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Enter Boogeyman
“He’s a shadow. He’s in the closet, or he’s under the bed. Maybe he’s in the mirror... or maybe he’s just in your head. He can hurt you; he’ll eat your heart and memories without you realizing. He is the boogeyman. You saw him once before, a long time ago. You glimpsed those claws, those teeth, in the sheath of darkness that came alive as it thickened around you. It’s familiar to you; this scent of things dead. Do you remember...?”
Who is the Boogeyman? A better question might Who isn’t he? This is the question Poppy Z. Brite asks in the introduction to this horror anthology dedicated to the scariest monster of them all... the one who lives where you live, who watches you in the night, the one you think you left behind as a childhood fantasy.
Here, some of the best pens in contemporary horror give us their own answers to this question. From stories by known masters of horror fiction, to new names giving fresh life and direction to the horror genre, Enter Boogeyman is a collector’s edition anthology. Edited by multiple Bram Stoker award winner Alessandro Manzetti, and illustrated by Francesco Biagini, this is a must-have for the horror enthusiast and the bibliophile alike.
Who is the Boogeyman? A better question might Who isn’t he? This is the question Poppy Z. Brite asks in the introduction to this horror anthology dedicated to the scariest monster of them all... the one who lives where you live, who watches you in the night, the one you think you left behind as a childhood fantasy.
Here, some of the best pens in contemporary horror give us their own answers to this question. From stories by known masters of horror fiction, to new names giving fresh life and direction to the horror genre, Enter Boogeyman is a collector’s edition anthology. Edited by multiple Bram Stoker award winner Alessandro Manzetti, and illustrated by Francesco Biagini, this is a must-have for the horror enthusiast and the bibliophile alike.
- GenresHorror
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2024
About the author
Alessandro Manzetti
140 books87 followersALESSANDRO MANZETTI (Rome, 1968) is an Italian author of horror, weird fiction, science fiction, dark fantasy, pulp, speculative fiction, and dark poetry. He is a three-time Bram Stoker Award winner and a fourteen-time finalist, an Elgin Award winner, and has received nominations for several other major international awards, including the Splatterpunk Awards, This Is Horror Awards, and Rhysling Awards.
He is the author of more than forty books published in Italian and English, including novels, novellas, short story collections, poetry, graphic novels, and nonfiction. His short fiction and poetry have appeared in magazines and anthologies across Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Russia, and Poland. His English-language credits include Weird Tales, Space and Time, The Best Horror of the Year, Dark Moon Digest, Disturbed Digest, and numerous other magazines and anthologies, among them Classic Monsters Unleashed, Splatterpunk Forever, Best Hardcore Horror of the Year Vols. 2, 4, 5, and 6, The Big Book of Blasphemy, Midnight Under the Big Top, and Shakespeare Unleashed.
Manzetti has also worked as an editor, comics writer, and essayist. Caleb Battiago is his long-established pseudonym for Italian-language publications, while his English-language books have traditionally appeared under his real name. In 2026, he introduced Maestro Goku N. Hanzo to English-language readers with the first book in a new superpulp series.
website: www.battiago.com
He is the author of more than forty books published in Italian and English, including novels, novellas, short story collections, poetry, graphic novels, and nonfiction. His short fiction and poetry have appeared in magazines and anthologies across Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Russia, and Poland. His English-language credits include Weird Tales, Space and Time, The Best Horror of the Year, Dark Moon Digest, Disturbed Digest, and numerous other magazines and anthologies, among them Classic Monsters Unleashed, Splatterpunk Forever, Best Hardcore Horror of the Year Vols. 2, 4, 5, and 6, The Big Book of Blasphemy, Midnight Under the Big Top, and Shakespeare Unleashed.
Manzetti has also worked as an editor, comics writer, and essayist. Caleb Battiago is his long-established pseudonym for Italian-language publications, while his English-language books have traditionally appeared under his real name. In 2026, he introduced Maestro Goku N. Hanzo to English-language readers with the first book in a new superpulp series.
website: www.battiago.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 10, 2025
I remember when the campaign to get funds for this book started, YouTuber CriminOlly shared details on how to get to it, and I fell in love with the theme, growing in anticipation for this anthology to hit the scene. When the physical version was available, though, I somehow missed the mark on getting one. I reached out to Acheron through their contact page and they increased my hopes by promising a digital version. It's 2025 and I finally got my hands into it and finished it not as fast as I thought I would. Did the anticipation paid off? Yes, for the most part.
You see, Enter Boogeyman collects 17 stories from well-known authors, some stories are originals, some are republications, with the boogeyman as the main theme, but not as you would expect. Can't the boogeyman take many shapes and forms? Yes, indeed, and these short stories explore interesting variants of this premise.
I took 4 months to read this book. For some reason, I had to drop it to read novels, 4 novels, that is. There was something about getting short bursts of boogeyman, one after another, that just threw me off a bit. The stories range from average to great, yet I had to get rest when reading. Enter Boogeyman delivers on its premise and promise, and I think you won't regret getting your hands into it if you are a fan of horror.
To wrap this review up, a rapid-fire list reviewing each short story:
DREAMS IN THE WINTER HOUSE by Anna Taborska is about a boy dreaming some creepy stuff until he gets to a sour truth. Average stuff.
BOOGEYBOY by Graham Masterton and Karolina Mogielska is about, well, that. Quite disturbing but nice story.
SHADOW BRO by Lisa Tuttle is about one brother coming to terms with his other eerily brother. Average.
MACKINTOSH WILLY by Ramsey Campbell is about urban legend going real. Alrighty one.
THE MONSTERS AND THE MAIDEN by Gwendolyn Kiste is about a girl growing up in a terrible environment and the results of such enduring. Predictable.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM LANE by Richard Chizmar is about a cold case going hot again. Great, but ending is mixed.
OF CHILDSKIN by Lucy Taylor is about a traumatized mother trying to protect her son. I'm not sure about these negative arcs, though.
LONG BLACK BEING by Brian Evenson is about said being terrorizing kids. Quite cool.
THE ACCIDENTAL BOOGEYMAN by Linda D. Addison is about someone coming to terms with his childhood trauma. Average
THE LONG GOODBYE by Craig Spector is about a man coming to terms with his relationship with his mother. Nice dialogue, but that is it.
AUON DEWA by Lucy A. Snyder is about something lurking through eons. Reminds me of a report by H. P. Lovecraft.
MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT by Joe R. Lansdale is about an inevitable encounter with an inevitable ending. Just goes by, as my daughter would put it.
CRY by RC Matheson is about a woman that needs tears. Touching.
ONLY CHILDREN by Gemma Files is a weird twist about a mother that would do anything for her son. Confusing.
ELECT “BO” GEEMAN! by John Shirley is about doing anything for your out-of-touch boss. I like the analogy, but c’mon.
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN MONSTERLAND by Mercedes M. Yardley is about dealing with traumas and the effects it has on your kids. Alright but cringey at the end.
BIRTHED FROM THE AIR, FROM THE HEIGHTS by John Langan is a great story about urban legends from Alaska and Korea.
You see, Enter Boogeyman collects 17 stories from well-known authors, some stories are originals, some are republications, with the boogeyman as the main theme, but not as you would expect. Can't the boogeyman take many shapes and forms? Yes, indeed, and these short stories explore interesting variants of this premise.
I took 4 months to read this book. For some reason, I had to drop it to read novels, 4 novels, that is. There was something about getting short bursts of boogeyman, one after another, that just threw me off a bit. The stories range from average to great, yet I had to get rest when reading. Enter Boogeyman delivers on its premise and promise, and I think you won't regret getting your hands into it if you are a fan of horror.
To wrap this review up, a rapid-fire list reviewing each short story:
DREAMS IN THE WINTER HOUSE by Anna Taborska is about a boy dreaming some creepy stuff until he gets to a sour truth. Average stuff.
BOOGEYBOY by Graham Masterton and Karolina Mogielska is about, well, that. Quite disturbing but nice story.
SHADOW BRO by Lisa Tuttle is about one brother coming to terms with his other eerily brother. Average.
MACKINTOSH WILLY by Ramsey Campbell is about urban legend going real. Alrighty one.
THE MONSTERS AND THE MAIDEN by Gwendolyn Kiste is about a girl growing up in a terrible environment and the results of such enduring. Predictable.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM LANE by Richard Chizmar is about a cold case going hot again. Great, but ending is mixed.
OF CHILDSKIN by Lucy Taylor is about a traumatized mother trying to protect her son. I'm not sure about these negative arcs, though.
LONG BLACK BEING by Brian Evenson is about said being terrorizing kids. Quite cool.
THE ACCIDENTAL BOOGEYMAN by Linda D. Addison is about someone coming to terms with his childhood trauma. Average
THE LONG GOODBYE by Craig Spector is about a man coming to terms with his relationship with his mother. Nice dialogue, but that is it.
AUON DEWA by Lucy A. Snyder is about something lurking through eons. Reminds me of a report by H. P. Lovecraft.
MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT by Joe R. Lansdale is about an inevitable encounter with an inevitable ending. Just goes by, as my daughter would put it.
CRY by RC Matheson is about a woman that needs tears. Touching.
ONLY CHILDREN by Gemma Files is a weird twist about a mother that would do anything for her son. Confusing.
ELECT “BO” GEEMAN! by John Shirley is about doing anything for your out-of-touch boss. I like the analogy, but c’mon.
ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN MONSTERLAND by Mercedes M. Yardley is about dealing with traumas and the effects it has on your kids. Alright but cringey at the end.
BIRTHED FROM THE AIR, FROM THE HEIGHTS by John Langan is a great story about urban legends from Alaska and Korea.
May 6, 2025
Comincio subito a dire che l'edizione del libro, piena di illustrazioni in bianco e nero, è splendida. Eppure, sarà un problema mio che non sono mai stato particolarmente affascinato dalla figura del Boogeyman, ma ho trovato buona parte dei racconti piuttosto dimenticabili.
Note di eccezione su quelli di Tuttle, Kiste, Lansdale e Langan, che mi sono piaciuti davvero tanto. Quello di Lansdale in particolare, lungo solo dieci pagine, è probabilmente il migliore della raccolta, seguito a ruota da quello di Langan.
Note di eccezione su quelli di Tuttle, Kiste, Lansdale e Langan, che mi sono piaciuti davvero tanto. Quello di Lansdale in particolare, lungo solo dieci pagine, è probabilmente il migliore della raccolta, seguito a ruota da quello di Langan.
October 20, 2025
I really, really liked this collect of short stories. There are obviously ones that stand out more to me than others but on the whole there is a great mix of characters, types of boogeymen and how they interact and affect the world around them. On the whole they were all pretty creepy and worth a read.
August 31, 2024
A great collection of horror from masters of the field. This is a diverse collection, with a huge variety of boogeymen myths from around the world. All are well told and at least some of them will creep you right out.
August 8, 2024
A very good book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews