Lights, Camera...

Lights, Camera... #1

by Marcin Piotrowski

Two extreme stories.

Lights, camera... - Marcel wants to become an actor in snuff porn films. Thanks to a friend he met in prison, he has a chance to fulfill his dream. First, he has to prove that he is capable of anything.

Basement Secrets - Two lesbians keep a mentally disabled man in their basement. One of the girls develops a taste for human flesh. Will her partner agree to eat the prisoner?

38 pages, ebook

Published January 1, 2025

Reviews

[Yvonne (the putrid Shelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What in the living shite did I just read? This book delivers not one but two extreme stories that leave you squirming and side-eyeing your own reading choices.

First up, Marcin himself stars in a series of brutal snuff films—raw, unflinching, and disturbingly vivid. Then we’re dragged into the nightmare of two lesbians who keep a disabled man captive in their dungeon, a tale that’s as transgressive as it is stomach-turning.

It’s not comfortable. It’s not “nice,” and it’s definitely not for casual horror readers. But it is extreme, unapologetic, and unforgettable. Piotrowski leans fully into the gutter and dares you to follow him down.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lights, Camera… offers up two stories of extreme horror. The title story was unfortunately a miss for me, but the second story was more interesting. My rating is more for the writing and not the content.

It could be a matter of translation, but I found the writing to be simplistic with a few errors. You get exactly what you sign up for with this book, and for the right reader the shorts might be enjoyable though nothing that will blow your socks off. I’ve read other books that cover similar topics that were simply better.

Individual Story Notes:
♥ Lights, Camera…: I found this one disappointing and not very impactful. Marcel wants to become an underground porn actor, and he’s willing to go to extremes to achieve his goal. Perhaps it was the nonchalance of Marcel’s narration but there wasn’t any real conflict in this story. It ends with a wink and a nudge and it just felt like a nothingburger of a story. ★2

♥ Basement Secrets: The second story was a surprise, and I liked it much more than the first. A pair of women imprison a disabled man to use and abuse as they see fit until one becomes curious about cannibalism. An interesting transgressive piece with a satisfying ending. ★3.5

[Ashley Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basement Secrets was pretty fucked up.
I picked this up for Lights, Camera... though; but that one did not live up to my expectations unfortunately. It felt more like the opening of a story, rather than a complete one.