Craven's Freaks

by Dan Shrader

Jason Toole is a piece of shit, and he deserves to die.

Five years wasn’t a long enough sentence for his crimes. Now free, he is looking for his next victim. He takes pleasure in harming, maiming, and killing women. But Jason Toole will never see what is coming...

The saying “the sins of the father are visited upon the son” might be true in his case.

This short story is EXTREME HORROR.

Genres: Contemporary Horror, Horror

81 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 7, 2024

About the author

Dan Shrader is a horror author hailing from Southern Indiana with a penchant for the macabre. He delves into the realms of Splatterpunk and Extreme, leaving no stone unturned in his twisted tales. His passion for writing ignited when he stumbled upon a treasure trove of VHS tapes at his grandparents. Within the confines of that box, he discovered a diverse collection of horror movie titles, including classics like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, C.H.U.D, Black Christmas, and Night of the Demons.

Since publishing in February of 2024, he has gained a following and received three horror award nominations for his novella “The Devil’s Rite” and debut collection “Those Who Live in Darkness.” Shrader is also known for his popular “Full Nasty” series and bestselling short story “Craven’s Freaks.”

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Dan Shrader a lot. But this one missed the mark in almost every way. There was an attempt at a plot and a good one, at that. However, everything quickly devolved into an oddly placed set of body horror and sexual situations without much context or purpose. And it wasn't even so vulgar or memorable that it was worth sacrificing everything else that had been built up. This needed to be a ton longer and more developed to have the desired effect. In its current form, it's not terrible, however it's also just not very good.

[Yvonne (the putrid Shelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Torso just wants to be loved

[Danielle Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Prison was an eyeopening experience for Jason, and it molded him into an even harder criminal than he was before.”

I’ve already read all of Dan’s published work. Like, all of it, lol. So whenever I find out he’s up to something new, I’m relentless and annoying. 🫣 When this popped up in my inbox, I audibly squealed. 😅

Craven’s Freaks was originally published in his short story collection, Those Who Live in Darkness, and was one of my favorite stories in it. So I’m really excited to see it was turned into a standalone and hope it gets the love it deserves. (I highly recommend checking out the entire collection by the way.) 🙌🏼

Anyway, this story.. per usual.. hits exactly how it should. I loved it the first time I read it, and I actually enjoyed it more the second time around. I love this writing style from Dan, and it shines bright like a diamond here. 💎 It’s a damn gritty tale and pretty fucking brutal. But it’s really well done and a read in one sitting type story. 🤌🏼

Themes: Heinous criminal. Prison. Recently released. Organized crime. Like father, like son. Objectifying women. Sexual depravity. Plot twist AF. Extreme Horror.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐧."

A nasty little short story that really packed a punch! Jason Toole has recently been released from prison, even though he's neither rehabilitated nor remorseful. His arrival was almost written in the stars as his father had been a long-time occupant of the same cell block before his death. The first thing on his mind is looking for a woman to use.

But business must be tended to first when Marco "The Piranha" Pinnelli, a notorious boss of a crime family, summons Jason to deal with a less than favorable 'investment' involving the Craven family, Jason smugly says, "Consider it done." He has no way of knowing how those words will come back to haunt him.

What follows is an absolute horror show full of torture, suffering, perversions, and the absolute glee in knowing that sometimes people DO get what they deserve. I've only read The Satanic Bill series from this author, but now I'm on a hunt to acquire all of his backlist. Thoroughly enjoyable extreme horror short!

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

Packing a punch in only 80 pages, what a great read. Shrader was able to build Jason's character in a short amount of time that leaves you knowing exactly what a scumbag he is. I can't say I felt bad for him at all with what happens to him. In a was this book kinda had a happy ending, well happy for Bertha and maybe Jason.

[Pearl dutton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just don’t…

[Bookishlyvenus ⋆˚࿔ · Rating 2 out of 5]

wtf was this???

[Paige Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be careful what you wish for!

Benjamin’s business partner winds up missing and his business is hanging by a thread. Scrambling for solutions and a way out, an opportunity quickly presents itself.

If you had the option to get anything you want by selling your soul, would you do it?

Soulless Lonesome is a story about the occult taking place in the early 80’s. A man desperate for answers and saving his business quickly realizes that there are always consequences when taking the easy way out.

Thank you, Unveiling Nightmares and Dan Shrader for the ARC copy!

[Chelsea McCrady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soulless Lonesome is the story of Benjamin when his business partner goes missing with all of his money. His business is in shambles so he reaches out to a mysterious rich man for help and ends up soulless and in way over his head. Who honestly doesn't love cults, violent homeless men, and a supernatural mysterious being? This book had me second guessing throughout!

[Eve Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book saved me from a reading slump all hail Dan 10/10 a vile little book

[[ ] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guy meets the most WONDERFUL woman and they get married 💍 🌭

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first taste of Dan Shrader, and I shall be reading more. He has a great way with words. A horribly fascinating little story.

[hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story but I would have enjoyed it more if it was a full-length story as I feel like there was a lot more that could have been included.

[HWaltz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Paige Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're familiar with Dan's work then you might recognize this story from his short story collection, Those Who Live in Darkness. Craven's Freaks gets its own separate story for readers to discover or rediscover Jason's release from prison and the aftermath that follows.

Craven's Freaks follows Jason as he has been released from prison. This guy is a real piece of garbage and doesn't deserve to walk free. What is the first thing that comes to mind being a free man? Look for a woman to use and dispose of, of course!

However, his bubble is quickly burst as the infamous Crime Boss known as "The Piranha" has requested Jason's assistance in removing the Craven family. Jason gladly does as he is told but he has no clue what lays ahead of him during his quest.

If you haven't checked out, Those Who Live in Darkness, you need to change that. There's a lot of great stories in there. If you enjoyed Craven's Freaks then you need to add that one to your list next!

[Nicola (deathandthemacabre) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Jason knew he was a monster. He partially blamed his mother for it, giving him the first sweet, addicting taste.."

If Dan's other stories were anything to go by, I knew this book would be nasty and fucked up, and I wasn't wrong 😅

Immediately you hate the main character because he's an arrogant dick, who's already thinking about the next woman he wants to abuse after getting out of jail, so you're hoping he gets some kind of comeuppance and it delivered, but in the weirdest, most unexpected hilarious way 😂 did I feel sorry for him? Absolutely not.

It's gross, bizarre, and a pretty brutal short story where a POS gets exactly what he deserves. What more could you ask for?

[Bambi Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, nothing like getting out of a maximum security prison after years of serving and having your first day of freedom go to hell real quick!

The leader of a group of circus freaks gives you two choices. Which one are you choosing? Choose carefully!

This short story was so much fun! And my little heart got so excited about the circus freaks!

[ScarlettAnomalyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fabulous gory crazy one by Dan.

This one felt on the extreme side to me, and was full of the fun terror that Dan writes.
This also had a new element for me, crime family type horror, and I actually liked it.

This one was out of left field for me, but would recommend to anyone looking for something to really push those boundaries .

[Tanner Caraway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little sprint of a read but it suffers from what a lot of EH books do, cohesion and feeling rushed. Would have definitely benefited from a bump in page/chapter count, but perhaps that would have detracted from the short sweet nature of a little disgusting novella like this. All in all, worth the read and burned through the pages.

[Janine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This could’ve been better if it was longer but it felt rushed. It was a little depraved but I wouldn’t say extreme horror. Which is what I was expecting from the description.

[Krystal Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well then, I wanted more of cravens freaks. Not sure what else to say.

[Bethany Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only critique is that I wish this was longer tbh

[Christina Pfeiffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benjamin is having a rotten time. His business partner ,Jim, took all the money and GTFO real fast. Jim also left behind his wife, Maggie, also Benjamin’s sister. Private detectives are hired and then the bad stuff starts. Benjamin calls Shepard, Shepard calls Zara Beth, and Zara Beth calls … well, you need to read it. Virgins, guys in robes, rituals, oh my!

Holy Toledo, friends was this book insanity! I mean, from Jim going missing to the back stabbing (which I won’t forgive you for, Shrader. You’re on my shit list and you know why). I couldn’t put this book down or stop listening. It was so engaging and the pacing is one of the best I have read in a while.

It’s stellar and I will be rereading SOULLESS LONESOME again very soon. It’s creepy, evil, and anxiety-inducing. A HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND 5/5.

[Thomas Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fear the Tree Man, my children...
Dan Sharder’s psychological terror here is one that should not be slept on. Here, we follow the life of Brian, a little boy who snapped one fateful night, having fallen under the spell of the mysterious Tree Man and murdered his mother and father...
OR DID HE???
The buildup to the reveals are done in a clever fashion, one that takes only a short time to do— a very tricky feat to pull off, I must say. What some books take over 100 pages and hours to slog through, “Devil’s Rites” does in less than, and does so in a way that will keep you guessing even after you’ve read it, the question of:
Is the Tree Man real, and will I be the next one to fall victim to his influence?
Rating:
💀💀💀💀/💀💀💀💀💀 (4/5)

[Lisa Robbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really struggled with this one. I liked the premise, but the execution just didn't work for me. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was just not right for a horror book. He sounded like he was trying to be somewhere between a monster truck show announcer and that deep voiced guy that does voiceover in action movie trailers. I also found the story confusing at parts. There was one section I listened to 3 times and was still confused by what was going on. I think a lot of my confusion was jumping POV within a chapter with no warning. I may try this again later not on audio to see if I can follow it better.

[John Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A failing business and a missing partner opens up a world of occult mystery for the main character of the story, Benjamin after being given an offer he cannot refuse.

Soon after making his deal with a strange businessman and his group of followers, things begin to go off the rails for Benjamin, with his life immediately turned upside down.

If you are a fan of fast-paced stories about the occult, then you are going to get a real kick out of Soulless Lonesome. The twists and turns come at a breakneck pace, with this being a book you can easily get through in a single sitting.

[TriggerWarningTales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian's parents were savagely killed on his 10th birthday. This begins the Urban Legend of the Tree Man. When Brian reaches his 20's and rejoins society, he will learn that the Tree Man is waiting, or is it really Urban Legend?

Fantastic story full of horror. He made the Tree Man feel so real! I was left wanting a little bit more of the Tree Man and more terror before the end of the story.

All around, I would recommend it.

[Tea With Phoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could’ve been longer

[Laura Bilodeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another amazing piece of work by Dan. I love the way he uses words. He is like an artist or composure creating such a vivid experience for the reader with every story he tells. The depictions of every scene played out like a movie.
The only thing I can say is I wish this was a full length story, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would’ve loved to have gotten more from it.

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian life is changed by an event that happened when he was a child. Now, he must face his fears. Can Brian face the monster the Treeman is closer than he thinks. Unexpected twists ending. Pulse pounding read.