Christmas Terror Tales: Stories to Enjoy from October through December

by Kevin M. Folliard, J.T. Molloy (Illustrator)

Sixteen gripping tales inspired by classical horror and urban legends twist holiday themes into chilling cautionary tales. A mischievous snowman frames the children who built him for its misdeeds. A haughty priest offers shelter to a hideous monster posing as an orphan. A father brings home a cursed Christmas tree resulting in a terrifying haunting experience for his family. From October through December, these stories of devils, spirits, murderers, monsters, and surprise twists will fascinate children and their parents.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

98 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2011

About the author

Kevin M. Folliard is a Chicagoland fiction writer with a degree in English and creative writing from the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign.

His published fiction includes scary stories collections Christmas Terror Tales and Valentine Terror Tales, and adventure novels such as Matt Palmer and the Komodo Uprising and Jimmy Chimaera & the Temple of Champions.

Folliard's work has been collected by Sanitarium Magazine, Nosetouch Press, Black Bed Sheet Books, Double Feature Magazine, Flame Tree Publishing, and more. He has also developed films for Neon Harbor, including the video game parody Press Start.

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

With sixteen stories in a scant eighty pages, including illustrations, Kevin M. Folliard doesn't really have the time to do the build-up that true terror requires. Instead, he opts for the twist, the dark conclusion, or just out and out savagery. No one is safe in this collection of dark horror stories. Anyone can be a predator or prey.

The short stories are quick and efficient, but unfortunately that reduces the horror. There's no time to pause and consider with the I limited word count. They feel like they'd be the appropriate length for a campfire story. When spoken, the teller has the opportunity to use pauses for effect that can't really be done on the page. Unfortunately, most prospective sharers will not find a welcoming audience gathered around the Christmas dinner.

The stories are not going to challenge an experienced horror reader. This one is better suited for a younger, new to horror, audience. That's not really a criticism. The short page length works in favor of this goal as it allows the reader to put it aside or skip ahead if any particular story strikes too close to the mark.

I do want to note that some of the strongest stories are towards the end. While the earlier stories rely heavily on the morbid twist, both The Maniac and Something in the Basement manage to raise the feeling of dread in the reader as they suffer along with the protagonists. Experienced readers, as I noted earlier, will see what's coming, but that makes it all the more dreadful because you know how it will resolve.

In short, a good book for a narrow audience, but not for everyone.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merry early Christmas! Today I’ve got my main Christmas read, as voted on by Twitter. The result was unexpected. Our winner is this 2011 short story collection that I threw on because it’s short. I thought it would be dead last but nope. I don’t know why it won but I’m a bit glad since it has this mysterious vibe to it. I didn’t quite know what to expect.

The author is Kevin Folliard who is interesting. Book wise, this was his first and he’d go on to have some misc stuff I don’t know much about, like some fantasy ones and a sequel to this. There’s something for next year I guess. Outside of books, he’s best known for web series Press Start, which had a movie as well that he wrote.

If that sounds familiar, it may because it was once featured…on Channel Awesome. I am not kidding. It was just sort of there so he wasn’t as contributer per say but he had a thing that was there at one point. Wild, what a rabbit hole.

Anyway, onto our stories.

The Christmas Jack O Lantern; A woman is upsetting that a neighbor still has a Jack O Lantern out after Halloween. This was a fun one to start us off. She is shown to only care so she can have the neighborhood win a decoration contest so it is fun with she gets comeuppance. It’s quick and while the ending is simple, it is a fun note toe end. Decent start.

Home for the Holidays: Just a quick set up and punchline. Punchline is amusing and dark, that is all.

Manger Baby: A girl stales the fake baby Jesus from the Nativity thing in church. A fair setup that flows okay but the ending is weird. Sort of fun but an odd punchline, I don’t know what it’s meant to mean. It’s okay but needs work.

The Candy Cane: A priest takes in a homeless boy. A quick one that has a predictable ending but it’s still fun,. The priest is clearly just doing this to look god so the ending does land at least.

The Snowman: Some boys make a dirty snowman and soon odd things happens. This one is mostly fun with a decent story to it. It does feel rushed as this could have built up more suspense but is too quick to do so. The ending is delightfully dark but abrupt. I like it, just could have been longer.

Open Fire:Odd things happen after a family chops down a tree. Another one that mostly works, but is just a bit rushed. That’s the only issue as I like what happens and the general flow, it has the creepy stuff have less impact cuz it happens quickly. Ending is a bit off but creepy enough at least.

The Frozen Mitten: A quick 3 pager that is fine but kinda like the last one. Creepy but a bit too quick, although given the repetition it’s not a big deal.

Wassal: An even quicker one that mostly relies on one joke that worked. Basic but cute, in a dark kind of way.

The Green Box: A quick one that is odd. Not much of a story but it’s actually kind of nice. Ending is sort of dark but when you think about it, there’s a good bittersweet nature to it that I like. I sort of wish there was more but it is meant to be a punchline so…fair enough.

Like Skeleton Hands: A boy is a dick to his brother and eventually gets supernatural punishment. Typical but I liked the flow well enough and the ending works when it hits. It’s a bit off like these endings can be but it’s not bad.

The Smell: A dark one in a more emotional that works fine. The ending is predictable and slightly confusing but fair. Another one that just works fine but isn’t great.

The Dinner Guest: A girl’s dad dies and she wants him back. Two sad-ish ones in a row and this one works. It’s clear how things will go wrong and it works as they tamper with forces they don’t understand. Ending is a bit odd but fun in a dark way.

The Trunk in the Attic:Mostly a good one, that has solid escalation as a kid exchanges items for gifts and he gets desperate. The ending is a bit confusing though, it has a dark implication but stops. Feels like something is missing. That aside, it’s good.

The Maniac: A woman is waiting for her husband when she hears new of an escaped killer dressed as Santa. A creepy one with a nice lead but the ending is just kind of cruel and predictable too. That’s fine for a short story but after the setup, it just felt more mean than anything. Sorta fun in the right mindset but not my favorite

Something in the Basement: Pretty good. A foster kid is adopted by a family that is hiding a secret. It’s longer than most of these and the suspense works better by having more room. It’s standard but decently creepy. Ending is another predictable one but it works well enough.

Twelve O Clock: We end on a quick setup/punchline. Ending is fun and dark. I don’t quite know who I’m meant to root for per say but it was fair enough. Not the best to end on but not bad.

So, this was fun. It’s not great but I enjoyed it. The main problem is how quick the stories can be. Having 16 in 80 pages means some can be rushed. Sure they are meant to be just quick and simple but a few have ideas that need extra room. I think more simple stories or fewer and longer ones would have worked better.

Not too many leave a big lasting impact, so you just read for some quick fun more than anything. But as that, it works. Although, the back says it will “fascinate children and their parents” and it doesn’t seem to know wich it’s aimed it. It’s written in a simple enough way but it has some dark bits, including a fair few murders. The Manic one especially is centered on an adult and doesn’t seem for kids. But some are closer to the Weenies style of dark humor.

Some kids can handle it but I wouldn’t say it’s fully them. There are some solid vibes and scares here despite how short they can be. That’s why I wish some were longer, Kevin has the talent for scary stories. The endings can be mixed, being too abrupt even as punchlines.

Favorites include Something in the Basement, Trunk in the Attic and Christmas Jack O Lantern. Can’t there’s a big easy stand out but those worked the best. As a whole, it’s a fun surprise. I can’t say it’s great but if you know what to expect, you can have with it. Hopefully the sequel is good too. And there’s a valentine’s one so…there’s that.

That does it for Christmas reads, a fine pair I think. I want next week, the last of 2022, to be lax but I may do a quick read. I can’t promise it but we’ll see. Either way, winding down for the year. I got to stretch a bit and finish/do some projects like Animorphs, My teacher is an alien and YA pike. Hopefully I can do more random stuff in the coming year.

See ya then.

[Tptbeyond · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife won this collection by "liking" the official Christmas Terror Tales Facebook page and entering the costume contest, and what a treat it was to read! Following the tradition of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and other spooky holiday stories Folliard has created his own twist on Christmastime fright. Children 5th grade and up (and kids at heart!) will enjoy these stories, as the cover says, from October through December! Folliard masterfully builds tension and suspense in only a few short pages! I personally found "The Smell" and "The Maniac" especially chilling. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good scare and a well written tale!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. Some chilling tales in the book. Lots of suspenseful endings. I would recommend to anyone who loves a good scary story. This book would be really good to read around a campfire on a cold night in the fall. I especially liked the story about the pastor who brought home a poor orphan boy. It had a nice moral to it. Overall most of the stories had morals of things like be nice, listen to your elders, do that right thing, etc. I really enjoyed this book and read it within three days of receiving it.
I won this through goodreads first reads

[Madlen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Christmas Terror Tales" is a collection of very short scary stories.
Most of them don't go beyond five pages. They are short, but to the point and get their plot developed and manage to scare the reader. The stories seem to be aimed at a younger audience.
Some of the stories are very original, while others are retellings of common legends.
Overall, it was a pleasant read. It would be a fun read right around this time of the year.

[RL Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and to the point. More flash fiction than short stories, its a very quick read. There are some good ideas in here and for the little time investing required I went away happy and willing to read more. Its good when an author gives you what they know and doesn't try and fill pages.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

Short, gore-filled stories for the holidays I'd have to say this would be more for young pre-teen to teen horror fans. Within just a few pages each story starts out and then gets to the point. Simple.

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of stories was for a younger audience than I thought. It says it's for children and their parents, but this would be fine for middle schoolers to read on their own. There are some gruesome parts and a bit of violence, but nothing too bad. None of them are really scary.

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book throught a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

This is a book of short horror stories that seem to be aimed at Middle Grade audience. Each is between 1 and 4 pages. They are set during the holidays Halloween through New Year's Day.

As a fan of horror stories, I thought that I might have a lot of fun reading a book that simplifies the horror down to a "campfire tale" that is just enough for scaring a younger audience. I tried very hard to enjoy this book, but it was difficult.

In horror, you have several types of stories. Some stories start simple or pleasant and then situations deteriorate until there is no hope and the bad guys win. In others, a shocking revelation or event pops up for the scare value. Even though there are many more formulas to work with this author stops with these two.

No matter what, each of these ends with grim tragedy and never clearly explains motivations or reasons for events. Kids and families suffering grief, pain, and gruesome deaths is not what I expected. Most of the stories come from old urban legends and tales that have been told many times before. Those that are more original, like "The Christmas Jack-O-Lantern", are the best of the bunch. too bad there were not more like that.

I am sure this author has better stuff in his arsenal, but this one is a dud...even for younger readers.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely written!! The power of this collection is in the terrifying details!

[Ericka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd. Some I got, some I didn't. All I can really say is odd.

[Michelle Olms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming collection of horror stories centered around Christmas and/or winter. Some are funny, some terrifying, and some spooky. A quick and overall enjoyable read.