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Death Obsessed
Remember those old VHS tapes with labels that said “banned in 40 countries” and “not for the faint of heart,” with titles like Faces of Death and Mondo Violence? Well, they’re back, only this time it’s a book. This book. Death Obsessed is Faces of Death with an identity crisis. Get ready for something mondo macabre!Back when he was a teenager, Calvin was into the morbid stuff. He thought he outgrew it, but he’s only a video clip away from becoming obsessed, and what’s Ronnie going to think about that? She’s not the kind of girl who digs cemeteries and dead things. But Hazel, she’s something else altogether, and oh how persuasive is a woman who knows what she wants.Drawn back to a place Calvin had forgotten about, and lured by the baritone drawl of Mr. Ghastly, who promises the much sought after death scenes classic known as Death’s Door, Calvin trips down one hell of a rabbit hole, and everything is at stake. Can he leave his nine-to-five life in the dust for some real action, or will he be left sick, all alone, and Death Obsessed?"For anyone who dared picked up Faces of Death at the video store as a teenager or perused the atrocities of early internet shock sites like Rotten.com, Death Obsessed is a nightmarish trip down a rabbit hole slick with corpse slime and grave dirt. It's a supernatural glimpse at the deranged world behind the execution videos and crime scene photos and the people who enjoy them." -- Mike Lombardo, writer/director of I'm Dreaming of a White Doomsday
294 pages, Paperback
Published May 26, 2018
About the author
Robert Essig
99 books308 followersRobert Essig is the author of 30 books such as Baby Fights, Disco Rice, and Master of Bodies, which was nominated for a Splatterpunk Award. He has published over 130 short stories and edited three anthologies. Robert lives with his family in east Tennessee.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 12, 2018
Death Obsessed is a trip down memory lane for all us gawkers who sat down in front of a television and pushed the VHS tape of “Faces of Death” into our VCRs. Surfed the internet and found the site Rotton.com. Death in its true form somehow put a smile on our faces. Although the death never became an obsession. Or maybe I’m speaking for myself.
Essig is a Gorehound, bloody genius spilling blood in deathly description that drags you from one chapter to the next like a corpse to be buried somewhere in the woods. His character Calvin gets a taste for blood but finds the adventure to become the deadly killer is nothing more than death itself or maybe he found his calling, the screams of the souls leaving the body.
Essig is a Gorehound, bloody genius spilling blood in deathly description that drags you from one chapter to the next like a corpse to be buried somewhere in the woods. His character Calvin gets a taste for blood but finds the adventure to become the deadly killer is nothing more than death itself or maybe he found his calling, the screams of the souls leaving the body.
August 10, 2022
What a trippy read!
July 2, 2022
This one is written by a gorehound, for gorehounds. Right from the beginning I was transported back to the early days of finding out about the dark corners of the web, where death and obscene violence dwell. Sites like bestgore, r/spacedicks, 4chan, liveleaks, etc. came to mind as the protagonist started back down the rabbit hole of watching people being slaughtered, destroyed, disemboweled, and burned alive. It’s one of those things many people in my generation just sort of find while leaving the safety of Facebook. Someone shows you one video, then you end up staying up all night chasing notorious video after notorious video.
Whoops, went on a bit of a tangent!
Death Obsessed is what it claims to be, an obsession of death. Slowly losing interest in every other facet of life until nothing g else matters except watching the light dim in strangers eyes. The book itself felt like one of those rabbit holes. The more I read, the more I thought about it, and the worse things got in the story. It was hard to look away from, no matter what ended up happening.
And that’s the beauty of this book. Robert Essig took his own experiences with real death videos and captured that experience in this book. What o felt while reading this is exactly like how I felt as a young, impressionable teenager when I myself found out about this sort of thing. Part of that may be why I’m so fond of this book, but the writing is definitely a major factor too. Multiple storylines intertwine flawlessly, characters are flawed and feel real, and the overall unsettling vibe the book gives off kept me on my toes.
I’m late to the party with this one, but there is not a better time to pick this one up. It’s free on godless.com as of the time of this review, making it a must try.
Whoops, went on a bit of a tangent!
Death Obsessed is what it claims to be, an obsession of death. Slowly losing interest in every other facet of life until nothing g else matters except watching the light dim in strangers eyes. The book itself felt like one of those rabbit holes. The more I read, the more I thought about it, and the worse things got in the story. It was hard to look away from, no matter what ended up happening.
And that’s the beauty of this book. Robert Essig took his own experiences with real death videos and captured that experience in this book. What o felt while reading this is exactly like how I felt as a young, impressionable teenager when I myself found out about this sort of thing. Part of that may be why I’m so fond of this book, but the writing is definitely a major factor too. Multiple storylines intertwine flawlessly, characters are flawed and feel real, and the overall unsettling vibe the book gives off kept me on my toes.
I’m late to the party with this one, but there is not a better time to pick this one up. It’s free on godless.com as of the time of this review, making it a must try.
April 1, 2023
Growing up, I only had one opportunity to view a Faces of Death tape so they’ve always held a mystical, unobtainable quality for me. I think that made this book even more fun because it was like diving into a rabbit hole I’d thought was left behind a long time ago. The last few chapters were absolutely riveting. Highly recommended!!
July 1, 2018
It's always a pleasure getting new work by author's I'm not familiar with especially when it's nasty little blast like this one.
Death Obsessed is a brand new book, just released in late June from a publisher I'm not familiar with, Grand Mal. However, upon some quick research of their previously released titles, I should have taken notice a while ago...they've got quite a few books I would be happy to read.
In any event, Death Obsessed is the latest in the rash of newish books I've been reading that I feel are truly by horror fans, for horror fans, and well...about them. As such, it's very easy for the reader, as a horror fan, to identify with scenarios, characters and engage with the story. It's really a smart story move for the smaller presses, as it truly embraces the horror culture, aimed squarely at the market. Essig delivers a warm, gory hug to horror fans with this one.
It's essentially a character study, looking at Calvin, a horror fan, whose fairly normal. He's got a job, an apartment, a good girlfriend and a baby on the way. He's also got an insatiable hunger to see the nastiest gore he can, obsessed with well...death.
It gets even worse when he gets a strange VHS tape, then becomes an addiction for him. Soon he's seeing visions, his life is falling apart and he's being dragged into the gruesome, supernatural underbelly of the sick world of snuff...
It takes a little but too long to get off the ground, being a little repetitive in the start. But once it starts rolling, man, does it roll. Calvin ends in up some seriously nasty situations and you're glued to the page.
Repetition nature aside, I really enjoyed this nasty little piece. Faces of Death, Shocking Asia, etc fans? If you've ever felt guilty or weird about your taste, here's the book to drive that nagging feeling in the back of your head home...YOU ARE WEIRD AND PROBABLY GONNA DIE CUZ OF IT!
I'm kidding. Kinda.
I recommend Death Obsessed for just about any fan of gross-out horror. It'll appeal to you in more ways than one.
4/5.
originally posted on my blog http://Undivineinterventions.blogspot...
Death Obsessed is a brand new book, just released in late June from a publisher I'm not familiar with, Grand Mal. However, upon some quick research of their previously released titles, I should have taken notice a while ago...they've got quite a few books I would be happy to read.
In any event, Death Obsessed is the latest in the rash of newish books I've been reading that I feel are truly by horror fans, for horror fans, and well...about them. As such, it's very easy for the reader, as a horror fan, to identify with scenarios, characters and engage with the story. It's really a smart story move for the smaller presses, as it truly embraces the horror culture, aimed squarely at the market. Essig delivers a warm, gory hug to horror fans with this one.
It's essentially a character study, looking at Calvin, a horror fan, whose fairly normal. He's got a job, an apartment, a good girlfriend and a baby on the way. He's also got an insatiable hunger to see the nastiest gore he can, obsessed with well...death.
It gets even worse when he gets a strange VHS tape, then becomes an addiction for him. Soon he's seeing visions, his life is falling apart and he's being dragged into the gruesome, supernatural underbelly of the sick world of snuff...
It takes a little but too long to get off the ground, being a little repetitive in the start. But once it starts rolling, man, does it roll. Calvin ends in up some seriously nasty situations and you're glued to the page.
Repetition nature aside, I really enjoyed this nasty little piece. Faces of Death, Shocking Asia, etc fans? If you've ever felt guilty or weird about your taste, here's the book to drive that nagging feeling in the back of your head home...YOU ARE WEIRD AND PROBABLY GONNA DIE CUZ OF IT!
I'm kidding. Kinda.
I recommend Death Obsessed for just about any fan of gross-out horror. It'll appeal to you in more ways than one.
4/5.
originally posted on my blog http://Undivineinterventions.blogspot...
October 21, 2023
This story is what I like to call a gearapalooza, paying homage to all things that live on the darkweb. Calvin goes from watching broken legs and real life accidents to venturing further into the hardcore stuff. Obviously this is going down a road that he knows Ronnie won't be able to follow as not even snuff films seem to do it for him anymore. Robert raises some very interesting points about mortality and the way death has become a fascination to some. You can definitely see the wheels turning in Calvin's mind as he processes the excitement of watching death take a hold of a stranger's life. As someone UK based and having not tested the waters yet for driving, I wasn't familiar with the driver's Ed warning videos. But bloody hell I was once my curiosity got the better of me, it's one way to shock drivers into being more cautious on the road. Although I can see why some people would want to avoid the videos as it might cause them to be more anxious behind the wheel. The book makes you consider all aspects of how violence comes into everyday life and how some become desensitised to the brutal aspect.
Once you’re born you start dying. This sentence rings true as Calvin seems to let his fascination draw him deeper into the darkness.
I mean sure creepy guy let me have a random VHS from you from a Death Museum. The moment Calvin puts that tape into the VCR he made a choice.
Sadly it's a choice that also affects his future with Ronnie who is pregnant by the way. First step was already there and the next step was his compulsion and weak will power when it came to the Hall of Hell. From there we watch as piece by piece Calvin loses himself to his desire and obsession with the horrific images detailed by Rob. IB Gastley plays a very big part in the story as he seduces Calvin to the darker things in life, as the character's downward spiral takes a hold. The reader can't look away as they watch the train wreck unfold on the pages and Rob does an excellent job at getting the reader hooked to this horrifying monster of a book. Rapidly I devoured this tale of madness and found myself questioning my own mortality.
Once you’re born you start dying. This sentence rings true as Calvin seems to let his fascination draw him deeper into the darkness.
I mean sure creepy guy let me have a random VHS from you from a Death Museum. The moment Calvin puts that tape into the VCR he made a choice.
Sadly it's a choice that also affects his future with Ronnie who is pregnant by the way. First step was already there and the next step was his compulsion and weak will power when it came to the Hall of Hell. From there we watch as piece by piece Calvin loses himself to his desire and obsession with the horrific images detailed by Rob. IB Gastley plays a very big part in the story as he seduces Calvin to the darker things in life, as the character's downward spiral takes a hold. The reader can't look away as they watch the train wreck unfold on the pages and Rob does an excellent job at getting the reader hooked to this horrifying monster of a book. Rapidly I devoured this tale of madness and found myself questioning my own mortality.
August 16, 2020
I see dead people.
This story was awesome! Lots of macabre moments mixed with a slow decent into obsessive behaviors and madness, wrapped up in a decomposing corpus of gore soaked imagination and horror. Robert Essig pwns.
5/5 Skulls
💀💀💀💀💀
This story was awesome! Lots of macabre moments mixed with a slow decent into obsessive behaviors and madness, wrapped up in a decomposing corpus of gore soaked imagination and horror. Robert Essig pwns.
5/5 Skulls
💀💀💀💀💀
July 20, 2018
Wow, what a ride! This is a horror book for horror fans. If you used to love browsing the strange VHS horror section of the small video store in town (not Blockbuster) you will love this one. It's the cat's pajamas.
October 20, 2018
Four star book with a three star ending.
May 27, 2023
As you probably guessed from the title and cover, this book is not for the squeamish or easily-offended. Stay away.
This book stuck to my ribs more than I expected it to. It's sly like that. It is what it says it is - a downward spiral into the soulless depths reached when dining exclusively on the chum of real-life gore and death.
Essig writes like a madman sucked down the drain of disgust, holding on to the outside world by only his fingernails. He'll take you there; he's going there himself.
This book stuck to my ribs more than I expected it to. It's sly like that. It is what it says it is - a downward spiral into the soulless depths reached when dining exclusively on the chum of real-life gore and death.
Essig writes like a madman sucked down the drain of disgust, holding on to the outside world by only his fingernails. He'll take you there; he's going there himself.
April 9, 2022
What a ride. I was honestly hooked on this after the first page. Lots of fun, and the pages just melted one after the other. Excellent pacing, and a super fun read. I did however, feel that the ending was a bit abrupt. I could’ve read another 100 pages at least. Nonetheless, awesome read, and it’s FREE on godless!
March 13, 2022
Awesome idea! Ending really packs a punch. Great read!
April 14, 2024
This began to get a little hard to follow towards the end but it was really fun at points
February 8, 2022
Death Obsessed by Robert Essig was a fantastically dark and macabre page turner.
What starts as a morbid interest in death imagery descends into a full blown death obsession when Calvin meets a mysterious figure who leads him down a depraved path of blood and guts.
As Calvin wanders deeper and deeper into a world of death fuelled by his unsavoury interest, his perceptions and attitudes change. He forfeits his soul, piece by piece, as he gets closer to a point of no return.
What starts as a morbid interest in death imagery descends into a full blown death obsession when Calvin meets a mysterious figure who leads him down a depraved path of blood and guts.
As Calvin wanders deeper and deeper into a world of death fuelled by his unsavoury interest, his perceptions and attitudes change. He forfeits his soul, piece by piece, as he gets closer to a point of no return.
May 4, 2024
This took me a while. First of all, I'd like to point out that this book really needed more editing; there were several things that needed fixing regarding spelling and syntax. However, those issues didn't stop me from enjoying this dark novel.
Death Obsessed is very original in its premise, and I haven't encountered anything similar.
Paying homage to those old VHS tapes (Faces of Death, Traces of Death, and shocking documentaries), this book written by Robert Essig presents a very engaging story about a man whose obsession with death will lead him to a path of no return with very singular characters.
The story kept me invested most of the time, despite being repetitive at times, and having an ending that left me with more questions than answers. Plus, the gore and blood wasn’t excessive, and it felt organic and natural to the story.
All in all, if you want an original, gory and shocking story about death, Death Obsessed is your best choice.
Death Obsessed is very original in its premise, and I haven't encountered anything similar.
Paying homage to those old VHS tapes (Faces of Death, Traces of Death, and shocking documentaries), this book written by Robert Essig presents a very engaging story about a man whose obsession with death will lead him to a path of no return with very singular characters.
The story kept me invested most of the time, despite being repetitive at times, and having an ending that left me with more questions than answers. Plus, the gore and blood wasn’t excessive, and it felt organic and natural to the story.
All in all, if you want an original, gory and shocking story about death, Death Obsessed is your best choice.
October 2, 2025
This one was a trip. It starts by naming some of the (unfortunate) hallmarks of growing up in an internet age like I did (rotten.com etc) and then gets really wild. It’s not for the weak of heart or gut.
What happens when dudes who like looking at terrible shit evolve from just looking? Find out here.
Some of where this went is definitely a little corny, but corny like 80s slasher corny where you need to just accept the little flourishes (the gorehounds and such) because it helps craft it all. Calvin our MC is a pussy. But we want him to do the right thing - so we keep on with him.
Maybe was a little longer than I wanted it to be but did the trick. Would and will check out more from Essig.
What happens when dudes who like looking at terrible shit evolve from just looking? Find out here.
Some of where this went is definitely a little corny, but corny like 80s slasher corny where you need to just accept the little flourishes (the gorehounds and such) because it helps craft it all. Calvin our MC is a pussy. But we want him to do the right thing - so we keep on with him.
Maybe was a little longer than I wanted it to be but did the trick. Would and will check out more from Essig.
July 1, 2025
I may be obsessed with Death Obsessed! Watching Faces of Evil as a kid, I understood Calvin's curiosity...... at first. This is a twisted tale, with very graphic scenes included, possibly showcasing some of the worst in humanity. Overall, it is a fast-paced story, making you wonder how far some will go in their obsessions, the need to find one's "people", and how powerful the human spirit can be.
August 14, 2018
Loved it!
The title says it all..it's a story about every one that's ever started reading horror taking too the extreme. I should be so lucky!
The title says it all..it's a story about every one that's ever started reading horror taking too the extreme. I should be so lucky!
June 19, 2020
This is a good book about one man's obsession with videos like Faces of Death and sites like rotten.com. Worth checking out!
October 22, 2024
Such an original premise!!! Freaked me out but also had a bizarre nostalgic quality to it
May 20, 2025
The book was a trip! This is the first book I read by Robert Essig, and I'm looking forward to his other books.
May 24, 2019
This book was my first to read of Roberts. I loved it. It was pretty wild and definitely gory. all I can say it's like if faces of death was a cult. It's fanfuckingtastic if you like gore but with a great story. 5star review, Tripp says check it out!
January 28, 2019
Growing up in the era of the infamous Video Store, the nostalgia of this book hit right at home. If anyone has ever seen the movie 'Faces of Death' or have ever gone to the video store back in the day in search of the "white tapes" that circulated around (that you had to ask the clerk if he had behind the counter) then you will definitely be transported back to that experience with this story. Bravo!
July 6, 2018
Not a fan but not not-a-fan either. I mean I read the whole thing
I really didn't like this book but appreciated more moments and the general idea I care to admit. This could make a great movie in the hands of a gore hound. If it were written for that reason alone than so be it. Riding the dead is a cool concept.
I really didn't like this book but appreciated more moments and the general idea I care to admit. This could make a great movie in the hands of a gore hound. If it were written for that reason alone than so be it. Riding the dead is a cool concept.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews