Meghan: Hey, Marc! Welcome BACK to Meghan’s HAUNTED House of Books. It is ALWAYS a pleasure to have you join in our festivities. Let’s jump right in – Do you get scared easily?
SC: Yes, but only if I’m thinking of the future of our current civilization.
Meghan: What is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen and why?
SC: Two come to mind. The Descent is the first and only movie I ever watched in a theater alone. That mixed with the claustrophobia of being underground made it one of the scariest. The second is The Exorcist. I was young and Regan’s eyes haunted me for a long time after my first viewing. More than the movie itself, it was her eyes.
Meghan: Which horror movie murder did you find the most disturbing?
SC: The Strangers. I can’t remember an exact kill from it, but the premise of the murders disturbed me. “Because you were home.” Nothing else. Not revenge. Not an obsessive love interest. Just because you’re here. To think that murder could be completely random disturbs me.
Meghan: Is there a horror movie you refused to watch because the commercials scared you too much?
SC: No. But when I was a kid, the commercials for Cronenberg’s The Fly gave me nightmares. “Be afraid. Be very afraid.” My mom had me draw a picture of a scary image from the commercial and then we tore it up and burned it. The ritual helped. However, when I got older, I really enjoyed the remake.
Meghan: If you got trapped in one scary movie, which would you choose?
SC: Something like Zombie Strippers or Strippers vs. Werewolves. Look, if I’m gonna get killed, I want to have a good time before I go out.
Meghan: If you were stuck as the protagonist in any horror movie, which would you choose?
SC: Ash in Army of Darkness
Meghan: What is your favorite Halloween tradition?
SC: It used to be going to haunted house attractions. I would try to go to as many as possible throughout October. Now, I enjoy sitting in my driveway and passing out candy.
Meghan: What is your favorite horror or Halloween-themed song?
SC: Uh, man, this is difficult. “Halloween” by the Misfits is great. “Hellraiser” by Motorhead also gets me in the mood. I think “Hellraiser” was originally on the March or Die album, but I heard it on the soundtrack for Hellraiser III and I’ve associated it with horror movies ever since.
Meghan: Which horror novel unsettled you the most?
SC: We Need to Talk About Kevin. The concept of being a parent was psychologically horrifying to me as a younger man.
Meghan: Which unsolved mystery fascinates you the most?
SC: The Mary Celeste.
Meghan: In a zombie apocalypse, what is your weapon of choice?
SC: Rifle, pistol, and shotgun. That should cover all the bases.
Meghan: Okay, let’s have some fun… Would you rather get bitten by a vampire or a werewolf?
SC: Vampire
Meghan: Would you rather fight a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion?
SC: Probably easier to survive a zombie apocalypse, but I’m so damn curious about aliens, I’ll go with the ETs.
Meghan: Would you rather drink zombie juice or eat dead bodies from the graveyard?
SC: I just vomited in my mouth
Meghan: Would you rather stay at the Poltergeist house or the Amityville house for a week?
SC: Amityville
Meghan: Would you rather chew on a bitter melon with chilies or maggot-infested cheese?
SC: Bitter watermelon chilies
Meghan: Would you rather drink from a witch’s cauldron or lick cotton candy made of spider webs?
SC: I’m slightly arachnophobic so abracadabra give me that witch’s brew.
Boo-graphy:
SC Mendes is the co-host of Horror Business – a podcast dedicated to helping authors make a career of their writing. He produces the Don’t Fall Asleep Podcast with Spencer Dillehay and is also the co-owner of Blood Bound Books – an independent publisher whose mission is spreading hope through dark fiction. Mendes has been publishing dark fiction under various names since 2009. The Order of Eternal Sleep, his sequel to The City, released in January 2022, and he is hard at work on the series finale. SC attempts to keep up with readers on Facebook, his website, and welcomes fan/hate mail in his mailbox.
There is a civilization buried deep beneath our own. A place spoken of only in whispers. If you are desperate enough, you will find it. But remember, all knowledge comes at a price.
The bodies were discovered six months after Max Elliot turned in his badge. All that remained of the victims were piles of flayed skin and organs. The bones of each body had been stolen. This torturous method of execution had only been seen once before, and that case remained unsolved. Confident of a connection between the grizzly murders, the police turn to the one man they believe can help. With the allure of closure to his own personal tragedy, Max Elliot agrees to reinstatement for one last case. But the clues lead the unstable detective down a path he never could have imagined. A mysterious drug, a world beneath our own, sex and violence on an unprecedented level, and creatures as ancient as sin itself.
Three years after Max Elliot goes missing, an anonymous tip brings Detectives McCloud and O’Neil to a residential arson on the outskirts of Chinatown.
The majority of the house survived, but the six bodies inside were reduced to gnarled heaps of blackened limbs.
A hidden door to the basement reveals a strange ritual space. Sealing the room, is the image of a serpent and obelisk, reminiscent of Ming’s scarred palm. On the black altar, they find an unidentifiable language and symbols that lead to more questions. Dark magick. Suppressed news reports. Dirty cops.
Besides the nightmares inspired by the crime, something else from the hidden basement is following them. Infecting them. Providing a glimpse to the mental anguish coming to consume us all.
Meanwhile, a secret order is poised to complete their greatest ritual yet. The Rites of Eternal Sleep will usher in the long night. And when the Black Sun rises, the surface will never be the same.
Under the influence of dark forces, McCloud will need all the help he can get to unravel the many veils of The Order before time runs out.
Discover the true plans of the Mara today!
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