Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Jeff Szpirglas
Exclusive Interview: Repeated Viewing Discusses His Latest Album, "BREAK THE FAITH"
By JEFF SZPIRGLAS Library of the Occult recently dropped the latest offering from Scottish composer Alan Sinclair (aka Repeated Viewing), who has created imaginary horror film soundtracks for over a decade. With Break The Faith, Sinclair strays from the musical path of creating creepy soundscapes for faux films such as Three Sisters (2015), Street Force (2016), and Murdercoaster (2022).
4K Disc Review: ROCK AND ROLL IS HERE TO STAY-IN 4K-WITH "TRICK OR TREAT"
By JEFF SZPIRGLAS Starring Marc Price, Tony Fields and Lisa Orgolini Directed by Charles Martin Smith Written by Joel Soisson, Michael S. Murphey and Rhet Topham Red Shirt Home Video There was a period in the early ‘90s when the hyperbole of heavy metal drowned in a sea of grunge. But time has a way of leveling things out, and the power chords and big hair of TRICK OR TREAT remains as eye- and ear-catching as ever as it re-emerges in glorious 4K luster.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: "BLOODY MOON" Spins Again – 97-Year-Old Composer Gerhard Heinz Speaks! - Rue Morgue
By JEFF SZPIRGLAS Mystic Vault‘s series of beautifully packaged and remastered horror soundtracks (The Alien Factor, Bloodsucking Freaks, Parasite) continues with its latest offering, a two-LP set of the score Jess Franco’s 1981 slasher, BLOODY MOON, lovingly restored on splatter vinyl with lurid gatefold art. The music comes courtesy of composer Gerhard Heinz, who made a name for himself in the ’60s and ’70s scoring a bevy of adult films and comedies.
MOVIE REVIEW: "SILENT BITE": NAUGHTY, NICE OR NOSFERATU?
By JEFF SZPIRGLAS Starring Simon Phillips, Luke Avoledo and Sayla de Goede Written by Simon Phillips Directed by Taylor Martin MVD/Cleopatra As the Yuletide season descends, MVD and Cleopatra Entertainment leave another Christmas-themed horror entry for our collective stockings in the form of Taylor Martin’s SILENT BITE, a low-budget offering pitting a group of Santa-suited burglars against a quartet of vampires looking for more than a sip of eggnog.
REVIEW: Pandemic-Fueled Psychedelic Potboiler TERROR FIRMA Sprouts Onto Disc
By JEFF SZPIRGLAS Starring Faye Tamasa, Robert Brettenaugh and Burt Thakur Written and Directed by Jake MacPherson MVD/Dark Arts Remember that time we all had to go into lockdown for a year? Writer-director Jake MacPherson sure does, and in his trippy feature debut, TERROR FIRMA (not to be confused with TROMA’s 199 horror-comedy Terror Firmer), he shifts the cause from a global pandemic to interstellar pods that send the LAPD circling above the city, trapping the populace indoors.
INTERVIEW: JASON MCHUGH DINES ON THE NEW "CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL SOUNDTRACK CD"
By JEFF SZPIRGLAS Now available from Klaatu Records is a lovingly restored and expanded version of the soundtrack from Trey Parker’s1990s auspicious debut, Cannibal! The Musical. Distributed by Troma, Parker’s thesis project mashes up his affinity for musical theatre, parody and gruesome fare with the tale of Alferd Packer, the “Colorado Cannibal” who was tried for cannibalism in the 1800s. The overall tone of the film showcases the creative mind that would later helm South Park.
RETRO REVIEW: MVD's "CUTTING CLASS" REISSUE GETS AN "A" FOR EFFORT
By JEFF SZPIRGLAS Starring Donovan Leitch Jr., Brad Pitt, and Jill Schoelen Written by Steve Slavkin Directed by Rospo Pallenberg MVD Rewind We all know Brad Pitt as the superstar who can pretty much write his own ticket these days, but there was a time when Pitt was building his street cred and appearing in all kinds of out-there B-list fare (Ralph Bakshi’s Cool World, anyone?).
SWAMPED OUT! Kids Review MVD's NEW "SWAMP THING" BLU-RAY
(Editor’s note: The best, spookiest day of the year is just days away! We at RUE MORGUE sometimes get so wrapped up in autumn’s celebration of mind-ripping horror and stomach-churning gore that we forget that Halloween is basically for kids.
Blu-Ray Review: "THE ABOMINATION," UNLEASHED At LAST!
By JEFF SZPIRGLAS Starring Scott Davis, Jude Johnson and Blue Thompson Written and Directed by Bret McCormick Visual Vengeance You have to hand it to Visual Vengeance to serve up a slice of low-rent vintage schlock and give it a substantially more professional presentation than it ever received in the 1980s.
BOOK OF SCREAMS | Kirkus Reviews
A didactic blueprint disguised as a supernatural treasure map. A girl who delights in the macabre harnesses her inherited supernatural ability. It’s not just her stark white hair that makes 11-year-old Zee Puckett stand out in nowheresville Knobb’s Ferry. She’s a storyteller, a Mary Shelley fangirl, and is being raised by her 21-year-old high school dropout sister while their father looks for work upstate (cue the wayward glances from the affluent demography).
Launchpad: Tales from the Fringes of Fear, by Jeff Szpirglas
This spring we've made it our mission (even more than usual) to celebrate new releases in the wake of cancelled launch parties, book festivals, and reading series. With 49th Shelf Launchpad, we're holding virtual launch parties here on our platform complete with witty banter and great insight to give you a taste of the books on offer.
21 middle-grade and YA books to read in spring 2020
Here are the Canadian middle-grade and YA books we can't wait to read this spring. Fight Like a Girl by Sheena Kamal Fight Like a Girl is a YA novel by Sheena Kamal. (Malcolm Tweedy, Penguin Teen) In thriller writer Sheena Kamal's debut YA novel Fight Like a Girl, Trisha grew up with an abusive father who would come and go as he pleased. In an effort to break the chain of violence in her family, Trisha chooses to channel her violent impulses into Muay Thai kickboxing.
Top Recommended Reads
Reading fun for kids from Canada’s public libraries instagramtwitterfbFrançais Be a City Nature Detective: Solving the Mysteries of How Plants and Animals Survive in the Urban Jungle by Peggy Kochanoff An illustrated guide to solving nature mysteries in the city, including answering questions like why some grey squirrels are actually black.
Rue Morgue
Rue Morgue is the world's premier Horror In Culture & Entertainment magazine since 1997
Rue Morgue
Rue Morgue is the world's premier Horror In Culture & Entertainment magazine since 1997
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Jeff
Contact Jeff, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack