UNEARTH THE GRAVE SIN

The dreaded Devils Hour strummed its ancient chord, resurrecting my corpse from temporary death. I drift aimlessly through the empty house, swallowed by a sea of shadows. Finally a beacon, an ominous glow from the bowels of.. the downstairs living room. Ever so slowly, I made my way down without a sound. Gripping into the railing, I peaked my head through the bars. Nothing could have prepared me for what I would see playing on the TV. A newfound feeling striking my very soul.

My eyes betrayed themselves, never blinking once during this trance. I could only feel my own heart croaking up my chest and out of my neck. Could they leap from the screen and drag me in with them? I couldn't stay to find out so I bolted back to safety, but their image would trail behind and plague my dreams for many restless nights. Like some parasitic worm, it would bore into my brain and feast upon my festering fear, which would soon morph into a strange curiosity.

The movie that night was Childs Play 2, and this was my very first glimpse into the world of horror as a child. Throughout my life, horror managed to have lurked behind, waiting for each precise moment to strike, and I couldn't be more thankful for it.

My Dad had an extensive DVD collection, many of which were bootlegs. There were a couple of horror DVD's that caught my eye. I would wait until everyone was asleep to play one for myself called Wrong Turn. The end result was a piss soiled bed.

I wanted to work my way up to watching these films all the way through, as though it were a challenge. Having access to the early days of the internet was both a gift and a curse. From creepypastas like Sonic.EXE to YouTube jump scare videos (stupid Ghost Car) I would run these gauntlets until I surpassed the threshold of fear, before I realized I had gone too deep with various clips from LiveLeak, hinting at an even darker corner of the web. Just goes to show that the real horrors are always out there at this very moment.

Halloween was always a highlight for me, even more so than Christmas. Funny thing is that my older brother's birthday was on Halloween as well (Should have been me!) I would dress up as Ghostface from Scream for like 3 years in a row, without even watching any of the films beforehand. I think I just really liked the costume. I would always accessorize with one of those plastic encased bleeding prop knives.

Around this time, I would catch reruns of the Goosebumps show on Cartoon Network during the season. I even had a lime green blanket which somewhat resembled the Monster Blood. The show has not aged too well, but it is still incredibly nostalgic. However, I do believe the Haunted Mask episode is still the most effective and unsettling.

During one family vacation to Universal Studios in Orlando FL (I was about 16), I would fully embrace my love for horror. We attended the Horror Make-Up show, where I got to see my Mom get her arm sliced with a bleeding prop knife. The host would also control an animatronic werewolf. Even during the age of CGI, I was fascinated by this old art of practical effects, and the passion behind bringing something to life with your own hands.

This was also how I was introduced to the Classic Universal Monsters. I loved the Creature From The Black Lagoon, or Gillman as some call him. I already had an interest in animals, especially reptiles and marine life, so he was an immediate draw. The Creature Feature would become a favorite sub genre of mine. They aren't scary per say, but I just love seeing an awesome monster design. It was from here that I began to collect DVD's for myself even to this day, despite the abundance of streaming services.

Guillermo Del Toro quickly became one of my favorite directors. Hellboy 2, Blade 2, and Pans Labyrinth are just a few of the films I admire very much. His films are full of the most imaginative monsters, but despite that, the stories tackle elements of the human condition in a beautiful way.

During the last years of high school, my Mom moved across the other side of town. Close by was the Triangle Town Center Mall. Within this mall was a store called FYE, which sold movies, records and geek accessories. On my way home from my part-time job, I would regularly make a detour to pick up some DVDs for my growing collection. This was how I was able to watch all of the classics, and the obscure films in between, which wouldn't happen to be on a streaming service. One DVD in particular would change my perception of the entire horror genre, and that was Clive Barkers Hellraiser from 1986.

Hellraiser was unlike anything I had ever seen up to that point. Unlike the cheap yet satisfying thrills of a typical slasher, Hellraiser provides a much deeper, more sinister food for thought that balances eroticism and horror, pushing the boundaries for horror films at the time. The twisted imagery of the Cenobites and their brutal methods is something that disturbs the mind for years. Even with everything that has come out since then, to me Hellraiser is a masterpiece in Horror. The first film (and by extension, the 2nd) is what got me into more of Clive Barkers work, be it films, comic books or novels.

I would read books regularly, partly because of my Dad taking me and my little brother to the public library over the weekend when we were young. Back then, I would get my hands on some Marvel Comics trade paperbacks, and one or two horror novels. I remember the section for horror would be frustratingly small. There was one book in particular that collected the works of a long dead author. I don't recall which edition it was, but the artwork was strikingly gorgeous yet haunting. The style was like a vintage painting of a monstrous, unrecognizable mass. They say never judge a book by its cover, but with ones like these I was hooked before I even read the synopsis. The book in question was Short Stories From H.P Lovecraft.

What can I say about H.P Lovecraft that hasn't already been said? Next to Hellraiser, The Cthulhu Mythos was the most immersive horror lore I have ever dived into. Many would consider his writing much too "purple prose", but that intense and vivid level of detail was the very reason I was captivated by each and every story. That, along with some works from Edgar Allen Poe, would inspire me to write my own dark poetry, and eventually short stories of my own.

I incorporate horror throughout my life more than ever as a young adult. Every October, I host horror movie marathons that I hope one day can expand into big get togethers inside of a nice home with a backyard movie theater setup, simulating a Drive In (minus the cars). As of now, I have a handful of short stories self published as comics with the help of a local artist/indie collaborator, my good buddy Brian Judge, one of which being for his horror character Pumpkin Man.

I have even started making reviews for horror films on TikTok under the name of GraveSinReviews, ranging from modern to the 80s/70s classics.

Horror has so much diversity to offer. In recent years, the films have seen a creative jolt, making it more exciting than ever to indulge. I believe Horror had held its grip on me until I was ready to create my own stories to strike fear into the hearts of people, just as it did mine that fateful night. What sort of stories do I have in store? You'll know once you've been entranced in your newfound nightmare.