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Evil Little Things
Something is wrong with Crista's children. Her partner, Matt House, tells her it's nothing to worry about. He says they're probably acting up because they didn't want to move into this new house. But Crista knows her children. She has seen them play up before at various times and this isn't like them. What they're saying, what they're doing... It's not like her children at all...
From Matt Shaw (Sick B*stards, Porn, Whore) comes a tale of demonic possession and horror. What would you do if you suspected there were entities living within the bodies of your children?
From Matt Shaw (Sick B*stards, Porn, Whore) comes a tale of demonic possession and horror. What would you do if you suspected there were entities living within the bodies of your children?
- GenresHorror
92 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 2, 2015
29 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Matt Shaw
534 books2,213 followersBiography
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life as a writer and hobbit – beginning with writing screenplays and short stories for his own amusement before finally getting published when he was twenty-seven years and forty-five seconds old.
Once Published weekly in a lad's magazine with his photography work, Matt Shaw is also a published author and cartoonist. Has to be said, can be a bit of a flirt and definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, somewhat of a klutz.
Favourite books
"Roald Dahl's Collection of Short Stories"
Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy
Anything, really, written by himself. Because he is that good.
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life as a writer and hobbit – beginning with writing screenplays and short stories for his own amusement before finally getting published when he was twenty-seven years and forty-five seconds old.
Once Published weekly in a lad's magazine with his photography work, Matt Shaw is also a published author and cartoonist. Has to be said, can be a bit of a flirt and definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, somewhat of a klutz.
Favourite books
"Roald Dahl's Collection of Short Stories"
Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy
Anything, really, written by himself. Because he is that good.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 16, 2023
This was a nice, short little haunting story. It’s fairly basic for what it brings to the table, ie scary visions, odd occurrences, etc in this family’s new house. Crista is the mother alongside her husband, Matt, and two young daughters, and she takes the brunt of everything happening in their home. The story had a good pace, up until the very end, and the characters were all well written. The general atmosphere and aura of uncertainty that Matt Shaw developed was solid, too. My biggest critique here was the final few pages, where Shaw attempted to wrap everything up quickly. It felt extremely incomplete and rushed, taking away from all the build up. It needed to be sprinkled a bit more throughout the entire story, rather just just being a quick info dump. Or the story needed to be a bit longer to incorporate more aspects of what was actually causing all of the disturbances. Otherwise, a fairly good outing from Matt Shaw.
June 23, 2021
THIS is Matt's sub-genre forte strength in my opinion. I absolutely freaking loved this and could not be torn away from it!
I've read a few of Matt's books now and this one really rocked my socks, others I've not taken to so much. I found the quality of writing in this was excellent and the plot riveting and very creepy. This is class work!
I'm so freaking happy I've liked one of Matt's books, as an honest reviewer it sucks when you can't love everything. But this? I loved! I'd love to read more from Matt - especially full novel length of this genre of horror.
Highly recommended to any horror fan for a top-notch spooky read that satisfies. Five stars for this one! Awesome sauce.
I've read a few of Matt's books now and this one really rocked my socks, others I've not taken to so much. I found the quality of writing in this was excellent and the plot riveting and very creepy. This is class work!
I'm so freaking happy I've liked one of Matt's books, as an honest reviewer it sucks when you can't love everything. But this? I loved! I'd love to read more from Matt - especially full novel length of this genre of horror.
Highly recommended to any horror fan for a top-notch spooky read that satisfies. Five stars for this one! Awesome sauce.
October 17, 2016
I have several books by Matt Shaw on my Kindle, but there was something about this one... this cover... that made me pick it up first... and I'm so glad that I did. It's such a great little story, and a great little teaser to the awesomeness that is THE Matt Shaw. My first thoughts, upon finishing this, was Wow, and those thoughts didn't leave, even after the story settled in. I find this author to be quite eloquent, even funny, in a horrifically messed up I'm-going-to-Hell-for-laughing-at-that kind of way. It takes a lot to fully impress me, and this man has definitely done that.
August 3, 2021
a little mild compared to what i was expecting but nonetheless it kept entertained till the end. will be reading more from this author in the future.
October 29, 2015
I just read this story right before bed. That might not have been a good idea. It's soooooo creepy! As with pretty much all Matt Shaw books, I loved it. I highly recommend it.
August 7, 2020
Listened to the audio and wasn't particularly impressed with the narrator. He slurred his words enough that I found myself referring to the e-book a few times to clarify what was actually said. This was distracting and pulled me away from the story. I am not lowering my rating due to the narrator though but I doubt I buy more audibles by him.
The story is short. Has some definite creepy moments but I think that I would have liked it a bit longer with more detail. Events seemed rush. While I generally like stories and novellas, I just would have liked more on this one. Still indecisive on that ending. Overall, it entertained but I wasn't wowed by it.
The story is short. Has some definite creepy moments but I think that I would have liked it a bit longer with more detail. Events seemed rush. While I generally like stories and novellas, I just would have liked more on this one. Still indecisive on that ending. Overall, it entertained but I wasn't wowed by it.
August 5, 2015
High creepy factor
Not sure if I would rather be going insane or be scared of my own children! Excellent story, recommending to all fans of modern horror!
Not sure if I would rather be going insane or be scared of my own children! Excellent story, recommending to all fans of modern horror!
February 16, 2023
A short and fast-paced little gem. Kept my attention but felt like the ending was missing something. Always enjoy a good story from Matt Shaw!
February 16, 2016
Have you ever wondered what it may be like to move into a new house one that was haunted? Well, though we may think a haunted house would be kind of cool in a fun, demented sort of way. Crista, Matt, and their two little girls will find out that the home they have moved into is not only haunted but there’s an evil lurking there—one waiting to take their very souls.
Matt Shaw has done it again, writing a story that sends shivers down your spine while scaring the hell out of his readers. This story is one of not just a house that may be haunted but of demonic possession and the demons wants the souls of the family who move in. If you like horror than this story is sure to delight.
Matt Shaw has done it again, writing a story that sends shivers down your spine while scaring the hell out of his readers. This story is one of not just a house that may be haunted but of demonic possession and the demons wants the souls of the family who move in. If you like horror than this story is sure to delight.
March 3, 2021
In the last few months, I’ve read the “Octopus” series and the “Full Moon” series, and I enjoyed those stories so little, I almost forgot Matt Shaw has the ability to be a good horror story. His supernatural stories are often better than his more extreme stories, mostly because they have a plot, aren’t reduced to random flash scenes and the characters are intriguing; not just created to be brutally murdered in a few chapters.
This is a fun horror story that holds its biggest mysteries to the end. I wasn’t blown away by the big reveal of what haunts the house, but it’s still a good ride.
This is a fun horror story that holds its biggest mysteries to the end. I wasn’t blown away by the big reveal of what haunts the house, but it’s still a good ride.
May 29, 2020
Yes, a few things (like waking up at 3:33 every morning) were predictable....but get beyond those few cliches and this is pretty good. The ending had a bit of a twist.
I worried when I discovered that the family had a puppy. Fear not, dog. lovers, nowhere in the pages to you see the dog harmed or killed.
I worried when I discovered that the family had a puppy. Fear not, dog. lovers, nowhere in the pages to you see the dog harmed or killed.
October 21, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. I am always at little hesitant with stories like these as some are really grabbing and chilling and some are just predictable....this one....it is chilling! And defiantly had a twist I did not see coming!
It's spooky and a good short story read!
It's spooky and a good short story read!
November 19, 2022
A short fast-paced horror story. This was my first Matt Shaw books and was quite interesting. I’ve bought this book solely based on its cover but was surprised at the story, made me think of Amityville movie. Couldn’t put the book down, definitely worth it
April 17, 2023
I feel a bit conflicted. It was cheesy and didn't have much action. But then the scene was also set great, and I felt infuriated with/for Crista. Overall it's a good book, but it was a bit boring to me. I did really like the epilogue though.
September 17, 2016
I generally expect a gorier offering from Matt Shaw so this was quite a surprise. Overall I liked it, even with it being a slower, cleaner story.
January 24, 2021
Let me start by saying I really wanted to enjoy this book but it fell totally flat and frustrating. There were too many errors (plot and grammatical) as well as “trying too hard” that was nowhere close on the scary scale. I found nothing that was cause for a warning on the cover. I had to force myself to keep reading in hopes that it got better in the little amount of story that it is.
The main characters are just like any blended family and move to a new home. Queue the typical instances of lights flickering, pictures falling and banging sounds. Mom gets hit first with seeing and hearing things but trumps it up to lack of sleep. The kids just say they don’t like their new home because it’s “scary” but nothing short of a typical response by kids somewhere new. Dad is hopeless and caught in the middle between mom and the kids. There’s not a whole lot of character development and it got confusing with the introduction of 2 separate couples that were their “friends.” There wasn’t a good transition of the couple that assisted when mom needed a night away and they were pointless to the story. Why not stick with the first couple that helped them?
There were many issues with the plot. I expected there to be extreme horror haunting, imitating and/or destroying the children. The description alone says “something is wrong with Crista’s children. What they’re saying... what they’re doing...” but there’s all of 2 instances that involved the children “doing” something. It’s all perceived as mom’s downward, stressed induced, lack of sleep delusions which ,if done properly, would’ve been a better psychological horror. The haunting part felt as though it was an afterthought that was layered on top of the idea, but not executed well. Somewhat of an explanation of the supernatural within the house was covered in 3 quick paragraphs at the end of the book. Holes or mistakes I found were the printed pages that were ripped up but magically reappeared? What happen to their dog and did he really get let out? Unnecessary filler or meaningless sentences. The characters have 180 flips of personality to make them more relatable or human. The ending feels rushed and completely ridiculous considering the timeline. Overall, I took a leap in trying a new author in the “extreme” category and it feel short of expectation considering there is a “warning” on the cover for mild PG horror.
“Evil Little Things” by Matt Shaw gets 2 out of 5 stars! Please visit my GoodReads profile or website for more reviews! Thank you!
The main characters are just like any blended family and move to a new home. Queue the typical instances of lights flickering, pictures falling and banging sounds. Mom gets hit first with seeing and hearing things but trumps it up to lack of sleep. The kids just say they don’t like their new home because it’s “scary” but nothing short of a typical response by kids somewhere new. Dad is hopeless and caught in the middle between mom and the kids. There’s not a whole lot of character development and it got confusing with the introduction of 2 separate couples that were their “friends.” There wasn’t a good transition of the couple that assisted when mom needed a night away and they were pointless to the story. Why not stick with the first couple that helped them?
There were many issues with the plot. I expected there to be extreme horror haunting, imitating and/or destroying the children. The description alone says “something is wrong with Crista’s children. What they’re saying... what they’re doing...” but there’s all of 2 instances that involved the children “doing” something. It’s all perceived as mom’s downward, stressed induced, lack of sleep delusions which ,if done properly, would’ve been a better psychological horror. The haunting part felt as though it was an afterthought that was layered on top of the idea, but not executed well. Somewhat of an explanation of the supernatural within the house was covered in 3 quick paragraphs at the end of the book. Holes or mistakes I found were the printed pages that were ripped up but magically reappeared? What happen to their dog and did he really get let out? Unnecessary filler or meaningless sentences. The characters have 180 flips of personality to make them more relatable or human. The ending feels rushed and completely ridiculous considering the timeline. Overall, I took a leap in trying a new author in the “extreme” category and it feel short of expectation considering there is a “warning” on the cover for mild PG horror.
“Evil Little Things” by Matt Shaw gets 2 out of 5 stars! Please visit my GoodReads profile or website for more reviews! Thank you!
January 11, 2024
That is one creepy cover.
Crista Lagace, 31, is our narrative MC. Matt is her boyfriend and the father of her two daughters: Aria, 7, and Ava, 5.
The family has just moved into a lake house on a quiet street with their dog, Tucker. He’s a lab/beagle mix.
Crista loves reading. And horror movies. Matt despises anything horror-related. He loves archery, motorcycles, and race cars.
Loud noises, weird smells, dark and shadowy figures, the doll, lights turning on…Crista seems to be seeing and experiencing things that the others are not.
Even Tucker’s upset. (Always trust the dog!!!)
Ava sees the shadowy figure, too.
The ending and the epilogue are info dumps.
Expected something somewhat scary. 😔
Crista Lagace, 31, is our narrative MC. Matt is her boyfriend and the father of her two daughters: Aria, 7, and Ava, 5.
The family has just moved into a lake house on a quiet street with their dog, Tucker. He’s a lab/beagle mix.
Crista loves reading. And horror movies. Matt despises anything horror-related. He loves archery, motorcycles, and race cars.
Loud noises, weird smells, dark and shadowy figures, the doll, lights turning on…Crista seems to be seeing and experiencing things that the others are not.
Even Tucker’s upset. (Always trust the dog!!!)
Ava sees the shadowy figure, too.
The ending and the epilogue are info dumps.
Expected something somewhat scary. 😔
February 27, 2019
I'd have given this 4 stars had there not been so many grammatical errors and typos throughout , the addition of page numbers would have been nice too, I've never seen a book without page numbers before..
At 90 odd pages I understand the author has a lot to pack into a short story, but this could have benefited from another hundred pages. The ending was predictable, I expected more horrors regarding the children from the blurb, kind of disappointing.
At 90 odd pages I understand the author has a lot to pack into a short story, but this could have benefited from another hundred pages. The ending was predictable, I expected more horrors regarding the children from the blurb, kind of disappointing.
November 21, 2023
A note for splatterpunk fans: this was a completely gore-free story. But it was a well-written, fast-paced and creepy haunted “house” story.
What or who was the one being haunted? It was fun to find out.
While there were a few details that seemed slightly cliched, the story was still a good one. I enjoyed it very much. Also, I LOVED the epilogue. It added another level of spookiness to the story.
What or who was the one being haunted? It was fun to find out.
While there were a few details that seemed slightly cliched, the story was still a good one. I enjoyed it very much. Also, I LOVED the epilogue. It added another level of spookiness to the story.
October 17, 2021
I'm guessing he writes all the 'warnings' on the covers of his books to entice readers to pick the book up rather than be put off by it, which is fair enough, but not justified for this lightweight, not-so-shocking little book. It was worth a read, with a kind of cliched, unsurprising ending, but not gory or extreme at all. Not bad though, quite decent.
July 28, 2018
If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything.....
December 23, 2020
Interesting... Not soooo scary but interesting. It needs editing, for sure.
August 18, 2025
Not my favorite Matt Shaw story, but it still had enough of a haunting to make it eerie & have you guessing to the ending.
August 6, 2015
A short story, I read this in one evening. I have to admit I really like Matt shaws writing and have enjoyed quite a number of his collection but this book just felt really rushed, unlike his others which are still short stories but you get to know the characters regardless.
There are a few grammar errors which would need to be updated, I'm sure the author would pick these up straight away.
I found the ending especially rushed as if the author just got a little bored of the story. Really not one of the authors best but I will still be reading more books by Matt.
There are a few grammar errors which would need to be updated, I'm sure the author would pick these up straight away.
I found the ending especially rushed as if the author just got a little bored of the story. Really not one of the authors best but I will still be reading more books by Matt.
May 30, 2016
The storytelling was good, but the story itself fell flat. I was expecting a chilling read, but the story didn't have that effect on me. It was building up to nothing. The ending was anticlimactic. Quite disappointing overall.
Furthermore, the story itself needed more polishing and editing. I noticed grammatical errors (verb tenses, missing commas, etc) and there was a heavy use of hyphens. They were littered in every other sentence to the point where it became irritable. Seemed like the author did not know the proper use of them.
Furthermore, the story itself needed more polishing and editing. I noticed grammatical errors (verb tenses, missing commas, etc) and there was a heavy use of hyphens. They were littered in every other sentence to the point where it became irritable. Seemed like the author did not know the proper use of them.
December 16, 2015
Fab!!!!
I loved this book about a family who move into their new house and straight away Crista finds things are not as they should be. A great story of a haunting. Well done as usual Matt your books are always on top form and I enjoy following you on facebook. I have already pre-order Dolls to be released in Feb. Happy Xmas to you and Marie and keep them books coming.
I loved this book about a family who move into their new house and straight away Crista finds things are not as they should be. A great story of a haunting. Well done as usual Matt your books are always on top form and I enjoy following you on facebook. I have already pre-order Dolls to be released in Feb. Happy Xmas to you and Marie and keep them books coming.
Read
May 31, 2016Another very entertaining story from Matt Shaw. While not in the same vein as his black-cover stories in that the gore is minimal, this is still a fantastic slow-burn paranormal tale. A haunted house story with an original twist.
August 4, 2015
Creepy
Ok I have read all Matt Shaws books and this one is by far the creepiest. It gave me the willies. Glad I read it durning the day and not at night! Definitely recommend reading
Ok I have read all Matt Shaws books and this one is by far the creepiest. It gave me the willies. Glad I read it durning the day and not at night! Definitely recommend reading
August 15, 2015
Different
I usually don't enjoy books that involve children. Having children of my own I hate thinking them that way but this book was not what I thought it was going to be. I really enjoyed it and the ending was totally not what I expected. Great read
I usually don't enjoy books that involve children. Having children of my own I hate thinking them that way but this book was not what I thought it was going to be. I really enjoyed it and the ending was totally not what I expected. Great read
August 24, 2015
Weird, and not in a good way!
Really didn't like this book! It seemed to me that there were some parts that I've seen in other horror movies, such as the time always being 3:33 am when she woke up,etc. Just felt familiar.
Really didn't like this book! It seemed to me that there were some parts that I've seen in other horror movies, such as the time always being 3:33 am when she woke up,etc. Just felt familiar.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews