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Anthology of Extreme Horror
If you prefer to take your horror yarns with copious amounts of spilled blood, eviscerated guts, dollops of messy gore, and dark, disturbing themes, then boy howdy, does HellBound Books have a terrifying treat in store for you!
If not, please not this book is definitely not for the faint of heart!
With a foreword and brand-spanking-new, never-read-before short story by the grand maestro of extreme horror himself, Matt Shaw, this collection of eighteen stomach-churning tales of terror is guaranteed to have the bile rising and heart thumping with each turn of the page.
So, buckle in, dear reader, and brace yourself for a blood-soaked ride littered with assorted body parts and particularly nasty doers of evil. And, for heaven’s sakes, please don’t attempt to eat while you’re reading this anthology!
You have been warned…
Eighteen exceptional tales Matt Shaw, Taylor Z. Adams, Priyanuj Mazumdar, Gabriel Giddings, Dave Davis, Paul Lonardo, Anthony Ferguson, Keith Durocher, Ronan Grey, Galo Romero, Kira Blackwood, James Patrick Riser, Dewey L. Yeatts, Daniel Rust, Brit Jones, HellBound Books’ very own James H Longmore, and British national treasure, Joe Pasquale
If not, please not this book is definitely not for the faint of heart!
With a foreword and brand-spanking-new, never-read-before short story by the grand maestro of extreme horror himself, Matt Shaw, this collection of eighteen stomach-churning tales of terror is guaranteed to have the bile rising and heart thumping with each turn of the page.
So, buckle in, dear reader, and brace yourself for a blood-soaked ride littered with assorted body parts and particularly nasty doers of evil. And, for heaven’s sakes, please don’t attempt to eat while you’re reading this anthology!
You have been warned…
Eighteen exceptional tales Matt Shaw, Taylor Z. Adams, Priyanuj Mazumdar, Gabriel Giddings, Dave Davis, Paul Lonardo, Anthony Ferguson, Keith Durocher, Ronan Grey, Galo Romero, Kira Blackwood, James Patrick Riser, Dewey L. Yeatts, Daniel Rust, Brit Jones, HellBound Books’ very own James H Longmore, and British national treasure, Joe Pasquale
330 pages, Paperback
Published September 30, 2025
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5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 13, 2025
If you’re the kind of reader who craves horror at its most visceral—where blood flows freely, guts spill across the page, and darkness reigns supreme—then this latest anthology from HellBound Books is nothing short of a feast. It’s unapologetically brutal, gleefully grotesque, and absolutely relentless in its mission to shock, disturb, and entertain.
The collection opens with a brand-new short story from the undisputed maestro of extreme horror, Matt Shaw. His presence sets the tone perfectly—raw, uncompromising, and unforgettable.
Each of the eighteen stories, is a unique descent into madness, penned by a diverse lineup of authors including Taylor Z. Adams, Priyanuj Mazumdar, Gabriel Giddings, Dave Davis, Paul Lonardo, Anthony Ferguson, Keith Durocher, Ronan Grey, Galo Romero, Kira Blackwood, James Patrick Riser, Dewey L. Yeatts, Daniel Rust, Brit Jones, James H Longmore, and even the beloved British treasure, Joe Pasquale.
From twisted villains to stomach-churning scenarios, the anthology doesn’t shy away from pushing boundaries. It’s a blood-soaked rollercoaster that dares you to keep turning the pages.
This is not a book for the faint of heart. The editors themselves caution against reading while eating—and they’re right. The imagery is so vivid, so unflinchingly grotesque, that it demands your full attention and a strong stomach.
HellBound Books has delivered a masterclass in extreme horror. It’s bold, uncompromising, and brimming with talent. For fans of the genre, this anthology is a must-read—a collection that proves horror can be both artful and unapologetically savage.
If you’re ready to embrace the darkness, this anthology will reward you with nightmares worth savoring.
The collection opens with a brand-new short story from the undisputed maestro of extreme horror, Matt Shaw. His presence sets the tone perfectly—raw, uncompromising, and unforgettable.
Each of the eighteen stories, is a unique descent into madness, penned by a diverse lineup of authors including Taylor Z. Adams, Priyanuj Mazumdar, Gabriel Giddings, Dave Davis, Paul Lonardo, Anthony Ferguson, Keith Durocher, Ronan Grey, Galo Romero, Kira Blackwood, James Patrick Riser, Dewey L. Yeatts, Daniel Rust, Brit Jones, James H Longmore, and even the beloved British treasure, Joe Pasquale.
From twisted villains to stomach-churning scenarios, the anthology doesn’t shy away from pushing boundaries. It’s a blood-soaked rollercoaster that dares you to keep turning the pages.
This is not a book for the faint of heart. The editors themselves caution against reading while eating—and they’re right. The imagery is so vivid, so unflinchingly grotesque, that it demands your full attention and a strong stomach.
HellBound Books has delivered a masterclass in extreme horror. It’s bold, uncompromising, and brimming with talent. For fans of the genre, this anthology is a must-read—a collection that proves horror can be both artful and unapologetically savage.
If you’re ready to embrace the darkness, this anthology will reward you with nightmares worth savoring.
November 24, 2025
Just like with any anthology, there are generally a few stories that aren’t as good as the others. But like opinions, horror is relative. What I find scary, someone else may find silly or boring.
One story in particular was terrible. Disgusting and filled with over the top hatred and violence against females that goes beyond just being gory or splatterpunk. This is definitely an author I will be avoiding from now on. I don’t feel the need to name the story or the author because it would be obvious to the average horror reader.
That being said, there definitely was a range of horror here. While it’s labeled as extreme horror, a couple of stories I found to have minor gore but a good amount of suspense and creepiness. So even those who aren’t lovers of the extreme can find stories to enjoy in this anthology.
All together, I enjoyed this book. I gave this 3.25⭐️
One story in particular was terrible. Disgusting and filled with over the top hatred and violence against females that goes beyond just being gory or splatterpunk. This is definitely an author I will be avoiding from now on. I don’t feel the need to name the story or the author because it would be obvious to the average horror reader.
That being said, there definitely was a range of horror here. While it’s labeled as extreme horror, a couple of stories I found to have minor gore but a good amount of suspense and creepiness. So even those who aren’t lovers of the extreme can find stories to enjoy in this anthology.
All together, I enjoyed this book. I gave this 3.25⭐️
November 23, 2025
3.5 rounded to 4. some really strong stories in here, particularly the cannibal restaurant one, but some let downs (what was that goblin story??). the only downside to this anthology is that it is incredibly male author heavy and I would have appreciated more women, as well as more racialized people!
November 28, 2025
Very different to my usual reads but that's what reading is all about! Definitely not for the faint hearted, this is full of more blood, gore and teeth pulling to last a lifetime!
I dread to think of the authors' search histories when writing these! All new to me authors and I admire how quick they are to get to the point, very quickly cut and dried! I'm unsure if I have a favourite as they are all twisted in their own way but it definitely shows how the mind works when it comes to torture and suchlike.
It was an eye opening read, that's for sure!
I dread to think of the authors' search histories when writing these! All new to me authors and I admire how quick they are to get to the point, very quickly cut and dried! I'm unsure if I have a favourite as they are all twisted in their own way but it definitely shows how the mind works when it comes to torture and suchlike.
It was an eye opening read, that's for sure!
November 18, 2025
I was given a review copy of the anthology by Hellbound books.
The collection started off strong but started losing me towards the middle and didn’t get me back. It had the standard type of stories but I was hoping for something new.
The collection started off strong but started losing me towards the middle and didn’t get me back. It had the standard type of stories but I was hoping for something new.
December 28, 2025
I'm not going to say I loved this collection, but I think it's a good, varied selection of what the extreme horror genre has to offer. Some of it may not have been to my taste but I certainly had some interesting dreams while I was reading it!
Some of these stories needed a little more proofreading as I spotted a few errors and repeated words, and with an anthology like this I don't know how much that's down to the compiler or the original publishers. It's not something I like to be overly fussy about but it is something I notice.
So the stories themselves. I'm not going to cover all of them (there are 18 in this collection) but here are some that made an impression on me.
The Interview by Matt Shaw, who also writes the introduction, isn't the best start. It's certainly gory enough but didn't have much emotional impact on me. I haven't read any of his other stuff so maybe he works better in a longer format, but in this one the tone and tension didn't seem to vary enough to interest me.
Now I actually wanted to read this one because of the Joe Pasquale story, I didn't know he wrote horror so I thought it would be worth a look. I was surprised to find it so early on on the collection. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a decent story and the ridiculousness and silly title (The Umpire Strikes Back) make perfect sense coming from a comedian.
Goreslut by Taylor Z. Adams is a stand out of the collection for me, yes it's especially gross but bittersweet too. This one is going to stick with me.
With 'How to go cold turkey on the coldest night of the year' (Priyanuj Mazymdar) I found the plot fairly interesting, if a little elaborate. There was tension and some good horror visuals, but the protagonists reactions are narrated bluntly a little too often, when sometimes it's better to show than to tell.
Eddy Long Legs by Gabriel Giddings was another good one, a weird fever dream. Difficult to make sense of but highly entertaining.
Luster (Dave Davis) - there's a decent story here, and it's suitably messed up, but the pulpy, alliterative style quickly became tedious.
No Pain, No Gain (Paul Lonardo) was a bit like a 'tales of the unexpected' story with extra gore, it worked well but the ending was over-explained.
Of Flesh and Kin was another of my favourites with a good build up and backstory, but it was another one where some motivations and reactions were over-explained which dragged it down a little.
Transplant by James H Longmore had some great descriptive gore but it went from a fairly basic plot to an overcomplicated resolution.
Show your Work (Keith Durocher) was another highlight, an unusual and descriptive piece. The plot was simple enough, but this allowed the more original elements of the narration to stand out.
The Janus Experiment (Ronan Grey) was a creepy, disturbing piece with a sense of dread building thoroughout.
The Nordsolen (Galo Romero) - now this clearly wanted to be a homage/pastiche of classic horror tales with extra gore- a ship transporting a cursed cargo. But the protagonists feelings and reactions just seemed so overblown. Despite knowing that this was a horror tale and that his fears would eventually prove to be founded, it felt like he was overreacting right from the start.
The Tooth Fairy by Kira Blackwood was gripping, grim and quite unhinged. It was slightly let down by the ending - I felt that treating the obvious explanation as a big reveal undermined the story.
You Are What You Eat (Gore-Mand Alastair Feasterback) was an utterly entertaining piece with a fun, campy gimmick. Gore but SILLY. The thing that let it down was that, while it was told in the style of a restaurant review, the food descriptions weren't particularly interesting. Considering the food it's probably good that it didn't have me salivating, but it didn't have me gagging either.
Finally Witch Boy (Daniel Rust) was a good, grim modern fairytale but I didn't feel much for any of the characters.
I think the trouble with a lot of these is that the grim endings make it feel as though an act is missing - we start right in with the dark stuff so there isn't twist, but often there isn't any sort of resolution either. Things just continue, so those things need to be interesting or unusual from the start. I also don't expect these characters to be likeable, but it does help if they are interesting.
I think when you get past the gore and sex, a lot of extreme horror is actually very silly and camp, like those old William Castle gimmicks. And yes this can be fun, but I find existential dread and the incomprehensible scarier. Have someone chopped up, sure that's grim. Have someone WANT to get chopped up? Now there's an interesting story. This collection has a few of the latter, but it also has you covered if you just want viscera and lots of it.
Some of these stories needed a little more proofreading as I spotted a few errors and repeated words, and with an anthology like this I don't know how much that's down to the compiler or the original publishers. It's not something I like to be overly fussy about but it is something I notice.
So the stories themselves. I'm not going to cover all of them (there are 18 in this collection) but here are some that made an impression on me.
The Interview by Matt Shaw, who also writes the introduction, isn't the best start. It's certainly gory enough but didn't have much emotional impact on me. I haven't read any of his other stuff so maybe he works better in a longer format, but in this one the tone and tension didn't seem to vary enough to interest me.
Now I actually wanted to read this one because of the Joe Pasquale story, I didn't know he wrote horror so I thought it would be worth a look. I was surprised to find it so early on on the collection. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a decent story and the ridiculousness and silly title (The Umpire Strikes Back) make perfect sense coming from a comedian.
Goreslut by Taylor Z. Adams is a stand out of the collection for me, yes it's especially gross but bittersweet too. This one is going to stick with me.
With 'How to go cold turkey on the coldest night of the year' (Priyanuj Mazymdar) I found the plot fairly interesting, if a little elaborate. There was tension and some good horror visuals, but the protagonists reactions are narrated bluntly a little too often, when sometimes it's better to show than to tell.
Eddy Long Legs by Gabriel Giddings was another good one, a weird fever dream. Difficult to make sense of but highly entertaining.
Luster (Dave Davis) - there's a decent story here, and it's suitably messed up, but the pulpy, alliterative style quickly became tedious.
No Pain, No Gain (Paul Lonardo) was a bit like a 'tales of the unexpected' story with extra gore, it worked well but the ending was over-explained.
Of Flesh and Kin was another of my favourites with a good build up and backstory, but it was another one where some motivations and reactions were over-explained which dragged it down a little.
Transplant by James H Longmore had some great descriptive gore but it went from a fairly basic plot to an overcomplicated resolution.
Show your Work (Keith Durocher) was another highlight, an unusual and descriptive piece. The plot was simple enough, but this allowed the more original elements of the narration to stand out.
The Janus Experiment (Ronan Grey) was a creepy, disturbing piece with a sense of dread building thoroughout.
The Nordsolen (Galo Romero) - now this clearly wanted to be a homage/pastiche of classic horror tales with extra gore- a ship transporting a cursed cargo. But the protagonists feelings and reactions just seemed so overblown. Despite knowing that this was a horror tale and that his fears would eventually prove to be founded, it felt like he was overreacting right from the start.
The Tooth Fairy by Kira Blackwood was gripping, grim and quite unhinged. It was slightly let down by the ending - I felt that treating the obvious explanation as a big reveal undermined the story.
You Are What You Eat (Gore-Mand Alastair Feasterback) was an utterly entertaining piece with a fun, campy gimmick. Gore but SILLY. The thing that let it down was that, while it was told in the style of a restaurant review, the food descriptions weren't particularly interesting. Considering the food it's probably good that it didn't have me salivating, but it didn't have me gagging either.
Finally Witch Boy (Daniel Rust) was a good, grim modern fairytale but I didn't feel much for any of the characters.
I think the trouble with a lot of these is that the grim endings make it feel as though an act is missing - we start right in with the dark stuff so there isn't twist, but often there isn't any sort of resolution either. Things just continue, so those things need to be interesting or unusual from the start. I also don't expect these characters to be likeable, but it does help if they are interesting.
I think when you get past the gore and sex, a lot of extreme horror is actually very silly and camp, like those old William Castle gimmicks. And yes this can be fun, but I find existential dread and the incomprehensible scarier. Have someone chopped up, sure that's grim. Have someone WANT to get chopped up? Now there's an interesting story. This collection has a few of the latter, but it also has you covered if you just want viscera and lots of it.
November 25, 2025
This anthology didn’t just creep under my skin—it unpacked a suitcase, redecorated, and left a trail of organs as a welcome mat.
HELLBOUND BOOKS really said: “Hope you weren’t planning on keeping your lunch.”
Because WOW… these eighteen stories go straight for the jugular, the stomach, and honestly any other body part they can reach.
From Matt Shaw’s wicked foreword to the fresh nightmare he drops in, every author in this lineup came to play surgeon—and they didn’t bother with anesthesia. The gore? Chef’s kiss. The darkness? Delicious. My sanity? Missing, presumed dismembered.
If you love extreme horror with bite, slash, and full-on intestinal enthusiasm, this is your new favorite bloodbath.
If you don’t… well, the warning label told you to run.
A disgusting, delightful, deeply deranged ride.
And yes—I absolutely devoured it.
HELLBOUND BOOKS really said: “Hope you weren’t planning on keeping your lunch.”
Because WOW… these eighteen stories go straight for the jugular, the stomach, and honestly any other body part they can reach.
From Matt Shaw’s wicked foreword to the fresh nightmare he drops in, every author in this lineup came to play surgeon—and they didn’t bother with anesthesia. The gore? Chef’s kiss. The darkness? Delicious. My sanity? Missing, presumed dismembered.
If you love extreme horror with bite, slash, and full-on intestinal enthusiasm, this is your new favorite bloodbath.
If you don’t… well, the warning label told you to run.
A disgusting, delightful, deeply deranged ride.
And yes—I absolutely devoured it.
November 16, 2025
The Anthology of Extreme Horror definitely brings in the extreme. If you need trigger warnings, then this one isn't for you. I don't think they missed much if anything as far as possible triggers go. Some stories are harder to read than others and a couple that do not quite reach the extremes. Overall, it is a sick twisted little jaunt into the pitch blackness, and I loved it.
December 2, 2025
With plenty of gore, disturbing themes and dark content, this collection had a wide range of stories with some being more extreme than others. This book had some twisted, gruesome and horrific stories that got under my skin (in a good way). My particular favorite was The Tooth Fairy by Kira Blackwood. If you like extreme horror mixed with some tamer stories I definitely recommend this one.
Thanks to Hellbound Books for a copy of this book!
Thanks to Hellbound Books for a copy of this book!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews