 If you're attending ArmadilloCon this weekend, I hope to see you there. My ArmadilloCon schedule is as follows:
Friday 5:00 p.m. Does Dark Have to Be So, Well, Dark? Ballroom F, 5pm - 5:45pm Tags: Speculative Fiction Literature* Type: Panel Discussion Emma Berquist (moderator), Lauren Raye Snow, Derek Austin Johnson Dark shows up a lot these days in speculative fiction, especially in horror and grimdark. But does it always have to be bleak and depressing? Thinking of those like Charles Addams and Edward Gory who made dark themes fun. Who else does it well? 9:00 p.m. Horror for the Last 10 Years Southpark A, 9pm - 9:45pm Tags: Speculative Fiction Literature* Type: Panel Discussion Lee Thomas (moderator), Gabino Iglesias, John Hornor Jacobs, Derek Austin Johnson Looking at horror fiction published since 2015, especially how the genre has changed since its heyday. 10:00 p.m. When Mysteries Meet Horror Ballroom F, 10pm - 10:45pm Tags: Speculative Fiction Literature* Type: Panel Discussion Jon Black (moderator), Joe R. Lansdale, Emma Berquist, Rick Klaw, Derek Austin Johnson, Josh Rountree, Jess Nevins Exploring the spaces where mystery and horror meet, from the pulps to the modern day. What do these two genres share? Where do they differ? Panelists will offer their takes on horrific mysteries (or mysterious horror) that worked for them, or didn’t, and why. They will share their experiences and advice for crafting unique tales which bring the best of both genres. Saturday 1:00 p.m. What You Should Have Watched This Year Southpark A, 1pm - 1:45pm Tags: Fandom* Type: Panel Discussion Jeremy Brett (moderator), A. T. Campbell, III, Beth Anderson, Derek Austin Johnson, Rhonda Eudaly Our panel goes over the highlights (and lowlights?) of SFF movies and television for the past year. 5:00 p.m. Reading - Johnson Southpark B, 5pm - 5:30pm Tags: Readings* Type: Reading - Single Author Derek Austin Johnson Reading - Johnson Sunday 11:00 a.m. The Vampire Renaissance Ballroom E, 11am - 11:45am Tags: Fandom* Type: Panel Discussion E.A. Williams (moderator), Ari Marmell, Lauren Raye Snow, Derek Austin Johnson, Jess Nevins Vampires have been a part of pop-culture far as long as people have been telling stories. They may have traded their capes and castles for leather jackets and night clubs, but these blood-thirsty creatures of the night are still hanging on. After a dip in popularity, vampires once again are on the rise. What makes these monsters such an enduring part of our culture? What are some classic tropes you want to see re-imagined? What is better left in the coffin? You can find the entire schedule on the con's website.
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 Out now. My story "Prodigal" appears in Anterior Skies Volume I edited by C. F. Page. This incredible collection includes stories and poems by Heath Masher, Pedro Iniguez, Godwyn, Marcus Hawke, Chelsea Pumpkins, Aaron Beardsell, Andy Gehlsen, Samuel M. Hallam, J.A. Sullivan, A.W. Mason, L. Acadia, Kay Hanifen, Solomon Forse, M. Halstead, Kurt Newton, W. Oliver Hunt, Aleco Julius, Jasmine De La Paz, Kyle Stück, Elaine Pascale, H. W. Taylor, Nathaniel Weber, Alice Austin, Luciano Marano, Richard Beauchamp, Maria Barnes, and Katherine Quevedo. Pick up a copy here.  Ecstatic. My science fiction story story "The Age of Existential Machines" is available online from Amazing Stories. You can read it online here.  I’m always late to these announcements. D. W. Hitz’s anthology Camp Slasher Lake (which includes my story “The Faith”) has been nominated for the 2023 Splatterpunk Award for Best Anthology. The awards will be held in Austin this summer. Congrats, all!  A mundane title, but a remarkable movie. Shyamalan adapts Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World, in which a family finds itself at the mercy of four cultists who tell them that the world will end unless one family member offers themselves as sacrifice. It's a chilling concept made all the more horrifying by the performances. Everyone here is good, but Bautista stands out as Leonard, the leader of the small doomsday cult. It’s a tricky role that requires earnestness and sincerity amid delusion and evil, and Bautista pulls it off. A quick note on the adaptation. The movie makes a few fundamental changes to the novel. I won’t reveal them here but only will say that for the adaptation they were the right choices, and remain true to the novel’s intent.  This video is from last week’s Poe birthday bash. You can see one of the cats wanted to become internet famous as I read a stanza of “The Raven.” Enjoy. A very happy birthday to one of my biggest influences. My ranking of his movies, from worst to best, would include the following:
 Guess whose birthday it is? That’s right, it’s Clark Ashton Smith’s, contemporary of H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, and Robert E. Howard, and one of the key writers during Weird Tales’ golden age. He wrote amazing poetry and incredible stories with prose so purple it was practically ultraviolet. So happy happy CAS!  I just submitted the signed contract so I feel comfortable posting it here. My story "Prodigal" has been accepted for publication in the anthology Anterior Skies edited by C. F. Page. It should be released by Strange Elf Press in the spring of 2023. Details as I learn them.  In print and visual media, this was a banner year for horror. These were my favorites. 5. Bones and All (d. Luca Guadagnino): A coming-of-age story, with cannibals. This may be too much of a slow burn for some and it's surprising less grisly than the synopsis suggest. Great performances by Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell, and Guadagnino's directorial eye is even better here than in his masterful Suspiria (2018).  4. The Black Phone (d. Scott Derrickson): Trapped in a killer's basement with the spirits of the dead, who speak through a disconnected phone. Based on Joe Hill's story. Derrickson knows how to build tension and dread, and perfectly places period details.  3. Brightwood (d. Dane Elcar): A couple traverses a trail surrounding a lake, and finds themselves incapable of escape. A powerfully crafted movie about how love turns to hate and, curiously, back again. Seen at Other Worlds Austin.  2. X/Pearl (d. Ti West): Mia Goth takes on the role of a woman trapped by her dreams in two outstanding movies, one an homage to 1970s exploitation, one a tour de force Technicolor character story. I probably prefer X for its visceral thrills, but Pearl is the better movie. See both.
1. Barbarian (d. Zach Cragger): I get why people dislike this movie. I do. But for me it was the most unpredictable picture of the year. I was sold based on the trailer, but it's so much more to the story than that. And it blends humor without overpowering it.  Others: Nope (d. Jordan Peele); Crimes of the Future (d. David Cronenberg); Resurrection (d. Andrew Semans).
Sorry, but I liked Alex Garland's Men. |
Derek Austin Johnson has lived most of his life in the Lone Star State. His work has appeared in The Horror Zine, Rayguns Over Texas!, Horror U.S.A.: Texas, Campfire Macabre, The Dread Machine, and Generation X-ed.
He lives in Central Texas. Archives
August 2023
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