October's End: Halloween Horror Stories

Dark Tide Mysteries and Thrillers #3

by Kevin Lucia

Three leading voices in modern horror take us on a journey through Halloween in the infamous town of Clifton Heights.

DAUGHTER OF THE MISTS by Kevin Clifton Heights’ biggest classic horror movie cinephile finds himself plunged into the midst of his own personal horror movie nightmare, in which he discovers how savage the classic monsters actually are.

ONCE UPON A HALLOWEEN NIGHT by Jeremy In the days leading up to Halloween night, two brothers will discover the worst kinds of monsters are often human.

BROTHERS by Jason Sometimes, bonds between brothers are thicker than blood. Rand wants nothing more than to be an Alpha, a member of the most popular fraternity on campus. He convinces his best friend, Henry, to pledge with him. Before they can join, Rand and Henry must follow the senior Alphas’ a predicament that soon leaves them humiliated, victimized, and broken. Rand is left to face the torment alone but, hiding in the darkness, another is willing to share it with Rand, one who promises something more sinister than revenge...and a Halloween party the survivors of which will always remember.

This book is perfect for fans of Halloween stories, classic horror, Mystery and suspense, small town horror, and thrillers.

Crystal Lake’s Dark Tide series will continue soon with more tales of Mystery Thrillers and Horror Books, including themes of Weird Western, Sherlock Holmes, Grief Horror, Body Horror, Mystery fiction, Travel Horror, Deadly Duos, and Psychological Thriller books.

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Genres: Halloween, Horror, Short Stories, Fiction

244 pages, Hardcover

Published October 6, 2022

About the author

Kevin Lucia is the ebook and trade paperback editor at Cemetery Dance Publications. His short fiction has been published in many venues, most notably with Clive Barker, David Morell, Peter Straub, Bentley Little, and Robert McCammon.

His first short story collection, Things Slip Through, was published by Crystal Lake Publishing in November, 2013. He's followed that with the collections Through A Mirror, Darkly, Devourer of Souls, Things You Need, October Nights, and the novellas Mystery Road, A Night at Old Webb, and The Night Road.

Reviews

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Experience, if you dare, Halloween night in the quiet small Adirondack community of Clifton Heights: the crisp autumn air, the chill warning of imminent winter, the firelight colors of autumn leaves....and Monsters. Best choose another small town to watch Classic Monster films...or you might regret..

If you survive Frightfest night in Clifton Heights, you can look through the eyes of a conjoined twin, a rare and difficult experience uncommon to most.

Finally walk with a new college student from a painfully intolerant background, as he begins to experience a wide-ranging world, almost akin to a blind person suddenly given sight. Yet beyond the surface of this new life lies terrifying monstrosity, human and inhuman. [Cautionary warnings on this one.]

[Karen Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

unexpectedly *great* eerie stories!

I’m not certain how come I chose this particular scary read… I love spooky but some of the newest books and movies are too horrible and gory.. and not much story( in my opinion). But this caught my eye, and I figured I give October’s End a try.
My birthday’s at the almost -end too, so this book was a birthday present for myself.:-).
Anyhow, to my happy surprise, _October’s End:Halloween Horror Stories_ was excellent, thoughtful, writing with real creeping up slowly, bizarre horrific turns in the road!

The stories are all interesting, clever cocktails of seemingly traditional- writing, descriptions and characters.

But, they’re with entirely new and unusual twists, with frighteningly weird characters and storylines that.. seemed to go one way.. and then we were somewhere else entirely!
I kept reading even when I had other things to do!

I would definitely recommend this book to horror lovers.. most especially those who appreciate a little class and intelligence with their fearsome fun.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

October’s End is a collection of 3 short stories. Each written by phenomenal authors taking place around the bizarre town of Clifton Heights at Halloween time.

Daughter of the Mists is haunting. An outsider by fate, Earl’s love for old horror movies turns him more into a monster than a man. Kevin Lucia writes Earl as a character we can relate to, and you want to see him get a win, although maybe not one this bloody.

Once Upon a Halloween Night by Jeremy Bates introduces us to Fred and Red. Their tale of terror was actually really sad; the way people treated them was the most horrifying aspect…. Until the ending’s twist of course.

Jason Parent gives us Brothers, a crazy and gruesome story of revenge. The Nair and souvenir bat scene…. Just friggen wild! Revenge turns to Karma for Rand.

Enjoy these Spooktacular tales this Halloween Season!

Thank you to the authors & Crystal Lake Publishing for a copy.

[Elke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, the Dark Tide series delivers three deliciously horrific stories.
The first story, which was also the longest, takes place in the present but brings back to life the era of classic monster movies. I very much enjoyed the slow building of tension and terror, but was a little disappointed by the ending which seemed a bit unfitting to the so far elegant style of the story.
The second story was also my favorite in the collection (I see a personal pattern developing here). It literally brought me to tears then made me smile with glee, and to round things up delivered a very unexpected punch at the end.
The third story was tinged with a nice touch of folk horror. It started with some emotionally draining scenes then turned into a disturbing nightmare before reaching an ending of hopeless despair.
A great trio of stories to get into Halloween mode, and another perfect addition to the Dark Tide series.

[Dr. Fiona M. Clements-Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, how I love to go back to Clifton Heights! And what better, dark and blood chilling time to visit than Hallowe'en? So, without further ado, I will plunge into the dark, deep waters of Crystal Lake Publishing House, and try to do my best to capture a little of what you are going to find in "October's End" from their wonderful "Dark Tide" thread.

Firstly, I won't give too much away with spoilers - as ever, I try not to lift up the curtain to reveal how these magicians do their tricks in my reviews, as I know that I personally prefer to read a new book without knowing every detail of the plots within, first.

So, let me start with (of course!) who else but the wonderful talents of Kevin Lucia, who of course brought us to Clifton Heights in the first place. His stunning, chilling, and terrifying "Daughter Of The Mists" absolutely gripped me from start to finish. I simply couldn't put my Kindle down until I had reached the ending. What an amazing writer, and what an amazing Hallowe'en story! Way to go, Kevin!

Then, (although I imagine it must have felt a little bit like leaving your kid with a new babysitter!) Kevin Lucia hands Clifton Heights over to the awesome Jeremy Bates, for his "Once Upon a Halloween Night". He needn't have worried, because this is one hell of a story, from a consummate writer, who has all the right writing skills, in all the right places. I was familiar with a couple of Jeremy Bates other books, having recently got into the "World's Scariest Places" series. (For anyone not familiar with them, I have to say, you are in for an amazing ride.) But, back to "Once Upon a a Halloween Night". As ever, no spoilers, folks, but this is a beautifully crafted, utterly atmospheric tale, and the compassion with which the story's concept is written, took me to very deep emotional places. What a story, what a writer...and what a twist at the end. You won't see this one coming, well, I certainly didn't!

Then, finally, the absolutely superb, utterly heartbreaking "Brothers", by Jason Parent. I admit it is the first story I have found from this amazing author, but it won't be the last I will be looking out for. There is a warning at the start of this story, and although I don't think it's breaking my 'no spoilers' rule, the author cautions us that "This story contains scenes of rape and suicide". For very personal reasons, I had to take a deep breath before I decided should I read this? But I really am so very glad I did. This will not only disturb you, as it certainly should, it will probably break your heart, as I found myself in tears by the end. Extraordinary, powerful, and truly terrifying, as well as a complete emotional rollercoaster ride. What more could any horror fan ask? I don't think I know the answer to that, so I will leave it up to you, to hopefully make the same decision, once you read it. I needn't add anything else!

As ever, Crystal Lake Publishing House has done it again! The Dark Tide series is absolutely one to look out for, if this is anything to go by, and in my experience of reading many wonderful books from this dark child of the award winning Joe Mynhardt's Publishing Imprint, it won't be my first venture into these collections. I honestly don't know what kind of dark mysticism Joe has, but I am very, very grateful for it, because I have NEVER been disappointed by any of the many Crystal Lake Publishing House books I have enjoyed so very much. Crystal Lake Publishing House is my go-to place for absolutely guaranteed horror, in oh, so many ways.

So, it just remains to say, this is going straight onto my list of 'will definitely read again' books, and given the fact that I am not getting any younger, that's a huge compliment, given how much amazing horror by so many talented Authors there is, out there, waiting to be read!

Enjoy. And be terrified. And you probably will also want to read this one again, too!

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

October’s End, the third volume in Crystal Lake Publishing’s Dark Tide series, is another collection of 3 horror stories, each by a different author (in this volume, we have Kevin Lucia, Jeremy Bates and Jason Parent.) The volume is another Dark Tide gem: once again, all the boxes for horror fans are checked off here, and, considering their subject-matter, the book is the perfect read for Halloween.

This time, all three stories revolve around Kevin Lucia's fictional town of Clifton Heights. If you don't know as much as you'd like to about Clifton Heights, don’t panic: there's no need to be familiar with the town beforehand. Each story stands on its own, the connections between the stories (and the Easter eggs for the fans) are there but entirely subordinate to the concerns of each tale. Separately, they will only make you curious about the town and its spooky goings-on (yes, you should certainly check Lucia's Clifton Heights fiction, it’s brilliant!)

The first story, Lucia's “Daughter of the Mists”, has all the advantages of a writing style that's done in dual timelines (i.e., flashbacks): the suspense builds up around what happened to Earl, the classic horror cinephile, and how the Halloween FrightFest night, the Clifton Heights horror movie night, escalated into a total disaster. The flashbacks are handled skillfully and the reader is kept in the dark until everything explodes. Overall, I thought this story was a far above-average read.

“Once Upon a Halloween Night” by Jeremy Bates, the second story, is totally different, though equally well-written, readable and enjoyable. The story is about two brothers, Fred and Red. I won’t go into any spoilers here but Fred and Red are not exactly your usual pair of siblings, there are a couple of surprises in store, so this was the storyline I enjoyed more. This is a horror story, however, so Bates doesn’t have much time for fluff: the tale involves graphic bulling, both in school and at home, murders, very strong feelings, domestic violence, and, if I understood the totally unexpected ending correctly, there’s also a psychopath. But I’m not telling who.

Jason Parent’s story, “Brothers”, is about revenge. This is the story I liked less: the pacing was bumpy, the writing too rough, the story a bit too long and much more character-driven than plot driven. Actually, there’s very little plot: two friends get sexually abused by bullies, one dies, the other pursues revenge through supernatural means. What makes the story worthwhile is the detailed portrayal of the abuse’s impact on the characters: you can actually feel the injustice, their pain and the need to make things right… at any cost. But the story’s length does not feel like the right fit: the story should have been tighter and a lot of the extra turns in the story felt a bit forced and unnecessary, especially the repeated twists towards the ending which could have been skipped for the entity’s (the entities?) fuller story.

In any case, the stories are all far above average, especially the first two stories hit all the right spots. Highly recommended.

[Johann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Trilogy

Yet another great trio of stories that really push some buttons when it comes to emotions. I found myself sad, elated, pissed off and we'll spent after every story.

First Story: A very lonely man who has a love for classic horror movies has quite done something that could cause the very town to become a small burg from Hell.

2nd Story: Two young boys that are Siamese Twins that share the same body have lived through a life of torment. But on Halloween night will this pent up rage finally explode or will they be able to find any peace at all?

Third Story: Two best friends are trying to join a fraternity at the university they attend. But will they survive the hazing or will they regret things for the rest of their lives?

Great series!! Enjoyed immensely!!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

OCTOBER'S END, is a collection of three novellas, featuring Kevin Lucia's Clifton Heights as the location for the first two. The first story was by Lucia, himself, and was a great trip back to Clifton Heights! I love this fictional town, and the story felt like a "homecoming" of sorts. The only thing I might have done was cut it down a bit, because some of the "back and forth" on the timeline didn't seem necessary, and took me out of the action a little. 4 stars.

The second story was easily my favorite. Conjoined twins (in Clifton Heights) run the gauntlet of emotions. You see from their point of view--the physical joining, sibling "banter", bullies, and abuse. While this one was an emotional rollercoaster, the author brought some twists that I never envisioned, and left me with a sense of wanting to read it again! Solid 5 stars.

The third story featured a fraternity and hazing of graphic and emotional detail. The stereotyped "Rich-boys" whose parents could buy their way out of everything just made me lose interest. There was a unique plot twist thrown in, but it didn't lessen the initial impact, and I honestly didn't care for the main character. 2 stars.

[Theresa Derwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Trilogy of Horror and Revenge

Set at Halloween in the fictional town created by Kevin Lucia - Clifton Heights - these three stories deal with monstrous events over the course of various timelines and ... Monsters.
The first, by Lucia, sees a cinephile raging over the dismissal of classic horror film during his annual Fright Fest.
The second, by Jeremy Bates, is a story of conjoined twins living a difficult life and the third by Jason Parent follows a bunch of Alphas of a fraternity and two outcast friends who pledge.
Though the link through place is light handed, the stories share horror, the outsider and bullying.
The last story contains rape, though it's handled with a distanced touch.
This anthology is a prime example of why Crystal Lake Publishing is one of the best independent publishers of horror out there.

[lee_readsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐️
Have I outgrown this type of horror?

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last year I read and enjoyed the novella collection, Halloween Beyond, also part of the Dark Tide series and same publisher, so I was excited to pick up a copy of October's End. In another collection of three novellas by horror authors Kevin Lucia, Jason Parent, and Jeremy Bates offer stories which center around Halloween in the town of Clifton Heights.

In Kevin Lucia's "Daughter of the Mists," a classic horror movie cinephile finds himself in his own horror movie nightmare. For horror fans, it was a cool concept paying homage to classic monster movies with its own creepy entity. However, I had several issues. The protagonist, Earl, didn't have any depth to him outside his identity as a horror cinephile. Consequently, the secondary characters come off as two-dimensional. In particular, the women were portrayed only to serve Earl in a romantic or sexual way. As for the writing, the prose felt heavy-handed with too much telling to feel immersed in the story. As a whole, Lucia's story was a huge disappointment in need of more editing.
1/5

In Jeremy Bates's "Once Upon a Halloween Night," two brothers discover the worst kinds of monsters are human in the days leading up to Halloween. Compared to the first story, Bates's writing was fantastic. This character-driven tale about the two conjoined twins, Fred and Red spoke to that feeling of otherness. Compared to any monster, the everyday cruelty they face at home and at school was more horrific. As a whole, the child narrator and the trick-or-treating captured the Halloween spirit.
5/5

In Jason Parent's "Brothers," Rand and his friend Henry experience a fraternity's hazing ritual, leading to disastrous consequences. It leads Rand to a dark path and a Halloween party no one will forget. Although I was initially put off by the fraternity premise, Parent created a suspenseful and emotionally jarring story (there were trigger warnings for rape and suicide) of trauma and queer revenge. Rand and Henry who came off as believable college students and I liked their dynamic. Finally, I enjoyed how the supernatural element tied into one of the characters' backstory, Halloween folklore, and added an unexpected twist.
4/5

Overall: 3.3 stars

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Lucia entry was the highlight of this three-story anthology. The premise was good and the characters were interesting, but it was over-written, too long, and the payoff didn't quite measure up to the anticipation. The other two stories were just okay, nothing very new or different, and happened to occur on or around Halloween, as opposed to being stories about Halloween.

[Ctgt · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

[George Tregear · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two stories were real bangers!!