Tag Archives: Horror

The Turn by Paul Kane

Book Review,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: The Turn
Author: Paul Kane
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Spirits
Dates read: 29th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Don’t ask me how or why.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

If you hear footsteps on All Hallow’s Eve. Make sure you don’t turn. It’ll be the last thing you ever do.

Thoughts

It’s human nature to turn around when you hear footsteps. To look into the dark when you don’t know what’s there. But, after this story, I think next time I hear a bump in the night… I’m going to hold my giant dog close and bury myself under the covers. It was just creepy. And intense. And creepy.

To make this story even more goosebumpy – it’s written from two different POVs. The hunter and the hunted. The being that really wants you to turn around and the man who knows that he just shouldn’t. it makes it so much more terrifying. Because you know that he’s waiting and Tom knows that he shouldn’t turn… but then there’s curiosity. Most short stories I don’t get crazy sucked into, I mostly just thoroughly enjoy the ride. Not so much with this one. I even pulled the pages really close to my face, because I was so absorbed. I stopped getting closer and closer when the book actually touched my nose…

I write quick dot point notes when I read a story. That way it makes it much easier to write a review when I actually get a chance to open my computer (which sometimes takes a few days). The last point in my comments on this? “But seriously, don’t FUCKING turn.” I think that that kind of sums this up well…

 <- A Kingdom of Sugar Skulls and Marigolds ReviewJack Review ->

Image source: Amazon

Autumn of Terror by C.L. Raven

Book Review, ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of jack the ripper stories book cover

Title: Autumn of Terror
Author: C.L. Raven
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Horror
Dates read: 17th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: Even the gas lamps were scared to venture into the alleyways that sneaked through London like blackened veins through the devil’s dark heart.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

A lot of people like to go on serial killer tours. But, this tour about the Autumn of Terror is more than a little different. And the tour guide? Don’t follow him into a dark alley at night…

Thoughts

This so far has been one of the least graphic short stories in the The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories collection. Yet, the idea of an immortal Ripper recommitting his acts every night… that makes it one of the most terrifying tales in this collection. I like to imagine immortality being granted to the good and the just, not the evil and sadistic. But that might just be a personal preference.

Although this story is written from the point of view of the actual killer, it is filled with maybes. Rather than saying that this person did this because of this, the voice says maybe I did it because of this. Maybe because of that. Plus, although he states that everyone on the tour circuit knows the true face of the killer, there is absolutely no description. The vague ambiguity of this really helps to add to a feeling of mystery. The mystery that has surrounded the most famous serial killer for generations.

In the past I have briefly considered going on a Ripper tour. This has cured me of that. There was just something a little too intense about it. And although I’m sure I want see the murders occur again and again like they do in this… maybe I don’t actually want to give such a horrifying man the power of my attention. Even this many years later. But, you know, first I actually have to get to England…

 <- Signed Confession ReviewMadame X Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover pet sematary

Title: Pet Sematary
Author: Stephen King
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Family, Horror, Thriller
Dates read: 4th – 15th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Hodder
Year: 1983
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Caa,’ the young man said, and now Louis fancied he could smell death on his breath, internal injuries, lost rhythm, failure, ruin.

Synopsis

‘Sometimes… dead is better.’

The house looks right, feels right to Dr Louis Creed. Rambling, old and comfortable. A place where the family can settle; the children grow and play and explore. The rolling hills and meadows of Maine seem a world away from the fume-choked dangers of the city.

It’s only those big trucks on the road outside which growl out unnerving threats.

Behind the house there’s a carefully cleared path up into the woods to a place where generations of local children have walked in procession with the solemn innocence of the young, taking with them their dear departed pets for burial.

A sad place maybe, but safe. Surely a safe place. Not a place to seep into your dreams, to wake you, sweating with fear and foreboding…

Thoughts

Let me start this by saying that I basically read the whole book in one day. While I was home alone. It is not something that I recommend. To make my decision making all that much more questionable… I’d actually gone to start it late one night before bed (when my partner was next to me) and, after reading that King thinks this is the scariest story he’s ever written. So I put it down and decided it was a day time read. Which, to be fair, I did start it in the morning. Thought I’d stop when it got scary. I didn’t. I finished it at about 6 pm, realised I had a long, lonely night ahead of me… not what I would recommend at all.

Actually, after reading this, I realised that a) Stephen King was right, this shit is terrifying; b) I needed a super hot shower to wash off the insanity of what I had just read; and c) I really needed to call someone, anyone to distract me. To make matters worse, I have a beagle that likes to find dark corners from which to just… watch me. A little like Church, the creepy not-so-dead cat.

To be fair, Part One of this book isn’t too bad. Don’t get me wrong, bringing a pet cat back from the dead isn’t great… but it was a just enough tingling level of creepy. Then you started Part Two. It started to get worse there. Because you just knew that the decision making was not going to be great. By the time I got to Part Three… I actually really didn’t want to continue. I felt physically ill. But I had to know what happened. Especially, since most horror stories have an ending that will let you sleep at night. This one doesn’t. When I told my partner the storyline a few days later… I kind of just paused, stared at him and realised that I wasn’t going to be getting to sleep anytime soon.

One of the things about King that I love is that although the horror comes from supernatural beings, it’s truly the actions of the people that have caused it. The death of innocents (such as children and pets) is always horrendous, but the ways that people act afterwards? The decisions that they make? There is something FAR more unsettling about that than anything else…

 <- The OutsiderRevival ->

Image source: Kobo

Daddy Longlegs of the Evening by Jeffrey Ford

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
naked-city

Title: Daddy Longlegs of the Evening
Author: Jeffrey Ford
In: Naked City (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Insects, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 11th December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: He’d traded a pair of official police handcuffs, with key, for the pack it came from.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

A daddy long legs found its way into their son’s ear and made a little nest for itself in his brain… what comes next is definitely the things that nightmares are made of.

Thoughts

I should start this review by saying that I actually really, really love spiders. I keep trying to convince my partner to let me have a pet one… and I specifically love Daddy Long Legs because they are super safe and really cool looking. One of the least creepy spiders in the kingdom. Having said all of that, I wasn’t so keen on this story. It was actually quite creepy and I sat there looking around my room for spiders when I was finished… I didn’t want to turn into Daddy!

I do love that this story works on peoples’ sometimes irrational fears of spiders and them crawling into your brain. I’m not even sure if that’s something that tends to happen… but it’s still something that a lot of people tend to fear. I love stories that take these fears and make them into something that is a little comic, but still quite creepy. Which seems to be a bit of a theme within Ford’s short stories.

Even though I found Daddy in this seriously creepy… I was still seriously happy that he got away in the end. It means that he was probably out killing a whole other town. But I was still really happy that he did… if I don’t think about it too hard. My brain is a really weird place.

 <- Noble Rot ReviewThe Skinny Girl Review ->
Image source: Patricia Briggs

Wolfland by Tanith Lee

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for red as blood tanith lee book cover

Title: Wolfland
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Red as Blood (Tanith Lee)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Horror, Retellings
Dates read: 8th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Wildside
Year: 1983
5th sentence, 74th page: Gradually, then, the voices of the other wolves began to dull, eventually falling quiet.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

In “Wolfland”, Lisel takes a trip through the woods to visit her grandmother – who bears little resemblance to the loving old woman we expect.

Thoughts

This was a really cool Red Riding Hood retelling. Not the kind I was expecting, but certainly an enjoyable one. I kind of totally adored this and was really sad that it was over so soon. I could imagine an entire saga created about this version of Red Riding Hood. And I would most definitely read it.

A bit of a spoiler here… but I loved the fact that Grandma was actually the big bad wolf… of a sorts. And her reasons for becoming such a scary beast were absolutely on point!!! Even though it was a little bit scary…

Although I seriously loved this short story, I was still completely horrified by it. Particularly the ending. Which is probably why I keep wishing that this was a bigger series.

 <- The Princess and her Future ReviewBlack as Ink Review ->
Image source: Amazon

All My Darling Daughters by Connie Willis

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for alien sex book cover

Title: All My Darling Daughters
Author: Connie Willis
In: Alien Sex (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Horror, Lust
Dates read: 7th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: ROC
Year: xx
5th sentence, 74th page: To save yourself.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

She’s boarding in Hell… and all she wants is a bit of jig jig. Yet, the boys have found a new companion and things are going to get MUCH worse.

Thoughts

This story is twisted, lustful and deeply disturbing. It talks a bit about the college experience… but I don’t EVER want to experience this version of college. So damn not okay. So damn twisted. And that was my thoughts at the beginning. Those feelings intensify drastically when you read the ending. I actually had to close my eyes and go to my happy place at the ending…

I did really love the language used in this short story. It was completely crass and uncomfortable. But yet, somehow still really polite. And well educated. It was like a literature-heavy version of filthy talk. A weird little juxtaposition, but one that actually worked brilliantly.

One word to the wise though… this tale does have some serious triggers. Namely incest and rape. Or at least, that’s how it felt to me… I’m going to go and find myself a nice, happy story to read now…

 <- Omnisexual ReviewArousal Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Witch Hazel by Jeffrey Ford

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: Witch Hazel
Author: Jeffrey Ford
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror
Dates read: 24th November 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: He’d drink and talk, and I’d listen.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

We wear sprigs of hazel to honour the souls on All Hallows Eve. But where does that practice originally come from?

Thoughts

So I’ve never heard of the practice of wearing a sprig of hazel on All Hallows Eve. Although, I don’t really know all that much about All Hallows Eve (or Halloween) since it is not within my normal experiences. Regardless, I liked this kind of origins story to such a practice. It took a practice that seems cute and folksy… and then turns it into a horrifying mess that makes you cringe. A lot.

The image of a beautiful young woman covered in blood, running around with a Hachette in a forest is pretty much what nightmares are made of. The fact that she kills her dog just expands on the horrors of this. Certainly not an image that I can get out of my head. And the fact that it’s all because there is some weird disease going around? Creepy, creepy, creepy. And blood everywhere.

I did really enjoyed the fact that this story also plays on the superstitions which tend to surround twins. The idea that there is something a little bit evil about twins (sorry to my twin-friends out there). The haunting that they perform and the twist at the end makes me not want to see one of my very good friends for a little while… being that she’s a twin who loves blood and all (she’s a nurse, nothing weird here).

 <- A Flicker of Light on Devil’s Night ReviewNos Galan Gaeaf Review ->

Image source: Amazon

A Flicker of Light on Devil’s Night by Kate Jonez

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: A Flicker of Light on Devil’s Night
Author: Kate Jonez
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Family, Horror
Dates read: 20th November 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: The lines of the symbol are crusted black as though he’s rubbed dirt in the wound.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

She’s just trying to be a good mother… but she can’t seem to get the knack of it. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Thoughts

So. This story is horrifying. Horrible and not quite what I expected. I thought that the children would end up being evil and homicidal… they weren’t. It was horrifying. It was the mother. And I didn’t really want to sleep that night. There’s always something so much more terrifying when it’s the mother harming the children…

One of the things I dread about parenthood is the fact that when the children are being evil – how do you discipline them? This short story tells you exactly how not to deal with naughty children. But, at least it’s interesting. But seriously, don’t ever do this. This is not the way to deal with devil children as they’re termed in this tale.

Without giving too much away, this story isn’t what I expected. It completely surprised me. It made me uncomfortable. And it was a great read. One I’m not going to forget readily.

 <- The Seventeen-Year Itch ReviewWitch Hazel Review ->

Image source: Amazon

The Seventeen-Year Itch by Garth Nix

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: The Seventeen-Year Itch
Author: Garth Nix
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Horror, Mental health
Dates read: 18th November 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: He tried to smile, but inside McIndoe felt cold, and old, and frightened.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Every seventeen-years the itch reaches its peak and Stubbsy locks himself in a container. But the new manager of the psych ward doesn’t want him to be put in such an inhuman container. The consequences are nothing like she anticipated and will carry on to the next generation.

Thoughts

From the title of this story, I was completely expecting a story of a husband and wife which do something horrible to each other. Because, you know… it was in a collection of horrifying Halloween stories. It’s still completely horrifying. Still a creepy Halloween story… but not about a husband and wife. Not really about anything that I expected from the title. Which, of course, made me love it even more… since you know, the joys of a collection of Halloween horror tales.

We’ve all felt itchy. Actually, as I write this and reflect on the short story, I’m wearing a woollen jumper. Which five seconds ago didn’t feel so damn itchy… and now… nope, nope, nope. Expand that by ten thousand and you have the feeling that is described in this story. I think that fact that we’ve all felt the insane urge to itch makes it much easier to relate to this story. And therefore feel WAY more creeped out by it than any other story which you can’t relate to so closely.

The only thing I would say about this story – don’t read it before bed. It’s kind of creepy and full on. I’m so glad that I read this earlier in the day and had enough time to finish other stories before falling into bed. Just don’t read it before you fall asleep…

 <- Wick’s End ReviewA Flicker of Night on Devil’s Night Review ->

Image source: Amazon

Wick’s End by Joanna Parypinski

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: Wick’s End
Author: Joanna Parypinski
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Demons, Horror, Tricksters
Dates read: 17th November 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: His soul was turned away from the light, and turned away, of course, from that seething pit of terror known as hell, as the devil kept his promise.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

A trade-off of horror stories late on All Hallows Eve. Each one scarier than the last. Each with their own, hidden message.

Thoughts

There is something that is just so… recognisable about telling ghost stories. It doesn’t matter what age or setting, telling tales that are sure to freak out your friends, peers and family is just… well, fun. Which of course meant that there had to be an exchange of ghost stories in a collection of Halloween tales. The fact that it’s an exchange of steadily creepier stories in a bar in the middle of nowhere… well, that had me grinning and clapping my hands like a little ninny.

This is a bit of a trickster tale. After all, the trickster is constantly outwitting and outmanoeuvring his enemies. And often times they are far more powerful than him. Which is what the man in this tale does… but with the devil. And yet, you know, since it’s the devil… that there will be some form of comeuppance at the end. The devil really doesn’t like to be bested, so he’s going to find a way to get his revenge… which creates an amazing cat and mouse story that I’m really disappointed ended so quickly. I mean, I would have loved to continue the cat and mouse game a little longer!

I’ve never understood what is so “cool” about Jack O’Lanterns. Or however you spell it… they’ve always seemed creepy. And I’ve watched rom coms which feature their carving as some romantic moment… ummmm. No thank you! This is a bit of a Jack O’Lantern origins story. One which far better suits my freaked out opinion on them than anything else I’ve read or seen in a long time… they are not cute and cuddly!

 <- A Small Taste of the Old Country ReviewThe Seventeen-Year Itch Review ->

Image source: Amazon