Creature Feature Collection

by Joe Hill, Grady Hendrix, Josh Malerman

Gather round as today’s most diabolically clever authors twist simple moments into otherworldly horrors. An empty baby stroller. A scratching underneath the bed. A farmhouse in the moonlight. With an unnerving sense of the macabre, these stories transform our greatest fears into bone-chilling realities.

The Pram by Joe Hill

A husband’s obsessive desire for a child leads to an unexpected manifestation of his yearning in a nightmarish short story about fatherhood dreams by New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill.

Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix

Obey the rules. It’s the only way to survive the night in a short story about what hides in the dark by the New York Times bestselling author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.

It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman

Some chilling campfire tales ring too true to ignore. For one young woman, an urban legend calls her into the woods in a spine-tingling short story by the bestselling author of Bird Box.

In Bloom by Paul Tremblay

There’s something in the water in this hallucinatory short story by Paul Tremblay, bestselling author of The Cabin at the End of the World and The Beast You Are.

Best of Luck by Jason Mott

Did you ever hear the one about the man with a string of bad luck? The worst is still to come in a chilling short story of an insatiable friendship by the New York Times bestselling author of Hell of a Book.

Big Bad by Chandler Baker

For a family trying to make an isolated farmhouse into a home, fear and rage are getting harder to control in a primal short story by the New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network and Cutting Teeth.

©2023 The Pram © 2023 by Joe Hill. Ankle Grabber © 2023 by Grady Hendrix. It Waits in the Woods © 2023 by Josh Malerman. In Bloom © 2023 by Paul Tremblay. Best of Luck © 2023 by Jason Mott. Big Bad © 2023 by Chandler Baker. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Product Details

Unabridged Audiobook and short stories on Amazon
Release date: 09-26-23
Language: English
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Audiobook, Thriller, Fiction, Short Story Collection, Supernatural

262 pages, Audible Audio

Published September 26, 2023

About the author

Joe Hill's debut, Heart-Shaped Box, won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His second, Horns, was made into a film freakfest starring Daniel Radcliffe. His other novels include NOS4A2, and his #1 New York Times Best-Seller, The Fireman... which was also the winner of a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror Novel.

He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.

He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.

He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.

Reviews

[Carlex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazon Original Stories never disappoint. In this case, they're about the horror genre. It's also allowed me to discover new authors while revisiting familiar ones.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 This was a decent collection of short stories. The Grady Hendrix was a stand out. Some others were ok and and one was pretty meh. Here’s a rundown.

The Pram by Joe Hill 3/5

This one was probably a little more interpretive than I’d prefer. Willy and Mary Anne have suffered a miscarriage and have decided to change their lives and move as an escape. Willy is given a Pram, old fashioned baby stroller, to help him carry groceries to and from the store. Soon after Willy is developing an unhealthy connection to the Pram and creepy things begin to happen around the new house.

Not bad but it’s a little jumbled for a short story and not as clear as I’d like.

Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix 5/5

This was easily my favorite in the collection. Marcus’ father killed his mother when he was 6 years old and then blamed it on the Boogeyman traumatizing him for life. An excellent short story. I really enjoyed this one.

It Waits in the Wood by Josh Malerman 3.5/5

This one wasn’t bad. I liked the concept but it was a little odd. Brenda’s sister goes missing in the woods. Years later Brenda is on the hunt following clues of an old urban legend involving a faceless imp and a hidden bridge.

In Bloom by Paul Tremblay 2.5/5

Half a story and pretty disjointed feeling at that. A fun concept but the tale meanders all over the place and then just ends. Heidi is a journalist investing toxic plant life. The little story within a story while Heidi interviews someone is ok but Heidi’s portion before and after are meh. Sadly the weakest in the collection for me. Kinda sad because I usually enjoy Tremblay’s work.

Best of Luck by Jason Mott 4/5

Barry’s neighbor Will has seemingly lost his mind. He’s got Barry at gunpoint and is blaming him for stealing all of his luck. This was fun little story. Creepy and doesn’t go quite the way you’d expect.

Big Bad by Chandler Baker 3.5/5

Marital troubles and werewolves in this one. Big bad is the longest story in this collection. June and Odie have to deal with their parents endless quarreling, a stranger at the door, mudslides and a creature in the woods. A fun story probably would be better as a fully fleshed out novel but it worked well as a longer short story

[Emily Stensloff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall rating avg: 3.5 -- just some brief thoughts! i love short form horror, i find if a story can be evocative in a short amount of time it speaks to how well crafted it was. the concept of creature features drew me to this collection because i adore a creature feature. plus, this was comprised of several big name horror authors that i have been hesitant to read because i am very, very picky when it comes to horror. overall, this ran the gamut for me -- some bangers, some snoozers.

The Pram by Joe Hill: 3.5
i love folk horror and religious horror. had a really good lead up, but an underdeveloped pay off. he ~fed the creature with his resentment over the course of the month~ but that was not shown to us at all. we got like a day of open resentment. i do like the gender subversion of the father being connected to the malignant baby post-miscarriage instead of the mother.

Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix : 3
the concept of this one was much stronger to me than the ultimate execution. which tracks with how i've engaged with hendrix before, tbh. the boogeyman being real, great. the ultimate absolution of so many domestic abusers/killers under the guise of the boogeyman... less great. specifically when it came to how tess was talked about, too, even in her death scene. like, as she's being dragged under the bed, her leg disappears, HER NIPPLES?????, and then her collarbone, etc etc. i love a blending of sex and horror but not like this. plus there was too much wavering on if the MC believed in the ankle snatcher or not but like, no deliberation about it. just page to page, i was guessing if he was gonna believe in it or not.

It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman: 4.5
this one RULEDDDDDD. my only thing is that i was a bit disappointed with the ending. i thought it was set up to have a great ending that went all the way and swerved from a happy ending and it would have packed a good punch. when brenda found amanda, it should have been opso wearing amanda's face not actually amanda but maybe that's just me. so i was kinda like "oh. okay." when it ended not that way.

In Bloom by Paul Tremblay: 2.5
main snoozefest contender. just read a book about algae so i was kinda jazzed to see cyanotoxins as a part of this story. i didn't like the way the story was framed, didn't care for the unnecessary relationship drama that didn't add literally anything. the wink-nudge of the swamp thing comic was cute until it didn't really go anywhere. i've not picked up any of tremblay's stuff before and i'm even less inclined to do so now.

Best of Luck by Jason Mott: 3
runner-up snoozefest contender. however, this gets more credit because i love body horror <3 it was just mainly dialogue which i don't particularly care for in short form horror, it's less interesting to me. also it would have been better to me if it was manifested instead of ancient eldritch creature. but that's a personal preference! i do want to check out more mott stuff now, though, because i'm intrigued vs how i felt with tremblay.

Big Bad by Chandler Baker: 4.5
this one also ruled!!! i'm not surprised that my favorite stories in this collection were the "there's something in the woods" one and the werewolf one. cos like, duh. i love those concepts, tropes, themes, creatures, etc. i love a werewolf that has more to it, too, and i liked the kind of ambiguity of the lycanthropy being associated with both menstruation and also STIs. harold was the miss for me in this one, i found his character to be less relevant and there should have been more a focus on the marital problems as the stem in the standoff instead of an outside character jumpstarting it. monstrous motherhood is another theme i like. "when is a monster not a monster? oh, when you love it." etc etc etc. [yes i know now it's a supernatural poem from tumblr like a decade ago i didn't know when i wrote this review :((((((]

[John Midgley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six novellas from some talented horror authors. All of them were different and solid. My favorite was Big Bad by Chandler Baker. I hadn't read anything from them prior. I want to check out more from them.

[Chrysten Lofton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 ⭐️ Good Creature Feature

Cozy spooky reading for the Halloween season with a couple of gems.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! All the stories were gripping good fun but they saved the best for last. Big Bad was my favorite of the collection.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of the stories. Great selection of narrators. Fun, creepy, and [sometimes] gross!

[Laura Newsholme · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun and interesting collection of stories; some were a variation on a known monster - like a werewolf and others introduced new and horrific creatures all of their own. I think my favourite was probably Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix, but honestly, the whole series of stories was great and there wasn't a bad one among them.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Bloom: 3 Stars. Lost interest.
The Pram: Currently reading ebook and not listening to audiobook
Best of Luck: 4 Stars
Waits in the Woods: 4 Stars
Ankle Snatcher: 4 Stars
Big Bad: 4 Stars

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have already read and loved Hendrix, Tremblay, Joe Hill, Malerman. So those stories I knew I would love. But Chandler Baker took the win for me on this, with Malerman's It WWaits in the woods a close second.

First, not a fan AT ALL of the ankle snatcher story. Wth - are we seriously going there? The crzy guy that kills his wife actually ISN'T crazy and there actually IS some monster living under the bed that commits the crime - like the one-legged man story but worse. What I hated most about it was how the MC decides to take ownership for his actions, seemingly admitting that he did in fact kill his girlfriend, but then allows other crazies in the prison to talk him back into throwing the blame on some invisible monster that did it. Kind of reminding me about the people who gather on message boards to prove to themselves they aren't crazy because other people are ... crazy too? So there is this underworld of other men that have been caught and arrested for killing their wives/girlfriends, but all of them are innocent because it was the thing under the bed! I didn't buy it. MC was creepy and sketchy from the beginning. He brings out his tragic history on the first date just to get the girl to feel sympathy for him - I mean, she shares some personal stuff too about why she isn't a drinker, so both of them were indulging in a little TMI on the first date. The whole thing ran like a stereotypical start to a toxic relationship. Both people needy, sharing too much, moving too fast, but one of them harboring a very dark secret that only gets unleashed when the woman is most vulnerable. Icky. There just wasn't enough meat to back up the monster. So, it existed the entire time MC was alive? I find it hard to believe he never accidentally unleashed it on someone or on himself all those years, not one night that he was drunk or half awake and Really needed to pee? The fact that it Only comes out when coincidentally some innocent girl is there in his bed. And what was the excuse for MC's mother? They were married all that time and not once in the preceding 6 + years she had to get up to use the bathroom in the dark? Even when she was Pregnant? Ok, ok, I know you can't seriously try to make sense of horror stories. But you need to have just a little doubt to make it scary. What would have made it Really scary, for me, would be if he went further towards the end of truth - showing some weird sort of shared pathology between domestic killers, and if the ankle snatcher was really some twisted psychological demon living inside their heads. That is way more scary - because it is entirely plausible.

I didn't like the Pram, because miscarriage isn't something I like to think about, it's just so sad. I did think the idea of a kind of haunting that would take place in the aftermath of one was very intriguing. If you think this story was at least interesting, you should read his dad Stephen King's much better version - Rattlesnake. That takes the idea of a haunted pram to a Whole new level. But you would have to read Cujo first, since Rattlesnake is the sequel. Or not, I didn't actually read Cujo. One of the few of his I haven't - mainly because animal cruelty is a hard trigger for me, and parts of Cujo are really sad in that regard. But, at least see the film first.

In Bloom had some good moments, some good potential. It reminded me of that Creepshow tale "The Raft" about the swamp stuff that eats people, love that one.

Best of Luck was predictable, but still spooky. I had it on audio, and when the story shifts and he suddenly goes "I'm sorrrrry ...." it gave me chills.

It Waits in the Woods - spoiler - spoiler - WHY did he not end it the way everyone must have thought it would end? The whole story talks about this thing that wears peoples faces, and we never get to see it actually wearing one? I was waiting at the end for the Twilight Zone moment when MC was gonna pull over the car and the sister was gonna say, "You wanna see something Really scary?"

Big Bad was just all-around great story. It was a new idea, it took a lot of unexpected turns, the characters didn't reveal themselves until late in the game, and it even took that last, final dark turn at the very end.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six (mostly) scary novellas featuring different beings…  Ranked in order, from strongest to weakest.
 
The Pram by Joe Hill
 
Best of the bunch. 

A move to the country does nothing to stop a husband’s dreams of having children with his struggling wife.  How far will Willy go?  An antique baby carriage and blood rituals say…pretty damn far.

Creepy af.  A stronger ending would make this one truly stellar.
 
Best of Luck by Jason Mott
 
Runner-up. 

Will and Barry have been best friends for years.  While Will has been doing great in life, Barry has had a lot of recent setbacks.  But are the disappointments due to Henry?  And is Will crazy?

Strong story.  Bold choice to use dialogue so heavily for the narrative.  And it pays off.
 
It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman
 
Middling. 

A demonic imp named Opso owns a mysterious bridge in the forest.  Or, at least, that’s how the story goes.  Somehow Opso lost his face—and he wants a new one.

Lost girls in the woods…not giving up hope…the resolution is good, albeit too neat, clean, and simplistic.  Stylistic issues lend this story more of a procedural vibe…rather than something super creepy…or even heartfelt.
 
Big Bad by Chandler Baker
 
Oregon.  Rachel and husband Sam; two daughters:  Odette and June.

This has promise, but it’s too bizarre to be scary.  Also, hard to follow at times.  Unnecessarily convoluted plot.  Frenetic pace does not help…neither does the dud of an ending.
 
In Bloom by Paul Tremblay
 
Oof.  All over the place.  Most of the story being told in flashbacks does not aid in suspense.

Climate hysteria and racialization of everything and everyone.

Super odd.  Mildly creepy.  Far-fetched.  Unearned ending.
 
Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix
 
Worst of the duds.

Not terrible in the beginning, but once Marcus is incarcerated, everything devolves.  It’s not just that it’s ludicrous; the tale isn’t even entertaining.  Bizarre and basic.  Most grievous sin?  It’s not just not scary, it’s not even creepy.

[AC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was all right, but I didn't love it.

The Pram 1.5/5 - I've read Nos4a2 and enjoyed that, but I think in general I don't love Hill. This makes sense bc I don't love SK either.

Ankle Snatcher 3.75/5 - I liked this one without giving anything away there was a particular detail that I thought was interesting. Ultimately though it didn't scare me or creep me out.

It Waits in the Woods 4/5 - I didn't love the ending and at first I didn't like what waited in the woods. But I enjoyed the narration. The noises the creature made gave me a jump scare at first bc I was not expecting the noise.

In Bloom 1.5/5 - this was another one I didn't love. The narration shift was somewhat confusing and the story didn't grab me.

Best of Luck 3/5 - I'm choosing to believe it was meant to be ironic, but the standard of care comment for the US made me laugh. Didn't scare or creep me out but it was a decent story

Big Bad 4.5/5 - this seems to have been my favorite of the bunch. I liked the creature. Again, not creepy or scary.

I wish I had the same reaction that some folks did to these stories. A few people have said the ankle snatcher story makes them feel uneasy to get out of their bed at night.

[Jessica Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

The Pram - Joe Hill: I liked the build of this, and the twist at the end. I thought I knew where it was going but I didn’t and I enjoyed the unique premise. 4 stars.
Ankle Snatcher - Grady Hendrix: The premise of this was interesting and overall I liked it, but the pacing was a little off and the ending didn’t feel as satisfying as it could have. 3 stars.
It Waits in the Woods - Josh Malerman: The premise and execution of this was really great. I wanted a little more out of the ending. Also the names of the characters took me out, no modern teenager would be named Brenda. 4 stars.
In Bloom - Paul Tremblay: I wasn’t as excited about this as I usually am about Tremblay’s works. It felt like the story cut off long before it was actually done, and I feel like this could have been a full length novel. 3 stars.
Best of Luck - Jason Mott: I felt like this was the best executed of the bunch, though a little predictable but not necessarily in a bad way. 3.5 stars.
Big Bad - Chandler Baker: This was truly frightening and I loved the switching perspectives. The end didn’t QUITE do it for me but I liked the plot points in general, just not quite how they wrapped up specifically.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Creature Feature Collection contains 6 stories originally released as Kindle shorts, now collected into one audiobook. The collection features some of the biggest names in horror and is, for the most part, an exceptional read. These include:

The Pram by Joe Hill — a heartbreaking look at grief and obsession after the loss of a baby.

Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix — what happens when you get out of bed in the middle of the night but don’t turn on a light?

It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman — a young woman goes out to investigate a local legend which might be associated with her sister’s disappearance.

In Bloom by Paul Tremblay — a man relates the story of a toxic algae bloom and how it relates to his father’s death.

Best of Luck by Jason Mott — a man breaks into his best friend’s house in the middle of the night, determined to reclaim his good fortune.

Big Bad by Chandler Baker — a troubled family tries to make it in their new country home while dealing with a terrible disease.

The stories are compelling, but surprisingly, a few fell flat at the end.

3.5 stars rounded up.

[Jennifer T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection has 3 of my favorite horror authors and 2 that I’d not read before. Overall it’s an excellent short story collection that I will recommend to any horror fan. I listened to the 6 stories on Audible and read a couple as well. I will share my review for each story individually.

—The Pram by Joe Hill: 4.5 stars. This was super creepy and I wish it had been longer!

—Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix: 4 stars, also very creepy.

—It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman: 5 stars. I do believe I’ve found my new favorite Malerman tale! I have never been to Michigan but boy the woods there must be scary if his short stories are anything to go by.

—In Bloom by Paul Tremblay: 4 stars, loved it! More nature revenge tale then a creature feature but I enjoyed it.

—Best of Luck by Jason Mott: 3 stars, original story but not my fav.

—Big Bad by Chandler Baker: 3 stars, I adore werewolf stories but this one was just ok, not overly scary for me.

**Thanks to the authors and Amazon for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Sorry it’s a couple of years late!**

[Lex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll honestly read any horror short story collection, and this one was solid, but not remarkable.

The Pram by Joe Hill was a strong start and had all the elements I look for: quaint New England setting, a weird cult or folk horror element, and a campy monster reveal after serious suspense.
Ankle Snatchers by Grady Hendrix was, from my limited experience, Grady Hendrix.
It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman was the standout story in my opinion. It waxed a little too poetic about filmmaking for my taste, but the actual plot and newly conceived creature were riveting.
In Bloom by Paul Tremblay was definitely the weakest link. He did his best to make algae scary.
Best of Luck by Jason Mott kind of felt like something I would have been assigned to read in English class.
Big Bad by Chandler Baker was predictable but in a comfortable way.

[Ayana Cam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creature Feature, a collection of short stories by Joe Hill, Grady Hendrix, Josh Malerman, Paul Tremblay, Jason Mott, and Chandler Baker, was recommended to me by Goodreads. Two of my favorite stories from the collection are Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix and It Waits in the Woods by Josh Malerman. These stories resonated with me because they evoked a nostalgic feeling, reminding me of childhood bedtime tales. To this day, I refuse to sleep with my limbs hanging over the edge of the bed!

Malerman is a relatively new author for me, and I've thoroughly enjoyed exploring his work. On a side note, I purchased The Pram by Joe Hill and Ankle Snatcher by Grady Hendrix individually, not realizing they were part of a larger collection. Unfortunately, I can't return them—but I digress.

[Andi Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creature Feature is an Audible Original collection of short stories. If you are an audiobook listener and a horror fan, especially a fan of monster/creature stories, this collection is a must listen! I truly wish each one was a full length book. And not because I was upset with how they ended, but they were just that good that I didn’t want them to end so soon!

It Waits in the Woods was my absolute favorite. If you’re going to listen to only one (and I don’t recommend this since they are all so good), this is the one! The narration is on point and adds so much to the creepiness of the story.

[Pduit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of horror stories written by some of the most prolific horror writers of the day. I had previously read works by most of the authors and it was great to revisit their writing styles in this collection. The last story I read by Chandler Baker was probably my least favorite but it wrapped up well. I just had some difficulty getting into the story in the beginning.

If you are looking for a good, short horror story and an introduction to these authors, I highly recommend the book.

[Mauricio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frikinnnn incredible!!!

I have to say that it was just amazing, and what a banger to finish with. Omaigaaad, if you were thinking of it, give it a try. This collection was so good.

I say this because, even when it's made by authors that I know we're going to deliver, it still impressed me in the most creepy and twisted way.

For me it was a great experience not really knowing a lot about the collection and then reading it, so I won't tell much. Just give it a try.

[Max Driffill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the stories in this collection are winners. Though I’m not sure everyone perfectly fits the “creature feature” definition

The last one works best I think. But I don’t want to reveal too much because there are some serious surprises.

If you like horror this is certainly the right book for you. The creatures are all quite imaginative. Some are in lakes, some folks live with them, and some folks go chasing them into the woods.
7/10.

[Suzanne Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pram 3 1/2 stars
The Ankle Snatcher 3 1/2 stars
It Waits in the Woods 3 stars
In Bloom 3 stars
Best Of Luck 4 stars
Big Bad 4 1/2 stars

I had never read anything by Chandler Baker before. I’ll be sure to check out other works by this author! Paul Tremblay’s In Bloom was disappointing considering I’ve enjoyed other books by him. The Pram was not Joe Hill’s best work by any means but still a good story.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This selection of spooky new short stories available from Audible was just what I needed right before Halloween. Some I enjoyed more than others, but all were worth reading/listening to. I am so glad I stumbled upon them.

[KATHY Dorris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t often read short stories, as a matter of fact, it’s been years since I read a collection. This was a good one to read to break my streak. Each story had a creepy feel and a great plot. I have enjoyed several of these authors books previously and now have some new authors to try too.

[bailey ◡̈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

(i didn’t listen to the audio of these i’m just using this copy to count all the books as one since they’re all so short)

“the pram” and “best of luck” were definitely my favorites
“big bad” and “it waits in the woods” were alright
and i didn’t like “ankle snatcher” or “in bloom”

[Ava Brewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars- Most of these short stories were really cheesy, but I’d give more of an honorable mention to It Waits in the Woods and Ankle Snatcher. Nice length audiobooks for my shorter drives, and good for the Halloween season.

[Ro Cartes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tbh I dnf’d. I didn’t hate the ones I listened to, but I just don’t care enough to finish. I really liked Josh Malerman’s story. 5 stars. I didn’t listen to Big Bad or Best of Luck. I’m still counting this as a read.

[Hira Qureshi · Rating 2 out of 5]

A couple of these were really good (Ankle Snatcher and It Waits in the Woods), but I didn’t find any of the others engaging. Unfortunately, this collection is a prime example of “male authors writing female characters” and that made the entire collection unpalatable to me 🙄

[Patrisia Sheremeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a bad story in the bunch. Ankle Snatcher was the stand-out in that it was truly terrifying.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved all the stories except for The Pram. The Pram was a DNF for me. Sneaky little advertisements.