tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20732116649354685772024-03-08T10:26:25.524-08:00Bryon Morrigan in The Ancient CityThis is the blog of horror author Bryon Morrigan.Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-26879226689026319862011-08-24T08:47:00.001-07:002011-08-24T08:49:01.906-07:00Spooky Empire 2011Come see me at <a href="http://www.spookyempire.com/">Spooky Empire 2011</a>, a horror convention in Orlando, Florida, on October 7-9. It's gonna be loads of fun, and I will have the new paperback copies of ACHERON on hand!Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-72921834381953970532011-03-29T05:53:00.000-07:002011-03-29T06:02:54.136-07:00Website & NewsIn case you haven't noticed, my website is currently being updated. It'll be a little wonky until it's finished.<br /><br />ACHERON will be coming out in audiobook on July 12th, 2011, and available at Audible.com. It's read by Joe Barrett, and will also include a bonus short story by Peter Clines. The paperback and e-book versions of the book will come out shortly thereafter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bryonmorrigan.com/index.php_files/acheron.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 231px; height: 325px;" src="http://bryonmorrigan.com/index.php_files/acheron.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />THE DESERT will soon be re-released by Permuted Press as an e-book. I've made some changes to the story to fix inconsistencies that people have pointed out of the past few years, and added a few things to make it fit better with ACHERON.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bryonmorrigan.com/index.php_files/desert.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 231px; height: 325px;" src="http://bryonmorrigan.com/index.php_files/desert.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-48089298615677146442010-06-05T12:55:00.000-07:002010-06-05T12:59:57.662-07:00From The Archives - My Experience With a Ghost (2007)I've always been fascinated by the idea of ghosts. They represent both the morbid certainty of death and the optimistic uncertainty of life after death. For those of us with adventurous souls, ghosts are not so much a source of fear, but rather a proof of something beyond this world. In this way, I am comforted by the presence of ghosts.<br /><br /> For this reason, I was not particularly frightened the first time I saw a ghost, which happened to be last night.<br /><br /> Of course, there are a lot of people who talk about seeing ghosts, and although I have always believed in their existence, I had never actually seen one before. Furthermore, I am of the mind that many, if not most, people who claim to have seen a ghost are either mistaken, or engaging in a bit of "wishful thinking," to put it mildly.<br /><br /> Here is my account of the encounter, as I recorded it immediately following the incident:<br /><br /> At 12:38AM, 2 May 2007, I opened my eyes. I had just gone to bed around midnight, and had not even begun to sleep deeply. This happens often with me, as I am one of those people who do not sleep for very long periods at a time. <br /><br /> I was actually quite calm when I saw a figure standing near my bed. The apparition was not really "standing," per se, as it had no discernible figure below the torso. It looked like an older woman, reminding me somewhat of the actress Maggie Smith. She was wearing a sleeveless shift, that clung to her "body" as if the figure were wearing nothing beneath. Her hair was either pulled or tied back. There was some sort of item on her head. I spent quite some time later trying to decide what it was. It kind of reminded me of a colonial mob hat, but it was not quite the same. I have no idea what it was.<br /><br /> When I awoke and saw the figure, I immediately went to "alert mode." Having been in the Army, I have learned to go straight from sleep to a "ready to fight" mentality. At first, the figure looked so real, that I assumed that someone had broken into my condo. I tried not to move very quickly, as I began to slide out of bed and search for a weapon.<br /><br /> About halfway out of bed, I realized that the figure was not human, at least not anymore. I saw that the woman's legs appeared to "fade out" just below her waist. <br /><br /> I know that many people will scoff at this, but strangely enough, finding that there was a ghost in my home comforted me. I had been expecting to have to defend my family from a flesh-and-bone assailant, so a ghost didn't particularly frighten me.<br /><br /> In fact, I looked right at it, then checked the clock for the time. I began to mentally note as many details as possible, so that I would remember them later. At no point did I ever feel any kind of fear. If anything, I was exhilarated! <br /><br /> I noticed something peculiar about the ghost. It wasn't really looking at me. It was looking over my bed, as if transfixed on something on the wall. However, there isn't anything on the wall in that room. I remember thinking that maybe it doesn't really matter what a ghost's eyes are pointing at, as they no longer function as they did in normal life.<br /><br /> After about 30 seconds, the ghost raised slightly, and then rotated approximately 90 degrees counterclockwise and floated down the corridor that separates my bedroom from the rest of the dwelling. It is interesting to note that the ghost did not move like a human would. It did not move its hands or head or anything as it performed this feat. In fact, it looked almost like it was stiff, and unable to move any of its "parts." It moved nothing like a ghost in a movie would move.<br /><br /> As soon as it had left, I rushed from the bed to follow it, but could find no trace of the apparition. I'm sure that you are now thinking I'm completely "full of it" right now, as you probably are thinking that if you were in a similar situation, you would be too scared to do something like that. I would have agreed with you until last night.<br /><br /> After I went back to bed, I sat awake for hours. I was so excited about seeing a real live ghost, that I even briefly entertained waking my wife to tell her the news. Fortunately, reason prevailed, and I did not wake her up to tell her something that would have assuredly kept her up all night!<br /><br /> In the end, I've changed my views on ghosts. Prior to this experience, I believed that the "full torso apparition" was the proverbial white whale of paranormal investigation. I thought it unlikely that I would ever see such a thing. At least now I know how to properly describe such an encounter when I am writing my horror stories.Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-4876207621153125732010-02-09T07:56:00.000-08:002010-02-09T08:00:29.092-08:00Intolerant of the Intolerant<a href="http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=35361"><span style="color:red;">Opinion: </span> Air Force Academy Recognizes Paganism: Independence Day or Halloween?</a><br /><br />The hate and bile spewing from this article is disgusting.<br /><br />Since the comments on Terheyden's article are being so heavily censored and I doubt that my sensible post will make it through, I'm posting my thoughts here as well:<br /><br /><blockquote>Ninek wrote: "It is amusing to see the "pagans" get their knickers in a bunch over this article. Virtually all so-called 'pagans' are the decendants of Christian parents and grandparents. The pagan religions of Europe and the Middle East died out centuries ago. The Inquisition period resulted in the deaths of only a half of a half of a percent of people routinely killed by Marxists and Communists. The old pagan religions had many charming practices like burning infants alive and killing all kinds of animals for 'sacrifice' and not for food. It is the so-called 'pagans' who do not know history. It's more than pickling herbs and getting tattoos, people.<br />ninek | 2/8/2010" </blockquote><br /><br />Ninek: I have a Master's Degree in History and am working on a Ph.D. It's you who is unaware of history.<br /><br />The ancient Hebrews practiced animal sacrifice, and then they moved on from that. It's in the Bible. Check it. So too, have modern Neo-Pagans moved on from animal sacrifice.<br /><br />And that nonsense about burning infants alive? Nothing but lies written by Christian historians. You think everything a Christian historian from the Roman period said about Pagans is unerringly true? Well then, if so, you must admit that everything that the Roman Pagan historians wrote about Christianity is also true? Correct? Here's a good example: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"An infant covered over with meal, that it may deceive the unwary, is placed before him who is to be stained with their rites: this infant is slain by the young pupil, who has been urged on as if to harmless blows on the surface of the meal, with dark and secret wounds. Thirstily - O horror! they [Christians] lick up its blood; eagerly they divide its limbs."</span> - Minucius Felix, Octavius<br /><br />Now I am not so feeble-minded as to accept the words of this Roman Pagan author that the early Christians actually ritually killed infants and drank their blood. Obviously, to anyone with an IQ above 75, it's propaganda.<br /><br />Believe it or not, people don't have to be Christian in order to be moral. Plato, Socrates, Gandhi, Marcus Aurelius, Cicero, etc., were all pretty intelligent guys, even though they just happened to believe in many Gods, instead of a single one.<br /><br />And just because someone's parents or grandparents happened to follow a different religion, does not make their religious beliefs insincere. Considering the fact that Christianity was spread ENTIRELY to people who had been brought up in other religions...that would mean that, essentially, all Christian converts are insincere.<br /><br />Perhaps you should think a bit more about what actually angers you about Pagans wanting to practice their own religion, and focus on your own beliefs, rather than those of others.Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-50907023877194017862009-11-23T07:04:00.000-08:002009-11-23T07:07:21.859-08:00JAILBREAK!My 1.5 year old daughter has learned how to climb out of the playpen.<br /><br />This means that I can no longer put her in the playpen, give her a toy, and expect her to entertain herself.<br /><br />IT IS THE END OF AN ERA, MY FRIENDS!Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-22542454413068060352009-11-16T00:22:00.001-08:002009-11-16T00:23:18.689-08:003:21 AMMade it about 1800 words. Got to a major plot change. Too much detailed thinking necessary to continue to write while this sleepy.<br /><br />Giving up.Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-18848609810519992009-11-15T23:30:00.000-08:002009-11-15T23:31:37.208-08:002:30 AMI'm typing a very creepy scene in ACHERON.<br /><br />I'm also alone in the dark in the Creepy House on the Hill, at my desk in the Library...the only illumination coming from my monitor...the only sounds being that of the old house creaking in the night.<br /><br />Suitable.Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-40307376811356976692009-11-15T23:08:00.000-08:002009-11-15T23:11:20.632-08:00It's after 2:00 AM......and I can't sleep. Wifey turned the heater up to 65 before going to bed, and now it's just way too hot for me to entertain sleep.<br /><br />Do I play video games or write? Decisions, decisions...<br /><br />Perhaps I'll write, and if I make it past 5 000 words, I'll reward myself with video games.<br /><br />Ah, Total War, thou art my undoing!Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-10092299667319542482009-11-11T10:45:00.000-08:002009-11-11T10:46:34.598-08:00Website is back up!The website is back up now, and the redirect removed.<br /><br />BryonBryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-12597327325455718572009-11-10T19:05:00.000-08:002009-11-10T19:06:11.766-08:00Migrating Serverswww.bryonmorrigan.com is currently down while we change servers. I am redirecting here to my blog temporarily. Thank you.<br /><br />BryonBryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-29175982428368482492009-11-05T10:19:00.000-08:002009-11-05T10:21:40.038-08:00Cthulhu Chick TractI just found this on Shocklines. Hilarious.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm86/BryonMorrigan/CthulhuChickTract.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 371px; height: 543px;" src="http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm86/BryonMorrigan/CthulhuChickTract.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a></div>Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-13747215509680249212009-10-26T09:16:00.000-07:002009-10-26T09:24:13.344-07:00ACHERONThe "semi-sequel" to THE DESERT is being tentatively titled ACHERON. (Loyal readers will get the reference.) I'm currently writing both the novel and the screenplay, and am more than halfway complete with both. <br /><br />Although it deals with similar themes, it only contains one character crossover from THE DESERT, and that happens at the end. I say "semi-sequel" in that the events of ACHERON are linked to something that happened in THE DESERT, but you will not have had to read it beforehand.<br /><br />I have not begun to shop around either the book or screenplay, but interested parties can contact me at <a href="mailto:%20bryon@bryonmorrigan.com">bryon@bryonmorrigan.com</a>.Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-78673566461909099052009-10-20T16:08:00.001-07:002009-10-26T09:24:54.770-07:00Halloween Movies on CableMan....<br /><br />I've been filling up the DVR with just about every frickin' horror movie that has been coming on Halloween Month, and almost every single one has been utterly worthless. Most of them, I just watch the first few minutes and then delete. I don't have time for shit horror. I mean, it's pretty friggin' simple to make a halfway decent horror film. You'd think it'd be easier to find them. Examples:<br /><br /><b>THE GOOD:<br /></b><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">THE BREED (2006) - </span>This is the only halfway decent one that I've come across yet that I hadn't seen before. People on island being attacked by genetically-modified dogs. It has some genuinely creepy locales, and the dogs have not been CGI'd or sped up or anything to make them scarier. They're just real dogs trying to kill you. A few lulzy moments, and they never really explain why the dogs are so damned smart or anything...but a fun, brainless horror movie.<br /><br /><b>THE BAD:</b><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">SHALLOW GROUND (2004) -</span> No, a shitty actor covered in blood is not scary. The director seemed to think this kid was the fucking spookiest thing ever. I watched like, 15-20 minutes of pretty much nothing going on except this bloody teenager walking around, trying to look ominous. Did not work. <span style="color:red;">STOP - DELETE</span>.<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br />INTERMEDIO (2005) - </span>I should've stopped at "The Asylum Presents" but the synopsis sounded like a no-brainer. People in tunnels under Mexican border get attacked by monsters. At the first sign of the really bad CGI monsters, I was done. <span style="color:red;">STOP - DELETE</span>.<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">THE DUNWICH HORROR (2009) - </span>A Lovecraft movie with Jeffery Combs? How could they go wrong, right? (No Brian Yuzna, for one thing...) As soon as Dean Stockwell started shooting bad SFX "lasers" from his fingertips, I said: <span style="color:red;">STOP - DELETE</span>.<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">BENEATH STILL WATERS (2005) - </span>Speaking of Brian Yuzna, apparently he wasn't available for the above movie because he was making more shitty Spanish movies. The kids in the opening scene were horrible, and when it turned out to be another "Oooooh! He's scary 'cause he's a Debbil-Worshipper!" movie, I just couldn't help but: <span style="color:red;">STOP - DELETE</span>.<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">CATACOMBS (2007) - </span>Rave party in the catacombs under Paris. Could be cool. Nope. Just another teen slasher film with nothing going for it. Even the catacombs in the movie are fake. Filmed in Romania. <span style="color:red;">STOP - DELETE</span>.<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">FURNACE (2006) - </span>I only taped it because it had Danny Trejo in it. I realized about 20 minutes in that I was daydreaming about something else. I figured that was as good a reason as any to: <span style="color:red;">STOP - DELETE</span>.<br /><br />UP NEXT!<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br />WRONG TURN 2 -</span> Sure, WRONG TURN wasn't CITIZEN KANE, but it has Henry Rollins in it, so I'll give it a spin.<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">HALLOWED GROUND -</span> Looks like crap. It's the "Evil Preacher" meme instead of the "Evil Debbil Worshipper" meme, so it'll probably suck just as bad.<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">SAW III -</span> SAW was okay...a new twist. SAW II sucked mightily, and I gave up the series at that point. We'll have to see just how bad SAW III is. I mean, it's FREE!<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS -</span> Yeah, I've seen it before. Watched it in the theater. I wanna see how it holds up. Is it as good as I remember? Or will it be like watching LORD OF ILLUSIONS for the second time?Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-49570359062996763312008-06-29T14:36:00.000-07:002008-06-29T14:56:59.728-07:00I HATE FLYING!!!I'm not afraid of flying, but I sure do detest it.<br /><br /> I am trying to get to New York, via Newark, and am currently stranded in Charlotte, NC. I've been here since 1:30 PM. First, the airline (US AIRWAYS, who sucketh mightily!!!) cancelled my connecting flight, citing "too much air traffic." <br /><br /> So then, they sent me on a quest for the vaguely named "East Ticket Booth." Of course, when I've just gotten off of a plane, and am in a large airport with no visible exterior landmarks, I can tell exactly which direction is East.<br /><br /> Upon finally arriving at the long line to this "Eastern" ticket counter, which was actually closed off and marked "CLOSED," (I had to get someone from the airline to point to it and assure me it was the right place...) I was finally told that the earliest flight that I could get was departing at 5:15 PM. Of course, this meant that I would be missing the lecture starting at 7:00 PM that is part of WHY I'M GOING TO ACCURSED YANKEETOWN IN THE FIRST PLACE...but I had no choice but to take it. So they gave me a little piece of paper and told me to go get in ANOTHER long assed line at the Continental (ASSHATS!!!) booth.<br /><br /> So I finally get through the Continental line and get to the counter. The woman at the counter notices that I have a bag in my hand from Nathan's Famous. She asks, "Why is everyone coming up here with bags from Nathan's?"<br /><br /> I reply, "Because most of us had just gotten off the plane and bought lunch, when some idiots decided to cancel out flights. So now, I like many of my co-passengers, am holding my steadily cooling lunch, thanks to the incompetence of insolent fools who work for the airlines."<br /><br /> She replied, "Well, don't lump us all in together. It was canceled due to air traffic."<br /><br /> "Well, maybe you specifically aren't responsible for this stupidity, but it surely is not of my own doing. However, <span style="font-weight: bold;">someone</span> made the decision to screw up these flights."<br /><br /> So I got my ticket and had to go through the stupid TSA checkpoint again. Of course, this time, I was singled out, BY CONTINENTAL, for "special" screening. I was made to stand in a glass-walled room in the middle of the checkpoint, under guard, while they did a super-duper check of all my items. When the TSA told me that CONTINENTAL had requested my super-special security lockdown, I told them it was likely because I had told the woman that airline personnel were "insolent fools." The TSA person told me that it was automatic because I was on a flight that had been canceled. EITHER WAY, IT'S COMPLETE BULLSHITTERY!!!<br /><br /> So by the time I get through all the hoops and security, it's already 3:15 PM. Now my 5:15 flight has been delayed! LOVELY! I LOVE DELAYS! It's now almost 6:00 PM. I have no idea when, or if, I will ever get to Newark. I can't believe I <span style="font-weight: bold;">paid</span> for this stupidity!!!<br /><br /><br />A POX UPON BOTH YOUR HOUSES!!!!! (US Airways and Continental...)Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2073211664935468577.post-60074121525545746992008-05-05T15:58:00.000-07:002008-05-05T16:06:32.463-07:00Spring CleaningI'm quite obsessed with keeping things neat and orderly.<br /><br />This blog has become quite untidy.<br /><br />Therefore, it has been cleansed. I took off, nuked the website from orbit, as it was the only way to be sure.<br /><br />I've been a bit quiet on this place for a while, but that has been due to the fact that I have some good news that is unfortunately TOP SECRET.<br /><br />I can tell you this:<br /><br />THE DESERT will be a movie.<br />I am writing the screenplay.<br />It's an actual Hollywood affair, with a director that has done movies with people like Harvey Keitel and Matthew McConaughey.<br /><br />No, I can't tell you any more until I've been given the "all clear."<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Currently Reading: The Wheel of Darkness, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Currently Listening to: The Adversary, by Ihsahn</span>Bryon Morriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16968293172898577873noreply@blogger.com0