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Effigies and Incantations
Haunted dolls. Cursed objects. Diabolical games.
Playtime will never be the same. Prepare to have your expectations subverted in an anthology that embraces spine-tingling tropes and shoves them onto the merry-go-round ride from hell. With a smattering of cosmic intrigue, domestic terrors, traditional ghosties, and gothic flair, there’s something to make every reader scream.
Featuring stories by Kevin Higgins, D.C. Phillips, Vanessa Reid, Kim Pinzon, Chuck W. Chapman, Can Wiggins, Marc Monroe, William Sterling, Whitney Trang, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Patrick Hayes, David Powell, Major, Jessica Nettles, C.O. Davidson, Ali Toothman, and Laura McMurray
Playtime will never be the same. Prepare to have your expectations subverted in an anthology that embraces spine-tingling tropes and shoves them onto the merry-go-round ride from hell. With a smattering of cosmic intrigue, domestic terrors, traditional ghosties, and gothic flair, there’s something to make every reader scream.
Featuring stories by Kevin Higgins, D.C. Phillips, Vanessa Reid, Kim Pinzon, Chuck W. Chapman, Can Wiggins, Marc Monroe, William Sterling, Whitney Trang, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Patrick Hayes, David Powell, Major, Jessica Nettles, C.O. Davidson, Ali Toothman, and Laura McMurray
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2025
21 people want to read
About the author
D.C. Phillips
18 books23 followersD.C. Phillips has received praise for his dynamic and darkly ironic style. As a native of Atlanta, Georgia, D.C. cites Southern culture and classic horror as two of his major influences. He is currently hard at work on several projects. He welcomes interaction via email (FrightfulFables@gmail.com) and across social media (@FrightfulFables).
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 30, 2025
Delightfully frightful. This was a wonderful anthology of horror short stories, several of which will stick with me for the near future. I certainly won't look at porcelain dolls the same way again.
August 7, 2025
This was a lot of fun. Spooky dolls, mannequins, ventriloquist dummies…all haunted and coming after you. Good campy horror that didn’t take itself too seriously. Some favorites were “Detour,” “Insatiable,” “Looking Glass,” and “Monsieur Maria’s at the Puppet Museum.”
August 27, 2025
Dolls, man. In real life, these along with puppets, scarecrows, and mannequins are freaky enough. They appear so human but seems to stare at you with those soulless dead eyes, a hint of evil lurking inside. Or maybe that's just me!
But this anthology is chock full of some of the creepiest, pants wetting, and terrifying stories about dolls that you'll read. There are cursed dolls (aren't they all), dolls which cause demonic possession, dolls which steal your life force, dolls which want to BE you, dolls that long to show you their teeth and claws.
From gothic tales to those filled with blood and gore, you'll find stories in here to love no matter what kind of horror fan you are. As a pleasantly surprising bonus, there are a couple of stories in here that aren't doll themed but still bring an overall sense of dread. One is about mixed tapes (remember those?) and one features several friends driving across several bridges to a haunted house. Each of these has that "I think I know where this is going but....HOLY CRAP....I was wrong" vibes.
If you think dolls are inherently creepy and evil (my tribe) this anthology will give you good reason to feel that way. And if you don't, this book just might bring you to our side. I highly recommend it.
Thanks to the editor for a copy of this book. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
But this anthology is chock full of some of the creepiest, pants wetting, and terrifying stories about dolls that you'll read. There are cursed dolls (aren't they all), dolls which cause demonic possession, dolls which steal your life force, dolls which want to BE you, dolls that long to show you their teeth and claws.
From gothic tales to those filled with blood and gore, you'll find stories in here to love no matter what kind of horror fan you are. As a pleasantly surprising bonus, there are a couple of stories in here that aren't doll themed but still bring an overall sense of dread. One is about mixed tapes (remember those?) and one features several friends driving across several bridges to a haunted house. Each of these has that "I think I know where this is going but....HOLY CRAP....I was wrong" vibes.
If you think dolls are inherently creepy and evil (my tribe) this anthology will give you good reason to feel that way. And if you don't, this book just might bring you to our side. I highly recommend it.
Thanks to the editor for a copy of this book. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews