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Horror, at its best, exposes something about our culture. It needles its way into taboos, makes us see things we didn’t know were there. As political commentary, it’s hard to beat a good horror movie. And it’s hard to find a good horror movie without some political commentary.

I think that’s one reason—among many—that A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is so powerful, particularly for American audiences. Girl has universal appeal, but as the rare mainstream Iranian horror movie (only mainstream Iranian horror movie?) it also presents aspects of Persian culture most of do not recognize.

Set in the Iranian oil town of Bad City, Girl follows Arash, a hard working young man trying to take care of his junkie father in a world that offers him little hope for the future. But when he meets the eponymous girl, everything changes.

A few things that stand out about Girl immediately. The first is the cinematography. This is a beautiful movie. Gorgeously shot, Girl’s visuals create an atmosphere that is at once surreal and otherworldly while also engaging and engrossing. Girl also presents a view into Iran we in the West don’t often see. Iran and the Iranian people are not all that different from us. The have many of the same problems we have, and they are obsessed with American culture. This is partially demonstrated by the music in the film. This would be a soundtrack to own.

I also enjoyed the commentary on Islamic dress, principally the chador. Obviously, there’s been endless debate about this garment, and its role in oppressing women. But when the girl puts on the chador, which conveniently doubles as a cape, she becomes dangerous rather than delicate.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is a movie to see. Sheila Vand is beautiful in the title role, while Arash Marandi shows some serious chops. If you’re looking for an Iranian horror movie to watch this Halloween season, Girl is the movie for you.

4.5 Stars

I enjoy quiet horror as much as the next guy, but sometimes, horror can be too quiet. Such is the problem with Honeymoon, a horror movie that has a kernel of a good film at its center, but lacks the story to go along with it.

Perhaps the best part about Honeymoon is its leads. Rose Leslie (she of the “You know nothing John Snow” Game of Thrones fame) plays Bea, while Harry Treadaway joins her as her newlywed husband, Paul. They take the eponymous honeymoon to a lakeside cabin from Bea’s childhood, but what they find is something…otherworldly.

What can you say about this movie? It’s not boring, despite the slow burn that never quite pays off. Treadaway and Leslie carry the film (there’s only two other actors listed), and despite their atrocious accents, we believe in them as a couple. So when things go strange, we are in it with them. And that’s important. Given how little we actually see, if we didn’t believe in the characters, we’d lose the movie completely. Still, the plot holes come fast and hard. I won’t spoil the movie for you, but they are there, and you won’t have trouble finding them.

In the end, Honeymooon is a nice hour and half diversion. It won’t change your life, and it certainly won’t stick with you. But you could do worse on a lonely October night.

3 Stars

The greatest song every written about life and death and love. In a graveyard.

So I admit–I’ve neglected this blog in 2015. I got a new job, moved, got married, published my latest book. In short, I’ve been busy. So I’m going to try and make it up to you. It’s October. The greatest, the darkest, the most horrifying of all months. And this month, I want to fill my blog with horror suggestions, reviews, and just plain goodies. I’m starting today with my favorite thing about the season.

This book, A Night in the Lonesome October.

31 Chapters, one for each day of this most auspicious month. The story of openers and closers, those who would throw wide the gates allowing the Old Ones to return, and those who have vowed to keep them shut. And their battle will culminate on Halloween night. Oh yeah, did I mention the whole story is told from the perspective of a dog?

A delightful story, one that can be shared with children or adults alike, I make it my practice to re-read Lonesome October every year as Halloween approaches.

And I start again tonight.

Been wanting to read the sequel to That Which Should Not Be but haven’t yet? Here’s your opportunity to win a copy. All you have to do is follow me on Twitter. Already follow me on Twitter? Then you don’t have to do anything. 10 copies available. Click HERE to enter.

The artist behind the cover of my latest, He Who Walks In Shadow, has written a very interesting blog post about what goes in to designing a cover. Well worth the read. Check it out.

Yes, I will be seeing the new Terminator. And yes, I will be updating my Terminator timeline post.

He’ll be back.

It’s finally here.

I know it seemed like it might never happen, but the sequel to the Bram Stoker Award nominated That Which Should Not Be has arrived. Can’t wait to hear what you think.

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or directly from the publisher.

“He Who Walks in Shadow hearkens to the classic pulp era of the 1930s and does justice to the Mythos that H.P. Lovecraft and the best of his successors have established. Talley skillfully blends high adventure and black magic against a backdrop of encroaching cosmic horror.” Laird Barron, author of The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All

“Talley’s unusual prose style creates an authentic Lovecraftian atmosphere that is further supported by the epistolary format of the novel, which is set in 1933 and is composed of letters, journal entries, and newspaper articles. This is high adventure that strides across the purple field of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.” Donald Tyson, author of Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred

“Talley truly has a way with words, and some of the descriptions left me breathless.” Chantal Noordeloos, author of Angel Manor

“Infusing his tale with both real and weird history (The Russian Revolution/The Tunguska Event), brilliant characters and a real sense of dread, Talley has done something incredible…..he’s not only given life to the Mythos….under his guidance, it is evolving. Highest possible recommendation.” Horror After Dark.

If you follow me outside of these pages, you know that this website is pretty much the only politics-free zone I have on the Internet. My philosophy is that most fans don’t really care what writers, singers, actors think about politics. And why should they? That God gave me the ability to occasionally write a decent scary story doesn’t mean you should care what I think about the corporate tax code.

But if you friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter, then you are going to hear what I think. I try to be respectful of everyone, but I am also honest about my views. That has never come back to haunt me.

Until now.

A couple days ago, a fellow author—and at the time Facebook friend—advocated for the death of a politician he disagreed with. The extent of that conversation is as follows:

Him: Death to [politician he doesn’t like]

Me: Death?

Him: Yeah let’s give him their favorite execution cocktail.

Me: That seems…extreme. And possibly criminal.

Him: Not nearly as criminal as the man’s career.

Me: Which includes murder?

Him: Read up on him.

That was it. I shrugged my shoulders and went to bed. The next morning I noticed that my rating on Goodreads had dropped precipitously.  The reason? My fellow writer had one-starred everything I’d ever been involved with—every anthology, every magazine, every book. And just to be safe, he also one-starred everything by anyone named Talley, hitting a sports writer and a mystery writer, both of whom are utterly unrelated to me. All this to punish me for my “support” of said politician.

It was a crazy and pointless thing to do. Other writers rallied to my cause, and eventually the ratings went away. But that’s not what I want to talk about here. The question I have is when, if ever, is it appropriate to take action against an artist with whom you have a disagreement? I think the answer is both never and whenever you feel like it.

First the never. It is never appropriate to rate or review a book you haven’t read. Period. A rating is a message to the people who see it. You are saying, “I read this, and I felt this way about it.” So when you rate a book you haven’t read, you are lying, betraying the trust of the person who sees your review, undermining the entire system of reviews on which the industry relies, and committing literary slander. Honestly, there is little you can do as a reader that is worse than abusing the rating system to make a political point.

But that’s not to say you have to support people you disagree with. Just as life is too short to read bad books, there are plenty of wonderful works out there by people whose political views don’t drive you up the wall.

Having said that, I personally have never employed that approach. I like to be challenged, and reading people who think the same was as I do on everything gets, well, boring. Very boring. And it will make you an insular, narrow minded person to boot. The kind of person that thinks anyone who disagrees with you is evil.

And that, my friends, is nothing short of tragic.

“He Who Walks in Shadow hearkens to the classic pulp era of the 1930s and does justice to the Mythos that H.P. Lovecraft and the best of his successors have established. Talley skillfully blends high adventure and black magic against a backdrop of encroaching cosmic horror.” Laird Barron, author of The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All

“Talley’s unusual prose style creates an authentic Lovecraftian atmosphere that is further supported by the epistolary format of the novel, which is set in 1933 and is composed of letters, journal entries, and newspaper articles. This is high adventure that strides across the purple field of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.” Donald Tyson, author of Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred

“Talley truly has a way with words, and some of the descriptions left me breathless.” Chantal Noordeloos, author of Angel Manor

“Infusing his tale with both real and weird history (The Russian Revolution/The Tunguska Event), brilliant characters and a real sense of dread, Talley has done something incredible…..he’s not only given life to the Mythos….under his guidance, it is evolving. Highest possible recommendation.” Horror After Dark.

Coming May 22. Pre-order here.

Coming May 2015.

Don’t miss it! Join my mailing list today.

I’m a little tardy in posting this, but it was recently announced that Limbus, Inc. II is a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Anthology. The Stoker Award is the most prestigious award in horror, and perhaps even more impressive, of the five nominees in Long Fiction, three are from Limbus.

We are deeply honored to be able to bring a little joy–and terror–to people’s lives, and I can’t even describe how happy I am for everyone involved.

Limbus Inc was the brainchild of the late, great Anne C. Petty. Our horror family has suffered a lot of losses over the last few years–more than our share, if you ask me–and we dearly miss Anne. We wouldn’t have had Limbus II without her, and I am so glad that we were able to offer such a fitting tribute to her memory.

Order Limbus, Inc. II here!

We are in a Lovecraftian renaissance, and there are a lot of people who are writing Lovecraft these days. But while you can find a thousand short stories and anthologies set in the world of the mythos, it’s not so easy to find full-length novels. And if you do find them, it’s really hard to find a modern take on the Great Old Ones. And that’s why Red Equinox by Douglas Wynne is so refreshing–it does both, and it does them brilliantly.

If you are a fan of Lovecraft, Red Equinox is a can’t miss.

5 Stars for this early favorite for the 2016 Bram Stoker Award.

This whole writing thing occasionally leads to surreal experiences. A week ago, I spent a couple hours in a rundown cemetery with a Washington Post reporter and a photographer and this was the result. As many of you know, I work in politics, where people find themselves in the news all the time. But I’m not exactly used to it, so I feel pretty blessed to have the opportunity to share a bit of my story with the world. Anyway, it’s a fun–and frankly hilarious–article. I hope you enjoy it.

Sen. Rob Portman’s communications director is the antichrist.

More accurately, Caitlin Conant (née Dunn) is the namesake of the antichrist in her co-worker’s latest work of horror fiction. In reality, she’s quite nice. “I wanted her to be important. I wanted her to be a major character,” says Brett Talley, 33, who, in addition to being Portman’s speechwriter, is an author of three published horror novels and two “true ghost” stories.