book reviews

Book reviews for horror fans; weather a sleepless night with literary accounts of hauntings, possessions, zombies, vampires and beyond.

Scout's Honor
This was a new addition to my bookshelf, and my growing TBR pile, that was bought on a whim during an unscheduled (and quite unnecessary) trip to the bookstore. This particular book happened to be on one of the display tables around the store, and I’m a sucker for a good book display, so I grabbed myself a copy and, after some more browsing and selecting, made my way to the cashier with a small stack of books wrapped in my arms. I’m not entirely sure why, perhaps something intuitively sank its hooks in me, but I knew that this was a book that I needed to begin right away. After more than 150 pages in one night, I was captivated, engrossed, and frankly horrified, but I couldn’t seem to put it down.
By Kurt Mason2 years ago in Horror
Don’t go into room13. Content Warning.
I was walking through the hallways of the hotel, when I passed Room 13. I thought nothing of it, until I heard a small noise, almost like a scratching sound, coming from inside the room. It made me stop in my tracks, and my instincts wanted to open the door and see what was going on, but I remembered the rule. Knowing that I was not allowed to enter Room 13, I turned around to walk away. Suddenly, I heard another loud crash. It was undeniable that it had come from Room 13. I couldn't ignore all of these strange sounds coming from the room. I had always been taught to act on instinct, and all of my instincts told me that there was something very, very wrong with Room .The door was locked, but it was not impossible to force it open. It took a lot of strength, but eventually, the door opened a crack, and then I was able to pull it open enough for me to be able to carefully slip into the room. The first thing that I noticed was that the room was pitch black inside. I tried to adjust my eyes, but I couldn't see a thing. It was like stepping into a complete void of darkness. I knew where the light switch should have been, so I felt all the way up the wall for it, but there was no switch. I tried to take a step forward into the room, but I as I stepped, my foot hit something. It was solid enough to make me lose my balance slightly. Slowly, I bent down to touch whatever this thing was. As soon as I put my hand on it, I could feel that there was something very strange going on. It almost felt like a leg, almost like that of a person.But that couldn't be possible. I reached out, behind me, but all I could feel was another leg, seemingly coming from another body. I reached out again, only to feel another. An arm this time, then a torso, another leg. It was endless. I felt as though I was surrounded. Except, there was something odd about these arms and legs. They just didn't feel quite...alive.I immediately felt sick. There was no way, absolutely no way that I could be standing in the middle of a room full of bodies, but it all made sense. The strange rule about not stepping foot in Room 13. Of course. It all made sense. This was where the bodies were hidden.I didn't want to believe it, but there seemed like no other explanation. I felt completely sickened, my head spinning, a shiver running up my spine. There was no way. I'd never even seen a dead body before, let alone be surrounded by them in a pitch black hotel room. Was this what happened to people who entered Room 13?I put a hand on the wall to steady myself, and I suddenly felt the light switch. Feeling relieved by that, I quickly turned it on, and watched light flood the room. This was it. I was mentally preparing myself for the sight of, possibly over twenty dead bodies, a sight that would surely make me sick.However, when the light turned on, I was not met with the horrifying sight of countless murder scenes. Instead, all lined up around the room, some perfectly propped up, and others sprawled on the floor, were human-sized, doll-like figures. They looked just, almost human, except for one eerie difference.They didn't have eyes. Just black, void-like holes where eyes should have been. Their necks were oddly floppy too, drooping to the side. What was most horrifying about these life-size dolls, was that they almost exactly resembled all of the hotel staff members that I had become so familiar with.I saw the doll version of Kelly, her head falling into her lap. I saw Mark, the waiter, with huge black holes where his eyes should have been. I saw Elizabeth, who was sprawled on the floor, legs sticking out. I even saw Catherine, propped up against the wall, like she was in a child's dollhouse. I wanted to scream, run away, do anything. This was somehow worse than seeing the disgusting sight of bodies. This was ten times creepier, and made me feel goosebumps up my arms. I wanted to drive away from the hotel, from the town, and never look back.The one thing that still stuck in my mind, was the fact that every single staff member had a doll here, even the newest hires. Everyone had a life-like, floppy doll, looking like an eyeless corpse. The only doll that was missing, the only member of staff that didn't have a matching doll, was me. There was no doll in Room 13 that resembled me. Somehow, that fact was far more chilling.I was about to take my phone out of my pocket, to take photos, or call the police, or do anything about this terrifying situation, when all of a sudden, the room went black. Pitch black. I tried to move again, but I couldn't. My legs would not stand up and run, my arms would not reach out to steady myself. I couldn't move. I was fixed, I was stuck, I was trappedJust then, I felt someone holding my shoulders, propping me up against the wall. I wanted to scream, or see who it was, but it felt like I was trapped inside my own body. I was completely unable to move.The hands extended my arms and legs, and I even felt the hands around my neck, making it flop forward ever so slightly, just as it had done on the dolls. That was when I realised it. The 'dolls' inside Room 13 were not life-like copies of the hotel staff members, they were the hotel staff members. And I was about to meet the very same fate, in Room 13.If only I had just listened.
By Luther2 years ago in Horror
5 Great Folk Horror Novels
Here I am again. Here I am talking about folk horror... We have covered books, we have covered films and we have even covered short stories. Now it is time for novels to get their own little section and unfortunately enough for me, I have already included the horrifying Starve Acre in one of the lists so it will not be making an appearance here.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Horror
No One Will Save You . Content Warning.
Brian Duffield’s newest feature, “No One Will Save You,” is a sci-fi horror film with a lot of potential. Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) is isolated from her community. She spends her days alone at
By faisal khan2 years ago in Horror
Book Review: "The Hungry Moon" by Ramsey Campbell
You probably don't want to hear me talk about folk horror, but here we are yet again. One of the most expansive and further expanding genres of the the horror type, folk horror has been on the rise since the beginning of the pandemic and slightly before. In the 1980s though, there was a surge of brilliantly clever folk horror novels, one of them includes Ramsey Campbell's The Hungry Moon. A multi-layered narrative about fundamentalism, this book includes several aspects of horror that may rival Stephen King's cult literature. Yes, it is realistic, yes it does have compelling characters and there is a brilliantly strange storyline of chanting, dead lizards, the Peak District and oddities that are encountered throughout the book. The Satanic Panic is real.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Horror
The Haunting Melody
Title: "The Haunting Melody" The wind whispered through the dense forest, carrying with it an eerie melody that sent shivers down Sarah's spine. She had always been drawn to the old, abandoned mansion at the edge of the woods, its decaying facade a testament to a forgotten era. On this moonless night, curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to explore the mysterious place that had haunted her dreams for as long as she could remember.
By ARTIST2 years ago in Horror
Crimson Peak
Gather close, dear listeners, for I shall transport you to a world of gothic romance and supernatural intrigue. This is the tale of "Crimson Peak."
By KEN RIVERA2 years ago in Horror
Hereditary
Gather 'round, dear listeners, for I shall weave a tale of darkness and dread, a modern horror story that sent shivers down the spines of those who dared to watch. This is the tale of "Hereditary."
By KEN RIVERA2 years ago in Horror
5 Great Folk Horror Short Stories. Top Story - September 2023.
*Inhales deeply*: My favourite genre is folk horror Hopefully, we are ready for yet another folk horror list which involves a top five of some of my favourite things about the genre. More than often, I choose folk horror short stories to teach when looking at explicit and implicit meaning because there is always a deeper meaning hidden there somewhere. If you haven't read any folk horror short stories before then this might push you over the edge and into the black hole of this genre. If you have read some before then hopefully we can be friends given the fact we both like the same literature. I'll be back soon for more folk horror, but for now let's enjoy the five short stories that I have included on this list. If I have missed out a favourite of yours then I apologise.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Horror
5 Great Modern Folk Horror Books
I repeat myself: folk horror is my favourite genre ever. Now we've gotten that out of the way, we can move on to what really constitutes as a 'folk horror book'. Entrapped in wide open spaces, isolated in nature and overcome with ritualistic practice with a taste for the terrifying and traditional in ancient cultures. The justification of inflicting violence against the innocents is present more than most in folk horror tradition, relying on the factor of sacrifice, especially human sacrifice, to shock and horrify the reader. One of the best anthologies on this has always been the Richard Wells collection titled Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology which brings together many short stories that both entertain and get under the skin whilst bringing the reader closer to the world of dark traditions and midnight forests.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Horror
The Vanishing Act. Content Warning.
Detective Sarah Williams peered at the old Victorian house from her unmarked police car. It stood at the end of a quiet, tree-lined street, shrouded in an eerie mist. The place had a reputation for being haunted, but that wasn't what had brought her here.
By siva kumar2 years ago in Horror
My father's disappearance... Content Warning.
I'm a seventeen-year-old girl from a wealthy family; I don't have any siblings, and I live with my mother and our maid Alya .I was ten years old when my father vanished. What happened to my dad is unknown to me. But I do know that once my dad vanished, my mother underwent a radical shift. Since then, my life has been incredibly difficult. My mother never had a genuine conversation with me or anyone else after my dad vanished.My mother no longer went outside; she now spends the entire day inside.I requested that my mother call the police, but she snapped at me and refused to do so.I suppose the outcome will be known if I make a police report.
By horrorstoriessss2 years ago in Horror