Hinnom Magazine Issue 003

by C. P. Dunphey

  Back in the city and everything went to plan in the catacombs. How wonderful they were, all the bones stacked up like death himself had laid the foundations for the city. Isn’t it wonderfully poetic, Stevie, that one of the happiest, love-filled cities on our planet is built on an underlayer of death and decay? What a lovely metaphor for life, that it owes its very existence to the strength of death and darkness below. We were overwhelmed and this time, your mother shared my passion and joy. You would have too, Stevie, oh if only you could have seen it, especially someone as educated as you. In fact, our tour guide had a similar background to yourself, with his first degree in history and a master’s degree in archaeology. I enjoyed chatting to him so much I nearly let slip about our journey back in February to the Valley of Hinnom, and our discovery of some of the original pages of the Necronomicom. Of course, I’m not sure how he would have taken that story, and I didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention to us, but he was a wonderfully insightful and interesting man. I almost felt guilty slipping the keys from his pocket, but as you know, Stevie, the plan comes first.

  Finally, your mother and l have been enjoying French food and wine somewhat to excess. In order to work off the calories we have been walking a lot. I have had on that pedometer you gave me the whole time and have clocked up 40ks so far. Not bad for an old man, eh?

  We are just getting ready now to go back to the catacombs and execute the plan. I keep looking at Mikey and thinking of when he was a baby, a decade ago. It fills your mother and I with sadness, and I’m sure it does you too, that this will be his final night but I suppose if all goes to plan, we could say that about all of us before too long. Hell, you could say that about that all of us anyway if you fast forward a few years, even the little foetus growing inside you as we speak. Death is something to be embraced, not feared. Why fear something that comes to each and every one of us, the great leveller? But I suppose one of our flaws as humans is that we have these childish emotions that we can’t simply cast off the way we would discard bad habits. As I type, I’m looking at the dagger we excavated from the cave in Hinnom. How beautiful it is, with the metal tentacles wrapping around the handle, and it’s just so wonderfully old. I’m so glad we managed to sneak it through customs. I just hope that those pages of the Necronomicon are right, or that we translated them correctly. I guess we’ll know soon enough, and I’ll email you as soon as I have any updates.

  Hope you and bump are happy and healthy.

  Love from Dad, Mom, and Mikey

  PS The international dongle thing you sorted out for me works a treat. I just put it in my laptop and boom—it connects to the internet. What a wonderful invention!

  From: Cliff and Mary Allan

  Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2017 at 09:18 PM

  Subject: An update from France!

  To: Stephanie Allen

  Bonjour again, Stevie! Comment est la vie?

  See, I’m picking it up more and more! By the end of this trip, I’ll be able to pass for a bona fide Frenchman myself. Well, okay, maybe not but I’m certainly improving.

  All went to plan in the catacombs and your brother is no longer with us. It went like clockwork, so thanks for all your help in preparing our approach to this. We held hands after we used the dagger on him, I’m not ashamed to admit that we both cried and hugged as his eyes disappeared into whites and blood spewed from the slit I’d made in his neck. But seeing the crimson blood glisten on the dagger was truly a remarkable experience, magical even. And his blood sprayed all over the bones as per our plan, which was magnificent to watch. I’m sure you’ll be sad at little Mikey passing on, but at least we know we are doing it for a truly great cause. Of course, we read the passage from the book’s pages. It was amazing to read words that Abdul Alhazred himself had written all those centuries ago, as the blood dripped from those old skeletons below the streets of Paris. Maybe part of Mikey will live on in your child. I really do believe that, Stevie, as his life ended with the words from the Necronomicon, just as your baby was conceived with a similar ritual. Maybe we will have Mikey version two with us before long.

  Has it worked? We don’t know yet. We’ll stick around in Paris for a few more days and, if nothing occurs, we’ll head back to California to see you. Don’t get me wrong, it will be brilliant to see you again, but it will be disappointing if nothing happens. And the longer time goes on, the more your mother and I feel despondent that something hasn’t gone right. But at least we’ve had a brilliant holiday on the back of it and we will definitely bring you here one day if that is the case. As I said in my previous email, you will absolutely adore the Louvre, not to mention the food and wine. So, if the worst-case scenario is that we did something wrong, or that the Great Old Ones remain asleep, I’m sure we’ll make the best of it. My only semblance of optimism about the whole thing is that the dreams we’ve been having are even more vivid and terrifying than before. Do your dreams still haunt you in the same way? It’s quite thrilling isn’t it, Stevie, to wake in your own cold sweat, covered in goosebumps? An exhilaration like no other, that’s what your mother and I feel.

  Oh, I nearly forgot, we went up the Eiffel Tower today! Can you believe that? It’s a strange thing, full of beauty at the same time as being an industrial structure, a mass of dark grey metal and ominous shapes. I feel that it has no place amongst the stunning Paris architecture, but then I suppose it’s almost like it could have burst out from the darkness below the city’s streets. And I kind of like that thought. The views from the top were sublime, it was a bright, clear day and we could see for miles.

  Sorry for the brevity of this email, we’re about to go for another meal. I swear I’ve put ten pounds on in little more than a week. If we do come back in a few days, I may have to pay for an extra seat on the airlines!

  Best wishes to you and bump, and aurevoir for now,

  Mom and Dad

  From: Cliff and Mary Allan

  Date: Tue 12 Sep 2017 at 11:28 PM

  Subject: It worked!

  To: Stephanie Allen

  Stevie,

  I’m typing this quickly and excitedly, so please excuse any typos, I know you’re a bit of a pedant when it comes to the use of English!

  What can I say other than—IT WORKED! We were having a beautiful meal in the Montmarte district of the city, on a mezzanine balcony overlooking a busy street, and we heard a rumbling from below us. Obviously, living in Cali, we assumed we had a minor quake coming and barely batted an eyelid. But this is France, Stevie, they hardly have anything like that over here. People were panicking and running, thinking there was some natural disaster, but we stayed still, holding hands.

  That’s when we saw them. They were covered in black wispy smoke, but we knew straight away what they were. They were the bones, Stevie! The bones from below, from those wonderful catacombs, had pushed themselves to the surface of the city. As they walked, everyone in front of them fell down and just rotted. Like they were decomposing in front of our eyes. We saw two, then three, then four. And the most amazing thing? The people that fell and rotted rose from the ground and began walking once more, their eyes a glazed red. They walked straight past me and your mother. Maybe we just weren’t in their path, they seemed to be sticking to the main street below us. Or maybe we were protected by our part in their awakening. Either way, we smiled at each other like lovesick teenagers, paid the bill and walked back to the hotel, where I’m now emailing you from.

  We’ve been looking out of our hotel window, and it looks like chaos has taken over the city. Pockets of fire are breaking out all over the place and we can hear absolute and total panic. It’s gripped this city like a fast-moving plague and we can smell the fear rising up from the streets. The river has burst its banks and huge pools of water have appeared all over the city below us. The dead march and march and their numbers continue to grow with each person that falls befo
re them, before reanimating. I can see them all below us now, the hordes of undead killers.

  You would love the chaos here, Stevie. And most of all, it means that Mikey died for good reason. It was him that let these fantastic beings out. I’m sure you’ll be watching it on the news and smiling. Our plan worked so well and a lot of that is down to you. I can see hordes of these beings below us now, they are marching almost robotically. The dark mist follows them and Paris itself has been cast in darkness, even though it is only mid-morning. The blackness rises from deep below the catacombs and I feel only true excitement to see what we may have awoken from below.

  I’ll update you when I can, Stevie, but I’m sure you agree the monumental achievement this represents for us all. I am confident that we will have a special place in the new world.

  I must go now, we are heading back down, we may even meet one of the Great Old Ones, if they have appeared amongst the army of the dead that have risen in their name.

  Love to you and bump. If we don’t see each other again in this life, we’ll catch up with coffee and cake in the next.

  Mom and Dad xxx

  From: Cliff and Mary Allan

  Date: Tue 12 Sep at 15:40 PM

  Subject: Urgent

  To: Stephanie Allen

  Stevie, this is going to be brief. Unfortunately, we lost your mother. We were a little over confident and walked into the path of one of the walking stacks of bones. She fell and rotted in their path like the rest of them. I saw her, Stevie, disintegrating in front of my eyes. Again, those childish emotions overruled my logical thoughts and I ran back to the hotel, buried my head in the pillow and wept. How feeble I must be in the eyes of the Great Old Ones. How I only hope they can forgive me and we can all be reunited in the next world.

  I have no doubt that this will be my last email, Stevie. The internet connection is intermittent at best and I can’t see any flights leaving Paris in the near future. You wouldn’t believe the scenes outside the hotel. Darkness has just engulfed the city. I’m sure you’re watching the coverage. I had a quick look myself, to see what the outside world made of these events and I see there are the typical claims of terrorism, rioting, natural disasters and the like. I did see one article that gave me immense hope though, Stevie. Hope that the baby growing inside you is destined for greatness. There is a tsunami coming your way, due to hit the West Coast in the next few hours. A massive, unspeakable being is rising from the depths of the Pacific, its tentacles are said to be reaching high out of the water. He is coming for his unborn son, Stevie. Be ready for him. We are ready to join the Great Cthulhu in the new world. I love you more than you know and I will see you in the next life.

  Hail Great Cthulhu. Hail his prince. Hail the new world.

  See you around. Au revoir mon amour.

  Dad X

  David Turton has extensive training in Journalism, Marketing and Public Relations and has been writing as a career for over fourteen years. A huge horror fiction fan, particularly the works of Stephen King, David has written several short stories, all centred around dark tales of horror and dystopia. He is also in the final stages of his first novel, an apocalyptic horror set in the near future.

  Follow David on Twitter @davidturton and visit David’s new website!

  DEMONS (2017) and the Quest of Indie Film

  A Gehenna Post Review

  (Originally published on the Gehenna Post)

  Greetings from the Ether,

  We were given the honor to attend an early screening of Demons, a new horror film from Mississippi powerhouse Miles Doleac (American Horror Story, The Magnificent Seven). We would first like to thank the director for the invite and for him reaching out to the Gehenna Post. We hope this will be the first of many, many more early reviews.

  Alas, let’s begin!

  Former priest Colin Hampstead turns to a career as an author after an attempted exorcism goes wrong. The victim of said possession is none other than the younger sister of the woman he later marries. Together, and many years after the tragic incident, they battle the demons that aim to put them down, coming to realizations and truths about themselves in the process.

  Now, the first thing that must be noted and thoroughly considered, is the fact that this film is not a Hollywood blockbuster. It is not on tier with many Oscar-nominated films. For average moviegoers, the experience may not be what they would hope. Nonetheless, the ability to admire the work that these artists put their hearts and souls into, with the limited resources they had, is something that we should take into acknowledgment.

  There are good performances here, most notably from John Schneider (Smallville), Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster), and Steven Brand (The Scorpion King). Unlike previous outings with Doleac as director, he chose (in a risk that truly paid off) to put other cast members to the forefront. The character of Colin (played by Miles Doleac) is well done, as all of the director’s onscreen performances have been to date, but he truly gave the floor to other stars in a way that hasn’t been seen and this was perhaps one of the most respectable decisions made.

  Doleac’s previous directorial and starring outings, The Historian and The Hollow were both in the field of drama, one being a cinematic academia-based investigation, and the latter being a southern crime noir. Stepping into the realm of horror was brave, and though Doleac doesn’t have the most experience in this genre, his skill as a director and screenwriter shine through. There are some solid scares and a few very intense moments throughout the film, while maintaining a structure that is at times changing pretty fast-paced, but at other times seamless. During the Q&A, we asked the director about the challenges he faced tackling the genre of horror, and he said something that we found to be very truthful, horror is “character-driven.” The reveals and expanding plot development surrounding the possession and why it happened are exactly that. This, Doleac nailed on the head.

  Keeping in mind the struggles that indie filmmakers face in today’s industry, Doleac continues to impress with the resources he is given. In the Q&A after the film, the director revealed that the script was written relatively quickly, and despite the rushed nature of this animal’s creation, there is some honest storytelling to be seen. If the director can write a screenplay like this in such a short time, one can only imagine his capabilities if given the proper resources and time.

  Demons has flaws, and doesn't quite surpass what The Hollow achieved, but it is still worth watching, and more importantly, worth supporting. In a day and age where independent filmmakers struggle to gain recognition and have to work endlessly and tirelessly to produce a movie, it is more important now than ever to support indie films. As Doleac pointed out in the Q&A, the theater industry is dying and it is near impossible to work from the ground up, setting your own foundations in the process.

  Many facets of the film didn't work, but the ones that did made up for it. It will be interesting to see where Doleac goes from here and if he chooses to pursue horror again. We are excited to see his progression as a director, actor, and screenwriter. We encourage you, our readers, to watch this film and to support indie film-making. Demons is not The Exorcist or The Conjuring but we hope it is the first in an ever-improving filmography from Miles Doleac.

  Stream the film on Amazon.

  A photo with Demons director Miles Doleac after the screening.

  BLADE RUNNER 2049: Modern Struggles of a

  Visual Masterpiece

  A Gehenna Post Review

  (Originally published on the Gehenna Post)

  Greetings from the Ether,

  We had announced a review for Blade Runner 2049 a couple days ago, following our review of the original, and after seeing the early showing. Our hesitation was based in the fact that this film needed time to digest. The film was breathtaking, mind-boggling, and possibly one of the most beautiful movies to ever be made. Despite these facets, the scope of 2049 is so vast and encompassing, that a good evaluation cou
ld not be made directly after the first viewing. As the film has processed in our brains, we feel we are ready to tackle one of the greatest sequels ever made and a true masterclass artistic piece.

  Nevertheless, let's dive into this dystopia!

  Following a detective as he investigates the mystery of a missing child, K finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that may not only change his life forever, but also permanently alter the world around him as well.

  Blade Runner 2049 is a masterpiece. Plain and simple. No questions asked, no arguments worth discussing. Is it a flawed masterpiece? Yes. Just as its predecessor had flaws, this sequel also does. These minute flaws do not overshadow the surreal, brooding tale that is this film. Director Denis Villeneuve parallels the talents of Ridley Scott's direction of the original. Stacked floor to ceiling with an all star cast, capturing a gloomy, dystopian universe, and once again tackling questions of morality and the human condition, Blade Runner 2049 is just as poignant and important as the original film was, especially in today's box office climate.

  K is brought to life by an outstanding performance from Ryan Gosling. Harrison Ford reprises his role as Rick Deckard and delivers an emotional take that is little seen from the Hollywood legend. Sylvia Hoeks nails her turn as the chillingly brutal replicant Luv. Jared Leto does a great job as Tyrell heir, Wallace. Dave Bautista only continues his ever-improving acting talents as Sapper Morton, Robin Wright also fantastic as Lieutenant Joshi. Ana de Armas is haunting and beautiful as Joi, delivering an integral piece to the film for the protagonist K.