New Novella from Dynatox Ministries

DEATH WITCH, my occultic take on the rape-revenge subgenre, is now available in a slick trade edition from Dynatox Ministries right here: DEATH WITCH

Below are some great reviews that have come in over the past few months:

"DEATH WITCH is the kind of book I most enjoy reading -- one that makes me feel like I've witnessed something I wasn't supposed to see, and now I am complicit. Like a cross between I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and PUMPKINHEAD (without the big rubber monster), it's a devilish drive-in cult flick set to prose. Hell, yeah!"

-James Newman, author of ODD MAN OUT, ANIMOSITY, and REVENGE FLICK!

“Nick Cato’s DEATH WITCH serves up exactly what the perfectly clever title promises—a grindhouse-style mashup of revenge exploitation and Giallo-inspired occult horror. This book is sure to please fans of Mario Bava and Brian Garfield. Just TRY not to imagine Barbara Steele starring in this. I dare you!”

~ Bracken MacLeod, Bram Stoker Award nominated author of STRANDED and COME TO DUST.

"Nick Cato's love of exploitation cinema runs through all of his fiction, and here he offers a suitably mean and nasty take on the revenge genre. An over-the-top, gripping, and unsavory read." -- Jeff Strand, author of BLISTER.

"The straight-forward, no-frills writing style turns DEATH WITCH into a lean and mean book easily consumed in a single sitting. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine it playing on old 42nd Street in New York."

-Evan Romero, pophorror.com

“DEATH WITCH” by Nick Cato left me staring at the page, stunned at what I was witnessing. Cato's vivid style is like a junk-punch that made me feel like a peeping Tom and the cops were going to be cuffing me any second. A disturbing look at the true evil men can do, and the women scorned who aren't as forgiving as they'd hoped. A fast, dark, brutal revenge tale in the same bloody vein as Laymon, Tarantino, Ketchum, with a little pinch of Death Wish thrown in for good measure.

Two devil-horns up!!!

- Thom Erb- Author of TONES OF HOME, HEAVEN, HELL, OR HOUSTON and the upcoming Eternal Flame Trilogy.

DEEP RED Magazine Launch

On Friday, July 13th, 2018, at FORBIDDEN PLANET in NYC, there will be an event no fan of horror magazines will want to miss: the official launch party for the all new DEEP RED magazine. For those who don't know, DEEP RED was a magazine launched in the 80s by the late great Chas. Balun, a horror fan's horror fan who supported and promoted the genre like few before him. Now DEEP RED is back with most of the original staff and a few newbies (myself included). See flier above for list of attendees, and visit the Facebook event page H E R E to see how you can get a signed copy of the just-released debut issue even if you can't attend.

I hope to see some of you there, and check out the above Facebook link for full details...

The Terror Project, Volume 3

THREE A.M. WAKE UP CALL: THE TERROR PROJECT, VOLUME 3 is the third and final entry in this novella series published by Books and Boos Press. My latest novella, CHEW TOYS, is featured alongside all new novellas by David Daniel and Rob Watts. The book will be released the first week of June, 2018, and full details can be found at the publisher's website: BOOKS AND BOOS PRESS / THREE A.M. WAKE UP CALL

2018 book releases / short story appearances / magazine appearances

We're just one month away from the release of the C.H.U.D. LIVES! anthology, which features stories taking place before, during, and after the events of the 1984 cult monster movie C.H.U.D. I still can't believe this baby exists, but am thrilled to be a part of it with my punk rock horror tale "The Dwellers." Check out the official press release:

Coming April 27 from Crystal Lake Publishing, C.H.U.D. Lives! is a tribute anthology of original C.H.U.D. fiction from some of today’s top horror and sci-fi writers.

“The stories in this anthology expand the world created by the film and add depth to the C.H.U.D. universe like never before. From stories of apocalyptic horror and all out monster action, to tales of underground parties interrupted by uninvited guests and evening strolls that end in death, this anthology will leave you both smiling and breathless. Relive the fear as these original stories take you beyond the movie to events that occurred before, during, and after the scenes we remember so well.”

“C.H.U.D. Lives!, with an introduction by David Drake and compiled by Eric S. Brown, also features in-depth interviews with the movie’s producer, Andrew Bonime, its screenwriter, Parnell Hall, and never before seen behind-the-scenes photos from the classic 80s horror film.”

Here’s the full lineup:

• Interview with the late Andrew Bonime
• “Dog Walker” by Robert E Waters
• “The Dwellers” by Nick Cato
• “The City Will Eat You Alive” by Ryan C. Thomas
• “Date Night” by David Robbins
• “Strange Gods” by Christopher Fulbright and Angeline Hawkes
• “Lost and Found” by Greg Mitchell
• “They Are C.H.U.D” by Alex Laybourne
• “C.H.A.D.” by Michael H. Hanson
• “Samsa’s Party” by Ben Fisher
• “The Way to a Man’s Heart” by Tim Waggoner
• “Dweller Messiah” by Jason White
• “That’s Entertainment!” by Mort Castle
• “Toxic Disposal” by David Bernstein
• “Monstrous Me” by Martin Powell
• “Step Ate” by Chad Lutzke
• “Zero Hour” by JG Faherty
• “The Deuce” by Philip C. Perron
• “All at Sea” by Ross Baxter
• “You Will Never Leave Harlan Alive” by Jonathan Maberry and Eugene Johnson
• Interview with Parnell Hall (screenwriter) by Eric S Brown

You can pre-order the eBook here, with trade paperback and audiobook versions available soon: C.H.U.D. LIVES! pre-order

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My novella, CHEW TOYS, will be released in June as part of a 3-novella collection titled THREE A.M. WAKE-UP CALL: THE TERROR PROJECT VOLUME 3. This is (in case you just missed it!) the third novella collection from Books and Books Press and I'm very happy to be part of this fine series. Cover art will be revealed soon, so keep your eyes on the press' official web site: BOOKS AND BOOS PRESS

CHEW TOYS takes place in 1977, two weeks after the infamous Son of Sam was arrested. Notorious labrador Harvey (who allegedly ordered David Berkowitz to kill) is aggravated, so he hops the fence and begins to build an army of possessed serial killers. You've been warned...

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My 4th exploitation novella for Dynatox Ministries, DEATH WITCH, is on the way. It has been receiving some fantastic pre-release reviews, and cover art should be here soon. Check out what some people are saying:

"DEATH WITCH is the kind of book I most enjoy reading -- one that makes me feel like I've witnessed something I wasn't supposed to see, and now I am complicit. Like a cross between I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and PUMPKINHEAD (without the big rubber monster), it's a devilish drive-in cult flick set to prose. Hell, yeah!"

- James Newman, author of ODD MAN OUT, ANIMOSITY, and REVENGE FLICK!

“Nick Cato’s DEATH WITCH serves up exactly what the perfectly clever title promises—a grindhouse-style mashup of revenge exploitation and Giallo-inspired occult horror. This book is sure to please fans of Mario Bava and Brian Garfield. Just TRY not to imagine Barbara Steele starring in this. I dare you!”

- Bracken MacLeod, Bram Stoker Award nominated author of STRANDED and COME TO DUST.

"Nick Cato's love of exploitation cinema runs through all of his fiction, and here he offers a suitably mean and nasty take on the revenge genre. An over-the-top, gripping, and unsavory read." - Jeff Strand, author of BLISTER.

"The straight-forward, no-frills writing style turns DEATH WITCH into a lean and mean book easily consumed in a single sitting. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine it playing on old 42nd Street in New York."

- Evan Romero, pophorror.com

Check the publisher's site as more info unfolds: DYNATOX MINISTRIES

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In October, BIZARRO PULP PRESS will be publishing my short story collection, THE SATANIC RITES OF SASQUATCH and other weird stories. The book features 14 tales, 5 appearing here for the first time. More news soon...

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The first issue of the revamped DEEP RED magazine is almost here. This huge, 100-paged, square bound edition will be fetching crazy moolah on the second hand market, so secure your copy today while still at a sane price right here: DEEP RED

I'm absolutely thrilled to have a column in this magazine, which I pretty much lived for during its short but influential run in the 1980s. Most of the original staff is back, along with a bunch of us "new" whippersnappers. My column will focus on the NYC midnight movie scene, which has re-exploded since around 2010. This promises to be an absolutely gore-geous addition to any horror fan's collection.

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My story, IL CINEMA DE LUCIFERO, will be published on this blog in a monthly serial format starting on April 7th...

Writing Updates / New Serial to begin...

At long last, the relaunch of DEEP RED magazine will be available March 30, 2018! Secure your over-sized issue right here: DEEP RED vol.4 no.1, which features a boatload of articles by members of the classic staff as well as a lot of "newbies" like yours truly. This will be a must have for any lover of classic horror film zines...

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My novel LOVERS is nearing completion, and a bizarro project titled DUKE TORBELLI'S HYDRAULIC CATECHISM is in full swing. More info on that next time. Also, recently finished my first short story of 2018 titled 'The Last Delivery of Sal Carrosi,' which will be getting a second round of edits soon.

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My book DAMAGED BRAINS: AN OBSESSIVE LOOK AT ROMANO SCAVOLINI'S 'NIGHTMARE' is coming along nicely, and has a growing contributors list.

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In an attempt to stir interest in writer's blogs (which seem to have died down over the past couple of years), I'll be starting a monthly serial in March titled:

IL CINEMA DE LUCIFERO follows a young collector named Gary as he roams the seediest parts of the Internet (and his city) on a non-stop quest to find the most intense films he can get his grubby little hands on. But Gary will be drawn into an underworld even his own jaded mind can't accept, but will have to for his survival and own sanity.

I'll be posting chapter one sometime in late March, and am asking any interested authors to swap blog links with me (I'll gladly add you to my blog list on the right hand side of this page).

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Also: waiting on word about my second short story collection, and hoping to FINALLY make a big announcement on my first major non fiction film book.

DEEP RED Lives Again...

In the 1980s, writer and all around horror guy Chas. Balun published an amazing magazine titled DEEP RED (see below for cover of the first issue). For those of us into horror magazines such as FAMOUS MONSTERS and FANGORIA, it was a welcome addition, especially in light of Balun's always enthusiastic attitude toward the horror genre.

YEARS after both the magazine's demise and Balun's passing away, editor John Szpunar along with Fantaco has managed to get most of the old DEEP RED staff together, along with a bunch of newbies (me being one of them) to relaunch DEEP RED (cover above). This first revamped issue will be a huge, 100 paged book-bound event any horror fan will want in their collection. Check out the kickstarter page HERE for several purdy formats it will be available in.

My first column deals with the past and present NYC midnight movie scene, and check out the above link for the rest of the Table of Contents. MAKE UNCLE CHAS. PROUD!

The first issue of the original run of DEEP RED from 1987

My 82nd SGM column now LIVE...

In the 82nd edition of my SUBURBAN GRINDHOUSE MEMORIES column, I look back at a double feature of Chuck Norris films. Check it out at CINEMA KNIFE FIGHT / A DOUBLE DOSE OF CHUCK!