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The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories: Terrifying Tales Set on the Scariest Night of the Year!
Twenty-six terrifying tales set on the scariest night of the year! Treat yourself to some very tricky stories! Halloween . . . All Hallows' Eve . . . Samhain . . . Dia de los Muertos . . . the Day the Dead Come Back . . . When the barriers between the worlds are at their weakest--when ghosts, goblins, and grisly things can cross over into our dimension--then for a single night each year the natural becomes the supernatural, the normal becomes the paranormal, and nobody is safe from their most intimate and terrifying fears.
The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories brings you a dark feast of frightening fiction by some of the most successful and respected horror writers working today, including Ramsey Campbell, Neil Gaiman, Joe R. Lansdale, Helen Marshall, Richard Christian Matheson, Robert Shearman, Robert Silverberg, Angela Slatter, Steve Rasnic Tem, and many more, along with a very special contribution by award-winning poet Jane Yolen.
Here you will encounter witches, ghosts, monsters, psychos, demonic nuns, and even Death himself in this spooky selection of stories set on the night when evil walks the earth . . .
The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories brings you a dark feast of frightening fiction by some of the most successful and respected horror writers working today, including Ramsey Campbell, Neil Gaiman, Joe R. Lansdale, Helen Marshall, Richard Christian Matheson, Robert Shearman, Robert Silverberg, Angela Slatter, Steve Rasnic Tem, and many more, along with a very special contribution by award-winning poet Jane Yolen.
Here you will encounter witches, ghosts, monsters, psychos, demonic nuns, and even Death himself in this spooky selection of stories set on the night when evil walks the earth . . .
504 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2018
202 people are currently reading
487 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Jones
277 books344 followersStephen Jones is an eighteen-time winner of the British Fantasy Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
October 7, 2021
This collection of short stories is absolutely PHENOMENAL! I picked it up on a whim because of the awesome cover and I’m so glad it caught my eye so that I could discover these stories. Out of the whole collection there was one, MAYBE two stories that I didn’t absolutely love and the rest all knocked it out of the park! I really loved that there were a lot of female authors in this collection, quite often they tend to be male centric and while I have nothing against male writers, some of my favourites are male, it’s just nice to see the ladies get some representation. This collection really has it all when it comes to Halloween stories, from gruesome and gory to just downright bone chilling. Horror fans, you don’t want to miss out on this collection!
October 28, 2021
After reading the MAMMOTH BOOK collection of stories dedicated to Folk Horror (and being very impressed), I had great expectations for THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF HALLOWEEN STORIES. Unfortunately, only 30% of these stories strongly appealed to me. Most were “good,” although not ones that I’d go out of my way to recommend. Two tales had animal torture which bothered me (and not in a “scary Halloween” way). I was disappointed with Neil Gaiman’s offering which was certainly not something I expected. And a story by Scott Bradfield was one I didn’t bother to finish.
The ones that I most enjoyed were:
* “The Phenakisticope Of Decay” by James Ebersole
* “Bone Fire” by Storm Constantine
* “Before The Parade Passes By” by Marie O’Regan
* “A Man Totally Alone” by Robert Hood
* “The Folding Man” by Joe R. Lansdale (Excellent!)
* “I Wait For You” by Eyglo Karlsdottir
* “Not Our Brother” by Robert Silverberg (Another gem!)
* “Lantern Jack” by Christopher Fowler
The appeal of Halloween stories is probably strongly influenced by the Reader’s perception of the holiday. Some have a rosy glow of “Trick or Treat” memories, kids’ parties, and possibly hayrides. Others want stories of monsters and unearthly creatures crawling out of tombs. There are people who don’t want to be “chilled,” but downright frightened. And then there are those who are drawn to the folk horror roots and original ceremonial celebrations. So, gathering a Halloween collection of stories is pretty much guaranteed to alienate most Readers at some time or another who are anticipating “something different.”
In the final analysis, it was worth my time to uncover the Lansdale and Silverberg stories. And for almost a third of the time, I was happily entertained … and “moderately entertained” for most of the remainder.
The ones that I most enjoyed were:
* “The Phenakisticope Of Decay” by James Ebersole
* “Bone Fire” by Storm Constantine
* “Before The Parade Passes By” by Marie O’Regan
* “A Man Totally Alone” by Robert Hood
* “The Folding Man” by Joe R. Lansdale (Excellent!)
* “I Wait For You” by Eyglo Karlsdottir
* “Not Our Brother” by Robert Silverberg (Another gem!)
* “Lantern Jack” by Christopher Fowler
The appeal of Halloween stories is probably strongly influenced by the Reader’s perception of the holiday. Some have a rosy glow of “Trick or Treat” memories, kids’ parties, and possibly hayrides. Others want stories of monsters and unearthly creatures crawling out of tombs. There are people who don’t want to be “chilled,” but downright frightened. And then there are those who are drawn to the folk horror roots and original ceremonial celebrations. So, gathering a Halloween collection of stories is pretty much guaranteed to alienate most Readers at some time or another who are anticipating “something different.”
In the final analysis, it was worth my time to uncover the Lansdale and Silverberg stories. And for almost a third of the time, I was happily entertained … and “moderately entertained” for most of the remainder.
October 27, 2019
This anthology is VERY good; there’s an excellent variety of tales here reaching from terrifying to magically fantastical. All the latest “greats” are here as well as some new glorious talent. Highly recommended for satisfying spooky literary snacking. Happy Halloween!! 🎃
November 2, 2018
"You know why you wear the costumes. People you meet in the smoke might not be who they say they are, and they can hear the words inside you." -Storm Constantine
The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories is an anthology of 26 Halloween-related stories edited by Stephen Jones. Halloween stories are very fun to read, and there was so much creativity in this book. The book opens with an introduction about the history of Halloween, and I enjoyed reading the quick overview before digging into the stories.
While I didn't love every story, there were so many awesome ones that I fell in love with. Many of the authors were new to me, such as Alison Littlewood, Cate Gardner, and Sharon Gosling. I'm looking forward to checking out more work from many authors in this book.
My top 5 stories were October in the Chair by Neil Gaiman, Before the Parade Passes By by Marie O'Regan, The Ultimate Halloween Party App by Lisa Morton, I Wait for You by Eyglo Karlsdottir, and White Mare by Thana Niveau. I've read books from Neil Gaiman and Lisa Morton before, but the rest of the authors were first time reads for me.
One problem I had was that the authors had introductions before each story. If I was reading a few stories in a row, it became a bit distracting at times. I like reading the introductions and explanations, but I prefer to read them at the end so that it doesn't have an effect on my reading of each story. It's just my personal preference, but it made the stories feel disconnected since they didn't flow from one into the other.
If another one of these anthologies is released in the future, I will definitely read it. I enjoyed the variety of authors, and being introduced to many I had not read before.
The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories is an anthology of 26 Halloween-related stories edited by Stephen Jones. Halloween stories are very fun to read, and there was so much creativity in this book. The book opens with an introduction about the history of Halloween, and I enjoyed reading the quick overview before digging into the stories.
While I didn't love every story, there were so many awesome ones that I fell in love with. Many of the authors were new to me, such as Alison Littlewood, Cate Gardner, and Sharon Gosling. I'm looking forward to checking out more work from many authors in this book.
My top 5 stories were October in the Chair by Neil Gaiman, Before the Parade Passes By by Marie O'Regan, The Ultimate Halloween Party App by Lisa Morton, I Wait for You by Eyglo Karlsdottir, and White Mare by Thana Niveau. I've read books from Neil Gaiman and Lisa Morton before, but the rest of the authors were first time reads for me.
One problem I had was that the authors had introductions before each story. If I was reading a few stories in a row, it became a bit distracting at times. I like reading the introductions and explanations, but I prefer to read them at the end so that it doesn't have an effect on my reading of each story. It's just my personal preference, but it made the stories feel disconnected since they didn't flow from one into the other.
If another one of these anthologies is released in the future, I will definitely read it. I enjoyed the variety of authors, and being introduced to many I had not read before.
October 24, 2021
I've said it many times before but short story collection has always been quite a struggle for me as I've got difficultly getting invested in a short story before it's end and it's time for a new one. But there was some pretty good Halloween friendly stories. Perfect for this time of year or whenever you feel for some spookyness
October 25, 2021
Stephen Jones has put together an okay collection comprising 26 short stories and 1 poem by white people. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think I have googled every author and none of them is a POC (I even checked a few other Mammoth Books and noticed the same). I may be wrong, but I surely think a POC author would have loved to write something and be paid to write something for a collection.
Anyhow, diversity issues aside - like any short story collection, this one had highs and lows. It had many low lows and not enough highs, but the stories I liked, I loved. I don't think it would be nice of me to tell you about all the stories I hated, disliked, or that I thought 'did what they had to do.' So I'm just going to drop the list of my favorite stories and authors I want to high-five and/or share a beer with.
- "A man totally alone" by Robert Hood
- "The Folding Man" by Joe R. Lansdale
- "I wait for you" by Eygló Karlsdóttir
- "Lantern Jack" by Christopher Fowler
"The Folding Man" rocked my world. I'd describe it as a fun roller coaster. Lansdale reminded me of what I love in Joe Hill's writing and I'm looking forward to reading more from him.
Anyhow, diversity issues aside - like any short story collection, this one had highs and lows. It had many low lows and not enough highs, but the stories I liked, I loved. I don't think it would be nice of me to tell you about all the stories I hated, disliked, or that I thought 'did what they had to do.' So I'm just going to drop the list of my favorite stories and authors I want to high-five and/or share a beer with.
- "A man totally alone" by Robert Hood
- "The Folding Man" by Joe R. Lansdale
- "I wait for you" by Eygló Karlsdóttir
- "Lantern Jack" by Christopher Fowler
"The Folding Man" rocked my world. I'd describe it as a fun roller coaster. Lansdale reminded me of what I love in Joe Hill's writing and I'm looking forward to reading more from him.
October 30, 2021
Stephen Jones' The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories was a mixed bag really and I felt just a little disappointed by the lack of better stories.
My absolute favorite was Joe R. Landsdale's story "The Folding Man" in which so-called anti-nuns followed frat boys in car chases and killed them.
I don't know, I may try reading other Mammoth Book collections in the future, but this one was kind of a let down.
My absolute favorite was Joe R. Landsdale's story "The Folding Man" in which so-called anti-nuns followed frat boys in car chases and killed them.
I don't know, I may try reading other Mammoth Book collections in the future, but this one was kind of a let down.
April 17, 2019
Multiple award winning author and anthologist Stephen Jones is back with two anthologies - The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories and the Mammoth Book of Nightmare Stories (which is on my shelf, but as yet unread)....
The beauty of an anthology in my opinion, is that are will be stories that resonate with you, and others that...just don't. This anthology is no exception. Jones has culled stories from such authors as Ramsay Campbell, Alison Littlewood, Lisa Morton, and Joe Lansdale, to name a few. Most of the stories therein are original t this volume, with the exception of 2 from the 1980s, and one from 2011.
First, the bad news...I had trouble enjoying the first few stories in this volume. Jones, in his introduction, states..."not all are horror stories", as Halloween represents different things to different people.
As for the good news...there certainly are some excellent stories - Lansdale's "The Folding Man" begins with a passenger "mooning" what appears to be a car of Nuns - and quickly wishes he hand't....Silverberg's "Not Our Brother" - a tale concerning a man who collects tribal and religious masks, and runs afoul of a supernatural being during a religious festival off the beaten track in Mexico. Gosling's "Nature of the Beast" - where an abusive husbands doe not survive an encounter with a little girl...who isn't precisely human...
Stories where I wanted to shrug my shoulders - "The Halloween Monster", "Fragile Masks", and "A Man Totally Alone".
Jeff McIntosh
The beauty of an anthology in my opinion, is that are will be stories that resonate with you, and others that...just don't. This anthology is no exception. Jones has culled stories from such authors as Ramsay Campbell, Alison Littlewood, Lisa Morton, and Joe Lansdale, to name a few. Most of the stories therein are original t this volume, with the exception of 2 from the 1980s, and one from 2011.
First, the bad news...I had trouble enjoying the first few stories in this volume. Jones, in his introduction, states..."not all are horror stories", as Halloween represents different things to different people.
As for the good news...there certainly are some excellent stories - Lansdale's "The Folding Man" begins with a passenger "mooning" what appears to be a car of Nuns - and quickly wishes he hand't....Silverberg's "Not Our Brother" - a tale concerning a man who collects tribal and religious masks, and runs afoul of a supernatural being during a religious festival off the beaten track in Mexico. Gosling's "Nature of the Beast" - where an abusive husbands doe not survive an encounter with a little girl...who isn't precisely human...
Stories where I wanted to shrug my shoulders - "The Halloween Monster", "Fragile Masks", and "A Man Totally Alone".
Jeff McIntosh
November 7, 2018
2.5 stars since I'm feeling generous. Highly uneven anthology.
While there are a couple of outstanding tales included (Angela Slatter's "The October Widow" and Robert Shearman's "The Pumpkin Kids", the latter one of the strangest things I've read recently) and a few very good ones ("Bone Fire" by Storm Constantine, "Her Face" by Ramsey Campbell, and the wonderfully sly "The Scariest Thing in the World" by Michael Marshall Smith) most of the work here is mediocre at best, subpar for a major collection from an established publisher. A couple of the stories were so shockingly bad I remain astonished they were included. When I found they had no prior publication information, I was not surprised.
So buyer beware-there are far more "tricks" than "treats" in this volume.
While there are a couple of outstanding tales included (Angela Slatter's "The October Widow" and Robert Shearman's "The Pumpkin Kids", the latter one of the strangest things I've read recently) and a few very good ones ("Bone Fire" by Storm Constantine, "Her Face" by Ramsey Campbell, and the wonderfully sly "The Scariest Thing in the World" by Michael Marshall Smith) most of the work here is mediocre at best, subpar for a major collection from an established publisher. A couple of the stories were so shockingly bad I remain astonished they were included. When I found they had no prior publication information, I was not surprised.
So buyer beware-there are far more "tricks" than "treats" in this volume.
October 19, 2020
Oh Stephen Jones will I ever learn? I've read my share of Jones's horror anthologies and as usual most are uneven. However I'm a sucker for Halloween stories. The anthology features newer and established writers and offers 26 "terrifying tales set on the scariest night of the year." Okay before you get ahead of yourself dear publisher, there is one story loosely related to Halloween, and one that doesn't even reference the holiday, so make that 24 plus a sweet Halloween poem to close the book. Jones usually features British authors so it's cool to see another perspective that is closer to the origins of Samhain, yet in my American-centric tastes, wanted a bit more of a balance. Not all stories are "horror," rather are dark, whimsical, and mysterious, yet evoke a nostalgia about the holiday.
"October in the Chair" by Neil Gaiman
The 12 months gather around a fire to tell stories. This time it's October's turn and it tells the story of a boy called Runt who runs away from home and stumbles upon a graveyard. There's no explicit Halloween mention, but it had that Bradbury nostalgia plus the fairytale spin that Halloween fans will enjoy. 4/5
"Reflections in Black" by Steve Rasnic Tem
A man revisits a lost love. This explores the Halloween superstition of looking into a mirror and finding your true love. I liked the idea and atmosphere, but the ending is ambiguous. 3/5
"The Halloween Monster" by Alison Littlewood
A boy roams the streets on Halloween and has a run in with bullies who are trying to hang a cat who they believe is a witch. Littlewood explores the theme of masks we wear and loss of innocence. I didn't like this as much as I thought I would and found the ending predictable. 3/5
"The Phenakisticope of Decay" by James Ebersole
A group of kids receive an odd treat one Halloween in 1989. Decades later one of them tries to get in touch with the others, only to find some of them dead. This was one of the creepiest stories in the book and a memorable one. 4/5
"Memories of Dia De Los Muertos" by Nancy Kilpatrick
Death narrates a night leading up to the day of the dead. It's short and lyrical. Beautiful writing. 4/5
"Fragile Masks" by Richard Gavin
A couple spends Halloween night at a bed and breakfast. not that memorable and a weird ending. 2/5
"Bone Fire" by Storm Constantine
Set in a fantasy world/small town, two girls celebrate Halloween festivities, hoping to find love. Although the author brings out a closer to connection to Samhain's roots, I couldn't get into the fantasy world. 1/5
"Queen of the Hunt" by Adrian Cole
A detective searches for a killer on Halloween, the body mauled by what looks to be wild animals. I'm a fan of crime stories and this one had me turning pages and I loved the twist ending. 5/5
"The October Widow" by Angela Slatter
An ancient entity takes the form of a middle-aged woman in a neighborhood only to be tracked down by one of her victims. I liked the original idea and the suspense. 4/5
"Before the Parade Passes By" by Marie O'Regan
A mother's anxieties are put to the test when a local Halloween parade threatens to take away her daughter. I liked the concept and the human emotions of a mother's love for her daughter, but felt that the plot dragged at times. 3/5
"Her Face" by Ramsey Campbell
A boy takes up a part time job helping a Mrs. Dillard's daughter at the store, but keeps seeing the old woman's face. I've only ever read one Campbell story that I liked and unfortunately this doesn't move to that list. 2/5
"A Man Totally Alone" by Robert Hood
A police officer gets a call to investigate ancient remains that are of Viking origin. At first I wasn't sure of the Halloween connection, but the story came together for a horrific ending. 4/5
"Bleed" by Richard Christian Matheson
A short and sharp tale narrated by a child. It fits the horror and Halloween mood. 4/5
"The Ultimate Halloween Party App" by Lisa Morton
I was excited to read this based on the title. Morton explores the idea of an app that simulates different themed experiences at a Halloween party. I don't like sci-fi and this is set in the future with a global climate of terrorism in the background, but it turned out to be a refreshing story. 4/5
"The Folding Man" by Joe R. Lansdale
Three teenage boys have a run in with the infamous black car full of nuns and a horrific being called the folding man. This is your pure suspenseful, horror read with little nutritional value. If I cared about the characters it'd stand out more, yet it's fun. 3/5
"I Wait for You" by Eyglo Karlsdottir
A woman returns home on Halloween night, guided by a jack-'o-lantern and has to come to terms with her death. This was a sweet and sad ghost story with a fitting twist ending. 4/5
"Dust Upon a Paper Eye" by Cate Gardner
The author explores homelessness on Halloween and a woman working on puppets for a Halloween theater event. This was pretty unclear to me and forgettable. 1/5
"Not Our Brother" by Robert Silverberg
Okay this is from the 80s, so it has that cultural appropriation vibe to it. A mask collector goes to Mexico to check out the festivities and get his hands on rare masks that aren't for sale. It's a nicely written horror story, but not my sort of thing. 2/5
"The Scariest Thing in the World" by Michael Marshall Smith
An artist attends the newest exhibit of his former friend and colleague on Halloween. I liked the muted nature of this story and the experience of art in total darkness. 4/5
"The Nature of the Beast" by Sharon Gosling
Another detective story where DI Cassie Wish finds a girl locked in with guts and gore in a killer's basement. Like most mystery stories, the writing was engaging, yet I couldn't help but compare it to "Queen of the Hunt" which I thought worked better. 3/5
"The Beautiful Feast of the Valley" by Stephen Gallagher
The one story that isn't Halloween related. That's sad because I liked the concept and library settings. It explores the mummy, Egyptian trope and AI, though the reveal was a bit disappointing. 2/5
"In the Year of Omens" by Helen Marshall
This is about growing up, though honestly some of the cuts and the backstory were confusing and hard to follow. 1/5
"The Millennial's Guide to Death" by Scott Bradfield
The funniest story in the book, it tells the story of Death as a Millennial and the struggles of leading people to the afterlife as a shitty job. Fun stuff. 4/5
"White Mare" by Thana Niveau
Niveau contrasts her American upbringing of Halloween with an ancient English tradition when her protagonist has to move to England during Halloween and encounters guisers. I liked the nostalgic Halloween feel to this while also getting to see another side of Halloween. 4/5
"Pumpkin Kids" by Robert Shearman
Apparently if you are born on Halloween you are a pumpkin kid that is part vegetable and somehow this is important to this town and Halloween is a religion. I couldn't suspend my disbelief with the concept and the heavy religious element. I can see how the author put his own frustrations with family into the character, yet I was not glad to read this "christ witnessed" story. 1/5
"Lantern Jack" by Christopher Fowler
A mysterious patron at a bar narrates the bar's history to a new visitor. Fowler wrote this with the intention to be read aloud and it's a short, conversational tale with a classic Halloween scary story twist. 4/5
Finally poet Jane Yolen who apparently hands out poems to trick-or-treaters shares her gift to close the anthology with "Halloween Treats." I don't like poetry usually, but this one was a treat.
"October in the Chair" by Neil Gaiman
The 12 months gather around a fire to tell stories. This time it's October's turn and it tells the story of a boy called Runt who runs away from home and stumbles upon a graveyard. There's no explicit Halloween mention, but it had that Bradbury nostalgia plus the fairytale spin that Halloween fans will enjoy. 4/5
"Reflections in Black" by Steve Rasnic Tem
A man revisits a lost love. This explores the Halloween superstition of looking into a mirror and finding your true love. I liked the idea and atmosphere, but the ending is ambiguous. 3/5
"The Halloween Monster" by Alison Littlewood
A boy roams the streets on Halloween and has a run in with bullies who are trying to hang a cat who they believe is a witch. Littlewood explores the theme of masks we wear and loss of innocence. I didn't like this as much as I thought I would and found the ending predictable. 3/5
"The Phenakisticope of Decay" by James Ebersole
A group of kids receive an odd treat one Halloween in 1989. Decades later one of them tries to get in touch with the others, only to find some of them dead. This was one of the creepiest stories in the book and a memorable one. 4/5
"Memories of Dia De Los Muertos" by Nancy Kilpatrick
Death narrates a night leading up to the day of the dead. It's short and lyrical. Beautiful writing. 4/5
"Fragile Masks" by Richard Gavin
A couple spends Halloween night at a bed and breakfast. not that memorable and a weird ending. 2/5
"Bone Fire" by Storm Constantine
Set in a fantasy world/small town, two girls celebrate Halloween festivities, hoping to find love. Although the author brings out a closer to connection to Samhain's roots, I couldn't get into the fantasy world. 1/5
"Queen of the Hunt" by Adrian Cole
A detective searches for a killer on Halloween, the body mauled by what looks to be wild animals. I'm a fan of crime stories and this one had me turning pages and I loved the twist ending. 5/5
"The October Widow" by Angela Slatter
An ancient entity takes the form of a middle-aged woman in a neighborhood only to be tracked down by one of her victims. I liked the original idea and the suspense. 4/5
"Before the Parade Passes By" by Marie O'Regan
A mother's anxieties are put to the test when a local Halloween parade threatens to take away her daughter. I liked the concept and the human emotions of a mother's love for her daughter, but felt that the plot dragged at times. 3/5
"Her Face" by Ramsey Campbell
A boy takes up a part time job helping a Mrs. Dillard's daughter at the store, but keeps seeing the old woman's face. I've only ever read one Campbell story that I liked and unfortunately this doesn't move to that list. 2/5
"A Man Totally Alone" by Robert Hood
A police officer gets a call to investigate ancient remains that are of Viking origin. At first I wasn't sure of the Halloween connection, but the story came together for a horrific ending. 4/5
"Bleed" by Richard Christian Matheson
A short and sharp tale narrated by a child. It fits the horror and Halloween mood. 4/5
"The Ultimate Halloween Party App" by Lisa Morton
I was excited to read this based on the title. Morton explores the idea of an app that simulates different themed experiences at a Halloween party. I don't like sci-fi and this is set in the future with a global climate of terrorism in the background, but it turned out to be a refreshing story. 4/5
"The Folding Man" by Joe R. Lansdale
Three teenage boys have a run in with the infamous black car full of nuns and a horrific being called the folding man. This is your pure suspenseful, horror read with little nutritional value. If I cared about the characters it'd stand out more, yet it's fun. 3/5
"I Wait for You" by Eyglo Karlsdottir
A woman returns home on Halloween night, guided by a jack-'o-lantern and has to come to terms with her death. This was a sweet and sad ghost story with a fitting twist ending. 4/5
"Dust Upon a Paper Eye" by Cate Gardner
The author explores homelessness on Halloween and a woman working on puppets for a Halloween theater event. This was pretty unclear to me and forgettable. 1/5
"Not Our Brother" by Robert Silverberg
Okay this is from the 80s, so it has that cultural appropriation vibe to it. A mask collector goes to Mexico to check out the festivities and get his hands on rare masks that aren't for sale. It's a nicely written horror story, but not my sort of thing. 2/5
"The Scariest Thing in the World" by Michael Marshall Smith
An artist attends the newest exhibit of his former friend and colleague on Halloween. I liked the muted nature of this story and the experience of art in total darkness. 4/5
"The Nature of the Beast" by Sharon Gosling
Another detective story where DI Cassie Wish finds a girl locked in with guts and gore in a killer's basement. Like most mystery stories, the writing was engaging, yet I couldn't help but compare it to "Queen of the Hunt" which I thought worked better. 3/5
"The Beautiful Feast of the Valley" by Stephen Gallagher
The one story that isn't Halloween related. That's sad because I liked the concept and library settings. It explores the mummy, Egyptian trope and AI, though the reveal was a bit disappointing. 2/5
"In the Year of Omens" by Helen Marshall
This is about growing up, though honestly some of the cuts and the backstory were confusing and hard to follow. 1/5
"The Millennial's Guide to Death" by Scott Bradfield
The funniest story in the book, it tells the story of Death as a Millennial and the struggles of leading people to the afterlife as a shitty job. Fun stuff. 4/5
"White Mare" by Thana Niveau
Niveau contrasts her American upbringing of Halloween with an ancient English tradition when her protagonist has to move to England during Halloween and encounters guisers. I liked the nostalgic Halloween feel to this while also getting to see another side of Halloween. 4/5
"Pumpkin Kids" by Robert Shearman
Apparently if you are born on Halloween you are a pumpkin kid that is part vegetable and somehow this is important to this town and Halloween is a religion. I couldn't suspend my disbelief with the concept and the heavy religious element. I can see how the author put his own frustrations with family into the character, yet I was not glad to read this "christ witnessed" story. 1/5
"Lantern Jack" by Christopher Fowler
A mysterious patron at a bar narrates the bar's history to a new visitor. Fowler wrote this with the intention to be read aloud and it's a short, conversational tale with a classic Halloween scary story twist. 4/5
Finally poet Jane Yolen who apparently hands out poems to trick-or-treaters shares her gift to close the anthology with "Halloween Treats." I don't like poetry usually, but this one was a treat.
November 2, 2019
As a massive fan of Stephen Jones's seemingly endless run of MAMMOTH... horror anthologies of the 1990s, I was eager to check out this newcomer addition to the cycle. There's a mix of some familiar old names, although a lot of space is given to newcomers to show off their talents. The end result is a mixed bag, with more good-but-not-great stories than there used to be. In no particular order...
I'll get the ones I didn't like out of the way first, as I don't like to dwell on negativity. Nancy Kilpatrick's MEMORIES OF DIA DE LOS MUERTOS is a short anecdote that feels like a passage from a longer story. FRAGILE MASKS sees Richard Gavin exploring what happens when two couples stay at a remote farmhouse, but the end result seems to be not much, really. Storm Constantine's BONE FIRE has some good elements but seems to be a little too abstract to really deliver much in the way of atmosphere – more of a first draft story to me. A MAN TOTALLY ALONE is an Aussie effort by Robert Hood, but never really gets going; more like an extract from a longer detective story, while BLEED is another short-short from Richard Christian Matheson and not at all worth bothering with. DUST UPON A PAPER EYE is by Cate Gardner and involves weird business at a theatre, but never really got going, and Scott Bradfield's THE MILLENIAL'S GUIDE TO DEATH is pure overlong silliness with the Grim Reaper personified as an annoyingly self-centred character. IN THE YEAR OF OMENS is from Helen Marshall and about kids dying after experiencing, well, omens, but it's too abstract and wishy-washy for my liking, and Robert Shearman's PUMPKIN KIDS has some good ideas behind it but is both too fantastical and insubstantial at the same time to really satisfy. And I have no idea why Jane Yolen's HALLOWEEN TREATS, a brief poem for schoolkids, is even included.
Interestingly-themed stories include Neil Gaiman's OCTOBER IN THE CHAIR, a slight dark fantasy utilising the author's habit of personifying seemingly abstract concepts (as in the AMERICAN GODS TV show), and Steve Rasnic Tem's REFLECTIONS IN BLACK, about what happens when you ill-advisedly go to meet up with an old flame. James Ebersole's THE PHENAKISTICOPE OF DECAY has a great title and turns out to be a standard spook house effort mixing FINAL DESTINATION with CANDYMAN. THE OCTOBER WIDOW sees Angela Slatter exploring a solitary's woman's dark secret at Halloween time, with the scares more hinted-at than explicit, while BEFORE THE PARADE PASSES BY is Marie O'Regan's story about a mother who learns that her daughter's school Halloween parade has a dark outcome.
I'm a big fan of Ramsey Campbell and HER FACE has the usual socially realistic setting and some subtle ghostliness with twists in store for extra freshness. I WAIT FOR YOU sees Eyglo Karlsdottir exploring a woman's visit to her son's home at Halloween time, but there's a twist that reminded me of a story in the old Amicus TALES FROM THE CRYPT anthology. Robert Silverberg's NOT OUR BROTHER is a familiar story about a mask collector heading south of the border before discovering sinister demonism in Mexico, while Michael Marshall Smith's THE SCARIEST THING IN THE WORLD is a lesser effort about a long-term grudge between two former friends. THE BEAUTIFUL FEAST OF THE VALLEY is a twist on the ghost story by Stephen Gallagher that goes down the subtle route to good effect, while ruminating on life after death in the 21st century. LANTERN JACK sees Christopher Fowler in familiar territory as he tells anecdotes about an old pub, and has a ghost walk feel to it.
Things get good with Alison Littlewood's THE HALLOWEEN MONSTER, in which the protagonist gets involved with a gang of bullies; the idea of witchy familiars is explored in chilly detail. QUEEN OF THE HUNT sees Adrian Cole on strong ground, mixing police procedural business with a werewolf-type story of a secret society. It culminates in some effective hair-raising scares at the climax. Lisa Morton's THE ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN PARTY APP takes scares into the 21st century with some very modern technology, and is a pure ghost train thrill ride of a story that would make a good movie, while Sharon Gosling's THE NATURE OF THE BEAST mixes social realism (in particular, spousal abuse) with more traditional supernatural elements, leading to a highly satisfying climax.
The unknown-to-me Thana Niveau offers WHITE MARE, in which an American kid and her father move to rural England where they discover ancient tradition and trouble from some unfriendly yokels. There's GODFATHER-style shock in store alongside a satisfying revenge-themed climax, the whole thing tied up in a neat package. The real stand-out in the book, and my favourite story of all, is from Joe R. Lansdale, whose THE FOLDING MAN is a masterpiece of action-horror. The teenage protagonists tangle with some demonic nuns and soon find themselves pursued cross-country by the robotic titular figure. It's astonishing stuff, grim and ghoulish, and really had my heart going.
I'll get the ones I didn't like out of the way first, as I don't like to dwell on negativity. Nancy Kilpatrick's MEMORIES OF DIA DE LOS MUERTOS is a short anecdote that feels like a passage from a longer story. FRAGILE MASKS sees Richard Gavin exploring what happens when two couples stay at a remote farmhouse, but the end result seems to be not much, really. Storm Constantine's BONE FIRE has some good elements but seems to be a little too abstract to really deliver much in the way of atmosphere – more of a first draft story to me. A MAN TOTALLY ALONE is an Aussie effort by Robert Hood, but never really gets going; more like an extract from a longer detective story, while BLEED is another short-short from Richard Christian Matheson and not at all worth bothering with. DUST UPON A PAPER EYE is by Cate Gardner and involves weird business at a theatre, but never really got going, and Scott Bradfield's THE MILLENIAL'S GUIDE TO DEATH is pure overlong silliness with the Grim Reaper personified as an annoyingly self-centred character. IN THE YEAR OF OMENS is from Helen Marshall and about kids dying after experiencing, well, omens, but it's too abstract and wishy-washy for my liking, and Robert Shearman's PUMPKIN KIDS has some good ideas behind it but is both too fantastical and insubstantial at the same time to really satisfy. And I have no idea why Jane Yolen's HALLOWEEN TREATS, a brief poem for schoolkids, is even included.
Interestingly-themed stories include Neil Gaiman's OCTOBER IN THE CHAIR, a slight dark fantasy utilising the author's habit of personifying seemingly abstract concepts (as in the AMERICAN GODS TV show), and Steve Rasnic Tem's REFLECTIONS IN BLACK, about what happens when you ill-advisedly go to meet up with an old flame. James Ebersole's THE PHENAKISTICOPE OF DECAY has a great title and turns out to be a standard spook house effort mixing FINAL DESTINATION with CANDYMAN. THE OCTOBER WIDOW sees Angela Slatter exploring a solitary's woman's dark secret at Halloween time, with the scares more hinted-at than explicit, while BEFORE THE PARADE PASSES BY is Marie O'Regan's story about a mother who learns that her daughter's school Halloween parade has a dark outcome.
I'm a big fan of Ramsey Campbell and HER FACE has the usual socially realistic setting and some subtle ghostliness with twists in store for extra freshness. I WAIT FOR YOU sees Eyglo Karlsdottir exploring a woman's visit to her son's home at Halloween time, but there's a twist that reminded me of a story in the old Amicus TALES FROM THE CRYPT anthology. Robert Silverberg's NOT OUR BROTHER is a familiar story about a mask collector heading south of the border before discovering sinister demonism in Mexico, while Michael Marshall Smith's THE SCARIEST THING IN THE WORLD is a lesser effort about a long-term grudge between two former friends. THE BEAUTIFUL FEAST OF THE VALLEY is a twist on the ghost story by Stephen Gallagher that goes down the subtle route to good effect, while ruminating on life after death in the 21st century. LANTERN JACK sees Christopher Fowler in familiar territory as he tells anecdotes about an old pub, and has a ghost walk feel to it.
Things get good with Alison Littlewood's THE HALLOWEEN MONSTER, in which the protagonist gets involved with a gang of bullies; the idea of witchy familiars is explored in chilly detail. QUEEN OF THE HUNT sees Adrian Cole on strong ground, mixing police procedural business with a werewolf-type story of a secret society. It culminates in some effective hair-raising scares at the climax. Lisa Morton's THE ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN PARTY APP takes scares into the 21st century with some very modern technology, and is a pure ghost train thrill ride of a story that would make a good movie, while Sharon Gosling's THE NATURE OF THE BEAST mixes social realism (in particular, spousal abuse) with more traditional supernatural elements, leading to a highly satisfying climax.
The unknown-to-me Thana Niveau offers WHITE MARE, in which an American kid and her father move to rural England where they discover ancient tradition and trouble from some unfriendly yokels. There's GODFATHER-style shock in store alongside a satisfying revenge-themed climax, the whole thing tied up in a neat package. The real stand-out in the book, and my favourite story of all, is from Joe R. Lansdale, whose THE FOLDING MAN is a masterpiece of action-horror. The teenage protagonists tangle with some demonic nuns and soon find themselves pursued cross-country by the robotic titular figure. It's astonishing stuff, grim and ghoulish, and really had my heart going.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2020
3.5 Stars
this was an entertaining if somewhat uneven collection. I'm a big fan of Halloween stories, so I was pretty sure I would enjoy at least some of the stories, and I did. There were some that lost me or that I just didn't care for. Really, most collections fit that mold.
If you enjoy creepy Halloween stories this is definitely worth a read, but as is usually the case it runs hot and cold.
(I started this in October planning to be done reading on or around Halloween, but this took a little longer than I expected.)
this was an entertaining if somewhat uneven collection. I'm a big fan of Halloween stories, so I was pretty sure I would enjoy at least some of the stories, and I did. There were some that lost me or that I just didn't care for. Really, most collections fit that mold.
If you enjoy creepy Halloween stories this is definitely worth a read, but as is usually the case it runs hot and cold.
(I started this in October planning to be done reading on or around Halloween, but this took a little longer than I expected.)
November 14, 2018
Some of the stories were very entertaining but it was split pretty evenly on the ones that were not all that interesting or had the potential for being a good story but shouldn’t have been condensed into a short. The few that were good were worth reading though!
March 4, 2019
I struggled so much through the last half of this that this is almost a DNF. It has some good stories, it has some boring stories. It's hard to rate anthologies. I will say that Neil Gaiman's story was absolutely wonderful and I'm still thinking about it.
April 22, 2023
A great collection of Halloween stories with a range of styles and subjects. Some stories are better than others naturally and there are gems in here i would probably return to for quick spooky reads during the spooky season.
October 14, 2018
3.5 actually. I liked a lot of the stories fairly well. I LOVED a few of the stories, and skipped one story I simply couldn't get through. All in all, a respectable Halloween anthology. 🎃
April 1, 2019
Nice compilation
An interesting assortment of Halloween stories.Well worth reading regardless of the season, so enjoy it anytime you need a treat.
An interesting assortment of Halloween stories.Well worth reading regardless of the season, so enjoy it anytime you need a treat.
October 24, 2021
3.75 review to come!
May 28, 2019
‘Hallowe’en’s coming on and the goose is getting fat,
Could you please put a penny in the old man’s hat?
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny, then God bless you and your old man too.’
(Traditional Irish folk song.)
At the risk of this review becoming self-indulgent (after all, it is not about me, but the book in question), the great thing about this anthology from Stephen Jones, for me (a self-confessed nostalgia freak, especially for the 1980s) on a personal level, is that it brought back so many warm memories of my own younger days growing up, and not just the Halloweens either, which in themselves were very special.
For example, Neil Gaiman’s beautifully imaginative opener, October in the Chair, reminded me greatly of the time when I was twelve years old, throwing a strop and running away from home, just like Neil’s protagonist, the Runt, does. Sadly, unlike the Runt, I did not encounter any supernatural occurrences, or ghosts for that matter, and had to settle for coming home a few hours later, cold, hungry, and with my tail between my legs. October in the Chair is a truly wonderful, magical tale.
In Alison Littlewood’s excellent The Halloween Monster, a young lad runs afoul of some local bullies who try to get him to take part in the killing of a cat, which may be connected to a suspected neighbourhood witch. It returned me to the time when as kids, my friends and I found a frozen-stiff dead cat in a nearby field and were later wrongly accused of killing it by its owner, which I promise you we really didn’t.
Ramsey Campbell’s creepy Halloween masks-related offering, Her Face, got me thinking of my after-school jobs for my local newsagents’ shops. Although I was a paperboy and Ramsey’s main character Joe is a general helper in a corner shop, it still took me back, and I love it when a story does that, almost unknowingly personalising the narrative to me, as the reader, relating to and sympathising with the lead character’s plight even more.
Marie O’Regan’s Before the Parade Passes By, a dark tale about a primary school with a very sinister secret, transported me once more to the 1980s (even though the story is set in contemporary times) and my father carving out macabre-looking turnips for my younger sisters and I every year on October 31st. None of your fancy, Americanised pumpkins those days in Northern Ireland!
At over five hundred pages, there is, of course, so much more to enjoy in this quite literally bumper Mammoth edition from Mr Jones. Such as a spooky take on the Mexican ‘Day of the Dead’ celebrations in Nancy Kilpatrick’s Memories of Dia de los Muertos, dark fantasy from Storm Constantine in Bone Fire, a sexualised, though rather sociopathic, witch in Angela Slatter’s The October Widow, and lots, lots more.
I was blown away by Robert Shearman’s Pumpkin Kids, a staggeringly dark, bizarre, ingenious parable of sorts regarding the dangers of religion.
Christopher Fowler’s Lantern Jack, set in a cursed London pub, is great fun, whilst Bleed by Richard Christian Matheson is a short sharp shocker indeed.
The other finely weaved tales included are authored by Steve Rasnic Tem, James Ebersole, Richard Gavin, Adrian Cole, Robert Hood, Lisa Morton, Joe R. Lansdale, Eyglo Karlsdottir, Cate Gardner, Robert Silverberg, Michael Marshall Smith, Sharon Gosling, Stephen Gallagher, Helen Marshall, Scott Bradfield, Thana Niveau and Jane Yolen. The introduction is penned by the editor himself.
Halloween is a strange, mystical time of year for us all, when the natural (and unnatural?) world around us turns from the light into darkness. However, this book is perfect for lovers of the unusual, not just on All Hallows’ Eve, but any time of the year really.
The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories is published by Skyhorse Publishing and available to purchase from Amazon and many other retailers.
Trevor Kennedy for Phantasmagoria Magazine.
Could you please put a penny in the old man’s hat?
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny, then God bless you and your old man too.’
(Traditional Irish folk song.)
At the risk of this review becoming self-indulgent (after all, it is not about me, but the book in question), the great thing about this anthology from Stephen Jones, for me (a self-confessed nostalgia freak, especially for the 1980s) on a personal level, is that it brought back so many warm memories of my own younger days growing up, and not just the Halloweens either, which in themselves were very special.
For example, Neil Gaiman’s beautifully imaginative opener, October in the Chair, reminded me greatly of the time when I was twelve years old, throwing a strop and running away from home, just like Neil’s protagonist, the Runt, does. Sadly, unlike the Runt, I did not encounter any supernatural occurrences, or ghosts for that matter, and had to settle for coming home a few hours later, cold, hungry, and with my tail between my legs. October in the Chair is a truly wonderful, magical tale.
In Alison Littlewood’s excellent The Halloween Monster, a young lad runs afoul of some local bullies who try to get him to take part in the killing of a cat, which may be connected to a suspected neighbourhood witch. It returned me to the time when as kids, my friends and I found a frozen-stiff dead cat in a nearby field and were later wrongly accused of killing it by its owner, which I promise you we really didn’t.
Ramsey Campbell’s creepy Halloween masks-related offering, Her Face, got me thinking of my after-school jobs for my local newsagents’ shops. Although I was a paperboy and Ramsey’s main character Joe is a general helper in a corner shop, it still took me back, and I love it when a story does that, almost unknowingly personalising the narrative to me, as the reader, relating to and sympathising with the lead character’s plight even more.
Marie O’Regan’s Before the Parade Passes By, a dark tale about a primary school with a very sinister secret, transported me once more to the 1980s (even though the story is set in contemporary times) and my father carving out macabre-looking turnips for my younger sisters and I every year on October 31st. None of your fancy, Americanised pumpkins those days in Northern Ireland!
At over five hundred pages, there is, of course, so much more to enjoy in this quite literally bumper Mammoth edition from Mr Jones. Such as a spooky take on the Mexican ‘Day of the Dead’ celebrations in Nancy Kilpatrick’s Memories of Dia de los Muertos, dark fantasy from Storm Constantine in Bone Fire, a sexualised, though rather sociopathic, witch in Angela Slatter’s The October Widow, and lots, lots more.
I was blown away by Robert Shearman’s Pumpkin Kids, a staggeringly dark, bizarre, ingenious parable of sorts regarding the dangers of religion.
Christopher Fowler’s Lantern Jack, set in a cursed London pub, is great fun, whilst Bleed by Richard Christian Matheson is a short sharp shocker indeed.
The other finely weaved tales included are authored by Steve Rasnic Tem, James Ebersole, Richard Gavin, Adrian Cole, Robert Hood, Lisa Morton, Joe R. Lansdale, Eyglo Karlsdottir, Cate Gardner, Robert Silverberg, Michael Marshall Smith, Sharon Gosling, Stephen Gallagher, Helen Marshall, Scott Bradfield, Thana Niveau and Jane Yolen. The introduction is penned by the editor himself.
Halloween is a strange, mystical time of year for us all, when the natural (and unnatural?) world around us turns from the light into darkness. However, this book is perfect for lovers of the unusual, not just on All Hallows’ Eve, but any time of the year really.
The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories is published by Skyhorse Publishing and available to purchase from Amazon and many other retailers.
Trevor Kennedy for Phantasmagoria Magazine.
October 7, 2021
This was an overall enjoyable read. I found that I liked all of the stories, but only two of them freaked me out. Definitely a great book to get me into an even more autumnal/spooky mood!
October 25, 2018
When I picked up this latest anthology of Halloween stories, I was ready to groan at over-anthologized clichés: even brilliant stories like "The October Game" and "Pork Pie Hat" can outstay their welcome in one too many anthologies. To my surprise, other than "October in the Chair" by the always-welcome Neil Gaiman, these stories were a mix of original and rarely anthologized ones. If I had to pick the best of the best, it would have to be the genuinely unsettling "Pumpkin Kids," where the occult and religious sides of the Halloween festival as it remains today are fused queasily into one.
January 9, 2019
I enjoyed this anthology. There were a few good stories in here, and I’m always happy to find Ramsay Campbell stories that I haven’t read yet. I think I skipped past like two stories. The last story was a poem and I thought it was a disappointing ending to the anthology, but hey what the hell do I know. All in all an entertaining mixture of Halloween shorts.
dnf
October 17, 2018I thought this would be the perfect October read, but I have absolutely no drive to finish it. Aside from the Gaiman reprint, by the halfway mark none of the stories have risen above three stars. I'm disappointed, but ready to move on.
October 16, 2018
Awesome reading
Couldn't put it down. Each new story was a fun read . I'm not a fast reader but I was done in no time. Really enjoyed this collection.
Couldn't put it down. Each new story was a fun read . I'm not a fast reader but I was done in no time. Really enjoyed this collection.
October 26, 2020
PARTE 7 DE MIS LECTURAS HALLOWEENESCAS 2020
THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF HALLOWEEN STORIES
Editado por Stephen Jones
** 3.22 **
26 cuentos (y un poema), algunos de horror y otros más tendientes a lo fantástico y lo extraño. Como el título lo indica, la trama se centra o deriva del día de Halloween y su respectivo festejo. Algunos son buenos, otros no tanto, pero todos se dejan leer. El único problema que le encontré es que no hubo un solo cuento que me encantara, que me pareciera especialmente sobresaliente, como me ha ocurrido con algunas otras antologías en las que siempre encuentro al menos uno que me parece especial. Aquí no, todos están parejitos, pero ninguno particularmente destacable. Igual se disfrutan.
1- OCTOBER IN THE CHAIR
Neil Gaiman ---------------> 3.4
2- REFLECTIONS IN BLACK
Steve Rasnic Tem ---------------> 3.2
3- THE HALLOWEEN MONSTER
Alison Littlewood ---------------> 3.2
4- THE PHÉNAKISTICOPE OF DECAY
James Ebersole ---------------> 3.4
5- MEMORIES OF DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS
Nancy Kilpatrick ---------------> 3.0
6- FRAGILE MASKS
Richard Gavin ---------------> 3.3
7- BONE FIRE
Storm Constantine ---------------> 3.4
8- QUEEN OF THE HUNT
Adrian Cole ---------------> 3.4
9- THE OCTOBER WIDOW
Angela Slatter ---------------> 3.4
10- BEFORE THE PARADE PASSES BY
Marie O'Regan ---------------> 3.5
11- HER FACE
Ramsey Campbell ---------------> 3.3
12- A MAN TOTALLY ALONE
Robert Hood ---------------> 3.4
13- BLEED
Richard Christian Matheson ---------------> 3.0
14- THE ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN PARTY APP
Lisa Morton ---------------> 3.2
15- THE FOLDING MAN
Joe R. Lansdale ---------------> 3.3
16- I WAIT FOR YOU
Eygló Karlsdóttir ---------------> 3.3
17- DUST UPON A PAPER EYE
Cate Gardner ---------------> 3.0
18- NOT OUR BROTHER
Robert Silverberg ---------------> 3.3
19- THE SCARIEST THING IN THE WORLD
Michael Marshall Smith ---------------> 3.0
20- THE NATURE OF THE BEAST
Sharon Gosling ---------------> 3.4
21- THE BEAUTIFUL FEAST OF THE VALLEY
Stephen Gallagher ---------------> 3.0
22- IN THE YEAR OF OMENS
Helen Marshall ---------------> 3.0
23- THE MILLENNIAL'S GUIDE TO DEATH
Scott Bradfield ---------------> 3.0
24- WHITE MARE
Thana Niveau ---------------> 3.5
25- PUMKIN KIDS
Robert Shearman ---------------> 3.2
26- LANTERN JACK
Christopher Fowler ---------------> 3.0
27- HALLOWEEN TREATS
Jane Yolen ---------------> 3.0
October 19, 2022
3.25⭐
A smorgasbord of Halloween treats in the form of short stories to set one in the mood for this seasonal Samhain festival.
Introduction — When Churchyards Yawn by Stephen Jones ✔
OCTOBER IN THE CHAIR by Neil Gaiman 4⭐
REFLECTIONS IN BLACK by Steve Rasnic Tem 3.5⭐
THE HALLOWEEN MONSTER by Alison Littlewood 2.5⭐
(Story is well written but BEWARE contains animal cruelty).
THE PHÉNAKISTICOPE OF DECAY by James Ebersole 4.25⭐
MEMORIES OF DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS by Nancy Kilpatrick 3.5⭐
You can watch this YouTube clip to hear the author Nancy Kilpatrick read and discuss the origin of her Day of the Dead story with Mark Leslie Lefebvre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Ir2...
FRAGILE MASKS by Richard Gavin 3.25⭐
BONE FIRE by Storm Constantine 4⭐
QUEEN OF THE HUNT by Adrian Cole 4⭐
THE OCTOBER WIDOW by Angela Slatter 4⭐
BEFORE THE PARADE PASSES by Marie O’Regan 3.5⭐
HER FACE by Ramsey Campbell 3⭐
A MAN TOTALLY ALONE by Robert Hood 3⭐
BLEED by Richard Christian Matheson 2.5⭐
THE ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN PARTY APP by Lisa Morton 3.25⭐
THE FOLDING MAN by Joe R. Lansdale 4⭐
I WAIT FOR YOU by Eygló Karlsdóttir 3.5⭐
DUST UPON A PAPER EYE by Cate Gardner 2.5⭐
NOT OUR BROTHER by Robert Silverberg 4⭐
THE SCARIEST THING IN THE WORLD by Michael Marshall Smith 4⭐
THE NATURE OF THE BEAST by Sharon Gosling 4⭐
THE BEAUTIFUL FEAST OF THE VALLEY by Stephen Gallagher 4.5⭐
IN THE YEAR OF OMENS by Helen Marshall 3⭐
THE MILLENNIAL’S GUIDE TO DEATH by Scott Bradfield 2⭐
WHITE MARE by Thana Niveau 3.5⭐
PUMPKIN KIDS by Robert Shearman 2⭐
LANTERN JACK by Christopher Fowler 3⭐
HALLOWEEN TREATS by Jane Yolen 3.5⭐
A smorgasbord of Halloween treats in the form of short stories to set one in the mood for this seasonal Samhain festival.
Introduction — When Churchyards Yawn by Stephen Jones ✔
OCTOBER IN THE CHAIR by Neil Gaiman 4⭐
REFLECTIONS IN BLACK by Steve Rasnic Tem 3.5⭐
THE HALLOWEEN MONSTER by Alison Littlewood 2.5⭐
(Story is well written but BEWARE contains animal cruelty).
THE PHÉNAKISTICOPE OF DECAY by James Ebersole 4.25⭐
MEMORIES OF DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS by Nancy Kilpatrick 3.5⭐
You can watch this YouTube clip to hear the author Nancy Kilpatrick read and discuss the origin of her Day of the Dead story with Mark Leslie Lefebvre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Ir2...
FRAGILE MASKS by Richard Gavin 3.25⭐
BONE FIRE by Storm Constantine 4⭐
QUEEN OF THE HUNT by Adrian Cole 4⭐
THE OCTOBER WIDOW by Angela Slatter 4⭐
BEFORE THE PARADE PASSES by Marie O’Regan 3.5⭐
HER FACE by Ramsey Campbell 3⭐
A MAN TOTALLY ALONE by Robert Hood 3⭐
BLEED by Richard Christian Matheson 2.5⭐
THE ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN PARTY APP by Lisa Morton 3.25⭐
THE FOLDING MAN by Joe R. Lansdale 4⭐
I WAIT FOR YOU by Eygló Karlsdóttir 3.5⭐
DUST UPON A PAPER EYE by Cate Gardner 2.5⭐
NOT OUR BROTHER by Robert Silverberg 4⭐
THE SCARIEST THING IN THE WORLD by Michael Marshall Smith 4⭐
THE NATURE OF THE BEAST by Sharon Gosling 4⭐
THE BEAUTIFUL FEAST OF THE VALLEY by Stephen Gallagher 4.5⭐
IN THE YEAR OF OMENS by Helen Marshall 3⭐
THE MILLENNIAL’S GUIDE TO DEATH by Scott Bradfield 2⭐
WHITE MARE by Thana Niveau 3.5⭐
PUMPKIN KIDS by Robert Shearman 2⭐
LANTERN JACK by Christopher Fowler 3⭐
HALLOWEEN TREATS by Jane Yolen 3.5⭐
November 1, 2021
All anthologies may as well be subtitled something like “An Uneven Collection of Short Stories by Writers of Varying Quality, YMMV.” This one contains some decent stories but overall it didn’t give me what I need for a good Halloween story. Many of them read like the trappings of the holiday were just tacked on last minute, like so many cheap paper skeletons, bats, and pumpkins.
You know there is no shortage of horror anthologies. There is not even a shortage of Halloween-themed horror anthologies. For my taste, most Halloween stories rarely capture that frisson of excitement the holiday, at its best, conjures. Too much low hanging fruit, for one. We get it. Halloween has pagan roots.
The Folding Man, for me, was the only story both fun and spooky. I can see myself coming back to it. I also enjoyed Reflections in Black, The Phenakisticope of Decay, I Wait for You, Lantern Jack, and the The Scariest Thing in the World (the latter is okay, but its title’s a misnomer.)
For my money, nobody does Halloween like Americans. And there just weren’t enough American writers here. The world, it seems, has happily imported America’s Halloween by now, so I expect that to change in the coming years.
You know there is no shortage of horror anthologies. There is not even a shortage of Halloween-themed horror anthologies. For my taste, most Halloween stories rarely capture that frisson of excitement the holiday, at its best, conjures. Too much low hanging fruit, for one. We get it. Halloween has pagan roots.
The Folding Man, for me, was the only story both fun and spooky. I can see myself coming back to it. I also enjoyed Reflections in Black, The Phenakisticope of Decay, I Wait for You, Lantern Jack, and the The Scariest Thing in the World (the latter is okay, but its title’s a misnomer.)
For my money, nobody does Halloween like Americans. And there just weren’t enough American writers here. The world, it seems, has happily imported America’s Halloween by now, so I expect that to change in the coming years.
December 24, 2024
Most of the stories here were actually good, there were a few duds there though, like with every sizable anthology. I especially liked "Bleed" By Richard Christian Matheson. It is the shortest story in the anthology (only two pages!), and one of the very few reprints in the anthology (it was first published in 1995), but it delivers such a memorable punch that it will probably stay with me for years to come, most modern writers cannot deliver this punch anymore.
However, the introduction is mostly bogus, and I think it was not becoming of someone of Stephen Jones' caliber to write it. If you really want to know about the origin of Halloween, consult scholarly books or popular history books by certified historians of religion. I will give you a spoiler though: It is the only major holiday in the calendar which is certainly of purely Christian origins, without pagan predecessors (no, Samhain was not the predecessor of Halloween).
However, the introduction is mostly bogus, and I think it was not becoming of someone of Stephen Jones' caliber to write it. If you really want to know about the origin of Halloween, consult scholarly books or popular history books by certified historians of religion. I will give you a spoiler though: It is the only major holiday in the calendar which is certainly of purely Christian origins, without pagan predecessors (no, Samhain was not the predecessor of Halloween).
July 13, 2020
Like with many anthologies there are some true gems with some duller stones- luckily the faceted gems outshined all others!
Favorites include "October in the Chair" by Gaiman, "Bone Fire" by Constantine, "Queen of the Hunt" by Cole, "The October Widow" by Slatter, "Before the Parade Passes By" by O'Regan (one of my ultimate faves of this list!), "The Ultimate Halloween Party App" by Morton, "The Folding Man" by Lansdale, "I Wait For You" by Karlsdóttir, "The Nature of the Beast" by Gosling, "In the Year of Omens" by Marshall, "Pumpkin Kids" by Fowler, were all amazing. Plus a Poem from Jane Yolen took me right on the nostalgia train to my childhood. I am jelly of the kids that go trick or treating at her house!
Favorites include "October in the Chair" by Gaiman, "Bone Fire" by Constantine, "Queen of the Hunt" by Cole, "The October Widow" by Slatter, "Before the Parade Passes By" by O'Regan (one of my ultimate faves of this list!), "The Ultimate Halloween Party App" by Morton, "The Folding Man" by Lansdale, "I Wait For You" by Karlsdóttir, "The Nature of the Beast" by Gosling, "In the Year of Omens" by Marshall, "Pumpkin Kids" by Fowler, were all amazing. Plus a Poem from Jane Yolen took me right on the nostalgia train to my childhood. I am jelly of the kids that go trick or treating at her house!
October 1, 2024
The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories (2018), edited by Stephen Jones, is a pleasing and densely packed seasonal gift for readers who enjoy the intersection of Halloween and all the varieties of horror media.
A supposed Halloween tradition: that the day includes a thinning between our reality and another. That on the night of 31 October, insights and encounters both weird and uncanny are on the menu for a few. Most of these experiencers will wake on 1 November, and most of them, will move on. Only a handful will die or disappear.
How the individual writer handles this old shibboleth in their art is what makes stories in The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories so fascinating. Not all the stories are effective; but often, their failure has more to do with narrative and stylistic choices than with the choice of Halloween as a plot component.
* * *
Starting today, 1 October 2024: daily posts assessing each story from The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories.
https://open.substack.com/pub/jayroth...
A supposed Halloween tradition: that the day includes a thinning between our reality and another. That on the night of 31 October, insights and encounters both weird and uncanny are on the menu for a few. Most of these experiencers will wake on 1 November, and most of them, will move on. Only a handful will die or disappear.
How the individual writer handles this old shibboleth in their art is what makes stories in The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories so fascinating. Not all the stories are effective; but often, their failure has more to do with narrative and stylistic choices than with the choice of Halloween as a plot component.
* * *
Starting today, 1 October 2024: daily posts assessing each story from The Mammoth Book of Halloween Stories.
https://open.substack.com/pub/jayroth...
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