order (because each story is totally different), though I read them in order for the sake of ease.

Thank you again to Mark Taylor who generously sent me such a fun read! If you'd like a copy for yourself, you can get it at http://www.amazon.com/Strange-A-Dark-Surreal-Collection-ebook/dp/B017MIFPRK.

I can't wait to get started on my copy of Shutter Speed!

Until next time, ghosts and ghouls,
Stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible <3

V/H/S Review

Hello again, ghosts and ghouls!

I feel like it's been a hot second since I've really had time to sit down and watch a horror movie these days. HOWEVER, I figured I'd review and oldie but goodie that I've watched a few times now. If you have any films in particular you'd like to see me review, shoot me an email! I'd love suggestions! You can do that at taylorterriblehorror@gmail.com. We can even just talk horror and be best friends. Cool? Cool.

V/H/S was given a limited release here in the US, but that didn’t stop it from taking the horror scene by storm. It’s an anthology of short horror films, so basically, you’re getting a handful of horror films all in one two-hour period. What horror fan is opposed to that?

Essentially, the film opens up with a group of jerks who want to steal a VHS from a house, in which they find that there is more than just one tape. They begin to check out the footage, only to realize that there’s some really fucked up shit on there that they probably didn’t expect.

I’m not exactly sympathetic if you haven’t seen V/H/S, because you’re kind of three years behind. It’s been talked about endlessly for being a truly original film, and each of the short films within this one weird, twisted story has its own strengths. 

Before i give too much away, I’m going to limit myself to telling you guys about just one of the films. It’s called “Second Honeymoon”; while most of you, I’m sure, will disagree that this is the scariest one of all of them, I was really freaked out. It’s so uncomfortable…anyway, let me tell you about it!

A couple goes on their second honeymoon (hence the name) where they encounter a stranger asking for a ride for the next day. That night, someone takes Sam's (the husband) camcorder that he’s been filming pieces of the honeymoon on, and films the couple sleeping. The camera shoots the intruder sticking Sam’s toothbrush in the toilet and stealing $100 from his wallet before whipping out A KNIFE and holding it up to Stephanie. (At this point I was hyperventilating a little).

Alright, I’ll stop there so I don’t give away any of the good stuff. There are also paranormal shorts that went into this film, so if you’re not looking for a thriller about someone breaking into someone’s personal space, you’ve got some sci-fi, some zombie action, the works.

It truly is a film for everyone, and is worth watching at least once. Never again will you want to hear someone say “I like you”.

I'll be using the rating system that we use over on Nightmarish Conjurings (another horror site I write for)!

Story/Concept: 2

Direction/Style: 1 (I only give this a 1 because I’m not the biggest fan of found-footage…if you enjoy it, this is 500% a 2)

Scares: 1

Atmosphere: 2

Rewatchability: 1.5

TOTAL: 7.5

It truly is a film for everyone, and is worth watching at least once. Never again will you want to hear someone say “I like you”.

With that being said…I like you all…a lot.

Until next time, stay spooky!

Taylor Terrible <3

New Year, New Horror!

With 2016 right around the corner (when you all read this, it will be December 22nd or later), we're all beginning to make our New Year's resolutions. Mine include going to the gym more (this is my resolution literally every single year and I do really well up until about May or June...you know, bathing suit season), learning to de-clutter my life, my house (you guys, I own a house! WHAT?!), and most important, get into some new horror!

I have quite a few things up my sleeve for the next few weeks and content to ring in the new year that I'm SO excited about. While I've said before that things will be crazy for me for a bit, I'm going to try to keep you all as updated as possible. I have one more video on my YouTube channel that will be going up as soon as it's all cut together and edited, but in the meantime, I have a few things I'd like to get around to.

My plan is to bring in some paranormal investigation to my channel, so while it's not necessarily about the horror industry, it's something I'm interested in and I hope you guys are able to have as much fun with it as I do! I plan on making that its own series, so hopefully every 2-3 weeks I'll be able to introduce all of you to equipment that I have and use, places I've gone to investigate, etc. It'll be a good time, I promise.

I was very generously sent a copy of Zach Bohannon's Empty Bodies: Open Roads (the fourth installment in the Empty Bodies series) that I need to get around to reading, and I was also sent two books by author Mark Taylor, an author from the UK that got in touch with me. When I finish those, I'll be doing reviews of all of them (potentially in one post) as I've gotten quite a few requests to do more book reviews.

Other than that....The Forest hits theaters January 8th, and you'd better believe that I'll be seeing the earliest viewing possible! There's been some controversy surrounding the content in the film, as people are finding it offensive...but what don't people find offensive these days?
After The Forest comes The Boy, and I'm beyond excited for that one. You all know how much I love myself some creepy dolls.

With that being said, that's the track that I'm on right now! I'm so, so sorry if it feels like things have been hectic or lacking in content lately. Between moving from my apartment back home temporarily and working on ripping walls out and putting new walls in the new house, painting, and working two jobs, I haven't had nearly as much time as I would have liked to focus on this blog, my channel and my all-around horror obsession. It's been neglected. It's heartbreaking. My dark little soul is not happy about it, trust me.

If you have anything you'd like me to review, the best place to let me know would be my Facebook page. I've had some great people interact with me on there, and I'd love to hear from all of you! I'd also love to do a giveaway once my channel hits 200 subscribers. I'm at almost 100 now, so tell your friends!

If you do read this on the 22nd (or any time before the holiday), I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas. My gift from all of you has been your love and support and I appreciate it every single day. Have a happy and safe holiday!

Until next time, stay spooky,
Taylor Terrible <3

KRAMPUS Review!

Hello, ghosts and ghouls!
I have to say, I knew I was excited to see Krampus, but I didn't really think that I would be this insanely excited to review it.

I saw it the day of its release: December 4th, and let me tell you, I was really disappointed with the turnout of the theater. I saw a 10:40 showing, and myself and my group of friends were 6 of about 15 in the theater. The place was dead...no pun intended. Okay, maybe a little pun intended.
Anyway, it seemed like we had a nice crowd of decently interested horror fans who were looking to seriously watch the film. I say this because typically, at the theater I go to, it's screaming 16 year olds who snuck in or their moms bought their tickets to an R-rated horror film. Needless to say when I saw the PG-13 rating on Krampus, I got pretty worried about the people that may be at the theater.
But, like I said, there really were no people, and no one under the age of 20. (-relieved sigh-)

Now, let's get into the film!
For those of you that don't know Krampus' origin story, he's a German folklore character. He's essentially the anti-Santa. Santa Claus brings gifts to the good kids, Krampus tortures the kids (and families) that have lost the Christmas spirit. This brings us to the home of Tom, Sarah, Beth, Max, and Omi. After Max writes a letter to Santa only to have it ridiculed at the dinner table by his nasty cousins, he rips it up and throws it out the window. This summons Krampus to remind Max just how important the Christmas spirit is.

This movie, you guys, was incredible. Michael Dougherty (writer and director of Trick 'r Treat) wrote and directed this film, and it shows. The cinematography, the storytelling, the characters...everything about it was stunning.
For a PG-13 film it was surprisingly terrifying; Krampus' "little helpers" were actually some really disturbing Christmas-decoration-esque demons that made me want to take my lights down (and never play with a Jack-in-the-box again).

I have to say, although they essentially included no gore at all, and the film wasn't graphic, you could tell that what was happening was pure horror. I appreciated that they left a decent amount up to the imagination, because to be honest, I've been looking for a film that allows me to insert my own thoughts. Lately, most horror films have been cut-and-dry, "here's what's happening" crap.

As always, I really don't want to give too much of the film away (although I could talk for hours about how brilliant I thought this film was), so I HIGHLY recommend that you see it ASAP (hence why this review is going up early!).
I give this film a solid 10/10. No ifs, ands or buts about it. There wasn't a single second of this film that I disliked or thought was unnecessary, I would watch it again a million times over, and it's solidified itself as one of my favorite holiday films (right alongside Trick 'r Treat, of course).

UGH YOU GUYS GO SEE KRAMPUS RIGHT NOW. Also, Fright Rags put out an awesome Krampus collection and you should check it out. I'm dying to order the sweatshirt. Let's wear matching Krampus sweaters, okay?

Until next time, stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible <3

Hellraiser Retrospective is Up!

Hello ghosts and ghouls, this is going to be a very quick post...
As all of you know, I'm absolutely obsessed with Hellraiser. It's been my favorite horror franchise for a number of years now, and honestly the obsession has never really died down even slightly.

To commemorate my love of the greatest horror franchise, my newest video is a retrospective of all 9 films!
Click the link below to check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BIptMohva4

Let me know which of the Hellraiser films is your favorite, and which franchise you'd like to see me do this with next!

The Hallow (2015) Review

Just when I thought that the found-footage film was going to take over the horror industry and we'd be left with a bunch of awful films that made our favorite genre look like a joke, director Corin Hardy brought us The Hallow, and I want to kiss him on the mouth for it.

For those of you that were getting so tired of found-footage, this film is going to rock your world. Adam and Claire Hitchens are a couple moving to rural Ireland with their infant son. Adam is a geologist looking to do some research in the surrounding woods...though the locals are telling him to stay away. The creatures in the forest don't take well to visitors...and if you have a baby they'll probably want it.

This film has a little bit of everything for all types of horror fans. If you prefer a slow-burn horror film, you're in for a treat. My only real frustration with this film stemmed from the fact that it took almost an hour for it to pick up and get exciting (I'm an instant-gratification kind of person), but other than that, there's no found-footage (can you tell I hate found-footage?), there's some body horror (one of my favorite types of horror...it freaks me out so bad!) and it's abundant on freaky creatures living in the woods.

When I tell you guys...these creatures are awesome. They were all done with very practical VFX because Hardy didn't want to make them look fake, and trust me, they don't. The sounds they make are awful, too...I was hearing them in my sleep.

While it's not making its way into my top 10 horror films, I do appreciate the film for what it is and I definitely think it's worth a watch if you're feeling tired of the norm in horror (which is lately pretty awful). The Hallow is on VOD now, so I would definitely give it a watch! It's fun, it's stressful, and it's such a breath of fresh air.

Until next time, my creepy people, stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible <3

All Hallows' Eve Review

When you think of Halloween, what's the first thing that comes to mind? For me, it's trick-or-treating in costume while the wind rustles the leaves on the trees as you walk down the street, your costume shoes stomping on the leaves that have already fallen and you hear that satisfying crunch...-sigh-

Naturally, I love all films that revolve around October 31st. Trick 'r Treat is classic, and is in my top 5 favorite horror films of all time. Halloween doesn't get much more iconic. So when I heard about All Hallows' Eve (2013), I said "oh, I'm probably going to love this one!"

                                            photo from screamhorrormag.com


All Hallows' Eve tells the story of a babysitter and the two bratty kids she's watching after their Halloween festivities. They've been trick-or-treating and the night is rapidly coming to a close. The children are sitting around watching movies when Sarah (the babysitter) ushers them to bed. But the bratty brother finds a VHS tape in his trick-or-treat bag (uh...what?) and insists on playing it. After thoroughly disturbing themselves by watching a psychotic clown named Art become the ringleader to the "terror" on the tape, Sarah is left in the house alone while the children sleep. Is someone there with her?

Okay, you guys. I'm not going to lie, I went into this film with insanely high expectations because you all know how much I love, love, LOVE killer clowns. Pennywise is my man, Twisty is my BFF...any evil clown I can find, I will watch and devour with my eyeballs. I'm not scared of clowns, I just adore them. Don't ask me why.

Anyway, I'd heard about this one before, and I saw Art and thought "alright, this is right up my alley, let's go for it!" and then never got around to watching it. Cut to last night, and I was jumping for joy when I found out my friend had it on DVD. Popped it in, and I let the excitement commence...

Except it never came. This actually may be one of the worst films I've ever watched. There's no plot, and what the film lacks in plot, it only slightly makes up for it in gore. Sort of.

You get to see a baby cut out of a woman, and there are "creepy" aliens with noodle arms, but the whole process of getting to the points that are supposed to scare you are unnecessary, kind of annoying, drawn out, and really boring. The VHS itself is cool, it's almost like an anthology but it doesn't make any sense and it never comes together at the end, but nonetheless, it's the easiest part of the film to watch, besides Art.

Art is AWESOME. He's weird, disturbing, and he's very present. He's never lurking in the shadows, he's right in your face (except for the "second film" where he's kind of just a painting).

If you're looking for a good, classic Halloween film, skip over this one and move on to something more sophisticated like Trick 'r Treat. It's essentially the same, but done better.

This one gets a 3.5/10. Womp womp.

Do you guys have any great film suggestions for me? Let me know! Email me at taylorterriblehorror@gmail.com!

Alright guys, tomorrow is my birthday so I'm taking a trip to Sleepy Hollow. I'll let you know how it goes!!

Until next time, stay spooky <3
Taylor Terrible

American Horror Story: Hotel...WHAT WAS THAT?!

Hello again, my ghosts and ghouls.
Today, I'd like to talk to you all about the first episode of American Horror Story: Hotel, because I feel like some images from this season are permanently burned into my brain and I will never be able to unsee them.

I know a ton of people are disappointed that the fabulous Jessica Lange did not return to star in this season (I specifically say "did not return to star" because there are talks of her potentially taking on a small role at some point in the season, though it's not confirmed). HOWEVER, from the looks of this first episode, this cast looks pretty stellar.
I'm not going to lie, I loved Kathy Bates because she's amazing and calm as always, but Dennis O'Hare completely stole the show as Elizabeth Taylor. Werk, honey.
I'm also not going to lie: I'm not convinced on Lady Gaga's character. I'm not sure if it's intentional or not that she's entirely monotonous and predictable. Part of me feels slightly biased because I typically don't enjoy her in general, but her character annoyed me and I found myself wishing her off-screen.

Other than the weirdness that is this crazy cast, can we talk about the insanity that was this storyline?Spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen it yet, don't be mad!

Re-Animator (1985) Review

I need to preface this review by saying: the fact that none of you have suggested this film to me is actually slightly offensive. I'm actually bitter about the fact that no one has ever said "you should probably watch Re-Animator" to me. I'm so disappointed in you all. -sigh-

Now that my sentiments are out in the open...I went into this film totally blind. I've heard people talk about it, but as some of you know, I'm typically the last to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to "classic" horror films, for some reason. Most of the films that I fall in love with are the ones I'm the last to know about. I don't know why it happens that way, but it does...and I think I'm okay with it.

Anyway, all I knew about this film was that it's based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft (insert swoon here), and that Jeffery Combs is a psychotic medical student that brings dead things back to life. For those of you that have never seen the film, there's the synopsis for you! To be honest, I would typically give a little more, but there are so many things about this film that I don't want to give away by giving you a full play-by-play of how the film goes. You really just need to watch it for yourself.

I'm truly a gore-hound. I am in love with watching people get torn apart. I think it's awesome when someone's head explodes. Re-Animator does not skimp on the pure beauty that is insane amounts of gore.

It also does not skimp on attractive men. Herbert West, will you marry me?

This is also one of the strangest films I think I've ever seen. Once you get past the fact that the film is paying homage to the horror classic Psycho by using the same music, and you get past the fact that it's a cheesy 80's horror, it's really strange, disturbing, and actually pretty gross. There are some scenes that made me cringe big-time (and you'll cringe through the whole film if you don't like needles), and there are copious amounts of laughable weirdness.

While the film is noticeably 80's (it's fun, campy, and the VFX are slightly derpy), the storyline is great and really doesn't leave much to be desired. As far as rewatchability goes for this film, I would watch it again tomorrow! It's AWESOME. So much awesome.

As for a number rating, I give this one an 7/10! I'd watch it again (see above), it fills my requirements for a good horror film (slightly cringeworthy, good story, fun characters and gross deaths), the only change I would make would be some of the actors. At times they were just totally not believable.

Have YOU seen Re-Animator? What did you think?

The Green Inferno: Review

I wanted to post this earlier, but I'm trying to keep my Tuesday posting schedule straight...but I was given the opportunity to see The Green Inferno on September 21st, and it was CRAZY, you guys.
Here's the trailer if you haven't already seen it:

I got the invite through Moviepilot.com, so I had the chance to go in as press, which was awesome in itself. We were checked in and sent up to the top floor of the Regal theater on Broadway in Union Square- the final stop on the Green Inferno fan appreciation tour.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with wine, soda, beers...the whole ordeal was kind of surreal. I felt like a modern-day-creepy-female-Gatsby. I was handed a glass of white wine and I was excited to mingle around with other horror lovers...and then Eli Roth walked out.

Roth and Lorenza Izzo (the star of the film) sat at a table to sign posters for fans and screeners. Naturally, I made a fool out of myself by standing there and staring, and making a joke about how the Red Band trailer made me need to stop eating my bacon, egg and cheese on a bagel. But really, if your film can stop me from eating, it's intense. I eat a lot.

We were slowly filtered into the theater, and once everyone was seated, we were introduced to Eli and Lorenza again, along with the producer of the film, Nicolás López.
The film was deliciously disgusting, incredibly gory, and at one point I felt the wine roiling in my stomach, trying to make its way back out of my throat. BUT I persevered and held it down, and from the particular scene (eye-gauging, tongue-extracting and bone-cutting) on, I was okay. Mostly.
I did have to tell myself to breathe quite a few times because I caught myself holding my breath. I also started craving chicken tenders at one point, so I don't know what kind of person that makes me.

It's incredibly graphic, though. Roth told us at the beginning of the screening that he was trying to make the most violent film ever created. I think he succeeded...and surpassed anything that will be made for a long, long time. 
Also, fun fact, the tribe that he filmed with had no idea what electricity was, so the crew brought a television and a generator and showed the tribe Cannibal Holocaust and they though it was some kind of hilarious joke, and that's when they agreed to portray greedy, crazy cannibal people. 

Anyway, I don't want to give too much away, but the film is insane and beautiful and awesome. I highly, highly suggest it for anyone looking to be grossed out, thrilled, horrified, or all of the above.

Giving this film a rating out of 10, I give it an 8.5!! Make sure you check it out; it'll be in theaters on September 25th!

Welcome to the Toy Chest!

Hi, my creepy ghosts and ghouls!

I'm noticing lots of new traffic to my blog, and I assume it's because many of you have seen my new web show, titled after my blog!

This is such a huge deal for me- I'm so excited that I have all of you here as part of the Terrible Toy Chest, and I'm glad you liked the video enough to make your way over here!

For those of you that are readers but didn't know that I had a webshow, follow the link here!
The show will also be posted on YouTube on the Lucky Six Productions page.

For those of you that are viewers that are just stumbling across this page now- hello! I'm so happy you're here, and I love you already!

Some things will be cross-posted- sometimes I'll be doing videos of my posts, and sometimes I'll be doing posts related to my videos. But most of the time, I'll just be doing my thing, talking about horror and loving every second of it...regardless of where I'm doing it!

Alright, creeps, this was just a quick post to get you all acquainted with each other...and with me! I'll be posting again on Tuesday, so I'll see you then.

Until next time, stay spooky!
Taylor Terrible <3

The Horror Shelves

If you've been here from the very beginning, I did a really brief post on some of the cool horror stuff I have laying around my bedroom. Since then, what I call the "horror shelves" as it's my entire desk, have grown exponentially.
In the original post detailing my shelves, I had room to keep the bottom shelf totally open to use for my computer. I had a few of my MoodyVoodies dolls there, but that was it...
The shelves now look like this (and this is the view from my bed, which is amazing to wake up to in the morning):

The photo is from my Instagram: @taylorterrible ...go follow me!!

So let's talk about some of the new additions to that bottom shelf...
That little guy laying back on my other Voodies is a Bughuul doll from Sinister! He was, of course, made by MoodyVoodies, and is signed by Nick King! I believe I talked about that in my post about Haunt Faire.
I had to move my POP!s to the bottom shelf as well to make room for the resin Puppet Master statues on the top shelf, so they've all been lined up on the bottom. Since I took that picture, I added Pinhead to my POP collection as well (of course, are you surprised?) :)
I got a gorgeous case to put my horror mystery minis in from The Container Store, so those are the little shelves you're seeing front and center with those minis on them.
The Pinhead canvas you see on the far right came from my final Horror Block. I miss getting Horror Blocks every month, but adult life says you can't have nice things so my plan is to go back and subscribe again eventually, but until then, I'm just trying to pay my bills. -sigh- The cool t-shirts were awesome.
I've also acquired one of my new favorites: it's behind the Puppet Master collection so it's probably near-impossible to see, but my other half's mom (might as well be my mother-in-law) gifted me her Rocky Horror Picture Show original record from when the film came out!
I had a Bughuul mask made that I'll be wearing for Halloween and that's what you see on the far right, and not pictured is a canvas painting of Bughuul so basically my Sinister collection is exploding.

That's what I've got so far! Maybe one day I'll do a full overview...but who knows when the collecting is going to stop (the answer is probably never)?

This post is queued before the video is set to go up, so I'll edit it when it's released: if you haven't seen it already (I post about it on the Terrible Toy Chest Facebook page) some of my articles are being turned into a little web show so you guys have a better opportunity to connect with me!
If you don't already follow the Facebook page, I'll link it here so you guys can follow along and connect with me more personally there as well!


Until next time, loves, stay spooky!

My Own Writing!

Hi ghosts and ghouls!
This is going to be a special kind of post, because I'll be letting you read some of my own writing. Not a review, not a quick post, this is a full-blown short story that I wrote a few years ago but never had the courage to share.
So now, here it is, my very own short story that I wrote all by myself like a real writing adult!

Hard Candy

Allison swung her feet to the beat of the rock music she had blaring through the speakers of her computer. Her bed vibrated with the bass, and she bobbed her head mindlessly as her legs kicked. The sound of knocking on her window jolted her out of her stupor, causing her to jump out of her skin.

“I told you not to fucking do that, asshole! I could have had a heart attack!” She looked to her window and saw Jack, who was climbing the siding as usual. His warm eyes and sparkling smile stopped her heart on their own, calming the thumping in her chest and helped her breathing return to normal.

“Sorry, babe, I couldn’t get your attention. Your music was too loud.” He yelled over the music, but his voice poured out of his mouth like silk, causing Allison’s heart to skip again. She sighed deeply and slid across her bed to her window. He grabbed her by her hair and kissed her. Smiling into her mouth, he whispered her name.

“Are you finally ready to do this, Jack?” Allison pulled away and smoothed her hair away from her face, blushing fiercely. He shook his head at her and pressed his index finger to his lips, then pointed to her door. Footsteps echoed down the hallway, then stopped outside Allison’s door.

“Hon? Who are you talking to?” Her mother. The bane of her existence. The woman had stifled Allison’s creativity from the time she was a child, constantly giving her candy to keep her quiet. She distinctly remembered the odd taste- it was medicinal and melted in her mouth, then she felt nothing. Allison rolled her eyes and punched Jack in the arm. “I’m talking to you, answer me,” she said from outside the door.

“I’m not, mom, I’m doing homework. I think it’s just my music you’re hearing.” She lifted the remote from her mattress and pressed pause. The room went silent, and Jack giggled. She elbowed him hard in the ribs. He gasped and let the laughs come in waves. “Shut up!” she hissed, holding a hand over her mouth. He stuck his tongue through her fingers, and she pulled them away in disgust.

“I can hear you whispering, I’m going to get the skeleton key to open the door.” Her mother’s footsteps scurried away, and Allison looked to Jack, then to the window, then back to Jack. She motioned with her head. He shook his, smiling. He crawled across the bed towards the window, threw his legs over, and dropped down onto the roof just as the lock popped open. The door swung, and Allison’s mother stood in the doorway.

The woman was disheveled. She was tired-looking, with horrible bags under her eyes. Her once auburn hair was now streaked with white, and her roots had grown in since her last dye-job, leaving her looking old and worn. She was a rag doll standing in the hall, ungroomed, slippers hanging off, her robe old and covered in holes. She brought a hard hand to her wrinkled forehead and sighed.

“Was Jack here again?” She asked abruptly, like she smelled him in the room. She inspected the furniture, checked under the bed, even checked the garbage can next to the desk. “Oh good, no cigarettes this time.”

“Mom, I’m all by myself, I don’t know why you would think Jack was here,” Allison started. Her breath hitched when she realized his jacket was draped over her desk chair. She desperately hoped her mother would think it was hers. After all, it was a leather jacket…very similar to one she already had. She was misunderstood and dressed that way, with fire-engine-red hair that hung in her face, thick liner around glittering green eyes, and combat boots that clicked when she walked. She liked drawing attention to herself, but would never say it out loud.

“Okay,” her mother sighed. “I believe you. Listen, I need to give you your candy, okay? It’s 2 o’clock.”

“I don’t want it,” she argued.

“Well I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.” Her mother reached for the end-table in the hall and produced two pieces of the dreaded “candy” that was so often the source of Allison’s disdain. The two round white candies sat in her mother’s palm. She cupped a glass of water in the other hand. She approached her daughter cautiously, almost sluggishly slow.

Allison shook her head and slapped a hand to her mouth. She slid under the covers and pulled them up over her head, and the struggle began. She tugged one way, her mother tugged the other. Eventually, she felt chilled air hit her cheeks as her mother tugged the blanket free. She removed the hand from her mouth, groaned loudly, and dropped her jaw. She closed her eyes and felt the candies hit her tongue. She knocked them back with a sip of water, then sat. And sat. And waited.

She waited for Jack, but he didn’t come. She waited for the angel and devil that usually took their places on her shoulders to give her the solution, but they didn’t let her know they were listening. She let the tears roll down her face in hot streams, then made the decision to put her head down and go to sleep. Her thoughts were quiet that night.

The next morning, sun streamed in through the window…which was flung wide open. Allison stirred and rubbed her eyes, then shrieked when she felt the pressure of someone pressed against her. A hand flew to her mouth and covered it quickly to quiet her scream. “It’s just me, baby, it’s okay. It’s just me.” Jack’s strong arms wrapped around her, and she felt the soft heat of  his body.

Like clockwork, a knock came to her door. “What are you screaming about? Are you okay?” Her nervous mother banged on the door relentlessly. She heard the shuffling of those awful, tattered slippers against the wood flooring.

“Fine, mom, I just had a nightmare,” she called. Her breathing returned to normal as Jack sat up next to her. She shook her head and stood. Walking to her closet, she swung her hips seductively at her boyfriend. He whistled at her, and she turned quickly to throw her index finger to her lips to motion for him to silence herself. She stopped at her computer and turned on the most awe-inspiring song she could think of…Pussy Liquor by Rob Zombie.

She undressed slowly, pulling her oversized t-shirt over her head. It got caught on her chin and she giggled uncomfortably as she pulled it off quickly. She let it drop to the floor, gyrating her hips as she reached for the elastic band of her pants next. She pulled them taut and let them drop at her feet.

Yeah, I like to get fucked up too.

Yeah, I bet you do.

Her eyes met Jack’s as he raised them from her perky breasts. His jaw was to his knees, but the corners of his mouth were curled up in a ravenous grin. She walked to him, wearing nothing but her silky boy-shorts. She grabbed him by his face and kissed him hard. He pulled her onto the bed.

“Allison! Turn that damn music down!” Her mother banged on the door. “Those lyrics are disgusting!” her heart lurched as she stared down at the bed- Jack was gone. Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran to her clothing pile that sat in a heap of plaid and cotton fabric. She dressed quickly, pulling her shirt over her face so quickly that her hair came loose from its tight bun on the back of her head. It fell around her eyes messily. She glared through the strands- was she seeing red, or was that just the color it was dyed? She yanked her pajama pants back up.

The song switched to Superbeast. Her heart rate accelerated as she reached for her doorknob. She swung it open to see her mother holding the usual glass of water in one hand, and two pieces of the sugary candy in her other palm. Meg started at her nervously. She smiled and tilted her head to the side, like an innocent puppy. “Honey, I brought you your candy, you have to go to school and I know you can’t go without it.”

“I’m not taking that shit ever again!” She wailed and knocked the pills from her mother’s outstretched palm. “You scared Jack away again! I don’t need them now, I don’t need them ever! He’s never coming back anyway!”

“Allison, please, we’ve talked about this. Jack isn’t real. You see him when you don’t take your medi-“ she stopped abruptly. “Your candy.”

“Have you been telling him to be afraid of me? He’s been acting strange, you probably hurt his feelings! Why do you have to be such a bitch, mother?” She snatched the glass from her mother’s other hand, and slammed it on the ground. Water splashed in a wave around their feet, soaking her mother’s slippers and sending shards of glass bouncing around the floor.

“Are you kidding me? Allison, you are grounded!”

“Good! Maybe while you’re not bothering me, he’ll finally fuck me!”

“You watch your mouth, missy, or you’re going to be in a world of trouble.” Her mother backed out of the doorway and into the hall. Her hands were shaking, and she held them out in front of her timid frame. Her expression said I love you, please don’t hurt me, this isn’t you.

Allison reached to the floor and picked one of the larger shards of glass. The red blurring her vision only allowed her to see her mother grab the telephone off the cradle. She was going to try to send her away again. But she was so much better…why did mother want to send her back to her other room? She would never see Jack again. She would only know mediocre meals on a metal tray, ping-pong tables and moaning from down the hall. She wouldn’t let that happen. Not this time. She wanted Jack.

Her mother shrieked as Allison’s feet seemingly floated off the ground. The balls of her daughter’s feet smashed against the shards of broken glass, but she didn’t notice. Her feet bled onto the floor, leaving misshapen footprints. She finally dove at her mother, tackling her to the ground. She heard the muffled voice of someone on the other end of the phone before her mother began sobbing uncontrollably.

“Baby! Baby, please, listen to me, I’m trying to help you. Please, let me get downstairs to get your bottle of medicine, okay? Please, I’m begging you!” Allison reveled in her mother’s discomfort. The guttural laugh that escaped her throat was that of Jack. Dark, eerie and unhuman. Her mother squirmed helplessly under her daughter’s weight.

She rose the shard of glass into the air, and brought it down swiftly into her mother’s exposed neck. She tried to cry out, but all that escaped her was a bubble of blood from her mouth. It seeped out of the corner of her mouth and trickled down onto the floor. Her eyes began to glaze over as she struggled under Allison. Her irises shifted back and forth, trying to seek some last inkling of salvation. She could see her daughter’s maniacal face staring down at her before everything began fading.

“You took Jack from me. You’ll never be able to do it again.” Allison released the glass as her mother’s body went limp. She saw a shadow move from the doorway behind her. She stood up, stared down at the lifeless body beneath her, kicked it, and walked away.

She returned to her room, where Jack was sitting on their bed, applauding. “I told you that you could do it! How long have I been in your head telling you to do this,” he exclaimed. He jumped up and hugged her as tight as he could. “Look at what a great job you did! Just like how I told you!”

“Jack…what did I do…” Allison’s face went pale as she stared at her mother’s lifeless body in the hall. She turned a shade of green and vomited on her floor. She could see the lights flashing outside the window. “It’s over, Jack. I’m never going to see you again.”

She heard the bang of the door being kicked in downstairs. Her hearing was muffled- all she could hear was a loud ringing, and the slight sound of footsteps climbing the stairs. Jack was retreating towards the window, slowly fading as he reached the windowsill before vanishing into thin air. “Jack! Please don’t leave me!” the girl howled. He didn’t answer. 

The men she knew as her fathers stopped in the hall, taking a moment to look down at Allison’s handiwork. One of them let his hand fly to his mouth, the other two stepped cautiously around. One pulled what looked like a lollipop from his back pocket, the other produced a syringe.

“Allison? Honey, are you okay?” One of them spoke to her slowly and quietly. She shook her head gravely. She stared down at the ground, her hair hanging in her face. The tips of her layers were coated in vomit. She shook her head again. She sat down on her floor, crossed her legs, and put her head in her hands.

“It’s okay, we’re here to take you home,” the one with the syringe assured. He stroked her hair as he plunged the needle into her arm. The nurse that had stopped in the hall wheeled the stretcher around the gruesome scene. Allison slowly began fading, losing consciousness. She nodded solemnly as the world started going black.

She awoke in a bright room. A woman with red lipstick, wearing all white, was hovering over her with a sponge coated in what smelled like rubbing alcohol. “You’re quite the mess down here, little lady,” she said. She walked down to Allison’s feet and pressed the sponge to her wounds. The helpless girl tried to writhe, but she was strapped down to the bed. “Don’t worry, we’re going to take good care of you here, just like last time.”

Allison never saw Jack, or anyone else, again.

Thanks for reading, guys. If you stuck it out and got through the whole thing, I don't think you know how much it means to me to have you here, reading my work. You're all amazing, and I love each and every one of you creepy little weirdos more than you'll ever know.

Thank you for being on this journey with me.

Love always,

Taylor Terrible <3

Traveling This Week

Hi all! If you haven't noticed, I think I'm going to be switching to posting on just Tuesdays. I write for my blog (this one here :D), another blog (Nightmarish Conjurings ) and I also write for moviepilot.com
I post reviews every other week on Nightmarish Conjurings, and often, I am sent to see pre-screenings of films or being asked to write specific posts on Moviepilot. In the midst of all of that, I feel like my posts on Terrible Toychest have been lacking; they aren't the quality I want them to be. I want to do more than just reviews, so this is where you all come in!
I would love to hear feedback from all of you...tell me what you want to see! Leave me a comment, or you can shoot me an email at taykrauss@gmail.com. I'll be checking it to see what you guys leave me!
As for this week, I'll be away in Atlantic City on vacation when this post goes up. I'm going away with a few horror fans like myself, so I'll be trying to put some fun stuff together for you guys!
Can't wait to talk to you all,
Taylor Terrible <3 <3

Sorry I Disappeared

Hi, lovely ghoulies.
I'm so, so terribly sorry for my lack of posts over the last few days. I had a death in the family and needed some time away.
I will be back to posting as normal! I would love to hear from all of you, so tell me what you'd like to see. Any films you'd like me to review? Have a video you need me to check out that's terrifying and terrific? Let me know!
Thanks for understanding, guys. <3 <3

Sorry for the Lack-of-Post!

Hi ghoulies!
Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday, it's been a super busy week in the horror world for me, and I promise I'll be back on Tuesday with some really incredible horror content!
I have big things coming up; I've partnered up with a couple of different outlets for horror writing, and once everything is all set in stone and ready to go, I'll be keeping you all in the loop!
I have some new books and movies lined up to watch, so stay tuned! <3 <3
Stay spooky my loves,
Taylor

Dirt Lullabies: A Novel Review!

I had the privilege of reading the new novel by author Jeremy Megargee, Dirt Lullabies.
Honestly, the opportunity came about in a pretty cool way...we've been following each other on Instagram for some time, when suddenly, a message appeared! Jeremy asked me to read Dirt Lullabies and I agreed, hence where we are now!

Let me tell you, guys, I ripped through this book. 5 hours, and I was finished with the whole thing. It was a snowy day here in New York (I'm writing this on Thursday night, but you guys will see this on Tuesday) so I had a little time on my hands to sit down and truly get involved in a book.
Well, I didn't exactly expect that I would be so immersed in this book that I would finish it in one sitting. I also didn't know I could sit still for 5 hours.

Let me give you a quick synopsis:
Roman Merrick lives in West Virginia with his parents, and the family is just barely scraping by. He discovers a crack in the ground in the root cellar beneath his home that could just be the answer to all of his family's problems...when a melodic voice calling itself M drifts up from the crack promising a way out, Roman is faced with a life-altering decision.

I KNOW, even the synopsis is awesome. The story is very original, and I found myself slightly crushing on the antagonist, M, which is pretty disturbing. I mean, you're going to have to read it to find out why.

It's gory, it's gripping, it doesn't let you go, and I was turning pages like a madwoman. I probably looked insane reading it. Good thing I was curled up in a ball under the blanket to read it during this insane weather. The characters are awesome and memorable, and I absolutely love their stories. It just feels so complete- you don't finish reading with any questions like "wait why did that happen?" or "who was that?" or anything like that, it's completely full-circle and cohesive, which is nice. Also, there may or may not be an awesome goth girl that reminds me a lot of myself.....she's my favorite.

I honestly don't have enough good things to say about this novel. I loved every second of reading it and I am so honored to have been asked to give it a read. If you're looking for a novel to really grab your attention, Dirt Lullabies is absolutely a great place to start. Also, you'll be supporting Indie writers, which is even more awesome, because their talent needs to be exposed!

Let me know if you decide to read Dirt Lullabies, you're really missing out until you do!!

What Do You Ghouls Want to See?

Hey guys!

This post is going to be a little different today. I was doing a lot of thinking, and I really don't want to keep doing reviews (I feel like it gets repetitive); I won't stop doing them completely, but I'd like to do them a little less frequently.

SO in the spirit of keeping you guys entertained, I will leave this to you!
What would you all like to see on the Terrible Toy Chest? If you want me to keep reviewing, by all means, I will in the frequency I was going!
Or would you like to see videos? My horror collection? Opinions on books instead of films? More haunted places I love...?

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.
And stay safe in this crazy snow if you're in or near New York like I am! :(