Frightful: A Short Story Collection of Christmas Horror

by Stephen Barnard

'It's not just the weather outside...'

Here are twelve tales of festive terror, from the author of 'Corner House', and the short story collections, 'A Very Bad Year,' and 'Unlucky Numbers'.

In 'A Door or a Window?' Nicola has more than a bad experience with an advent calendar - the daily treats are not what's expected. But getting rid of it is harder than she thought...

In 'Wreck The Halls', Dale needs a Christmas tree to stop his partner from moaning at him, but why pay when you can steal one from the garden of the abandoned house at the end of the lane? Nobody sees him take it. But that doesn't mean he can get away with it...

In 'Secret Sandra', the staff of Torrington Brook High School are celebrating the end of term with the traditional round of gifts. Only, some of them have been swapped for something far more sinister...

In 'A Ghost at Burrows Manor,' the children of Bright Horizons Care Home are looking forward to their seasonal stay at the old manor house. A ghost story is shared, which sets them all on edge, and with good reason. There is definitely something out in the snow…

In 'The Last Present', It's Christmas lunch at the Seymour house, and Declan is meeting Holly's parents for the first time. They're worlds apart in terms of wealth and class, and Dec is right to be a little nervous. But not in the ways he imagined...

'Frightful' contains three brand new stories. Two others previously available in earlier collections.

Online praise for 'A Very Bad Year':
'Every story is so different... keeps you wondering what the author will come up with next.'
'Good storylines... very believable situations.'
'Really captivating and very special.'

Genres: Horror, Ebooks, Short Stories

247 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2019

About the author

Stephen Barnard has been writing fiction (and non-fiction cricket exploits) for a number of years. The success of his short story collection 'A Very Bad Year' encouraged him to push further. He now has over 20 published works, mainly in the horror/suspense genre. When he's not writing he teaches, reads, snoozes and binge-watches horror films.

Reviews

[The_5ft_reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent collection of holiday horror 👌

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merry Christmas!

I love short horror stories. I now love short horror Christmas stories! And I am so surprised! I am now be a dedicated fan. No spoilers but I will say that the story about the orphans and the last story are my favorites. I will be reading more of Stephen Barbara's work...

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoy reading

Some of these stories really surprise me thought it was going one way but they went just the opposite.
I really like the last one never would of thought it was going to end this way.

[Chris Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read. Quick but each story extremely entertaining. Highly recommend to get yourself into the festive spirit

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frightful is a collection of 12 spooky, creepy Christmas stories perfect for reading in front of the fire. There was a fantastic mix of genres, from traditional ghosts to mythical creatures to human horrors, and more. Barnard’s writing is on point, as usual, and the creativity of these stories makes this a special collection for the holidays. This may have you thinking twice before reaching for that advent calendar, chopping down your own tree, or visiting Santa with the kids. If you’re looking to add to your Christmas TBR, I highly recommend this one!

While every story was good, my personal favorites were:

A Door or a Window?
The Night Mass
Bad For Your Elf
Big Shop
Dark the Herald
The Last Present

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why are you reading a Christmas collection in June, you ask? I have way too many books on my TBR, and this is what Wheel of Names came up with lol. Nevertheless, this is the 3rd Stephen Barnard book I've read and I quite enjoyed it. Even though all of the stories are centered around Christmas, the stories are varied enough that I was always entertained. 4.25 stars

A Door or A Window? ⭐⭐⭐
Wreck the Halls ⭐⭐⭐.5
Secret Sandra ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Twas the Night Befouled Christmas ⭐⭐⭐.5
The World Soup ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Night Mass ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
Bad For Your Elf ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Three Wise Men ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Big Shop ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dark the Herald ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
A Ghost at Burrows Manor ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
The Last Present ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

[Jen Ramsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this 12 story collection, there are tales with twists and turns that you just can't see coming, and all highly enjoyable. Once again it's the characters that really shine in Stephens writing, and he's a master at creating both relatable, likeable people, and people you can't wait to see get their just deserts! The short stories are a really fun read and I enjoyed a couple a night in the run up to the festive season.

[John Michael Stroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merry Christmas!

Delightfully funny Christmas horror tales. Not scary but entertaining nonetheless. Grab a hot cocoa enjoy for a couple of hours.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of festive short stories.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable for being horror stories! I think because they weren't gory, bloody stories but scary, disturbing ones that made it great

[Christine Dunne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting tales

I y not !such of a Christmas fan I enjoy the spiritual accepts of it your tales talk about the evil that is associated with the material part of Christmas. Tell you what you keep writing them and ill keep reading them sincerely Christine Dunne Harlingen Texas

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection was just ok for me. Most stories were 3 stars...one 2 star...and one 5 star. Secret Sandra was my favorite of the collection. I'm glad I finally got around to reading this collection...but it's not one that's going to stick with me.

[Richard Larmer · Rating 1 out of 5]

So bad that I gave up after one and a half stories. Not even worth the free I spent on it.