The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale

by Joe R. Lansdale, Dave McKean (Cover Art), Joe Hill (Introduction)

Introduction by Joe Hill

In this career horror retrospective, World Horror Grandmaster Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-tep; Hap and Leonard) tackles racism and human cruelty as de­ftly as he conjures demon nuns and Elder Gods. Featuring an original introduction from Joe Hill, this much-anticipated volume showcases the best of Lansdale’s terrifying short stories—menacing, astute, and wildly inappropriate.

Bestselling author Joe R. Lansdale is known for his gritty mysteries and his eccentric horror. As an eleven-time Bram Stoker Award winner, Joe Lansdale cooks up an inimitable recipe of Southern Gothic and Southern fried chicken that continues to delight his many fans and influence generations of horror legends.

Lansdale mashes up crime, Gothic, mystery, fantasy, and science-fiction, filtered through a raw, violent world of dark humor and unique characters. Lansdale is one of the early American horror writers to portray racism not as abstract but as realistic, intimate, and impossible to ignore.

In Lansdale’s nightmarish visions, you’ll discover psychotic demon nuns, a psychopathic preacher, cannibals, 80-year-old Elvis, undead strippers, ­ flying ghost fish, Elder Gods, possessed cars, and the worst evil of all: mankind.

Contents

Introduction by Joe Hill
“The Folding Man”
“Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train”
“God of the Razor”
“My Dead Dog Bobby”
“Tight Little Stitches in a Deadman’s Back”
“By Bizarre Hands”
On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk
“Love Doll: A Fable”
“Mister Weed-Eater”
“The Bleeding Shadow”
“Not From Detroit”
“The Hungry Snow”
“Dog, Cat, and Baby”
Bubba Ho-tep
“Fish Night”
“Night They Missed the Horror Show”

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Collections, Fiction, Anthologies

332 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2025

About the author

Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale is the author of over forty novels and numerous short stories. His work has appeared in national anthologies, magazines, and collections, as well as numerous foreign publications. He has written for comics, television, film, newspapers, and Internet sites. His work has been collected in more than two dozen short-story collections, and he has edited or co-edited over a dozen anthologies. He has received the Edgar Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Historical Fiction Award, the Inkpot Award for Contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and many others. His novella Bubba Ho-Tep was adapted to film by Don Coscarelli, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. His story "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" was adapted to film for Showtime's "Masters of Horror," and he adapted his short story "Christmas with the Dead" to film hisownself. The film adaptation of his novel Cold in July was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Sundance Channel has adapted his Hap & Leonard novels for television.

He is currently co-producing several films, among them The Bottoms, based on his Edgar Award-winning novel, with Bill Paxton and Brad Wyman, and The Drive-In, with Greg Nicotero. He is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats.

Reviews

[TheConnieFox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology book has sixteen horror stories that are all by Joe R. Lansdale! This is the first book that I have read by him, so I was not familiar with his work. I will say his stories are outstanding, yet horrifying! These stories are an incredible collection to have of his.

This book comes with demons, grotesque body horror, monsters, madness and creepy small towns! These stories are definitely worth reading, especially if you love horror novels! My favorite stories that he wrote in this book are “Bubba Ho-tep” and “God of the Razor”. Overall, I am satisfied with his horror stories and they were very well written! They were full of suspense, twisty, extremely dark and very well structured. Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars!

I think fans of the author Stephen King would really enjoy reading this book. Content Warnings include death, graphic violence, gore, sexual violence, torture and body mutilation, animal cruelty, racism, death of children and offensive humor.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Joe R. Lansdale, Joe Hill (introduction) and Tachyon Publications for this digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on October 7, 2025!

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Lansdale is a national treasure. Review to come.

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whatever flavor of horror gets you feeling twisty in the stomach and weak in the knees, Lansdale has written it, and you can find it in this collection. This collection has stories originally published as far back as 1982 and as recently as 2020, and Lansdale remains remarkably consistent in his brutal realism often combined with supernatural or fantastic ideas. He manages to capture every aspect of humanity, from the most intimate part of human relationship to the sheer monstrosity humans are capable of, a talent for gritty and realistic explorations of what makes up this worldly coil. Some stores are grounded in a naturalistic, if bleak, experience of the world, while others have eldritch deities doing the dirty work, with everything in-between, from cults to zombies to post-apocalyptic plant life to creatures of myth and legend and more.

Lansdale’s writing is consistently efficient and to the point, and yet he is able to build rich atmospheres and create character depth. His tone and style are unflinching, descriptive and immersive but without tangents or flights or fancy. However, he takes that style and stretches it across so many different subgenres of horror that this collection feels dynamic. The stories all share a sense of being grounded, even when they are dealing with the fantastic and supernatural. He isn’t afraid to position his characters in very specific times and places, with language and attitudes and behaviors that show you right away that not every story stars a hero. In this way the stories do address racism, misogyny, abuse and trauma, power dynamics, self-awareness, and more. These stories punch first and ask questions later, which is to say they are never weighed down by their ideas or themes, but they plant dark little seeds that will live with you, ripening, or, maybe, festering for quite a while. The stories aren’t anywhere near the splatter or extreme horror genres, but they are graphic and occasionally unsettling. No matter what type of horror you gravitate toward there is something in this collection for you.

(Rounded from 4.5)

I want to thank the author, the publisher Tachyon Publications, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, without a doubt, one of the best short story collections I have ever read, and that is saying something. These tales run the gamut from crime to horror with consummate skill.

Lansdale breathes life into characters and creatures that will haunt your nightmares. While there is some supernatural horror here with terrifying demonic entities, the most powerful stories are those that revolve around the evils that mere mortals perpetrate.

Also included is plenty of dark, gross-out humor. I had seen the movie Bubba Ho-Tep but had never read the story that spawned the film until now. If you enjoy fiction that makes you shake your head and say "ick" while laughing, this is made for you.

Some may find the authentic portrayal of ignorance and racism in a couple of stories to be offensive. I, for one, do not. It is a vile, ugly thing. It is not holding up a mirror to me, and I don't need it sugar-coated. I didn't need the author to pull any punches, and I'm glad he chose not to. Racism written as anything less than disgusting would have been more likely to offend me. This is the language that they use. It would be disingenuous to pretend otherwise.

I have always said the best horror is that which makes me feel something. This is a collection that succeeds in that on every page, from the first story that gave me shivers to the last story that repulsed me to the core, and every tale in between. Prepare to experience a range of emotions, from rage and wonder to sadness and disgust, interspersed with shock and terror.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Tachyon Publications for the gorgeous paperback ARC.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars--I really liked it. I've read a few Lansdale stories before in various anthologies, but this is the first time I've really dug into his vast and assorted works. I need to read more Lansdale--he's an excellent writer, with a knack for capturing a certain (usually Texan) grittiness.

Some of my favorites from the collection:
“Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train”: The image of Zach, the "hoodoo man," with his "baggage" (in the shape of an old woman clinging to his neck) was really creepy.

“God of the Razor”: Some gods are monsters.

“Tight Little Stitches in a Deadman’s Back”: Sci-fi apocalyptic horror about things that might emerge if the oceans dried up.

“By Bizarre Hands”: Truly creepy story of a pastor-predator.

"On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk": The image of cadillacs standing on end, lining the road, was striking.

“The Bleeding Shadow”: I LOVE horror stories about haunted songs/musicians, and this one is especially good. The Lovecraftian monster is terrifying.

"Bubba Ho-tep": Perhaps Lansdale's masterpiece.

“Fish Night”: A rare bit of whimsy. It reminded me of a Barron story--the ancient spirits and prehistoric things beyond our understanding.

“Night They Missed the Horror Show”: The author calls this an anti-racist story. Not sure I agree, but it's dark as anything.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

[Mike (Hail Horror Hail) · Rating 4 out of 5]

solid collection

[unstable.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding collection of Joe R. Lansdale's "must read" short stories. Having previously only read The Nightrunners, which was supremely messed up, I was very excited to finally read more from this horror legend. Lansdale is known for his combination of mystery, crime, fantasy, sci-fi and more, all told through a raw and menacing lens. As an ELEVEN time Bram Stoker Award Winner, needless to say he excels in his craft. This collection touts an introduction from Joe Hill, which is in itself fantastic. The amount of times I audibly said "what the fuck?" in different tones and octaves were plentiful. The Folding Man … oh my god. My Dead Dog Bobby … OH. MY. GOD. This book also includes Bubba Ho-Tep, which was so much fun, so outlandish and pretty disgusting. I loved it. I highly recommend any hardcore horror fan pick up this collection from one of the granddaddy's of horror. It publishes October 07, 2025 from Tachyon Publications so keep an eye out for it. Thank you Tachyon Pub for the ARC!

[Brennan LaFaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

New readers to Joe Lansdale, namely those looking for his forays into horror, will find many of his notable works such as "The Night They Missed the Horror Show", "Bubba Ho-Tep", and some Nightrunners-adjacent material all collected in one place. It's a fantastic primer to the mojo storyteller. That said, weathered fans may dig having so many great stories all collected in one place, handy in a single volume. Simply put, these are some unmissable stories by one of the best to ever do it, inside or outside the genre.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading Joe R. Lansdale's work. This was a good introduction to the author's horror stories as there are many different types of horror. All of these are dark and will make you squirm at least a little. I appreciated the brief introductions by the author to each story and reading what inspired them. As with all collections, some stories are better than others, but none of them are duds. Be forewarned that there are numerous triggers and racial slurs throughout many of these stories, showing us that oftentimes the demons of this world are human.

My thanks to Tachyon Publications, the author, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Joe Lansdale's career horror retrospective, containing sixteen top quality stories by a master storyteller. The themes covered include everything one might expect from a long career in writing horror, from zombies, mummies, and vampires to western horror and Lovecraftian monstrosities. Every story is a gem, richly and provocatively imagined, brimming with first-class writing and stellar characterization; simply outstanding in portraying a vast range of horrifying situations, drawing as much on familiar horror tropes as on topical social issues, such as racism and misogyny. That said, Lansdale never refrains to be as crude or rough as needed in displaying vulgar language ("he was evacuated from the bowels of life into the toilet bowl of the beyond and was flushed" lol) or revolting characters (see Calhoun, in the spectacular story with the explicitly Harlan Ellison-influenced title, "On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks"). Each story is preceded by a short note by the author giving some brief info on the story following.

Most of the tales are well-known and justifiably celebrated, two of them in fact of legendary status: "Bubba Ho-tep" and “Night They Missed the Horror Show”. Similarly, "Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train,” “By Bizarre Hands,” and the aforementioned long-titled tale are must-reads for any true horror fan! And “The Bleeding Shadow” could easily work as the cosmic horror version of Sinners.

Equally exceptional I found three stories I hadn't read before: “Love Doll: A Fable,” an incredible, 'feminist' (according to the author himself) tale about a plastic love doll waking up and mastering her own destiny; “Mister Weed-Eater,” a hilarious dark tale of one man's good deed ending up destroying his life; and the very short “Dog, Cat, and Baby” - a funny take on animals' reactions when a newborn is brought home.

Joe Hill's Introduction to the volume was a joy to read as well. I highly recommend the collection: unless you've read Lansdale, you have no idea how good and insightful dark horror can be!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher Tachyon Publications, and NetGalley for the chance of an early read by providing a complimentary eARC for review!

[Happy Goat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lansdale doesn't shy away from handling difficult characters and their views in this collection, consistently delivering the worst people as they really are (getting what they deserve, most often!). A great mix of subgenres and types of horror, and an entertaining read.

[David Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a reader, Joe Lansdale makes me happy. He somehow writes exactly what I want to read. To paraphrase a recent Stephen King title, I like it darker, and Lansdale always, always delivers.

As a sometimes writer, Joe Lansdale makes me pissed off. Despite how prolific he is—and make no mistake, he’s very prolific—and despite working in a wide variety of genres, including horror, crime, suspense, science fiction, fantasy, and often a mix of any and all of them, his work is always so damn good. He sets unreasonably high expectations for the rest of us. I mean, come on, Joe. Slip up once in a while. Write a shitty sentence.

The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale is, as the title suggests, essential reading for horror fans. This collection is a retrospective of sorts, dipping into every part of Lansdale’s career, including some of his earliest work. While there is plenty of humor here, as there nearly always is with Lansdale, this is a dark, dark, bunch of stories. There are monsters here, of both the supernatural and human variety. Lansdale never looks away from violence, racism, hate, and evil, and he never allows the reader to look away either. In prose honed to a razor sharp edge, he plays all over the horror sandbox, from crime and suspense to southern gothic, science fiction to Lovecraftian horror.

If you’re a Lansdale fan, as I am, you’ll find many of your old, bloody favorites here. Mine include:
• God of the Razor
• Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back
• On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk
• The Bleeding Shadow
• Bubba Ho-tep
• Night They Missed the Horror Show

Honestly, I could have made it easier and listed all the stories. Lansdale is a national treasure.

The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale will be published October 7, 2025, and is available for pre-order now. If you’re easily frightened, or easily offended, this might not be your cup of tea. Otherwise, don’t miss this one.

[Lizardley · Rating 2 out of 5]

An intriguing cross-section of an author's career that proceeded to leave me wanting in several ways. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

There are some really solid features of this collection. Lansdale is skilled at keeping his writing strictly tied to a place and time. Even if I was reading about post-apocalyptic desert or a retirement home, I knew where I was. The writing is very visceral, both via detailed descriptions and knowing what details to leave out. One of my favorite pieces was one of the shortest, "Dog, Cat, and Baby"; it's tight, puts you into the mind of the nameless dog, and delivers a satisfying twist. All respect to people who know when to cut things. I also enjoyed reading Lansdale's blurbs about each story. I am not a fan of Lansdale, but I do enjoy seeing how the sausage gets made, and I imagine that a fan would really enjoy the commentary. Aside from the aforementioned "Dog, Cat, and Baby", I also enjoyed "Fish Night", and bits and pieces of the other stories.

With that said, this whole collection feels a bit like a relic from a different period of horror and not always in a particularly pleasant way. This mainly comes up in the treatment of women. Most of the women in this collection are either pieces of meat for the male POV character to ogle, plot devices to prompt action from the male POV character, or both. They are frequently disposable. Lansdale notes that he considers "Love Doll: A Fable" to be a feminist story, and I agree with that, but it's somewhat annoying that he can grasp that women are full and complete people with vivid internal lives in that story and seemingly nowhere else. Something similar happens with race and Blackness at times. Particularly in "Night They Missed the Horror Show", a story that Lansdale describes as an "attack on racism" a Black man's beating and later violent death at the hands of racist white men is graphically described, while the death of the two white main characters is much less graphic. I find this in somewhat poor taste. I understand what Lansdale was trying to do, but frankly I don't think this is his story to tell. On a much less serious note, I also found the fixation on farts, shit, and, in on notable instance, Elvis' penis boil, to just be gross and not something that did anything for me. Very much an artistic difference there.

I think this collection would be great for fans of Lansdale's work, but unfortunately, I am not a fan after reading it.

[Stefan Nordin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read my first Joe Lansdale story way back in the nineties. It was in an anthology of short stories inspired by George Romeros Living dead series (Book of the dead 1989). I can’t remember the rest of the stories in that book but I do remember Joes and it made a big impression on me. This was pre internet so finding more obscure books was hard. I spent years building a small Lansdale collection with the books I managed to get hold of. Quite a few of the where short story collections and they’re still prized parts of my library although I haven’t read them in years.

This book has a lot of overlap with those old collections but it doesn’t feel like repetition reading them, more like meeting old friends again.
That first story I read, On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with the Dead Folks, is in this. It’s still a memorable piece with Lansdale signature weird take on zombie mythology. The image of a school bus full of zombies with Mickey Mouse ear hats on has been with me for thirty years now.

All in all this collection gives the reader a good cross section of Lansdales output. You get a pair of weird westerns, a large helping os slightly surreal horror imagery and a lot of gothic Texas. You also get to see his funny side in stories like Mr weed eater. Wonderful stuff all around.

It must be noted the Lansdales writing is not for the squeamish or the easily offended. His stories are dark and sometimes very disturbing and he doesn’t shy away from any subjects. If that’s not an issue for you and you like horror and SOMEHOW missed out Joe Lansdale before, then this is for you.

[Melissa Leitner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Taychon Publications for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This was my first foray into anything Joe Lansdale, and I think it was the perfect way for me to get familiar with his work and explore his writing style. I have to say right off the bat that several stories contain vulgar, disgusting language to highlight how awful some of the characters are. It was used intentionally and with a purpose, but it did make me cringe each and every time. Fair warning for anyone looking into this particular collection. There were some extremely short stories in this collection and others that span many more pages. I thought the publisher and Lansdale did a fantastic job at staggering the story lengths to make the book flow together as a whole. As with any collection, I liked some stories more than others. Lansdale's writing overall is extremely visceral, and he was able to set the scene for each and every story within the first few lines. My favorite story in the collection was Bubba Ho-Tep, which is not a surprise because I love that movie so much (I also had no idea it was a short story before it was a movie until this year). I do think that this collection and Lansdale's writing are not going to be for every reader. It is gritty and violent, sometimes fun, sometimes only bleak. His writing really clicked for me, but I can see it not working for some others. I hesitate to recommend it to all horror readers, but seasoned ones should definitely check out Lansdale.

[D.K. Hundt · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE ESSENTIAL HORROR OF JOE R. LANSDALE

‘Lansdale mashes up crime, Gothic, mystery, fantasy, and science fiction, filtered through a raw, violent world of dark humor and unique characters.’

The Following Are My Favorites:

“The Folding Man” – Love This One! Creepy Good!

“The Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train” – Creepy Good!

“My Dead Dog Bobby” – A Very Creepy Short!

“Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back” – Creepy Good!

“Not From Detroit” – Love This One!

“The Hungry Snow” – Creepy Good!

“Dog, Cat, and Baby” – Love The Ending!

Thank you, NetGalley and Bizarre Hands LLC. (Tachyon Publications), for providing me with an ARC eBook of THE ESSENTIAL HORROR OF JOE R. LANSDALE at the request of an honest review.

[Lyle Boylen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Lansdale covers many different genres in his great body of work. Crime fiction, horror, pulp fiction, science fiction and westerns. This collection represents the best of his horror short stories. I had read all of these before at some point, but it was great to reread them all in one place. A great way to introduce yourself to the horror of Lansdale.

[Matt Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid assembly

I'd previously read most of these tales elsewhere over the years, though many of them were gems it was a treat to rediscover. If you're looking to introduce someone to Lansdale, this wouldn't be a bad place to start.

[Kayleigh Dobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give this a 3.5 but it deserves to be rounded up rather than down here. I think Lansdale's fans are gonna be very happy with this!

[Eamonn Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The Essential Horror Of Joe R. Lansdale’ contains what it says on the cover. An introduction by Joe Hill tells us how his father, Stephen King, introduced him to Joe Lansdale’s works one day when he was about thirteen. It’s clear that Hill, no mean horror writer himself, is a big fan. The stories follow, each with an interesting introduction by the author telling how it came about.

Like Hill’s famous father, Joe Lansdale doesn’t usually plot in advance but just makes it up as he goes along. The results are: interesting, outrageous, sickening, hilarious, and everything in between. Here are the stories.

Four young men are driving home after a late Halloween party, mostly sober, and pass a car full of nuns. One decides to moon at them. It’s exactly the sort of thing normal, silly young men do, but these are not normal nuns and have a deadly ally. ‘The Folding Man’ is a well-wrought chase story with some surprising twists.

‘Hoodoo Man And The Midnight Train’ is a weird western. Zachary, a Black gunsmith and hoodoo man, has to do a hundred good deeds to make up for a bad thing he did once. The narrator is James, a young man sold to Zach as a child by parents who didn’t want him. An old man comes in and wants Zach to rescue an innocent girl from a ghostly hoodoo train. Another good yarn. It seemed a bit wordy in places, but Lansdale puts words in an entertaining order, so you don’t mind much.

‘God Of The Razor’ is a scary creature feature set in a shabby old house where a man goes looking for antiques. Our hero finds himself on a rickety wooden staircase over a flooded basement full of rats, facing a deadly menace with a straight razor. Then things get worse.

‘My Dead Dog Bobby’ is about as dark as dark gets, especially for a dog lover. I think I have successfully blanked it from my mind. I did the same with ‘Feeders And Eaters’ by Neal Gaiman. Some horror is not for me.

‘Tight Little Stitches In A Deadman’s Back’ is a post-apocalyptic horror set after a strange and terrible plague. It’s told in the old-fashioned way, ‘From The Journal Of Paul Mardar’. Paul is safe, for now, but not happy. His wife is tattooing a blue mushroom on his back, and it hurts like hell. Then things get worse.

‘By Bizarre Hands’ is another one that might make you feel ill. Preacher Judd has heard about the Widow Case and her retarded girl and sets out in his black Dodge to find them before Halloween night. He has a powerful urge to baptise retarded girls. This is loosely based on a real preacher that Lansdale encountered when he was young. As usual, Lansdale delivers mounting tension, excitement and a gripping conclusion, but it left a bad taste. It’s meant to, I guess.

‘On the Far Side Of The Cadillac Desert With Dead Folk’ is a mad adventure story in which bounty hunter Wayne catches bad guy Calhoun, and then they both end up captured by a zombie religious cult that has occupied Disneyland. The members wear Mickey Mouse ears. Completely bonkers and enormous fun.

‘Love Doll: A Fable’ hints that a man should not treat a woman as an object. All of Lansdale’s heroes and villains are lusty men, quite open about their admiration for female bodies, who often express it in down-to-earth vernacular language, but he’s still a feminist.

‘Mister Weed-Eater’ is hilarious. A weed-eater in the USA is what we British call a ‘strimmer’. Technically, it’s a brand name, but they get called by it anyway, like Hoovers. Mister Harold is sitting watching TV one afternoon when a blind man comes by asking for help. He’s been tasked with cleaning up the four-acre grounds of a church next door using a weed eater rather than a mower but thinks he may have missed a bit. Unsurprisingly, he has. Mister Harold reluctantly goes to help, and the troubles pile on him one after the other in excruciating succession. A masterpiece of black comedy that should be made into a film.

‘The Bleeding Shadow’ goes like this. Richard is in the Blue Light joint drinking beer when ‘fine-looking’ Alma May comes in and asks him to find her brother, Tootie, a no-good waster who lives off her earnings as a whore and spends his time drinking and playing the blues, which he’s good at. Richard does some detective work but has no licence because ‘Black people couldn’t get a licence to shit broken glass in this town.’ He goes to the worst part of Chicago and finds that Tootie is involved with some supernatural goings-on involving blood-soaked records. Lansdale’s descriptions of indescribable music rival Lovecraft’s, and his prose sings.

‘Not From Detroit’ is a nice story about a happily married old couple who don’t want to be without each other. They would both rather die first than suffer the loneliness of surviving. Death comes calling in a black car which is, as the title says, not from Detroit.

‘The Hungry Snow’ features Reverend Mercer, a regular Lansdale character who fights evil in the weird Wild West. High in the Rockies, the Reverend comes across a group of settlers trapped in a cave by a Native American spirit monster…the Wendigo. They are very hungry. A solid ripping yarn delivered with the usual verve.

‘Dog, Cat, And Baby’ is a little fable about a couple who have a new baby and are worried the dog might hurt it. This often happens in real life and is something to bear in mind. Another dark one.

‘Bubba Ho-Tep’ is a classic. Not many people know that Elvis got fed up with his life of drugs, women and hangers-on and swapped places with an Elvis impersonator. He went to live in a trailer park and made a living as an Elvis impersonator, the best one around. He breaks his hip and ends up in the Shady Grove Rest Home, East Texas. No one believes he’s Elvis. The Lone Ranger is there, too, and JFK, who is black now and quite well read in occult matters, which is useful when a soul-eating mummy starts breaking into the home and killing people. This is hilarious. I’ve seen the film, a faithful adaptation, and it’s good fun, but reading the story is better, as usual.

‘Fish Night’ is a very odd tale about two men who break down in the desert and are witnesses to a rare aquatic vision. You couldn’t make it up, but Lansdale could. A quirky oddity and not his usual fare.

‘The Night They Missed ‘The Horror Show’ is about the most vicious kind of racism in the Texas that Lansdale grew up in and features, to be honest, frequent use of the ‘N’ word. This is one where two young men who are not very nice meet other men who are truly evil, with a young Black man caught in the middle. The horror show they missed is ‘Night Of The Living Dead’, which they refused to watch because the hero is black. Better for them if they had gone to the drive-in.

Joe Lansdale leaves you in no doubt about what little boys are made of and little girls, too. We’re made of shit, blood, fluids, bones that break and brains that leak or splatter. We’re also made of hate, jealousy, greed, spite, pettiness and, sometimes, now and then, love. Nearly every story is like a punch in the gut. The best/worst are like a kick in the groin, and they’re told in the language of the factory floor, the building site and the bar when it’s getting late. ‘The Essential Horror Of Joe Lansdale’ is not for the prudish or faint-hearted, but it’s dark, weird, glorious entertainment if you can stomach it.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for an advance copy of this collection featuring a writer who has never disappointed me, with works that cover his career, some adapted to film, some on television, and printed in numerous anthologies, and all of them disturbingly good, in their own way.

Unlike other genres I don't have one book that made me go, oh I like horror, I want to read more. There was Stephen King's Night Shift of course, but if one moved to any suburban town in the early 80's, I think a copy of that came with a basket of fruit from the welcoming committee. Abbot and Costello introduced me to the Universal monsters. Nothing comic related comes to mind, except Swamp Thing and cannibal films were on the illegal cable box, but so was scrambled porn, and I was more eager for that. So maybe it was Joe Lansdale that showed me the power, the majesty and the gore that was horror. I was working in a bookstore when a co-worker talked me into ordering limited edition books. Night Visions 8 was my first, and my introduction to Joe Lansdale. And what an introduction. The language was rough, the stories were yucky, and yet they were full of yuks and other odd humor. Also they were good, real good. Disturbing, dark, unsettling. Things I didn't know I needed. I admit I took Lansdale for granted, knowing that if I saw his name on an anthology, I would get at least one good story. Weird Western, science fiction pastiche, splatterpunk, mystery, revenge tale, all were good, many of them burned in my brain, the plots and the words. The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale features many of these stories, one's that made me wonder what is this, probably why is this, and finally where has this been all my life. Stories that scare, puzzle, amaze and might make one wonder about the human condition, and should we wind down the human experiment.

The book begins with some words from Joe Hill, who was introduced to Lansdale by his father, The King himself. As a writer Hill understand the process and what Lansdale does so well. From there we get the stories, with some brief comments from the author himself, where he got the ideas from, what was going on in life, and what the stories mean. There are a few award winners, and some stories that were cheated of awards. A few that were adapted to television, or nearly made it to television, along with a story about Elvis, JFK and a mummy, that is the inspiration for a great movie. Some splatterpunk stories, a dystopian future filled with zombie strippers in chains. Blind groundskeepers and the hidden life of dogs, cats and babies. And a Weird Western with Wendigos in a winter whiteout.

Lansdale is a dark writer. The world he writes of is dark, mean, evil, chaotic, and strange. Nuns driving the roads at night, looking for victims, or souls trapped on a midnight train. Good doesn't always win, even if good does, people don't know it. The victories against darkness are deep in the shadows were the normal people don't like to look. The language is rough, as are a lot of attitudes, but sadly this is the world we live in. The worst Lansdale conversation about women and race, is probably no different than what is said in the current White House, or even on Fox News. The stories are gross in some spots, but the characters are all unique, all real feeling, even the dark gods who appear. One can see this happening, on some stretch of road on the border of two states with a habit of weird things happening.

A really good introduction to a writer who has been unfairly ignored for as long as I have been reading him. If one likes this there are lot of other collections, even comic books to spend hard-earned money on. A really good author who always delivers, something I can't say about a lot of writers.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever heard a name and thought you knew who they were talking about but couldn’t figure out why? Joe Lansdale is that person for me. I have read The Drive-In, and the movie Bubba Ho-Tep is a guilty pleasure of mine, but for some reason I never make the connection to Mr. Lansdale. So when my wonderful friends on #BookSky pointed out this collection was available for an Advanced Reader Copy I threw my name in the hat. Thank you so much to the publisher Tachyon Publications and NetGalley for granting me this privilege. The book will be released on October 7, 2025.

How fitting to have a little Joe on Joe acation to kick this anthology off. The legendary Joe Hill writes the introduction to this collection. My favorite thing Joe Hill said in his introduction is referring to Lansdale’s writing style:

“Joe was painting with leaded gasoline, shitty beer, ruptured organs, and mother’s tears”
I completely know what he means. Lansdale’s writing is the goofy, gritty, for lack of a better term, trashy style that makes his stories so much fun to read. Check out the story list:

The Folding Man
The Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train
God of the Razor
My Dead Dog Bobby
Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back
By Bizarre Hands
On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks
Love Doll: A Fable
Mr. Weed-Eater
The Bleeding Shadows
Not from Detroit
The Hungry Snow
Dog, Cat, and Baby
Bubba Ho-Tep
Fish Night
Night They Missed the Horror Show
This collection is not all pure horror, but compasses all kinds of Horror sub genres that even included some sci-fi horror. Some of my personal favorites were, Bubba Ho-Tep, The Folding Man, and The Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train.

Each of these stories had something that resonated with me. Bubba Ho-Tep was so much fun to read what the Bruce Campbell classic was based off of. The folding man started out with a bunch of boys mooning a car full of nuns that reminded me of my own high school days, and The Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train had kind of a Dark Tower Roland Deschain feel to it.

As for the review part. This book was a hard read for me. Where I loved the aforementioned stories and there were others that were really good, I struggled to stick with this one. I love an anthology and usually try to read a story a day, but this one I took long breaks to read other things in between stories. A couple of stories I also just didn’t care for which cased a struggle to just finish those. I will not say which ones were not my favorite so as to not put that seed of negativity out there for a future reader.

Overall this was a solid 🥃🥃🥃 read for me. I’m so glad I read this and would recommend it to anyone who a fan of the twisted and weird kind of story.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

In which, unexpectedly, Joe. R the moralist makes his case. I suppose it's no great insight to point out his essential liberal values when one of Lansdale's series characters is a gay Black man in East Texas, and especially when you go back to the start and encounter Leonard's best friend Hap's origin point as 60s survivor, but nonetheless these stories highlight that theme even more strongly. It can sometimes be obscured by his gleeful scatology (the number of similes here that utilize bodily-function imagery would have Raymond Chandler...let's not finish that thought), robustly goopy violence, and smartmouth voice, but he's truly angry at the ignorance and meanness he grew up around, and that comes through.

Not all of these really count as horror, I'd say--there's the outrageous tall tale about the blind man hired to mow the seedy church nextdoor; the weird westerns; the feminist parable that joins, or I suppose heads, the line of blow-up-doll/sex -robot stories I've been running into more and more (just read another one to open Kristina Ten's collection); is someone doing a feminist sexbot anthology? Does that already exist? But many are, in some variety. There are some funny, gory short-shorts involving animals (love the dog/cat/baby one that looks like it's going to be mini-Cujo but veers way worse); the Lovecraftian Erich Zann rewrite, except with Texas blues (where you are required by law to do the sound-from-beyond bit, which he casts in a blues idiom and which works great--anthology idea #2: blues-collector horror); the zombie caper one; the indelible "Bubba Ho-Tep" and "The Night They Missed the Picture Show," which I remembered almost all of but hadn't clocked (which, duh, he points out is literally repeated in the story) is set off by the protagonists' refusal to watch Night of the Living Dead because the hero is Black, for which they are duly punished.

I'd read "Bubba Ho-Tep" and remembered it well (it was in a mummy anthology, so you can check that box off), but I'd forgotten how funny it was--the mummy looks like an East Texas shitkicker, because of course he does. And there are a couple straight horror ones, like the razor one (amazing how quick he gets to it, too), which...yeah, was in that Word Horde Ripper anthology a while back; I have not read a lot of Ripperology, but the widespread sense of him as a timeless figure, an incarnation of some principle, is...an interesting aspect of Ripper culture, and the zombie/flower apocalypse, which has an appropriately despairing end-times vibe. And, above it all, of course, that bitten-off, laconic, smart-ass voice. Long may he reign.

[Joe Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Lansdale has a new collection of horror short stories coming out. This is a huge career-spanning retrospective full of horror stories a-plenty, offbeat humor, elder gods, despicable humans, sarcasm, satire, and enough East Texas insanity to fill an El Camino. For fans of Lansdale, chances are this collection contains one or two charms that have yet to be rubbed. For Lansdale novices? Hoo-boy. Pull yourself a tall drink. Turn off the lights. Text your mom that you love her. And jump on in.

Welcome to the family.

The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale contains sixteen punches to the gut. You see, Joe doesn’t write clever little campfire tales or rip-offs from season five of the Twilight Zone. No, no. Joe fires a shotgun into a terrorizing night sky, picks up the pieces from the scattershot, and lights it all on fire. He then forges those embers of the unexpected into something new, and twisted, and 100% unsettling. And man, it’s good.

This compendium covers it all. The classic “Bubba Ho-tep”. The heartfelt “Not From Detroit”. The brutal “God of the Razor”. The once-upon-a-time-insane-but-now-perhaps-notso-much “Night They Missed the Horror Show”. And this is all kicked into gear with a wild, palette-setting introduction by a man who needs no introduction, Joe Hill.

Now, admittedly, Joe conducts some pretty far out tunes. And not every melody is a number you can tap your toes to. “My Dead Dog Bobby” might not be a beat for certain animal lovers. But “The Folding Man” and “Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train” are sure to jazz your soul. Or can help exhume your long dead Aunt Renee.

The wonderful thing about this compilation – other than the fact that such a celebration like this one exists – is that you can nibble away at it a little at a time. Or, you can go full on Cthulhu and swallow the damn thing whole. Either path you choose, you’re going to be a better human when you get to the end.

Or at least a different one. Maybe one that howls away at full moons. It’s possible.

The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale is an imaginative, supernatural treat of an anthology that is sharp, authentic, and truly dark. Damn, it’s a good read.


For more damn good reads... or just another chance to howl at moon... bark on over to Read @ Joe's for more reviews like this one.

[Elli (Kindig Blog) · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘Some horror writers will take you to the edge, but Joe Lansdale usually leaves the edge behind by page 2.’

For my October ARC reads I love to just request Horror books. I had never heard of Joe R Lansdale but seeing him described as ‘World Horror Grandmaster’, I thought an anthology of his greatest work would be the best way to kick off my own spooky season.

One thing that struck me immediately with Lansdale’s work is that his stories are ‘Southern Gothic’, in a style which reminded me of some of Stephen King’s earlier books. He very much focuses on the evil of people, and his characters are visceral and leave an impact. I also enjoyed the forward by Joe Hill, which I’ve quoted from at the beginning of this review, and the author’s introduction to each of his stories, which gives some background information about the inspiration for the story or how it was received.

I really enjoyed ‘God of the Razor’ and ‘Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back’ (which also strays into apocalyptic horror which I particularly enjoy).

I then read ‘By Bizarre Hands’ and I must admit, this really put me off the entire anthology. I understand that it was a short story that was originally published in the 1980s, but the entire story is littered with the N word and the R word throughout. I skipped this one about a quarter of the way in and started ‘On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk’ but this again had the N word in it as well as a lot of derogatory sentiments about women, which I just couldn’t read. I understand that Lansdale is perhaps trying to show how evil these characters are, but I don’t think that including this in an anthology published in 2025 is a good choice. I’m not suggesting censorship, but perhaps it’s better to leave stories with this language in the time in which it was written.

I ended up DNFing this book - there are some good ideas and some creepy stories in here, but I found the choice of language to be outdated and offensive for a book published in 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For more of my reviews check out Kindig Blog

[Alison Faichney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a collection. I hadn’t read any of Lansdale’s works prior, but he’s one of those authors I’ve heard much about so he’s always been on my radar. This collection is top tier. The stories are all so different and hit varying degrees of horror. Lansdale goes fairly hard with the darkness and gore, but it’s never just for shock value. I’d align some of these stories with the splatterpunk genre, and while splatterpunk isn’t typically my jam, the messaging imbued throughout made each story a great read. Almost all of these stories were five stars for me, so I can’t praise this collection enough.

Favorites? Hard to say but I loved the vibes of Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back. If The Ruins by Scott Smith met the apocalypse then you’d get Tight Little Stitches. I also love love loved The Bleeding Shadow. It’s a homage to Lovecraft coupled with an urban legend about a cursed record. I vividly remember being a kid and reading about the song Gloomy Sunday by Billie Holiday (the “suicide” song). It terrified me enough to Limewire it and debate back and forth on listening to it. I wasn’t suicidal but I was a fairly superstitious (or maybe just a little stitous 😉) kid and was halfway convinced those 3min may drive me places I hadn’t intended. I was also a reckless kid and did listen to it. Also Bubba Ho Tep. I had no idea Lansdale wrote Bubba Ho Tep. My dad showed it to me when I was much too young to appreciate it, but I just assumed Bubba Ho Tep was an already known character or something. So, reading the OG story was a full circle moment for me.

There are some concerns I would have recommending this one. It hits most of the major trigger warnings and there’s significant use of the n-word. Most of these stories 30+ years ago so I would keep that in mind when thinking on this collection. Lansdale has a very distinct voice and manages to slip into different characters and styles with ease. I found each story to have substance and significance and really vibed with it overall. Definitely recommend for fans of classic horror but this has something for everyone. Please just be aware of potentially triggering content.

[Adam Sorensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale" is a fantastic collection of genre stories that shows the wide talent of Lansdale's work even within the horror genre. Contained within this anthology are Dark Westerns, post-apocalyptic monster yarns, Zombie road-trips, music-infused Lovecraftian terror, and a whole host of eerie tales.

Lansdale's strength in writing complex, nasty characters is at the forefront here, with many entries that are likely to make your skin crawl. But all of these stories reveal something about the time in which they were written, an uncomfortable truth where the horror is found in the straight line we can see to the real world. There are countless unsavoury characters who tread mucky waters in these stories, so if you're looking for some truly dark, challenging, and splattery horrror this Halloween season then look no further.

What *really* sets this retrospective collection apart are Lansdale's introductions that we get at the start of each new story. As a newcomer to his work, these were fantastic at providing a sense of place for when each story was constructed and how they came to be. I really wish more collections would do this, it's so valuable!

Some of my absolute favourite entries in this collection included:
"The Folding Man"
"God of the Razor"
"Tight Little Stitches in a Deadman’s Back”
"On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk"
"The Bleeding Shadow”, and
"Fish Night"


Each of these stories were brilliantly distinct from one another, and offered a new perspective to Lansdale's talents in the horror space.

Massive thanks to the team at Tachyon Publications for providing an advanced copy of this one! The collection drops on the 7th of October, definitely check this one out.

[Lena Reads Everything · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is filled with monsters, human cruelty, ironic deaths, and everyday moments twisted into disturbingly uncomfortable tales.

The stories that fascinated me most were those rooted in classic urban legends. The Folding Man, a terrifying creature that stalks you while you’re driving with a car full of nuns, was a standout. I also loved The Hungry Snow, where a community faces a Wendigo, and Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back, a haunting exploration of grief and regret in a world overrun by zombie-like beings. The shorter pieces, such as Love Doll, My Dead Dog Bobby, and Not from Detroit, were also strong highlights

That said, there were a handful of stories I struggled with and nearly skipped. Perhaps that’s part of the horror - recognising that such vile, believable characters might actually exist. The realism in those moments was deeply unsettling

Still, I can’t deny that the writing itself was excellent. The prose was immersive and gritty, pulling me into each world even when I didn’t want to be there. I wasn’t necessarily scared while reading, but I often felt uneasy, uncomfortable, and kind of disgusted which I think was the author’s intent.

Some stories I absolutely loved, while others left me feeling genuinely disturbed not because of the horror, but because of the racially offensive language and appalling characters. I understand these were part of the stories, yet it made me want to know more about the intent behind these choices.

Overall, this collection was a blend of brilliance and discomfort - definitely a mixed bag for me! 3.5/5

Thanks to Tachyon Publications and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Available from the 7th October, 2025.

[Michael Fredette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale

A new compendium of Joe R. Lansdale’s best short horror fiction. Some highlights include:

“The Folding Man”—A harmless prank on Halloween night causes a carload of young men to run afoul of a group of demonic nuns and the monstrous Folding Man.

“The Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train”— In this Weird Western, an enslaved boy, apprenticed to a gunsmith and hoodoo practitioner, attempts to rescue an innocent young woman, betrayed by a cowardly paramour, from the torments of the demonic midnight train.

“The God of the Razor”— A precursor to Lansdale’s classic Splatterpunk novel The Nightrunners.

“Tight Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back”*—A scientist who helped develop nuclear weapons contends with survivor guilt in the wake of a nuclear war.

“By Bizarre Hands”*—A Gothic tale about traveling preacher with a terrible secret; reminiscent of Flannery O’Connor.

“On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks”*— During a zombie apocalypse, a bounty hunter and his quarry are kidnapped by a cult leader and mad scientist and face a horrific fate.

“Bubba Ho Tep”—Two nursing home patients—one who believes himself to be Elvis and another who believes he’s JFK—battle an ancient mummy.

“The Night They Missed the Horror Show”*—Two bored redneck kids rescue a Black classmate from a brutal beating and unwittingly deliver him to a worse fate.

With an introduction by Joe Hill.

*Indicates a story that I re-read and enjoyed as much—or more than—I did the first time.

***

***
Joe R. Lansdale is “…the last surviving Splatterpunk, sanctified in the blood of the walking Western dead.” (The Austin Chronicle) Lansdale is the author of the Edgar Award-winning The Bottoms.

[Missy (myweereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Even with all that he had faced, vampires, werewolves, walking dead and monsters from the edges of time, he felt his skin crawl."

Joe R. Lansdale's upcoming collection features various works spanning his career. Some of these are deeply routed in the dark and macabre, monsters that are supernatural as well as humanm science fiction, Lovecraftian and so much more.

The author does great work in incorporating these unsettling tales with very real points of view on violence and racism.

Featured in this collection are the following:

Introduction by Joe Hill
“The Folding Man”
“Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train”
“God of the Razor”
“My Dead Dog Bobby”
“Tight Little Stitches in a Deadman’s Back”
“By Bizarre Hands”
On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk
“Love Doll: A Fable”
“Mister Weed-Eater”
“The Bleeding Shadow”
“Not From Detroit”
“The Hungry Snow”
“Dog, Cat, and Baby”
Bubba Ho-tep
“Fish Night”
“Night They Missed the Horror Show”

A lot of these have stuck with me and I won't be forgetting them anytime soon. If anything this has made me want to pick up more by Joe R. Lansdale.

Many thanks to @tachyonpublications for a copy which is published 07 October 2025