Dean’s Blog

Out of the Skye into the Spiral of Madness: 24’s Horror of the Year Smile 2, starring Naomi Scott, Ray Nicholson, Rosemarie DeWitt; Written and directed by Parker Finn by Dean Patrick It’s quite a gem when a sequel comes out and utterly blows the original so far out of orbit that the original is…

The Horror of Fyodor: A peep into the haunting works of Dostoyevsky by Dean Patrick Horror is never confined to gory scenes or spectral visitations. Of course not. In fact, the most unsettling stories are those that hold up a mirror to our inner condition, forcing us to confront what lies within…what seeps under the…

by Dean Patrick Happy Halloween my fine readers! Let me invite you once again to join me through a journey down the crooked paths to the abyss… …an exploration of the human psyche, an unflinching look at fear, power, and our most base instincts. Across my trilogy—The Lady Mephistopheles, Terra’s Sabbath, and The Harlot and…

Edgar’s Horror by Dean Patrick I thought a tribute to Edgar Allan for the last week before All Hollow’s Eve was appropriate. Few names evoke a shiver as quickly as Poe. His is a journey deep into fear and madness. His horror doesn’t rely on gore or shock but on a slow, inexorable erosion of…

Insect Politics and the Boogeyman: A Brutal Equation by Dean Patrick Recently, during the now full throttle of the Haunted Season, my wife recently asked what I thought was the most famous quote from David Cronenberg’s The Fly. I was thinking more along the lines of full scenes when she said, “Be Afraid. Be very…

The Horror of the Coward by Dean Patrick The horror of the coward is far more consequential than that of the bully.  The bully has effected each of us in some way. Whether being bullied ourselves, or knowing someone else we love who is going through it…or even doing it ourselves, it is a terrible…

The Dark Allure of Serial Killers by Dean Patrick Serial killers, whether real or imagined, have a vice-like grip on our deepest fears. They are more than vessels of violence—they are incarnations of chaos, fragments of our darkest impulses brought to life. To unravel their psychosis is to peer into an abyss where the boundaries…

Mia Gothic Horror by Dean Patrick Last year, Mia Goth publicly called out the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), better known as The Oscars, for their persistent snubbing of horror films and performances. She was particularly vocal about the Academy’s neglect of outstanding performances, and she’s absolutely right—especially when considering the work…

Civil. War. Horror. by Dean Patrick There’s a consensus going around that Christopher Nolan is our greatest living director. It’s a hard case to argue against with his Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar, and last year’s Oscar Magnus Opus, Oppenheimer. I went into Civil War hoping to make the case for Alex Garland being at that…

March 2024’s pick Relying on horror to save the film industryby Dean Patrick My brother, Josh, and I were recently discussing how truly god-awful the film industry has become. Movies are now so watered down and soft many of them are as nauseating as baby food.  I believe Marvel is one of the biggest reasons;…

March 2024’s pick Addiction is as real as any horror on earth. It cannot be cured, only managed. Overcoming addiction is possible and worth every second of effort. I want to thank Eric Bond for interviewing me on this poignant subject that affects us all in some way or another. Enjoy my fine readers!

January 2024’s pick. Satan’s details. The more I work on my latest novel (the 3rd book in the Terra Drake trilogy where I have created a demonic villain who represents everything that each of us, as well as collectively, can possibly face) the more I take notice of the phrase, “The devil is in the…

December 2023’s 2nd Pick Go with me here for a few minutes, my fine readers. Please.  I’ve recently produced a chapter in my next book of the Terra Drake Trilogy based on a specific event in my own life. A bulling event that took place when I was 11 or 12. My brother, a few…

December 2023’s Pick Where actions scream louder than words: John Woo and Joel Kinnaman produce the thriller of the year with Silent Night. Imagine you’re an actor inside the world of John Woo (all John Wick films, Mission Impossible III, The Killer, etc.). That you’re the star of that world who has to be in…

November 2023’s Pick Thanksgiving, Eli Roth, and the Joy of Holiday Horror. Eli Roth’s new film, Thanksgiving (released just days before the holiday itself), opens with a scene of splendid comedic horror as a parking lot full of pre-holiday shoppers goes ballistic to begin the season with hopes of bagging a free waffle iron. From…

October 2023’s 2nd Pick The Terror of the Beast. “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds…” Colossians 3:9 Put off the old man. The natural man. The one with purity in animal and raw guttural instinct, when man devours everything from innocence to beauty, this…

October 2023’s 1st Pick Why Demons fascinate as much as terrify. The first villain is and always has been the world’s most terrifying. Biblically, Satan masqueraded through Eden to torment Adam and Eve by deceiving them at all costs so that the world itself would be his. This concept is pure terror as he represents…

September’s 2023’s 2nd Pick Horror works best with unforgettable villains. So do thrillers. Villains make or break the action, the tone, and certainly the fear. Think of James Bond just for a moment, and the greatest Bond villains. Without Javier Bardem’s Raoul Silva, one of the best Bond films ever, Skyfall, wouldn’t have been what…

September’s 2023’s 1st Pick A word on horror as its chill is the air… The release of Terra’s Sabbath as the summer opened is gaining traction as summer ends. It is the upcoming season where monsters and demons like Terra Drake best make their way into our worst dreams, our worst outcomes, when they terrify…

Exploring Dean Patrick’s Realism-Infused Horror by Markee Books Design and Dean Patrick. In lieu of my second novel’s publication and success, Terra’s Sabbath, I was honored to be interviewed by Markee Books. Rather than reprint the interview here, please click on the above link to view and read. Enjoy my fine readers!

May 2023’s Pick The publication and release of Terra’s Sabbath. When writing a book like this, first and foremost a lot of emotion goes into it. I didn’t realize how much until a few days after its publication and release to the masses. Putting something this exhaustive and personal out for the world to read…

March 2023’s Pick The impossible world of addiction horror. Addiction horror is as wild a ride as it gets in the genre. It’s as wild a ride as you’ll ever want. It’s also right up my alley since I’ve battled the horrors of it for decades. When it comes to horror, adding the element of…

February 2023’s Pick Infinity Pool, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth, directed by Brandon Cronenberg As of this entry, I’m calling Infinity Pool this decade’s best horror film. So far. True, we’re only entering the 3rd year of the 2020’s, and this decade has produced such horror masterpieces as The Invisible Man, The Night House,…

January 2023’s Pick Small Town America as horror’s most disturbing backdrop Have you noticed that many of horror’s greatest stories take place in a small town? Why is that? As I’m more than half way through writing the sequel to The Lady Mephistopheles, the own backdrop I’ve been using is the small town of Duncan,…

December’s Pick Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Where Horror Meets Hope “Marley was dead, to begin with.” No matter what horror story or book you read, few have such an opening line that is so unsettling. But that’s what makes Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol one of the greatest of all ghost stories. Sure. It’s…

Our beloved All Hallow’s Eve Weekend (2022) has now arrived Now is the time to immerse in what scares you most. Demons and witches and ghouls oh my! A friend of mine recently has asked me to help him edit and craft a story about a demon. A long time editor and writer himself, he’s…

…one strand at a time… The ten stories summarized here are my own top picks from decades of reading, researching, and writing about horror. Enjoy, as you think about your own list of what has scared you most. MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN (Frankenstein; or, a The Modern Prometheus) I believe that Shelley’s novel is the greatest…

October’s Pick A Word about Jamie Lee Curtis John Carpenter had no plans to hire Jamie Lee Curtis to star in his epic horror, “Halloween,” until he knew she was Janet Leigh’s daughter. Janet Leigh from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” who was butchered in the famous shower scene. Within a few months after the 1978 release…

The author discusses his process of horror writing.

Directed by David Cronenberg, starring Jeff Goldblum and Gina Davis From Howard Shore’s epic soundtrack to Jeff Goldblum’s overwhelming performance of power and deep sadness, David Cronenberg’s “The Fly” is one of horror genre’s finest achievements. It’s a film that’s as intense as “The Exorcist,” and every bit as terrifying. Of course, the whole thing…

Ari Aster and Alex Garland Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut” was his last film. And it was a glorious one, filled with pure dread, paranoia, and betrayal. But that’s another entry. Since its 1999 release, and since Kubrick’s death, it took some time before macabre filmmaking and directing would produce works at his level. Enter…

September’s Pick “Shadow of the Vampire” Starring Willem Dafoe, John Malkovich, Cary Elwes, and Catherine McCormack; directed by E. Elias Merhige In 1922 F.W. Murnau directed, “Nesferatu: A Symphony of Horror.” Over the past 100 years his vampire, played by Max Schreck, is still one of the most terrifying that’s ever stalked the silver screen.…

Mr. Peter Straub’s death this past Sunday, September 4th, 2022, has a certain timely ring to it as the Haunted Season is now in its infancy. His wife, Susan Straub, said he died from complications after he broke his hip. Straub was the master of the ghost story. His novel, Ghost Story, is the best…

… and the haunted season hits the streets full force right after Labor Day. Adolf Hitler is as darks as it gets. Just to be clear, this is not a political entry. Just one on terror, and the German dictator is the absolute on the subject. He’s also a fascinating study for anyone looking for…

While recently watching Ethan Coen’s masterful “No Country for Old Men,” I realized that some of the finest, as well as most disturbing horror, is of the western genre. This entire idea deserves a longer, more involved paper, to be fair. But let’s take a look at four gems, and why they are such a…

Dean Patrick discusses his latest release.

I’ve been creating some scenes for my next book, Terra’s Sabbath, scenes that dig into the underbelly of a small town. Its wicked secrets. Its constant paranoia, looking over its shoulder to wonder who and what is watching to make sure their small-town façade is kept tucked away from being peeled back, keeping the sickness…

It wasn’t long ago when Sissy Spacek (Carrie), Janet Leigh (Psycho), Mia Farrow (Rosemary’s Baby), and Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween – and yes, she’s still plugging along) were horror’s great female leads creating characters who were easily as dominating and powerful as any leading man could muster. As the haunted season begins to creep its…

…and the next Terra Drake novel While working on the second Terra Drake novel, Terra’s Sabbath (working title as of now), I have realized that Terra is such a force that a third and final book may be necessary. I don’t know yet. What I do know is that she truly is living addiction. She…

August’s Pick “Men” starring Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear, directed by Alex Garland There are a few horror films that have perpetually changed the genre. “Rosemary’s Baby,” “The Shining,” (with Nicholson), “Alien,” come to mind. Early this summer of 2022, Alex Garland’s “Men” didn’t exactly roar into theaters, but it’s a safe bet that over…