A Brand-New Extreme Horror Collection From the Twisted Mind That Brought You WOOM .
In Skin , former Golden Era-porn star Larry Walker gets a shot at the role of a lifetime... only to discover it may be his final role ever. The dark side of the porn industry has bred a monster with a penchant for recreating "classic" scenes. And Larry isn't the first actor The Doll has kidnapped to make his twisted "film."
Old friends reconnect over a dead body and a peculiar infection in " Bait ," one that makes Alexa crave sex with strangers which usually ends fatally for her partners. The trouble is, Brook's had a secret crush on Alexa since grade school, but will she be willing to do anything to help her friend?
" Peg " isn't a exactly a unicorn, and she isn't exactly a "pegasus," like the daughter of Peg's owner calls her. But she is a carnivorous equine with a horn made out of cartilage on her forehead. Pay your fee to take a ride... but it will probably be your last.
WARNING : Do not buy this book if you have a weak stomach, if you're easily disturbed, or if you're looking for a light horror read. THIS IS NOT THAT BOOK . Seriously. You've been warned.
**Sequel to the hit novel PUZZLE HOUSE coming Winter 2026**
Author of the cult smash-hit Woom and Ghostland and more than 15 other books that aren't the cult smash-hit Woom or Ghostland. His debut collection was blurbed positively by the legendary Jack Ketchum. His vampire novel, Pedo Island Bloodbath, was nominated for a 2024 Splatterpunk Award for Best Novel. His horror-thriller Ghostland will soon be a board game from Crystal Lake Publishing.
For 10 FREE dark fiction short stories/novellas including the prequel to GHOSTLAND, "The Moving House," signed copies of Woom, bookplates and merch, please visit www.duncanralston.com.
Does as it says on the tin! As the title says, this is a collection of three twisted, lewd, and insane short stories from the mind of Duncan Ralston. "Thinking about that reminded him of the E.T. porn parody he'd done in the '80s. He'd worn a store-bought E.T. mask and screwed Elliot's (adult) sister, his mother, and half of the scientists trying to study him."
This was an interesting collection that for me sadly failed to live up to the promise of Woom. Of the three stories here, both Bait and PEG interested me much more than the longer first story, called Skin. The big failure of these stories for me was that none of them felt personal or particularly relatable, there was nothing to latch on to or care about. That said, I did enjoy reading these and had a few laugh-out-loud moments, although I'm not sure that is entirely the desired response. Oh, not to mention a couple of moments where I was grossed out by a scene.
"My reaction to this was more primitive than to the sight that preceded it. I crab-walked over the back of the sofa in horror as the chitinous creature clambered over its host's viscera-splattered thigh and plonked down on the carpet."
Overall a reasonable read, maybe I came into reading this with my expectations set too high. I appear to be in the minority with my thoughts and rating of this book.
not only is this cover ATROCIOUS but i feel like we should all collectively ban men from writing stories like this. like… just ew. really makes you think why men love writing about sexual horror.
i’ll give him this though, The Doll as a character was actually pretty cool.
I mean, can you ever go wrong with something by Ralston? Loved these short stories. All very different but equally disturbing. I think Skin Flicks will stay with me a while, I really enjoyed it.
A trio of terrifying, twisted, traumatic tales from the one and only Duncan Ralston! I haven't read anything by Duncan for a while, but not because I don't want to, more because I've already read and loved everything he has written! (Apart from Gross Out, which is coming up on my TBR soon!) And this was a joy to read, disgusting and depraved, but an absolute joy!!
I genuinely loved all 3 stories, but my favourite was SKIN! 💜
As always, I will write a few words for each story in this collection!
SKIN - Larry, ex porn star, crashes his car, and that's just the beginning of his problems….isnt it? He ends up unwillingly and weirdly making another movie. Under disconcerting circumstances, with him as the starring role. He is in his 60s now, but his co stars have been very well preserved! Could this be the toughest acting job of his career?! Is 'The Doll' the toughest producer he has ever met?! And where the fuck is Linda?!
The reality behind the whole reason for him being in his current situation is downright disturbing! This tale is quite literally full of a dead horny cast, unrelenting torture and is very fucked up!
Fun, sinister, bizarre and creepy, with a brilliantly tense and disturbing build up to a horrifyingly chilling climax!!
BAIT - Alexa is the girl all men want to be with and all women want to be. But she isn't happy being who or what she is! Going their separate ways after finishing school, they finally meet up again after Brook receives an urgent email from Alexa, asking for help. What could she possibly want after all this time? Brook wishes she'd never found out……
This was a gnarly, sexy and gross read!
PEG!!!! (I added the exclamation marks to this title because they are needed!! Read the story and you'll understand why!! 😉)
When Peg, the horse, was born with a protuberance on her head, instead of having her put to sleep, Hap saw the perfect opportunity to make some cash! When a group of lads are refused a go on Peg, because of their unruliness, they decide to take matters into their own hands. More fool them… And, when a group of well-to-do businessmen take sick, utterly sick, advantage of Peg, Hap takes matters into HIS own hands. With bizarre and horrific consequences!
I really enjoyed the ole 'country bumpkin' narrative of this story! 😂
Depraved, debauched and…. darkly funny!
*Also, there is an extra bonus story at the end of this collection from another of Duncan's books, titled 'Video Nasties'. This one is called 'Cuttings' and is a brutally brilliant tale with a really great twist!! 🖤
What did you do, Duncan Ralston?? Only you, dude, only you… I just demolished this one in a few hours and it definitely got me out of my reading slump. As usual, you had me giggling and cringing simultaneously… with the utmost delight in my twisted little soul.
Okay. Let’s do this, one by one, and l’ll let you all guess which one was my favorite.
Skin: “… his dark blue eyes visible within that ridiculous mask, the one made to look like one of those yellow-blonde inflatable sex dolls with the too-pink skin and the red lips perpetually opened in an exaggerated O.”
The creep factor bar was set really high with that image and it just kept getting better and better as I went deeper into the depths of one man’s depraved basement (both proverbially and literally). What happens when you combine some serious trauma, a love for taxidermy, an obsession with porn and an unlimited checkbook? Only the Doll can show you and only he can free you when he calls “Cut”.
((And as an aside … from the “E.T., bone ho.” to the “What the fuck is this Joe Goldberg shit?” - the pop culture references absolutely tickled my fancy… ))
Bait: “Most childhood skills disappear over time if they’re not kept up. That particular skill - baiting a hook - it never left Alexa.” I ate this story up… hook, line and sinker, feeling this phrase intensely - “I’d gone too far to turn back. I didn’t know at the time how true those words would become.”
Love, obsession, symbiosis and a heady dose of lust was the creepy crawler on the hook that drew everyone in for a closer glance at Alexa, including her childhood best friend, Brook. This one left me wondering… How far would I go for love (platonic or romantic)? How enticing would it be to be irresistible?
“All I had to do was cast out the line, and wait for someone to take the bait.”
Peg: “Rectum? Dang near killed ‘im”
It was that narrators voice that did me in. I’m a sucker for a unique, bold voice … and “ol’ Hap”, he’s now one of my all-time favorites.
Add to that the intense, comedic, horrific imagery of a “voracious” horned horse, aptly named Peg, “galloping back and forth, hungry for blood,”, with a “dead man”, “still bouncing on her head like a kid on a carousel”.
Yes, that’s right… a unicorn with a taste for flesh, and the teeth to go along with it, meets small town wits and big city greed. What’s the worst that could happen?
“Makes ya think though, don’t it? ‘Bout how close any of us might be to a Pegging of our own? Metaphorically speakin, of course. Really makes you think “.
Three quite frankly funny, and disgusting stories. Absolutely loved the opening story 'Skin,' am a sucker for film stuff, and really liked the other two. All three were very different and even written in different styles, an impressive collection from an author I'm really enjoying.
This book is a terrifying and twisted trio of tales that are both disgusting and delightful. It's hard for me to choose my favorite as I loved all three but "Skin" is the one that left the most impact on me. This may mostly be because I didn't realize this was a collection so that ending was sudden and unexpected but it's definitely the one that made me raise my eyes the most while reading.
"Bait" is a trippy tale about love. It wasn't my favorite but it was enjoyable and I was definitely shocked when I came to its end.
"Peg" is a story that deserves its own trigger warning and lots of exclamations. It's a story about a horse turned unicorn and had the most unique narrative of all the stories. Told in a hick like accent, this story will leaving you rolling on the floor from the hilarity.
Duncan is such a versatile and unique author. He can give you dirty horror or he can give you an epic story with horror elements. Although I had some issues with the endings to some of his short stories in “Video Nasties”, the inclusion of “Cuttings” here is a great sample of the best of that collection (and there are several more)
This collection felt like an encore…. And quite the encore at that!
My favorite of the three stories was “Skin” without a doubt. I disagree with the title being on the boring side as it melds well into a collection called “Skin Flicks”.
SKIN: Smart and clever horror story. Larry adds a touch humour because, although jaded, he still has a star quality. Lines like: “The Hills always smelled like a classy lady at night—except in the few weeks leading up to the winter rainy season, when gardeners sprinkled the lawns with manure. She didn't smell quite so classy then. She smelled like shit.” The only part that threw me was the spelling of mannequin as manikin. I had to Google that! Excellent story in every which way! MUST READ!
BAIT: Interesting concept. Cleverly tied together a bait and switch concept. Other than that, the story was fine, but wasn’t my favorite. I can expect that others will really take to this one. Duncan really demonstrates a good female voice and his horror concepts are always several levels deep.
PEG: LOL. OKKKKKAAYYY, then! This ‘un is onree and ridikulus!!! Duncan is such a versatile writer. Although I didn’t really care for this story too much, it was very impressive to be able to tell the story from the mouth of a small town Nebraskan farmer with idioms and all. Good job!
Duncan is a super special author. Ever since I read “Video Nasties”, I’ve been buying all his books and I am never disappointed.
I loved these stories. As much fun as Peg was and how nicely erotic and gross Bait was written, Skin was ultimately my favourite. Sex and violence are two of the best things. I 100% recommend this.
What a fun 3 story collection by Duncan! This was an extremely entertaining book that was a page turner.
SKIN: was my favourite of them all. An old washed up porn star comes face to face with a doll face and some of his older works and costars. Excellent! BAIT: a friendship that has been lost and rekindled after years. By why? PEG: blew my mind. From a horse with a horn to the narration of this story, this one made me laugh from start to finish. Duncan showed some range in this collection, and it was a really fun read!
If I was forced to say one negative thing aboot Duncan Ralston, it would have to be.... that he buys his milk in bags! As far as his writing goes? I couldn't possibly think of anything bad to say about it. As much as I enjoy his earlier works ,with every new novel and short story he puts out, you can see his writing style evolve. All three stories were an incredibly fun read.
If your into sick twisted short stories, this is a good book to start with. I really enjoyed the first and second story more then the last one though. The last one, was annoying to me because it was based on the way hicks talk. I couldn’t really stay focused hard on that one.
Another bullseye for Duncan Ralston. I first discovered Ralston a few years back, around the time of the Ghostland Release. I remember seeing ads on social media for it, the cover reeled me in, It was the bait. But Duncans writing is what kept me on the hook. He has a wide range of abilities, he can tell you a story in any sub genre of horror and do it well.
But we are here to talk about Skin Flicks, so lets talk about it. You get 3 stories here. They are violent, vulgar, graphic. Fans of the cult classic woom will really love this one. I don't want to give anything about the stories away, thats what the back cover is for, but I highly recommend this one for fans of Ralston, fans of graphic, smutty horror, and fans of woom in general
Duncan Ralston has done it again! He is easily becoming one of my favorite horror authors because his stories are just so out there! Wow, what a twisted, depraved rollercoaster full of debauchery, gore, and lots of violence. The one thing I love about his writings though; there is ALWAYS a story under everything. These books aren’t just grossly gratuitous for the sake of being that way. The characters are well thought out and the stories always keep me reading.
After reading Woom, was there a hole in your life that you just couldn't fill? ;-P This collection is the next best thing to being able read Woom for the first time again. This is a solid WTF read. The constant stream of consciousness in my head while reading this was "What? OMG! NO! WHY? WTF?" On repeat. The whole time. I loved it so much!!!
As a huge fan of Duncan Ralston the person and Author I read this book in less than a day! It’s crazy the things he comes up with!! Interesting trio of stories. WOOM IS STILL MY FAVORITE
A number of people dismiss extreme horror as juvenile or not as literary as mainstream horror; writers such as Duncan Ralston, Wrath James White, and Patrick Harrison III prove those misconceptions wrong.
From the mindset of a man wrapped in a sex doll disguise to a unicorn-like creature pegging townies, Ralston has both hands on the wheel when he pens a story, and he corners like he’s covered in Crisco.
Skin by far was my favorite!! Played like a horror porno in my mind! So good just so good! Read these unforgettable tales, you will not be disappointed!
Another extreme horror journey from Duncan Ralston! The book starts off with Skin, which I really loved, and has some extremely gruesome imagery. Ralston follows it up with two short stories, Bait and Peg, both of which pack a punch. After reading Skin Flicks, I will forever think of things like porn, animatronics, unicorns, and STDs very differently!
Interesting! It blows my mind how creating human beings can be! These stories, even though short, they packed a big package 😏 My favorite one was Bait! I loved the girl on girl story. Super imaginative and grossly captivating.
Three great stories, one amazing book! (How could you expect anything less from Duncan?!)
Story 1: SKIN It's the longer of the 3 but sooo worth it. You want sex, gore, and all around "wtf?!" This is it!
Story 2: BAIT this one is a tale of a friendship that has dwindled over the years until one of them needs the other ASAP! not a ton of gore, but really has that "wtf?" Factor we've come to love from Duncan.
Story 3: PEG Peg is a horse. Sort of. And people are mean to her. So of course she seeks revenge. I absolutely loved this story!!!
We all know Duncan is my favorite indie author so I'm a little biased here...but GO READ THIS BOOK. And join our little FB community where all the cool weirdos hang out: woomies. :)
Just when I forgot how deep the rabbit hole of Duncan's depravity can go, he comes in like a wrecking ball to my psyche with Skin Flicks. The three tales are short yet not sweet. The pages are filled with a twisted darkness that infects you as you read. Duncan wasn't afraid to let you peek behind the dirty curtain of his mind with special sex dolls to a pimped out unicorn. Looking past the menagerie of grotesque imagery, you'll find three very well written stories. It's not only the waiting to see what messed up thing he could come up with next that keeps your eyes glued to the page. The quality of the writing and superb storytelling keeps you there even when you might want to look away.