The Art of Storytelling: Pushing Creative Limits
Seamlessly merging imagination and
craft to redefine narrative excellence.
JZ Murdock
Award Winning Independent
Filmmaker & Author
in the Pacific Northwest
A passion for creating uniquely bizarre worlds and characters
For decades, JZ Murdock has created strange and fascinating worlds for his characters and subjects in prose, and now in film.
“The book…has a Books of Blood vibe, which really works well. It’s in these tales that the author’s writing ability shines. He demonstrates a lovely turn of phrase and some of the writing is almost poetic in its beauty.” -Author/Reviewer Michael Brookes on DEATH OF HEAVEN
Books
DEATH OF HEAVEN
Winner of the 2024 New York City Big Book Award for Horror
A gripping novel set in a world of pain and hope, where two friends uncover the true history of the world—and perhaps, its impending demise. Spanning immense time and distance, this story explores the deepest questions of existence.
This is not your typical horror novel; it’s a complex tapestry of interconnected stories, akin to a “Frankenstein” piece, a portmanteau that refuses to conform to conventional genre norms. Its pace may be unpredictable, but the journey is both mesmerizing and thought-provoking. And terrifying…
ANTHOLOGY OF EVIL
A Collection of Horror and Science Fiction
This book series features a blend of short horror and science fiction. The original Anthology of Evil, includes the author’s original, earlier works, including his first published dystopian short story, ‘In Memory, Yet Crystal Clear.’ These books feature a mix of newly published and unpublished stories, ending with a novella.
While the original novella ‘Andrew’ evolved into the novel DEATH OF HEAVEN, in Anthology of Evil II, the intended novella, ‘The Unwritten‘, as a result of the author having been swept up in an enjoyable flow of adventurous creativity, the story was broken out into its own separate volume.
SUFFERING “LONG COVID”
What if Covid-19 was not the end, but the beginning of a long and terrifying ordeal?
The author had contracted COVID-19, first exhibiting symptoms on February 9, 2020, before it was widely or fully understood. This book chronicles those experiences with Long Covid, supported by scientific references and a detailed bibliography, concludeing with months worth of a daily log of the painful and frustrating journey.
Films
Pvt. Ravel’s Bolero
A multiple international award-winning film. Experience the horrors of WWI trench warfare through the filmmaker’s vision in this “filmic poem,” alongside the experiences of composer Joseph Maurice Ravel as portrayed through his infamous piece, Boléro, and a reaading of the author’s poem, “Pvt. Ravel’s A multiple international award-winning film. Experience the horrors of WWI trench warfare through the filmmaker’s vision in this “filmic poem,” alongside the experiences of composer Joseph Maurice Ravel as portrayed through his infamous piece, Boléro, and a reaading of the author’s poem, “Pvt. Ravel’s Bolero” by a French voice actor.
“Gumdrop”, a short horror
An award-winning noir horror short film about a covert organization’s armorer and the secrets he hides, as his unraveling reveals his true intentions. Based on the true crime short story, “Gumdrop City“.
The Rapping
An eight-minute short film about a man reading a horror book while relaxing at home, only to be drawn into an eerie situation after hearing a mysterious noise. Finalist at the 2023 Symbiotic Film Festival in Ukraine.
Watch, Read, Listen
“Author of the Macabre”, JZ Murdock (“Bringing My Nightmares into Your Reality”), crafts haunting tales in the realms of horror, speculative, and science fiction from his home in the picturesque town of Bremerton, Washington. In addition to his fiction work, he is has had a blog since 2010 and is also a non-fiction writer, delving into psychology, life, the writing process, and politics.
As a filmmaker, Murdock had been active in the local indie film community until COVID slowed things down, contributing as both a filmmaker and occasional actor. He has been the owner of LGN Productions (IMDb) since 1993.
All this, from the great and mysteriously beautiful Pacific Northwest.
His latest book, Anthology of Evil II Vols. I & II, is the sequel to his original collection of short horror and science fiction stories. It features a mix of previously published and new fiction, some appearing in other anthologies and magazines. The collection also includes the novella The Unwritten, a challenging work that the author believes readers will appreciate for its uniqueness and the effort put into crafting such an original story.
Set within the interconnected Murdock Universe, Death of Heaven is a vast horror/sci-fi saga exploring the future of the human race—and much more. Through his writings, he has crafted a unique universe, often linking different parts of his worlds to create a larger, ongoing story. While his work may not be for everyone, those who connect with it will find his stories entertaining, thought-provoking, and at times unsettling—yet always distinctive and engaging.
“This is high-functioning fiction, not designed for those who just want a quick, light read. JZ Murdock’s “Death of Heaven” lured me in with a sense of poignancy as childhood friends James and Jimmy played treasure hunters in the suburban yard. It seemed like such a sweet tale. Until I turned the page and discovered abject horror. This novel is unrelentingly unique, defying the norms of the classic horror genre. JZ Murdock doesn’t think outside the box: he IS outside the box. Expect nothing ‘normal’ here.”- Reader Views
Murdock’s stories can be found in various horror anthologies alongside other notable authors. His own collection of earlier sci-fi and horror short stories is titled Anthology of Evil (2012), and is also available for download on Smashwords. Check out the YouTube video book trailer for more details.
The hard science fiction digital magazine PerihelionSF.com published one of his short stories, Expedition of the Arcturus (also available as an eBook and audiobook on Amazon), in their second edition. That same year, editor Sam Bellotto invited him to attend the premiere of the documentary at Seattle’s beautiful Egyptian Theatre. Following the event, Murdock wrote a two-part film review for the magazine on the remarkably well-crafted and deeply unsettling documentary, Chasing Ice.
With a background in martial arts and the military, Murdock has extensive experience in personal protection and currently long served on the board of directors of a local Aikido dojo. One such experience—forms the basis of his multi-award winning, and increasingly popular true crime drama screenplay, titled, The Teenage Bodyguard. It recounts the true story of a uniquely trained youth, who at the age of seventeen, protected a frightened and traumatized murder witness from the Tacoma Mafia crime family in 1974.
“Overall, The Teenage Bodyguard is one heck of a life-story that I’m surprised isn’t on the big screens already—a well done thriller that knows how to lure you into a story about two unlikely people… and how they took a turn for the unexpected.” – BlueCat Screenplay Contest Review
Among his other screenplays, two notable ones include the horror-comedy Gray and Lover: The Hearth Tales Incident (a Circus Road Films semi-finalist) and the sci-fi Ahriman. He has also written Popsicle Death (pay your popsicle vendor!), Poor Lord Ritchie’s Answer (the madness of a Lord’s life), Sarah (Twilight Zone meets Alzheimer’s), Colorado Lobsters (don’t offend an MIT grad’s family, or murder his father), Sealed in Lies (an espionage romance), and Dark of kNight (a paranormal romance). The latter two are adaptations of other authors’ works, written at their requests.
In the interconnected Murdock Universe, Death of Heaven is a sprawling horror/sci-fi tale of the human race—and much more. Through his writings, he has built a unique universe, often weaving elements from one story into another to create a larger, ongoing narrative. While his work may not be for everyone, those who resonate with it will find his stories entertaining, thought-provoking, and occasionally unsettling—yet always distinctive and undeniably captivating.
Of his other screenplays, another rather good one is the horror/comedy, and multi-award winning, Gray and Lover The Hearth Tales Incident.
Of his short screenplays, Popsicle Death (pay your popsicle vendor!), Poor Lord Ritchie’s Answer (the madness of a medieval Lord’s life), Sarah (Twilight Zone meets Alzheimer’s), Colorado Lobsters (don’t offend an MIT grad, or murder his father), Sealed in Lies (espionage romance) and, Dark of kNight (paranormal romance), the last two being adaptations of other author’s works at their requests.
And as always, there is more to come…
Murdock’s indie films are produced under the LgN Productions brand, some available on the private indie production workshop’s Vimeo site.
Films include:
“The Rapping” (2018), an ode to Edgar Allen Poe. Clips of this film are used in a scene in “Gumdrop”, on a TV screen.
“Gumdrop”, a short horror (2020). “Gumdrop”, is a prequel to the true crime short story, “Gumdrop City”.
“Pvt. Ravel’s Bolero” (2022), a filmic poem and WWI historical documentary about composer Joseph Maurice Ravel’s Verdun, France military service. What if France’s once “world’s greatest composer”, had composed and played his notorius piece, “Bolero” from the trenches and more so, in the midst of trench warfare “no man’s land, with soldiers, enemies from both sides, as well as the dead?
There are other smaller films for fun like, some available on YouTube or on LgN Productions’ YouTube: Beyond Abbadon’s Gaze (Vimeo), Below in the Dark, Dragon Boxer Happy Birthday, Eagles & Crows (Vimeo), etc.