Seasonal Halloween Store

by Jesse Pullins, Grant Hinton, Blair Daniels

On October 1st, 1993, Hidey’s Playhouse opened its doors to its first and only location in Dyer Falls, Indiana, in the Bastmore Mall in the center of town. Eight hours later, the building was engulfed in flames, a tragedy that claimed the lives of dozens of parents, children, and employees alike— an incident authorities would file as “one of the most disturbing and inconclusive accidents the town had ever seen”. While the cause of the fire will forever be a mystery, the memory of Hidey’s Playhouse lingers like a stain on the property, haunting the halls of Bastmore long after the building is repaired, and the disturbing rumors have been forgotten. SEASONAL HALLOWEEN STORE is an anthology of terrifyingly festive stories, one that gets darker the longer you read. Featuring tales from over eight talented authors from different corners of the world, this collection explores the spirit of Halloween in its many, unimaginable forms. Whether it's an unhinged attraction, the haunted house across the street, or the godless hours of trick-or-treating, this collection proves that the memory of horror can never be forgotten… no matter how many Seasonal Halloween Stores you build over it. ***CONTAINS DISTURBING MATERIAL, VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED***

Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Halloween

358 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 25, 2023

About the author

Jesse Pullins is an American short-fiction writer from the Midwest. With a love for horror and suspense, he draws heavy inspiration from retro video games and classic creepypastas.

Reviews

[Kyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found out about Seasonal Halloween Store on Reddit, where I was already a fan of several of the writers from their posts on the NoSleep subreddit.

Seasonal Halloween Store is an anthology. There’s the titular arc, the unrelated stories, and the stories that leave you scratching your head as to whether they’re in the same universe. The main arc jumps around between decades, and adds to the feeling that you’re assembling the pieces of the plot. Honestly, I could probably go back and start re-reading the collection today, the day I finished, and notice new things.

The conclusion of the main arc (temporally the beginning) is brilliant. Genuinely horrifying and masterfully pulled off. The other stories range broadly in style: BYOB has definite comedic elements, while The Canter of A Swarm had strong literary vibes, and while creepy and beautiful, may have gone slightly over my head. Nashville Nightmare has the best descriptions of an over the top haunted house that I’ve ever read (and I’m not even mentioning the rest of the plot. This was one of my favorites.) There was only one story in the collection I was disappointed by - it wasn’t bad so much as it felt like a trope.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for an indie horror anthology that covers a variety of styles (and if you’re looking for more intense horror than you can usually find, this is for you.) I couldn’t put it down and finished it in 2.5 days, and there are a lot of stories.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jessica Zeleskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun reading and putting the different stories together.

It is filled with halloween short stories that twist together (the more you read the more twist together!!) This is a must read spooky season book! By far one of my favorite books of short stories. At first some stories seem to just be in book for 'show' but a few stories later things start to add up.

The creep factor in the stories is amazing. It had me chilled to the bone and I ate it up!! I didn't want this book to end. The descriptions of the characters were perfect and I was able to visually seem them come to life in my head.

Please note this book does have some triggers (blood, murder both adult and child, small notes of unaliving oneself and more.) Read with caution if you dare. Your mental health is always the most important.

Hope these authors come together again and make another story!!

5 out of 5 stars!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[LORRIE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect

This was an eclectic collection of stories. They went from moderately creepy to down right spine chilling. I loved them all

[Brad Penrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great read from front to back. Loved the connection between some of the stories even though they were short and easy to read singly at a time. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the spooky thrills. Pumpkin God is a must read for sure, some of my favorite characters.

[ScarlettAnomalyReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun quick KU read i found while looking for some spooky stories for October.
Some of these were more then spooky and i loved that, defiantly recommend if you need something to fill those short days till Halloween!