The Worst Kind of Monsters

by Elias Witherow

There's a dog sneaking into your daughter's bedroom and whispering in her ear. There's something horrible in that storm over the ocean. What does "feed the pig" mean? What are those ropes in the sky? Why is Dad acting so funny? In these dark tales you will experience every type of horror imaginable. It is so gruesome, frightening, and demented that only the bravest of readers will make it through these pages.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Horror Thriller, Anthologies, Fiction

483 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 3, 2016

Reviews

[Scot Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was quite a disappointing collection of horror short stories. Instead of playing with fear, in almost all of these stories Witherow seeks to merely shock and disgust his readers. If graphic descriptions of torture, murder, blood and gore are your thing, this book provides that. If you are looking to be frightened, to feel that cold, icy feeling in the pit of your stomach that is the hallmark of dread and true terror, this collection will leave you sorely disappointed. The writing leaves much to be desired, the stories often come off as juvenile, and the author's attempts at introducing supernatural elements come across as childish. This one is not worth a read at all.

[em ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

19 horror stories perfect for spooky season. Not exactly highbrow literature but very entertaining. The third story, “Empire Snuff” is the funniest thing ever (if you have the fucked up sense of humor I do), the ending had me laughing out loud. “The Goat Room” is equally hilarious in the most absurd way. Many of the stories are over the top and quite silly.

And of course, “Feed the Pig” brings me back to the world of The Black Farm, one of my favorite books! I’ve wanted to return to Witherow’s work for a while now, and this is a good place to start. Would recommend for those craving an easy horror read! You can read one or two a night just before bed to really ensure those nightmares…

[bean · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had to be totally honest, I think the author has some interesting concepts but doesn't know how to diversify his stories when it comes to characters and narrator voice. It's usually an identical template, start to finish. I felt like I was just reading the same stories, with the setting and the monster just different.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! I read this in one sitting! Brings back the old school horror that got me hooked in the first place! Need more!!!

[Gabrielle Branch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The BEST collection of horror short stories I’ve ever read! There are 19 in here, and I wanted more.

[Serenity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geez… that was intense at times. Well written. I think he hit every trigger you could have.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite collections I have read. I read this back in 2017, and read it again. This has a wide range of stories from supernatural, creatures, snuff films, and serial killers. 19 stories which my top 3 are:
1) Empire Snuff
2) The Worst Kind Of Monsters.
3) Behind Hell

[Elizabeth Vassberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting collection of horror stories! Everything from the supernatural to real world horrors. Some stories were a little "meh" for me but I think that's because I'm super desensitized from how many extreme horror stories I have read over the last couple years but I have to say that the last story was absolutely, brutally awesome! I'll definitely be reading more by Mr Witherow!🤘🏻😈

[Iben · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was intens...How do I even rate a book like this?
I didn't technically finish the book because I couldn't get through last story 'The worst kind of monsters', and I'm honestly not completely sure how I feel about this book. Most of the stories were great, other stories scared the shit out of me, and the rest were just downright disturbing.

[Cassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly good book filled with some disturbing stories. No spoilers here, but Feed the Pig is especially gruesome, and really gives me the chills. Though the stories centralize around "shock" horror, the theme never seems to get boring through each tale, giving me something to look forward to (as much as a person can look forward to gore) in the next story. The stories are smart, Witherow has a knack for horror writing, and has never failed to entertain, and disgust me. When I have to put a book down for a few moments, only to pick it back up and feverishly return to reading, I know I've found something good. This is a book I'll constantly return to, to give myself a late night scare.

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my type of book to read the stories are too short so you dont get attached to the characters. If you like to read short stories then it’s a great book but if not then it’s not worth the read. And many of the chapters/stories are alike

[Jesse Neafsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Elias Witherows work sn incredible amount. He's quickly become my favorite author in general. He's an extremely talented author who sometimes can get lost in the extremity to showcase suffering. But when he puts his mind to it he can write amazing things with interesting and unique visuals with truly fresh takes on topics and horror. And I wanted to comb through these stories and give my thoughts and hopefully showcase his talent. Sometimes I feel like hes given horrible labels about his character when its not fully justified.

I'd say 90% of these stories are worth checking out and a lot of them don't have the themes that Elias gets (unfairly) attached to that the Tommy Taffy series explores. Some of them do but not all of them are excessive. So I compiled the list into Top Tier, Really Good, Pretty Good, Okay, Would Skip and one special one for one story. I'll list out the stories in their respective tiers and any trigger warning I feel noting, then the reviews for each individual story that ride the line of spoilers.

Top Tier:

Tall Dog
Feed the Pig (can be very violent and themes of suicide)
Blackout
The Goat Room
Behind Hell (mentions of SA which is not described, some animal cruelty)

Really Good:

House In The Field
Red West
Texts From My Brother
Shimmer
My Father, My Monster (themes of abuse, and a moment where someone says the F slur and R word)

Pretty Good:

Where Is My Son? (excessive violence at one point)
Chrome Sunset (gore but nothing too overly descriptive)
Horse/8 min
Deep, Deep Down
When Hell Comes Knocking

Okay:

Empire Snuff
10 Days, 10 Pills:

Would Pass On:

There's Something Wrong With Dad (abuse, SA, violence, a scene with a noose thats extremely upsetting)

???????? UHHHHHHHHHHH:

Worst Kind of Monsters (literally fucking everything. SA, violence, lots of torture described in vivid detail. Tread very lightly this story is no fuckin joke)



Spoiler Reviews:

Top Tier:

Tall Dog: Amazing story with such an interesting visual representation on suppressed grief and its disastrous consequences. Brilliant writing and a true look at when Elias reels back he can write something great.

Feed the Pig: Absolute classic. Birthed the Black Farm series and is a great story. A weirdly touching and brutal look at suicide and how people can regret it and in some cases come back from it. Its brutal, visceral and weirdly beautiful.

The Goat Room: I had no idea what to expect with this. Its builds a really interesting mystery. At first the language is almost flowery. And slowly as the tone changes so does the language. It becomes filled with those signature Elias Witherow descriptions. Vivid, worded with a gross elegance and brutality. And it has a solid twist at the end that packs an emotional punch. As a whole the story doesn't out stay its welcome. It answers enough questions but leaves enough mystery. Who is The Word? What is the cult and their purpose? What are they trying to summon and if it works what will show up? It answers some but not all. And I think its a really interesting story with a fantastic build. Elias at his best.

Blackout: I feel like this is the story Theres Something Wrong With Dad wanted and should have been. An incredibly powerful look at what alcoholism can do to someone. Making the statement that the escape of it is temporary and not worth it. Face your demons and life directly. A beautiful and moving story.

Behind Hell: An Elias Witherow story about a horror video game? Hell yeah. It has that internet urban legend kinda vibe like that one called Sad Satan. Weird fucked up horror game thats hard to find. Its unsettling, horrifying, the Bunny monster is everything I love in weird uncanny monsters. Absolutely great story with a cool little twist I didnt see coming. There's an SA scene but nothing is described, its not lingered upon or anything it. Its there to just showcase how fucked the game is.

Really Good:
House in the Field: Great atmosphere, great build up for an interesting pay off thats mysterious, weird and leaves you wanting more. Could be a tale about childhood innocence and how it can be taken away in an instant. Regardless cool monsters, fabulous writing. Showcases Elias's talent for atmosphere, visuals and interesting worlds.

Red West: Very interesting story thats almost playful. It gets you attached to the family enough where you care about them. It builds an interesting mystery and climaxes in a fun yet horrific way. It has Elias's signature great descriptors, builds really great atmosphere and it takes an almost Tekken like turn at the end. Some nice proof that Mr. Witherow has talent outside of shock factor and can write something horrific but also really fun as it takes an action like ending while still maintaining enough mystery about whats happening. Gives you enough info to be satisfied but not enough as to spell it all out.

Texts From My Brother: Just such a cool horror story. Simple concept, man gets disturbing texts from his brother who went missing and weird shit unfolds when he tries to find him. We get enough really cool imagery, the ropes in the clearing surrounded by fog, the image of what someone finds up there. Its just a cool story with great atmosphere and pacing. Love it!

Shimmer: A bit of a part 2/extension to the horror showcased in Texts From My Brother. Likeable characters, good atmosphere and imagery, expands on the previous story while still not fully revealing its hand. Really liked it! Genuinely made my spine tingle with some stuff that happened.

My Father, My Monster: I said this about Blackout as well but this probably more so. But I feel this is what There's Something Wrong With Dad should have been. It showcases the very real and uncomfortable world of abuse while not lingering on it. Maybe it wrapped up a little too quick but I can forgive it because I feel like the dad was able to see the extremity of what he did and was able to turn his mood around because of it. The emotional punch outweighs the quick pace I think. What I appreciate is its bittersweet. Their relationship doesnt get fully mended, the damage is done. But they can coexist which is tragic but kind of beautiful they were able to reach that point. The only real negative I have is the use of the F slur and R word and maybe the person the dad brought home was a bit needlessly gross by asking if he wanted to stay and watch her and his dad. Which thankfully goes absolutely nowhere.

Pretty Good:
Where Is My Son?:
This was very compelling for about 95% of the story. Interesting set up and despite the satanic themes it was done in a way that felt fresh and genuinely scary. But the last 5% felt tonally off. While I see why he snapped and killed his wife, she was abusive, an alcoholic and just a not great person. It just felt gratuitous and kinda edgy. I get the story may be about the darkness within all of us and succumbing to it no matter how early in life we may be, and the build up is there. But I dunno I was more interested in the mystery of it. Its obvious he went to hell and I dont necessarily think we need to know why, but I wanted more I think. I don't know if it could have ended any other way then him going into the hole his sin fell in. But regardless it was a good story. Just not huge on the ending even tho I get it. I think I was mostly turned off by the excessive violence.

Chrome Sunset: Such a sick concept for a story. Its otherworldly, mysterious and an interesting form of alien. Great tension, some good action, some cool body horror. A different take on Aliens and i like it quite a lot.

Horse/8min: Just a short little unsettling story. Was fun, pretty creepy with the concept, simple and old be reliable ending. No notes just cool little fun short.

Deep, Deep Down: An interesting little campfire type story. A few cabins in the woods that arw rented out to people and we follow the staff and hear about a mysterious well. Interesting concept, good tension but I really just wanted more. I get the whole show dont tell thing is effective but I really wanted more clues as to what could be down the well. I have an idea based on some observations but I'd love more. Good story tho!

When Hell Comes Knocking: Another cool take on a situation having to deal with the devil. It slowly builds mystery and when everything is revealed its really a sick reveal. And the ending is really great too, like a lot of his stories it shows enough but doesnt tell the whole thing which i really love about Elias.

Okay:
Empire: Snuff: I knew by the title I wouldn't really like this one. Its fine. Its not as mindlessly violent as there's something wrong with dad. Its just about a horror author who becomes obsessed with death and it leads him down a dark path. I have nothing to really say other then it could be an interesting parallel to an author wanting to push the limits of his craft and it bleeds from fiction into reality. I dunno its fine.

Ten Days, Ten Pills: I really liked the start of it. Fun concept of someone chronicling their experience with an experimental drug. But the day 11 entry kinda soured me. It just felt mean spirited to schizophrenics. I dunno fun idea didnt like the ending.


Would Pass On:
There's Something Wrong With Dad: By far the worst thing Elias Witherow has done. I see what he's going for thematically. How your dad can turn into something you cant recognize because of stress from work, alcohol or any sort of substance. But its bogged down by unnecessary violence, overly edgy and tasteless dialog, and an SA scene that is far too much, far more unnecessary then anything that the original Tommy Taffy creepypastas do. (The Third Parent novel is good and rectifies that tho) Its violence for violence sake and theres no meaning or reason for it to happen other then for it to be something bad that happens to the characters. And the hanging scene is frankly horrible. Literally caused me to have an anxiety attack. If imagery with nooses is someone's personal trigger its tasteless. I know Elias is better then this and there are plenty of stories here and published that show that.



???????? UHHHHHHHHHHH:

Worst Kind of Monsters: Soooo..... I have no idea what to think about this one. One hand its genuinely a fascinating story about two killers and their different dynamics. One that loves the torture and the other who just likes the act of taking someone's life. Over the course of the story we learn their dynamic and how it evolves from something they like doing, to them becoming at odds. One turns even more sadistic and the other questioning why they're doing this and what changes within his friend. And the character aspect of this I'm so interested in. They're well crafted, they have their own personalities and its a fascinating look into their minds.

The other aspect is the mind bendingly violent torture scenes that are so descriptive it made my stomach churn. The second to last torture scene (The Sisters) turns sexual in a way that rivals the brick from There's Something Wrong With Dad. Its horrifying, gross, gratuitous and I don't think they need to be as descriptive as they are. And while the last scene has (I reluctantly say) catharsis its just... damn.

So im torn. One hand i loved reading the dynamic between the characters. Its some of Elias's best writing character wise, but it all comes with the caveat of reading some horrible torture scenes that is visceral, sadistic, gross and rough to read. If the scenes have to be there I'd leave more to the imagination much like The Black Farm did. But if you can deal with some horrible violence its worth it for the characters.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were really good. There is a variety of horror genres represented here, so you kind of never know what you'll get with the next one. Stories are graphic, gory, and really designed to make you feel uncomfortable and kind of gross.

That said, the last story did cause me to remove a star and write this review. "The Worst Kind of Monsters", the story behind the title, is basically torture porn with some really, really unnecessary sexual violence thrown in. I read a ton of horror and this one honestly made me want to bleach my eyes. I could stand the other stories and their subject matter, but this just went too far. Maybe the author takes that as a compliment, but I don't appreciate the 'shock value' behind it. Some things you just don't need to include.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part I enjoyed this book, even though it was often a little more gore than I like. I prefer creepy over gore. There were a couple of short stories that were cringe-worthy and one that I ended up skipping parts because the depiction of decapitation was written so well....too well, and thoughts of decapitation victims and empathy for their families made it too difficult to read. There is also a grotesque rape with a foreign object scene in a torture centered story that was pretty tough to take. However, I very much enjoyed a couple of the creepier stories that lacked the gore and violence. My personal favorites were The Tall Dog and Horse/8min.

[Michael Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not normally one who is squeamish when reading brutal stories but I have to say that some of the ones in here are rough. I thought they were very good but man are they brutal. The story that shares the same title as the book was one of the most violent things I've read

[Ayame Giralt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book thinking the stories were going to be bizarre creepy horror llike Junji Ito just in writing. What I got was more r/nosleep but like the bottom of the barrel.

1. The Tall Dog 3/5 It was a bit rough to get through but wasn't too bad. The ending was kind of lackluster for me

2. The House in the Field 3/5 This one started off pretty strongly and interesting but again the ending was lackluster

3. Empire Snuff 1/5 I think this was meant to be more gore but was ultimately just boring

4. The Goat Room 5/5 This was easily the best story out of the whole collection. It had a bit of the feeling of The Lottery in that in the back of your mind you had a feeling that things were not quite what they seem

5. There's Something Wrong with Dad 4/5 Kind of reminds me of The Crazies. But there isn't much to say about this one

6. Feed the Pig 1/5 This one suffered a lot from feeling like a creepypasta. It felt very try hard with the shocking imagery

7. Ten Days, Ten Pills 1/5 This also read like a bad creepypasta

8. Red West I actually don't remember this one at all. I think it's the one with the family at the beach house? And then I guess Jesus basically comes to fight some monster that may or may not be a metaphor for something? I think that's this story but yeah.

9. Blackout I have even less clue which story this is. I can't even guess at the plot.

10. Where Is My Son? 2/5 Again very creepypasta like. There's so many stories in this that use the same imagery of someone grinning creepily

11. Texts from My Brother 2/5 Again very creepypasta-esque

12. Shimmer 4/5 This was one of the better creepypasta type stories. The ending was kind of meh but I really enjoyed the build up

13. Chrome Sunset I mostly skimmed this one because I didn't enjoy it

14. My Father, My Monster 5/5 I really enjoyed this one but it felt kind of out of place here. To be honest it was almost more Chicken Soup for the Soul than a horror short story

15. Behind Hell I don't really know how to feel about this one. It just seemed like gratuitous extreme horror but I feel neutral towards it

16. Horse/8 min 5/5 short and sweet and to the point with the unease. It ended at a good place without dragging on too long. But I should knock off points because I paid for it lol. It would have been a banger r/nosleep post though

17. Deep, Deep Down 3/5 This one had potential. It was kind of Lovecraft-esque but still ultimately fell flat for me

18. When Hell Comes Knocking I think I dissociated while reading this one because it's another one that even skimming through I have no idea what the story is about

19. The Worst Kind of Monsters I feel the same way about this one as I do about story 15 (Behind Hell). But I also feel like this is what Empire Snuff wishes it was which is weird to say because it's all by the same author.

I think my average rating is 2 stars but I'm going to go ahead and keep it at 1.

[Erin Gorowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some stories were so creepy and cool but others were down right sick!!! I really enjoyed the devil one, the ropes from the sky, and the one with the well. Those ones were SCARY!!! some of the other stories were really just nasty but I do appreciate that he doesn’t involve children in his twisted stories.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty good collection of stories! I wasn't a huge fan of some, they took some stranger turns that just personally isn't my taste, but they were unique! I liked the length of them compared to a lot of collections that have really short stories. The last one was BRUTAL - my personal favorite

[Dre Scott-Urichen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't sleep after listening to the long dog. Thinking about the silent creeping up the stairs even while being seen all because a child was experiencing a deep sadness is fantastic. I read this while home alone for weeks and i was very stressed and sad so this story literally kept me up at night. fantastic

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if my expectations were too high after reading "The Black Farm" and "Return to the Black Farm" or what, but this one fell flat for me. Some of the ideas seemed a bit redundant story to story, while others were good but they fell flat at the end. The last story, called "The Worst Kind of Monsters" was just plain effed up, but the ending was good.

[Alecia Proctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in one weekend and it’s already one of my favorite compilations! These stories will have you turning pages with your mouth open and contemplating the meaning of life, especially the last one. I say give it a try! Love this author and all of his work!

[Ko Kojira · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice anthology book of spooky little stories. Like any other anthology, the quality and character of the stories fluctuates - they were all relatively good, a few duds notwithstanding - but the mood of the whole was very consistent throuout. Pretty run of the mill and enjoyable.

Favorite stories: The House In The Field and There's Something Wrong With Dad

[Joel B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mix of stories that delve a little too deep into the darkness for me at times, my fragile mind was rocked by this great mix of dark short stories.

I especially like The Black Farm prequel 'Feed the Pig'

[Rikke Nordravn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best thing I read for a long, long time! Absolutely awesome.

[Ashley Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. As I expected.

As usual an amazing book. I've read them all so far. Impatiently waiting for a new release😁 Elias Witherow has quickly become my favorite author.

[Leslie Sele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody good

I gave this book 5 stars because it was not only
Well written, it was very entertaining! I recommended this to anyone that enjoys dark horror.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evil has manh faces

Very, very dark. There are no happy stories here. There are no good characters, no salvation. This is dark, at times gory, hell

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for the horror fan! When you want a quick thrill, look no further.

[jonslady04 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Elias Witherow

Every single story in this book is amazing! I may just go back and read them all over again!! Great book of stories!

[Scarlett Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly horrifying.