Test Town

by Leigh Kenny

Welcome to Test Town.
Zero

When Savannah and her friends decide on a sightseeing pit stop at a long-abandoned nuclear testing facility, something feels off from the outset.
Dilapidated houses. Quiet, dusty streets. And mannequins.
So many mannequins.

With a growing sense of unease, the group soon learns that even in an abandoned town in the middle of nowhere, you're never truly alone.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Thriller, Fiction, Paranormal, Novella, Suspense

23 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 16, 2024

Reviews

[Eloise Blaise | Bibliophel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read like a first draft that needed developing. The premise actually seemed like it would disturb me (thanks doctor who, I hate mannequins for life) but alas.

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This wasn't bad. I liked the atmosphere and antagonist (No spoilers), but the story really needed to pace itself better. This was would have allowed things to progress more naturally and allow the reader to feel the full degree of fear that was being strived for. It had a lot of callbacks to House of Wax, which is fine, but really just needed to be a bit longer and more fleshed out. Still a fun way to kill 15 minutes.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute nightmare fuel… I always disliked the uncanny valley of mannequins, and this short story reinforces that suspicion.

“It was the thousand-watt smile plastered across each hard plastic face that gave Savannah the creeps though. Those massive false smiles, topped with the dead, glassy eyes of a shark.”

The characters in Leigh’s story should’ve learned to never turn your back on something that oozes with ominous intentions. Sadly their visit to an abandoned nuclear test site is not the cool pit stop they thought it would be.

[Carl Bluesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun and short one.

A group of friends take a stop on the travel to visit a nuclear test site. With all the mannequins still on full display, this story gives a good creepy vibe early on.

I have never read a horror story about nuclear test site, and now that I have, I wish there were more. It is such a good setting for a good scare. With a fun cast of all this was a great short story perfect for any horror reader!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish this book was longer 😭

[Cranky Commentary (Melinda) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, the teens are gonna love this one! A group of young friends explore an abandoned nuclear test site. Lots of gory death and creepy mannequins.

[Steph's_Creepy _Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really short but sharp. Giving me House of Wax vibes. I'd have loved this to have been longer.

[amerie ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️. this was good but it definitely should’ve been longer lol, atleast 30 more pages

[RoseDevoursBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it weird that I'm now hooked on nuclear test site horror stories after reading this? I also desperately need more mannequin terror in my life because this was delightfully creepy!

At just 23 pages long, the author crafts an original story featuring a good cast of characters, a chilling abandoned setting inhabited by unsettling mannequins, and intense scenes of gore that were so vividly captured - the ending was also perfectly fitting! My one and only gripe is that this left me wanting more.

Check this out if you’re looking to devour a short story in a single, spine-tingling sitting. You'll never look at department store mannequins the same way again…

4.5/5 stars.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

For years, mannequins have been used in large-scale nuclear testing to understand the effects of nuclear bombs on people. Imagine going into one such site and stumbling upon a ghost town full of these mannequins. Unscathed!

No need to imagine it any longer.

This is the plot of Leigh Kenny's "Test Town" short story and it'd probably be a perfect found footage horror movie. Kenny has written a terrific tale, full of creepy moments. And a fitting ending to the whole thing. Recommended!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

this would have been at least a four star or five star if it had been longer and the tension more drawn out. it was creepy and nasty as hell

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well… that was terrifying. I have always hated mannequins, they’ve always freaked me out. After reading this book, I will never look at a mannequin the same way.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick, creepy, like dolls, mannequins in horror are never a good omen

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate all dolls, but especially mannequins. This was creepy deepy.

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

The concept of an abandoned town that used to be the testing site for nuclear weapons is terrifying. Add to that the only thing in this town left are mannequins, and it adds another layer of terror. I would love a full concept piece from Kenny, maybe a collection of short stories following people in the town during the nuclear testing, or even others visiting the town. I think it could be a very interesting concept to build upon and explore because the idea is so fascinating. Glad I randomly checked this one out from KU! It's a quick little indie horror gem.

[Chloë-Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inoffensive, but another horror novella let down by being a novella.

If it were developed into a longer story with more background on the mannequins I think it would have been a lot better + more gore, too much off page death / gore.

[Kyle Rolinatis · Rating 5 out of 5]

New fear unlocked… mannequins. This short story was perfectly executed. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.

[S.E. Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not going to lie. The idea of nuclear test towns in the middle of the American west, where families of mannequins dressed in 1950s-era apparel, hanging out and doing 1950s-era middle-class suburban things, have always creeped me out. And that's even before the 2006 remake of The Hills Have Eyes, which oh-so-perfectly captured the liminal, uncanny dread those sites seem to so perfectly incapsulate. So when I snagged a copy of Test Town, Leigh Kenny's short but horror-packed homage to these same deep-seated fears, I was looking forward to tucking into it. And Kenny doesn't disappoint.

In Test Town, a young woman named Savannah agrees to accompany her brother Jacob and some of his thrill-seeking friends on an adventure in the desert, with plans to explore a nuclear test town where the mannequin residents supposedly move on their own. Expecting nothing more than a silly internet urban legend, Savannah caves into peer pressure, even though she considers Jacob's gang of cohorts to be little more than bravado-driven idiots.

The story is short, but still manages to take some gore-filled and unexpected twists along the way, as Savannah and her fellow adventurers discover that there may be more to the abandoned test town than initially meets the eye. No spoilers from me, but suffice it to say, it's a hell of a lot of fun.

I checked out this story because it's Women in Horror month, and I've seen Kenny's name mentioned in multiple lists of authors worth a read. Test Town proves that's well deserved, so I'll be reading more from her in the very near future.

[Joseph Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Story

Only 23 pages of creepiness.

If you think mannequins are creepy this is a must read.

If there are mannequins in a nuclear test site then why are they not destroyed?

[Dale Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super short horror that is creepy and gory. I loved the premise and would love for future books to explore Test Town more. It's got great scope to expand. Not much to get your teeth into due to its size, but Leigh creates a creepy atmosphere with her good writing.

[Bookishme_lisamarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The creep factor is high with this one. The premise alone…a group of friends visiting an old nuclear testing town where the homes are all set up with vintage decor complete with faceless mannequins enjoying family time. What could possibly go wrong?
Everything.
Fun, scary, mindless read. 3.5⭐️

[Sophie:) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but wished it was way longer

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eerie little palette cleanser 👀

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

considering it's only 23 pages, it packed a lot in there. Felt like a full novel would love to see it more fleshed out

[emily~~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

i fear this writing was akin to something i would have produced at 13 years old on wattpad

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an interesting concept

[andi [under construction] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I loved this short story of 23 pages by Leigh Kenny. You know bad sh*t is going to happen but you don’t know when or how. And when it starts your eyes are staying glued to the pages and you’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat. The scene with the eyes are absolutely the best part. 😱Highly recommended. 👌🏼🤩

[Mark Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely ain’t no Eighties Rom-com…

When a group of teens, led by Savannah, on their way to visit her sister who’s only just recently had a baby, stop off at a former nuclear test site, they have no idea what they are letting themselves in for.
Stories told about the test site suggest that the test dummy mannequins who reside there have a habit of moving around whilst no-one is watching, but those are just stupid stories, right?
Right?
This is a really short, sharp horror that is over almost as soon as it’s begun.
If I had one complaint, it is that I would have liked it to be longer to help build the terror and suspense a little more. As it is, you barely even get a chance to know the characters before they start getting bumped off, but that’s not to say it’s a bad read because it’s not.
The concept is a highly original one for me, and one I’ve not seen done before, so for that alone it gets bonus points.
I just wish it had been a bit longer that is all, because I can’t help thinking there’s a lot of potential here for more terror that because of its length, is never realised.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoned Nuclear Test Site

I actually gave 2-1/2 stars. This short had the makings of being a great read: Out in the middle of nowhere, a group of teenagers explore an old, abandoned town that was used as a nuclear test site filled with mannequins posed in what appears to be day to day activities. Unfortunately this story lacks depth, character, presence and a much needed build-up of creeping dread to engage the reader. There is blood and guts, yet it just falls flat. Not sure why there was an inclusion of the friends going to visit someone's pregnant sister, as it never went anywhere, or why it got so many 5 star reviews. Kind of misleading. Great premise, though.