Dreadful Tales

by Richard Laymon

On a hot, summer night in West L.A., Shane Malone sits sweltering in front of the computer, thinking how easy it should be to write a contribution for an anthology; an anthology in which every chilling tale must end in the death of a twenty-two-year-old woman in her apartment.

Ideas swirl, but it has to be a grabber—Shane doesn't want to look like a slouch. And the deafening music blaring from next door is not helping. Shane furiously bangs on the neighbour's door, ready to let rip. But Francine just happens to be a twenty-two-year-old woman who will not be argued with... and Shane is about to find out that life can really imitate art.

So begins the first tale in this terrifying collection of short stories—a delicious cornucopia of homicidal maniacs, vampires and lust-crazed teenagers—that showcase the macabre genius of Richard Laymon.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Collections, Anthologies, Splatterpunk

436 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Richard Laymon was born in Chicago and grew up in California. He earned a BA in English Literature from Willamette University, Oregon and an MA from Loyola University, Los Angeles. He worked as a schoolteacher, a librarian, and a report writer for a law firm, and was the author of more than thirty acclaimed novels.

He also published more than sixty short stories in magazines such as Ellery Queen, Alfred Hitchcock, and Cavalier, and in anthologies including Modern Masters of Horror.

He died from a massive heart attack on February 14, 2001 (Valentine's Day).

Also published under the name Richard Kelly

Reviews

[Patrick Kiernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did Laymon work for the Tales from the crypt TV show, his stories in this collection had the sex, gore, comedy and the horror that was seen in those episodes.

[Evans Light]

I may or may not rate individual stories as I work my way through the book.
Not necessarily in order.

***** Oscar's Audition
A perfectly told tale. Loved it!

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very aptly named title, as this collection of short stories is really dreadful, as is 'cheap and sensational'. I am not a big fan of Laymon; although I really liked a few of his novels, such as Resurrection Dreams, I have found most of his work like something a pervy male teenage would write. The male protagonists always seem to think with their dick first and any female character are quickly assessed regarding their attractiveness, especially their breasts. Laymon can tell a decent story, but the cheap sexism gets really old fast.

Dreadful Tales has over 20 short stories, ranging from short novella to very short, e.g., just a few pages. Just about every horror trope is explored here, from hauntings to zombies and some of the stores are fun. Nonetheless, almost all of them are marred by the lecherous male leads. For example, two young college students taking a road trip find a girl locked in a cage in the woods when one of them takes a piss in the woods off the side of the road. First thoughts-- jeez, she sure is pretty; maybe she will fuck us to let her out...

If sexism bothers you, stay far, far away from this one. Laymon may have been a great guy, but his pervy male leads really start to grate quickly. This one was my bathroom reader for a spell, a place it richly deserves. 1.5 stars, rounding up as I managed to finish it.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of best anthologies I've read this month of september and probably one of the best books of the year. Not fully 10 because there were some stories I didn't enjoy BUT I enjoy enough to be on top 3 of my Laymon books.

So what can you expect? Blood, Sex, Boobs, More gruesome scenes, and more sex that will make you horny. That's what laymon is good mixing horror with horny situations.

Best stories, well to be honest - most of them are good but my favorite are:
"saving gracce" - another great twist, save the girl went wrong"
"The Good Deed" a women is laying in a cage and nobody is around, what do you do? save her, extort her for sex or leave her be? You decide ---
" Good Vibration" - going to the beach to show your body was never more frightning"
"Phil the Vampire, a woman wants to kill her husband because he doesn't suck her enough although he is sucking other broads... Yes, you read it right.
"paying joe back is an amazing story with a interesting twist...
"fur coat" is that story we all imagine.. imagine people against fur going that extra mile to show people who wear furs how the animal suffer....
"dracuson's driver is a very good vampire tale.. ahh the sex :)
"First Date and it was awesome vampire (maybe) tale about two young teens discovering themselves. So good"

So these are some of the stories... I've read one per day and I wish I've could read faster BUT I wanted it to last...

[Arun Divakar · Rating 1 out of 5]

The name of this book fits its contents to the letter. Contained inside the book I found some of the crappiest writing I have come across in this year. I suppose the intention was to come out with horror stories, but in end what I could make out of this is the kind of stuff that B-movies are made of.

Growing up, every guy goes through a phase when they are sexually hyperactive and generally rebellious with a lot of bad mouthing to complete the image. To me all the tales in the book were more or less told by such a narrator. There is sex in everything & no story passes by without giving you ample description of the female anatomy. It would have been enjoyable if the author knew how to do his job well. In every tale he outlines more or less the same body with different character names. The funniest part is that all his female characters are golden haired beauties with the same voluptuous body shapes !

It's sex,sex, more sex plus some gore and violence thrown in along with some unbelievably dumb characters.I rest my case.

[Judith Sonnet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a single boring story in this set

[Wondra Vanian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend told me I'd love this author and, after reading these short stories, I've come the conclusion that my friend thinks I'm a freak. (But knows me very well.) Gruesome, twisted, sick, and wrong with endings that made my jaw nearly hit the floor. Loved it!

[Cameron Trost · Rating 3 out of 5]

These horror tales are written in simplistic prose that suits their tone and characters. In fact, if not for the content, you'd think they were aimed at teenagers. This is basic horror with plenty of gratuitous violence and clumsy sex. Scary hitchhiker and campsite stuff. I almost gave Dreadful Tales two stars, but a few stories were more cleverly written, intriguing, or had a twist that actually worked: Invitation to Murder, The Champion, Spooked, A Good Cigar is a Smoke, Oscar's Audition, and Roadside Pickup.

[HeWhoWalksBehindTheRows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Förbannat underhållande samling kortare historier. Det mesta är typiskt Laymon men allt vad det innebär och det fanns inte en enda historia som jag fann tråkig eller onödig. Måste jag välja en favorit så är det nog det avslutande zombierafflet Mop Up men överlag är Dreadful Tales en riktigt stabil blandning av det mesta som hör genren till.

[Sally · Rating 1 out of 5]

I dont like Laymon, I read a few of his books and found that he is a little too big on the rape. murder, incarceration and torture of women. He frankly gives me the creeps in a bad way - much too sadistic.

[Lauren Motbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really good stories. Keeps you interested and easy to read. Not for the younger reader a lot of sexual content that Richard Laymon is known for.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natürlich sind die Bio-Kartoffelchips, die deine Mutter immer kauft von besserer Qualität als Pringles. Aber schmecken sie auch besser? Erzeugen sie das gleiche Verlangen, das dich davon abhält Reste in der Packung zu lassen?
Nein, das tun sie nicht.
Richard Laymon ist wie Pringles. Obwohl die meisten seiner Werke nicht gerade von literarischer Finesse geprägt sind, kann ich nicht aufhören sie zu lesen.
Diese Sammlung von Kurzgeschichten machte dieses Verlangen nur noch schlimmer. Das Format neigt sowieso schon dazu zu schnellem Lesen zu verleiten, Laymon simpler und effektiver Stil verschärft diesen Faktor noch einmal exorbitant.
Die einzelnen Geschichten sind von stark divergierender Qualität und beinhalten, für Laymons Gesamtwerk repräsentativ, sowohl Horror der übernatürlichen, als auch der "realistischen" Spielart.
Zweitere hält sich in dieser Sammlung oft im Zwielicht zwischen Horror und Kriminalgeschichte auf. Zwar konnten mich die meisten dieser Vertreter nicht ganz überzeugen, da sie zu oft von Laymons psychopathischen Protagonisten gespickt waren, aber es gab einige Highlights. "The Fur Coat" schaffte es, auf kurzem Raum beeindruckende Charaktertiefe zu erzeugen.
"Oscar's Audition" überzeugt mit einem Twist, der nicht so vorhersehbar war, wie viele andere in der Sammlung.
Die übernatürlichen Geschichten waren jedoch der stärkere Teil des Buches.
Einige der Geschichten erinnern stark an alte EC-Comics, bzw. an die Tales from the Crypt TV-Serie. Und das ist als Kompliment gemeint.
Hier stechen besonders "The Grab" und Phil the Vampire hervor.
Die besten Geschichten der Sammlung waren für mich jedoch "Herman", "Stickman" und "Mop Up".
"Herman" führt ein cleveres Konzept zur Perfektion. Was ist, wenn es den unsichtbaren Freund wirklich gibt?
"Stickman" ist wie ein guter B-Movie. Die Handlung ist Klischee gespickt, das Finale mit mehr Blut getränkt, als der Rest des Buches zusammen.
"Mop Up" ist die beste Endzeit-Kurzgeschichte, die ich bisher gelesen habe. Eine Abwandlung des Infektion-Tropes, die Zombies durch wesentlich gefährlichere Individuen ersetzt, fungiert als Hintergrund für eine wirklich mitreißende, emotionale Geschichte. Das Konzept könnte eine Inspiration für die "Crossed"-Comics von Garth Ennis gewesen sein.

Für alle deutschen Fans interessant: diese Sammlung enthält alle Geschichten der beiden neuen Festa-Bände von Laymon.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection did not disappoint. Reminds me of the *0s paperbacks from hell. I will be picking up more Laymon books from now on from secondhand bookshops as his works have now become rare since his passing. I haven't fully appreciated his works before but now, I'm quite interested to read more of his stories.

[Phil · Rating 1 out of 5]

Richard Laymon tends to be pretty hit or miss with me. Unfortunately, this one really lived up to its title, with the exception two or three stories that were good but not great.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title of this book was spot on. I love a good Richard Laymon novel, unfortunately this one was disappointing, some stories were great and I felt like the rest were written by sex obsessed teenage boys.

[Jeffreyleepierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aldrig tidigare har det tagit så lång tid att läsa en bok. Men livet som nybliven farsa är fantastiskt och det är denna bok också. De flesta novellerna är galet underhållande och enkla. Laymon var verkligen en otrolig författare.

[Danny Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Laymon had written a ton of short stories during his career, but only did three short story collections which were released in the United Kingdom, with titles such as Out are The Lights, Fiends, and this one. I really enjoy how imaginative and weird his shorter work can be, so I've been excited for this one!

Invitation to Murder:
Shane Malone is a horror writer who's been asked to help contribute to a short story collection based on a very specific scenario of a 22-year-old woman being murdered in her apartment. However, when their new neighbor starts to put her music on loud, Shane soon discovers that instead of coming up with the idea, they're about to walk in on the situation, in the midst of one of life's greatest ironies.

This is a fun story that isn't anything too exciting, but the ending twist is for Laymon pretty clever and I got a bit of a kick out of it. I do think this story could have been developed or built upon further but for what it was overall, the idea is a really solid one and it all comes together in a satisfying way. 8/10

The Grab:
Clark Addison and his friend go out for a nice night together. Clark however is very interested in the old days of the west and often makes himself out to be some kind of cowboy. However when they come across a Western-inspired Saloon, he and his friend soon discover a game called The Grab which could win them their fortune, but what the game entails could cost them more than they bargained for.

Another really fun but silly little story with such a ghoulish idea of these participants trying to grab a very pricey diamond in the mouth of a dismembered head. It's a creepy, yet gruesome little tale that's so bizarre, that it has the familiar traits of Laymon's use of dark humor which works really well here. 8/10

Saving Grace:
Jim and Mike the best of friends, go off on an adventure to a nearby lake in the hopes of finding some hot women to watch. But when they hear a cry of distress, they soon stumble in on a gruesome nightmare and a woman by the name of Grace and their lives are about to change forever.

Saving Grace is by far one of Laymon's darkest and coldest short stories, it's a horrific, brutal nightmare with rape, gore, mutilation, and so on. It reminds me of Endless Night with how barbaric it is, but it's also got a very interesting argument to make that perhaps sometimes doing the right thing to do morally, could be the wrong thing to do in an intense situation. 7/10

Barney's Bigfoot Museum:
One late night, Thomas Hodgson arrives at a Bigfoot Museum & Diner owned by a couple. However, he's come with a story to tell and Barney being a massive Bigfoot enthusiast is more than ready to listen to another sighting of the mythical legend, but things are about to get very gruesome before the night ends...

This was a really whacky creature feature of a story by Laymon that comes as a nice surprise since he usually likes to tackle more realistic monsters such as despicable rapists, serial killers, capitalist scumbags, and so on. But here we are dealing with a monster that may very well be Bigfoot. It's a very interesting story with a fantastic framing device and a rather graphic ending that has a really surprising twist. 9/10

Herman:
Charlie a young girl, 13 years old is a very imaginative child, but despite having an imaginary friend by the name of Herman, it doesn't stop her from realizing how dangerous real life can be and when she finds herself caught up with two perverts who are hoping to molest her, she needs the help of her imaginary friend to get her out of this predicament, but does he really exist?

The idea of a young character finding themselves in a dark situation where their only hope lies with an imaginary friend isn't a bad idea. But here it feels so poorly handled and really gross. This is such a disgustingly perverted little story that actually becomes worse once we find out the imaginary friend actually exists and there's a reason as to why he can't be seen. Everything after that becomes ten times worse and not only because the characterization completely changes for no reason with the 13-year-old starting to talk like she's in her late teens or twenties which is baffling, to say the least... 1/10

The Champion:
Harry Barlow trying to move on from his past of being regarded as a well-built man who could take on a group of men at once, finds himself caught up in an illegal business being run by a shady restaurant owner. Whoever arrives to dine at this dodgy restaurant at 9 pm or after, must fight the house's current Champion to the death.

A very basic story, but that isn't to say it isn't fun because it is. It's a nice way to cleanse my brain from having read Herman which as I stated above, I really didn't like. It's a fun, engaging little story but is only about 6 pages so it's incredibly short but enjoyable. 7/10

The Maiden:
Elmo is being brought by two boys to a small lake to help get him a girlfriend, but Elmo is afraid they might have ulterior motives in mind. Soon he learns of a tragedy that happened over forty years ago and how a dead girl within the water may very well come out tonight and take Elmo down with her to the grave.

I loved this story, it's essentially a ghost story of sorts about a horrific tragedy that occurred over 40 years ago and how a young woman's ghost may very well be haunting the lake after so many years, killing those who she believes deserving of their fate. It's never confirmed if there's a ghost or whatnot, but there is a mystery at the end of this story pinpointing to the fact that there might be something. The atmosphere in this was chilling and I loved the twist at the end with our protagonist Elmo. 10/10

A Good Cigar is a Smoke:
Elizabeth and Randy's marriage was great at first, but when he started to smoke cigars, her life turned for the worse and now Elizabeth finds herself living in fear of Randy's addiction to cigars and a horrible secret he's hiding from her.

Much like The Champion this is a fun but very short little story that very much works because of the twist at the end. I like it when Laymon does stories that don't rely on gratuitous amounts of violence and so on. If it's done well which it is usually I like it, but sometimes it can become a little too much. So to see this as a nice simple little story, with a fun little twist was a nice change of pace that I enjoyed. 8/10

I'm Not a Criminal:
Wade and his wife Karen are on a road vacation when they come across at numerous points a hitchhiker holding up a sign saying 'I'm Not a Criminal'. At first, they don't believe him, but the more they see him and come to the conclusion that he really might not be a criminal, since he seems to be catching rides, they finally decide to let him in...

This is a strange story because the first half of this is pretty good, a fun little time with a tense atmosphere between the couple and this mysterious stranger they seem to keep bumping into. The second half, however, with the twist at the end just didn't work for me, there are other Laymon stories with similar twists that work really well, but here it just felt very contrived and awkward. 5/10

Oscar's Audition:
Coming out of a bar one night Clare finds an ex-convict by the name of Oscar being beaten the crap out of by a group of sinister men. Saving him, Clare has a proposition for him that could change Oscar's life for the better.

Another fun but short character piece that has a very surprising twist at the end that changes everything you thought about where the story was going prior to its ending. A story that's written in a very clever way. 8/10

Into The Pit:
On an expedition in Egypt with his father, William Brook becomes friends with a man called Maged, they have quite the time together and even find themselves some ladies to spend it with. However, when William upsets the father of two girls, he soon finds himself at the bottom of a deep and dark pit, where he soon believes the dead around him are alive...

This short story is one you can find also in the middle of Amara except it's far more expanded upon, with the main character's name changed along with its sense of writing style. In Amara, it's written in the first person, whereas here it's in the third person which I found terribly interesting. Not sure if this had been written for the original novel of Amara or if it had been later added into the novel compiled together after his death, I'd love to know the answer someday!

It's an eerie and claustrophobic little story with a tense atmosphere and a very haunting ending. Brilliant stuff! 10/10

Spooked:
Selena is home alone and has been left by her husband on Halloween night, she's waiting for him to come back because this time of the year always has her on edge. It isn't long before her overreactive imagination becomes a reality for a voice starts to speak from underneath the bed.

This was a creepy but again really tiny short story that's very effective for its page count, it's hard to explain what it's going on because of how short it is and trying to avoid spoilers, but this is a solid one with a terrific ending. 9/10

The Good Deed:
Coming to a stop in the middle of nowhere, Ed goes to take a leak whilst his mate Mike stays behind in the car waiting. Ed soon discovers a girl in the middle of a forest locked up in a cage, who put her there and why? What's going on here and can the boys get her out?

An interesting setup that to an extent reminds me of Island but unlike that novel which is often regarded as one of Laymon's best and most iconic, this is complete and utter drivel. It's dull, gross, disgusting, and meandering with no explanations given. The two horny teenagers with Ed and Mike are by far some of Laymon's worst characters, they are despicable and aren't in any way likable. 1/10

The Direct Approach:
Miss Morton about to leave her home, finds a salesman more than ready to help provide her with an offer that she can't possibly refuse.

We've all had salesman come to our doors and more often than not we're just not interested in what they're selling, but what if one of them is actually a man who works for a hitman service? Well, you wouldn't believe it of course, but then again some might and if you do it entirely depends on how morally adjusted you are... This was a fun little story with a very comedic twist at the end which I found surprising. Laymon had a real knack for short stories and The Direct Approach is no different. 8/10

Good Vibrations:
Heading off to the beach, Kim is hoping for a nice lie-down but when she finds a mysterious yet attractive young man watching her with the strangest-looking goggles, she starts to feel afraid. Then she has the nightmare, and soon enough once awake again on the beach, she finds herself attracted to this gentleman and lured into his embrace.

This is one of the most really bizarre, horrific yet strangely fascinating short stories I have ever read so far. Laymon has written a very whacky, silly but yet terrifying story about a predatory supernatural entity that lures out its feast. It's a very sexually charged story but with some really haunting and graphic imagery. It's a story that by rights shouldn't work at all, but once you read the last couple of lines it all comes together in a way that ties everything together incredibly well. 10/10

Phil The Vampire:
Traci jealous of Phil's little ventures with other women by sucking on their blood is hiring a private investigator to help her out. But the problem is does the man, she wishes to employ for this task believe her, and what will happen to him if her husband Phil does turn out to be a vampire after all?

This was really fun and by far one of the best stories in this set, it's a fantastic little vampire story with a terrific premise and some creepy atmosphere. Laymon had a real skill for writing interesting and unique vampire stories and this is no exception. It's a shame about his novel 'Bite' being his weakest story related to our favorite blood-sucking fiends, but thankfully Phil The Vampire is one of his best. 10/10

Paying Joe Back:
Joe's Bar and Grill hasn't changed over the years, but Joe has long since retired and now Wes is holding up the bar. But when a mysterious woman comes into the bar looking for Joe, it soon turns out she's looking for revenge and intends to kill Joe even at the cost of her own life.

This was another really fun story about despicable, bloodthirsty revenge. It's nothing too remarkable but again as with most of Laymon's shorter stories, it has a really solid twist at the end that I enjoyed. 8/10

The Fur Coat:
One Christmas Harold got his beloved wife Janet, a fur coat and in an odd way it changed their marriage for the better. Now Harold has long since been dead and gone. Janet has been mourning for a long time but now it's time to move on, she decides to say a final goodbye to Harold by watching a live performance of Cats whilst wearing the coat he got her all those years ago, but when she's attacked, it seems this little venture may very well be the end for her.

This was a very dark and violent commentary on activism that can go way too far and end up being a mere excuse to hurt people, even if they aren't directly the ones responsible for acts of oppression. I adore animals of all shapes and sizes, but the horrible events Janet goes through just because of her fur coat highlights, how some people can go a little too far and actually damage their cause for change. The ending to this one is bleak, it really makes you think about just how far you can go to try and change things for the better before it does more damage than good. 8/10

Blarney:
Deke and Val one night at a beach in California discover a mysterious castle near the cliffs, there's something very interesting and ominous about the place for there's no castle quite like it anywhere else in this part of the country. Deke hating Val with thoughts of murder, decides to satisfy her curiosity but in going to the castle will they find fate or perhaps an answer to immortality?

I'm not going to lie and say I understood this story because truth be told I didn't. It's a very atmospheric piece with an interesting mystery in the fold, but I didn't really understand what it was trying to do and for Laymon, that's really odd. Since his short stories are usually snappy and to the point I find, instead I came out of this story just as confused as I was at the start. Not bad, just didn't understand it. 5/10

Dracuson's Driver:
Pete works the night shift at The Wanderer's Rest Motel, but he has a secret his job isn't just so he can earn an honest living, but so he can be a peeping tom around the young and attractive women who come to stay. But when a woman by the name of Tess driving a hearse comes by hoping to book a room for the night, this is Pete's chance to have a good time but unbeknownst to him, the woman also has a secret that could end his life.

I wasn't expecting much from this story from the title alone, but as soon as I realized this was another Vampire tale, I got really excited. It has such a terrific premise and it's executed in a way that works brilliantly. Pete is a disgusting human being who finds himself in a ghoulish tale and commits an atrocious act. This story is very creepy and atmospheric with a spine-chilling ending. 10/10

Roadside Pickup:
Collen's worst nightmare has become true, she's stuck in the middle of nowhere after her car broke down. But she's too scared to go and find help, especially since her sister Maggie did the exact same thing and got assaulted. Soon a car comes by and finally stops, but it seems history is about to repeat itself once more...

This is a neat little story, nothing special. You feel really sorry for Collen having to live almost the same nightmare her sister went through before she died, it's a sad little story but doesn't really have enough going on to really talk about, it's a decent read however. 7/10

Wishbone:
Diane now married to Scott has gone on a hiking trip for their honeymoon, but unfortunately, she's starting to find out that Scott's mean streak also extends to her and that she might very well be in for an abusive marriage. But when they stop at a lake to set up camp, they discover a skeleton in the tree. Scott finds it hilarious, but Diane doesn't and wants to leave, soon Scott starts to make jokes about the dead long since passed and that's when the trouble really begins.

This is a very comedic but ghoulish take on a hiking trip gone wrong with a crumbling marriage and a walking skeleton. It's really bizarre but so enjoyable with such a twisted bit of dark humor that's honestly quite unsettling but hilarious at the same time. 9/10

First Date:
Shannon has invited Jeff on a movie date, she's been wanting to go out with him for so long and as it turns out he feels the same way too. They are horror buffs, he likes werewolves but she in particular prefers Vampires and hopes one day that she might become one. After the movie, they decide to go to a creepy cemetery to see just what might happen.

This was a really fun, creepily atmospheric story that isn't terrifying, but it is gross and unsettling yet cute at the same time, it's a very sexually charged romance story with blood-sucking, etc. I'm not usually a fan of such tales dealing with this kind of thing but here it's done really well with its unsettling atmosphere, whilst telling a somewhat disturbing yet exciting love story. That I actually really liked surprisingly. 10/10

Stickman:
At a drive-in cinema, Dwayne is hoping to enjoy a nice movie with his best friends Joe and Windy who are a couple. However, Windy has decided to bring along her complicated and arrogant cousin Jeniffer who seems intent on ruining their fun. But on the way home, in the midst of a cornfield at night they come across Stickman, a Scarecrow who has a very dark and haunting history to its existence and tonight's the night they tell Jeniffer who he is.

This story blew my mind and surprisingly it didn't really feel like it was written by Laymon, very different tonally I find to a lot of his other work. A very gruesome and terrifying tale dealing with the supernatural, incredible stuff. 10/10

Mop Up:
A violent apocalypse is dying down, but the infected still walk. Mike has lost everything, but when he meets a young woman, he might have finally found hope.

This was a very well-written and bleak zombie apocalypse story. Mike's job is to clean the streets from the infected when he meets Karen. It's a tragic love story with two very likable protagonists in a very dire situation. Laymon's longest short story and one of his best. 10/10

Overall: A fantastic set of stories! 9/10

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Laymon's novels are the equivalent of B-grade grindhouse films, they are generally far superior to his short stories, which rarely rise above the level of campfire tales. DREADFUL TALES is, as expected, a mixed bag. One or two stories are great, several are just plain bad, a couple are downright offensive, and most are just ho-hum.
Here are some that stood out for me, whether for a positive or a negative reason:

"Invitation to Murder" -- Best story of the lot. The surprise twist feels like a cheat, but at least it's a clever cheat. And, like my favorite Laymon novel, THE STAKE, this story is very "meta," providing a glimpse into the author's creative process.

"Saving Grace" -- In movies, the hero is often torn between bringing the bad guy to justice, or just killing him outright. Almost without exception, he chooses to spare the bad guy's life--which is always touted as the right thing to do. Much to my delight, "Saving Grace" plays with this formula by illustrating where such nobility might get you in the real world.

"Herman" -- Stupid story with one of the dumbest, most pointlessly shocking endings ever.

"A Good Cigar Is a Smoke" -- More subtle than your typical Laymon story, while still being quite nasty. Very effective ending.

"I'm Not a Criminal" -- Textbook example of Laymon throwing in a stupid twist ending that seemingly comes from nowhere.

"Oscar's Audition" -- Laymon had a natural flair for writing hardboiled, noir-style fiction. The narration here is great: cynical and darkly funny. Too bad he didn't write more stuff like this.

"Spooked" -- Laughably stupid ending.

"The Good Deed" -- This one I found offensive, not to mention pointless and dumb. Most of the story consists of two young boys sexually harassing a girl in a cage. Things escalate, and one of the boys assaults her, hurting her pretty badly. Despite this abuse, the girl voluntarily sits on his lap just a short time later and eventually winds up sleeping with both boys on a rotating basis. The moral of the story seems to be: Sometimes a little attempted rape can lead to rewarding relationships.

"Good Vibrations" -- Reads like softcore porn up until the last page.

"Phil the Vampire" -- Interesting mix of horror with detective noir. Unsatisfying ending, though.

"The Fur Coat" -- Not a great story, but it takes guts to make animal rights activists the villains in a horror piece.

"Blarney" -- Laymon's stories never work when they serve as the set up for one of his darkly comic (and unfunny) punchlines.

"Wishbone" -- Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Stickman" -- Also very stupid. The fake backstory for Stickman makes a better tale than what is "really" happening in the present.

"Mop Up" -- Actually a cool idea for a post-apocalypse scenario. Too bad this story goes absolutely nowhere.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started out kind of odd for me. I wasn't sure, after the first few stories, if this was going to get the rating I finally gave it. The endings of a few were kind of like "huh?" to me. However, not only were there some really good stories eventually, but also a gem, titled Oscar's Audition, and judging by other reviews, it was the best in the bunch. This all being said, not only did I enjoy most of the stories, I also have my wife reading this book now, and she is giving me her perspective of the endings of the stories that made me go..."huh?

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I had read all of Laymon's books, so was delighted to discover this in a London bookshop. I had already read several of the stories, but this collection included a few new ones. It was fun to return to Laymon, but I must admit I quite enjoy his novels more than his short tales. Still a fun read, chok-full of trademark Laymon style characters and chaotic horror.

[Haiku Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

His novels are great
His short stories not so much
Not quite that dreadful

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last story was excellent. Shame about the other twenty four...

[Kurt Reichenbaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mixed bag of old and new, mostly horror, stories by Richard Laymon. Published in 2000, this book made available most of Laymon's short fiction that was not published in Out are the Lights and Fiends. I used to have those collections but traded them in before the horror craze of paperbacks from hell sent prices for old horror books through the roof. But enough on that rant. This collection has mostly good, entertaining, stories about slashers, ghouls, psychos and perverts. Of some interest here is the inclusion of a few very old, 1970s, crime stories that Laymon published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and Mike Shayne's Mystery Magazine. Many stories provide a supernatural setup, only to reveal a slasher, or psycho, behind the mayhem. A lot of the stories feature teenagers ogling, describing, fantasizing, over young female bodies. A few push the boundaries of taste. Some would probably not get published today, I would guess. But that's what people read Laymon for. Horror isn't a polite genre. One story in particular featuring wayward teenagers, "Saving Grace" is really brutal. Another story, "Herman" would be rejected instantly if submitted by anyone who isn't Richard Laymon. A couple favorites of mine are "Stickman" about a midnight ride through a cornfield that goes really bad. Another one I liked a lot is "Good Vibrations" about a hookup at the beach between a sexy babe (they're almost ALL sexy babes in Laymon's stories) in tight bikini and a hot guy with weird goggles and a very very strange and kinky talent. I really liked "The Maiden" about a couple of teenage studs planning on doing a very bad thing at a haunted lake to a loser who insulted one of their girlfriends. "First Date" is another good one about a sexy girl with a vampire fetish. There are some not so good stories in the mix. Some that seem quickly tossed off for a few bucks. Some with abrupt twists that don't always work. I'm really lukewarm on most of Laymon's novels. Suspension of disbelief can work easier in a short story than in a 300 page plot. If you're a casual fan of Laymon's work and haven't read his short fiction, you'd probably like these stories well enough. Recommended to horror fans who can appreciate rare steak.

[Harriet · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are a couple of stories in this collection that manage to scrape mediocre, but mostly they are nasty incel fantasies made up mostly of descriptions of 'creamy breasts' and how it feels to have an erection.

It's dangerous territory, to assume anything about an author from their work, but if he were still alive I don't think I'd want to be in a room alone with Richard Laymon. His stories are almost all rapey wank fantasies, and almost every single male character in this collection is unequivocally a rapist. Every single story involving sex - which is most of them - revolves around a helpless woman (or, in one particularly nasty instance, a child), be she unconscious, imprisoned, or dead, who is so hot that the awkward, often virginal male character simply cannot help but become aroused by, and then rape, her. This is disgusting, pure and simple, and where one instance might be an interesting as a story told from the villain's point of view, in Laymon's short stories these are the actions of the hero, getting what they're entitled to. At one point he has a character outright say that if you save a woman from being raped, you deserve to rape her, as a reward.

I really cann0t overstate how foul this collection is, and how scary I find the men who get off to it. Were I a man, it would make me so angry to think that this is how Laymon believes men act and feel.

[Kazimir · Rating 1 out of 5]

Richard Laymon perfectly exemplifies the thing I hate most in the extreme horror genre, that being a very obvious hatred of women. Similar to Edward Lee's work, in the sense that almost every one of his female characters boils down to an annoying, nagging bitch, a sentient pair of tits with little personality outside of her high sex drive, or a beautiful tragic victim that exists solely to suffer for a man's amusement. It seemed like he was taking every opportunity he could to either sexually exploit, degrade, or demonize a woman, even when it served no purpose to the plot. There is a clear disparity in the quality of the author's work when writing male versus female characters, and his failure to write women brings down the quality overall. It would likely improve greatly if he were to simply give up on writing female characters at all. Not as egregious, but I'm also very uncomfortable with how often he describes the skin of women's breasts as "creamy".
Despite my issues with the author, I didn't hate every story in this book. I'd say I only really strongly disliked maybe every other story, a few more bored me, but there was a small handful I found genuinely interesting. I thought that The Champion, Phil the Vampire, Wishbone, and First Date were all alright. I absolutely hated Saving Grace, The Maiden, Herman, and Spooked, and were I to recommend this to a friend (I probably would not), I'd strongly urge them to skip over those titles. Every story I didn't mention, which includes the majority of this book, I was just very bored by. I'm not fond of Edward Lee, but his misogynistic garbage is still leagues more entertaining and provocative than Laymon's. I'd maybe give this collection 1.5 stars, for the few stories I thought had a fun twist, but those few were nowhere near good enough to justify the time I wasted reading all 436 pages.

[Hugo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never much of a prose stylist, too plain even for pulp, Laymon has subsisted on the quality of his concepts and storytelling, and innate ability to go beyond good taste; here his strength is in his early crime stories—all of which are solid, even when they veer into horror territory—and every story he manages to write without his puerile obsession with breasts, objectifying every single female character, and rape—of which there are too few.

[Douglas Ogurek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like Fiends (1997), every short story in Richard Laymon's Dreadful Tales (2000) is a treat. Sometimes, the good guy wins; other times, the bad guy wins. Often, the story ends on a twist. The tales seem to come from the mind of a teenage boy, but storytelling technique reigns supreme. A great collection to take on a vacation.

[Russell Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read overall. The only thing I will say is that a few of the ideas presented here were a little too far-fetched for my liking, and I didn’t think much of the last story in this collection of tales.

Other than that, I enjoyed it.

[Vysakh C · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few promising stories. Most of the ones written post 1985 are garbage.
Good ones : Champion, Spooked, Oscars Audition, Paying Joe Back, Phil The Vampire, Dracusons Driver, Roadside Pickup, The Grab.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow there are some seriously nasty tales in this book. This is not for the faint hearted!! Excellent stories, very well written but at times pretty horrific.