Writing wasn’t my first love. When I was younger, I set my sights on becoming a toy designer. The year was 1992, and my friend Thomas and I knew we had something special. We created two unique Battle Trolls designs to submit directly to Hasbro. Our shared delusion of grandeur was so strong, we had
A few days ago, I woke up with a clogged, ringing ear. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to deal with ear problems. As a child, I was plagued with ear infections. Painful, stabbing, aching attacks that resulted in trips to the doctor and antibiotics. In one notable instance, some blood dripped from my
Friends: Welcome back to October. Our time is here once again, and every fiber of my peculiar makeup is shivering and shuddering in anticipation. Each day is a brilliant, auburn surprise. Every moment is a sliver of autumnal delight. Craggy orange pumpkins have again taken over storefronts and stoops; apples are piled high in baskets
A welcome to the new home of Candy Corn Apocalypse and author Anthony J. Rapino.
With a renewed website on the way, I thought it a good time to reinvigorate my dusty old blog. Frankly, I can use the reprieve, as the past couple months have been dedicated to editing. My first admission regarding editing is this: Most of the time, I actually enjoy the process. There’s a rather satisfying
A Place of Retro Glory A few years ago, my friends and I discovered a beacon of retro glory nestled into the woodland backdrop of Lehighton, Pennsylvania. It’s a land beyond time and place, existing in its own alternate reality where the digital world falls away like the desiccated carcass of cicada. You’d be forgiven
In one of the most famous episodes of The Twilight Zone, a quiet, bookish man named Henry Bemis finds himself in a peculiar situation (as characters in The Twilight Zone often do). While he’s securely tucked away in a bank vault reading a book, Mr. Bemis becomes the lone survivor of an H-Bomb. After a
As a huge thank you for the support on my Kickstarter campaign, I decided to release this free CCA Halloween Mask printable. I’ve attached the full size image, so you can simply download and print for display or use. ***Right hand click and select “save as.” It should download as the full-sized image.*** The campaign
Greetings, horror lovers. So, you received a mysterious postcard from Moon Hill, and you followed one of the links here, to my website. BUT WHY, you scream to the bloody heavens! GREETINGS FROM MOON HILL is a unique project that combines the horror fiction and sculptures of Anthony J. Rapino (that’s me!), creator of the mythic town,
Don’t run away! I know you want to. I know as soon as you see the word “Kickstarter,” nasty visions of wannabe artists and writers float through your mind, all with their hands extended begging for your hard-earned cash. Push those visages away momentarily. Instead, picture rewards beyond measure: hand-painted sculptures, exclusive maps, things that
