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Doors of Darkness #3
Doors of Darkness III: The Mall
Get ready for the most explosive sale of the year! This July 4th, Sherwood Mall is bursting with unbeatable deals and patriotic flair! Dive into our red, white, and blue extravaganza and enjoy sizzling discounts storewide! From sizzling summer fashions to must-have electronics, every store is joining the celebration with deals you won't believe. Don't miss out on the chance to save big while enjoying festive entertainment, dazzling decorations, and a fireworks display that will light up your night. Head to Sherwood Mall for the ultimate holiday shopping experience-where the only thing more exciting than the deals are the surprises that await!
This anthology features sixteen original short stories that all take place on the 4th of July weekend in 1986 at the Sherwood Mall.
"Glamour Magique" by Nadine Stewart
"Unnatural Wonders" by AJ Danna
"Big Break" by Austin Hinderliter
"Jilly's" by John Martin
"Skin Deep" by Reece G. Donnell
"Tangerine Blue" by Billie Karras
"The Great Communicator" by Adrian DeLeon
"Ballif's Boo-doir" by Liam Ray III
"Bleed for Me" by G. D. Bowlin
"Beneath Still Water" by Jason Harlow
"Tandemonium" by AudraKate Gonzalez
"A Simple Act of Kindness" by Vincent St. Claire
"Little King" by William MacFarland
"Parrish Photos" by Vanessa Leonardo
"Waste Not, Want Not" by Fionna Cosgrove
"Banana Split" by Elisabeth Tuttle
This anthology features sixteen original short stories that all take place on the 4th of July weekend in 1986 at the Sherwood Mall.
"Glamour Magique" by Nadine Stewart
"Unnatural Wonders" by AJ Danna
"Big Break" by Austin Hinderliter
"Jilly's" by John Martin
"Skin Deep" by Reece G. Donnell
"Tangerine Blue" by Billie Karras
"The Great Communicator" by Adrian DeLeon
"Ballif's Boo-doir" by Liam Ray III
"Bleed for Me" by G. D. Bowlin
"Beneath Still Water" by Jason Harlow
"Tandemonium" by AudraKate Gonzalez
"A Simple Act of Kindness" by Vincent St. Claire
"Little King" by William MacFarland
"Parrish Photos" by Vanessa Leonardo
"Waste Not, Want Not" by Fionna Cosgrove
"Banana Split" by Elisabeth Tuttle
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 26, 2025
About the author
Caleb J. Pecue
9 books19 followersCaleb J. Pecue is the owner and operator of Terrorcore Publishing, which specializes in bringing back the vintage paperbacks of the ’70s-’90s. His Doors of Darkness series brings together stories connected by location, whether that be on Fern Street, Pike Street, or in the Sherwood Mall. In 2026, he is releasing a YA horror line of books, Rewind, that pays homage to the Point Horror books of the ’90s. In addition, he is the author of the novelization of Mark Ezra’s 1985 slasher, Slaughter High.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 17, 2025
A marvelous mall of monsters and mayhem
Book Title: Doors of Darkness III: The Mall
Editor: Caleb J. Pecue
Synopsis: All the horror stories featured here take place in Sherwood Mall on the same 4th of July day in 1986.
Several sub-genres are utilized in this book. There’s tales of supernatural horror like Nadine Stewart’s “Glamour Magique”, AJ Danna’s “Unnatural Wonders”, and Liam Ray III’s “Ballif’s Boo-dior.” There’s also cosmic horror to be found in John Martin’s “Jilly’s” and William Macfarland’s “Little King.” The second biggest sub-genre featured here would definitely be sci-fi as depicted in Adrian DeLeon’s “The Great Communicator”, Jason Harlow’s “Beneath Still Water”, AudraKate Gonzalez’s “Tanndamonium”, Fionna Cosgrove’s “Waste Not Want Not”, and Elisabeth Tuttle’s “Banana Split.” Slasher fans will have even more tales to enjoy with Austin Hinderliter’s “Big Break,” Recee G. Donnel’s “Skin Deep”, G.D Bowlin’s “Bleed for Me,” Vincent St. Claire’s “A Simple Act of Kindness,” and Vanessa Leonardo’s “Parrish Photos.” There’s even magical realism to be read in Billie Karras’s “Tangerine Blue.”
Thoughts: The strangeness of “Tangerine Blue” makes it memorable for me. The endings of “The Great Communicator” and “A Simple Act of Kindness” were both blows to the gut. Personal favorites were “Glamour Magique”, “Unnatural Wonders,” and “Little King.” That said, all the stories in this anthology are very well written.
Gore and dismemberment are experienced by characters of all ages, so reader beware.
Recommend for: Horror fans of all genres are likely to find something to like here (especially fans of sci-fi and slasher horror). There’s also appeal for those with 80’s nostalgia.
Book Title: Doors of Darkness III: The Mall
Editor: Caleb J. Pecue
Synopsis: All the horror stories featured here take place in Sherwood Mall on the same 4th of July day in 1986.
Several sub-genres are utilized in this book. There’s tales of supernatural horror like Nadine Stewart’s “Glamour Magique”, AJ Danna’s “Unnatural Wonders”, and Liam Ray III’s “Ballif’s Boo-dior.” There’s also cosmic horror to be found in John Martin’s “Jilly’s” and William Macfarland’s “Little King.” The second biggest sub-genre featured here would definitely be sci-fi as depicted in Adrian DeLeon’s “The Great Communicator”, Jason Harlow’s “Beneath Still Water”, AudraKate Gonzalez’s “Tanndamonium”, Fionna Cosgrove’s “Waste Not Want Not”, and Elisabeth Tuttle’s “Banana Split.” Slasher fans will have even more tales to enjoy with Austin Hinderliter’s “Big Break,” Recee G. Donnel’s “Skin Deep”, G.D Bowlin’s “Bleed for Me,” Vincent St. Claire’s “A Simple Act of Kindness,” and Vanessa Leonardo’s “Parrish Photos.” There’s even magical realism to be read in Billie Karras’s “Tangerine Blue.”
Thoughts: The strangeness of “Tangerine Blue” makes it memorable for me. The endings of “The Great Communicator” and “A Simple Act of Kindness” were both blows to the gut. Personal favorites were “Glamour Magique”, “Unnatural Wonders,” and “Little King.” That said, all the stories in this anthology are very well written.
Gore and dismemberment are experienced by characters of all ages, so reader beware.
Recommend for: Horror fans of all genres are likely to find something to like here (especially fans of sci-fi and slasher horror). There’s also appeal for those with 80’s nostalgia.
September 11, 2025
”Stella’s face makes one last appearance as she steps in front of the tiny circular window, her expression gleaming with a sadistic pleasure. “Sorry, but rules are rules. No disturbing the customer during their tanning experience.” She cackles as she walks away, listening to the sound of my blood curdling screams as my body is stripped of my skin.”
Though I haven’t read the other Doors of Darkness books yet, when I heard about this one I was excited and had to read it as soon as it came out. I love the setting of a mall in the 80’s! There is 16 short stories in this anthology, some were very good and had that vintage horror feel and others that felt like were just ok. The ones that were really good had everything I was looking forward to when it came to this book like the gore, the twists and the depiction of the mall or stores within the story. Overall it was a fun, spooky book.
Though I haven’t read the other Doors of Darkness books yet, when I heard about this one I was excited and had to read it as soon as it came out. I love the setting of a mall in the 80’s! There is 16 short stories in this anthology, some were very good and had that vintage horror feel and others that felt like were just ok. The ones that were really good had everything I was looking forward to when it came to this book like the gore, the twists and the depiction of the mall or stores within the story. Overall it was a fun, spooky book.
April 16, 2026
I like to read one short story a day because I LOVE short stories and novellas...especially when they are done well. I also love 80s/90s nostalgia...and I picked THIS collection based on the 2026 Old School April readathon theme of Mall Madness...and it was PERFECT. I loved reading this...one story every morning to give those perfect nostalgic vibes. Every story is set in a different store on the fourth of July. It's a great variety and I can honestly say I liked every story. None were 5 stars for me but a lot of 4 stars in there and nothing below 3 stars. Highly recommend this collection as a whole for those 80s horror nostalgia fans.
April 14, 2026
Gruesome fun in The Mall
Sixteen short horror stories taking place over 4th July celebrations in the 80s in a shopping mall. Some fabulous body horror, creepy encounters and poor life choices.
This is a fun read, easy to pick up, read a story and carry on, coming back again and again to see what fresh horrors haunt the shoppers and staff behind the glass facade.
Sixteen short horror stories taking place over 4th July celebrations in the 80s in a shopping mall. Some fabulous body horror, creepy encounters and poor life choices.
This is a fun read, easy to pick up, read a story and carry on, coming back again and again to see what fresh horrors haunt the shoppers and staff behind the glass facade.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews