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Carnie: Extreme Horror
CARNIE Stay away from the clowns. Sarah and Mia would have been better off leaving the horror show that passes for a carnival when they had the chance. But one falling out with a stabby rapist clown and now they’re in the back of a lorry on their way to who knows where? Murdertown, probably. Carnie is a deliciously disgusting tale of gaping maws and salacious gore. It is pretty nasty in places, so if you don’t want to read about that sort of thing, then perhaps you might want to give this one a miss, yes? Carnie is an extreme horror novella, painted with the blackest of humour. It has scenes that some people may find sickening. It has animal violence, but I should clarify that it is violence by animals, not to animals, if that makes a difference, sicko. Consider this a trigger warning for just about everything.
92 pages, Paperback
Published December 14, 2022
76 people are currently reading
515 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
September 20, 2022
Full review available at The Mort Report:-
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...
Why do Carnies always get such a bad rep?
They are there to entertain you, to come in and out of your life for a brief moment so you can have memories for the rest of your days. They don’t overstay their welcome and they don’t believe in long, drawn-out goodbyes. That in itself makes them better than half your family at Christmas.
Mia and her friend Sarah are going to the “Fear Factory” with two guys, but the line is so very long, so they have this idea to sneak in. And then things don’t go as planned.
Right, we have so much to discuss here.
Let’s start off with the carnival. You are willing to go to a place that is run by strangers, all disguised so you wouldn’t be able to identify any of them later. You were not born under a rock, so you know how badly Stephen King tried to warn you about these grown-ass people in make-up and costume, with crazy, unkept hair and alcoholic red noses, and shoe sizes that most probably give you a false impression of the family jewels…yet, you just say:
Maybe I will have fun…Bad things will never happen to me…John Wayne Gacy were into boys, so I don’t have the right equipment…
Then, you willingly go into a place they call the “Fear Factory”. And just because these people are not always known for their hygiene, doesn’t mean they are going to give you a cleaning nightmare. Sink full of dishes…oh no, the horror. They literally tell you they are going to try to scare the piss out of you…and who knows – since everything happens behind the scenes – maybe they will make you lick it up like you are Ozzy on a drug binge.
I am not calling you stupid at this point, you fucking idiot, because there’s more.
And then you get the bright idea to do some breaking and entering (you don’t actually have to break anything, I checked) into the lawless land of behind the tent-flap where nobody can see you, hear you, help you. And just for the record, you are probably not as well equipped for this situation as Mad Max would be, Dumb Dick.
I try to be as open minded as possible, people, but maybe you should read the shit that can happen to you when you act like a moron. Believe me, it gets very very bad for them, even worse than having to wash that sink full of dishes.
Ash Ericmore knows how to take you to that place where few others would venture.
Great, fast read – the first of a trilogy – but only recommended to extreme horror fans.
5 STARS
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...
Why do Carnies always get such a bad rep?
They are there to entertain you, to come in and out of your life for a brief moment so you can have memories for the rest of your days. They don’t overstay their welcome and they don’t believe in long, drawn-out goodbyes. That in itself makes them better than half your family at Christmas.
Mia and her friend Sarah are going to the “Fear Factory” with two guys, but the line is so very long, so they have this idea to sneak in. And then things don’t go as planned.
Right, we have so much to discuss here.
Let’s start off with the carnival. You are willing to go to a place that is run by strangers, all disguised so you wouldn’t be able to identify any of them later. You were not born under a rock, so you know how badly Stephen King tried to warn you about these grown-ass people in make-up and costume, with crazy, unkept hair and alcoholic red noses, and shoe sizes that most probably give you a false impression of the family jewels…yet, you just say:
Maybe I will have fun…Bad things will never happen to me…John Wayne Gacy were into boys, so I don’t have the right equipment…
Then, you willingly go into a place they call the “Fear Factory”. And just because these people are not always known for their hygiene, doesn’t mean they are going to give you a cleaning nightmare. Sink full of dishes…oh no, the horror. They literally tell you they are going to try to scare the piss out of you…and who knows – since everything happens behind the scenes – maybe they will make you lick it up like you are Ozzy on a drug binge.
I am not calling you stupid at this point, you fucking idiot, because there’s more.
And then you get the bright idea to do some breaking and entering (you don’t actually have to break anything, I checked) into the lawless land of behind the tent-flap where nobody can see you, hear you, help you. And just for the record, you are probably not as well equipped for this situation as Mad Max would be, Dumb Dick.
I try to be as open minded as possible, people, but maybe you should read the shit that can happen to you when you act like a moron. Believe me, it gets very very bad for them, even worse than having to wash that sink full of dishes.
Ash Ericmore knows how to take you to that place where few others would venture.
Great, fast read – the first of a trilogy – but only recommended to extreme horror fans.
5 STARS
June 29, 2022
That was an exciting little read! Four friends visit a carnival which is really a ‘front’ for a horror show, full of creepy killer clowns, zombies, etc. Sneaking under the tent, they see something they’re not supposed to (no spoilers here!) and are hunted down by the killer clowns and taken somewhere in a van. This is full of the usual goodies, lots of blood, violence, torture, naked bodies, etc. I’m not a fan of carnivals or clowns which made this book quite terrifyingly brilliant....I could almost hear the sound of the Calliope playing!! A solid 5 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡 for this novella!
May 22, 2021
Four friends attend a carnival where things just do not seem right. Even the house of mirrors is scary and ominous. The main attraction, Fear Factory, promises plenty of surprises and scares. Exploring the workings of the Fear Factory behind the scenes gets the four friends into lethal trouble. Plenty of extreme violence ensues. Watch the hell out for Bertha! You will never want a hot dog again. All in all, a quick and suspenseful story of survival amongst maniacs. Whatever you do, don't bloody up your dress.
February 10, 2022
Curiosity does not always kill the kitty but for sure will kill the following sheep.
Unimpressed Mia and some friends head to a horror carnival. When Mia's inquiring mind goes into over drive to what's actual illusion in the house of mirrors, suddenly the main attraction "Fear Factory" despite the long queues and shady carni's becomes all too enticing.
Enjoyable slasher read with a likeable lead character.
A editing mistake on names at the start but it doesn't take away from the story.
Unimpressed Mia and some friends head to a horror carnival. When Mia's inquiring mind goes into over drive to what's actual illusion in the house of mirrors, suddenly the main attraction "Fear Factory" despite the long queues and shady carni's becomes all too enticing.
Enjoyable slasher read with a likeable lead character.
A editing mistake on names at the start but it doesn't take away from the story.
August 2, 2022
Carnival from Hell
Fast paced, blood soaked carnival ride. I love this author's twisted mind and can't wait to read more from him!
Fast paced, blood soaked carnival ride. I love this author's twisted mind and can't wait to read more from him!
October 24, 2023
As they slowly made their way out from under the hayloft, a young man walked into the barn, holding a torch. He shone it directly Ellie’s face.
“What the fuck?” he said with a hard northern accent.
Mia lunged at him, running him through with the blade, without thinking. He dropped the torch and grabbed the knife, as Mia released it. He fell to the side, and over.
“What the fuck?” he said with a hard northern accent.
Mia lunged at him, running him through with the blade, without thinking. He dropped the torch and grabbed the knife, as Mia released it. He fell to the side, and over.
April 11, 2025
4.5 stars
Four friends go to a carnival that is more horror than cheap scares. When they witness a clown murdering a girl shit goes side ways quick.
I mean I don't understand why clowns get a bad rep. The last one I knew just got fired from the morgue for making balloons animals from the wrong parts.
Loved the scene in the woods with the shotgun. BOOM BOOM💥
Four friends go to a carnival that is more horror than cheap scares. When they witness a clown murdering a girl shit goes side ways quick.
I mean I don't understand why clowns get a bad rep. The last one I knew just got fired from the morgue for making balloons animals from the wrong parts.
Loved the scene in the woods with the shotgun. BOOM BOOM💥
October 7, 2023
extreme horror? more like extremely boring & extremely lazy writing. like how are you gonna tell me "cutting his cock off & putting it in a meat grinder" was on her mind "but she didn't have time" lmfao
November 30, 2021
First off I don't really like carnivals or clowns and this book didn't help any. This was one hell of a fucked up carnival with some crazy shit going on behind the scenes. This is a awesome brutal slasher with plenty of gore to satisfy. Ash Ericmore never disappoints ....on to book 2.
October 17, 2023
Gory, nasty fun in places but with very little character development and compelling story line. I also find the ending a bit anti-climactic. Not bad, was just expecting more!
May 10, 2024
Wanna go to a haunted house?
A group of four friends find themselves at a haunted house carnival, that’s only there for one night! When the girls in the group see some stuff and report back to the boys, instead of going home they think exploring further is the way to go. Without wanting to wait in the exponentially growing line and wait time. They decide to go the back way into the “haunt”. They definitely found some stuff to look at.
I thought this was good, I think the build up and the payoff didn’t add up and there should have been a lot more that happened to the kids, but honestly there’s three more books so we will see how it goes feel after reading them. Taking this as a stand alone book tho i think they should have done more from the phenomenal build up they were creating. Good read tho.
A group of four friends find themselves at a haunted house carnival, that’s only there for one night! When the girls in the group see some stuff and report back to the boys, instead of going home they think exploring further is the way to go. Without wanting to wait in the exponentially growing line and wait time. They decide to go the back way into the “haunt”. They definitely found some stuff to look at.
I thought this was good, I think the build up and the payoff didn’t add up and there should have been a lot more that happened to the kids, but honestly there’s three more books so we will see how it goes feel after reading them. Taking this as a stand alone book tho i think they should have done more from the phenomenal build up they were creating. Good read tho.
August 3, 2021
First of all, clowns... just no. I don't have a phobia or anything, but...no. They just aren't right. We can all agree on that, can't we?
Then there are those behind the scenes guys, the ones nobody ever pays attention to... the ones running the rides, fixing things, that guy with one arm and an eye patch - I never worried about them. Until now.
A traveling carnival with an even more I-CP, being led by Rapey the Clown should be no match for some horney kids trying to Scooby Do their way out of there. (Two of which could screw up a pop-tart, and the other two who won't stop making things worse.) But, isn't that why we read these things?
Then there are those behind the scenes guys, the ones nobody ever pays attention to... the ones running the rides, fixing things, that guy with one arm and an eye patch - I never worried about them. Until now.
A traveling carnival with an even more I-CP, being led by Rapey the Clown should be no match for some horney kids trying to Scooby Do their way out of there. (Two of which could screw up a pop-tart, and the other two who won't stop making things worse.) But, isn't that why we read these things?
March 11, 2022
It was surprising how misplaced some people’s loyalties were.
What started out as a standard hooking up in the front seat of car for Sally and Joel would quickly morph into something a lot more bloody and deadly. Stumbling apart from the other's embrace, they encounter a road side circus being set up where the clowns terrified everyone they saw. As one creeped slowly along the dark streets to the passenger side, it passed through a flyer for an opportunity to the one night only event of the Fear Factory. Inviting along his friend Lucas and Sally bringing along Mia, they encounter something a lot more bizarre than they originally anticipated. Firstly going through the House of Mirrors brought to life things that looked to real to be faked; from nudity and abuse to starving dogs feeding off of a still living person. Now it's time for the main event, as the four snuck through the back of the tent into the Fear Factory. Climbing to a high vantage point they watch the nightmares of what was fake, and the things there were all too real. From the actors who play the roles, to the Clowns that broke all of them; they watched a woman forced to perform sex acts before being brutally stabbed in one of the rooms. Upon being spotted and drugged, they awoke to be in cages in an unknown location, before watching Lucas being butchered alive and his body being fed through Bertha; an industrial meat grinder where the human flesh made the hotdogs for the carnival. As they ran from the compound, Joel was brutally slaughtered by the dogs while Sally took a bullet to the head. With Mia alone and facing execution in the slaughterhouse by Ewin, she kills him before fleeing deep into the woods to hopefully never see this place again.
His blood mingled with hers, over her cuts. Slipping into her blood stream. They were joined now, inexplicably. And she hated it.
What started out as a standard hooking up in the front seat of car for Sally and Joel would quickly morph into something a lot more bloody and deadly. Stumbling apart from the other's embrace, they encounter a road side circus being set up where the clowns terrified everyone they saw. As one creeped slowly along the dark streets to the passenger side, it passed through a flyer for an opportunity to the one night only event of the Fear Factory. Inviting along his friend Lucas and Sally bringing along Mia, they encounter something a lot more bizarre than they originally anticipated. Firstly going through the House of Mirrors brought to life things that looked to real to be faked; from nudity and abuse to starving dogs feeding off of a still living person. Now it's time for the main event, as the four snuck through the back of the tent into the Fear Factory. Climbing to a high vantage point they watch the nightmares of what was fake, and the things there were all too real. From the actors who play the roles, to the Clowns that broke all of them; they watched a woman forced to perform sex acts before being brutally stabbed in one of the rooms. Upon being spotted and drugged, they awoke to be in cages in an unknown location, before watching Lucas being butchered alive and his body being fed through Bertha; an industrial meat grinder where the human flesh made the hotdogs for the carnival. As they ran from the compound, Joel was brutally slaughtered by the dogs while Sally took a bullet to the head. With Mia alone and facing execution in the slaughterhouse by Ewin, she kills him before fleeing deep into the woods to hopefully never see this place again.
His blood mingled with hers, over her cuts. Slipping into her blood stream. They were joined now, inexplicably. And she hated it.
August 30, 2022
Short, gore and blood soaked read! It was a great story and looking forward to the next 2 in the series.
August 22, 2022
What an ash-hole!!! LOLOLOL Great story by Ash. Love clowns and carnivals and mayhem!
Good gore, good story development. Excited to read the 2nd. definitely more to come.
Still slowly trying to understand the British humor and words. wankers lol
Good gore, good story development. Excited to read the 2nd. definitely more to come.
Still slowly trying to understand the British humor and words. wankers lol
January 2, 2024
I don’t get how people rated this 5 stars? It barely has a story to it and the ending actually sucked 😭
September 20, 2023
When this ended I was a little ticked because...it just ended: fade to black. Then I remembered the story continues in another book. Saying this was unsettling is cliche as Mr. Ericmore 's repertoire is just that. I may never eat a hot dog at an event again. I felt the beginning was a wee bit slow and I didn't become invested til the "f*ckening" began. Then I just wanted to know what shockingly vile and horrific way he was going to kill everyone. In which he said (at least in my head) "Not everyone". Once the carnival workers start appearing doing all the terrible, this book picks up and then it's hold on tight because it goes fast and then into a wall. The character development in this one was kind of weak, but you will get invested and that's the important part. However, I'm not sorry I listened to this. Just sorry I'm not listening to the next installment.
December 28, 2022
Was definitely a good gory book. Beware of the carnival you end up going to, it could be like this one 😂
August 16, 2023
God, I hate clowns. That's it. Were you expecting anything else? Oh, alright.....
Ash Ericmore delivers a gut punch of a story in Carnie, where common sense flies out the window in the face of Fear Factory. Now, having grown up watching Fear Factor, I knew nothing good could come of this, but our intrepid main cast did not, and they are quickly swept away in the depraved acts of the sideshow.
Carnie is a twisted little story and a quick reminder of why you never trust a sideshow that warns you not to get too close to the clowns or they'll cut you. I love a slice of danger as much as the next person, but that's a huge no thanks for me. Pogo can find someone else to terrorize.
That being said, I thought Mia was a really fun character to read. She was the smartest of the lot, and her attitude and reactions really did her a lot of favours. However, Sally, Joel, and Lucas felt like side pieces. I don't feel like they were developed as much as Mia and were pretty much placeholders to be used as cannon fodder for the plot.
This book has the bane of my existence...the r-word. It wasn't needed. That particular character could've been described in so many different ways than that, and it would've been just fine.
Carnie was a decent read. It kept me interested, though a bit linear overall. At the very least, I'm invested enough to want to read the next one in the series to see what other imaginative reasons I can find to despise clowns.
Ash Ericmore delivers a gut punch of a story in Carnie, where common sense flies out the window in the face of Fear Factory. Now, having grown up watching Fear Factor, I knew nothing good could come of this, but our intrepid main cast did not, and they are quickly swept away in the depraved acts of the sideshow.
Carnie is a twisted little story and a quick reminder of why you never trust a sideshow that warns you not to get too close to the clowns or they'll cut you. I love a slice of danger as much as the next person, but that's a huge no thanks for me. Pogo can find someone else to terrorize.
That being said, I thought Mia was a really fun character to read. She was the smartest of the lot, and her attitude and reactions really did her a lot of favours. However, Sally, Joel, and Lucas felt like side pieces. I don't feel like they were developed as much as Mia and were pretty much placeholders to be used as cannon fodder for the plot.
This book has the bane of my existence...the r-word. It wasn't needed. That particular character could've been described in so many different ways than that, and it would've been just fine.
Carnie was a decent read. It kept me interested, though a bit linear overall. At the very least, I'm invested enough to want to read the next one in the series to see what other imaginative reasons I can find to despise clowns.
January 13, 2024
⭐️⭐️.5
𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙨.
**Please check up trigger warnings if they bother you as this is an extreme horror book and contains gore and violence**
Clowns are scary… and this book proves my point. I have been getting more into the extreme horror genre over the past few months, and I realize it’s not for everyone.
I don’t know how I feel about this novella as a whole, it had an interesting plot. It was super gory and bloody! There wasn’t much character development and I found some scenes in this book to be over the top. I feel like the storyline wasn’t as great as I was expecting it to be.
Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable horror novella. It definitely won’t be for everyone, but it’s a great read to pick up during the spooky season as the clowns in this were creepy!
𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙨.
**Please check up trigger warnings if they bother you as this is an extreme horror book and contains gore and violence**
Clowns are scary… and this book proves my point. I have been getting more into the extreme horror genre over the past few months, and I realize it’s not for everyone.
I don’t know how I feel about this novella as a whole, it had an interesting plot. It was super gory and bloody! There wasn’t much character development and I found some scenes in this book to be over the top. I feel like the storyline wasn’t as great as I was expecting it to be.
Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable horror novella. It definitely won’t be for everyone, but it’s a great read to pick up during the spooky season as the clowns in this were creepy!
October 10, 2021
Amazing read
This is a great read and the only reason I dropped a star (or should I say was going to, but thought it was unjust a reason) was at the end you were like AARRGGHHHH!! This was because something happens right at the very end. And your all entwined with what is happening then the end hits. I'm glad I bought the 2nd book along with the first as I enjoy this authors books, or I'd be frantically searching for it. The characters are really good and your enthralled from the start. So I'd definitely recommend, now I'm off to read the next book and hope you enjoy this one as much as I have.
This is a great read and the only reason I dropped a star (or should I say was going to, but thought it was unjust a reason) was at the end you were like AARRGGHHHH!! This was because something happens right at the very end. And your all entwined with what is happening then the end hits. I'm glad I bought the 2nd book along with the first as I enjoy this authors books, or I'd be frantically searching for it. The characters are really good and your enthralled from the start. So I'd definitely recommend, now I'm off to read the next book and hope you enjoy this one as much as I have.
August 4, 2025
I actually really enjoyed this..I mean I never wanna visit a carnival but this was very entertaining from the human hotdogs to the hacking up body parts.
March 4, 2024
1 ☆
Where is the story? This book doesn’t make sense, how can people rate this 5 stars…
Where is the story? This book doesn’t make sense, how can people rate this 5 stars…
July 17, 2022
1 star. I hated this novella with my whole spirit. Every fiber of my being could not find anything to like except one little twist. I loathe it so much. I need to write down all my thoughts. I will return to do this soon and it is too late for me to sit in my hatred for this book. First Summerween book of 2022 was a FLOP. I hate this. I loathe it. It's dripping in misogyny, fat phobia, rape, and no commentary. I LOVE extreme horror, but my extreme horror needs an underlying exploration of society and this 70 page novella offered nothing in that department. Also reading this book and seeing the word "cock" so many times equates to reading Richard Laymon's Endless Night and seeing the repetition of "bouncy breasts". It's a no for me. Full review to come later when I can take the time to allow myself to seethe in anger.
April 25, 2025
I don’t mind cussing in books at all, but this one was just a little overboard for me. (And by a little overboard I mean a LOT overboard).
The characters are complete idiots. Like annoying dumb….. Mia is ALWAYS contradicting herself. One minute she’s scared and grossed out, then she isn’t scared anymore, and the next she’s bored. It didn’t feel consistent at all.
I thought the second half of the book was much better than the first, it definitely held my interest more.
Of course, this is all just my opinion! I’ve got nothing against the author at all. I’d love to give more of their work a try. This particular story setup just wasn’t for me :)
The characters are complete idiots. Like annoying dumb….. Mia is ALWAYS contradicting herself. One minute she’s scared and grossed out, then she isn’t scared anymore, and the next she’s bored. It didn’t feel consistent at all.
I thought the second half of the book was much better than the first, it definitely held my interest more.
Of course, this is all just my opinion! I’ve got nothing against the author at all. I’d love to give more of their work a try. This particular story setup just wasn’t for me :)
October 31, 2024
Carnie was a creepy little horror read full of gore. Considering the length of this novella, the story wasn't terrible, however, I do think the short length meant that a lot of the character background and plot were basically non-existent in this one. Going in I wasn't expecting much so I didn't mind this story, however, it was essentially just a few random torture scenes and a mildly boring escape attempt. Was this great? No. Did it do what it intended to. Yeah.
Not terrible but nothing special
2 stars
Not terrible but nothing special
2 stars
December 13, 2023
Not bad but needed more clowns.
August 18, 2023
i love horror and didn’t know the term of splatterpunk. carnie is soft in horror and gore + the ending is slasher girlboss etc and i truly loved it !!!! it was more of a horror story!! the writing is really good and descriptive : it works.
March 19, 2025
A good, short splatterpunk horror. Good if you like Tender is the Flesh. I also recommend watching the movie Hostel if you end up liking this book.
January 20, 2026
هرار و جريش
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