Archive for the ‘Scary Stuff’ Category

Done Researching, So Onto The Fifth Short Story

Posted: January 7, 2013 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Today was my first day of class in the new semester, but I only have the one class on Mondays, and then the rest of the day I’m free. So I got my homework done, ran a few errands, put a load of laundry through, and spent the rest of the day doing research for that fifth and final short story for the collection I’ve been writing. The research was specificially about Native American cultures and their belief systems. I focused mainly on the belief systems of the Apache, Mojave, and Navajo cultures, mainly because they are all in the same area, at least two of these tribes share a common ancestral tribe, and because a good amount of myths involving dogs, coyotes, and wolves come from those areas.

This story will be the one I planned involving a black dog spirit. Black dogs, as you may guess, are symbols of death and destruction and usually derive from the myth of Cerberus in Greco-Roman mythology. Of course, the Native Americans probably only first encountered Cerberus in classrooms where they learned the myths of the Greeks, but the fact that they have their own myths involving black dogs, wolves, and coyotes points to how large a role these creatures played in their belief systems. Either that, or Jung was really onto something.

I also learned quite a bit on the Navajo belief of Hozho, or beauty, harmony, balance, and health. Many ceremonies in Navajo culture are meant to restore this in someone who is feeling ill, and there are a variety of ceremonies, chants, and methods to heal someone who is suffering from any number of maladies. If you ask me, Hozho sounds like a very Zen belief, so score another one for Jung.

Well, I’m going to get to work on this short story before dinner. Hopefully I’ll be able to get this all done by the end of the week, though with my school work and my job taking priority and it being the first week of the semester, anything could happen. Wish me luck.

Review: Texas Chainsaw 3D

Posted: January 6, 2013 in Review, Scary Stuff
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Ladies and gentlemen, Leatherface is back and he’s better than ever!

An alternative title to this film could be Leatherface’s Revenge: What You Reap Is What You Sow.

If you ask me, this is probably the best TCM movie ever made, and considering about 4 or 5 of the others are terrible, that’s saying something. But I guess that means the creators of the film were successful; according to Entertainment Weekly, producer Carl Mazzacone said that he wanted to do with TCM what he did with the Saw movies, which probably means giving the studio enough reasons to keep making sequels and putting them in theaters instead of Direct-to-DVD crap films. I’m not sure how they’ll be able to top this film, but I’ll believe in them.

The plot follows Heather Miller (the sultry-in-a-punk-rock-way Alexandra Daddarino) as she finds out she was adopted and has a now-deceased grandmother who left her a really nice estate. Unfortunately, that estate includes her cousin Leatherface (played by Dan Yeager) who finally has a name: Jedediah “Jed” Sawyer. As her friends and boyfriend (Trey Songz in his first film role) are killed and Heather becomes terrified, Heather starts to realize her own connections to the Sawyer family, and transforms dramatically because of it.

This reimagining of the franchise, which is meant to be a sequel to the original 1974 film, is definitely a revenge story that brings on the blood and gore and scares. Even when we know what’s going to happen right before it does, it’s still awesome to see it unfold on the big screen in 3D. John Luessenhop does a fabulous job directing, while Debra Sullivan, Adam Marcus, and Kirsten Ems deserve commendation for the script. Dan Yeager is terrifying donning the literal face-mask of Leatherface, and Paul Rae does a fantastic job as antagonist Mayor Burt Hartman. As for Thom Barry’s Sheriff Hooper (the last name’s definitely a reference to the director of the original film), I’d definitely invite that guy to dinner. I’d also like to note that those who think a black sheriff in 1974 is a little too soon after the Civil Rights Act, apparently the first black sheriff in Texas was elected in 1869.

Boys, this film is frightening, so definitely bring your girlfriends along with you. Also, stick around after the credits for what I’d like to call “a joke after the horror show”.

For an excellent reboot of one of the earliest slashers ever made and for some great acting and scares, I give this film the great distinction of a 5 out of 5. Yes, that high and this film deserves it.

Another Short Story Idea Has Come To Me

Posted: January 1, 2013 in ideas, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Too bad I can’t add it to the collection of short stories I’m writing and assembling.

I just recently read The Dibbuk Box, the book by the current owner of the haunted box of Jewish origin that was the basis for the film The Possession, and then somehow had the good fortune to enter into contact with him. After that I started watching a scary movie or two involving possessions and watching a video on YouTube that was about an exorcism. During this time I started thinking about possession, and then a great idea occurred to me: what would happen if the possession was turned on its head? What if the demon ended up needing the exorcism? Needing it?

So I have a new short story idea that I’ll begin to write soon, possibly tomorrow since I can’t work on the next story for the collection until I’ve finished my research. I’ll probably write the story from the point-of-view of the demon, and I’ll also have to figure out what I want to do once the possession begins. Of course, I can’t add this to the collection; I’ve already written a dybbuk story for the collection, and two stories involving possessions is one too many.

Perhaps I’ll send it to a magazine. Or perhaps I’ll make it available online for ninety-nine cents. Depends on my mood and what I think everybody would like. Of course, I’ll have to write it first.

But seriously, I have to ask, would you guys buy the story if I put it online for less than a dollar? Let me know if you’d like that.

Anyway, got another scary movie to watch. Once again, Happy New Year.

The Fourth Story For The Collection Is Done

Posted: December 30, 2012 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Four down, one to go. Too bad the last one requires me to get some books from the library for research and I’m still waiting for them. I can’t start the last short story until I get those books.

Oh well.

So, the fourth short story for my upcoming collection, The Quiet Game, is done. This one is called I’m Going To Be The Next James Bond, and I call it that because the main character, whose name is Ronnie, says to another character that he wants to do just that, be the next James Bond. By the way, this Ronnie is not based on me, Rami. My last name is Ungar, I’m a blonde, I have wire-frame glasses, I’m 19, and I don’t want to be James Bond. Ronnie’s last name is Darby, he’s got black hair and thick-framed glasses, he’s 10, and he doesn’t want to be a writer.

But I digress.

This short story was inspired by another Ghost Adventures episode, the Letchworth Village to be exact (I actually remembered this time!). I saw that episode, and at one point they showed one of those clips that goes alongside someone’s testimony and is meant to give people an idea of what the eyewitness saw (I hope you know what I’m talking about, but if you don’t then check your local listings and check out an episode). This particular clip showed a tall, black shadow that came towards the eyewitnesses with long legs and outstretched arms. I found it so inspirational, I derived an entire short story from it.

And I got to add a doll with a ghost inside to the story at the last minute. I never thought after that bad attempt at a scary doll story in the summer, I’d never include a creepy doll in a short story or novel, but I got to after all. Awesome! I just hope I can keep the Bond references in the story. I mean, it’s just  a few mentions, right? What’s the harm?

I should probably consult a lawyer.

In any case, I finished this short story and I can’t wait to get to the last one. I just need to get the books for research, possibly a little more, and then I’m good for writing. Keep supporting me, and hopefully I’ll have this collection out soon. Along with my sci-fi novel Reborn City, and possibly my serial killer thriller Snake. Just keep supporting me and be patient with me, I’ll have it all out soon.

The Third Short Story For the Collection Is Done

Posted: December 26, 2012 in ideas, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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I’m on a roll! Today I finished the third short story for my scary story collection, The Quiet Game. Note: the name of the collection is The Quiet Game. The name of the short story is Samson Weiss’s Curse, and it’s a short story about a dybbuk haunting a senator over something the senator’s grandfather did several years ago. I think my father, who’s a rabbi and has told me for years to try writing something based on my experiences or on something that I know, will be happy to read this one, as it contains a spirit from Jewish folklore and two of the characters have Jewish last names, and one has a Jewish first name.

For those of you who don’t know, a dybbuk is the spirit of a dead person who comes back and possesses a living human being. Dybbuks have been featured in a few plays and stories, and the recent horror film The Possession, which I reviewed, is about a dybbuk. After watching that film and another film with a dybbuk as the antagoinst, I wanted to write a dybbuk story for myself, but I couldn’t think of a good idea for a dybbuk story beyond someone getting possessed. But then about a month ago, I saw an episode of the TV show Ghost Adventures where the location being investigated had involved some miners breaking into a vault and how two of the miners were double-crossed by an unknown third miner in the end. I can’t remember exactly which episode it was that I watched, but I remember wondering what would happen if the ghost of one of those miners came back and sought revenge, and wondering what had happened to the third miner afterwards. I already had the dybbuk idea, so I decided to incorporate the two ideas together and I got the basis for Samson Weiss’s Curse.

Writing this one was a lot of fun, because as I wrote I kept adding in a bunch of creepy aspects that I hadn’t originally envisioned in the story, including swarming bugs and creepy telephone calls. I also had planned a darker ending for the story, but that seemed anticlimatic once I actually got to the climax, so I decided to change the climax to something happier and with a bit of mystery. I have to say, I like this new ending better, but I bet there’s a lot I could improve upon and so I’m going to hand this story off to a friend to look at and critique.

Now I’m done writing for the day. Tomorrow I’ll start the fourth short story in the collection, and maybe I’ll get it done by the end of the weekend. The way I’m writing, I wouldn’t be surprised if the final collection comes out in late March, early Apirl, right in time for Passover. Thanks for reading, and wish me luck.

The First Short Story For The Collection Is Finished

Posted: December 20, 2012 in ideas, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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And what a short story it was! It scared me a little during the writing process. Me! And I’m the guy who thanks Mrs. Voorhees for her hockey-masked son Jason. Tells you what sort of a story it is.

Now, how can I tell you about this short story without giving too much away? Well first, it’s longer than the average short story. But then again, this is for a collection. Most writers who release collections will make their short stories a little longer than usual just because they can. Stephen King definitely does it a few times, even if his stories end up as novellas in the collection. Thankfully this one didn’t get to novella length (20k-40k words) but it’s longer than usual.

But like I said, this story scared me. Why? Well, imagine yourself placed in a situation like The Hunger Games, where you’re in a battle you don’t want to be in and someone else is controlling everything that’s going on. Even worse, it’s a psychological battle. No weapons, just some crazy crap that’s messing with your head. It can be taxing, especially if you’re in a space that doesn’t get much bigger than your high school campus.

And then I added a few other things. For one, I added a religious zealot with a bit of charisma and a thing for power? Well, after every disaster–real or just percieved in your head (I’m talking to Clint Eastwood and Chuck Norris on the latter)–there’s always someone saying the world’s about to end and we better do as s/he says or we’re all going to hell in a shopping cart. And occasionally, people believe them. Which leads to a bunch of problems.

Add a little doom and gloom, a bit of Celtic/English mythology, and my disturbed mind, you get a rabbit’s hole that scares the person who dug it. Nice!

Oh, I forgot to tell you the name of this short story. It’s called “The Quiet Game”, and I think I’ll also make it the title of the collection. It feels like the right thing to do, and it was the right choice to write this story first. I like it, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

But first, I’ve got some editing to do, including turning a male character into a female character, because if the character’s male, there’s a romantic element in this story, and I just don’t want that there. So I’ll take it out and turn the character female. No romantic element, but still plenty of emotion and psychological terror. It’ll be awesome.

Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to take a shower and then watch the original Die Hard movie, because the new one is coming out in two months and I’m psyched to see it. Tomorrow I’ll do the editing, send it off to a friend, and then I’ll start on something else.

Trust me, this next story will be something else. It’s based on a friend’s experience, but it’s given the Rami Ungar treatment, so you know it’ll come out twisted and freaky!

A Paper-Clip of Short Stories

Posted: December 12, 2012 in ideas, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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I’ve received a lot of support from friends, family, and readers on the possibility that after I finish Snake, I could work on some short stories and possibly turn that into a collection, and publish it before I publish Reborn City or Snake. Well, I’m still a little undecided on that, but I’m definitely taking some time this vacation to write a few short stories. I actually picked out five of the fifteen ideas I had amassed on my tack board and put them on a paper-clip. And I don’t mean I had some ideas, wrote them on pieces of paper, and paper-clipped them together. What I meant was, I put down some short story ideas on pieces of paper, and then poked them with the business end of a paper-clip. I’d take a photo with my camera and post it here on my blog, but my writing is big and recognizable. There’d be no point if one of my stories gets stolen.

So I’ve selected my short stories. When I get home tomorrow and I finish Snake, I’ll start working on them. Shouldn’t take me too long, especially if I’m not distracted by anything. Unfortunately I tend to get very distracted somedays, so hopefully I can keep my mind on work long enough to make some progress.

So, if anyone is wondering on the short stories I’ll be working on, here’s the ideas I have, without anything that’ll give away anything important:

  • An isolated girl’s school becomes even more isolated one morning, and something dark is beneath it all…
  • A man trying to go clean gets a strange and spooky experience while going cold turkey…
  • A politician running for reelection gets a very deadly and undead visitor while in an old mining town…
  • There’s an old, abandoned hospital on the outskirts of town with a bloody history. And that history is very much alive…
  • A young boy with autism gets an encounter with the spirit world, and his small world might get a shock that’ll shatter it to pieces…

Sounds pretty awesome, right? Especially with the … after every idea. And if, God forbid, the two short stories I sent out recently get rejected, I could add them to this list; they’d make a great collection. Either way, 5 and 7 are lucky numbers for me, so either way I’m good.

Now assuming I decide to do a collection, what should I call it? Definitely nothing with the word “paper-clip” in it; that’d sound too comedic for what I’m doing. Perhaps “The Bells At Dusk”? Or “Eyes in the Smoke”? Or perhaps I’ll take a title from one of these short stories. Who knows? Any suggestions would be great.

Well, I’ve got work to do. Blog on you later!

Introducing the Bullseye Character

Posted: December 6, 2012 in Novel, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Careful, there’s a character like him in “Snake”.

In the movie Daredevil, based on the famous Marvel comic book, Bullseye is the character Daredevil has to face before he can go against the Big Boss, the Kingpin. Bullseye is a hired killer, totally psychopathic and deadly as hell. This character totally freaked me out when I was 11 and first saw Daredevil at a friend’s birthday party. To this day I still think that Daredevil, particularly the Bullseye character and the murders he committed, influenced my writing and gave me a taste for killing (fictional) people in all sorts of horrible ways.

So I’m happy to introduce the Bullseye of Snake, Frissora, a brutally scarred man with a past shrouded in darkness and the ability to be suave while carrying out heinous acts. In a way, he’s like Bane as played by Tom Hardy in The Dark Kngiht Rises, intelligent and strong and not someone to be messed with lightly…wait, that’s Bane in nearly every adaptation of Batman he’s been in. But you get the idea, right? Frissora is dangerous, and the Snake will have to face him before he faces the head of the mafia family he’s been hunting.

I created Frissora as a way to weaken the Snake and give him a challenge. I also didn’t want the Snake to have too much of an advantage when he finally fought the mafia boss, who is a dangerous fighter as well, so Frissora was necessary. I’m going to enjoy working with this character as he fights the Snake, but I may have to go over Chapter 78, where Frissora is introduced, to make sure I get his character across like I want to.

I hope I can give Frissora the power and depth I wish to give him, and which I hope the reader will be able to feel. Because honestly, it would suck if he just seemed like another thug in a line-up of thugs.

Snake & Black Dogs

Posted: November 27, 2012 in ideas, Novel, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Well, it’s been an interesting day for me, and I’m going to end it by watching NCIS and writing during the commercial breaks. I’ll start with the first chapter of Part IV of Snake (wasn’t that a small break?). This part is where the Snake is offered help from a powerful sponsor in his goal to bring down the mafia family he hates so much (why does he hate it? You’ll have to read the novel once it comes out).  This section is much smaller than Part III, with only sixteen chapters, but what sixteen chapters they are! The Snake doesn’t just meet allies: the family he’s fighting calls on its biggest and baddest hitman; someone comes dangerously close to the Snake’s true identity; the Snake has an episode; and there’s a sex scene. Yes, you read that right. A sex scene. It’ll be awkward to write.

WOOF!

As for the “Black Dogs” part of that title up there, I got another idea for a short story. Or perhaps the beginning of an idea for a short story. Black dogs are more than just cute; in folklore, particularly Celtic and English folklore, the black dog is a portent of death and a messenger of the underowrld. Occasionally they also double as benevolent spirits that watch over children and traverlers, but more often they are not something you want to run into on a dark, lonely night. So I’m going to write a short story based on the idea of a black dog spirit. First I’ve got to think of a context for it that’ll be exciting and not relatively used. Nothing’s come to mind yet, but I’ll come up with something; I did with the dybbuk idea.

You know, now that I think about it, this’ll make 13 short story ideas on my tackboard. What do you think? Should I create a collection of short stories and put it on the Internet as an e-book? I could write several of them over winter break. Let me know what you think.

We All Can Take Different Levels of Disturbing

Posted: November 22, 2012 in Living and Life, Reflections, Scary Stuff
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“Where is the one who killed me? I want my revenge!”

This evening after Thanksgiving dinner, some of my family and I settled down to watch The Hunger Games movie (which is kind of ironic, and not just because there’s a big metal structure in the arena called “the cornucopia”). All those in the room under the age of twenty had already seen the movie, while the adults–my dad and his wife, my uncle Tom and my aunt Tiina (and the “uncle” and “aunt” part is lowercase because I don’t call them “Aunt” or “Uncle” and they’re fine with that, for those of you wondering. And no, that’s not their real names)–had never seen this movie or read the books (except  my dad’s wife Michelle, but she hasn’t read the second book yet). The younger generation loved the movie of course, and most of them screamed during the scary parts, even if they’d already seen the movie. The older generation though…they didn’t get the film. Tina and Tom asked several times, “What’s the point of this movie? Why do teens find it so appealing?”

Well, if you don’t get dystopia’s appeal to teens and young adults, then there’s just no reason to explain it to you. But I’m digressing from what I really wanted to talk about in this post, and that’s indicated by the title of it.

During the course of the movie, some people like myself could handle the blood, gore and violence, while others who will go nameless were screaming or covering their eyes everytime someone died. What does this say? Obviously, that some people are okay with the macabre and terrifying, while others do fine without it. And it’s important to know that sometimes, but not because you should tailor your writing to suit their tastes. Heavens no!

What it teaches us is that, with those close to us, we should know whether or not they like something or not before we recommend it to them. I know some people, people close to you, will buy or read your work because they love you and they want to make you happy, but if you know someone’s not a fan of this or that and you put it in your work, you should give them fair warning before they read it. Safe to say, I think when Reborn City comes out, I’ll recommend it to everyone above the age of 15 who reads fantastic fiction, while I’ll tell everyone to be prepared for nightmares and terror when Snake comes out. Only fair, right?

Speacking of which, how do you guys deal with fear and terror? Do you really go for it, or not so much?

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