Dead Funny

Dead Funny #1

by Robin Ince (Editor), Johnny Mains (Editor), Reece Shearsmith (Contributor)

What happens when mirth turns to murder? When the screams are not from joy, but flesh-ripping pain? Dead Funny is an audacious anthology, featuring tales of terror from some of the brightest lights in UK comedy.

Award winners Robin Ince and Johnny Mains team up for this unique exploration of the relationship between comedy and horror to see if they do, as believed, make the most comfortable of bedfellows.

Featuring the talents of
MITCH BENN, KATY BRAND, NEIL EDMOND, RICHARD HERRING, CHARLIE HIGSON, MATTHEW HOLNESS, RUFUS HOUND, ROBIN INCE, PHILL JUPITUS, TIM KEY, STEWART LEE, MICHAEL LEGGE, AL MURRAY, SARA PASCOE, REECE SHEARSMITH, DANIELLE WHEELER

DEAD FUNNY
You’ll die screaming.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Comedy, Humor, Paranormal

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Robin Ince is an English comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox.

In 2005, Ince began running the Book Club night at The Albany, London, where acts are encouraged to perform turns of new and experimental material. The club gets its name from Ince's attempts to read aloud from, and humorously criticise, various second-hand books which the audience brought in for the occasion. The Book Club proved to be so successful that Ince took it on a full UK tour in 2006. In 2010, Ince published a book entitled Robin Ince's Bad Book Club about his favourite books that he has used for his shows.

~Wikipedia

Reviews

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The nitty-gritty: A healthy dose of horror from famous British comedians, and a unique collection, but only moderately successful, in this reader's opinion.

So, under normal circumstances, stand-up comedy and I don’t get along very well. It’s too bad, because I have some genuine comedians in my family (and by genuine, I mean they get paid to stand up and say funny things!) My sense of humor often clashes with those around me. My husband, for example, tends to enjoy telling me jokes, most of them pretty terrible. Hence my disdain of canned humor. So why am I telling you all this? I guess to explain my reaction to Dead Funny, a new short story collection from the respectable and always interesting UK publisher, Salt Publishing, whose books I’ve enjoyed immensely.

Co-editor Robin Ince says in his Introduction, “… remember that the goriest deaths will have been created while the writer was imagining their worst heckler. Interrupt at a comedy club at your peril, now you know you what goes on in the minds of the stand-up.” I was very curious to read a collection of fiction written by comedians, because while I may not always enjoy stand-up comedy, I do love humor in my fiction. Glancing through the list of contributors, it didn’t surprise me that I only recognized one name, Charlie Higson. After all, I’m an American who doesn’t really follow comedy in the first place.

This collection is quite varied, both in subject matter and skill level, and I was surprised to discover that when comedians sit down to pen horror stories, the results aren't necessarily funny. Some of them are very well written, but others read like comedy routines instead of short stories. Out of the sixteen stories in this collection, I really enjoyed five of them, I liked six others, I was frankly baffled by or did not like the writing of four of them, and downright HATED one story. (And I don’t think I’ve ever said I’ve hated something on this blog before!) So quite the mixed bag.

Here are the five stories that I thought were well-crafted and creepy and yes, had some black humor as well:

The Patient by Mitch Benn

A man whose wife and daughter were killed in a car accident abducts the man responsible and tortures him in his basement. A twist near the end was a nice surprise and made this one of my favorites.

Possum by Matthew Holness

This story was crazy and sick, but I thought it was really well done. A disturbed man who makes puppets tries to destroy one of them, but the puppet doesn’t go down quietly. I’m not sure I completely understood this story. The man goes back to his childhood home and tries to get his father (?) to help him destroy the puppet. It was just weird. But in a good way!

For Roger by Katy Brand

This was my favorite of the bunch. It had a fantastic Twilight Zone vibe to it. A man discovers a hidden diary in his attic, but strangely, the diary appears to predict the future. This story shows us that knowing what will happen in the future is not necessarily a good thing.

Anthemoessa by Phill Jupitus

In some versions of mythology, Anthemoessa was the island home of the Sirens. In this story, a man (again with all the male characters!) who is trying to climb the corporate ladder, gets caught up in the siren song of two mysterious women, and unfortunately for him, follows them. This story was very well written and also very funny. This was the vibe I was expecting from all the stories in this collection.

Filthy Night by Charlie Higson

Another funny story that I really enjoyed! An aging horror actor visits the home of one of his fans, to see his movie memorabilia collection. I loved the surprise twist at the end (although I didn’t care for the punchy comedy “last line”). More humor than horror, but still very good.

I have to mention the story that set my teeth on edge, the one I didn’t like at all. It was called Dog by Reece Shearsmith. The writing was pretty good, and Shearsmith certainly has the talent to give us a gut-wrenching story. But unfortunately, it was about a psychopath who kills dogs, and since I’m a dog person, I just couldn’t stomach it. Perhaps the author meant to elicit such a response, and if that was his intention, then bravo!

So while the concept of having comedians write short horror stories was certainly a good idea, this collection only manages to sort of pull it off. But as Johnny Mains says in his Foreword, “It’s an experiment in terror. Not all of the stories will make you laugh. Some of them might make you vomit or be scared to go outdoors after 6 p.m.” Johnny, I believe you hit the nail on the head.

Big thanks to Salt Publishing for supplying a review copy.

This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Funny is a compilation of short horror stories written by comedians. With contributions from the likes of Richard Herring, Stewart Lee, Sarah Pascoe, Al Murray and many more, most of the authors are household names here in England, but are probably little known (if at all) State-side. That doesn’t matter though, given the talent on display.

As with any bunch of short stories, some are good, some are just OK, and some are fantastic. Surprisingly (to me, anyway), none of my favourites turned out to be written by my favourite comics – Stewart Lee got himself in the OK column – and three in particular have made me eager for their authors to write more. Robin Ince, who co-edited the book, gets the highest accolade from me thanks to the utterly fantastic Most Out Of Character, in which a man ashamedly (and hilariously) watches himself devolve into some sort of zombie. Phil Jupitus’ Anthemoessa was also brilliant, as a wannabe City trader gets himself ensnared by some sirens, and Michael Legge’s The Dream of Nightmares told of a woman who uses her husband’s clairvoyant sleeptalking to propel herself to national crime-solving fame. Meanwhile, Possum simply had me very concerned about Matthew Holness (of Garth Merenghi’s Darkplace) and convinced that he should be put on some sort of watchlist.

A quick and entertaining read, I’d happily pick up another volume of these should one be written. And now I’m looking forward even more to the other Robin Ince book I got for Christmas.

**Also posted at Cannoball Read 11**

[Owen Townend · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was curious to see how some of Britain's best comedians handled both the short story form and the horror genre. The results were surprising.

Dead Funny is a varied collection of tales that range from disquieting to disgusting, collected by Robin Ince of The Infinite Monkey Cage fame. Six of the thirteen male authors emphasised gore in their stories as the key horror element while the rest tended towards uncanny discoveries and human tragedy. Meanwhile the three female authors opted more for human tragedy, with two using male characters to amke uncanny discoveries.

More often than not I was disappointed with the way these stories ended. The worst offenders concluded with spookiness that seemed unrelated to the themes raised earlier in the plot or treated plot as a stand-up routine that they presumably hoped would linger in the reader's mind in a suitably scary way. In fact, Dead Funny is full of perfect examples of why it is hard to write horror. While comedians often employ a dark sense of humour and misanthropy in their acts, it takes a very particular creative brain to make it work within short fiction.

Only two out of sixteen authors in this collection penned a story that I found truly satisfying from start to finish. Some wrote gripping beginnings, others wrote resonant endings and more than a couple wrote in such a style that baffled me too much to feel thrilled. That being said, all these talented comedians wrote at least one joke that raised a chuckle. If only they could have startled me too.

That being said, I recommend Dead Funny to those who want to read a scary tale from the mind behind Garth Marenghi or are curious to see how disturbing panel show favourites like Sarah Pascoe and Richard Herring can be.

Notable Stories

• The Patient by Mitch Benn – a cold, clinical tale of bloody revenge and even bloodier irony.

• For Roger by Katy Brand – a moving story of cruel foreknowledge, dulled by a weak ending.

• Filthy Night by Charlie Higson – a love letter to Hammer Horror and the fans that keep it alive.

[Ross Maclean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely hit and miss — and some of the misses are pretty extreme. Highlights include Michael Legge, Charlie Higson, Stewart Lee, Katy Brand, Reece Shearsmith, Mitch Benn and Danielle Ward (also credited as Wheeler). Some laudable stabs at form-busting that aren’t always successful but certainly welcome. Most surprising is just how much recurring imagery there is across the disparate stories. It’s not surprising which of the comedians have successful prose careers outside of this anthology.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always thought that the first book I ever really enjoyed was at 12 years old when I first got my hands on the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy but this was untrue. I recently discovered that my previous favourite and the epicentre of my fear of being buried alive was three years earlier, in the shape of R.L Stine’s ‘One day at Horrorland.’ I genuinely believed that my love of media rested exclusively in the ‘comedy’ camp. It is only recently I’ve discovered it was equally divided between comedy and horror. So it was inevitable I would discover and enjoy ’Dead Funny’.

Dead Funny is a collection of short horror stories edited by (horror fiction authority figure) Johnny Mains and co-edited by (comedian, actor, writer and broadcaster) Robin Ince. The stories are written exclusively by comedians and though some of them will make you laugh briefly, (I’m fairly sure Richard Herring’s is an amazing story I heard him mention on a podcast) they are horror stories and not comedy.

Right out’ve the gate Reece Shearsmith writes a story so visceral that I remember it every time I go to a park, but it also had such a specific blend of dark humour that you would’ve known exactly who had written it even if it hadn’t been clearly stated. It made me feel very uneasy many times, such as making me want to kick a blind child into a fire. Sara Pascoe creeped me out so much I re-told her story to everyone I met for two days. Charlie Higson’s story is really satisfying and has a slightly higher quality that reeks of ‘I do this for a living now’. Robin Ince has a great twist on a thoroughly explored horror genre that has the hallmarks of a workaholic comedian who sits around thinking up horror stories every time he is left alone without a microphone. Al Murray does the equivalent of a creepy documentary and Michael Legge utilised his infamously bottomless well of frustration and rage to craft one of the most satisfying stories in the book.

For at least a couple of the authors I know this is the first time they’ve attempted to write anything like this. Some of them didn’t really work for me though some of the stories I loved really irritated other people. Dead Funny has resurrected my love for horror stories, and made me want to go mad so I can write some. It is a satisfying read with a lot more authors than I’ve stated, I can’t imagine you are going to be crying yourself to death after reading them but I enjoyed them a hell of a lot.

I have genuinely had nightmares for the whole week I was reading Dead Funny, though that’s probably a lot more to do with my decaying mental stability and impending breakdowns than with these stories. Except Sara Pascoe’s story A Spider Remember which creeped me out permanently and has supplied me with a semi-permanent twitch. Copies of Dead Funny, at the moment at least, are available in a very physically attractive small format hardback book, and there’s a sequel collection on the way so you should buy it even if you just want to look more interesting to other people.

[Alex Sarll]

Comedy and horror have always been closer bedfellows than you might expect; Ince's introduction talks about comedians as often being the weird kids who like spooky shit, but it surely goes deeper than that, with both forms being dependent on mood and timing, out to garner an incontrovertible physical response rather than mere intellectual approval. And certainly in recent years there have been an increasing number of stand-ups who are interested in garnering emotions other than amusement, whether that be with harrowing confessional shows, or the offbeat and not necessarily humour-centred storytelling of Daniel Kitson (the foremost name I wish had been include here who isn't). So this project makes perfect sense, even if the results are inevitably as variable as any anthology or any comedy night line-up. I think I found Matthew Holness' story the most gruesome; turns out he can do horror straight, not just spoof it, if he so wishes. The eeriest is probably Stewart Lee's, despite it owing less to MR James than early indicators suggest, and being a reprint of a New Statesman piece which itself was largely a repurposing of a rejection from Shortlist - but hey, if ever there was a comic who turned flogging a dead horse into an artform... And my favourite single sentence was from a comic I don't know, Danielle Wheeler: "She looked up her symptoms on the internet bit could find nothing for 'Play-Doh men dancing in your soul'" - though Phill Jupitus deserves an honourable mention for how well he captures the ghastliness of drinking anywhere near Fenchurch Street. The biggest problem is the sequencing, which clusters stories on similar themes together to the benefit of none of them; the unreliable narrators hanging around near the beginning could profitably have been mingled with the various deaths foretold towards the end.

[Gin Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scooped from the minds of some of the best comedic talent our native soil has to offer, if you ever thought that someone who sold laughs for a living must have a sinister side, Dead Funny is proof you’re not wrong.

Ranging from morbidly grotesque to the psychologically disturbed and including – on occasion – a macabre come-uppance, Dead Funny is a back to back riot of dark short stories, not entirely suitable to be read at bedtime.

If you love horror – buy it, if you love comedy – buy it also.

Top picks for hitting the sick spot . . .

‘All Warm Inside’ by Neil Edmond for the proper slash and gore fans amongst us. Tidy, intriguing and a beautiful attention to detail in describing the horrific abomination of a madman’s handywork.

‘The Dream of Nightmares’ by Michael Legge – a brilliant mix of crime, egotism and the bleak, bleak reality of a grey existence seeking a little glamour and glitter to, of course, deadly consequences.

Then when you’re ready for a taste of something entirely different – Katy Brand’s ‘For Roger’, a gentler tale of impending inevitability, tragedy and death in suburbia.

Got to love Phil Jupitus’ ‘Anthemoessa’ as well – a moralistic tale of siren song and arsehole bankers, but I think mostly a serving suggestion on how the world could be made a less toxic place.

Tipping a nod and a wink to the old school horror anthologies which the kids probably think they’re too cool for (you’re not), don’t expect to laugh out loud every minute you’re nose deep in Dead Funny, prepare yourself for a little queasy feeling instead.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

In common with all compilations not every story hits the spot but most did in my opinion in this collection.

Dog is what you would expect from Reece Shearsmith. Dark and funny with a clever twist at the end. Liked it very much. Arachnophobes best steer clear of Sara Pascoe's A Spider Remember whilst Mitch Benn's The Patient is a thing of beauty if you love revenge.

Guessed what was going on in Al Murray's For Everyone's Good but that did not ruin the story then Stewart Lee's A View From a Hill is wonderfully odd.

The entries from Robin Ince and Matthew Holness didn't work for me but that is the thing about reading. Others will love their stories. For Roger by Katy Brand on the other hand did work for me. Cracking tale.

Richard Herring, Tim Key, Rufus Hound, Danielle Wheeler, Phil Jupitus, Michael Legge, Neil Edmond and Charlie Higson all worthy reads especially Charlie Higson's tribute to UK horror films from the likes of Hammer and Amicus.

Ray Smillie

[Thomas Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of short horror stories (and one poem), all written by comedians. The stories vary wildly in topic and quality, but seem to centre around common themes of isolation, loss of control, delusion. I'm familiar enough with the comedy careers of the writers that I could definitely feel each one's voice in their stories: Stewart Lee's piece is essentially a long, self-indulgent monologue; Reece Shearsmith rubs the reader's face in awfulness before a final superfluous but satisfying twist; Tim Key writes a fun and oddly sweet little poem. I did have a good time with this collection, and phraes like "viscous dog" will stay with me for a long while. There's a second one of these, and I'll definitely be picking it up.

[Jill Lamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was slightly misled I feel - though these stories are written by comedians and the title implies that they are humorous this is not actually the case. They are a mixed bag of short stories, some better than others. But none of them are funny.

[Lostaccount · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfunny, crass stories that read like the first efforts of a creative writing class for children. And it hurts me to say that, because I actually like some of the comedians in the book, which is why I started reading it in the first place, but the book is bloody awful.

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got halfway through and gave up. Only my third DNF in over 500 books. The title should be prosecuted under the Trades Description Act.

[Edward Buckton]

Highlights include The Patient by Mitch Benn, the heartwrenching For Roger by Katy Brand, and Filthy Night by Charlie Higson.

Possum was also compelling, though my experience was coloured by the film adaptation being a favourite of mine.

My favourite was Most Out of Character by Robin Ince; I may be biased (his work was the reason I sought this collection out), but I was fascinated by his exploration of conscious behaviour versus unconscious desire.

[Liv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horror and comedy go together better than any married couple. That's why this collection of average stories still managed to entertain me.

I don't have much to say, but here are the stories that stood out most to me:
Mitch Benn - The Patient
Matthew Holness - Possum
Katy Brand - For Roger
Richard Herring - Woolboy
Phill Jupitus - Anthemoessa

Now for the bad stuff:
Tim Key's was utterly pointless.
Sara Pascoe's read like a tikok pov.
Rufus Hound's was overly pretentious.

Now I have to bring up Reece Shearsmith because he is God to me. I thought it was unfair to include him in this collection as he is definitely considered a horror creator as opposed to the other contributors' straight-up comedy. However, his story wasn't my favourite. It was still a standout as he can do very little wrong.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johnny Mains returns as editor to the short story format, with his second anthology of 2014 (following April's Best British Horror 2014. This time he brings with him renowned comedian, writer and broadcaster Robin Ince to co-edit DEAD FUNNY, a collection of short horror stories written by comedians. High concept, but does it pay off? The answer, by and large, is yes; as with all multi-author anthologies, there will be one or two stories that don't click with each reader, but there is enough variety here to ensure that any genre fan will find a number of stories to their liking. The contents are as follows:

DOG by Reece Shearsmith
A tale of a young boy blinded by contact with dog faeces, and the retribution that follows. A strong opening salvo played entirely straight, without any of the black comedy Shearsmith is known for - which works in the story's favour.
A SPIDER REMEMBER by Sara Pascoe
A dream (or not) of a spider becomes something much, much worse. An arachnophobe's worst nightmare writ large - a literal skin-crawler.
THE PATIENT by Mitch Benn
Another tale of retribution, this time from a medical perspective. A thoroughly downbeat story, with an ending worthy of the best of EC Comics.
FOR EVERYONE'S GOOD by Al Murray
An extended internal monologue, written from the point of view of a patient (inmate?) at an asylum in the 1940s, Murray's contribution is one of the few that didn't work for me.
A VIEW FROM A HILL by Stewart Lee
(After M.R. James) A meta-tale of a writer, Stewart Lee, struggling to write a short story whilst being sidetracked by writing a second piece, memories of an old friend and one magical night at the Uffington White Horse. For those familiar with Lee's stand-up, it is impossible to read this story without hearing it intoned by the man himself - a fact which only adds to the experience.
MOST OUT OF CHARACTER by Robin Ince
A curiously comic tale about extreme loss of self-control, this entry contains my favourite line in the collection: "He had a morbid fear of meeting Morrissey and smelling of mince or bacon".
POSSUM by Matthew Holness
A Frankensteinian mechanical puppet, made from bits of animals (including the titular possum) takes centre stage here. I didn't really follow the story, but that didn't stop me being disturbed by the feel of it.
FOR ROGER by Katy Brand
While chasing a mouse in his attic, Roger finds a diary which he wrote, to himself, in the future, predicting his wife's death. An examination of fate vs free-will, expertly put together. One of the best in the collection.
WOOLBOY by Richard Herring
Dolls are creepy. Life-sized dolls, staring out the windows of abandoned houses in the dark, ten times so.
HALLOWEEN by Tim Key
A 14 line piece of flash fiction about a Halloween prank, more than half of which is footnote. There's not much else I can say, for fear of the review becoming longer than the story itself.
FIXED by Rufus Hound
A stream-of-consciousness nightmare. About halfway through I knew where this story would end up. I was wrong.
IN LOVING MEMORY OF NERYS BAG by Danielle Wheeler
Another tale of predestination; will Nerys Bag die as predicted, or can she get out of it? There's a lesson here: don't play with Ouija boards. Will they never learn..?
ANTHEMOESSA by Phill Jupitus
A modern-day siren song, named for the island on which they lived. Entertaining, but the ending left me cold.
THE DREAM OF NIGHTMARES by Michael Legge
Is Gwen's husband just talking in his sleep, or is he unconsciously solving crimes? And, if the latter, can his prediction be altered?
ALL WARM INSIDE by Neil Edmond
A man wakes, not knowing who he is or why there's a destroyed corpse in the room. A story like this is all about the conclusion which in this case, while not bad, feels like a bit of a let down. That said, it does feature the lasting image of a man reaching into his own anus to find out if he is battery-powered.
FILTHY NIGHT by Charlie Higson
An interview with a horror icon becomes a tale of real monsters in this satisfying, if lightweight, closing piece.

The success or failure of DEAD FUNNY, as with any anthology, lies with the stories themselves. It is a tribute to both the authors and the editors that this collection, written in part by contributors who (one assumes) are not used to the short story format, comes together in a coherent and thoroughly enjoyable way.

[Jonathan Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Funny is a pleasingly unique horror anthology, with the twist being that each ghastly tale is written by a comedian. Being a huge fan of both comedy and horror I was excited by such a prospect, and while there are some weaker tales the pace remains fun, varied and enjoyably written.

While I was expecting the stories to lean heavily towards the comedy element, I was surprised to find that there were plenty of unnerving moments lurking amidst the mirth. The collection begins with one such story, “Dog”, penned by the reliably black-souled creator of League of Gentlemen and Inside No. 9, Reece Shearsmith. Risking controversy, this genuinely nasty piece revolves around a young man’s vicious revenge upon those he holds responsible for the blinding of his younger brother: a selection of dog owners, and their pets. It’s not a tale for the easily shocked and functions as a warning for readers expecting the book to be a barrel of light-hearted giggles.

Following this was another of my favourites, another bleak and laughter-free entry by Sara Pascoe entitled “Spider Remember”. Short yet far from sweet, it’s a story of love, madness and arachnid abominations. This was one of the most thought-provoking and thoughtfully written stories in the book.

While I was hoping for Matthew Holness’s entry to be a knowingly-inept tale penned in the style of his fictional horror writer Garth Merenghi, it proved to be a truly unsettling piece about a disturbed man’s relationship with his grotesque homemade hand puppet, perhaps to parallel the decidedly serious theme of mental illness.

Further highlights included Katy Brand’s unpredictable, inspired and tragically touching take on precognition, “For Roger”, Rufus Hound’s ingenious jigsaw puzzle “Fixed”, which only unveils the truth amongst the existential weirdness in its closing paragraphs, and Michael Legge’s sweetly hilarious tale of psychic crime-solving, “The Dream of Nightmares”.

As with any collection written by a large variety of authors there are a couple of weak links, but this is to be expected. While I adore him onstage, Stewart Lee’s offering “A View from the Hill” was too meandering and ended with the proverbial damp squib, and Al Murray’s “For Everyone’s Good” gave me little to chuckle or shiver about. Phill Jupitus brought a wicked immediacy to his prose in “Anthemoessa”, but a disparity between the surrounding tale and its conclusion left me with the sense that the “twist” had merely been tacked on.

However, as previously mentioned, this is a strong collection of grisly guffaws, and for the most part left me feeling extremely satisfied.

Highly recommended!

[Pamela (Here to Read Books and Chew Gum) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Editited (but have left original review for comparison):

After Johnny Mains comments below I chose to persevere and read some more of the stories. I'm glad I did, as there really were some good pieces in there, which just goes to show you can't always judge a collection on its opening story. There were some stories which were brilliant (I especially liked Charlie Higson's offering which made me feel almost nostalgic for the glory years of hammy horror), and others which really weren't to my taste, but all in all I'm glad I read on.

Stories I enjoyed were:

THE PATIENT by Mitch Benn

A VIEW FROM A HILL by Stewart Lee

FILTHY NIGHT by Charlie Higson

The rest weren't 'bad' as such, they just weren't to my taste and from a personal perspective I didn't enjoy reading them. Still, all in all I'm glad I forced myself to read on, even if only a handful of the selection really drew me in. That is the issue with a compilation though, no matter how hard you try, you just can't please everyone with every story.


(Original Review) I couldn't even tell you if this compilation has potential, because I stopped reading just a few pages in to the first story. It was a brave choice to begin a comedy compendium, no matter how dark, with a tale of animal cruelty but Salt Publishing have done it. Whether it's something that appeals to others I do not know, but for me, it turned me off reading any of the other stories all together.

I can't comment on the collection as a whole, but from the outset I failed to see how this collection was going to go anywhere that I would find funny if its opening gambit was dog murder.

[Matthew Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly intelligent blend of genres. How often when viewing a horror film do we find ourselves laughing at the absurdity of it? Dead Funny is a collection arranged by comedians and all around clever people Robin Ince and Johnny Mains, of short horror stories written by a selection of some of the finest comedians around.

I love a good collection of short stories. In an ever quickening pace of modern life the ability to pick up a book and finish an entire story quickly appeals to me. However as with all compilations there will be some that appeal and some that do not.

Whilst some really had me chuckling some were just severely eerie and dark. Some of the names I'd heard before, and some I hadn't. Some gruesome and some just completely absurd! Some particular highlights of mine were the stories by Ince himself; Phil Jupitus, Stewart Lee and Sara Pascoe, though I don't think I'd say there was a single story I disliked. Each sets out to do different things and regardless of the outcome none can be criticised for being unoriginal. This collection is an absolute must for horror and comedy fans, and fans of excellent writing in general.

[Gav451 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and entertaining read. The authors are all comedians and each has their own style, sometimes they are similar to their stand up and sometimes not. What this is however is a good collection of short stories.

Some of the stories are more akin to Tales of the unexpected Horror with a twist at the end as opposed to the visceral stuff I recall from the pan books of horror I read as a child. There are a few of that type in there as well and the changes in tone to help.

Robin Ince's tale is a particular stand out one for me, Stuart Lee does paranoia with panache and both Michael Legge and Mitch Ben's stories charmed me as well. To be fair there are no weak links on the book.One VERY short story pushes the boundary of the definition of 'horror' but when you read it you do not begrudge its presence. (As if I had any right to do that. I haven't ever had a story published so how dare I even presume to judge those who have!)

I liked the fact this was not a hug weighty tome, it was a quick book of short stories, easy to carry and fun to read.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that the authors of this short story collection edited by Robin Ince and Johnny Mains are very sick people... and I really enjoyed reading their work, so I'm not sure what that says about me. Reece Shearsmith, Al Murray, Stuart Lee and Robin Ince are my top choices, but not necessarily in that order. Some of the stories are of a good short story length and highly entertaining and one barely covers a page, but it is still worth a read. If you like the kind of horror short story collections that were very popular in the 1970s, and I believe still are, then this is definitely for you. I hope that there will be a second volume. Oh and if you ever get upset over dog mess, try to avoid following the actions of the main character in one of the first stories. I wouldn't like to hear about your court case on the national news.

[David Chaudoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

All anthologies in any genre have their hits and misses, by their very nature they are the literary equivalent of a bag of Revels. So too Dead Funny, compiled and edited by Robin Ince and Johnny Mains. Pity that the first reviewer couldn't get past the canine slaughter in Reece Shearsmith's Dog since this was one of the black gems of the book.
Other highlights for me were; Katy Brand who wrote a touching and well observed picture of a retiree who discovers a mysterious book andRobin Ince's observations of a flesh eater.
The pièce de résistance however is Charlie Higson's potrait of a washed up and burnt out old horror actor visiting the house of a fanboy. It recalls Pertwee and Oliver Reed and a loving nostalgia to the films of Amicus and Hammer.

[F. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Given that this was a horror anthology by stand-up comedians, I wasn't expecting much in the way of writing. To my surprise, the writing itself is mostly acceptable. Unfortunately both the horror and the humor are for the large part missing. Most entries are a good reminder why horror storytelling is an art in itself. For some reason almost all these comedians eschewed humor (dark or otherwise). Most of the stories focused on gore, a few were hard to follow, there were smatterings of social commentary, and occasionally the plots echoed each other. My favorite was Tim Key's succinct, and unabashedly absurd, dark and humorous "Halloween" - a reminder that when you can do it, you can do it even in a single paragraph.

[Colin Murtagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

So what happens when you ask a pile of comedians to write horror stories? They get dark, very dark.
Robin Ince, who I must admit I know more from his podcasts than his standup, pulled a pile of his comedian friends together to write an anthology of horror stories. There is an old cliché about the sad clown. Going by this it's more like the clown from Stephen Kings IT.
As with any anthology it's a mixed bag, not every story works, but the hit rate is certainly high. I have to particularly point out the stories of Mitch Benn, Katy Brand and Phil Jupitus, all of whom have excellent stories. May have to pick up the next volume

[Rashida · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed some of these, the others... not so much. Collections of stories like these are always going to be a mixed bag, especially with so much variation in style, so I didn't go in expecting to love every tale, but I have to admit I was a little disappointed.

The offerings by these authors are the ones that stood out or resonated with me the most: Mitch Benn, Katy Brand, and I think, Michael Legge? I'd have to go back and check, but yeah, I wanted more horror and maybe more comedy, too.

[Lee Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really good stories, some not so great. A genuinely disturbing one regarding a diary found in a loft, which was a modern day M. R. James! All in all a very interesting collection.

[Laura Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag. I especially enjoyed Mitch Benn's grisly story and the spooky yarn from Katy Brand, also Charlie Higson's nostalgic Hammer house horror throwback was a bit of a triumph.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some excellent stories. Well worth it for any horror and comedy fan. I'm familiar with many of the writers from radio 4, which helped.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like other reviewers, there were stories in this I loved and ones I was less keen on. I think Katy Brand's was my favourite though, spooky and she captured modern life in a village very well indeed!

[Clive Bevitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good stories and some not so good. Reminded me of Tales of the Unexpected.

[Rob Frampton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A so-so collection of sort-of horror stories, redeemed by Matthew Holness's "Possum", a grim and truly horrific story which will live long in the memory.