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Horrowitz Horror Shorts
Horory na dobrou noc 2
Další soubor hororových povídek Anthonyho Horowitze, v nichž jsou hlavními (a nechtěnými) hrdiny děti, určených pro mladé čtenáře a pochopitelně i pro jejich rodiče. Čeká na ně stopař, který není tím, kým se zdá být, strašidelná vesnice ukrývající hrůzné tajemství, mobil, kterým se dá dovolat mrtvým i vražedný výtah. Můžete se těšit na šokující pointy i notnou dávku černého humoru. Horory na dobrou noc 2 jsou působivou sbírkou děsivých příběhů od uznávaného autora a televizního scenáristy Anthonyho Horowitze.
150 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
51 people are currently reading
864 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Horowitz
345 books20.9k followersAnthony Horowitz, OBE is ranked alongside Enid Blyton and Mark A. Cooper as "The most original and best spy-kids authors of the century." (New York Times). Anthony has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider books, he is also the writer and creator of award winning detective series Foyle’s War, and more recently event drama Collision, among his other television works he has written episodes for Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. Anthony became patron to East Anglia Children’s Hospices in 2009.
On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...
On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
February 26, 2018
As I have praised the first book so much, I am going to praise this one too, but it's also true that I felt like the stories in this collection created less impact on me than the first one.
I would have given it 4 stars but the last story made me change my mind. I must admit, it was a brilliant idea to come up with. Any reader would have had his heart beat stopped for a split second because of the story. Simply a clever and excellent way to end a horror collection.
I would have given it 4 stars but the last story made me change my mind. I must admit, it was a brilliant idea to come up with. Any reader would have had his heart beat stopped for a split second because of the story. Simply a clever and excellent way to end a horror collection.
May 8, 2012
9 More Spooky Stories
1) The Hitchhiker - A family stops to pick up a man in the rain.
2) The Sound of Murder - A girl's hearing aid starts to pick up things it shouldn't.
3) Burned - His Uncle is determined to get a tan this vacation.
4) Flight 715 - A premonition of Danger
5) Howard's End - He's been a very bad boy.
6) The Elevator - A boy leaps from one elevator to another and disappears.
7) The Phone Goes Dead - Did a lightning strike do something supernatural to this phone?
8) Twist Cottage - A little cottage deep in the woods serves a purpose.
9) The Shortest Horror Story Ever Written - You've bought this book. Now you pay the price.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More classic scary morality stories.
#6 - The Elevator - it's an interesting mystery. But not very plausible. There'd be lots of evidence on the camera that saw them all exit. Really.
#9 - I call foul on this one. A much better version of this appeared in an Alfred Hitchcock anthology. The effect is spoiled because the ebook lines aren't set, so the trick of reading the first letter of the first words in each line doesn't work out - and that was the new twist to this version of the story. Pity.
1) The Hitchhiker - A family stops to pick up a man in the rain.
2) The Sound of Murder - A girl's hearing aid starts to pick up things it shouldn't.
3) Burned - His Uncle is determined to get a tan this vacation.
4) Flight 715 - A premonition of Danger
5) Howard's End - He's been a very bad boy.
6) The Elevator - A boy leaps from one elevator to another and disappears.
7) The Phone Goes Dead - Did a lightning strike do something supernatural to this phone?
8) Twist Cottage - A little cottage deep in the woods serves a purpose.
9) The Shortest Horror Story Ever Written - You've bought this book. Now you pay the price.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More classic scary morality stories.
#6 - The Elevator - it's an interesting mystery. But not very plausible. There'd be lots of evidence on the camera that saw them all exit. Really.
#9 - I call foul on this one. A much better version of this appeared in an Alfred Hitchcock anthology. The effect is spoiled because the ebook lines aren't set, so the trick of reading the first letter of the first words in each line doesn't work out - and that was the new twist to this version of the story. Pity.
December 16, 2014
It just kept on getting better and better alll along.... Totally loved it. Just a warning ⚠ don't read it at night if you are scared of ghosts
October 20, 2008
This was a pretty good book. Instead of one long, boring story it was alot of little horror stories. This book also makes you want to keep reading.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes horror or scary books.
August 14, 2018
I'm a big fan of Anthony Horrowitz, but found these stories a little repetitive. I also wasn't a fan of the demonizing of people with mental health issues.
April 18, 2025
how fucked up can you get these bro 💀 the build up was so good but the climax always threw me off a lil but I do love a well written short story
Read
August 10, 2012Yeah, I said I wasn't going to read this one, but that's only if I have to get it off the shelf myself. It was my brother.
I'm going to take a tip from one of the other reviewers and list out all of the story names so I can review them one by one.
First off. The Hitchhiker creeped me out. (Well, more like startled me. Takes a lot to creep me out.) You never think that the narrator is evil. Never. But then nothing is sure in horror stories. *creepy laugh*
The Sound of Murder was pretty weird (I didn't understand how she was able to hear him at the end--was it not her hearing aid?)
I thought Burned was disgusting and pretty implausible. I feel like the uncle would stop lying in the sun once he started burning to a crisp (not just sunburn, but literal burning). Plus, frying oil isn't going to literally fry the old boy. At least, I don't think it would.
Flight 715 was pretty cool (yeah, yeah, yeah, I did just use "pretty" in every single paragraph except the first one up until now). I kind of liked how nobody died . . . probably why I don't generally read horror, but it was nice.
Howard's End is the one where the boy goes to heaven, as he thinks, gets bored, and tries to leave, but then he figures out that he's not actually in heaven. I was a little miffed at their description of heaven as boring, but when it turned out that it wasn't heaven, I was slightly satisfied.
As for The Elevator, I just have to wonder what they did with the bones and the clothes. Plus, if they had fifty-eight seconds to eat a boy, wouldn't they be a bit messy?
In The Phone Goes Dead, the plot was a little fragmented--lightning striking a phone is way too subtle and random. Also, I still wasn't sure whether the main character was dead at the end or not. He could have been not-dead and he was just calling, and everyone thought he was dead. It would make more sense as to the story for him to be dead, but I was annoyed because living people can call that phone, too, so you can't assume anything.
Twist Cottage was awful. The main character's dad ended up like a murderer for hire, and the main character just put up with it.
The Shortest Horror Story Ever Written was pretty genius. The concept was interesting, but the story itself wasn't so great. It's sheer poetry, it is. And not a semicolon in the entire thing. (I would have written too much and had to throw a semicolon in a few times. At least, I think so.)
So. Will you read it?
I'm going to take a tip from one of the other reviewers and list out all of the story names so I can review them one by one.
First off. The Hitchhiker creeped me out. (Well, more like startled me. Takes a lot to creep me out.) You never think that the narrator is evil. Never. But then nothing is sure in horror stories. *creepy laugh*
The Sound of Murder was pretty weird (I didn't understand how she was able to hear him at the end--was it not her hearing aid?)
I thought Burned was disgusting and pretty implausible. I feel like the uncle would stop lying in the sun once he started burning to a crisp (not just sunburn, but literal burning). Plus, frying oil isn't going to literally fry the old boy. At least, I don't think it would.
Flight 715 was pretty cool (yeah, yeah, yeah, I did just use "pretty" in every single paragraph except the first one up until now). I kind of liked how nobody died . . . probably why I don't generally read horror, but it was nice.
Howard's End is the one where the boy goes to heaven, as he thinks, gets bored, and tries to leave, but then he figures out that he's not actually in heaven. I was a little miffed at their description of heaven as boring, but when it turned out that it wasn't heaven, I was slightly satisfied.
As for The Elevator, I just have to wonder what they did with the bones and the clothes. Plus, if they had fifty-eight seconds to eat a boy, wouldn't they be a bit messy?
In The Phone Goes Dead, the plot was a little fragmented--lightning striking a phone is way too subtle and random. Also, I still wasn't sure whether the main character was dead at the end or not. He could have been not-dead and he was just calling, and everyone thought he was dead. It would make more sense as to the story for him to be dead, but I was annoyed because living people can call that phone, too, so you can't assume anything.
Twist Cottage was awful. The main character's dad ended up like a murderer for hire, and the main character just put up with it.
The Shortest Horror Story Ever Written was pretty genius. The concept was interesting, but the story itself wasn't so great. It's sheer poetry, it is. And not a semicolon in the entire thing. (I would have written too much and had to throw a semicolon in a few times. At least, I think so.)
So. Will you read it?
Read
October 30, 2014I really enjoyed this book. Anothony Horowitz is an amazing horror author and he did a great job with the story's in this book. I really enjoyed the variety of scary and interesting story's. my personnel favorite story's in this book where Flight 715, Burned, The Phone Goes Dead and Twist Cottage but all the story's were great!
I highly recommend this book to any Anthony Horowitz fans or scary/horror story fans. The Story's arnt too scary but they are scary enough to keep you on edge until the end!
I highly recommend this book to any Anthony Horowitz fans or scary/horror story fans. The Story's arnt too scary but they are scary enough to keep you on edge until the end!
December 10, 2021
More Horowitz Horror is a fantastic book that consists of many short stories. The genre of the book is horror and all 8 mini stories in the book are all based on different scary stories that keep you on edge the whole time. My personal favourite mini story is “Mr Rellik” as it had an unexpected ending, however, all of the stories are still extremely exciting. I would recommend mend this story to children who are 10+ as it is mild horror but there are a couple stories with a bit more extreme horror. Overall, I give this story 4.5 stars as I really enjoyed reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2009
This book was better than the first one. I liked the story the hitchiker what was shocking is that the kid was actualy the phycopath.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2010
This was a good book. Anthony Horowitz used something I like to call comical humor, where the story is creepy but the end is funny. It's a cool style of writing horror, and I really liked it.
May 23, 2015
I.WANT.MORE. Freaking good !
August 20, 2023
🚗 The hitchhiker 🚗 2/5-
A story of a supposed murder with a unexpected psychological twist in the finale. The hitchhiker finale although unexpected was somewhat random and not entirely explained. It would have been better if we had seen signs of the narrator’s debilitating mental health.
For example, close to the finale he talks about how his parents are also working with the hitchhiker to kill him. Or that the hitchhiker has been stalking him waiting for the right moment to murder him.
It would also have been better if he was on medications when he went to the vacation, hence the realistic narrative. However, when he leaves the seaside he forgets his medication. As a result, the events unfold with the hitchhiker later on. This would have allowed the reader to see a interesting dichotomy.
In my own spin off, I would have had Jacob being scared for the hitchhiker for a unknown reason. He constantly throws a tantrum, insults him and tries to push him out of the car.
However, his parents assure the hitchhiker that their son is mad and to ignore him. That is until the hitchhiker is taken to a abandoned forest where he is brutally murdered by jacob’s parents. Jacob is seen as sympathetic, wishing the hitchhiker had taken his warnings seriously. The story ends with a news headline detailing the case.
🔊 The sound of Murder 🔊 4/5-
A imaginative school horror story about a teachers murderous intentions and one deaf girl’s unfortunate ability to hear them. A very imaginative and thrilling piece of writing. The sound of murder definitely keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as they try and predict Mr.Spencer’s next move. I really liked the part when Mr. Spencer said something in his thoughts and Katie thinks he spoke and accidentally turns around.
It is a chilling realisation once he knows she can read his thoughts. Definitely leaves the reader surprisingly intrigued on what will unfold.
In my spin off version, I would have had students being found missing across the school. Katie’s hearing device malfunctions and she starts to hear the voices planning another murder of a child. She suspects Mr. Spencer because he is constantly mean to them.
However, at one point in class, she starts to hear how Mr. Spencer is going to be murdering his “partner” after school. Mrs.Spencer is a teaching assistant who works in the classroom with him. Katie really likes Mrs.Spencer who is sweet and understanding but she is too afraid to tell her what is going to happen.
As a result, Katie decides to show up after school. She sees Mr.Spencer and questions him with about his intentions, which he vehemently protests, “listen Katie, why would I want to murder my own wife. I find this highly insulting. Especially since she is here and just made me lunch today. I expect an apology from you when she returns.”
However, when he takes a bite from the pie Mr.Spencer drops dead. Katie seems panicked and confused. This is until she hears a voice amongst the static on her radio…” Good riddance to that old idiot. That fat fart could never resist eating cottage pies. Looks like he’ll end up where all the other missing children are gone”.
🔥Burnt🔥- 2/5
A suntan addict with a argumentative wife meets a mysteriously crispy ending. Burnt is more humor then horrror up until the twist in the finale. It would have been better if Tim had unwittingly participated in murdering uncle Nigel. In the end, Sarah puts the blame on Tim and pretends to be innocent. She provides evidence showing his finger prints on the lotions and ordering the oil. In the ending, Tim is shown being prosecuted and taken away to prison whilst his aunt sheds false tears.
✈️ Flight 715 ✈️ - 4/5
A girls premonition of a aeroplane flight saves her begrudged families life. A simple but spooky story with a obvious but chilling conclusion. It would have been good to see the pilot’s declaration make headlines and Judith and her parents reaction. Also, it would have been nice to see Judith’s dream change as their flight date comes nearer. For example, she begins by having visions of what happens during the flight and then her eventual funeral and death.
In my spin off, I would have had Judith have several dreams in which she sees them packing their luggage, boarding the aeroplane and their eventual crash. She tells her parents all of this and one by one her statements become true as they get close to boarding the plane.
Just before boarding, Judith convinces her dad not to board the plane. Her mother thinks they are delusional and goes with Judith’s sister despite her pleading. The finale sees Judith and her dad crying as the news announces the plane crashed and all of the passengers died.
😇 Howard’s end 😇- 2/5
A tale of failed deception and moral recompense as a young sinner attempts to fool his way into heaven. It was funny seeing Howard trying desperately to conceal his sins so he can enter heaven. I also liked the notion of how heaven became hell for him because of his sinful nature. However, I did correctly guess that he was already in hell. When picking up a fight with a angel, it would have been better had it swore at him and attacked him back. The area around them then shoots up in flames and Howard is left startled to realise he was tricked into hell.
It would have been interesting to see how heaven was expressed in the story. Also, why where there angels supposedly roaming around hell for? And how did Howard end up talking to the St.Peters imposter a second time around?
Check out my own spine-tingling spin-off below more suited for adults with a emphasis on the macabre .
⚠️ Story below contains scenes of graphic violence.
Howard’s mother decides to drop him off to live with his grandma. This was the last straw for him after Howard threw a party at their house while she was gone. Partygoers wrecking the entire home. She decides she can’t put up with him anymore. Howard hates his grandma and decided there’s only one way to stop his mother driving him there.
Knowing that she always drives with her seatbelt undone. Howard devises a sinister plan to get rid of her. When his mother is preoccupied by traffic, Howard kicks the acceleration causing the car to crash. Unfortunately for him, it backfires when they both die.
Waking up, they find themselves face to face with a angel. He congratulates them on making it to heaven. However, in order to get there they have to board a flying car with outstretched wings. They both board the car in celebration. Howard’s mother talks about it meeting her deceased mother whilst Howard comments why angels needed flying cars when they have wings.
After sometime flying in the car it suddenly stops in the sky. The angel announces that thier is only room for one more person in heaven. The other must leave the car. Howard begins to blame his mother for crashing the car and causing his death. As the youngest he believes he should go to heaven. However, his mother isn’t backing down and starts to list all the terrible things he’s done.
Just then, there’s a clicking sound and the doors of the car swing open. Howard seizes the opportunity and in rage, pushes his mother out of the car. “Now that’s taken care of, next stop, paradise party!” he calls to the angel. However the angel stays silent. The car door shuts automatically which jumpscares Howard. The angel smiles a unnaturally toothy wide grin and points a bony hand towards the car window. Howard takes a peek only to see heaven in all its beautiful glory down below where he’s mother had fallen. She laughs wholeheartedly surrounded by angels showering her with praise.
Howard’s desperately tries to open the door but to no avail. His blood runs cold. “But if that’s heaven then we’re are we…AAAHHHHH!” he screams as he watches the angels face melt to be replaced by a gruesome twisted face of a demon. “You…you lied to me” he stammers in anger. “What do you suspect genius” he laughs as the car begins to accelerate through the sky. The demon laughs as Howard panics in the moving car. “Why..why do all this. What was the point if you already knew I was going to go hell”. “You see we didn’t know. You and your mothers death was initially ruled accidental. This was just a test to see if you intended to kill her. But don’t worry, she never really understood you. But you’ll fit right in your new home!”
The sky turns pitch black and Howard can feel the temperature of the car rising. He closes his eyes praying feverishly. Momentarily, Howard convinces himself it’s a nightmare. That upon waking, he’ll be in his bedroom.
That’s until a excruciating pain covers Howard body in a jolt. “*******! ******hell!” He screams in agony, but he doesn’t dare open his eyes as tears roll down. He is yanked out of the seat by his hair. Their is a momentary pause, almost as if it’s been recognised his eyes are shut. He’s then violently yanked out of the car by his eyelids which are pulled out by the force.
Howard screams in pain and covers his eyes with his hands, refusing to watch. But he can feel his feeble body descending into a molten furnace.
The smell of his body’s burning burning flesh reaches his nose. Thats until what seems like a baseball bat hits Howard’s arms. He feels his arms fall off his body like a twig snapping and descend into a fiery pit beneath him.
Howard sees hell. Through his blindness and scintillating agony. He sees familiar faces in the people being punished. He sees friends scowling at him for being responsible for their punishment. And he sees the angels. Authoritarian. Emotionless and proficient punishers. Causing the maximum amount of pain to the dammed people scientifically possible with their innovative tools. They routinely punish the inhabitants in gruesome and unnatural ways.
And at that moment prideful, oppressive and ignorant Howard becomes a blubbering buffoon. Crying uncontrollably , his mouth agape spluttering and wailing depressively. Like a naughty child. Wishing he hadn’t done anything to be here. But of course, he had.
👮♀️ The lift 👮♂️ -2/5
The innocent disappearance of a child quickly turns gruesome when police discover a tasteful revelation. Their are too many unnecessary details given by the detective earlier in the story. However, the notion of a child going missing in a closed lift was a haunting and engaging idea.
It would have been better if the cannibals had planned kidnapping Eric. For example, a lady at the toy store he visits gives Eric a coded treasure map to follow in order to win his favourite toy. Members of the group Eric meets along the way, check he’s weight, height etc . In the end, he makes his way through the back door of a expensive restaurant where he is never seen again. Police have to interrupt guests enjoying their meals and tell them the disgusting truth about what they are eating.
In my own spin-off, I would have had parents report the death of their son at the shopping mall. After a investigation is carried out, it is declared that Eric jumped off the balcony whilst his parents were distracted. This is corroborated by witness testimonies and Eric’s shoe prints on the balcony ledge.
However, his parents complain that Eric knew better then that. He wasn’t a naughty boy and this seemed entirely out of character for him. Despite being a fan of superman, Eric was old enough at ten years to know he couldn’t fly.
Rumour spreads of a murderer lurking at the shopping mall and Eric’s parents rally support for police to review the case. As a result, police reluctantly decide to reopen the investigation.
Fortunately for them, they uncover some new evidence. Previously, the mall security had denied the mall having CCTV from the date. However, only a few days after Eric’s death, the mall surveillance officer had quit his job on short notice without alerting officials. The footage from the time is handed over to authorities. The police take the details of the former surveillance officer with plans of pressing charges for withholding information. Or maybe even worse, you can’t rule anyone out from being a suspect in this line of work.
But their is confidence the confiscated footage will reveal all.
As they play the film, they notice a man standing alongside Eric close to the balcony edge. They pause the film. The police exchange victorious glances. This is the big break they’ve been looking for. They finally have a suspect. He doesn’t match the security guard’s description. As a result, the police continue to play the clip.
They watch the stranger help Eric climb on the balcony ledge before they both jump off. Eric falls like a deadweight. But the stranger ,the stranger floats through the sky like a paper aeroplane. People start to scream and gather around Eric’s lifeless body in horror. The man starts to swim above the shopping mall, performing cartwheels in the sky, waving at the people below. However , everyone at the mall ignore his antics, solely focusing on Eric’s collapsed body . As if he is invisible. At one one point he even stares directly at the camera, salutes mockingly before disappearing.
The disturbing clip is played back countless of times and reviewed to ensure evidence wasn’t tampered with. After the video is expertly reviewed, it is concluded their was no tampering. The parents never get the closure they need. The suspect was never caught, nor was the video ever released or mentioned to the public. There were five policemen and two detectives that watched the video. All of them have since quit their jobs. Much like the mall security man prior.
The case is closed as suicide. A much easier notion to explain then the hauntingly bizarre reality of Eric’s death.
📱 The zodiac phone 📱5/5
Anthony Horowitz brings a whole new meaning to “last wishes” in this story of a haunted phone with callers from beyond the the grave. The idea of the deceased using a phone to send their last requests was creatively ingenious.
However, I felt the origin of the phone didn’t correlate well with its function. It would have been better had it been designed by the MI5 to pick up on “paranormal signals”. However, the scientist who created it accidentally misplaces it at a cafe with Daniel’s phone which looks identical .
Also in the finale, when Daniel speaks to his father. It would have been nice to hear his request. For example, he tells dad that his sorry for not spending more time with him and that he misses his mother. His parents then hear a knock on the door, and the police inspector arrives to tell them Daniel is deceased.
🏡 Twist cottage 🏡 2/5
A lazy and petulant spouse meets a eerily premeditated haunted demise. I felt that the story was needlessly long for a for pretty simplistic storyline. I anticipated that the father was planning something nefarious and would be responsible for his wife’s death. The curse of “twist cottage” was a interesting development however I expected a few more surprises. The father renting twist cottage to men in unhappy marriages was a comical conclusion.
It would have been better had the couple been unhappy in their relationship for sometime. As a result, Ben proposes a idea of them moving to twist cottage because of it’s curse.
Long ago, the cottage belonged to a very argumentative couple who would regularly attack one another mercilessly. On one occasion, they both got into a lengthy argument which ended in the husband strangling his wife. However, unbeknownst to him, she had poisoned his food earlier causing his death. The cottage has since been cursed with all argumentative people having unfortunate conclusions.
Wanting to prove to their son who is the better parent, Ben’s father and his stepmother move into twist cottage for a few weeks. Spooked by the curse, Ben’s parents behave themselves, purposefully avoiding arguments and problems. Their stay at “Twist cottage” actually starts to help strengthen their relationship. However, this is until Ben’s stepmother notices that all her painting supplies have disappeared.
But that’s not the only problem. His father was just charged thousands of pounds on his debit card from a shopping spree. The couple immediately start to shout at each other in anger. In the heat of the moment, Ben’s father pick up a lamp and throws it in frustration. It somersaults in the air before hitting his wife on the head and she drops dead immediately.
There is a few minutes of silence, this is until the sound of sirens fill up the air. Ben’s father falls to his knees in tears. Ben rushes to the aid of his dad, he tells him that he can hide in the cottage basement until the police leave. Bens father clumsily runs to the basement. Theirs a series of thuds and a scream before silence follows from the basement.
Ben opens the door and uses his torch to shine light on the surroundings. The lightbulb of the basement had been removed. Ben’s father lays motionless at the bottom of the long descending staircase in a pool of blood. He’s cracked his neck from falling down the stairs.
Each step has a trip hazard placed on it from a paperweights, dumbbells and a old printer. Ben admires his handiwork. It was Impossible for anyone not to trip over in the dark. He uses a sledgehammer to push the items to one side or off the staircase. He Can’t make it look suspicious.
Ben leaves the basement and switches the fire alarm off. All it took was a matchstick to get it started. He then pulls out a bag filled with his stepmothers art supplies from under his bed. He wonders how much he might make selling them online. He then alerts the police, but not before ordering and eating a pizza using his dad’s debit card.
When the police arrive, they note down the testimony of Ben. The only witness to the crime. After reviewing the evidence, knowing how argumentative the couple were and the curse of the cottage. The police rule that Ben’s father killed his wife and then had a accidental death falling down the stairs.
The Inspector grieves with ben on the demise of the parents. He also lets him know about the curse of the cottage. How argumentative people in the house had suffered terribly . Ben responds indignantly, “ yes the curse. I don’t believe in it myself, which is why I moved in with my parents. Real tragedies and people are much more scarier then curses. I’m sure you agree inspector”.
The inspector nods his head mechanically forcing Ben to crack a brief grin.
A story of a supposed murder with a unexpected psychological twist in the finale. The hitchhiker finale although unexpected was somewhat random and not entirely explained. It would have been better if we had seen signs of the narrator’s debilitating mental health.
For example, close to the finale he talks about how his parents are also working with the hitchhiker to kill him. Or that the hitchhiker has been stalking him waiting for the right moment to murder him.
It would also have been better if he was on medications when he went to the vacation, hence the realistic narrative. However, when he leaves the seaside he forgets his medication. As a result, the events unfold with the hitchhiker later on. This would have allowed the reader to see a interesting dichotomy.
In my own spin off, I would have had Jacob being scared for the hitchhiker for a unknown reason. He constantly throws a tantrum, insults him and tries to push him out of the car.
However, his parents assure the hitchhiker that their son is mad and to ignore him. That is until the hitchhiker is taken to a abandoned forest where he is brutally murdered by jacob’s parents. Jacob is seen as sympathetic, wishing the hitchhiker had taken his warnings seriously. The story ends with a news headline detailing the case.
🔊 The sound of Murder 🔊 4/5-
A imaginative school horror story about a teachers murderous intentions and one deaf girl’s unfortunate ability to hear them. A very imaginative and thrilling piece of writing. The sound of murder definitely keeps the reader on the edge of their seat as they try and predict Mr.Spencer’s next move. I really liked the part when Mr. Spencer said something in his thoughts and Katie thinks he spoke and accidentally turns around.
It is a chilling realisation once he knows she can read his thoughts. Definitely leaves the reader surprisingly intrigued on what will unfold.
In my spin off version, I would have had students being found missing across the school. Katie’s hearing device malfunctions and she starts to hear the voices planning another murder of a child. She suspects Mr. Spencer because he is constantly mean to them.
However, at one point in class, she starts to hear how Mr. Spencer is going to be murdering his “partner” after school. Mrs.Spencer is a teaching assistant who works in the classroom with him. Katie really likes Mrs.Spencer who is sweet and understanding but she is too afraid to tell her what is going to happen.
As a result, Katie decides to show up after school. She sees Mr.Spencer and questions him with about his intentions, which he vehemently protests, “listen Katie, why would I want to murder my own wife. I find this highly insulting. Especially since she is here and just made me lunch today. I expect an apology from you when she returns.”
However, when he takes a bite from the pie Mr.Spencer drops dead. Katie seems panicked and confused. This is until she hears a voice amongst the static on her radio…” Good riddance to that old idiot. That fat fart could never resist eating cottage pies. Looks like he’ll end up where all the other missing children are gone”.
🔥Burnt🔥- 2/5
A suntan addict with a argumentative wife meets a mysteriously crispy ending. Burnt is more humor then horrror up until the twist in the finale. It would have been better if Tim had unwittingly participated in murdering uncle Nigel. In the end, Sarah puts the blame on Tim and pretends to be innocent. She provides evidence showing his finger prints on the lotions and ordering the oil. In the ending, Tim is shown being prosecuted and taken away to prison whilst his aunt sheds false tears.
✈️ Flight 715 ✈️ - 4/5
A girls premonition of a aeroplane flight saves her begrudged families life. A simple but spooky story with a obvious but chilling conclusion. It would have been good to see the pilot’s declaration make headlines and Judith and her parents reaction. Also, it would have been nice to see Judith’s dream change as their flight date comes nearer. For example, she begins by having visions of what happens during the flight and then her eventual funeral and death.
In my spin off, I would have had Judith have several dreams in which she sees them packing their luggage, boarding the aeroplane and their eventual crash. She tells her parents all of this and one by one her statements become true as they get close to boarding the plane.
Just before boarding, Judith convinces her dad not to board the plane. Her mother thinks they are delusional and goes with Judith’s sister despite her pleading. The finale sees Judith and her dad crying as the news announces the plane crashed and all of the passengers died.
😇 Howard’s end 😇- 2/5
A tale of failed deception and moral recompense as a young sinner attempts to fool his way into heaven. It was funny seeing Howard trying desperately to conceal his sins so he can enter heaven. I also liked the notion of how heaven became hell for him because of his sinful nature. However, I did correctly guess that he was already in hell. When picking up a fight with a angel, it would have been better had it swore at him and attacked him back. The area around them then shoots up in flames and Howard is left startled to realise he was tricked into hell.
It would have been interesting to see how heaven was expressed in the story. Also, why where there angels supposedly roaming around hell for? And how did Howard end up talking to the St.Peters imposter a second time around?
Check out my own spine-tingling spin-off below more suited for adults with a emphasis on the macabre .
⚠️ Story below contains scenes of graphic violence.
Howard’s mother decides to drop him off to live with his grandma. This was the last straw for him after Howard threw a party at their house while she was gone. Partygoers wrecking the entire home. She decides she can’t put up with him anymore. Howard hates his grandma and decided there’s only one way to stop his mother driving him there.
Knowing that she always drives with her seatbelt undone. Howard devises a sinister plan to get rid of her. When his mother is preoccupied by traffic, Howard kicks the acceleration causing the car to crash. Unfortunately for him, it backfires when they both die.
Waking up, they find themselves face to face with a angel. He congratulates them on making it to heaven. However, in order to get there they have to board a flying car with outstretched wings. They both board the car in celebration. Howard’s mother talks about it meeting her deceased mother whilst Howard comments why angels needed flying cars when they have wings.
After sometime flying in the car it suddenly stops in the sky. The angel announces that thier is only room for one more person in heaven. The other must leave the car. Howard begins to blame his mother for crashing the car and causing his death. As the youngest he believes he should go to heaven. However, his mother isn’t backing down and starts to list all the terrible things he’s done.
Just then, there’s a clicking sound and the doors of the car swing open. Howard seizes the opportunity and in rage, pushes his mother out of the car. “Now that’s taken care of, next stop, paradise party!” he calls to the angel. However the angel stays silent. The car door shuts automatically which jumpscares Howard. The angel smiles a unnaturally toothy wide grin and points a bony hand towards the car window. Howard takes a peek only to see heaven in all its beautiful glory down below where he’s mother had fallen. She laughs wholeheartedly surrounded by angels showering her with praise.
Howard’s desperately tries to open the door but to no avail. His blood runs cold. “But if that’s heaven then we’re are we…AAAHHHHH!” he screams as he watches the angels face melt to be replaced by a gruesome twisted face of a demon. “You…you lied to me” he stammers in anger. “What do you suspect genius” he laughs as the car begins to accelerate through the sky. The demon laughs as Howard panics in the moving car. “Why..why do all this. What was the point if you already knew I was going to go hell”. “You see we didn’t know. You and your mothers death was initially ruled accidental. This was just a test to see if you intended to kill her. But don’t worry, she never really understood you. But you’ll fit right in your new home!”
The sky turns pitch black and Howard can feel the temperature of the car rising. He closes his eyes praying feverishly. Momentarily, Howard convinces himself it’s a nightmare. That upon waking, he’ll be in his bedroom.
That’s until a excruciating pain covers Howard body in a jolt. “*******! ******hell!” He screams in agony, but he doesn’t dare open his eyes as tears roll down. He is yanked out of the seat by his hair. Their is a momentary pause, almost as if it’s been recognised his eyes are shut. He’s then violently yanked out of the car by his eyelids which are pulled out by the force.
Howard screams in pain and covers his eyes with his hands, refusing to watch. But he can feel his feeble body descending into a molten furnace.
The smell of his body’s burning burning flesh reaches his nose. Thats until what seems like a baseball bat hits Howard’s arms. He feels his arms fall off his body like a twig snapping and descend into a fiery pit beneath him.
Howard sees hell. Through his blindness and scintillating agony. He sees familiar faces in the people being punished. He sees friends scowling at him for being responsible for their punishment. And he sees the angels. Authoritarian. Emotionless and proficient punishers. Causing the maximum amount of pain to the dammed people scientifically possible with their innovative tools. They routinely punish the inhabitants in gruesome and unnatural ways.
And at that moment prideful, oppressive and ignorant Howard becomes a blubbering buffoon. Crying uncontrollably , his mouth agape spluttering and wailing depressively. Like a naughty child. Wishing he hadn’t done anything to be here. But of course, he had.
👮♀️ The lift 👮♂️ -2/5
The innocent disappearance of a child quickly turns gruesome when police discover a tasteful revelation. Their are too many unnecessary details given by the detective earlier in the story. However, the notion of a child going missing in a closed lift was a haunting and engaging idea.
It would have been better if the cannibals had planned kidnapping Eric. For example, a lady at the toy store he visits gives Eric a coded treasure map to follow in order to win his favourite toy. Members of the group Eric meets along the way, check he’s weight, height etc . In the end, he makes his way through the back door of a expensive restaurant where he is never seen again. Police have to interrupt guests enjoying their meals and tell them the disgusting truth about what they are eating.
In my own spin-off, I would have had parents report the death of their son at the shopping mall. After a investigation is carried out, it is declared that Eric jumped off the balcony whilst his parents were distracted. This is corroborated by witness testimonies and Eric’s shoe prints on the balcony ledge.
However, his parents complain that Eric knew better then that. He wasn’t a naughty boy and this seemed entirely out of character for him. Despite being a fan of superman, Eric was old enough at ten years to know he couldn’t fly.
Rumour spreads of a murderer lurking at the shopping mall and Eric’s parents rally support for police to review the case. As a result, police reluctantly decide to reopen the investigation.
Fortunately for them, they uncover some new evidence. Previously, the mall security had denied the mall having CCTV from the date. However, only a few days after Eric’s death, the mall surveillance officer had quit his job on short notice without alerting officials. The footage from the time is handed over to authorities. The police take the details of the former surveillance officer with plans of pressing charges for withholding information. Or maybe even worse, you can’t rule anyone out from being a suspect in this line of work.
But their is confidence the confiscated footage will reveal all.
As they play the film, they notice a man standing alongside Eric close to the balcony edge. They pause the film. The police exchange victorious glances. This is the big break they’ve been looking for. They finally have a suspect. He doesn’t match the security guard’s description. As a result, the police continue to play the clip.
They watch the stranger help Eric climb on the balcony ledge before they both jump off. Eric falls like a deadweight. But the stranger ,the stranger floats through the sky like a paper aeroplane. People start to scream and gather around Eric’s lifeless body in horror. The man starts to swim above the shopping mall, performing cartwheels in the sky, waving at the people below. However , everyone at the mall ignore his antics, solely focusing on Eric’s collapsed body . As if he is invisible. At one one point he even stares directly at the camera, salutes mockingly before disappearing.
The disturbing clip is played back countless of times and reviewed to ensure evidence wasn’t tampered with. After the video is expertly reviewed, it is concluded their was no tampering. The parents never get the closure they need. The suspect was never caught, nor was the video ever released or mentioned to the public. There were five policemen and two detectives that watched the video. All of them have since quit their jobs. Much like the mall security man prior.
The case is closed as suicide. A much easier notion to explain then the hauntingly bizarre reality of Eric’s death.
📱 The zodiac phone 📱5/5
Anthony Horowitz brings a whole new meaning to “last wishes” in this story of a haunted phone with callers from beyond the the grave. The idea of the deceased using a phone to send their last requests was creatively ingenious.
However, I felt the origin of the phone didn’t correlate well with its function. It would have been better had it been designed by the MI5 to pick up on “paranormal signals”. However, the scientist who created it accidentally misplaces it at a cafe with Daniel’s phone which looks identical .
Also in the finale, when Daniel speaks to his father. It would have been nice to hear his request. For example, he tells dad that his sorry for not spending more time with him and that he misses his mother. His parents then hear a knock on the door, and the police inspector arrives to tell them Daniel is deceased.
🏡 Twist cottage 🏡 2/5
A lazy and petulant spouse meets a eerily premeditated haunted demise. I felt that the story was needlessly long for a for pretty simplistic storyline. I anticipated that the father was planning something nefarious and would be responsible for his wife’s death. The curse of “twist cottage” was a interesting development however I expected a few more surprises. The father renting twist cottage to men in unhappy marriages was a comical conclusion.
It would have been better had the couple been unhappy in their relationship for sometime. As a result, Ben proposes a idea of them moving to twist cottage because of it’s curse.
Long ago, the cottage belonged to a very argumentative couple who would regularly attack one another mercilessly. On one occasion, they both got into a lengthy argument which ended in the husband strangling his wife. However, unbeknownst to him, she had poisoned his food earlier causing his death. The cottage has since been cursed with all argumentative people having unfortunate conclusions.
Wanting to prove to their son who is the better parent, Ben’s father and his stepmother move into twist cottage for a few weeks. Spooked by the curse, Ben’s parents behave themselves, purposefully avoiding arguments and problems. Their stay at “Twist cottage” actually starts to help strengthen their relationship. However, this is until Ben’s stepmother notices that all her painting supplies have disappeared.
But that’s not the only problem. His father was just charged thousands of pounds on his debit card from a shopping spree. The couple immediately start to shout at each other in anger. In the heat of the moment, Ben’s father pick up a lamp and throws it in frustration. It somersaults in the air before hitting his wife on the head and she drops dead immediately.
There is a few minutes of silence, this is until the sound of sirens fill up the air. Ben’s father falls to his knees in tears. Ben rushes to the aid of his dad, he tells him that he can hide in the cottage basement until the police leave. Bens father clumsily runs to the basement. Theirs a series of thuds and a scream before silence follows from the basement.
Ben opens the door and uses his torch to shine light on the surroundings. The lightbulb of the basement had been removed. Ben’s father lays motionless at the bottom of the long descending staircase in a pool of blood. He’s cracked his neck from falling down the stairs.
Each step has a trip hazard placed on it from a paperweights, dumbbells and a old printer. Ben admires his handiwork. It was Impossible for anyone not to trip over in the dark. He uses a sledgehammer to push the items to one side or off the staircase. He Can’t make it look suspicious.
Ben leaves the basement and switches the fire alarm off. All it took was a matchstick to get it started. He then pulls out a bag filled with his stepmothers art supplies from under his bed. He wonders how much he might make selling them online. He then alerts the police, but not before ordering and eating a pizza using his dad’s debit card.
When the police arrive, they note down the testimony of Ben. The only witness to the crime. After reviewing the evidence, knowing how argumentative the couple were and the curse of the cottage. The police rule that Ben’s father killed his wife and then had a accidental death falling down the stairs.
The Inspector grieves with ben on the demise of the parents. He also lets him know about the curse of the cottage. How argumentative people in the house had suffered terribly . Ben responds indignantly, “ yes the curse. I don’t believe in it myself, which is why I moved in with my parents. Real tragedies and people are much more scarier then curses. I’m sure you agree inspector”.
The inspector nods his head mechanically forcing Ben to crack a brief grin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2023
1. L’auto-stoppeur : jadooore les petites histoires comme ça avec un retournement de situation à la fin trop rocanbolesque trop ce que tu racontes à une soirée pyjama ou autour d’un feu quand tu es tout môme
2. L’ascenseur : trop bien les enquêtes policières mais pfff la résolution était un peu nul genre ok une orde de cannibale à manger un enfant dans un ascenseur et c’est pour ça qu’il a disparu… ouais ok…
3. Le son du meurtre : une gamine sourde qui entends les pensées de son prof de français qui a tué sa femme ouais ok ça m’en a touché une sans faire bouger l’autre
4. Brûlé : JE SUIS MOOORTE JAI ADORÉ l’oncle de merde qui fini mort brûlé au soleil pcq il voulait trop bronzer ? Lego masculiiiin mon frère tu as littéralement fondu et tu es trop moche
Ta femme la girlboss t’as enduit d’huile de friture car tu étais trop chiant allez ratio
Also trop aimé le format de narration journal de bord !
5. Vol 715 : hmmm la fin te laisse un peu sur ta faim. Et c’est pas si horreur que ça
Un peu mid ouais
J’aurai aimé que tout le monde sache la vérité
6. Le paradis d’Howard : la fin trop previsiiiiible avec le diable qui lui fait « qu’est ce qui t’as fait croire que tu étais au paradis 😈😈 » énorme coquin
Aussi le protagoniste la Howard il m’a trop soûlé genre sa description et tout… il a des piercings et veste en cuir et il aimait pas aller à l’école eh ouais c’était un bad boy qui aimait la violence et faire du mal à tout le monde ! Tg
7. Abonné absent : ohlolo mais ça aussi j’en étais suuuur le « allo papa c’est moi » j’en étais suuuure
Bref pas mal
8. Twist Cottage : eh la maison des feminicides !!! Mon côté toxique a juste adoré cette histoire :3
9. La plus courte histoire d’horreur jamais écrite : JE VAIS TE TUER BIENTÔT JE SUIS LÀ ? MAIS WSH banger
2. L’ascenseur : trop bien les enquêtes policières mais pfff la résolution était un peu nul genre ok une orde de cannibale à manger un enfant dans un ascenseur et c’est pour ça qu’il a disparu… ouais ok…
3. Le son du meurtre : une gamine sourde qui entends les pensées de son prof de français qui a tué sa femme ouais ok ça m’en a touché une sans faire bouger l’autre
4. Brûlé : JE SUIS MOOORTE JAI ADORÉ l’oncle de merde qui fini mort brûlé au soleil pcq il voulait trop bronzer ? Lego masculiiiin mon frère tu as littéralement fondu et tu es trop moche
Ta femme la girlboss t’as enduit d’huile de friture car tu étais trop chiant allez ratio
Also trop aimé le format de narration journal de bord !
5. Vol 715 : hmmm la fin te laisse un peu sur ta faim. Et c’est pas si horreur que ça
Un peu mid ouais
J’aurai aimé que tout le monde sache la vérité
6. Le paradis d’Howard : la fin trop previsiiiiible avec le diable qui lui fait « qu’est ce qui t’as fait croire que tu étais au paradis 😈😈 » énorme coquin
Aussi le protagoniste la Howard il m’a trop soûlé genre sa description et tout… il a des piercings et veste en cuir et il aimait pas aller à l’école eh ouais c’était un bad boy qui aimait la violence et faire du mal à tout le monde ! Tg
7. Abonné absent : ohlolo mais ça aussi j’en étais suuuur le « allo papa c’est moi » j’en étais suuuure
Bref pas mal
8. Twist Cottage : eh la maison des feminicides !!! Mon côté toxique a juste adoré cette histoire :3
9. La plus courte histoire d’horreur jamais écrite : JE VAIS TE TUER BIENTÔT JE SUIS LÀ ? MAIS WSH banger
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2020
I liked this book. I did think that some of the stories were cheesy or didn't make a lot of sense.
1. The Hitchhiker- A family is on their way home from a vacation when they pick up a hitchhiker. The boy starts to believe that they picked up a killer.
I liked this story. It had a very nice twist that I didn't see coming.
2. The Sound of Murder- A deaf schoolgirl hearing aid malfunctions when a new teacher arrives.
I really did not like this story. It did not make any sense and never explained anything.
3. Burned- A boy goes on vacation with his aunt and his uncle. His uncle is determined to get a tan despite the cost.
I didn't really enjoy this story. It grossed me out more than anything and really didn't make sense.
4. Flight 715- A girl has a dream about the flight her family is about to go on.
I didn't like this story.
5. Howard's End- A rebellious boy teen gets hit by a bus. Does he go to Heaven?
I liked this story. It had a really good reveal at the end.
6.The Elevator- A rich by gets into an elevator and disappears.
I liked this story.
7. The Phone Goes Dead- A boy realizes that his phone can get calls from the dead.
It was kind of cheesy.
8. Twist Cottage- A man tries to kill his wife by moving into a haunted cottage.
I liked this it was really good.
9. The Shortest Horror Story Ever Written- You will wish you never read this story.
Overall the book was pretty good.
1. The Hitchhiker- A family is on their way home from a vacation when they pick up a hitchhiker. The boy starts to believe that they picked up a killer.
I liked this story. It had a very nice twist that I didn't see coming.
2. The Sound of Murder- A deaf schoolgirl hearing aid malfunctions when a new teacher arrives.
I really did not like this story. It did not make any sense and never explained anything.
3. Burned- A boy goes on vacation with his aunt and his uncle. His uncle is determined to get a tan despite the cost.
I didn't really enjoy this story. It grossed me out more than anything and really didn't make sense.
4. Flight 715- A girl has a dream about the flight her family is about to go on.
I didn't like this story.
5. Howard's End- A rebellious boy teen gets hit by a bus. Does he go to Heaven?
I liked this story. It had a really good reveal at the end.
6.The Elevator- A rich by gets into an elevator and disappears.
I liked this story.
7. The Phone Goes Dead- A boy realizes that his phone can get calls from the dead.
It was kind of cheesy.
8. Twist Cottage- A man tries to kill his wife by moving into a haunted cottage.
I liked this it was really good.
9. The Shortest Horror Story Ever Written- You will wish you never read this story.
Overall the book was pretty good.
July 12, 2021
I picked up this book intending it as an addition to my son's summer reading, but he protested that he was already loaded up. So, as I rather like the author, I read it myself.
This is a collection of short stories with a supernatural theme.
The first is told from the point of view of a boy riding in the backseat of his parents' car when his father picks up a suspicious-looking hitchhiker.
That one is followed by a story about a deaf girl who's hearing aid somehow taps into the thoughts of her teacher.
Then we have a boy unwillingly packed off on vacation with his very strange aunt and uncle, a girl who infuriates her family after being frightened by a dream, a shoplifter who finds himself in the afterlife, a kid who disappears while riding an elevator, a mobile phone that receives mysterious calls, a house that's haunted in its own special way, and a concluding piece aimed specifically at you, the unsuspecting reader.
I will say, as an adult reader, that these are a bit less complicated than would be my usual preference. However, they aren't bad. "The Phone Goes Dead" is my favorite, but most of the others are also fine. My kid doesn't know what he's missed!
This is a collection of short stories with a supernatural theme.
The first is told from the point of view of a boy riding in the backseat of his parents' car when his father picks up a suspicious-looking hitchhiker.
That one is followed by a story about a deaf girl who's hearing aid somehow taps into the thoughts of her teacher.
Then we have a boy unwillingly packed off on vacation with his very strange aunt and uncle, a girl who infuriates her family after being frightened by a dream, a shoplifter who finds himself in the afterlife, a kid who disappears while riding an elevator, a mobile phone that receives mysterious calls, a house that's haunted in its own special way, and a concluding piece aimed specifically at you, the unsuspecting reader.
I will say, as an adult reader, that these are a bit less complicated than would be my usual preference. However, they aren't bad. "The Phone Goes Dead" is my favorite, but most of the others are also fine. My kid doesn't know what he's missed!
May 5, 2018
Zřejmě jsem očekával kvalitnější horory, a tak se mi kniha úplně nelíbila. Při čteních jednotlivých povídek jsem se samozřejmě chtěl dozvědět jejich pointu, bohužel konec se dal lehce předpovědět již na začátku, nebo alespoň někde v polovině. Zkrátka, poslední stránky už byly zbytečné, jelikož čtenář věděl (či přinejmenším tušil), co se má odehrát.
Výjimkou byly povídky Spálený a A telefon zmrtvěl, protože námět „fungoval“ – dobře vymyšlená exekuce, ne slátanina. U dalších si pravděpodobně povzdechnete nad mišmašem rádoby strašidelných prvků, nebo rádoby chytrých konců... Povídka Výtah byla tak absurdně podivná, že si snad čtenář fyzicky zaťuká na čelo...
Bohužel nejsem znalcem hororů, a tak nevím, zda takto mají horory vypadat. Mrazení jsem však necítil. Poslední horor mě velmi pobavil, zdál se mi roztomilý. Překlad byl, doufám, lepší. Nebo to takto vyznět mělo? Nápad neoriginální, ale jak říkám, bylo to roztomilé.
Výjimkou byly povídky Spálený a A telefon zmrtvěl, protože námět „fungoval“ – dobře vymyšlená exekuce, ne slátanina. U dalších si pravděpodobně povzdechnete nad mišmašem rádoby strašidelných prvků, nebo rádoby chytrých konců... Povídka Výtah byla tak absurdně podivná, že si snad čtenář fyzicky zaťuká na čelo...
Bohužel nejsem znalcem hororů, a tak nevím, zda takto mají horory vypadat. Mrazení jsem však necítil. Poslední horor mě velmi pobavil, zdál se mi roztomilý. Překlad byl, doufám, lepší. Nebo to takto vyznět mělo? Nápad neoriginální, ale jak říkám, bylo to roztomilé.
November 8, 2019
I think it was just worth 2 stars because the stories were... kinda boring. The only I liked was "The Twisted Cottage". That's my opinion. IT WAS BORING! The stories didn't even sound realistic. Dying because you sat in the sun with frying oil, really? I don't recommend it but if you want to read some cheesy stories, go for it. I'm not stopping you. The basics of it? It's a book full of what the author calls "Horror Stories" and each time it's a whole different character and a whole different scene, time, and place. It might get confusing. But once you start the book don't just drop it. Why? Because there is a little task for you at the end. You will read what to do when you have to but I want to tell you now because that's how I am. Write down the FIRST LETTER OF EACH FIRST WORD IN EVERY SENTENCE and add spaces when necessary.
For example, I am 12 years old. My name is Chloe. Garry hates math. Oddly I love math. I like LA too. Never in my life have I met someone who likes the same thing as I do. Great, I have to feed my dogs. They are really annoying. Or I can wait for a minute or two. Sugar, I like that too. Lollipops, those are amazing. Eggs are um... okay. Eyes are weirdly bumpy but look smooth. Pineapple is gross.
That was an example. It would be I'm going to sleep. I added space between what I think are words. also, mostly everything above is not true. I just couldn't think of what to write for the example.
For example, I am 12 years old. My name is Chloe. Garry hates math. Oddly I love math. I like LA too. Never in my life have I met someone who likes the same thing as I do. Great, I have to feed my dogs. They are really annoying. Or I can wait for a minute or two. Sugar, I like that too. Lollipops, those are amazing. Eggs are um... okay. Eyes are weirdly bumpy but look smooth. Pineapple is gross.
That was an example. It would be I'm going to sleep. I added space between what I think are words. also, mostly everything above is not true. I just couldn't think of what to write for the example.
November 14, 2019
This book is really good because it has more than one story to tell. Anyone who loves horror stories I would recommend this book to read. You can read it like a little bedtime story. People with ADHD or just short attention spans (like me) won't get bored with having to read just one story. The stories are just a couple of pages each with some of the stories leaving you with a cliffhanger and wanting to know the ending. I gave this book 5 stars because I am somewhat a picky read when it comes to horror books but this book flows to each story like they are a chapter in a book that has only one story.
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June 21, 2020Globalement, ces nouvelles m'ont plu. Je n'ai pas lu la série «Alex Ryder», principalement parce que certains de mes élèves m'en ont trop parlé. Je ne sais même pas si elle existe en audio (dans des bibliothèques sonores).J'ai apprécié la première nouvelle. Les choses sont bien amenées, tout est cohérent.J'ai moins aimé la deuxième, parce que pour moi, elle n'était pas crédible. Trop peu de temps s'est écoulé pour que ce que suppose le policier ait pu arriver. Bien sûr, le policier a raison, mais pour moi, ça n'est pas crédible. Donc c'est l'auteur qui a mal calculé son temps. ,-)[...]Lire la suite sur:
November 25, 2021
I found this book to be slightly less interesting than the first one in the series. Most of the stories felt a little half-baked and like it was written in a hurry. I was only pretty spooked by "Sound of Murder" and "Twist Cottage". I tend to like his stories cause he takes a very ordinary situation and gives it a very strange, dark spin to it. It can come off supernatural but I mostly like it because of the creep factor - how a seemingly usual situation or series of innocuous events can lead to something very disturbing or even deadly suddenly, almost like Final Destination.
February 20, 2022
Wel, als er iets niet klopt aan deze verhalenbundel(s) - dus ook de eerste - dan is het wel de titel, want ik ben maar wat blij dat ik ze gelezen heb... en ik zou wensen dat er nog veel meer van beschikbaar waren.
Het enige probleem met dergelijke onderhoudende verhalenbundels is, dat je er doorheen leest aan een sneltreinvaart om aan het einde wezenloos achter te blijven en te zeggen: "En nu? Wat nu?"
(enig minpuntje: de verhalen spelen zich af in Engeland en Londen; waarom dan worden alle financiële bedragen uitgedrukt in dollars en niet in ponden? Enfin...)
Het enige probleem met dergelijke onderhoudende verhalenbundels is, dat je er doorheen leest aan een sneltreinvaart om aan het einde wezenloos achter te blijven en te zeggen: "En nu? Wat nu?"
(enig minpuntje: de verhalen spelen zich af in Engeland en Londen; waarom dan worden alle financiële bedragen uitgedrukt in dollars en niet in ponden? Enfin...)
September 8, 2019
Reading 'Horowitz's Fairy Tales', at least that might be an appropriate title for the author's collection of short stories, is like taking a step into Grimm's world circa 2000. He likes to write his tales with youngster's in their teens as the main characters, often somewhat ill behaved. And like Grimm, those naughty youngsters usually pay a price for their antics. The only thing missing is a moral for those young kids reading them today. Still, young or old, they're fun to read.
October 1, 2018
It was a pleasure to read more stories from Horowitz. All the stories were entertaining yet he saved the best for last. I think it was the best piece in this collection. The execution was a stroke of genius. Why do I say so? One has to simply follow the instructions stated in the story. You will know what I mean if and when you get there.
August 20, 2019
Brilliant book. My favourites were The Hitchhiker and The Shortest Horror Story Ever Written. I especially like it when the stories twist around on the last page and leave you thinking for the next minute or so. The storylines are fantastic and gripping but the writing was not so good. It was very simple and easy to understand and there were very few long words. I give this a 4/5.
August 12, 2020
Reminiscent of tone used in the old TV show Urban Legends, this book contains several horror stories for readers 12+. I wouldn't suggest it for anyone younger unless you know what their tolerances are when it comes to this as there are a couple of stories that involve body horror; a couple which involves the supernatural; as well as a couple of other genre tropes used.
April 6, 2022
I remember reading this as a kid and being completely enthralled.
The one I remembered the most was Burned. I honestly remember being flabbergasted at the end and rushing to my siblings to make them read it. To this day, we still talk about that short story.
All in all, this is obviously aimed at kids so it's pretty cheesy. It's still a lot of fun to read, though!
The one I remembered the most was Burned. I honestly remember being flabbergasted at the end and rushing to my siblings to make them read it. To this day, we still talk about that short story.
All in all, this is obviously aimed at kids so it's pretty cheesy. It's still a lot of fun to read, though!
November 24, 2024
More murder and mayhem from Horowitz! Do not be fooled by the “suitable for children over 10”, this is about as aimed for children as “pet semetary”, and read by kids for the same reason: watching nightmares come true on pages. Absolutely fantastic, recommended for horror fans of any age. Except children. Seriously, this is not for kids.
November 24, 2025
More Horowitz Horror is a brilliantly chilling collection — I loved dipping into one story each night. Anthony Horowitz delivers sharp, unsettling tales packed with atmosphere and some genuinely fabulous twists. Darkly fun, cleverly written, and perfect for anyone who enjoys their horror with a dash of surprise. Highly recommended!
May 17, 2017
Again a really great set of horror short stories by one of the masters of horror whose books I grew up with. These stories make me think of a mix of Roald Dahl and Stephen King... what's more to love?
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