The three best gore-some horror audiobooks for valentines

Who says horror and romance don’t go together? If you and your valentine love a good horror story, here are our top picks of frightful and romantic audiobooks from Vidicus to snuggle up with this Valentine’s day.

1. Seers of Life - Jennifer DeLucy

The story of Lillian Hunt, a young woman who lives an unremarkable life until one day she is ripped from the only existence she has ever known and thrust into a world she has always suspected existed but could scarcely believe. She must learn about the beings that want to destroy her and the two men who would do anything for her!

2. Guilty Pleasures, Anita Blake (Vampire Hunter 1) Laurell K Hamilton

Anita Blakes job is re-animating the undead and killing the undead when they go a bit too far! Anita is small, dark and dangerous and not to be messed with. When she is asked to solve a series of mysterious slayings, she has to confront her undeniable attraction to the man she has sworn to destroy, Jean-Claude, the master vampire.

3. The Queen of the Damned (The Vampire Chronicles) Anne Rice

The vampire chronicles are a classic romantic horror series. Arguably the Queen of the Damned is the most romantic of them all. This story takes place in 1975, 10 years before the Interview with a Vampire and tells the story of the vampire Lestat and his determination to step out into the light and not have to spend eternity hiding in the shadows. After reinventing himself as a rock star - The intoxicating lure of his music awakens Akasha, the Queen of all vampires. She has been resting for centuries, waiting to rise and seize domination over the world.

If you are interested in more romantic horror audiobooks, you can view our chilling collection at Vidicus.

Best Dramatic Horror Audiobooks With an Engaging Plot

Scary drama audiobooks give listeners a thrilling experience. They help you overcome real-world trauma. Here are some of the dramatic audiobooks you should listen to.

The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sun

As Gabrielle Glaisters narrates this audiobook, you will certainly confirm that this has to be one of the ugliest and gruesome dramatic horror books ever. With every turning twist of events come creepy revelations, as a body is found. But this is not just any other body. The hand is bound, and the skin is all covered up in marks. The detective digs up to find out the source of the killings. And he finds out this is the job of a serial killer. The detective goes to a psychotherapist for further help in the case. Listen and find out.

Fright Night by Maren Stoffel

Sofia is not sure about Fright Night and was only thinking of it as a silly excuse to be nearer to Dylan. She is starting to believe that the night in the deserted woods is not such a good idea after all. As the night progresses, things get intense. Sofia and her girlfriends are pretty scared and frightened by the turn of events. Sadly, though, going back to where they were is next to impossible. Then suddenly something happens.

The Companion by Katie Alender

Margot is an orphan who is lucky to have been adopted by a prestigious family. But it wasn't luck, as the family chose her to keep their silent daughter named Agatha company.

For more drama audiobooks, head over to www.vidicus.com.

Horror comics which will give you a good spook

If you love comics and are fans of horror, then get your hands on these quick reads now.

The Dark & Bloody

Writer: Shawn Aldridge

Artist: Scott Godlewski

Publisher: Vertigo/ DC Comics

Shawn Aldridge and Scott Godlewski’s backwoods chiller The Dark and Bloodyis as concerned with real horror as it is with the demonic creature looming just beyond the trees. Iris Gentry is an Iraq War vet, returned to his Kentucky holler and running a moonshine operation out of his garage to provide for his family. When a figure from his past shows up in a threatening new form, Iris is once more thrust into battle to defend his seemingly diminished life.

Delphine

Writer/Artist: Richard Sala

Publisher: Fantagraphics

Aside from historians, few parties acknowledge that the Brothers Grimm curated some sick, sick, nihilistic folk tales. Predating Disney by 200 years plus, parents cried afoul, pressuring the folklorists into punctuating their tales with far more optimism and happy endings. (For those who disagree, Google “Bluebeard.”) Richard Sala attempts to exceed Jacob and Wilhelm’s Old World gloom in Delphine, the tale of a young man who pursues a beautiful ingénue with a nasty matron looking over her shoulder. Sala’s hatched, angular linework veers from cartoon innocence to black-hole despair within the same page, and any hint of catharsis swirls out of grasp as our “hero” blunders into unfathomable peril. This is a horrific, seductive rendition of Snow White for sadists, with an ending as unflinchingly cold as the frigid landscapes Sala renders.

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural

Writer: Rick Remender

Artist: Jefte Palo

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Written by a nascent Rick Remender (whose brief stint with a patchwork Punisher in Franken-Castle also makes for a fun Halloween romp) and drawn by Jefte Palo, Doctor Voodoo gave a tantalizing look at the potential of the Marvel U.’s mystical side before being snuffed out at issue #5. Former Brother Voodoo and borderline racist running joke Jericho Drumm isn’t a magic-slinging rookie, but his new role as the Sorcerer Supreme tests him in significant ways. Palo’s rendering of classic Marvel demonic forces like Dormammu and Nightmare bring a new level of intimidation and fear to characters frequently underused by other creators. Voodoo never got a fair shake at owning his new role, but crappy sales and a quick cancellation can’t erase the quality paranormal action of this self-contained story arc. —Steve Foxe

For plenty more horror, check out www.vidicus.com.

What makes a good horror movie

Horror movies are jam packed with suspense, gore, the supernatural and hit every type of fear out there to tingle all the senses. They’re designed to terrify you in the best possible way whilst having a good time. But what really does make a good horror movie?

The pace - When it comes to a horror movie, you don’t want all the scary bits all at once nor do you want them to be spaced too far out, there has to be the right amount of balance. You want to create a buildup that shocks the audience when you hit a climactic point. If it’s too slow the audience will get bored but if the pace is too fast then it’s a bit over the top.

The Dark - Since childhood, we are afraid of the dark - not the dark itself but what’s hidden within it. That when a horror movie uses darkness as a fear tactic, it can really enhance all of the senses and put you on edge. It can also add to the fear factor when you watch the movie in the dark.

Suspense - The best horror movies are packed with suspense. Suspense involves creating anticipation that something bad will happen but not knowing when it will occur. A lot of good horror movies create anticipation but then violate the audiences’ expectations.

Spooky music - Music can really add something to any mood, especially in horror movies. It’s used in horrors to add creepiness and accentuate actions seen on screen.

Discover more horror content here at www.vidicus.com.

5 of the World’s Scariest Travel Destinations

Love travelling and mystery? Then why not combine the two with these five destinations which are known to be the scariest in the world.

Sleepy Hollow, New York

If you love Washington Irving’s classic tale of the Headless Horseman who is searching for his lost head, then be sure to give the town of Tarrytown, New York, a visit. Just over one hour from NYC in the Hudson Valley, you can visit the church’s burial ground and listen to the story read aloud inside the church itself. You can take a lantern tour of the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where Irving is buried, but be careful, you might even run into the horseman himself!

Transylvania

When visiting Romania, a stop in Transylvania cannot be missed. Bran Castle, or Dracula’s Castle, obviously has a connection to the real-life prince Vlad the Impaler, and hosts an annual Halloween party for those not afraid of the legend. Other impressive castles linked with the prince include Poenari Fortress and Corvin Castle.

London

Even though it’s an international capital, London can be eerie with its mist and fog. You can take a tour of Jack the Ripper’s trail through Whitechapel, then visit The Ten Bells pub where his victims passed time before meeting their fate. Then, on the banks of the Thames River, you can explore the Tower of London where many royal beheadings took place including Henry VIII’s wife Anne Boleyn. They say spirits of the executed still walk the grounds. In northern London’s Highgate Cemetery there have been sightings of phantoms, and even a vampire, wandering among the tombstones.

New Orleans

New Orleans is named the most haunted city in America, with its Voodoo, vampires and ghosts just about everywhere. It has been the location for many movies including Interview with the Vampire, True Blood, and American Horror Story, and you can take a ghost tour to hear about the atrocities which took place at the LaLaurie mansion. When in the French Quarter, visit the haunted bars and pubs, take a peek inside a voodoo shop, and take a walk through St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 which is the burial place of “voodoo queen” Marie Laveau.

La Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls), Mexico

If you are visiting Mexico City and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Xochimilco, don’t forget to check out this creepy destination. Apparently the Island of the Dolls is home to the spirit of a young girl who drowned offshore, and a recluse who lived on the island believed collecting filthy dolls and missing body parts would appease her spirit. Visitors to the island have actually said the dolls move, blink their eyes, and even whisper. Now how scary is that?

For more scary destinations and other stories, check out www.vidicus.com.

Two young adult horror novels worth checking out

Although many horror tales can be pretty graphic and gruesome, they are by no means a no-go area for young adults. As books like that the Twilight series have shown, there is an appetite for good young adult horror novels. Here are two worth checking out.

Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel Jose Older

In a futuristic New York city, the living and the dead mingle and it is up to the New York Council of the Dead to regulate it all. Carlos Delacruz is one of the council’s agents, but he is the living embodiment of the very entities he is pursuing. Carlos himself is a half-dead inbetweener with a sketchy memory about how he came to walk that fine line. He doesn’t remember suffering or how he came to have a foot in both camps. That all changes, though, when he meets another inbetweener, although one with sinister motives.

This half-dead sorcerer wants to throw open the gateway between the living dead and has already assembled an army of undead which he plans to overrun the city with. Carlos’s job is to stop him, but in trying to, he discovers something about himself.

Minion by LA Banks

Damali Richards is one of the prize artists for Warriors of Light Records. She is Spoken Word star, but hides a dark, nocturnal secret. When she’s not wowing audiences or recording new tracks, Damali is out hunting vampires and other creatures of the underworld. However, her worlds start to collide when a series of killings seemingly carried out by vampires targets other Warriors of the Light artists. Soon, she realises she is not dealing with any ordinary vampire here and Damali quickly learns that she too is on their hitlist. Can she battle these dark forces and save her own soul before it’s too late?

Find more absorbing horror tales with the books from www.vidicus.com.

What Is Gothic Horror?

Gothic architecture the quintessential setting for a spooky story, but just what is a true gothic horror?

Here’s an overview of the gothic horror genre and what themes it incorporates.

The word ‘Gothic’ is from a German group of people called the Goths, who built distinctive elaborately ornate architecture, which later served as a fantastic setting for the literature.

Gothic literature is primarily about the mystery and intrigue surrounding all things supernatural and unexplained. The height of gothic fiction took place between 1764 and 1840. The earliest gothic horror novel is generally considered to be ‘The Castle of Otranto’ (1764) by Horace Walpole. During these initial years, the gothic story was an offshoot of romantic literature.

Common themes and ideas explored in gothic literature include: gloomy, decaying settings which have a mysterious past, (such as abandoned mansions with hidden secrets and entrances); other-worldly beings and monsters (like vampires, ghosts, werewolves and the undead); prophecies, visions, spells and curses; heroes rescuing damsels in distress; romance and extreme emotions.

Gothic horrors continue to influence writers and other creatives to this day, and can be seen on our bookshelves, TV and movie screens, and a lot of our language and stereotypes we have around the horror genre.

Discover an enormous library dedicated to horror content at www.vidicus.com. With creepy content that will have your pulse racing until the very last page, we offer books, music and audiobooks to satisfy your horror needs. Browse the collection today and enjoy ad-free access to your favorite reads, as well as up-and-coming books by new talent.

Horror fiction: How the genre rose from the dead

Book stores are reporting a spike in sales of horror books in the last few years and it appears that nostalgia has a big part to play in this recent resurgence of the genre.

The public’s appetite for this kind of nostalgic horror has been whetted, it seems by TV shows and movies.

The huge success of Netflix TV show Stranger Things is being credited with reawakening readers’ interest in horror fiction. The show is set in the 1980s and features a group of kids encounter, well, strange things, such as supernatural episodes, aliens and other pretty creepy stuff.

Similarly, the remake of IT, a movie based on a Stephen King novel, has led a whole new generation to discover the work of the godfather of horror writing.

British book chain Waterstones reported that they had seen a 33% growth in their sales of horror fiction. In a report in the Daily Telegraph, Waterstones horror buyer Kate McHale credits Stranger Things with that surge, saying that the show has “tapped into that 80s horror nostalgia and created an incredible reader resurgence in the genre.”

The remake of IT grossed over $700million, which is another indication that the genre is in rude health and that King’s work has an enduring appeal.

The appetite for the more supernatural style of horror thriller is certainly reflected in the popularity of books such as The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley, which was named book of the year in 2016 at the British Book Awards.

Discover more supernatural horror stories with the books from www.vidicus.com.

Three things you didn’t know about Dracula

Dracula is one of the most famous and influential horror and vampire books of all time. But there are a few things you probably didn’t know about the Bram Stoker classic. Here is a rundown of just a few things you didn’t know about Dracula.

Stoker was inspired by a short story

One thing you might not know about Dracula is that the inspiration for the book came from a short story that was written as part of competition between Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley and John Polidori. Polidori wrote a piece called The Vampyre which inspired Stoker to write Dracula.

Dracula made a deal with the devil for his powers

In Stoker’s novel, the character of Van Helsing tells us that Dracula got his vampire powers by making a deal with the devil. As he is the lord of vampires and the father of all other vampires, it does make a good deal of sense that Dracula would have had to have made a deal with some devilish force to gain all his powers and dominion over night.

Stoker wrote Dracula after Jack the Ripper

Bram Stoker began writing Dracula in 1890, just two years after Jack the Ripper had been terrorising London. There are links between Stoker’s writing and the murders that Jack the Ripper committed, making the tale of the vampire even more horrifying for those links.

For more about Dracula and other horror books, visit www.vidicus.com where you will find the best that horror fiction has to offer.

Best zombie and vampire movies on Netflix right now

When it comes to monster movies, it is undeniable that they make some of the best horror movies out there. Not humans possessed by demons or psychopaths coming to kill, but humans changed by dark forces into beasts that threaten to wipe out the rest of the human race. Here’s our run down of the best zombie and vampire monster movies on Netflix in January.

Shaun of the Dead

Part of the cornetto trilogy, Shaun of the Dead sees a man (Simon Pegg) waking up one morning to discover that zombies have taken over and he has to save his mum, best friend and girlfriend (but not his step-father) from being turned into zombies. The best way he can think of doing that – heading to the pub.

From Dusk till Dawn

Before his rise to fame thanks to films such as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, Quentin Tarantino wrote From Dusk til Dawn. A strange but ultimately brilliant movie about two thieves that end up at a strip club that’s open from Dusk till Dawn with a family of three. Though it seems to be a crime thriller, you soon discover that the strip club is full of vampires.

Train to Busan

Zombies on a train could have been the title of this movie. As the zombie apocalypse begins in South Korea, a group of strangers are trapped on a train and end up fighting against the zombies. Simple as it sounds; this movie is elegant, exciting and surprising. The characters are easy to fall in love with and it is easily one of the greatest zombie movies ever made.

To find out more about what’s on Netflix this January, check out www.vidicus.com where you’ll find out more.