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Quarter to Midnight: Fifteen Tales of Horror and Suspense
"Push past the curtains of the rational, safe world and explore the un-nameable horrors living in the darkest corners of our conscience. This is the realm of monsters and shifting shadows, where a single wrong step can plunge you into a terrifying, irreversible fight for your life"--
267 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2015
558 people are currently reading
3289 people want to read
About the author
Darcy Coates
70 books14.4k followersDarcy Coates is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen horror and suspense novels.
She lives in the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cat, and a collection of chickens. Her home is surrounded by rolling wilderness on all sides, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
You can hear about her next book by joining her newsletter: www.darcycoates.com/updates
She lives in the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cat, and a collection of chickens. Her home is surrounded by rolling wilderness on all sides, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
You can hear about her next book by joining her newsletter: www.darcycoates.com/updates
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 275 reviews
April 9, 2024
This was an amazing collection of Darcy’s short stories and I loved them all. They weren’t all ghosts or haunting. There were some sci fi in there as well. Oh they were still horror filled! There was a series of three creepy stories featuring mannequins that is going to keep me from going near such things again. Ugh. Like they weren’t creepy enough. Someone in my family has antique ones.
I enjoyed this collection very much and it is recommended.
This is the first year I have read anthologies. So far so good, mostly.
I enjoyed this collection very much and it is recommended.
This is the first year I have read anthologies. So far so good, mostly.
February 27, 2025
Crypt 3 Stars. The first short story was a pretty decent vampire story, I liked that this was a story inside a story but it isn't something I will remember for years to come.
Mannequin 5 stars. There is something about horror stories with mannequins that I just love, I have always found them so creepy and they never fail to unnerve me. A fantastic short story which I could see myself reading again in the near future.
The Mirror Man 4 stars. I was instantly intrigued by this story, it was weird and creepy but I think what really stuck out for me was the ending, sometimes the unknown is so much scarier.
Whose Woods These Are 3 Stars. I feel like I almost forgot this one as soon as I was finished. It was supernatural and a little eerie but I do think this one needed to be longer to have any kind of impact.
Cutty Street Lamp 4 stars. Quite the opposite of Whose Woods These Are, this is a short story I will remember, it was unique and weird and it was fun. I wish this one would have been a fully fledged book, this was leaning more towards Sc-Fi I would have loved to learn more about the light and what powers it posses. I think it would have been really interesting to go inside someone's mind who has been under the light.
Deadcalls 2 stars. I think this was the worse one for me, it felt a little meh, it was very short and I didn't really get any enjoyment from it.
Lucy 3 stars. Pretty forgettable but a decent supernatural short story.
Lights Out 5 stars. Another story about mannequins and this one was amazing. I would go back to this book just to read this one story. This is my kind of horror, creepy, mysterious and very atmospheric. A longer short story out of the collection and I am so glad it was, I would have liked it to be even longer, I enjoyed it so much. As a big SK fan I have to mention the little nod to Carrie too.
Sub-Basement 4 stars. I really liked the idea behind this one, using workplace rumors a fear-mongering it's a claustrophobic story and really good fun. However, it could have all been avoided if the main character just went with his gut and got the hell out of there when he had the chance. There was some decent body horror in this book which I appreciated. Very memorable but I have to ask, why didn't the workers go down there in pairs?!
The Watcher 2 stars. This one was a little all over the place I never really knew what was happening or what I was supposed to be thinking or feeling and then it ended.
The Mallory Haunting 4 stars. I thought this one was pretty meh, until the final few sentences a haunting story with a mini twist.
Crawlspace 5 stars. The scariest of the bunch I think, really creepy and atmospheric it had me jumping at my own shadow. For such a short story it really managed to get under my skin, the mention of Cutty Street was really nice too, I love it when authors drop Easter Eggs of their own work a nice touch.
Mannering House 4 stars. Not particularly scary but a nice little paranormal/supernatural story worth a quick read.
Station 331. 5 stars. I didn't know whether to give this a 4 or 5 star rating but for my enjoyment and it's durability in my mind it has to be a full 5 stars. A massive reason I loved this is because I felt like I was reading a Doctor Who comic, I was just waiting for The Doctor to swoop in a save the day, but of course this is horror so no happily ever after's here. There is a huge feeling of isolation and loneliness as well as unreliable characters who you just can't fully trust.
Hitchhiker 3 stars. I think this one suffered a little by being after such a brilliant story and by being the last in the book. Although a little scary it wasn't memorable and didn't leave much of an impression.
Overall a really good selection of short stories, some of which I will be giving a re-read in the future, Darcy Coates is slowly becoming an author to look out for.
Mannequin 5 stars. There is something about horror stories with mannequins that I just love, I have always found them so creepy and they never fail to unnerve me. A fantastic short story which I could see myself reading again in the near future.
The Mirror Man 4 stars. I was instantly intrigued by this story, it was weird and creepy but I think what really stuck out for me was the ending, sometimes the unknown is so much scarier.
Whose Woods These Are 3 Stars. I feel like I almost forgot this one as soon as I was finished. It was supernatural and a little eerie but I do think this one needed to be longer to have any kind of impact.
Cutty Street Lamp 4 stars. Quite the opposite of Whose Woods These Are, this is a short story I will remember, it was unique and weird and it was fun. I wish this one would have been a fully fledged book, this was leaning more towards Sc-Fi I would have loved to learn more about the light and what powers it posses. I think it would have been really interesting to go inside someone's mind who has been under the light.
Deadcalls 2 stars. I think this was the worse one for me, it felt a little meh, it was very short and I didn't really get any enjoyment from it.
Lucy 3 stars. Pretty forgettable but a decent supernatural short story.
Lights Out 5 stars. Another story about mannequins and this one was amazing. I would go back to this book just to read this one story. This is my kind of horror, creepy, mysterious and very atmospheric. A longer short story out of the collection and I am so glad it was, I would have liked it to be even longer, I enjoyed it so much. As a big SK fan I have to mention the little nod to Carrie too.
Sub-Basement 4 stars. I really liked the idea behind this one, using workplace rumors a fear-mongering it's a claustrophobic story and really good fun. However, it could have all been avoided if the main character just went with his gut and got the hell out of there when he had the chance. There was some decent body horror in this book which I appreciated. Very memorable but I have to ask, why didn't the workers go down there in pairs?!
The Watcher 2 stars. This one was a little all over the place I never really knew what was happening or what I was supposed to be thinking or feeling and then it ended.
The Mallory Haunting 4 stars. I thought this one was pretty meh, until the final few sentences a haunting story with a mini twist.
Crawlspace 5 stars. The scariest of the bunch I think, really creepy and atmospheric it had me jumping at my own shadow. For such a short story it really managed to get under my skin, the mention of Cutty Street was really nice too, I love it when authors drop Easter Eggs of their own work a nice touch.
Mannering House 4 stars. Not particularly scary but a nice little paranormal/supernatural story worth a quick read.
Station 331. 5 stars. I didn't know whether to give this a 4 or 5 star rating but for my enjoyment and it's durability in my mind it has to be a full 5 stars. A massive reason I loved this is because I felt like I was reading a Doctor Who comic, I was just waiting for The Doctor to swoop in a save the day, but of course this is horror so no happily ever after's here. There is a huge feeling of isolation and loneliness as well as unreliable characters who you just can't fully trust.
Hitchhiker 3 stars. I think this one suffered a little by being after such a brilliant story and by being the last in the book. Although a little scary it wasn't memorable and didn't leave much of an impression.
Overall a really good selection of short stories, some of which I will be giving a re-read in the future, Darcy Coates is slowly becoming an author to look out for.
January 28, 2017
Quarter to Midnight: Fifteen Tales of Horror and Suspense by Darcy Coates is a super creepy collection I should have read around Halloween! These are ones you will want to read with the light on, lol. My favorite is The Mannequin, I don't like creepy dolls anyway and this is one creepy story! Great book!
September 27, 2022
Shouldn't have read these before bed. Darcy at her best, fitting a lot of terror into tiny packages. Very creepy and varying stories.
May 5, 2025
1.5⭐️
This, unfortunately, did not work for me. I knew I didn't like short stories but I wanted to give this collection a try. Didn't really work. The creepiest stories in my opinion:
The mannequin
Mirror man
Whose woods these are
This, unfortunately, did not work for me. I knew I didn't like short stories but I wanted to give this collection a try. Didn't really work. The creepiest stories in my opinion:
The mannequin
Mirror man
Whose woods these are
August 29, 2015
Review: QUARTER TO MIDNIGHT by Darcy Coates
Not long ago, Darcy Coates became my "go-to" horror writer. An author who delivers finely skilled writing in addition to scary horror [even the science fiction story in this collection is shuddery horror], Ms. Coates delivers in every single short story, novella, and novel. I don't know if the stories flow from her fingers intact, or if she rewrites until finely tuned, but the result always is the same:awesome terror. Here is a range, in 15 stories. I was so thankful I read these in daylight! [especially "Lucy" and that inexpressibly nerve-rending "Sub-Basement" (shudder!!)]
Ideally, writing talent and the ability to deliver true horror would be entertwined. Darcy Coates gives readers exactly that perfect blend.
Not long ago, Darcy Coates became my "go-to" horror writer. An author who delivers finely skilled writing in addition to scary horror [even the science fiction story in this collection is shuddery horror], Ms. Coates delivers in every single short story, novella, and novel. I don't know if the stories flow from her fingers intact, or if she rewrites until finely tuned, but the result always is the same:awesome terror. Here is a range, in 15 stories. I was so thankful I read these in daylight! [especially "Lucy" and that inexpressibly nerve-rending "Sub-Basement" (shudder!!)]
Ideally, writing talent and the ability to deliver true horror would be entertwined. Darcy Coates gives readers exactly that perfect blend.
February 21, 2023
Some of the short stories in this were five stars for me but some I didn't love as much.
I don't have much to say about this one. I do wish the collection had more of a theme to it. But I think that's very personal to me.
More thoughts in my reading vlog
https://youtu.be/5UEgHt_-CDU
I don't have much to say about this one. I do wish the collection had more of a theme to it. But I think that's very personal to me.
More thoughts in my reading vlog
https://youtu.be/5UEgHt_-CDU
October 12, 2024
It’s a testament to the quality of this author’s short stories that I went straight from “Ghost camera” to this anthology. No regrets though, this set of stories were just as creepy. We have body snatchers in space, sinister mannequins, ghosts as ghouls galore. Perfect for the season!
August 15, 2022
I’ll be honest with you all… I will probably be somewhat bias in this review as Darcy Coates is one of my all time favourite authors. However, with that being said, I will try to be as subjective as possible! Quarter to midnight is a collection of fifteen short stories based around horror and the supernatural. Even though, I don’t normally go for short stories, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. Every story was incredible spooky, and there was a common theme in many of the stories that involved mannequins that move don their own whenever you weren’t looking (which frankly will now terrify me for the rest of my life…). If you’re looking for some quick spooky reads at night, I would definitely recommend Quarter to Mindnight!
March 27, 2025
Station 331 was by far the best story, but I had already read it in the Parasite bind-up. These shorts were solid, if a tad unremarkable. None of these were really scary, and most felt underdeveloped.
3.5/5
3.5/5
April 23, 2017
I was kinda disappointed in this read. Most of the stories left me feeling "Meh."
I do have some favorites.
Crawlspace - 4 stars
Crypt - 5 stars
Mannequin - 4 stars
Mirror Man - 3 stars (This one needed more explained.)
Whose woods these are - 4 stars (This one also need more explained.)
Cutty Street Lamp - 4 stars
Dead call - 3 stars (This one left me confused.....)
Lucy - 5 stars
Lights out - 3 stars
Sub Basement - 4.5 stars
The watcher - 4 stars
Mallory Haunting - 5 stars (The best one in this book, IMO. The ending had me going "Haha, you got me!")
Station 331 - 4 stars
Mannering house - 4 stars
Hitchhiker - 3 stars
August 27, 2023
I’m a big fan of Darcy Coates so this collection of short stories definitely disappoint. A few of the stories I feel like I’ve read before somewhere else, but most of them were super creepy. I really enjoyed reading 1 or 2 before bed each night. My favorites were stories number 2, 10, 12, and 15.
November 26, 2023
4.5 stars. Darcy Coates’ short stories are amazing! There were no duds in this collection!
I loved getting a vampire story from Darcy in “Crypt”
“Mannequin” was awesome and at the end I went “OOOOOOOH”
“Mirror Man” was so spooky, I loved it!
“Whose Woods These Are” was a great creepy camping story
“Cutty Street Lamp” was another cool and engrossing one!
I loved “Dead Call” so much!!! The internet post format as well as the storyline.
“Lucy” was a fairly standard but still very cool ghost story
Another mannequin story, “Lights Out” was awesome!
“Sub Basement” was so creepy!! Trigger warning for bugs 😅😂
“The Watcher” was fun and unique. I can’t believe a book club would haze someone 😂
I wanted more of “The Mallory Haunting”! It was so short and had a great twist!
“Crawlspace” was deliciously spooky!!!
“Mannering House” absolutely blew my mind in just a few pages!!! Definitely one of my favorites of the collection
I’d already read “Station 331” because it’s part of the novel Parasite, which I adored!
“Hitchhiker” was so mysterious and I need more answers!!
I loved getting a vampire story from Darcy in “Crypt”
“Mannequin” was awesome and at the end I went “OOOOOOOH”
“Mirror Man” was so spooky, I loved it!
“Whose Woods These Are” was a great creepy camping story
“Cutty Street Lamp” was another cool and engrossing one!
I loved “Dead Call” so much!!! The internet post format as well as the storyline.
“Lucy” was a fairly standard but still very cool ghost story
Another mannequin story, “Lights Out” was awesome!
“Sub Basement” was so creepy!! Trigger warning for bugs 😅😂
“The Watcher” was fun and unique. I can’t believe a book club would haze someone 😂
I wanted more of “The Mallory Haunting”! It was so short and had a great twist!
“Crawlspace” was deliciously spooky!!!
“Mannering House” absolutely blew my mind in just a few pages!!! Definitely one of my favorites of the collection
I’d already read “Station 331” because it’s part of the novel Parasite, which I adored!
“Hitchhiker” was so mysterious and I need more answers!!
October 16, 2022
Very goosebumps-esque. Mildly interesting stories. Good if you're looking for a quick, instant gratification read with no depth.
January 14, 2024
Good collection of stories. Some predictable, some surprised me. If you like Coates' writing, sense of scene, and propensity for creepiness, you will definitely find stories here to entertain you.
September 24, 2024
I don't have much to say about this collection, because it was "just" some semi-spooky (at best) short stories.
It lacked what I think of as that particular "Darcy Coates spark" - something I'm used to liking or even loving in her books.
I doubt I'll remember this collection for more than a few days.
Except for the fact that three stories featured mannequin dummies, I have already forgotten pretty much all other details.
(Sorry, but I listen to a lot of stories and the ones not particularly good or bad fall out of my mind really quickly.)
The one thing I take away from this collection is the thought that I will to Coates' longer stories, in book format.
It lacked what I think of as that particular "Darcy Coates spark" - something I'm used to liking or even loving in her books.
I doubt I'll remember this collection for more than a few days.
Except for the fact that three stories featured mannequin dummies, I have already forgotten pretty much all other details.
(Sorry, but I listen to a lot of stories and the ones not particularly good or bad fall out of my mind really quickly.)
The one thing I take away from this collection is the thought that I will to Coates' longer stories, in book format.
July 30, 2015
After having tried one of the author's short stories, I wanted more. Why? Because I enjoyed her style of writing, her descriptions and the atmosphere she creates that way.
That being said, I did enjoy the stories in this collection and was sometimes even creeped out. However, although they are short stories I did wish for some more depth, reasons for some of the occurrences. Because there never were any, the stories felt rushed at times, incomplete, which is why I unfortunately had to deduct two stars (yes, it bothered me that much because horror without a motive just isn't the same).
That being said, I did enjoy the stories in this collection and was sometimes even creeped out. However, although they are short stories I did wish for some more depth, reasons for some of the occurrences. Because there never were any, the stories felt rushed at times, incomplete, which is why I unfortunately had to deduct two stars (yes, it bothered me that much because horror without a motive just isn't the same).
April 14, 2025
(3.75 stars)
Let’s start with the big thing - why are there TWO mannequin stories in here with the same premise? Lights Out was probably the creepier of the two, so it’s a shame it had to come second, made it less enjoyable. A good editor would not have allowed both of these stories to make it into one book let alone two different collections.
Overall, as I suspected, Darcy Coates shines with a longer form story, though even the shorter pieces in here are usually effective, like Mirror Man and The Mallory Haunting (sure, I guessed the twist, but the information you need to predict it is just a page before the reveal so it’s still satisfying). Then again, my two least favorite stories were also shorter ones - Dead Call, which I just don’t really get the takeaway from (and the callback in the final story doesn’t answer any questions either, though I liked that one a lot more), and Mannering House, which employs a similar twist to Mallory Haunting but just doesn’t hit the mark in the same way. I think my favorite story of the collection would be Sub Basement, though I do wish we learned a little more - she is definitely a big fan of the not cliff-hanger per se but open ending.
Let’s start with the big thing - why are there TWO mannequin stories in here with the same premise? Lights Out was probably the creepier of the two, so it’s a shame it had to come second, made it less enjoyable. A good editor would not have allowed both of these stories to make it into one book let alone two different collections.
Overall, as I suspected, Darcy Coates shines with a longer form story, though even the shorter pieces in here are usually effective, like Mirror Man and The Mallory Haunting (sure, I guessed the twist, but the information you need to predict it is just a page before the reveal so it’s still satisfying). Then again, my two least favorite stories were also shorter ones - Dead Call, which I just don’t really get the takeaway from (and the callback in the final story doesn’t answer any questions either, though I liked that one a lot more), and Mannering House, which employs a similar twist to Mallory Haunting but just doesn’t hit the mark in the same way. I think my favorite story of the collection would be Sub Basement, though I do wish we learned a little more - she is definitely a big fan of the not cliff-hanger per se but open ending.
June 23, 2024
Masterful and chilling. Coates is the real deal. A master of horror. If there’s a good intro to Darcy Coates, then this is it. It’s funny how every story in this was unsettling in some way.
A very good read. A Quick scare to satisfy the mind of any horror fan. The absolute right mix of horror and suspense. I picked this up not expecting much from an early Darcy Coates work but wow from “Crypt” to Sub Basement” I loved everything going on in this story and could have read even more about the suspicious company and its sinister building.
While those two were my favorites, almost all the stories were worth the read. All the tales had an unexpected detail and were so twisted. Quarter to Midnight has a great balance between good storytelling, suspense, and imagination. Imo one of the best short story collections till date.
Likes: Unsettling, enjoyable collection, twisted, “Crypt”, “Sub Basement”, and the right mix of suspense and horror.
A very good read. A Quick scare to satisfy the mind of any horror fan. The absolute right mix of horror and suspense. I picked this up not expecting much from an early Darcy Coates work but wow from “Crypt” to Sub Basement” I loved everything going on in this story and could have read even more about the suspicious company and its sinister building.
While those two were my favorites, almost all the stories were worth the read. All the tales had an unexpected detail and were so twisted. Quarter to Midnight has a great balance between good storytelling, suspense, and imagination. Imo one of the best short story collections till date.
Likes: Unsettling, enjoyable collection, twisted, “Crypt”, “Sub Basement”, and the right mix of suspense and horror.
October 15, 2025
Lucidly written simplistic horror stories. Nothing particularly notable. But all readable indeed.
Overall, a good read.
Overall, a good read.
December 9, 2023
2.5. UGH this book took me forever to finish because i just cannot get into short stories. it wasn’t horrible just not my thing. if u like scary short stories tho i would recommend just not my type of book!
September 28, 2022
Most of these stories felt rushed and incomplete. They would have benefitted from a bit more depth. I understand they’re short stories, but they should still give you a complete story, take you on a ride, albeit a short one, but still. These all lacked something and were bland, predictable and had me falling asleep from boredom. Nothing about these stories are scary. If anything, this felt like stories I read in elementary school and these still wouldn’t have scared me back then. There were a couple good ones, but overall, it was work to push through.
Crypt
Predictable, not scary at all, and kind of boring. It’s a mediocre vampire story with nothing new or memorable about it. 1/5
The Mannequin
This was basic and beyond boring. This should have been good. A creepy mannequin that moves in the dark, but it just wasn’t. It felt like a story that’s been told a million times. 1/5
Mirror Man
The first story in here so far to grasp my attention, as I love stories about creepy things in mirrors and reflections, because they remind me of some of my favorite Bloody Mary stories, yet this ended too soon and had a pretty predictable ending. Good concept, bad execution. I also don’t like how nonchalant they were. I get it was something they’ve dealt with seeing since a kid, so it was normal for them, but still. 2/5
Whose Woods These Are
I’m afraid I’m going to start sounding like a broken record, but none of these stories are exceptionally well. They’re all pretty mediocre so far and very predictable. I seen that ending from a mile away. Just far too obvious how this story would pan out. 1/5
Cutty Street Lamp
Rating just for a “horror” story about a killer streetlight. Reminds me of the super low budget, corny movies I used to watch on Sci-fi before the channel was renamed Syfy. The movies were so bad that you just had to keep watching just to see how they ended. That’s how I felt about this story. 1.5/5
Dead Call
Okay, so I liked the format. I like stories told through text messages or online threads, but it just reminds me far too much of a Reddit creepypasta or 2chan story, but not a good one and the ending was too sudden. 0/5
Lucy
Not necessarily something new. It’s basically like many other urban legends we’ve all heard a thousand times, but it was good at least. I liked this one and am interested in what else is going down in West Harob. 3.5/5
Lights Out
Fully enjoyed this one. This, to me, was the better mannequin story in this collection.
It was rather long, in comparison to the stories before it, but I loved that. It felt more fleshed out and complete, in a way. You could predict what would happen, but I dunno, I still really liked this one. 4/5
Sub basement
Meh again, broken record, but they’re just far too predictable. Nothing happened here where I was shocked, beside him being stupid enough to keep going down deeper and not just saying screw that one file. Dude had zero will to live. No survival instincts or anything. 2/5
The Watcher
I’m not trying to be too harsh, but it feels as if these stories were written for children with the “horror” elements. And how desperate was she to do all of this just to join a book club? 1/5
The Mallory Haunting
1.5/5
Crawlspace
2/5 Decent
Mannering House
1/5
Station 331
3.5/5 This was a good little sci-fi one.
Hitchhiker
Not exactly what I was expecting from the title, so for that alone, 3/5
Crypt
Predictable, not scary at all, and kind of boring. It’s a mediocre vampire story with nothing new or memorable about it. 1/5
The Mannequin
This was basic and beyond boring. This should have been good. A creepy mannequin that moves in the dark, but it just wasn’t. It felt like a story that’s been told a million times. 1/5
Mirror Man
The first story in here so far to grasp my attention, as I love stories about creepy things in mirrors and reflections, because they remind me of some of my favorite Bloody Mary stories, yet this ended too soon and had a pretty predictable ending. Good concept, bad execution. I also don’t like how nonchalant they were. I get it was something they’ve dealt with seeing since a kid, so it was normal for them, but still. 2/5
Whose Woods These Are
I’m afraid I’m going to start sounding like a broken record, but none of these stories are exceptionally well. They’re all pretty mediocre so far and very predictable. I seen that ending from a mile away. Just far too obvious how this story would pan out. 1/5
Cutty Street Lamp
Rating just for a “horror” story about a killer streetlight. Reminds me of the super low budget, corny movies I used to watch on Sci-fi before the channel was renamed Syfy. The movies were so bad that you just had to keep watching just to see how they ended. That’s how I felt about this story. 1.5/5
Dead Call
Okay, so I liked the format. I like stories told through text messages or online threads, but it just reminds me far too much of a Reddit creepypasta or 2chan story, but not a good one and the ending was too sudden. 0/5
Lucy
Not necessarily something new. It’s basically like many other urban legends we’ve all heard a thousand times, but it was good at least. I liked this one and am interested in what else is going down in West Harob. 3.5/5
Lights Out
Fully enjoyed this one. This, to me, was the better mannequin story in this collection.
It was rather long, in comparison to the stories before it, but I loved that. It felt more fleshed out and complete, in a way. You could predict what would happen, but I dunno, I still really liked this one. 4/5
Sub basement
Meh again, broken record, but they’re just far too predictable. Nothing happened here where I was shocked, beside him being stupid enough to keep going down deeper and not just saying screw that one file. Dude had zero will to live. No survival instincts or anything. 2/5
The Watcher
I’m not trying to be too harsh, but it feels as if these stories were written for children with the “horror” elements. And how desperate was she to do all of this just to join a book club? 1/5
The Mallory Haunting
1.5/5
Crawlspace
2/5 Decent
Mannering House
1/5
Station 331
3.5/5 This was a good little sci-fi one.
Hitchhiker
Not exactly what I was expecting from the title, so for that alone, 3/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2020
I love all things horror. Stories. Movies. Haunted Houses. Urban Legends. All of it. In fact my first foray into the world of horror was Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark when I was six.
Sadly, that is what this collection of short stories felt like. None of them were particularly scary (in fact I read most of them home alone, in the dark and went to sleep shortly thereafter). A couple of them stood out as being enjoyable (or maybe more accurately memorable), while most of the others were either just okay, or insanely boring. This would be perhaps in part to the fact that these are incredibly short, so we often don't get any rhyme or reason to why certain things happen. They just do. Or perhaps it is the way some of these ended in extremely predictable ways. By far my favorites of the bunch were Whose Woods are These, Mannering House, and Lucy. Those are ones I can hear being told around campfires as part of a "small town urban legend".
Now, I've read one of the this author's longer stories and I know what she is capable of as far as world building and bringing tension to her stories. And while there were glimpses of that talent in these, in my opinion, they were just too short to make a good impression (unless perhaps you are easily unnerved). And because I've seen what she is capable of, I will continue reading more from this author.
Sadly, that is what this collection of short stories felt like. None of them were particularly scary (in fact I read most of them home alone, in the dark and went to sleep shortly thereafter). A couple of them stood out as being enjoyable (or maybe more accurately memorable), while most of the others were either just okay, or insanely boring. This would be perhaps in part to the fact that these are incredibly short, so we often don't get any rhyme or reason to why certain things happen. They just do. Or perhaps it is the way some of these ended in extremely predictable ways. By far my favorites of the bunch were Whose Woods are These, Mannering House, and Lucy. Those are ones I can hear being told around campfires as part of a "small town urban legend".
Now, I've read one of the this author's longer stories and I know what she is capable of as far as world building and bringing tension to her stories. And while there were glimpses of that talent in these, in my opinion, they were just too short to make a good impression (unless perhaps you are easily unnerved). And because I've seen what she is capable of, I will continue reading more from this author.
September 28, 2021
It's so rare to read a collection and love every single story
May 19, 2024
This is mostly my own fault. I consistently have not really enjoyed Coates's work, even though it's probably perfectly fine for people who aren't me. I need to stop picking them up. But every time I have some justification: oh this plot sounds interesting, oh someone I trust recommended it to me, oh it's short horror stories I love those, whatever. And every time I end up bored, disappointed, or annoyed. This one has not broken the streak, and this time I will learn from my mistakes (she says optimistically). If you like her stuff, give it a try; you might like it more than I did.
That being said, there were things about this set of stories that I did have objective problems with, and those are the reason I'm rating it this way. The main issue is that I found a lot of the stories to be basically the same. The mannequin stories, for example, are literally exactly the same plotline and "twist," just set in different locations. The forest monster and the sub-basement monster feel like the same damn thing. This book promises fifteen stories, but it delivers maybe seven to nine, and the other half are just the same stories repackaged. I know there are only so many scary short stories one can tell, but seriously, the mannequin thing was egregious. At least put those two in different books.
That being said, there were things about this set of stories that I did have objective problems with, and those are the reason I'm rating it this way. The main issue is that I found a lot of the stories to be basically the same. The mannequin stories, for example, are literally exactly the same plotline and "twist," just set in different locations. The forest monster and the sub-basement monster feel like the same damn thing. This book promises fifteen stories, but it delivers maybe seven to nine, and the other half are just the same stories repackaged. I know there are only so many scary short stories one can tell, but seriously, the mannequin thing was egregious. At least put those two in different books.
June 30, 2025
4 stars - I’m both surprised and unsurprised by how much I loved this. I love Darcy Coates’ books (and fully intend on collecting all of them now), and while I’d intended on saving this for spooky season later in the year it just called out to me the other day from my shelf. The short stories were done really well, some better than others in my opinion: Cutty Street Lamp and Sub-Basement were two of my favourites, and my other favourites were the two mannequin ones (but I have to admit, having two mannequin stories in the same collection feels a bit annoying but I digress because they were both good!) It loses points solely because two of the weakest stories (in my opinion) were put at the end of the book - Station 331 and Hitchhiker - which isn’t to say they were bad but they just didn’t pack the big finale punch I was hoping for. Nevertheless, Darcy Coates is a master of the chilling and the creepy!
February 26, 2019
So far I really like Darcy Coates horror stories, long or short. Even in the short stories, Darcy Coates manages to create creepiness. Quarter to Midnight is a collection of horror short stories (not as short as those in Small Horrors) and I must say that reading it was really a satisfying reading experience for a fan of horror stories like me.
July 5, 2020
Exactly what it sounds like! This book caught me a bit off guard as I have read quite a few of her other books, in the first few stories I kept waiting for "how is the character going to get out of this one?" The stories kept me off guard and the endings continued to surprise me; a great read for a bright, sunny day in the middle of July as it keeps you nice and chilled.
September 1, 2022
The shortest stories really are the strongest in this volume - "Lucy" spins a classic thread from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and makes it work really well.
December 11, 2022
It was sooo strange. I got chills every time I finished a story, and all of them were pretty creepy. I saw a writing pattern, some of the stories repeated themselves, but overall they were good.
I think it's a perfect book for october and november, it wasn't too hard to read and it was interesting, very imaginative.
I think it's a perfect book for october and november, it wasn't too hard to read and it was interesting, very imaginative.
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