fuonlyknew

I have time to squeeze in one more batch of horror before the new year!

Do you like to watch horror movies? I sure do! Watch them all the time. Have tons of DVDs, and am always browsing Netflix and On Demand for new ones.

For today, I have a special treat.

Check out When Animals Attack, edited by Vanessa Morgan. There’s 70 horror movies to be shared in the pages. You might recognize many of them, and find some you’ve missed.

I also have a fantastic guest post from Vanessa.

And there’s a giveaway, so don’t forget to enter!

~~~~~

Enjoy the guest post from Vanessa Morgan!

ANIMALS ON THE RAMPAGE – FROM NOVEL TO MOVIE

“Animals on the rampage” has always been a popular theme in both books and movies. To celebrate the release of the new movie reference guide, When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals, I want to tell you about six of the most popular “animals on the rampage” novels that have become movies.

Jaws by Peter Benchley

Jaws by Peter Benchley is without a doubt THE most popular “animals on the rampage” novel ever. Steven Spielberg turned this book about a great white shark into a movie, and the rest is history. In When Animals Attack, Warren Fahy (author of Fragment) discusses how he became obsessed with Jaws. It’s a fun, true story about DIY censorship, chocolate sharks, and beastly bestsellers.

Cujo by Stephen King

Stephen King considers Cujo to be one of his weakest novels. He was battling an alcohol addiction at the time and doesn’t remember writing it. However, the beloved family dog that gets bitten by a rabies-infected bat has always been a reader’s favorite.

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier

Technically, The Birds is only a short story and not a novel, but it’s impossible not to mention it in this list as Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film adaptation made such an impact on the history of cinema. In 1994, this story about a small town where flocks of birds suddenly start to attack people got an unfortunate sequel called Land’s End.

Deadly Eyes by James Herbert

British author James Herbert is one of the most renowned names in the horror literature. I’m sure you’ve all heard of his novels Haunted, The Fog, The Rats, and The Magic Cottage. The Rats got a film adaptation in the 1980s called Deadly Eyes in which the ravenous rats on steroids were portrayed by dogs in costumes.

The Hephaestus Plague by Thomas Page

Based on the 1973 novel, The Hephaestus Plague by Thomas Page, Bug begins with cockroaches emerging from the fissures in the earth and setting humans on fire. You can’t consider The Hephaestus Plague (or Bug) one of the best horror stories about animals on the rampage because of its many unbelievable elements (such as bugs leaving written messages), but you can’t deny that it’s one of the most interesting and uncanny ones.

The White Buffalo by Richard Sale

This story about an albino buffalo on the rampage is more an adventure novel instead of a horror book, but one that is packed with a large amount of punch. The 1977 movie based on the novel has become a classic starring Charles Bronson, Jack Warden, and Kim Novak.

You can read in-depth essays on these books and movies (and many others) in When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals.

What are your favorite books and movies about animals on the rampage?

~~~~~

When Animals Attack

The 70 Best Horror Movies With Killer Animals

Edited by Vanessa Morgan

Published by Moonlight Creek Publishing

My Review

I’m a huge fan of horror. You throw in some creatures that run, creep, crawl, slither, fly, and swim, and I’m in heaven.

This collection lists the 70 best movies that feature killer animals that actually exist in nature. No ghosts, vamps, weres, or demons are in it. How about lions, tigers, and bears. Bats, sharks, and piranhas. The list goes on.

I read this from front to back, realizing when I finished that I’d seen all but a few of these movies and many of them have a home on my DVD shelves. They go back quite a ways too. Feel free to skip around when reading. You might spot some favorites you want to check out first.

As it says in the description, some of these are quite horrific, some are eerie, and some are just plain fun.

I love B- movies. I don’t expect the best in CG, and often enjoy it when I can clearly see that the creature isn’t real. My sister and I love to pick the movies apart and try to never miss a one.

Some of my favorites are Day of the Animals, Frogs, Empire of the Ants……well, the list could go on and on. And I was thrilled to see that The White Buffalo was included in this list. It’s definitely a favorite of mine. Has almost a mystical tone to it. And Charles Bronson pulls off a fabulous performance, as does the “buff.”

Writers and authors come together to share about their featured movies and it gets quite interesting.

A must have for horror movie buffs. There’s something for everyone in these pages. You may find yourself surfing for some of these movies afterwards.

5 Stars

~~~~~

Synopsis

The definitive horror movie guide for fans of killer animals and “revenge of nature” films.

When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals provides a fascinating and entertaining insight into the cinematographic world of animals on the rampage. From well-known predators such as sharks and lions to unusual killing machines like turkeys, elephants, frogs, cats, and rabbits, there is no shortage of the species on display in this book.

Leading horror writers and filmmakers present their favorite “animals attack” films through in-depth essays. Some of the films are touching, some are repulsive, and some are just plain silly. Not all of these horror movies line up with the critical consensus, yet they have one thing in common: they have made the heart of the writer beat faster with excitement.

Purchase links for When Animals Atttack

Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon FR / Goodreads

~~~~~

Author Vanessa Morgan

Vanessa Morgan is an author, screenwriter, and blogger. Three of her stories (The Strangers Outside, Next to Her and A Good Man), have become movies. When she’s not working on her latest book, you can find her reading, watching horror movies, digging through flea markets, or photographing felines for her blog Traveling Cats (www.traveling-cats.com).

Social media links

Facebook / Twitter / Google + / Amazon / Newsletter

~~~~~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!