Kennedy periodically unveils a themed installment of The Horror Collection, and this time the spotlight falls on the Blood Red Edition, a volume steeped in terror and saturated with crimson imagery. Inside, a diverse array of dark tales vampires and werewolves stalk the night, devils and aliens twist reality, and unsettling stories of fractured minds, eerie rejuvenation, ruthless gangsters, and more unfold. Each story pulses with its own unique menace, yet all are bound together by the same sinister lifeblood.
Kevin J. Kennedy is a Scottish horror author known for his fast-paced storytelling, dark humor, and unforgettable characters. He is also the curator of the bestselling The Horror Collection and Classic Monsters anthology series.
When he’s not writing tales of blood-soaked chaos, Kevin champions indie horror, supports fellow authors, and dreams up new ways to keep readers sleeping with the lights on.
Blood flows through our arteries and veins. The arteries carry blood away from the heart, and the veins bring it back. Why am I writing this? The answer is quite simple. I finished reading the latest Kevin Kennedy Horror Collection, and the theme is blood.
Your blood will freeze as you read these crimson tales by some of the greatest masters of horror.
Sublime
Ryan Colley
The deterioration of an artist who wanted to regain the success he had in the past. Painting with blood is not an original concept. However, this story goes beyond the boundaries to deliver a gore fest of abysmal proportions.
Wiiyukta
Hunter Shea
To be cursed to live forever, experiencing every agony from former deaths and unable to eat or drink, due to vomiting it all up in a river of blood. Wishing to be with his family, who were slain by Indians, Cole is determined to figure out a way to actually die. Will he succeed, or will his torment be eternal?
The Ghost Whisperer
Graham Masterton
Have you ever heard of a Ghost Whisperer? A person who can bring back the dead. Sounds like a person you would like to know. Imagine all your loved ones, returning to you. However, what if you wanted the dead to return for another reason? What if your evil transcends beyond the to release the bloodiest carnage?
Behind the Slaughterhouse Doors
C. W. Stevenson
We have all read stories of humans transforming into beasts. Whether it is a werewolf or any other creature. Regardless of whether this human monster feels remorse or just bloodlust, it is of little relevance. Will a mother's attempts to control the ravishing beast succeed, or will the animal take over, leaving a trail of blood?
Merry F**** Christmas
James Kaine
There are more renditions of Charles Dicken's novella, A Christmas Carol. Whether you have read it, watched it on television, seen the play, or all of the above, it is a timeless classic.
Now imagine that Scrooge is a violent mafia enforcer with an inoperable brain tumor and is visited by the spirits of his victims.
This is one story that you must read this holiday season. Heart warming, it isn't, but the gore and blood splatter rule the night.
Hell of a Wait
Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar
We all know that feeling of driving while feeling exhausted. Our eyes begin to close as the road ahead widens. Perhaps we open them just in time to avoid a horrific accident, or maybe we don't. In this horror tale of a woman who felt so comfortable in her car with the heat on and music playing, she closed her eyes for a moment and crashed into a young girl. Whether to report the accident to the police or hide the body were the choices she had to face. Though she chose to conceal the corpse from the eyes of the world, the supernatural sees all, and final judgment begins.
Blood Eucharist
Bill Davidson
A priest engulfed with a tidal wave of hatred for his congregation, who were all elderly. A creature from the forest as ancient as time offered him the opportunity to kill them all and be rewarded heavily. Though the priest gladly abides, the outcome is more terrifying than expected.
One note: I would have preferred that the gargoyle monstrosity speak without a heavy accent. It confused me at times.
Youth is Wasted on the Young
S.E. Howard
Who wouldn't want to be young forever. Elizabeth Bathory bathed in a tub full of blood to try and obtain it. In this horror tale, Grace discovers that blood reverses the aging process and relishes all the compliments she is now receiving. What began as blood from corpses evolved into the living. What can Grace do to prolong this? You will be mortified at the horrifying conclusion.
Red Tears
Callum Pearce
A cursed knife that can kill others when you stab yourself. When angry, the knife urges Ben to kill. Will Ben abide by it knowing those most dear to him might be victims, or will he discover a way to escape from this bloody fate?
Red Rooms at Night
Debra Castaneda
Science fiction is filled with stories of alien invasions. One of the most popular is The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. The aliens in that book were destroyed by simple bacteria and viruses.
Reading this story brought back memories of that book. Though the aliens weren't in Tri-pods, they set up a facade as a medical clinic. Using women as hosts for alien offspring as well as substituting human blood for 5 like the perfect plan for an invasion. However, a weakness was discovered. You will never guess what it is unless you read this story.
I Wish It Were Ebola
Viggy Parr Hampton
Our mind can be a powerful ally or a deadly enemy. What is reality? Is it what we see ourselves or what others see in us? A young woman who is gushing blood out of every orifice only to be told there is no blood. A friend who is an intern who may not even exist. Have I even read this story, or is that in my mind as well?
Boneless
Graham Masterton & Karolina Mogielska
Why are the police forbidden to go to Martha's Hotel, even though the drug users, prostitutes, hobos, and other nefarious types reside there? Why is there an Elderberry tree in the hotel garden, and why do the city officials ignore the disappearances in the hotel? The answer is that a vampire resides there, though not any type of vampire you are familiar with, and it performs a function that the city is actually grateful for.
The Horror Collection Blood Red Edition is unlike any other Horror Collections that I've read before. You might think that it would be full of stories about blood and be too repetitive but that's not the case with this book. Each story is unique and I enjoyed them all. Some of them had twists to them that I didn't see coming. The stories are all so different but fit the Blood Red theme perfectly.
I enjoyed them all but was able to narrow down a few of my favorites.
Sublime by Ryan Colley Merry Fucking Christmas by James Kaine Hell of a Wait by Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar
Veronica Smith - author of Salvation in the Wasteland, Nightmare on Indigo Street, & Chalk Outline
This one has to be the bloodiest and most subversive volume in the Horror Collection series! The anthology's theme is blood; and the stories do draw blood, cutting down everything from authority figures in art and religion, to parenthood, immortality, and love. The tales have something for everyone - cursed paintings, beastly creatures, ghosts, aliens, vampires, a visit to hell, and of course buckets of blood and gore! I really enjoyed the book, and will gladly come back again to at least a couple of the tales in the future.
Out of the twelve stories, half entertained me the most: Hunter Shea's "Wiiyukta" was a terrific tale of western horror, taking the theme of immortality to a level of its own! Great atmosphere, as the story reaches its brilliant, claustrophobic ending! Graham Masterton's "The Ghost Whisperer," a cynical tale of a man who can bring people's loved ones back from the dead, taking for granted that love is always the reason! James Kaine's "Merry Fucking Christmas," an awesome mafia horror story turning into a ghost tale of revenge and carnage! Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar's "Hell of a Wait" was a heartbreaking story of sin and damnation, the focus on a woman pondering her life, her awful secrets revealed! "Youth is Wasted on the Young" by S.E. Howard had the best writing in the volume for me, a spin on the Elizabeth Bathory story and the magical powers of love! Finally, "Red Rooms at Night" by Debra Castaneda took me completely by surprise: sci-fi mixed with body horror, as women are recruited on social media by a wellness clinic for a revolutionary project; when the truth is revealed, there will definitely be blood!
The book has great storytelling from start to finish: it takes only a few stories to realize you’re in the capable hands of a brilliant editor, who knows exactly what kind of stories satisfy horror readers! Kevin Kennedy's brought together once again a group of damn good horror writers - and happily he's gonna keep doing it, to the benefit of all horror lovers everywhere!
With every story based around the theme of blood, this collection has a lot of different types of tales- some mysterious and full of folklore, others full of malicious intent, and some gory and gross. Once again Kevin has managed to create a wonderful book that brings together some of the best indie authors, and there is something for everyone to enjoy in these pages.
I thought the trope for this collection would be restrictive. Man was I wrong. It amazes me how authors can take a basic theme and turn it into something you would never even consider. This is a fantastic collection of tales that will keep you guessing. Itruly enjoyed all of them in one way or another. Although the stand outs for me were Red Tears by Callum Pearce for the emotions I felt while reading it. The other one was Boneless by Graham Masterton and Karolina Mogielska for the folklore aspect and the general creepy feeling it produced. I would have been quite happy to have read Boneless as a full novel.
The Horror Collection: Blood Red Edition, curated by Kevin J. Kennedy, offers up stories with an underlying theme of blood. While many of the stories were drenched in crimson, some were more subtle. As is typical with Kennedy’s anthologies, there are a variety of genres that will keep any horror lover entertained.
My favorites of the bunch:
Wiiyukta by Hunter Shea The Ghost Whisperer by Graham Masterson Youth is Wastes on the Young by S.E. Howard Red Rooms at Night by Debra Castaneda I Wish it Were Ebola by Viggy Parr Hampton
I started obviously at the beginning & Sublime was a fabulous introduction to the book. Then I followed on & thought ok this one’s great. Then this one’s great. By the time I got to the end I couldn’t choose 1 favourite from all of these superb stories. Though I’m gonna go for Sublime by Ryan Colley & Boneless by Graham Masterton & Karolina Mogielska mostly because they’re the first and last of a collection of dark and intriguing tales.
Another well written horror anthology by seriously talented authors, compiled by Kevin J. Kennedy. All different tales and enjoyed every single one of them.
Great read. Worth reading and would read this again. These stories will take you to another place in your mind, the dark side.. Really great dark stories, didn't regret buying this one. 💥
Kevin has done it again! Another brilliant anthology that shows us the true meaning of blood red in all it's different ways. We have 12 tales that center around the theme of blood. Some of them are gory, some dark, some involve folk tales--but all bring the authors interpretation of blood. Some of the standouts were: Hunter Shea's Wilyukta--A curse lie none you've seen before. The Ghost Whisperer by Graham Masterson--Bringing back the dead for evil. I wish it were Ebola by Viggy Parr Hampton--Our mind is a powerful weapon. All the tales made you read to the end and this collection ranks right up there with the best and bloodiest!
I absolutely love Kevin J Kennedy Horror Collection Anthologies. Each story in Blood Red Edition was uniquely different yet all were based and splashed in red some more than others, but all equally bloody brilliant. I can’t wait for the next anthology that will be added to this collection. Bring on the next themed collection.