Horrors! 365 Scary Stories Week #6
02/04/2017 – 2/10/2017
The horror short-short isn’t easy to master, but more than 100 of the genre’s critically acclaimed authors & hottest up-&-comers have taken a stab at it in Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, an anthology that contains a short tale for every day of the year. Steve Rasnic Tem, Wm F. Nolan, Tom Piccirilli, Yvonne Navarro, Peter Atkins, Brian Hodge, Martin Mundt & 166 others give you short, sharp shocks.
Welcome to Week #6 of Horrors! 365 Scary Stories – A Full Year of Horror. I hpe you guys have been having as much fun as I have had in sharing the stories. Maybe you’ve even found a few new favorite authors or found an unknown story by an old favorite.
If you missed the first post you can find it here.
So, take my hand and I’ll lead the way. We’ll be alright if we stay on the path. Out of the dark.
Boxes – Phyllis Eisenstein
Synopsis:
Mysterious boxes arrive at Bob and Sheila’s house. They contain items which seem to foretell accidents that befall Sheila. A raincoat, a wig and a mannequin head.
Review:
I really liked this one a lot. The items were creepy and the last one is very suggestive of what’s going to happen.
Burb Vamp – Barbara J. Ferrenz
Synopsis:
Shelley has to think fast to get her neighbor’s husband out of her house when she learns he’s become a vampire.
Review:
I loved this one, too. It was hilarious and Shelley’s observations are on point. My favorite quote? “Why in heaven’s name would you want to turn your teenagers into immortals? Are you some kind of masochist?”
Business Image – Brian McNaughton
Synopsis:
A man forces his Mirror Image to take his place in the real world. The Mirror Image is not happy in our busy, colorful world. Things don’t work out well when the Mirror Image tries to force his way back into the reflective realm.
Review:
This story was interesting but the ending was a shade confusing. Is he a ghost? Did he kill his Mirror Image or did the Image kill itself? Your guess is as good as mine.
Callahan’s Coat – Donald R. Burleson
Synopsis:
During a power outage a woman thinks of her deceased husband after finding his coat in a closet. They aren’t pleasant memories and the coat has a mind of it’s own.
Review:
Kind of meh. I think it’s supposed to be a scary ghost story but the mental image of a brown coat bopping around on it’s own just made me giggle a bit.
Candid Camera – Don D’Ammassa
Synopsis:
An inherited camera displays riches beyond imagining when used. Beware the door to the right though. It is forbidden. But when has that stopped anyone?
Review:
What is it about something being forbidden that automatically makes people want to know what’s there? I think I’d be happy enough with the money and jewels.
Candles – Lisa Jean Bothell
Synopsis:
A girl breaks out of a youth shelter to find her Daddy for her sweet sixteen party. There’s just one problem. Daddy has a different family now.
Review:
Even though the girl is obviously a bit psychotic I still feel bad for her. Apparently he just ‘forgot’ about his daughter.
The Candyman – Michael Grisi
Synopsis:
A child killer stalks a small town. Leaving the children clutching candy the newspapers have dubbed him The Candyman. A retired man sets out to try to protect the children but The Candyman may be nearer than he thinks.
Review:
Even though I saw where it was going (it’s a little hard to build up suspense when you only have three pages to work with) it was still a good story. It wasn’t graphic which is usually a main concern for me when a horror story involves children.
Favorite of the Week:
The favorite for this week is definitely Boxes by Phyllis Eisenstein for the sheer creepiness of it. The runner-up would be Burb Vamp by Barbara J. Ferrenz just because it’s so damn funny.
Since we’re getting further into Horrors I will be linking authors’ names to posts that feature their previous stories as some authors have multiple stories in Horrors.
I hope you enjoyed tonight’s bedtime stories for the week. I’ll see you next Friday for another week’s worth of bite-sized horror. Nighty Nightmares!