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October Screams: A Halloween Anthology
October Screams brings you twenty-seven ALL NEW tales of the greatest holiday of all, Halloween! Featuring stories from authors like Brian Keene & Richard Chizmar, Jeremy Bates, Kealan Patrick Burke, Clay McLeod Chapman, Philip Fracassi, Todd Keisling, Gwendolyn Kiste, Red Lagoe, Ronald Malfi, Bridgett Nelson, Rebecca Rowland, Steve Rasnic Tem, TJ Cimfel, Cassandra Daucus, Ryan Van Ells, Patrick Flanagan, Brennan Fredricks, Larry Hinkle, Larry Hodges, Kevin Kangas, Evans Light, Gregory L. Norris, Frank Oreto, Robert Stahl, Cat Voleur and Jacqueline West.
Terrifying, fun, creepy and poignant, this volume contains stories for every craving! This is one book that will deliver all the tricks-and-treats that you'd want in celebration of All Hallows Eve!
Terrifying, fun, creepy and poignant, this volume contains stories for every craving! This is one book that will deliver all the tricks-and-treats that you'd want in celebration of All Hallows Eve!
420 pages, Paperback
Published September 18, 2023
240 people are currently reading
544 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth W. Cain
98 books217 followersKenneth W. Cain first got the itch for storytelling during his formative years in the suburbs of Chicago, where he got to listen to his grandfather spin tales by the glow of a barrel fire. But it was a reading of Baba Yaga that grew his desire for dark fiction. Shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and One Step Beyond furthered that sense of wonder for the unknown, and he’s been writing ever since.
Cain is the author of The Saga of I trilogy, United States of the Dead, the short story collections These Old Tales and Fresh Cut Tales, and the forthcoming Embers: A Collection of Dark Fiction. Writing, reading, fine art, graphic design, and Cardinals baseball are but a few of his passions. Cain now resides in Chester County, Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.
Cain is the author of The Saga of I trilogy, United States of the Dead, the short story collections These Old Tales and Fresh Cut Tales, and the forthcoming Embers: A Collection of Dark Fiction. Writing, reading, fine art, graphic design, and Cardinals baseball are but a few of his passions. Cain now resides in Chester County, Pennsylvania with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
April 8, 2024
If you're like me and saw the list of contributing authors and started salivating uncontrollably you won't be disappointed, whatever kind of horror you prefer there is something for everyone in this chonky delight, diverse and not one throw away tale I thoroughly enjoyed this, there are some heavy themes so check TW, majority center around Halloween night but it never felt repetitive, I had so much fun reading this, it took me a while to read but not because its hard to get through, I was just s-s-savouring it (that sounded less hannibal lector-y in my head), it honestly gave me all the nostalgic vibes, perfect spooky read!
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September 19, 2023No matter what flavor of Halloween you prefer, OCTOBER SCREAMS has a story to delight. These tales are fearsome, frightful, funny, and/or foreboding. Kenneth W. Cain has done a masterful job compiling them: it's the PERFECT read to get you prepared and excited for Spooky Season!
October 28, 2023
I am always going to be the target audience for holiday themed anthologies, and OCTOBER SCREAMS: A HALLOWEEN ANTHOLOGY might just be making it into an annual rotation, either in full or just stories at a time. Each story exudes so much Halloween goodness that I can't help but feel the crisp air and hear the leaves blowing on pavement and distance noises of kids laughing and screaming. It's the perfect seasonal read and the line up is outstanding. Covering so many subgenres of horror, this anthology is a standout of the year for me and each story has ALL the vibes!
November 5, 2023
3.5 stars. A really solid and fun collection of halloween-inspired horror stories! Highly recommend for spooky season!
October 31, 2023
The best day of the year is here. Yes, it’s Halloween. In preparation for this most momentous day, I’ve been reading a handful of stories a day from October Screams to get in the spooky spirit. With authors I’m already familiar with such as Clay McLeod Chapman, Brian Keene, Richard Chizmar, Philip Fracassi, and Ronald Malfi, my attention was immediately captivated. I believe this is the first anthology I’ve ever read, and I was surely not disappointed. The greatest thing about October Screams is it introduced me to new authors with some fantastic stories. It was a real treat to dive into so many different perspectives and tales of terror centered around my favorite holiday. I really can’t recommend this anthology enough which is jam packed with 27 different stories. With this much variety in storytelling, there’s undoubtably a story for everyone. Happy Halloween all!
September 21, 2023
Trick or Treat….
More like Christmas morning as I received my first ever advance readers copy!
October screams was more than going door to door collecting candy from strangers.
This Halloween anthology took me back to many childhood memories,and after a couple stories in…I Felt that crisp October evening chill.
Wildwood street is were my Halloween nights came to life. Where the old man acted like a dummy on a porch and after a quick movement from the man, your candy always flew into his bushes.
Ever year I fell for this…
As for you readers, READ this anthology. Your review might be a little different from mine. As your street might have a different Halloween story. 🎃 💀👽
A little spoiler: check your candy
More like Christmas morning as I received my first ever advance readers copy!
October screams was more than going door to door collecting candy from strangers.
This Halloween anthology took me back to many childhood memories,and after a couple stories in…I Felt that crisp October evening chill.
Wildwood street is were my Halloween nights came to life. Where the old man acted like a dummy on a porch and after a quick movement from the man, your candy always flew into his bushes.
Ever year I fell for this…
As for you readers, READ this anthology. Your review might be a little different from mine. As your street might have a different Halloween story. 🎃 💀👽
A little spoiler: check your candy
September 19, 2023
October Screams: A Halloween Anthology edited by Kenneth W. Cain is jam-packed with twenty-seven amazing tales of Halloween horror! Each one is bite-sized just like the candies you’d get while trick or treating! Just be warned, some candies are sweet, some are sour, and some may just be hiding something else inside…
October Screams is the perfect collection to read to kick off the spooky season. Covering such a wide variety of Halloween-related things, each story in the collection is so unique that all horror fans are sure to find something here that they love.
Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/octob...
October Screams is the perfect collection to read to kick off the spooky season. Covering such a wide variety of Halloween-related things, each story in the collection is so unique that all horror fans are sure to find something here that they love.
Check out my full review here:
https://www.ericarobynreads.com/octob...
January 17, 2025
Monthly Screams
October Screams is an excellent anthology with overall high quality stories. My personal favorite is November Eve by Philip Fracassi, an author of several impressive short story collections and novels. Highly recommended.
October Screams is an excellent anthology with overall high quality stories. My personal favorite is November Eve by Philip Fracassi, an author of several impressive short story collections and novels. Highly recommended.
July 6, 2025
Another themed anthology - this one celebrating Christ.ma.....(almost got you with that one didn't I...)....Samhain - All Hallows...Halloween.
A collection if 27 spooky tales for the season, edited by one Kenneth W. Cain, active member of the HWA and all around spooky guy.
For MY money (and, if we're being frank...that's WHY yr reading MY review)...I thought the following stories captured the spirit of the night - "The Magic Trick", "The Last Halloween", "Katriina's Halloween Candy Journal", "The Hooper Street Halloween Decoration Committee (a fav), "Iron Maiden" (another fav), "November Eve", "The Collecting", "The Puppeteer of Samhain", "Doll" (haven't you always wondered about that scary Halloween doll?), and finally..."Scattergoods".
And...if you contract Kenny Cain...he'll sell you a colorful bookplate as well...
Jeff Mc
A collection if 27 spooky tales for the season, edited by one Kenneth W. Cain, active member of the HWA and all around spooky guy.
For MY money (and, if we're being frank...that's WHY yr reading MY review)...I thought the following stories captured the spirit of the night - "The Magic Trick", "The Last Halloween", "Katriina's Halloween Candy Journal", "The Hooper Street Halloween Decoration Committee (a fav), "Iron Maiden" (another fav), "November Eve", "The Collecting", "The Puppeteer of Samhain", "Doll" (haven't you always wondered about that scary Halloween doll?), and finally..."Scattergoods".
And...if you contract Kenny Cain...he'll sell you a colorful bookplate as well...
Jeff Mc
October 13, 2023
A big collection of Halloween themed stories! This is currently available on Kindle Unlimited. As with most of these, some stories are great and others are just okay. Just like your sack of candy when you reach the end of the neighborhood after knocking on doors, it’s a mixed bag.
A lot of these tales do take place on actual Halloween night and are centered around the act of trick or treating, and while the plots differ from there, the basic premise can start to feel repetitive pretty quick if you sit down and read a whole bunch of them all at once. There are only so many possible variations to be done on Halloween night. But therein lies the challenge, and I DID choose this collection because I wanted to be immersed in the Halloween spirit, so I’m not complaining. (And boy, do I miss trick or treating! I’m not crying. Shut up!)
I was surprised by how depressing some of the stories were. Quite a few of them share the theme of children dealing with domestic violence situations, so be aware of that. There are a few major bummers mixed in among the horror.
My only real complaint here is that a bunch of these stories are strong examples of how difficult it is to write a strong ending. Some of them started out so strong, but the endings were so abrupt or weak that it felt like the writer just gave up. Kind of a shame, but it is what it is.
There are several big authors in this collection, and those are the best stories, in my opinion. (That Ronald Malfi story was so close to perfection! It was also the first thing I’ve read by him, after seeing his name around GR for a while now.) “The Iron Maiden” by Rebecca Rowland was pretty disturbing. I also really enjoyed “The Puppeteer of Samhain” by Todd Keisling and “Scattergoods” by Kevin Kangas.
“Sown” by TJ Cimfel was one of the weirdest stories I’ve ever read, but also my favorite out of all the stories in the collection. (Tied with “The Collecting,” by Cassandra Daucus.)
TW: Child death/murder, domestic abuse, suicide, animal harm, substance abuse, self-harm, trauma…. I’m pretty sure there was something deeply problematic happening between two children in that Philip Fracassi story at one point
A lot of these tales do take place on actual Halloween night and are centered around the act of trick or treating, and while the plots differ from there, the basic premise can start to feel repetitive pretty quick if you sit down and read a whole bunch of them all at once. There are only so many possible variations to be done on Halloween night. But therein lies the challenge, and I DID choose this collection because I wanted to be immersed in the Halloween spirit, so I’m not complaining. (And boy, do I miss trick or treating! I’m not crying. Shut up!)
I was surprised by how depressing some of the stories were. Quite a few of them share the theme of children dealing with domestic violence situations, so be aware of that. There are a few major bummers mixed in among the horror.
My only real complaint here is that a bunch of these stories are strong examples of how difficult it is to write a strong ending. Some of them started out so strong, but the endings were so abrupt or weak that it felt like the writer just gave up. Kind of a shame, but it is what it is.
There are several big authors in this collection, and those are the best stories, in my opinion. (That Ronald Malfi story was so close to perfection! It was also the first thing I’ve read by him, after seeing his name around GR for a while now.) “The Iron Maiden” by Rebecca Rowland was pretty disturbing. I also really enjoyed “The Puppeteer of Samhain” by Todd Keisling and “Scattergoods” by Kevin Kangas.
“Sown” by TJ Cimfel was one of the weirdest stories I’ve ever read, but also my favorite out of all the stories in the collection. (Tied with “The Collecting,” by Cassandra Daucus.)
TW: Child death/murder, domestic abuse, suicide, animal harm, substance abuse, self-harm, trauma…. I’m pretty sure there was something deeply problematic happening between two children in that Philip Fracassi story at one point
December 11, 2024
4.5 stars.
October 12, 2023
This was a fun little collection to read for Halloween. A few of the stories were total duds but most of them were at least entertaining. They were quick reads; it only took me a day to finish the whole collection. It’s free if you have Kindle Unlimited but I think it would be worth it to purchase if you don’t.
November 24, 2025
Fantastic collection of scary Halloween focused short stories. My favorites are:
The Magic Trick - Gregory L. Norris
The Last Halloween - Larry Hinkle
The Wind - Brennan Fredricks
Free Candy and Telescope Views - Red Lagoe
The Halloween Lost - Frank Oreto
Tate - Ronald Malfi
In the Night, a Whisper - Robert Stahl
The Iron Maiden - Bridgett Nelson
Let the Dark Do the Rest - Kealan Patrick Burke
The Collecting - Cassandra Daucus
Any Other Wednesday in a Bar - Cat Voleur
No Such Thing - Jacqueline West
Doll - Ryan Van Ells
The Magic Trick - Gregory L. Norris
The Last Halloween - Larry Hinkle
The Wind - Brennan Fredricks
Free Candy and Telescope Views - Red Lagoe
The Halloween Lost - Frank Oreto
Tate - Ronald Malfi
In the Night, a Whisper - Robert Stahl
The Iron Maiden - Bridgett Nelson
Let the Dark Do the Rest - Kealan Patrick Burke
The Collecting - Cassandra Daucus
Any Other Wednesday in a Bar - Cat Voleur
No Such Thing - Jacqueline West
Doll - Ryan Van Ells
October 19, 2024
Excellent anthology full of stories to get you in the Halloween spirit. There are very few stories in here that didn't work for me, and most were good at capturing the Halloween atmosphere.
Personal favorites include:
"Doll" by Ryan Van Ellis - A sentient Halloween decoration observes the life of its owner, a man with a passion for Halloween. The doll observes various Halloween's throughout the man's life, the good and the bad, and proves loyal when the man needs it the most.
"Free Candy and Telescope Views" by Red Lagoe - My favorite Lagoe story I've read so far. An abused teen wanders the town she just moved into on Halloween night, when she sees the titular sign. She then meets the mysterious lady who posted it. Is she a witch? Will she befriend our main character or send her to her doom?
Scattergoods by Kevin Kangas - One of only two legitimately creepy stories included (not that the rest aren't good - they're just not very scary). I love the trope of a monster from urban legend turning out to be real. There are shades of It Follows in this one, with the creature stalking our main characters relentlessly.
"The Iron Maiden" by Rebecca Rowland is the anthology's other creepy story. Four teenagers visit a haunted house in this story with some legitimately chilling imagery (something that makes up for the sometimes baffling character choices.
Other standouts include the heartbreaking "The Halloween Lost" by Frank Oreto, the fun "The Last Halloween" by Larry Hinkle, "The Hooper Street Halloween Decoration Committee" by Gemma Amor (I Need to be reading more of her work), and "November Eve" by Bridgett Nelson, with its neat twist.
If you're looking for some Halloween centered reading, you can't go wrong with October Screams. It's really got something for everybody and captures the spirit of the season quite well in most of the stories.
Personal favorites include:
"Doll" by Ryan Van Ellis - A sentient Halloween decoration observes the life of its owner, a man with a passion for Halloween. The doll observes various Halloween's throughout the man's life, the good and the bad, and proves loyal when the man needs it the most.
"Free Candy and Telescope Views" by Red Lagoe - My favorite Lagoe story I've read so far. An abused teen wanders the town she just moved into on Halloween night, when she sees the titular sign. She then meets the mysterious lady who posted it. Is she a witch? Will she befriend our main character or send her to her doom?
Scattergoods by Kevin Kangas - One of only two legitimately creepy stories included (not that the rest aren't good - they're just not very scary). I love the trope of a monster from urban legend turning out to be real. There are shades of It Follows in this one, with the creature stalking our main characters relentlessly.
"The Iron Maiden" by Rebecca Rowland is the anthology's other creepy story. Four teenagers visit a haunted house in this story with some legitimately chilling imagery (something that makes up for the sometimes baffling character choices.
Other standouts include the heartbreaking "The Halloween Lost" by Frank Oreto, the fun "The Last Halloween" by Larry Hinkle, "The Hooper Street Halloween Decoration Committee" by Gemma Amor (I Need to be reading more of her work), and "November Eve" by Bridgett Nelson, with its neat twist.
If you're looking for some Halloween centered reading, you can't go wrong with October Screams. It's really got something for everybody and captures the spirit of the season quite well in most of the stories.
November 13, 2023
A fun collection of stories.
Some stories certainly stood out more than others to me and was wondering about the direction within the first 4 or 5 but by the end i really enjoyed the collection. this is based on my own preference of style/subject of scary/horror stories.
In the end, i hope there is another collection for next year as believe it will be a worthwhile purchase!
Some stories certainly stood out more than others to me and was wondering about the direction within the first 4 or 5 but by the end i really enjoyed the collection. this is based on my own preference of style/subject of scary/horror stories.
In the end, i hope there is another collection for next year as believe it will be a worthwhile purchase!
October 29, 2023
A cracker of an anthology- creepy in all the right places and impossible to put down. You won't look at candy the same way again!.
September 28, 2023
Multiple Halloween stories by various authors, all really good. And yes Scattergoods did stand out. Thank you again Kevin for the extra goodies in the purchase of this book!
October 26, 2023
I was very excited to read this based on the writers involved - there were several I am a fan of. It lived up to my expectations and then some. I don't think there was any duds at all, and all were entertaining.
October 27, 2023
Honestly to god, best collection of short stories to read in October.
October 13, 2023
Creepy in A good way
Read this book for Halloween. Preferably on a cool stormy night with the wind howling. You'll enjoy it. Happy Halloween
Read this book for Halloween. Preferably on a cool stormy night with the wind howling. You'll enjoy it. Happy Halloween
October 7, 2023
Fun anthology with some good standouts
This was a fun read! I always like checking out horror anthologies, and stories centered around Halloween are just that much more fun. I will say that not every single story was a winner for me, but those that were really stood out. With a stellar cast of amazing indie authors contributing to this, this is definitely a spooky season must-read!
This was a fun read! I always like checking out horror anthologies, and stories centered around Halloween are just that much more fun. I will say that not every single story was a winner for me, but those that were really stood out. With a stellar cast of amazing indie authors contributing to this, this is definitely a spooky season must-read!
October 8, 2023
Perfect Halloween reading! I loved every spooky story in this anthology.
September 13, 2024
An outstanding anthology of consistently interesting and accomplished short fiction.
Don't miss:
"Katrina's Halloween Candy Journal" (2023) by Patrick Flanagan
"The Treat-or-Tricker" by Evans Light
Don't miss:
"Katrina's Halloween Candy Journal" (2023) by Patrick Flanagan
"The Treat-or-Tricker" by Evans Light
October 17, 2024
A really solid anthology of Halloween tales. My favorites were:
SWEETMEAT by Clay McLeod Chapman
THE MAGIC TRICK Gregory L. Norris
THE WIND by Brennan Fredricks
THE HALLOWEEN LOST by Frank Oreto
THE IRON MAIDEN by Rebecca Rowland
LET THE DARK DO THE REST by Kealan Patrick Burke
TWIN FLAMES by Gwendolyn Kiste
THE COLLECTING by Cassandra Daucus
ANY OTHER WEDNESDAY IN A BAR by Cat Voleur
NO SUCH THING by Jacqueline West
MASKS by Brian Keene and Richard Chizmar
SCATTERGOODS by Kevin Kangas
DOLL by Ryan Van Ells
SWEETMEAT by Clay McLeod Chapman
THE MAGIC TRICK Gregory L. Norris
THE WIND by Brennan Fredricks
THE HALLOWEEN LOST by Frank Oreto
THE IRON MAIDEN by Rebecca Rowland
LET THE DARK DO THE REST by Kealan Patrick Burke
TWIN FLAMES by Gwendolyn Kiste
THE COLLECTING by Cassandra Daucus
ANY OTHER WEDNESDAY IN A BAR by Cat Voleur
NO SUCH THING by Jacqueline West
MASKS by Brian Keene and Richard Chizmar
SCATTERGOODS by Kevin Kangas
DOLL by Ryan Van Ells
February 9, 2025
This was a halfway decent Halloween anthology. I loved the descriptive writing in most stories. There are some really talented authors in here. However, I found some stories confusing, their endings too ambiguous or vague, but I guess that’s the price you have to pay with short stories sometimes.
Some stories I liked were:
○ The Magic Trick
○ Tutti I Morti
○ The Last Halloween
○ Free Candy and Telescope Views
○ The Halloween Lost
○ November Eve
○ The Collecting
○ The Puppeteer of Samhain
○ Any Other Wednesday In A Bar
But overall, most of these stories were forgettable. I‘ve actually read quite a few twice because I would look at the Table of Contents or read the About The Author and completely blank on how a story ended or what it was even about. I wouldn’t say I was bored while reading, but not many of these stories were good or powerful enough to stick with me. As a Halloween lover, I’m happy to have this collection in my home library, but its not an anthology I would recommend to my friends.
Some stories I liked were:
○ The Magic Trick
○ Tutti I Morti
○ The Last Halloween
○ Free Candy and Telescope Views
○ The Halloween Lost
○ November Eve
○ The Collecting
○ The Puppeteer of Samhain
○ Any Other Wednesday In A Bar
But overall, most of these stories were forgettable. I‘ve actually read quite a few twice because I would look at the Table of Contents or read the About The Author and completely blank on how a story ended or what it was even about. I wouldn’t say I was bored while reading, but not many of these stories were good or powerful enough to stick with me. As a Halloween lover, I’m happy to have this collection in my home library, but its not an anthology I would recommend to my friends.
October 14, 2024
A fine anthology of Halloween short stories. Like any anthology, there are a few I considered clunkers, but those clunkers could just as easily be someone else's favorite. The writing is consistently good for all stories. Highly recommend for any Halloween bookshelf.
January 6, 2025
"Halloween. The night when the veil between worlds is thinner, more permeable. More dangerous. Anything can slip through the darkness on a day like this."
This was a fun collection of horror stories taking place around Halloween!
The one that stood out to me the most was "The Hooper Street Halloween Decoration Committee" by Gemma Amor. It was original and funny! A couple who's not crazy about Halloween are surrounded by neighbors who are obsessed with Halloween, and the neighbors start putting huge plastics skeletons around their house, as a sort of revenge, and things go downhill from there!
"Twin Flames" by Gwendolyne Kiste was also one of my favorites, plus there are lesbians, so it makes it even better.
"Spiders Under My Skin" was also a fun little story, I would die of fear if it would happen to me.
"Let the Dark Do the Rest" by Kealan Patrick Burke has a unique premise and one of the funniest quotes in the book : "There really is something unique about October weather, but I wouldn’t hang around waiting for me to tell you what it is, because I’m not a fucking poet."
The novella "Scattergoods" was a great way to end the collection, it was fast-paced and entertaining, and also a little sad.
There are some great authors in this collection, so I knew I would have a good time, but as with other anthologies, it was a mixed bag for me.
"I have never been afraid of Halloween. It’s a celebration based on artifice, so what is there to fear? Once those masks and costumes come off, and the decorations come down, everything is as it was before, and we abandon mimicking the dead in favor of pretending to live."
This was a fun collection of horror stories taking place around Halloween!
The one that stood out to me the most was "The Hooper Street Halloween Decoration Committee" by Gemma Amor. It was original and funny! A couple who's not crazy about Halloween are surrounded by neighbors who are obsessed with Halloween, and the neighbors start putting huge plastics skeletons around their house, as a sort of revenge, and things go downhill from there!
"Twin Flames" by Gwendolyne Kiste was also one of my favorites, plus there are lesbians, so it makes it even better.
"Spiders Under My Skin" was also a fun little story, I would die of fear if it would happen to me.
"Let the Dark Do the Rest" by Kealan Patrick Burke has a unique premise and one of the funniest quotes in the book : "There really is something unique about October weather, but I wouldn’t hang around waiting for me to tell you what it is, because I’m not a fucking poet."
The novella "Scattergoods" was a great way to end the collection, it was fast-paced and entertaining, and also a little sad.
There are some great authors in this collection, so I knew I would have a good time, but as with other anthologies, it was a mixed bag for me.
"I have never been afraid of Halloween. It’s a celebration based on artifice, so what is there to fear? Once those masks and costumes come off, and the decorations come down, everything is as it was before, and we abandon mimicking the dead in favor of pretending to live."
October 15, 2024
October Screams is a very good collection of short stories set around Halloween.
November 17, 2023
I love Halloween stories and this book did not disappoint. Fun stuff and some scary stuff. Twisted endings that I did not quite see coming.
October 29, 2024
Really enjoyed reading this collection of Halloween stories! About 30 stories included by some of the best horror writers out there today. With an anthology, I usually expect some good, some really good and some duds. I really enjoyed all of the stories in this one - nothing too gory but lots of suspense and good Halloween scares. Only downfall is I wish some of the short stories had continued on and were longer.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews