The wasteland rebuilds one settlement at a time. This August, let’s make sure these two come back better.

As a huge fan of the Fallout series, I love that Fallout 76 is set in Appalachia and embraces the real-life cryptids and mysterious happenings that fueled my interest in the unexplained. Now, after devastating flooding in the heart of the region, the area needs all of our help to rebuild, and I am using this platform to help spread the word on an amazing event in one of the hardest-hit areas: Weston, WV. 

After reading the following press release, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out. 

[VAULT-TEC PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT]

PRIORITY: SETTLEMENT RECOVERY

Location: Appalachia Sector – Weston & Buckhannon

Date: August 22, 2026. Attention, wastelanders. The July 21 deluge turned quiet West Virginia towns into a temporary Capital Wasteland of mud, debris, and submerged vehicles. Record rainfall (up to 7+ inches in hours) overwhelmed creeks and rivers. Homes, businesses, and roads took heavy hits. Two lives were lost in Upshur County. Hundreds of water rescues pulled people (and pets) from the rising tide.

The waters have receded. The real fight—rebuilding—continues this August.

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It: Donate caps (real currency works better) to verified local and state relief funds, the Red Cross, or community recovery efforts supporting Lewis and Upshur counties.  

Supply drop: Non-perishable food, cleaning supplies, hygiene kits, and tools still help as families clear mud and rebuild.  

Volunteer: Join cleanup crews or support centers if you’re in the region.  

Spread the signal: Share accurate needs and official donation channels. Rumor control keeps the wasteland efficient.

Brotherhood of Steel (and local responders) note:

Communities are strong. Neighbors pulled neighbors out of attics. Fire departments, National Guard, and mutual-aid teams worked through the night. Now it’s time for the rest of us to pitch in so these settlements rise stronger. Remember the Vault-Tec motto (slightly modified for flood season):

“Prepare for the future… by helping your neighbors today. ”Stay hydrated (preferably with purified water, not irradiated runoff).

And keep an eye on the Pip-Boy (or these pages) for the next community update.

#WastelandStrong for Weston & Buckhannon.

If you need official donation links or current recovery status, search local WV emergency management, county pages, or major relief organizations for “Lewis County / Upshur County flood recovery 2026.”

Help Support Indie Horror - WHY MONA RAE? A Blind Military Veteran's Nightmare

Press 

Release

A Blind Veteran’s Terrifying Ordeal in WHY MONA RAE?, Launches Indiegogo Campaign

A Cinematic Vision of Carnage Seeks Backers at All Levels

NEW YORK, NY - WHY MONA RAE?,, directed by Lorenzo P. Adams and executive produced by Eric Hales has officially launched its Indiegogo campaign. The indie creeper seeks to raise $30,000 to complete the production budget that is set to start shooting this winter in Essex, NY. Engaging perks and backer opportunities are available at all levels including Producer and Executive Producer opportunities.

WHY MONA RAE?, Is a love letter from me to the horror fans of today, yesterday, and some of the masters that helped advance the genre we know today. The vision for WHY MONA RAE? is rooted in the concept of mental and psychical trauma, tragedy, fear of the unknown, and the will to survive. The film’s vision is loosely influenced by the suspense of classic thrillers such as 1967's Wait Until Dark and 1990's Misery coated with the intensity of 2016's Don't Breathe.

WHY MONA RAE? is a psychological horror thriller that tells the story of a blind military veteran’s terrifying ordeal after being rescued from a car accident by a pair of sinister Amish siblings.

The story is an intense and uneasy rollercoaster ride of human emotions bottled up and exploding in front of audiences. A front row seat to what trauma looks like when confronted with more trauma.

Director/Writer Lorenzo P. Adams, coming off of his 2017/2018 period piece horror short ROTARY which screened in genre festivals such as Telluride, Frightfest UK, and Bloody Disgusting’s FEARNYC to name a few, explains his impetus for creating for the horror audience of his generation. “I've always been infatuated with things of the macabre, things that terrify us as human beings and terrors that have a touch of reality. One of the themes in this story is something that we all resonate with; fear of the unknown. Things, people, and or environments that feel foreign or odd to us. We take this journey with the protagonist as she is literally thrown into a world that is unfamiliar to her in addition to the disadvantage of not being able to see the world she has been thrown into. Creating a thicker layer of the unknown and fear from the senses of Mona Rae.

The film will be shot at the vintage 1790 Crystal Country Farm in Essex, NY. The production host a team of indie horror filmmakers, such as Director of Photography and EP, Eric Hales, horror genre darling Maria Olsen (Starry Eyes, Paranormal Activity 3, Percy Jackson), Jeremy Gladen (I See You, The Theatre Bizzare), SFX MUA Rita Sylvester, Co-writer/Associate Producer Ryan Lesica, and Associate Producer Connor Etter.

The film is anticipated to premiere Spring 2020 in NYC.

With your feedback, contributions, and support we can fund a vision of carnage that you guys, the horror community will be proud of.

To find out more about WHY MONA RAE? or join our team as a backer or producer, please visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/why-mona-rae-a-blind-veteran-s-nightmarish-ordeal#/

Also take a look at the mysterious and terrifying proof of concept sizzle reel brought to you by the WHY MONA RAE? Team!

Manson Family Vacation (2015)

After spending last night immersed in the conspiracy surrounding the tragic death of Kurt Cobain with the documentary Soaked in Bleach, I decided t venture into something different before heading to bed. After some thought, I decided to venture into the mind of something different with the 2015 independent flick Manson Family Vacation.

Plot/ Two brothers tour Charles Manson murder sites. One is a devoted family man. One is devoted to The Family.

While this movie was not quite, what I expected, it was entertaining and actually, an interesting trip into something that many can relate to. Funded partly by a kickstarter campaign, there are some uneven production and scripting aspects, but those are easily overlooked because of the limited budget involved (as any fan of true indie films should understand). More of a drama than dark comedy or thriller, this one has some solid performances, some interesting thoughts, and a subject matter that is still extremely polarizing. Not truly, about Charles Manson, the ideas that were put on display or alluded to are definitely not for everyone. In the end, this was a nice change of pace from my usual viewing selections and an entertaining way to spend 90 minutes. If you are searching for something, you could do a lot worse than this one.

Harbinger Down (2015)

Still feeling the remnant of yesterday’s miserable experience with Martian Land, I decided that I needed to go in a different direction for my next flick. After some thought, I went with some low budget horror, with 2015s Harbinger Down. 

Plot/ A group of grad students have booked passage on the crabbing boat Harbinger to study the effects of global warming on a pod of Belugas in the Bering Sea. When the ship's crew dredges up a recently thawed piece of old Soviet space wreckage, things get downright deadly.

After suffering through last night’s low budget misery from The Asylum, this Kickstarter funded entry demonstrated what can be done with a smaller budget. Sure, it is not perfect, but I believe it met the goal in creating a non-CGI horror flick using practical effects. Personally, I loved the classic 1980s low budget feel and was amazed at how much it reminded me of these dark evening that I had growing up with my local video store. In all, this flick had some solid performances, including a solid outing from horror favorite Lance Henriksen, so decent effects, and a solid premise. Unfortunately, this one did feel like the storyline was taken straight from the classic entry The Thing and the scripting was uneven, but those elements were only minor in the grand scheme. In the end, this one may not be for everyone, but if like me, you love 1980s big box horror, then you should definitely check this one out.

Help Support Indie Horror -> Check Out Ominous at IndieGoGo

Everyone loves a good ghost story. Plus, when that story is based on some type of urban legend, the goosebumps grow larger. If you are a follower of my blog (or my writing), you would already know how much I love both topics and how much I love to dive into that type of material.

I remember my time as Editorial Director of Haunted Times Magazine, and how much I would smile when an article about an urban legend came across my desk. Today, I had that same experience when I received an email about an upcoming short film project entitled Ominous.

From the press release:

We may view urban legends today as trite and sentimental. These “friend of a friend” macabre stories polished or pockmarked over the years with updated, timely details or absurd twists have cemented their place in our cannon of American folklore.

Kidney heists, Bloody Mary, alligators in the sewer: all resonate tales because in their lack of specificity, they become eerily plausible, and we recognize a familiar predicament—a predicament that we would all dread.

Ominous is based on the classic, “The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs” tale. However, this story is not based on spurious, slightly removed accounts. In true form to what makes this genre particularly terrifying and has instilled its longevity—it really happened. On March 18, 1950, Janet Christman was brutally murdered while she babysat. Ominous, set in 1965, is loosely based on this tragic event.

In watching the trailer, this short film appears to have the atmosphere and tension to create an outstanding film, and it is an indie project that appears to have a lot more originality than many of the films that come out today. For me, this is a perfect opportunity to support indie horror and hopefully start a movement of more modern and original horror.

If interested, you should check out their website or indiegogo page!