My fiction has been published in numerous anthologies and magazines, including DarkFuse #5, Turn to Ash Vol. 0, and Straylight Literary Arts Magazine. My criticism has appeared recently in MUBI Notebook, The Film Stage, and Vague Visages. Darkest Hours, my debut short fiction collection, is slated for a November release with Unnerving. Connect with me on Twitter @MikeThornWrites.
“Taken as a whole, ‘Too Old to Die Young’ is a summative statement on genre, aesthetics and the crumbling American psyche, delivered with a fury sublimated in neon glow. It is a major work of art.”
“Under its brutal dissembling of anthropocentrism and customary moral divides, ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ points to the terror of a harsh and uncaring universe.”
“Davis’ mandate has always been to offer solace for sad kids, but his lyrics reside more often in the inescapable experiences of pain, isolation and frustration than in the pursuit of recovery.”
“While ‘The Black Cat’ does not share many explicit connections with Poe’s 1843 story, both texts use archetypal symbolism to explore painfully intimate experiences (in Poe’s case, addiction and mental disarray, and in Ulmer’s case, psychological trauma).”
“‘Advice for Taxidermists and Amateur Beekeepers’ succeeds not only as a realist narrative about family, loss, sex and death, but also as a quietly reflexive genre piece.”
Mike Thorn Interviews Filmmaker Sophy Romvari
Mike Thorn on 25 Years of Marilyn Manson
Vague Visages Short Stories #12: Mr. Mucata’s Final Requests by Mike Thorn (Calgary, Alberta)
“Ultimately, it seems that the film’s pleasant and inoffensive affect is exactly what Roth intends. The work is unassuming, competently handled and ably colored within its established lines. It aims clearly and unwaveringly to please a young target audience.”
Mike Thorn on Alice Cooper’s ‘From the Inside, ‘Special Forces’ and ‘Brutal Planet’
“This filmmaker’s oeuvre has never been a showcase of ‘good taste’ or conventional demonstrations in character/story development, so why should we expect him to play by the rules now?”
“Well, we’re definitely in agreement that ‘Chapter 2’ is the best of the series!”
“I’ll even go so far as to say that the sequel is just as satisfying as the original, in my eyes.”
Mike Thorn and A.M. (Anya) Novak look back at the series entries and provide their thoughts on the newest addition.
“As an adaptation of a great 20th century novel, ‘It’ completely misses the mark.”
Mike and Anya submitted this draft on August 25, 2017 — one day before Tobe Hooper passed away at age 74.
“By constantly re-emphasizing Jacalyn’s inability to confront the undeniable horror of the unfolding scenario, Rocksteady achieves a powerfully oneiric tone throughout.”
“On the levels of craft and form, this is undoubtedly the work of a skilled writer.”
Vague Visages Short Stories #6: Speaking of Ghosts by Mike Thorn (Calgary, Alberta)
“Above all, it’s about style. LaValley plays fast and loose with grammar and punctuation, paying mind to cadence and tone.”
