The Candy Cane Man

by Chris Archeske

A renowned candy factory. A deadly accident. An unforgivable cover-up.

Paul and Lee aren't sure they believe the story of Geneva Grove's legendary Candy Cane Man, but when they find themselves trapped in the abandoned ghost town during a raging blizzard, they soon realize they're not alone, and their night of terror is only just beginning.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Holiday

24 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 9, 2025

About the author

Chris Archeske is the author of the horror collection The Bad Things We Did, which includes the Christmas-themed ghost story "The Candy Cane Man." He has lived all across the United States and beyond, from Southern towns in Alabama and Georgia to more far off localities including Hawaii and Germany. He grew up reading the Goosebumps series and still has his collection of the original sixty-two books. Aside from R.L. Stine, he enjoys and is inspired by the works of Richard Matheson, Stephen King, Eric LaRocca, Daphne du Maurier, John Saul, and Stephen Graham Jones. Today, you can find him in Iowa with his husband and their four cats.

Reviews

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I was reading this... I was like I swear I've read this before.... have I heard this "legend" somewhere?! Only to realize I read it in a collection that Archeske had previously released! I am still happy to have revisited it close to the start of the holiday season!

[Celeste Velocci (bookrecs_by_celeste)]

Very weird

[STEPH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Candy Cane Man is part of Chris Archeske’s horror story collection, The Bad Things We Did.

I liked it. One of the characters was incredibly annoying and so self-righteous that they honestly deserved what happened to them.

This is a fast-paced read about a town with a dark history, a horrific ritual, and a surprisingly touching ending.

[Billie Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story! Just enough building tension and suspense to the great twist! Perfect quick Christmas themed horror read!

[Amy Tackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a pleasant twist. 🤭

[Nicole Milazzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul inherited his grandma's childhood home. He dragged his partner Lee along, but the air between them was thick with tension. They hated being around each other, and I could feel it. On the drive to Paul's grandma's place, he started telling Lee about the legend of the Candy Cane Man - a deadly accident at the old Geneva Grove candy factory and an unforgivable cover-up. As a blizzard trapped them in the abandoned ghost town. The twists were twisting lol and I swear I didn't see thot ending coming! Now every time I see a candy cane with that spiky point, I'll be thinking about this spooky story.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

"That's why everyone became superstitious and left this town," Paul concluded. "No one wanted to fall victim to the curse. No one wanted to be taken by... the Candy Cane Man."

I first read this story in a collection of eight short stories, but The Candy Cane Man was by far my favorite. I always thought it deserved to be released as a standalone! This short story has humor, betrayal, and an old candy cane factory with an intriguingly brutal back story that left a cursed legacy on the desolate town of Geneva Grove. It'll be the best addition to any Christmas horror TBR list.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and spooky Christmas story

Paul takes Lee back to his hometown after his grandmother passes and leaves her house to him. The town is home to an old candy factory that the locals believe is cursed.

A snowstorm arrives and isolates the couple. Will they survive to learn the truth of the candy cane man?

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant short read! I loved the scary story and seeing what happened with Lee, I didn't like his character though. I also loved seeing what happened after and would never have expected that was what was happening! It was very very interesting

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sucking on a candy cane is required when reading this short story.

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was too short. It start off great but it ended too fast and I needed more.

[Emily Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome Christmastime short story! It will definitely be a yearly reread when the season hits.

[Hannah Huffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find it hard to rate short story’s because I feel like there’s always so many plot holes but then again it’s called a short story for a reason… anyways this story reminded me a lot of the candy man but then the author threw a whole family thing at us at the end . So it was good for a super quick read I suppose

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was wild but I enjoyed it! Great for the holiday season!

[Synthia Valcourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Candy Cane Man by Chris Archeske

Wow… this book completely took me by surprise. I went in expecting a quick creepy holiday read, and instead got something so much deeper and more unsettling in the best way possible. Chris Archeske doesn’t just write horror; he builds atmosphere and emotion so well that you feel like you’re inside the story.

The whole idea behind the Candy Cane Man is both chilling and clever. It’s got that perfect mix of urban legend and real human fear, the kind that stays with you long after you’ve finished. The small-town setting, the winter backdrop, the way guilt and memory twist together it all just works.

I really connected with the characters too. Paul and Lee felt so real, and I loved how their personal struggles were just as haunting as the supernatural stuff happening around them. Archeske balances the scares with emotion, and that’s what makes it hit harder than your typical horror story.

It’s a shorter read, but it never feels rushed. Every scene counts, and the pacing kept me completely hooked right up to the last page. I finished it in one sitting and immediately wanted to talk about it with someone.

If you like horror that’s atmospheric, smart, and genuinely unsettling (without being over the top), this is the one. Easily a five-star read for me: creepy, emotional, and impossible to forget.

[Ashley Aceves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Release Day Chris Archeske on your sweet, chilling fast paced master piece!!
The Candy Cane Man
A Short Ghost Story released today 11/09/25!! And it’s definitely a must read!! Short yet very detailed and a heck of a plot twist & just over all an amazing read, perfect for the holidays!!
As Paul and his life partner Lee drive to Iowa from Chicago to settle family business out at Paul’s home town Geneva Grove, Lee discovers it is a small abandoned town in passing he sees what is an abandoned Factory and questions Paul of it’s background story! A bit iffy Paul unfolds its history, as well as the ghost towns secrets and mysteries! As bad as it may sound to Lee, whom is not on board with the short visit or stay at Paul’s childhood home Paul has no intention of leaving or getting rid of it. Paul soon starts to realize Lee and him no longer have that spark they once had, and they are definitely not on the same page with or about anything. Forced to stay the night in the home due to a severe snow otherwise mishaps continue in story as 1 starts to live the town curse!! Will he survive?!!
😁🤗🤓📖

Favorite Quotes:
❄️ “ Paul agreed. Lee never tried to be a d!€k. Usually, he just was one. 🤣🤣
❄️ “All I'm saying is the past is the past.”
❄️“You should probably let it go."
❄️ “You can let shit go, Paul realized, but sometimes shit holds on to you.”
❄️ “ This town is where everything comes to die.” ( I can relate lol.
❄️ "If you won't drive me out of this nightmare, I'll do it myself."

[Chris Wolfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review: The Candy Cane Man by Chris Archeske

A quick, haunting family-legacy meets vengeance-reborn story that feels like a small-town echo of Nightmare on Elm Street—where grief and guilt simmer just beneath the surface.

Paul returns to his childhood home after his grandmother’s passing, determined to settle her affairs and make peace with his past. Along for the tense drive is his partner, Lee—distant, bitter, and barely concealing the resentment of a fractured relationship. Their uneasy silence breaks when Lee brings up the local legend: the fire at the Candy Factory.

It’s there the story twists—a blend of small-town trauma, generational secrets, and a Freddy Krueger-like specter born not of dreams, but of vengeance and bloodline duty. What began as a trip for closure turns into a reckoning, forcing Paul to confront not only his family’s vigilante legacy but the truth behind The Candy Cane Man himself.

Quick, eerie, and emotionally charged, this novella carries the weight of inherited guilt—and the chill of realizing some hometown horrors never sleep.

I received a free advance copy in exchange for a review.

[Brandon Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short Story Review
Title: The Candy Cane Man
Author: Chris Archeske
Genre: Horror
Rating: 5 Stars.

Short, sweet, and to the point! (There are a lot of puns in my first sentence.) The Candy Cane Man is an excellent short story that I got to read last year in his collection The Bad Things We Did. It was fun to reread this as a standalone and it was just as good as I remembered it.

Paul and Lee are on a trip to an isolated cabin in Geneva Grove and soon find themselves trapped by a blizzard. Pretty soon the creepy story of the towns Candy Cane Man seem all too real.

If you are looking for a fast-paced quick read, The Candy Cane Man is the right book for you. At about 20 pages, you'll be able to finish this book in one sitting. But don't let its size fool you, this still packs the same punch as any novel.

[Kayleigh Galletto · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is a short story - too short. I’m not going to say a ton because I could tell you the entire story in a paragraph. This was the fastest little read I’ve ever read.

It’s a horror story. Fairly gruesome in some parts. It was a great idea - but the story itself felt like a summary instead of a flushed out story. It was choppy, underdeveloped and left more questions than it answered. It was the opening scene to a potentially great movie. The imagery was really solid and scary.

If you need a little something to break up the Hallmark romcoms, or something to help you reach that end goal, this will do the trick. Just don’t expect a lot from the too few pages.

[DA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting off this book made me mad. Lee is a jerk and I did not like him at all. Which of course is the point. I wanted to scream at Paul that he deserved better.
Then, it turned creepy. A run down house in an abandoned town. A sudden snow storm. The perfect ingredients for a horror story.
A short read that still has great world and character building. This author knows how to drag the reader into their twisted imagination.
If you're looking for a read to start on your Christmas TBR this would be a good one!

[Beverly Laude · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great short story, perfect for the holiday season. Paul is taking his partner, Lee, to his grandmother's house after her death. The couple have been having problems and Lee isn't too fond of the whole idea.

When they pass an abandoned candy factory and Lee hears the creepy story of the Candy Cane Man. Will they survive the night in the old farmhouse (during a horrible blizzard, no less!) or will they become the next victims of the Candy Cane Man?

Well-written, fast paced and totally creepy, this quick read makes me want more from this author!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul and Lee have traveled back to Paul's hometown. What was supposed to be a quick trip to check on Paul's childhood home, turns out to be a nightmare that both will not forget. Only one will survive the night.

I liked this short story. That was a good balance of the build up without drawing it out too much. The Candy Cane Man is something made of nightmares. I would not want to encounter him. After reading this story, I do want to check out more books by the author. Don't choke on your candy cane!

[Veronica Kimmerly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written short holiday ghost story with the perfect amount of details to make you feel like you were right there with Paul and Lee. This story definitely took a turn (for the good) that I did not see coming at all. A complete shocking ending. Definitely looking forward to reading more from this author as this was my first read. Highly recommend,

"they were both already thinking--like addicts seeking a fix--of who would get the candy cane next"

[Book Bunny 666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun short ghost story, we follow Lee and Paul and they drive into a deserted town, when they drive by a burned down candy cane factory and Paul tells Lee the story of what happened and how the evil candycan man came to be.
when they arrive at a small cottage Paul says they have to stay the night, Lee tries to leave but soon finds the snow is too kuch so he has to go back, but things don't seem right and he is soon to find out why
It was short, fun and spooky, a nice little read

[Nyxie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVED this story, I would have liked that it was longer tho...

The background plot was a wonderful idea, I was asking myself a lot of questions when it cames for the 'legend' behind the Candy Cane Man.

The stress and plot twist were mind-blowing. When each piece of the puzzle assembles, everything makes sense.

SPOILER: Paul’s plan was ingenious, I would have loved to see him build it. Why is it essential for them to do that,...

~ARC~

[David Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love some seasonal reads when it comes to Christmas time and as much as I love monsters, I think I love familial trauma wrapped up as horror passed down from one generation to the next.

Archeske is a master of his craft when it comes to short stories, so you know you're in safe hands when you pick up anything with his name on it.

Enjoy this one in a darkened room with twinkling Christmas lights to set the mood. You'll have a great time.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it! It’s the perfect example of short and sweet to the point - a whole novel packed into 24ish pages (?)! The twist, I feel so indifferent because while I’m not a big horror fan (I gotta cover my ears and eyes watching movies lol), I was so excited and I NEED more info about the story behind the twist! I need more!

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

A million times "WOW!!!" on this preciously horrifying Winter Short Story! Jam-packed with possibilities, twists, Suspense, and more convolutions than an anxious python, incredibly well-written and character-insightful, this tale immediately catapulted author Chris Archeske, a brand-new discovery, to the top of my must-read pantheon!

[Chris Archeske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy holidays! Chris Archeske here, author of The Candy Cane Man. I always told myself I would only rate one of my books if I could give it its 100th rating. Today, I get to cross that item off my list. Thank you for supporting indie authors like myself, and I hope you enjoy my little Christmas ghost story. Thanks for reading!

[TreeFlower · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

This was a short, spooky Christmas story.

Lee is not happy when he has to return to his boyfriend’s childhood home. He’s unhappy that it’s located in the middle of nowhere, he’s unhappy they’re snowed in, and super unhappy about the weird vibes he’s getting from the haunted factory they passed on the way. He knows it’s ridiculous but he’s scared he may run into the candy cane man.