What do you think?
Rate this book
Horror Quickies Vol. 1
IN THE MOOD FOR A QUICKIE?
If you like scary stories, you've come to the right place!
Over 30 Tales of Terror told in a true story style that will make your blood run cold!
• The seance was just fun and games until they asked the spirits to give them a sign that they were there.
• A young woman hears her mother talking in the basement. The problem is, her mother is not at home.
• Strange tales emerge from those who made the mistake of traveling through the eerie town of Allensburg.
• The hospital is abandoned. So, why is there a patient standing in the corridor?
• A house sitter fears she may not be alone in the house.
These and other terrifying short horror stories await you!
"Hudgins is a Horror-Meister to Reckon with!" VICTOR MILLER - Writer of Friday the 13th
If you like scary stories, you've come to the right place!
Over 30 Tales of Terror told in a true story style that will make your blood run cold!
• The seance was just fun and games until they asked the spirits to give them a sign that they were there.
• A young woman hears her mother talking in the basement. The problem is, her mother is not at home.
• Strange tales emerge from those who made the mistake of traveling through the eerie town of Allensburg.
• The hospital is abandoned. So, why is there a patient standing in the corridor?
• A house sitter fears she may not be alone in the house.
These and other terrifying short horror stories await you!
"Hudgins is a Horror-Meister to Reckon with!" VICTOR MILLER - Writer of Friday the 13th
147 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2021
178 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Steve Hudgins
148 books110 followers"Steve Hudgins is a Horror-Meister to reckon with!"
VICTOR MILLER - Writer of Friday the 13th
---
Keep up on all the latest crazy things Steve has in the works and get some FREE stuff by signing up for his Newsletter at:
www.maniacontheloose.com
Steve is a best-selling and award-winning writer who specializes in horror, thrillers, suspense, serial killers, escaped mental patients, things that go bump in the night, ghosts, spirits, zombies, vampires, blood, guts, maniacs, monsters, murder and mayhem!
Steve is considered one of the most prolific writers in the world, with a wide range of works, including multiple interconnected series and his short horror story anthologies.
He's also one of the few authors who narrates all of his audiobooks himself.
Additionally, Steve founded the Maniac on the Loose Scary Stories Podcast, delivering a weekly dose of terrifying tales he writes and narrates.
He also founded Big Biting Pig Productions, a movie production company known for unpredictable storytelling and for producing multiple award-winning, feature-length horror films with virtually no budget.
www.maniacontheloose.com
VICTOR MILLER - Writer of Friday the 13th
---
Keep up on all the latest crazy things Steve has in the works and get some FREE stuff by signing up for his Newsletter at:
www.maniacontheloose.com
Steve is a best-selling and award-winning writer who specializes in horror, thrillers, suspense, serial killers, escaped mental patients, things that go bump in the night, ghosts, spirits, zombies, vampires, blood, guts, maniacs, monsters, murder and mayhem!
Steve is considered one of the most prolific writers in the world, with a wide range of works, including multiple interconnected series and his short horror story anthologies.
He's also one of the few authors who narrates all of his audiobooks himself.
Additionally, Steve founded the Maniac on the Loose Scary Stories Podcast, delivering a weekly dose of terrifying tales he writes and narrates.
He also founded Big Biting Pig Productions, a movie production company known for unpredictable storytelling and for producing multiple award-winning, feature-length horror films with virtually no budget.
www.maniacontheloose.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
December 28, 2021
The anthology started strong about a mysterious town named Allensburg. The allusion to the house in Psycho was fine and the situations creepy. There were other stories about strange occurrences in houses, motels and other everyday situations. The stories were presented like first hand experiences. But after the first couple of stories you'll soon find them very similar to each other, built after the same blue print, told in the same style with similar twist. Nothing against that but a bit more variety would have been great here. If you're in for some quick horror (as the title implies) you might risk a glance. The cover is fine though and lured me in.
September 19, 2024
Broken!
The Horror Quickies included in this book are wonderful!
The book is filled with short stories, some of which are related by characters. They are also continued in their respective stories.
Each story is just a few chapters long or just a few pages long. Some of them are separate stories that have a great ending.
Other stories are connected to the story that comes before or after the story that has just ended. Each story is beautiful!
I enjoyed reading them all!
Five stars! ✨✨✨✨✨
The Horror Quickies included in this book are wonderful!
The book is filled with short stories, some of which are related by characters. They are also continued in their respective stories.
Each story is just a few chapters long or just a few pages long. Some of them are separate stories that have a great ending.
Other stories are connected to the story that comes before or after the story that has just ended. Each story is beautiful!
I enjoyed reading them all!
Five stars! ✨✨✨✨✨
September 15, 2022
This anthology of flash fiction horror stories was... Well I thought it an interesting idea but most of them didn't really work for me.
I like the concept. They are written in first person. That can be challenging with horror because it is tough to be immersive. And most of the stories were not all that particularly scary. Candidly a good chunk, maybe even most of them, could be broken down/summarized as
Another issue I noted is that though the stories are supposed to be all these different people with different ages, backgrounds, experiences, they pretty much all had the same voice and the same base of knowledge. For example, in the first "Kidnapped" story,
There were some standouts that were different and a lot creepier than the others. Gettysburg was the best in my view. The connected "The Motel" stories were pretty good too because that had an interesting twist to it. So did the "Kidnapped" stories. "The Woman in Red" was legit creepy so I appreciated that one. But most of the stories just kind of left me wishing it had more jeopardy and suspense.
I like the concept. They are written in first person. That can be challenging with horror because it is tough to be immersive. And most of the stories were not all that particularly scary. Candidly a good chunk, maybe even most of them, could be broken down/summarized as
Another issue I noted is that though the stories are supposed to be all these different people with different ages, backgrounds, experiences, they pretty much all had the same voice and the same base of knowledge. For example, in the first "Kidnapped" story,
There were some standouts that were different and a lot creepier than the others. Gettysburg was the best in my view. The connected "The Motel" stories were pretty good too because that had an interesting twist to it. So did the "Kidnapped" stories. "The Woman in Red" was legit creepy so I appreciated that one. But most of the stories just kind of left me wishing it had more jeopardy and suspense.
December 25, 2022
This is a 2.5 🌟 read rounded ⬆️ to 3 🌟.
I'll be honest ...... these short stories told in the first-person, anecdotal "tale" style weren't for me. Plus the fact that EVERY story started like ..... "I am an 8yo boy", "I’m a Male. I was about 39 years old when this happened", "I'm a female. I was 15 years old when this happened " etc, etc, was REALLY off putting.
I'll be honest ...... these short stories told in the first-person, anecdotal "tale" style weren't for me. Plus the fact that EVERY story started like ..... "I am an 8yo boy", "I’m a Male. I was about 39 years old when this happened", "I'm a female. I was 15 years old when this happened " etc, etc, was REALLY off putting.
February 21, 2024
Entertaining horror listening 🎶🔰
This is a free kindle e-book novella from Amazon.
A number of short horror stories each different.
I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of horror novels 👍🔰. 2024
This is a free kindle e-book novella from Amazon.
A number of short horror stories each different.
I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of horror novels 👍🔰. 2024
March 24, 2022
Not scary
This book was more of the creepy encounters that you read about on Facebook. Nothing really happens just chilly experiences.
This book was more of the creepy encounters that you read about on Facebook. Nothing really happens just chilly experiences.
August 17, 2022
It was ok. Someone mentioned it being like reading from a journal and that sounds about right. Some stories are a little creepy, but not all and none of them outright creeped me out. Still reading all volumes, since some of the stories are decent, but I'm not holding my breath.
January 23, 2022
The stories aren't terrifying; just mildly scary. Some of the stories relate to each other i.e. passing through a town or a stalker. They are written as first person - "I'm a 33 yo female", "8 yo boy". They don't sound like the alleged characters.
October 9, 2022
The writing is poor, it reads like it was written by a child. The lack of proofreading is obvious too.
January 14, 2024
Fue un libro con cuentos de horror cortos. Algunas historias fueron más espeluznantes que otras, sin embargo cada historia tuvo su toque de terror.
Gracias a mi amigo Mike por ayudarme con este libro. Disfruto mucho leer contigo ☺️
Gracias a mi amigo Mike por ayudarme con este libro. Disfruto mucho leer contigo ☺️
November 5, 2024
A collection of thirty short horror stories for those moments where you need something to fill in the minutes.
I love short horror stories. They're quick, brutal, and drop you into the center of the horror before leaving you breathless for the next one. This did not do that.
These short stories felt more like prompts to motivate writers. It was like the writer dropped a few details for the beginning of each story and then left it. This didn't build up any tension, scares, and made each story feel flat.
Most of the stories start out with a hook of "I'm female and was 28 at the time of the incident" or "I'm a 10 year old male who remembered when this happened." When short stories are written, every word is vital and should provide important detail. Flash fiction, it becomes even more necessary. These "intros" didn't add anything to most of the stories, where gender and age often didn't contribute anything, but they did become tedious and repetitious. For added salt on the wound, there were grammatical errors (I'm not perfect but I'm not publishing for pay either), inconsistent writing of different terms, and in stories that were connected, repeating the same details over and over again.
These were very quick stories, to the point that a few of them were less than a page long, and yet I found them dragging on. I got this and another one from the same author during a Kindle sale and I'm glad I didn't pay for it, and am going to take a very long time before I read the second book. This was rough and maybe it's because it's the first in the series, perhaps the writing develops over the next titles, but unless it's an amazing bargain, I'm not sure I'll be testing that theory.
I love short horror stories. They're quick, brutal, and drop you into the center of the horror before leaving you breathless for the next one. This did not do that.
These short stories felt more like prompts to motivate writers. It was like the writer dropped a few details for the beginning of each story and then left it. This didn't build up any tension, scares, and made each story feel flat.
Most of the stories start out with a hook of "I'm female and was 28 at the time of the incident" or "I'm a 10 year old male who remembered when this happened." When short stories are written, every word is vital and should provide important detail. Flash fiction, it becomes even more necessary. These "intros" didn't add anything to most of the stories, where gender and age often didn't contribute anything, but they did become tedious and repetitious. For added salt on the wound, there were grammatical errors (I'm not perfect but I'm not publishing for pay either), inconsistent writing of different terms, and in stories that were connected, repeating the same details over and over again.
These were very quick stories, to the point that a few of them were less than a page long, and yet I found them dragging on. I got this and another one from the same author during a Kindle sale and I'm glad I didn't pay for it, and am going to take a very long time before I read the second book. This was rough and maybe it's because it's the first in the series, perhaps the writing develops over the next titles, but unless it's an amazing bargain, I'm not sure I'll be testing that theory.
August 28, 2022
The first Horror Quickies volume features around twenty stories of varying length, many of them subdivided into several parts. In terms of setting, they run the gamut from suburban homes, to creepy towns, dark roads, and abandoned hospital wings. There are various creatures that haunt the pages, both of human and of paranormal provenance.
As always within the series, the stories are told in the first person, meant to be first-hand accounts of allegedly true events. That gives them a campfire, suspense-of-disbelief quality. Many of the stories are short, quick-hit encounters that resemble what you would expect to read on a forum or hear from a friend’s cousin’s grandfather’s sister in law. As is often the case with such tales, there may not always be an ultimate answer as to what really happened, but that just lets the imagination run wild.
Another kind of tales typical for this author are the stories told from multiple perspectives, in which the second or third narrators add a different dimension to the narrative and help set up a twist (The Motel, Kidnapped).
The opening tale, Allensburg, is an example of one of those stories where the creepy encounters escalate gradually, as adventurers venture further and further into the mysterious town. This story features some truly memorable imagery, and hints at worldbuilding on a scale much larger than the story itself.
This particular volume will please fans of the ghost subgenre (The Séance, Ghost on the Bed, The Laundry Room Ghost etc.), but also lovers of twisted, bloodthirsty humans (Housesitting, Kidnapped, The Motel).
As always within the series, the stories are told in the first person, meant to be first-hand accounts of allegedly true events. That gives them a campfire, suspense-of-disbelief quality. Many of the stories are short, quick-hit encounters that resemble what you would expect to read on a forum or hear from a friend’s cousin’s grandfather’s sister in law. As is often the case with such tales, there may not always be an ultimate answer as to what really happened, but that just lets the imagination run wild.
Another kind of tales typical for this author are the stories told from multiple perspectives, in which the second or third narrators add a different dimension to the narrative and help set up a twist (The Motel, Kidnapped).
The opening tale, Allensburg, is an example of one of those stories where the creepy encounters escalate gradually, as adventurers venture further and further into the mysterious town. This story features some truly memorable imagery, and hints at worldbuilding on a scale much larger than the story itself.
This particular volume will please fans of the ghost subgenre (The Séance, Ghost on the Bed, The Laundry Room Ghost etc.), but also lovers of twisted, bloodthirsty humans (Housesitting, Kidnapped, The Motel).
November 2, 2025
It gave me what I needed in terms of vibes and atmosphere in October. But it didn’t deliver the actual fear you’d expect from a horror story. There was nothing particularly scary about it, at least for me.
I kept thinking this would be a great pick for someone who doesn’t like horror but still wants to enjoy that spooky feeling without anything truly frightening..
Most of the stories are all mood and atmosphere, maybe one or two have something happen eventually, but it’s mostly just vibes, which was still nice.
I must add though listening to the audiobook is what made it enjoyable for me. The narration, background music, and sound effects really pulled me into the eerie mood I wanted. I probably wouldn’t have been able to finish it, if I’d read the text version.
I still appreciate the writing though, it was well-written. The stories that I enjoyed most were Allensburg, The Motel, House sitting, and Kidnapped.
I kept thinking this would be a great pick for someone who doesn’t like horror but still wants to enjoy that spooky feeling without anything truly frightening..
Most of the stories are all mood and atmosphere, maybe one or two have something happen eventually, but it’s mostly just vibes, which was still nice.
I must add though listening to the audiobook is what made it enjoyable for me. The narration, background music, and sound effects really pulled me into the eerie mood I wanted. I probably wouldn’t have been able to finish it, if I’d read the text version.
I still appreciate the writing though, it was well-written. The stories that I enjoyed most were Allensburg, The Motel, House sitting, and Kidnapped.
October 10, 2022
I’ve kind of been on a roll because this is another that I actually got through a free e-book from joining a newsletter. Even better that I keep enjoying them.
Quickies, while innuendo, also means…you guessed it, the stories are all quick! I really enjoyed the range and style of this short story collection. Most of the stories start with a small description as they are all first person POV as they recount the incidents that befell them. It is not outwardly disgusting or violent, and a great deal of the stories end in a paranormal did-it-really-happen way. And I also enjoyed that a lot of them were cliffhangers! Like you decide if it’s true or not.
My personal favorites were the House Sitting stories, I could tell where they were going, but I enjoyed the journey nevertheless. Spooky, creepy, crawly.
Perfect for Halloween season.
Quickies, while innuendo, also means…you guessed it, the stories are all quick! I really enjoyed the range and style of this short story collection. Most of the stories start with a small description as they are all first person POV as they recount the incidents that befell them. It is not outwardly disgusting or violent, and a great deal of the stories end in a paranormal did-it-really-happen way. And I also enjoyed that a lot of them were cliffhangers! Like you decide if it’s true or not.
My personal favorites were the House Sitting stories, I could tell where they were going, but I enjoyed the journey nevertheless. Spooky, creepy, crawly.
Perfect for Halloween season.
January 5, 2022
Ok get ready! You will need a comfortable chair, some blankets - a cup of coffee to tea. Maybe a cold drink - and remember to grab the most comfortable chair in the house. and hang on! 30 short stories rated as the best your can get! Hide yourself away - prepare your family that you don't know just how you will look when all is said and done. If your hair is not white it will be by the time you read all 30 novels - you might just look fragile and you might need a cane. Come and lets tackle this together- we can scream had hold hands and see if we all make it all the way through! I received this novel as a gift from the author. I have written my honest review.
June 16, 2022
Quick little stories that offer a spooky atmosphere.
However, they read as if they are written for an YA audience. Nothing wrong with that, I love a good YA book. It just wasn't what I expected. Felt less like short horror fiction and more like campfire tales about spooky encounters.
I also didn't care much for the characters stating their name and age at the start of every story.
"I am female. I was 40 when I read this book."
Made it feel like they were all being debriefed by some invisible government agency about their haunting.
However, they read as if they are written for an YA audience. Nothing wrong with that, I love a good YA book. It just wasn't what I expected. Felt less like short horror fiction and more like campfire tales about spooky encounters.
I also didn't care much for the characters stating their name and age at the start of every story.
"I am female. I was 40 when I read this book."
Made it feel like they were all being debriefed by some invisible government agency about their haunting.
December 5, 2022
This started out really solid but a lot of the stories were really flat. I think the "bones" of most of them are great, but the style of writing isn't very immersive, more telling the facts of what happened. Kind of matter of fact and less putting you in the same atmosphere of the characters. If it had been written more immersive I would have found these scary, but they were kind of just "meh that was creepy, move on with my life" at the end. There were exceptions and I did enjoy some, just would have enjoyed more immersive descriptions to bring up the creep factor.
September 15, 2021
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
September 20, 2021
I have read several of Steve’s other works and while this is quite a different format than most of his work, I found these stories to be quite engrossing as well. Very quick, easy reads full of creep and enough visual depth to put your conscience into a place of “being there”. I also enjoyed how several stories tied together and showed the same scene from different viewpoints. Once again, Steve, very well done.
April 27, 2023
Got better towards the middle
Originally I was going to give this 3 stars. The stories got better towards the middle. So therefore it earned 4 stars. None of the stories were particularly scary but they were entertaining. I especially liked the last story and the story about the guy visiting Gettysburg. Also liked that these are shorts. Some of them lacked any real interesting scares or thrills, but I would recommend this series for fans of Scare Street anthologies.
Originally I was going to give this 3 stars. The stories got better towards the middle. So therefore it earned 4 stars. None of the stories were particularly scary but they were entertaining. I especially liked the last story and the story about the guy visiting Gettysburg. Also liked that these are shorts. Some of them lacked any real interesting scares or thrills, but I would recommend this series for fans of Scare Street anthologies.
October 17, 2023
Don't waste your time
These were poorly written and in a format as if they were a reddit post. Maybe if some more effort had been put into writing them as just short stories these may have been entertaining. But as it is I had to force myself to even finish it and was thankful it was so short. I tried listening to the podcast associated with it and it was much the same, but with the added breathy voice which was just ridiculous,so I couldn't get through that either.
These were poorly written and in a format as if they were a reddit post. Maybe if some more effort had been put into writing them as just short stories these may have been entertaining. But as it is I had to force myself to even finish it and was thankful it was so short. I tried listening to the podcast associated with it and it was much the same, but with the added breathy voice which was just ridiculous,so I couldn't get through that either.
June 26, 2024
A pretty good collection of short horror stories.
The concept of Allenburg, Tennessee was pretty interesting. I'm sure there are more stories about the place in future volumes. The last of these stories, to be honest, I didn't feel sorry for the victim.
There are a couple of stories where the same events are recounted from different perspectives are okay, but maybe not have them all in a row.
A satisfactory collection. I'm pretty particular about my horror.
The concept of Allenburg, Tennessee was pretty interesting. I'm sure there are more stories about the place in future volumes. The last of these stories, to be honest, I didn't feel sorry for the victim.
There are a couple of stories where the same events are recounted from different perspectives are okay, but maybe not have them all in a row.
A satisfactory collection. I'm pretty particular about my horror.
June 22, 2025
This book has lots of short stories which are pretty weird and creepy, and they are written in a first person story form which I love.
I really enjoyed this book, I love a creepy story or two.
Some of my favourites were: the one about the house sitter 🫢, oh and all the crazy ones about the town called Allensburg. As well as the Kidnapped one was also super creepy.
I'm never disappointed when it comes to Steve Hudgins!
I really enjoyed this book, I love a creepy story or two.
Some of my favourites were: the one about the house sitter 🫢, oh and all the crazy ones about the town called Allensburg. As well as the Kidnapped one was also super creepy.
I'm never disappointed when it comes to Steve Hudgins!
September 17, 2021
A wonderful collection of short stories to give you the chills around the campfire. I would do away with the age comment in every story, it does take something away from the premise. But overall not a bad collection of thrills and chills. To be read again and again, especially at night alone in your house, or on Halloween. A well-done novella, cannot wait to read more from this author.
December 9, 2021
I really like horror stories, and I really wanted to like this book. The problem is th stories are short and aim to provide a fearful atmosphere. there are no complicated plots or round characters, just a descrition of an event and a frightening end. Some of the stories work and give you some chills. Most of them don't.
September 2, 2024
Rounding up from 4.5 stars. I loved the stories in this. The only reason I deducted 1/2 a star is because there were several stories that while suspenseful, they didn't really fit the horror category. Other than that, I loved this anthology. I always enjoy Steve Hudgins' stories. They guarantee to keep me engaged!
October 26, 2024
Wow never disappoints me
I've been reading this author for awhile and never hated his short stories. Gotta say they had me on the edge of my seat. It has all the things that go bump in the night. Even more information on allensville. But I won't go into details but to say I love the last story. 5 anthologies out of 5
I've been reading this author for awhile and never hated his short stories. Gotta say they had me on the edge of my seat. It has all the things that go bump in the night. Even more information on allensville. But I won't go into details but to say I love the last story. 5 anthologies out of 5
March 31, 2025
I quite enjoyed Horror Quickies Vol. 1 (Kindle Edition) told in a true story style which I would not have read if I lived on my own as they were both scary and creepy by Steve Hudgins.
Stories were situated on the eastern side of Tennessee in a small town called Allensburg which will send shivers down your spine.
Stories were situated on the eastern side of Tennessee in a small town called Allensburg which will send shivers down your spine.
September 19, 2021
I enjoyed reading the various short stories in the book. Some of them were terrifying. Creepy towns with a dark history, bizarre deaths and unexplained phenomena were portrayed in a graphic way. Steve Hudgins is one of the best authors in the horror genre.
December 12, 2021
Good quick read.
Like all anthology books, some of the stories are better than others.
The first and last stories were the best and were fantastic.
I recently finished Horror Quickies Vol. 2 which is even better.
Like all anthology books, some of the stories are better than others.
The first and last stories were the best and were fantastic.
I recently finished Horror Quickies Vol. 2 which is even better.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews